Four-Color Critiques #6: The Bestest Batman
Jul 03We’re coming up on Bat-Fever, Volume 47 or something, in which every cereal box, soft drink product, and medical waste disposal container features the familiar Batman logo, so as to underscore the summertime release of a feature film featuring the aforementioned Batman.
Me? I’ve got low-grade Bat-Fever all the time, since as I may have mentioned before, Batman is My Favorite.
But who’s my favorite Batman? Up until a few weeks ago, that answer would have been easy: Frank Miller’s Batman, as depicted in The Dark Knight Returns. Easy answer, but I gotta keep it real.
Based on visuals alone? Jim Aparo, followed closely by Norm Breyfogle.
Now, I’m not so sure. I finally got off my duff and read the legendary Steve Englehart/Marshall Rogers run of Batman, and I think maybe the EngleRogers (does that work, like a “Brangelina” kinda thing? Maybe yes?) version of the Caped Crusader is now my favorite.
Because frankly, Batman’s been depressing as hell for a really long time, and EngleRogers’ Batman is actually (gasp) FUN.
Mid-Week Treat: Lookwell
Jul 02‘Round these parts, everyone’s taking bets on exactly when LA will completely shut down for the holiday weekend. Will it be today at 4? Tomorrow at noon? Did it already happen?!
Some of you are still stuck behind your desks, though, trying valiantly to squeeze in one last business-related call before CAA activates its automated “frak you and call back later” outgoing message. This is for you.
A pal introduced me to Lookwell a while back. It’s a failed early ’90s pilot from Conan O’Brien and Robert Smigel, starring Adam West. I hadn’t watched it for a bit, but my bro was just discussing the general genius of Adam West the other day and all of a sudden I flashed on it and blurted out, “HAVE YOU SEEN LOOKWELL?! YOU MUST!” Now, these days, I kind of try to avoid “you must read/see/listen to”-type statements, just because they’re kind of annoying and have a tendency to sprout forth from the know-it-all mouths of us geeks on a way-too-regular basis. But in this case, I feel that it’s OK, because Lookwell is totally hilarious. Personally, I think it’s way funnier than Heat Vision and Jack.
My favorite parts are all of Lookwell’s “undercover” disguises and Jason, the sole skeptical acting student. Jason, incidentally, is played by actor and indie filmmaker Todd Field (yes, the Todd Field who made In the Bedroom and Little Children). Somehow, that makes him even more awesome.
Anyway, without further ado…Lookwell! And don’t worry about CAA getting back to you — I’m pretty sure they’ll still be here after July 4.
“Perhaps if you watched a little more television, you’d be better at your job.”
Google Reader's Weird Morning Churn
Jul 02Here’s what I’ve spent time with thus far this morning, in this order:
* The first trailer for Quantum of Solace.
* George Lucas teaming with Snoop Dawg and Doug E. Fresh to get out the vote.
* Fred Chao delivering a brief wacky riff on Spidey’s new status quo.
* Coverage of a Boom! miniseries, High Rollers, that I’d read about long ago and totally forgotten existed. I need to pull that shit stat.
No More Warp Core Breach in Vegas
Jul 01SyFyPortal has the depressing news that Star Trek: The Experience in Vegas is closing.
Wish I had time and money to make one more trip out there, and take one last ride…I have only been once and it was an unforgettable day. The ride itself (running the old version of the film, which was TNG centric; I think there’s a newer Borg one) was only so-so.
It was the afternoon spent sucking on something called a Warp Core Breach with my friend Steve and engaging in buzzed chit-chat with a streetmosphere Klingon who stayed in character THE WHOLE TIME that made the day special. The Warp Core Breach was one of those fishbowl-style drinks with two long straws. Steve and I must have looked like we were steeling ourselves for a visit to the 24-hour wedding chapel as we shared a cocktail in Vegas, but shit, when will I get the chance to down a Warp Core Breach again in my entire life? Never at this point.
Actually, the article specifically states the attraction will be closing–I guess one could hold out hope that the facsimile of Quark’s and the promenade on Deep Space Nine will remain open, but that’s a long shot at best. If the business for the actual Trek dog and tribble show is down, I can only imagine there’s even less interest in strolling through a life-size reproduction of a standing set from a long-dead syndicated sci-fi series.
Fare thee well, Star Trek: The Experience. Thanks for the booze and the Klingon opera.
(Comics) Journalism: One More Thing…
Jun 27Okay, I sorta swear this is the last I’ll say on this subject.
As this conversation about comics journalism has wound its way around the web, folks have been asking in the comments, “What’s the big deal?”
For me, it boils down to this:
“CONSTANT VIGILANCE!”
There is so much bullshit in the media at every level in every way possible that it sorta shocks me to hear folks expect such antiquated notions as “journalistic standards” from their sources of information. Is “information” even the right word anymore? It’s all “infotainment,” isn’t it? The daily metropolitan newspaper delivered to my Orlando doorstep has less reporting than the paper put out by the high school up the street; questions for “hard-hitting” interviews are faxed in advance so that the interviewee can have every response carefully prepped by a PR flack; some douchebag with a camera crew shows up at a trailer park, spends twenty minutes talking to a neighbor of a felon, and files a story about the “bad economy” and how it makes people steal.
Lemme paraphrase Alexander Hamilton, or maybe Bob Dylan, here: If you don’t question everything, you’ll fall for anything.
I personally think most major and minor media outlets of any kind, from Newsarama to the New York Times, should be questioned, absorbed, and dismissed, in about that order. Journalistic “standards” have always been a bit of an illusion, designed to camouflage whatever imperceptible biases and flaws are inherent in the process of reporting; that’s never been more true than it is today.
So buy a salt shaker, toss out lotsa grains, and consume with voracious pleasure. And if you’re not tossing the salt, you deserve whatever shit you eat.
I think that’s about it. Back to geek now.
