5/21/23-5/28/23
Belfast
Did you know that The Troubles were bad? Shocking, right? Kenneth Branagh reaches back into his childhood to make a movie that you only anyone would had glanced at an article about growing up in Belfast during the late 60s could have made.
This isn’t a bad movie, and from a technical standpoint it’s fairly competent, but it isn’t very original. My big problem is the use of black-and-white photography; it doesn’t seem necessary. I’m not at all against modern filmmakers using black-and-white photography, but there needs to be some sort of reason beyond “it was the past.” You can light things so beautifully and really bring out the full range of values in a composition, but it seems like presenting this in color would’ve resulted in something with nearly the exact same feel. I’m also not sure sure why this movie opens and closes with skyline shots of modern Belfast. Is it to show that it was all worth it? Or just to clarify that tit wasn’t happening in modern day? There’s no good reason for this. I also have to knock it down a peg for having music by Van Morrison. Van Morrison sucks shit.
Combo Man No. 1: “The Incredible Origin of… Combo Man” by Gruenwald, Collazo, Adams, Chiang, Bernardo, and Herdling
I miss the good ol’ days of Marvel Comics when they were constantly on the verge of going bankrupt. Don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty of their comics (and DC’s as well, for that matter) that have corporate tie-ins, but I don’t think any is as low-rent as Combos: king of the gas station. By the way, I didn’t change the credits to this at all; they chose to not print the first names of any person involved, possibly due to embarrassment. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty to be embarrassed about, including the design of our titular character. While a sane group of people might do it Voltron-style (i.e. Head piece, arms, legs, torso), it’s divided up so minutely, cramming as many characters as possible into the design. What advantage could you possibly have from having just the elbows of Carnage or the lower chest of Captain America? What does having the forehead of the Incredible Hulk actually amount to? It’s stupid as hell, but I can’t help but like it. Maybe it’s just that Combos have a special place in my heart, clogging my arteries and eventually killing me.
Skate Man No. 1 by Neal Adams
What a stupid thing this is. It's clearly chasing the rollerskating trend to create a hero (a Vietnam vet who was lead to believe he killed someone on his roller derby team (I didn't even know there were men's roller derby teams!)). It's dumb as shit, but charming in it's own way.
The Midnight Surfer Special by John Wagner, Cam Kennedy, Tom Frame, and Steve Whitaker
This is a spin-off of Judge Dredd, even featuring the scowling be-helmeted man himself. It’s all about Marlon Shakespeare, A.K.A Chopper, a sky surfer in an underground sky-surfing competition that takes him and other boarders flying through the dangerous labyrinth that is Megacity-One. It’s kinetic, colorful, and a fun detour into very human corner of the Judge Dredd universe.
Made in Korea #5 by Jeremy Holt, George Schall, and Adam Wollet
So far, I can only tell that this seems to be about an advanced AI construct that doesn’t realize that they’re not a real person and is dealing with gender dysphoria. It seems solid, but, of course, I’m missing the whole story. This is one of those comic trends I don’t care for where, clearly, this was all originally meant to be a graphic novel, but is doled out in individual issues first to gauge interest. Not a fan!
What’s the Furthest Place from Here? #2 by Tyler Boss and Matthew Rosenberg
A bunch of teenagers are trying to find another teenager while avoiding being killed by other teenagers in a post-apocalyptic setting with no adults that may or may not have been explained in the previous issue. Interesting enough and pretty well-written with some dark humor thrown in for good measure. Gets a little too close to being MCU-level quippy, but never hits that irritating high. It’s something I’m going to have to look deeper into at some point.
Shipwreck #4: “Rocket” by Warren Ellis, Phil Hester, et al.
I don’t remember what this was. I think I liked it?
Kane 8: “The View from Here” by Paul Grist
God, I love Paul Grist and the Kane series specifically. Grist is a master of pure black and white drawings, drowning pages in black shadows while somehow not losing any detail. It’s incredible. On top of that, the story is a fun take on what would happen if Adam West had a mental break with reality after “accidentally” killing Burt Ward. Sort of. You get what I mean.
The Jam: Urban Adventure #1 by Bernie Mireault
It’s been a while since I read this for the first time and, I’ll be completely honest, I totally forgot about the cult stuff that’s right at the edges of this comic. It’s probably for the best. The main focus is on The Jammer, a great take on the everyday “superhero.” He hangs out on the rooftops, offering would-be murders sandwiches and beer. It’s a surprisingly effective method of deterring crime. I love this idea and I need to pick up whatever published material I can from this series.
Damage Control Vol. 3, No.1: “The Sure Thing” by Dwayne McDuffie, Kyle Baker, et al.
The concept of this series is following the construction company that takes care of all the collateral damage from the superhero fights that happen all the time in New York. In this issue Damage Control deals with a mysterious person calling the scene of the next catastrophe before it ever happens. Also, they’re making a Damage Control movie. Oddly prescient, that.
I love this issue. The writing is fun and plays with Marvel stuff well. The Hulk appears in a box seat at a Yankees game and… just talks like a normal, if somewhat irritable guy. The art is also just cartoony enough to be expressive and fun with a distinct, shaky line throughout the whole thing. I loved this, I want more of it, but I hate the idea of supporting the Walt Disney Corporation in any way, no matter how small. Them’s the breaks, I suppose.
Golgo 13 No. 2: “Hopper the Border” by Takao Saito
I love collecting these issues of manga, just to see the evolution of how manga was being published in the united states throughout the years. This one is colorized and it looks like barf! Colorizing a black-and-white comic is always a risk, but sometimes it can be good (look at the Epic Comics (Marvel) edition of Akira). The story itself was fine: a group of shady people show up at an abandoned canyon, none of them trusting the other, and none divulging their motivations. Solid stuff, but it didn’t particularly grab me. I did like the gratuitous advertisements for games and accessories for Nintendo products made by the people who also publish this comic (what a coincidence!).
Nation of Snitches by Jon Hammer
This is a satire of satanic panic, focusing on a janitor for, what I guess is a consulting company who carries out random murders in the name of God. It’s odd. The titular Nation of Snitches is a TV show in the universe sort of like Unsolved Mysteries where they interpret his work as a part of a satanic ritual which, of course, infuriates the murderer. The artwork is pretty nice, fairly cartoonish with nice painterly colors, but the satire seems falls just short of the mark. It’s a little to on-the-nose.
Kelvin Mace No. 1 by Klaus Schoenfeld and Ty Templeton
I could’ve sworn I had the second issue of this, but I guess I didn’t? Anyway, this is a great comic. The art has a decent Bruce Timm-style vibe and a hell of sense of humor. The titular Kelvin Mace is supposedly a famous detective and hero, but it’s made clear he is little more than a pure destructive force, destroying everything in his way between him and his target. There’s a moment in the comic where, as opposed to the dozens of people trying to break into a secure compound, he drives his car all the way through the walls of the compound to grab his target. It’s funny, it looks great, and it’s a tragedy that Schoenfeld passed away right after finishing the second issue.
SOUND
Love Streams by Tim Hecker
Konoyo by Tim Hecker
Anoyo by Tim Hecker
The North Water (Original Score) by Tim Hecker
My Love Is Rotten to the Core by Tim Hecker
Atlas by Tim Hecker
Voya by Yaeshun
Too Ne by Yui Onodera
Deutet by Morgan Wurde and TIS (feat. Testsuroh Konishi)
You Know That It’s Real if It Feels Like It’s Real by Neozaïre
Umalnd by Thore Pfeiffer
Music for the Uninvited by Leon Vynehall
Echoes in Bloom by Lomea
Mother is the Milky Way by Broadcast
Quicksilver Incantation by Phono Ghosts
Stars and Rumours of Stars by Neil Scrivin
Trendy Robots by Meatbingo
This almost feels like randomly assembled samples put in a blender, but there’s something to it.
Surrender by Suicide
Suicide is legendary, but I found myself going back and forth on whether I liked it or not throughout each track, but I feel like I understand why this is so important.
Crush by Floating Points
I remember loving every track on here.