Pe astăzi m-am hotărât, cam cu greu ce-i drept, să scriu un post despre o parte din cele mai ”delicioase” colaborări, din punctul meu de vedere, între diverse trupe şi diverşi artişti. Poate în viitorul apropiat voi mai face posturi de acest gen, în caz că prind bine.

Încep cu capitolul Apocalyptica. Cei care au ascultat vreodata Apocalyptica ştiu foarte bine că aceasta e o trupă total diferită de orice altceva aţi asculta. Diferenţa asta o face faptul că membrii trupei interpretează piese rock pe 4 respectiv 3 violoncele. Ei au început ca trupă de cover pentru Metallica, dovadă fiind şi sufixul numelui. În orice caz, după primul album (”Plays Metallica by Four Cellos”) care e constituit integral din cover-uri Metallica, băieţi au început încet încet să îşi facă propriile piese, dar totushi neîndepărtându-se total de la vechiile obiceiuri, ajungând să facă cover-uri pe Faith No More, Pantera, David Bowie, Rammstein etc.

Revenind la subiectul principal al articolului, de-a lungul celor 7 albume ale trupei, aceştia au făcut diverse colaborări care mai de care mai reuşite. Nu le voi lua în ordine cronologică pentru că nu le ştiu, şi pentru că sunt prea ardelean in momentele de faţa să caut pe net.

În schimb am să încep cu prima, şi anume ”Hope vol.2”. Încep cu această piesă deoarece de obicei când o ascult îmi dă o oarecare stare de euforie. O voce de care nu mulţi oameni ştiu, dar valorificată de Apocalyptica pe bună dreptate, Matthias Sayer, vocalistul trupei Farmer Boys, face din originala ”Hope” o piesă mult mai… interesantă.

A doua piesă, ”S.O.S.”, sau  ”Anything but Love”, colaborare extrem de reuşită a trupei cu Cristina Scabbia, solista trupei Lacuna Coil. Piesa e extrem de reuşită, mesajul e foarte clar trimis, intrumentalul de asemenea este extrem de bun, nu că am putea avea alte aşteptări din partea Apocalypticei.

A treia şi ultima piesă pe care o menţionez de la Apocalyptica în acest post, este binecunoscuta ”Bittersweet”. Posibil cea mai cunoscută colaborare a trupei cu alţi muzicieni, ”Bittersweet” combină cu un succes incontestabil vocea lui Ville Valo (HIM) cu vocea lui Lauri Ylonen (The Rasmus) cu instrumentalul tipic Apocalyptica. Nu sunt sigur că experienţa ”Bittersweet” poate fi descrisă la modul general, cred că diferă de la individ la individ, şi singurul mod să afli cum ţi se pare este să o ascultţi.

Pentru că nu vreau să mă axez în totalitate pe Apocalyptica în acest articol, las celelalte piese pentru nişte posturi viitoare.

O altă colaborare foarte reuşită, pe care eu personal am ascultat-o zile la rând cu mici pauze, este ”Broken”, colaborare între Seether şi Amy Lee. Original, piesa nu conţine vocea solistei de la Evanescence, dar ulterior Seether au făcut un cover pe propria piesă, featuring Amy Lee. Rezultatul a fost foarte reuşit, vocea artistei potrivindu-se aproape perfect cu vocea solistului de la Seether. Oricine a ascultat vreodata Evanescence, ştie foarte bine de capabilităţile vocale deosebite ale solistei. Păstrându-şi tenta Seether, piesa îşi schimbă sunetul datorită vocalistei şi, după părerea mea, mesajul este mult mai clar.

Ultima piesă pe care am s-o menţionez în acest articol este ”Lily was Here”, colaborare între Dave Stewart şi Candy Dulfer. Ştiu că nu sunteţi obişnuiţi cu astfel de exemple din partea mea, dar piesa era prea ”sexy” să nu o menţionez măcar. Ascultaţi cu încredere dar aveţi grijă că piesa provoacă diferite stări ”spirituale”. La ce să te aştepţi altcumva de la o combinaţie între chitară şi saxofon?

De-a lungul articolelor trecute, am mai enumerat diverse piese de genul, diverse ”featuringuri” cum ar fi ” I Don’t Care” (Apocalyptica & Adam Gontier) sau în special ”Lucky” (Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat).

Acestea fiind spuse, vă las să ascultaţi în pace piesele precizate. Sper că v-am sporit curiozitatea cu acest articol, şi vă las cu mioriticul Numa’ Bine!

Batwoman by Greg Rucka (writer), J.H. Williams (artist), Dave Stewart (colors) , The Question by Greg Rucka (writer), Cully Hamner (artist), Dave McCraig (colors)

The Story: First, Rucka told us the Batwoman arc with her lunatic sister and the crazy religious nuts in Gotham. Then, Rucka set the last issue in Kate Kane’s childhood. Now he fastforwards to Kate being forced out of Westpoint because she’s gay. We follow her drifting after that, until she has a moment of clarity. Rucka also gives us a backup story starring the Question, who is still on the track of an international smuggling cartel. It’s bigger than she can handle on her own, so she calls in some help.

What’s Good: Greg Rucka is writing some really smart comics. There is a whole world of untapped stories with a gay character like Kate Kane and he’s digging to get the best ones. Kate’s personality is very strong and her focus is laser-like. Rucka has given her the integrity, professionalism and obsessiveness of a Bruce Wayne or a Dick Grayson. This makes her a very strong addition to the Bat-family. But, like the best writers, Rucka knows that it’s not enough just to show what she’s got. Rucka tests her, by putting up the two most defining characteristics, her sexuality and her ambition, and putting them in direct, irreconcilable conflict. Her response is what makes her a hero. The Question story was equally smart, but less of a character-builder than out-and-out detective crime-fighting adventure and so was a lot of fun.

Williams has adopted a gritty style and a starkness to his panel interiors for the scenes set in the past that do a great job of telling Rucka’s story. The facial expressions, although rough and scratchy, communicate a wealth of emotional pain and conflict (check out the scene with Kate speaking with her colonel). The art set in the present (the meeting of the religious nuts) is much more realistic and richly textured. I checked the credits to see if the inkers had changed for those two different settings because the art is so different, but it appears that Williams can manage the two different styles at the same time. Pretty impressive. The color work in the past settings is subdued, but you really get to see what Stewart can do with the scenes in the present.

What’s Not So Good: Not enough of either story. Give me more!

Conclusion: Rucka has put Detective on my pull list. If Detective, Batman and Robin, Batgirl, Red Robin and Batman are what happens when Bruce Wayne is taken out of the picture, I hope Bruce never comes back. The Bat-family of titles is fast becoming a must-read for smart readers.

Grade: A

-DS Arsenault

“Paradise Syndrome, is the name given to a purported psychological condition, not universally recognized by psychologists, by which the patient suffers a feeling of dissatisfaction despite having achieved all their dreams. Noted sufferers include Dave Stewart from The Eurythmics and Sara Cox…”

…and me?

Okay, maybe I’m not quite at that stage yet but there’s been a worryingly large amount of things going right for me in the last week, including a cheque I thought dead being reissued, a healthy injection of rent monies and council tax after weeks of pulling my hair out trying to arrange, getting new windows and a door fitted and my problem teeth have finally been dealt with after five years of putting it off.

So, am I a candidate for Stupid Idiot Syndrome…I mean Paradise Towers….Syndrome? (RED KANGS REPRESENT!!!) Well, no. Im still single, chubby, slowly going thin on top and still stuck in the same god-awful town but suddenly, there seems to be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Its probably just a Twix wrapper reflecting in the sun but its there if you look hard enough…

Of course, this doesn’t stop me worrying as that’s what I truly do best and now I keep thinking about this and laughing to myself then immediately following it up with “But what if something happens to mum?” or “The house might catch fire because I forgot to turn the heater off!”. Or even worse “What if I turn into that twat out of the Eurythmics?”

Still at least I’d have had a bit with her from Bananarama.

Christ almighty, imagine if something does actually go my way and I get paid for doing some writing – my head will probably spring off like Inspector Gadget and my trousers will fall down in the playing ground (at least that’s the excuse I’m going with…) I guess Im just very easily pleased.

Wait…what am I saying? Easily pleased? I’m a manic depressive and do nothing but moan about everything in the world. Fuck that.

Paradise syndrome? I’d rather have Baddiel’s Syndrome! (ask your dad.)

“Go” continues with this issue, and it’s even better than the last.  While it lacked the emotional gut-punch of Kate’s family’s fate, it in many ways surpasses the previous issue.  Following Kate from college through her relationship with Renee Montoya, part two of “Go” briefly examines the very real preposterism of the army’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policies and how easy it is to get lost after you leave school without knowing what to do, all while intermingling it with the continuing story of the Crime Bible, even introducing a nice twist in the proceedings.

After being kicked out of West Point when she’s revealed to be gay, Kate finds herself with nowhere to go.  Rucka treats the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy seriously, as it deserves, and illustrates the bigotry of the policy.  From there, the book moves quickly through Kate’s fall as, directionless, she becomes a wealthy layabout, a hedonist unable to stick with anything she does until a chance encounter in an alley suggests that she might have some way to use her skills after all.

It is hard to review this comic issue by issue, at least when it comes to the art – while the quality of Rucka’s story may vary from month to month, J.H. Williams III remains consistent as one of the industry’s strongest talents.  Along with colorist Dave Stewart, Williams gives the book a unique, exciting visual style that never fails to please.  This issue is no exception in that regard.

The back-up remains solid, introducing another supporting character for Renee to bounce off: the Huntress.  Rucka smartly continues his first story, building his entire back-up run into a lengthy thriller and giving it the feel of a longer book.  Hamner’s art is quite well, and while the issue doesn’t give him as much opportunity as normal to show Renee in motion, which has become a pleasure to watch under Hamner’s pen, he does an excellent job at the book’s longest action sequence.

Grade: A-

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Detective Comics #858

Detective Comics #857

By Mark Waid (writer), Paul Azaceta (art), Dave Stewart (colored art)

The Story: Spider-Man is swarmed by a mob.  Electro finds the money he needs for his treatment.  Thinker gets his money.  Spider-Man races against time to find Electro.

What’s Good: Firstly, this was a fun ride, from the lynch-mob at the start, to Peter as the sleepless genius, to confrontation with Electro and the Thinker.  This book was wall-to-wall action, with lots of moments for character to show through.  Spider-Man had about five zingers I wanted to show, but picking one would do a disservice to all, so let’s just say that Peter’s in the zone on trash talk.  The Thinker and Annie have a few moments that reveal what kind of people they are and what they worry about with just a few brief lines of authentic dialogue.  Electro, especially half-looney, sparking over a bathtub full of water, is great.  Manic.  Alive.  Dangerous.  Unstable.  You can’t take your eyes off him.

Secondly, the art, while not a stirring example of realistic draftsmanship, fits the kind of story Waid wants to tell.  The grit and the roughness, and the art’s stylized sparseness and even retro computer and household tech, all give this series a particular look that really works.  Azaceta tells a whole story in one panel of Peter squeezing through a crowd because this artist really gets body language.  I wonder if that’s why his action scenes work so well?  I’ll keep you posted as I get to see more of his art.

What’s Not So Good: I was going to trash the backup feature again, but there is none, so no complaints.

Conclusion: I stayed away from Spider-Man for a long time because after forty-five years (and even after thirty), his world had become so convoluted that I felt I needed a playbook to keep up.  This current Spider-Man doesn’t feel like that at all.  In fact, with classic villains and a soap opera background, this feels far more like the Lee/Ditko Spider-Man I love, just brought up to date.  That’s a huge compliment to Mr. Waid and Mr. Azaceta.   Pick it up.  You’ll like it.

Grade: A-

-DS Arsenault

Lead story by Mark Waid (writer), Paul Azaceta (artist), Dave Stewart (colorist)

Backup story by Joe Kelly (writer), JM Ken Niimura (artist, colorist and letterer)

The Story: Power to the People, Part I: Spider-Man and Max Dillon both discover a new Electro, one transformed and redefined by the melting economy and his own decaying health.  We are also treated to a backup story featuring Spider-Man and Black Cat.

What’s Good: I dumped on Waid’s work on Strange #1 earlier this month, but pointed out that Waid does a lot of good books.  This is one of them.  The entry-point of the book is a neutral, newspaper text that brings us up to speed.  But then, right away, we’re into some really creepy monologue in the head of Max Dillon (Electro).  I love how Waid has shown Electro and his problems in this issue.  Dillon’s got himself some real and unconventional problems and some half-justifiable chips on his shoulder that Waid takes in a direction that was unexpected to me and to Spider-Man.  Most importantly, while Dillon is still a schmuck in a rubber coat, Waid gives us enough of his side to make him sympathetic.  Never thought I’d appreciate this loser, so good work by the writer.

On the art side, Azaceta makes New York, Electro and the Thinker gritty and dirty, Spider-Man heroic and clean, and Peter Parker and his friends authentic and likable.  That’s quite a range and I want to point out that not a lot of artists seem to be able to make their characters’ faces look different, but Azaceta really succeeds.  Jameson, Peter, Dexter, Michelle, Dillon and Betty all have different types of faces that you could tell apart even without context.  The action is dynamic (check out Spider-man trying to grab Electro at the Stock Exchange) and clear the gritty style works for this book.  Azaceta is the right artist to tell this story.

What’s Not So Good: No real complaints about the lead story.   On the backup story, the writing was fine, but for some reason, when the art doesn’t fit, it ruins the whole experience for me.  Niimura is obviously a competent artist with an interesting style, but as I noted with Strange #1, an anime-style doesn’t really suit a lot of Marvel stories, so this story detracted from the book as a whole.

Conclusion: Waid and Azeceta effectively launched the new Gauntlet arc.  They’ve hit the right tone, put the menace in place, have some secret plan hatching and it’s all going south for Spidey.  The editors unfortunately inserted a backup story that artistically doesn’t fit the mood of the main book and the gear-shift didn’t work for me.  I’ll still tune in for the next issue, though.

Grade: B (A- for the lead story, D+ for the backup story)

-DS Arsenault

As I surfed through a few 3200 count boxes labeled $0.25 on the outside, I became a little nostalgic.

While not letting my emotions take control of my wallet, I did manage to pull these three rookie cards from the 1980’s of guys that left a lasting impression on me during my youth.

Dave Stewart – One of the most intimidating guys I have ever seen on the mound.  His look of concentration, mixed with intimidation, left me shaking in my Nikes when I was watching him pitch for the A’s.

Bret Saberhagen – Saberhagen won the Cy Young award in both 1985 and 1989.  I distinctly remember him winning the award in 1985 and when he did it again in ‘89, I was surprised and a little shocked that he was that good.  This of course was before Maddux, Clemens, and Randy Johnson became elite pitchers and set a new standard…

Julio Franco – That batting stance stood out like a sore thumb in the mid-80’s and I can still picture it vividly today.  Before Jerome Walton and Junior Felix and Chris Sabo, it was Julio Franco that I was impersonating in the street when the neighborhood kids got together to play ball.

down my brain.   Need a few deep breaths.  It is not fun resting, but I obviously need it.  I just want to be on it and going and doing, but my cough is not letting me.  It is really much better, but it is taking its time for sure……mmmmm……take note.  I hung out with amazing musicians last night who work for Hans Zimmer and Dave Stewart!  Ridiculous.  It is so humbling and crazy making all at the same time.  They are all accomplished musicians who have stayed true to their craft.  They have big, huge, fluffy, strong, and beautiful trees!!  I was hoping they would rub off on me.  But again, patience and perseverence.  So off to more writing!

Dave Stewart of the Oakland A’s and Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers both threw no hitters in 1990 – on the same day(June 29).

**factoid courtesy of ‘Armchair Reader – Grand Slam Baseball’

My take – I do remember this.  And at the time, I thought that this was a pretty cool day for the sport.  19 years later, I appreciate these two guys a lot more and consider this to be one of the most historic days in the sport that I have enjoyed during my lifetime.

Arkham Reborn #1 (of 3)

With the popularity of the absolutely stellar Batman: Arkham Asylum and the recent relaunch of the Bat-franchise, it should come as no surprise that Gotham’s infamous Arkham Asylum would get its own miniseries.  After the mass breakout from the Asylum and subsequent explosion, Jeremiah Arkham, ancestor of the Asylum’s original designer, has taken it upon himself to continue the grand, bumbling legacy of the world’s only criminal institution with a revolving door.

Hine does a good job building the book slowly, despite the fact that the entire mini-series is only three issues long.  Here we meet Arkham’s new staff, specifically Jeremiah Arkham, who believes in curing Gotham’s madmen with love and respect; Alyce Sinner, sole survivor of a massive suicide cult and expert on the criminally insane; and Aaron Cash, now Arkham’s head of security and one of the tragic figures to come out of Dan Slott’s excellent Arkham Asylum: Living Hell.  Jeremiah has met with some small success in his bid to rehabilitate, but we know that the laws of comic book storytelling says that that can’t last – Dr. Sinner soon betrays him, revealing the Asylum’s dark, heinous underbelly in a bid to keep things crazy.

There’s nothing unpredictable here, but Hine does a good job setting the mood and introducing everyone, while artist Jeremy Haun turns in excellent work on all fronts, designing a few new characters and an all-new Arkham and still managing to craft a few extremely memorable images.  The pair seem well-suited, and while it seems that the entire mini’s purpose is to keep Arkham Asylum the same hellhole it has been these past few years, at least they seem to be having plenty of fun with it.

Grade: B+

Detective Comics #858

Years after the character was introduced and months into her first solo title, “Go” marks our first foray into the origins of Kate Kane.  Growing up moving from military base to military base, Kate and Beth Kane really only had each other growing up.  A few issues back, it was hinted that something bad happened to her growing up, and now we see what that is: after earning a post in France, Mrs. Kane, Kate and Beth were kidnapped by terrorists during a security alert.  While Kate couldn’t see what was happening to her mother and sister, the aftermath certainly left an impression.

Rucka’s storytelling is far more solid here than in the previous arc, perhaps due to the shortened arc’s tighter focus.  Whatever the reason, the issue provides a quick, tragic glimpse of an origin that didn’t go at all where I thought it would, and was wrapped up in a single issue, leaving next month for the fallout.  J.H. Williams III makes an abrupt shift in style for the bulk of the issue, giving the flashback to Kate’s youth a vastly more structured layout and color-palette.  The contrast between the two time-periods is gorgeous and memorable, once again suggesting Williams as one of comics’ top talents.

The Question back-up finally wrapped up its opening arc with this issue.  The lack of room the story had, confined as it was to these back pages, took away from some of the suspense the story might’ve had if it had had more room to build up an atmosphere or throw us a plot twist or two, but it has nonetheless remained a consistently entertaining action comic, thanks in part to Rucka’s collaborator, Cully Hamner, whose layouts and art make it a joy to watch Renee in motion.

Between the issue’s two parts, Detective Comics features a pair of artists at the top of their games, anchored by strong writing of two fascinating new heroines.  It’s well-worth your time.

Grade: B+

Astro City: Astra Special #2 (of 2)

Astro City: Astra Special concludes on a high note.  Anyone who has graduated college can relate to what Astra is going through as she continues to tell her boyfriend Matthew about the increasingly bizarre possibilities open to a young woman of her immense talents.  From mundane jobs with research institutes on Earth to a chance to untie, one world at a time, a series of realities knotted together by a madman’s destructive last act, Astra has, for the first time in her life, no idea what to do next.

While the other part of the book will probably resonate less with others, using a now-grown child heroine to look at and condemn our deranged obsession with celebrity culture largely works.  Though there are a few painful, relatively clunky moments, Busiek works hard to keep the emotions honest and keep it all part of Astra’s story.

Astro City: Astra Special combines Jack Kirby’s flare for bizarre cosmic world-building with a more grounded, human story.  Anderson’s pencils are much improved when he’s dealing with these larger-than-life concepts, and together the pair brings us a small-in-scope, massive-in-scale story about the pains of growing up.  It isn’t the most memorable Astro City story, but it’s honest and entertaining, and continues to flesh out the best setting in comics.

Grade: A-

Blackest Night: Superman #3 (of 3)

Blackest Night: Superman, which started out so much vastly stronger than the other “Blackest Night” related books, ends here more with a whimper than with a bang.  The book does have some interesting revelations about the weaknesses of the Black Lanterns, as well as an explanation for what New Krypton is up to throughout the event, but it amounts to little more than that, in the end.

Despite its failure to live up to its own eerie opening issue, Blackest Night: Superman #3 nonetheless offered solid action illustrated by Eddie Barrows doing what he’s most comfortable doing, with (perhaps sadly) the best writing Robinson’s been doing, lately.  Robinson continues to use the emotional spectrum’s color-coding to vastly more effect than the main mini to give us a neat, inside peak into the characters heads in otherwise wordless scenes, a trick that works especially well with Psycho Pirate in the mix.  Ultimately, Blackest Night: Superman isn’t bad.  It’s just forgettable.

Grade: B

Mini-Grade: B

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Astro City: Astra Special #1

Blackest Night: Superman #2

Detective Comics #857

The end of the year is coming fast! I read 17 comics in October, and these were the best.

5. Detective Comics #858

JH Williams III, arguably the best artist in the biz, and Dave Stewart, arguably the best colorist in the biz, grace Detective Comics’ interiors. Those two are literally a dream team. Yes, Rucka can’t quite produce a script that can match their ability, but who can? Morrison can’t write everything. This issue dips a toe into Kate’s origin, building off of last arc’s twist. Kate’s story is simple and adorable, which spirals into terrible tragedy. Rucka’s writing is strong, reminiscent of his Queen & Country days, but it’s the aforementioned dream team that really gives this issue an emotional punch.

4. Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #7

After last issue’s startling revelations, The Wild Hunt is steamrolling towards its conclusion. This series has indeed changed Hellboy. Hopefully, this doesn’t mean the series is ending. Fegredo’s Hellboy is strong, as always. He’s with Mignola every step of the way, as this issue brilliantly illustrates the core nature of Hellboy’s character. He’s always trapped in a cyclone of destiny, fighting with every breath to do good.

3. Invincible Iron Man #19

As the solicitation reads, “Everything ends.” At last, Fraction’s year-long epic concludes. Unfortunately, Larroca is still around. So, this issue doesn’t look great, but only someone like Larroca could render a “year-long epic” in less than a year. With this oversized culmination, Tony’s heroism shines bright. He spends most of the issue lumbering around like the Hulk, with even less brainpower. And when he utters his last words of the story, we cheer.

2. The Walking Dead #66

The Walking Dead doesn’t have many two-page splashes, but when they’re used, they make for some of this great series’ best moments. Besides the general awe of Adlard’s work, and Rick’s terrifying words, “Hold him down.” What makes the image so effective is the shading of Rick’s left eye. Remember this guy? He’s the dark mirror of Rick. So, whenever Rick’s a bit of a bastard, I suspect we’ll see his left eye shaded a bit. Besides all that, this issue concludes the “Fear the Hunters” arc, Carl confesses, and another character dies. That all makes for one of the strongest Walking Dead issues of the year, if not the best.

1. Dark Reign: The List – Wolverine

Yeah, done-in-one stories rule this format, especially when they’re produced by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic. Aaron, who channels the humorous, kickass writing you can see in his Ghost Rider. And Ribic, who abandons his usual, painted style in favor of kinetic linework, which captures the insane energy of this story perfectly. Aaron loves Grant Morrison. So, when handling his characters, Fantomex and Noh-Varr, it’s a labor of love. Aaron insisted that he wasn’t attempting to write like Morrison, but this is the best treatment these characters have received, since Morrison first wrote them. This comic is tons of fun!

For more comic goodness, go here.

by Mike Mignola (writer), Duncan Fegredo (art), Scott Allie (back-up co-writer), Patric Reynolds (back-up art), Dave Stewart (colors), and Clem Robins (letters)

The Story: Hellboy learns the weighty consequences to wielding Excalibur.

What’s Good: Mignola crafts an issue here that causes the reader’s experience to mirror Hellboy’s own. Specifically, almost to the point of frustration and monotony, every damned thing leads back to the prophecy. No matter how far we go, we’re always pulled back to, or rather pushed into, Hellboy’s supposed destiny. Much as Hellboy can’t escape this, neither can we. Despite this arc taking place in England and focusing on Arthurian legend, we somehow still find ourselves right back on familiar grounds. The grand circularity of it all is both painful and tragic, especially when Mignola at one point has Hellboy literally fight his future, something he’s been doing indirectly for the entire series. If Hellboy cannot escape his destiny, neither can we.

Mignola is also especially skillful this month in having Hellboy essentially be under siege, as influences from across the spectrum attempt to fill his ear with whispers, pushing him towards wielding Excalibur. It’s only so effective due to the two “whisperers” being complete opposites in nature and method. There’s the old enemy talking of demons and prophecies, and then there’s good old Alice, hugging Hellboy and telling him that he needs to save the world and that it’ll all work out. In many ways, Alice is the more dangerous of the two, despite being the “good guy.” She’s so comforting and so affectionate that we readers are perhaps even more convinced by her than Hellboy himself. All the voices filling Hellboy’s head fill our own, and the issue ends up feeling like a swirling mass of manipulation from all angles.

On art, it’s another great issue from Duncan Fegredo. Fantastic shots of Gothic gloom and old horror castles meet our hulking red hero, all set opposed to hellish blazes of fire. Fegredo and Stewart set up continuous dichotomies between pitch black and searing light that are absolutely fantastic, opposing the stark, haunted, and barren with the dense and cataclysmic activity of hell.

Last month, I stated my strong dislike for the back-up. Thankfully, this month’s back-up, now with Mignola at the helm and a new artist, is far superior. It was a fun, comprehensible, self-contained story that didn’t overreach and ultimately satisfied. Witch-hunt based stories are often good, if not ghoulish, fun, and Mignola certainly knows his stuff in this arena. It’s clear though, especially given the retrospective nature of the narrative, that this story is all about the atmosphere, and thanks in no small part to the scratchier, painted feel, it’s a complete and very dark success in this regard.

What’s Not So Good: Given how fast a read Hellboy always is, even though the back-up was enjoyable, I still lamented not getting a full issue of Hellboy.

Some readers may also be disappointed to learn that no decision is reached this month regarding Excalibur. Even with next month being the finale, Mignola seems to be in no rush.

Conclusion: When the reader’s experience mirrors that of an iconic character, you’re doing something right.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

Every year, whether a team won 90-plus games like the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim or a team’s season ended in April like the Washington Nationals, every team faces major offseason decisions.

Some decisions are solely made for the next season and some decisions can shape the course of the franchise for a years to come. Decisions can be made by trades, arbitration, and of course, free agency.

For the St. Louis Cardinals, they face an offseason of free agency that will define the course of their franchise for years to come.

The Cardinals have a myriad of impending free agents, including Matt Holliday, Joel Pineiro, Mark DeRosa, Rick Ankiel, Troy Glaus, John Smoltz, Khalil Greene, and Todd Wellemeyer.

However, the most important free agent for the Cardinals is manager Tony LaRussa. LaRussa’s contract is up at the end of the month and if LaRussa doesn’t come back, it could set the Cardinals’ franchise back for years to come.

LaRussa is a free agent at the end of the month

LaRussa gives the Cardinals credibility and credibility usually means winning. When players come to play for LaRussa, they know they are in a winning environment. Top players always want to play for him (unless your name is Scott Rolen).

Just think about the course of events if LaRussa leaves.

If LaRussa leaves, then pitching coach Dave Duncan leaves. Duncan is just as important to the Cardinals’ success as LaRussa. Duncan, time and time again is able to take mediocre pitchers and turn them into winners.

Dave Stewart, Bob Welch, Mike Moore, Dennis Eckersly, Jeff Suppan, and Chris Carpenter all had their careers turned around by Duncan.

That allows the Cardinals to spend their resources on offensive players such as Larry Walker, Jim Edmonds, Matt Holliday, Mark DeRosa, and Albert Pujols.

Speaking of Pujols.

If LaRussa leaves at the end of the month, it could very possibly mean Pujols could leave after the 2010 season. Pujols is a free agent at the end of the 2010 season and I would say right now there is an 85 percent chance he stays with the Cardinals.

If LaRussa leaves, then I would say that percentage goes down to 25. Pujols has only played for LaRussa in his career and has said that all he wants is for the Cardinals to put a competitive team on the field year after year. Pujols knows every year his teams have a chance of competing with LaRussa at the helm.

Do you think he is going to take a home-town discount playing for Eric Wedge (I am just throwing his name out there. He is not rumored to be going to the Cardinals if LaRussa leaves) or some second rate manager?

That is why LaRussa coming back is so important. Him leaving sets off a chain of events that could set the Cardinals into rebuilding mode after the 2010 season.

According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, team chairman Bill DeWitt Jr., GM John Mozeliak, LaRussa met for two hours yesterday reviewing the season.

It will be interesting to see what happens with LaRussa. If I was a betting man, I would put my money on LaRussa coming back and signing a new deal with the Cardinals.

The Cardinals just wouldn’t be the same without him.

By Rick Remender (writer), Jason Pearson (artist), Dave Stewart (colors)

The Story: Letha and Lascivious, in a desperate bid to maintain their newly acquired leases on life, attempt to draw Punisher out into the open by killing a group of vets.  When they fail to take down the Punisher, they turn to Spider-Man to help them finish the job.

The Good: Remender was definitely the right man to inherit this title, and in my opinion has done a far better job penning the Punisher’s exploits than Fraction ever did.  Under Remender’s control, Frank Castle has become a delightfully witty bastard who sprinkles his staccato bursts of dialogue with enough black humor to make Spider-Man and Deadpool stand up and cheer.  This Punisher is a raging bull who’s armed to the teeth and relentless in his pursuit of homicidal justice, and I like that about him.  Come on, how could you not?  Chances are if you’re a fan of Punisher, you read this comic to see him stalk the streets of New York and find new and excruciating ways to whack villains.  That’s all I really want out of this book, and Remender delivers the goods.  I also really enjoyed the hell out of Pearson’s art.  As much I liked Tan Eng Huat’s art on Ghost Rider, I absolutely hate it on Punisher.  Pearson’s art is largely entertaining though, and I wouldn’t object to seeing more of his stuff in future issues.  Highly illustrative, but with a slightly exaggerated appearance, he does a wonderful job of amping up the emotion in faces to degrees that are at times even more intense than the story itself.  Punisher has never looked more terrifying and stark raving mad than he does when illustrated by Pearson, and that’s a rare quality in an artist handling a 30 year old character.

The Not So Good: I remember a time when Annuals used to be big deals, crazy event comics full of extra pages and mayhem.  Sadly, those days are a distant memory, and we are now left with issues like this, culled from the Big Book of Generic Plots, a tedious tone that too many creators seem to be drawing their inspiration from.  Remender’s a solid writer, but on every page it feels like he phoned this one in, right on down to the fight with Spider-Man that of course ends in a stalemate.  In fact, as I think about it, that’s all this annual amounted: fights that don’t go anywhere or achieve anything.  Punisher, Spider-Man, Letha and Lascivious, they all fight, nobody wins, everybody walks away to fight another day.  Yes, Punisher has great character moments through it all, but not nearly enough to justify paying $4 for.  And while I enjoyed Pearson’s interpretation of Punisher, I’d love to know why the hell Castle looks like he went overboard with the mascara in every single picture he appears in.  I mean, Jesus, it’s ridiculous.  I’d like to think Pearson was trying to make Punisher look grim and gritty, but there must be better ways of getting the idea across than this.

Conclusion: An incredibly average issue by an otherwise excellent creative team.  Longtime readers of the title will find much to like here no doubt, but it’s not a strong enough issue for me to recommend to the new reader.

Grade:  C

-Tony Rakittke

SEEMS LIKE OLD TIMES: Winnipeg’s favourite ex-pat David Steinberg is directing the premiere episodes of Living In Your Car, the new comedy series

STEINBERG: Auto pilot

from This Is Wonderland creators George F. Walker and Dani Romain. Set in a not-so-fictional slumping economy, the TV series follows a fallen corporate exec who gets caught cooking the books and is legally forbidden from working in any position that involves other people’s money. Clinging desperately to the last symbol of his past, he makes his home inside his luxury car. Walker, Roman and Joseph Kay originally wrote the scenario in response to the Enron debacle.

MADONNA: "Roll your eyes if you want ..."

“Fortunately for us,” adds Walker. “there has been no end to financial misconduct.” Steinberg, who knows all about funny, says he was excited by how topical the subject was, “and how wonderfully written the scripts were, and how funny. Who wouldn’t want to direct this?” Additional episode directors for the series include Bruce McDonald, Shawn Alex Thompson and Paul Fox.

SHARPS ‘N’ FLATS: Keynote speaker for the eighth annual Hollywood Reporter & Billboard Film And TV Music Conference at the end of the month is

LUZ: model citizen

Mary J. Blige … meanwhile, considerably closer to home, iconic music innovators Dave Stewart and Paul Williams are both set to be keynoters at the 2010 Canadian Music Week in Toronto next March … the runaway hit of the Toronto Fringe Festival, it’s been called the next Drowsy Chaperone. So better get yourself to  Nursery School Musical at the Berkeley Street Theatre before it closes this weekend … fresh from screening her rave-winning film on Hugh Hefner at TIFF, director Brigitte Berman detours to Florida this weekend to present her Oscar-winning doc on Artie Shaw to the Miami Jazz Film Festival … and yesterday I told you that I consulted Liz Smith to get the down-low on sky-

SMITH: Roll your eyes if you must

rocketing French pop star Sliimy, but I should also mention that Liz says Madonna’s relationship with her current playmate. 22-year-old Brazilian model Jesus Luz “is much more than a casual fling; the pop icon is deeply, seriously happy. Roll your eyes if you want (and I know some of you will!), but I can’t begrudge Madonna her happiness. She didn’t break up anybody else’s home and they are both adults.” Adds veteran gossip girl Liz: “Don’t be tiresome about the age difference. That’s so 20th century!”

HOT TICKETS: Toronto’s now-fabled Hot Docs festival has joined forces with Kinosmith to launch The Hot Docs Collection, which will see the DVD release of popular Festival films and other titles chosen in consultation with Hot Docs programmers. The first two titles in the Collection, RIP: A Remox Manifesto and Flicker, are now available for purchase, and you can order ‘em right here … and what “hot ticket” attraction sold out in hours in New York, racking up $2.5 million dollars in ticket sales? No, not U2, and not even the aforementioned Madonna. The hot seller was the Metropolitan Opera, which enjoyed a very robust first-day box-office haul for its coming season. Who knew?

(All those folks who bought all those tickets, that’s who!)

TOMORROW:

CFRB takes aim at CBC’s morning man.

It’s relatively rare that the paneling in a comic – not the pencils, not the colors, but the layout itself – can make me sit up and take notice.  And yet, every month, J.H. Williams III uses the layout of Detective Comics in strange and interesting new ways to move the story along without letting it get bogged down by his somewhat stiff action sequences.  Sequences like the fight between Alice and Batwoman that is paneled within the small confines of their flowing capes gives Detective Comics #857 a visual dynamic that more than makes up for whatever shortcomings the book may have.

Rucka doesn’t manage quite as well as an out-of-left-field late-game twist hurts the book a bit.  While he continues to do fine work on the main feature, the brief Question back-up he does with Hamner generally features more focused writing.  In this issue’s main story, Kate and Alice come head-to-head after the kidnapping of Colonel Kane.  Master plans are revealed, secrets come out, and, unfortunately, there’s significantly more flash than substance to the conclusion of “Elegy”.  Despite all that, however, Rucka’s work on the title is still more than competent.  No matter how much the Alice story slipped by the end, Rucka still used the opportunity to begin fleshing out Kate’s backstory and supporting cast, two things the character desperately needed.

The issue was more than just a showcase for Williams, however, as Hamner steps up in the 8-page Question back-up feature and brings some of his best work to date.  A pair of brief sequences in particular stand out, the first coming as Renee breaks into a well-guarded mansion and the second featuring her daring escape.  The art is dark and slightly cartoonish, but it’s also fluid and lifelike in a way very few running scenes are in comics.  Though there appears to be no thematic or literal crossover between the two parts of Detective Comics, the Question back-up has quickly become a worthy piece of one of DC’s most entertaining, visually dynamic packages.

Grade: B+

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Detective Comics #856

Detective Comics #855

St. Louis Cardinals Pitching Coach Dave Duncan is one of the best pitching coaches in the game. As a matter of fact, he might go down as one of the best pitching coaches of all-time. Duncan has taken the term “One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure” to the extreme.

From Dave Stewart to Mike Moore to Chris Carpenter, Duncan has taken mediocre pitchers and transformed them into quality major-league starters. Duncan’s latest rags to riches story — Joel Pineiro.

Pineiro is not worth the investment

Many forget that Pineiro was an up and coming stud with the Seattle Mariners back in the early 2000’s. In 2002 and 2003, Pineiro went a combined 30-18 with a 3.52 ERA. He looked like one of the rising pitchers in the game.

In 2004, Pineiro was shut down 21 starts into the season with a sore elbow and hasn’t been the same since. Quite frankly, since his 16-win 2003 season — he has stunk.

From 2003-2008, Pineiro’s record was 35-47. Very Jeff Weaver-like. However, Pineiro’s 2009 season has been a different story. Pineiro is 14-11 with a very respectable 3.31 and even has three complete games and two shutouts.

Pineiro’s story is all too familiar. Mediocre pitcher who finds success in his free agent year. Sounds a lot like Jeff Suppan, Jeff Weaver, and Kyle Lohse’s story to me.

Lohse’s story is most similar to Pineiro’s. Lohse had two good seasons with the Minnesota Twins in 2002 and 2003. In those two seasons he went 27-19. From 2003-2007, Lohse went 32-48 and was just an awful pitcher.

Sound Familiar?

In 2008, Lohse went an amazing 15-7 with an ERA of 3.78. Lohse parlayed that season into a four-year, $41 million contract from the Cardinals. Cha ching!

I can’t believe the Cardinals, a seemingly smart organization fell for it. How quickly do you think Lohse signed that contract? Two seconds tops.

Guess what Lohse is doing this year? That’s right, he’s back to same awful pitcher we have known to grow to love. He is a Lohsian 5-8 with a 4.78 ERA. That a boy Kyle. I always knew you had it in you again.

Ironically, Pineiro is looking for a contract similar to Lohse’s this offseason. We all know what is going to happen. Some idiotic team is going to give him a three-year, $28 million contract and guess what is going to happen?

In his first year Pineiro is going to go 9-12 with a 4.65 ERA and his contract is going to hamstring that team for the next three years. It’s inevitable.

That’s why if I was a GM, I would stay away from Pineiro in the offseason.

I don’t need to see advanced statistics or anyother stats for that matter. I will just use the “eye test” on this one. And the eye test tells me, once a mediocre pitcher, always a mediocre pitcher.

One year doesn’t change that.

‘The Delivery’ pitch trailer still

Earlier this week, Peter Facinelli announced his planned involvement in a film entitled The Delivery, which he stated he would both star in and produce (with Dave Stewart). Other than that statement, information on the film was rather limited in nature – until now.

Facinelli has revealed exclusive new details on the project, including the fact that the film is but one of a trilogy of planned films.

The film’s plot, according to Facinelli, is as follows:

Basically, it’s about an angel and a demon who are brothers, and they come together to try to save humanity because it’s the last hour on Earth. All the other angels and demons have come together to end humanity, so they want to release the Antichrist who’s trapped inside this twelve year old girl, so we kidnap – my brother and I – this twelve year old girl and are trying to release the Antichrist in a positive light so that humanity can survive. So, it’s a huge action road trip that ensues where we’re being chased by every angel and demon. And it’s not heavy; it’s not religious … It’s more along the lines of an Indiana Jones or a Die Hard, where it’s got comedy to it, so it’s like an action/comedy.

Facinelli’s character will be “Brother U,” “who’s an angel.” His brother, the demon of the pair, will be called “Brother M.” Another important character in the film will be the twelve year old girl, who “at first sight, looks like she has a kind of palsy and she never speaks. And she shakes all the time because it’s the Antichrist who’s trapped inside of her and there are these little demons that are holding her down with tiny ropes, so she’s been in this hospital for twelve years and no one knows what’s wrong with her, but basically she has the Antichrist inside of her so now’s the time to release [it], and we have the girl. We’re trying to save the little girl and save humanity at the same time.”

‘The Delivery’ pitch trailer still

The project, he says, is in the “early stages. We just had a finished script, and I brought the project to Dave Stewart. He’s a friend of mine, and he loved it.”

When Facinelli announced the film last week, he issued two stills from the pitch trailer that he and Stewart recently completed.

About that, Facinelli says “we shot a 3-D pitch trailer, so we’re hoping to do [the film] in 3-D. We shot some footage … we basically put together a little scene from the movie … and now we’re just gearing up to go out to studios with it and try to get studio backing and make the picture. So, we don’t have a director set, or a studio attached.”

The screenwriter for the film is Robert Gunnerson, who both wrote and directed 2006’s Arc in which Facinelli portrayed “Paris.” The only attached actor, at this time, is Peter Facinelli, and Dave Stewart will serve as a co-producer on the project “and will probably do the music for it, too.”

In the meantime, Facinelli states that a website for the film will be developed in the near future, though still in the early stages of development, and he will continue to Twitter updates about the project (and the forthcoming website) as they come.

examiner

Turned on the radio this morning. Baker Street – and the theme for today was so obvious… There are so many great saxophone songs – but only from the 70’s and 80’s… Where are they today? (I’ll find some Jan Garbarek and more for you soon…!)

Gerry Rafferty – Baker Street

Wham! – Craeless Whsipers (I could not resist – sorry…

Al Stewart – Year of the cat (Sax at 4.05 and 5.27, listen to “time passages” as well…)

Foreigner – Urgent

Roxy Music – Avalon

Spandau Ballet – True

Sade – Smooth Operator

Dave Stwart and Candy Dulfer – Lilly was here (before y’all fall asleep…)

David A. Stewart, English musician (Eurythmics)

As I start this blog, there are several posts I want to write. I begin with one of my favorite comics: the “Elegy” story-line in Detective Comics: Batwoman, written by Greg Rucka, with art by J.H. Williams III an colors by Dave Stewart. There’s a lot to say about this new Batwoman, and about Rucka’s writing, but in this post I want to dwell on the main reason I discovered and love this comic: it’s look. Like Matt Price over at Nerdage, I believe that “…the obvious selling point of the book is the art.”

Williams and Stewart have created an astonishing look to the story-line “Elegy”, which begins in Detective Comics 854. The organization of panels, which overlap, and the different textures in the colors (for example the contrast between the lush soft red of Batwoman’s hair and the ink and shade lines in the same hair) give the design of the comic a three-dimensionality that is unusual in comics nowadays. The comic also favors painterly, two page spreads overlaid with smaller panels or shards of other panels. This kind of breaking up of your standard paneling is not brand new to comics but in  my experience, no team has done this kind of thing with such elegance. There are so many outstanding examples of this technique in Detective Comics 854-856, that I am hesitant to single one out for praise, but I will anyway. In 855, Batwoman whisks away her villain across an eerie, nocturnal, fall cityscape. The smaller panels that intercut this canvas, which combines the look of watercolor brush-strokes with line drawing, are irregularly shaped and overlaid with falling leaves that swirl in the background and the foreground, creating a three dimensional effect.

The color scheme of the comic is also a bit different–the night scenes are colored glowingly, and the day scenes have a yellow or pale yellow luminiscence to them. I really like how another blogger, Baldwin, expressed his enthusiasm over the coloring: “the reds are blood red; the blacks are silky black; the blues are like Billie Holiday; and the whites are tinged with a hint of menace.” Yeah, Billie Holiday indeed! There’s something haunting about the coloring, it’s like jazz. The drawing by Williams, especially in the quiet moments of the story line that begins in #854, is crisp and realistic, clean, simply put: beautiful.

The team of J.H. Williams III and Dave Stewart may very well be my favorite pencilling/coloring team in comics right now. The only thing that comes close in my limited experience, is Simone Bianchi’s work for The Astonishing X-Men. I wish I could find more examples. Does this style have a name? Someone let me know. In sum, the look of Detective Comics: Batwoman is just so lush and popping, it really is in a class apart. That’s it for now. I’ll comment on Rucka’s writing soon.