Behold The Next Grant Morrison

I don't know about the rest of you but I would totally would pay cash money to hear this little girl summarize/rewrite both Secret Invasion and Final Crisis:


Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

(And if you want to hear the real Grant Morrison speak, feel free to go here. Just make sure you have your speakers turned down and 45 minutes free to get your mind totally blown.)

Gobble Gobble Gobble

Yes, I know, my blogging has fallen by the wayside. Mea culpa. But of course, I have to at least stumble out of my hermit's cave long enough to wish all of y'all a Happy Turkey Day. Celebrate your Thanksgiving like a superhero - eat some turkey and try to catch the tiny man on the dinner table with your forks. The one who catches and eats him gets to make a wish!



See? It's tradition!

Anyhoo, here's a nerdy question - which comic book titles or recent developments in comics are you most thankful for?



Me, I'm thankful for Secret Six. Any book that demonstrates that wacky, nuanced character writing can survive mega-crossover after mega-crossover is something to be truly grateful for.


Oh, and The Sword! Because indie titles rock. I am deeply thankful for any non-Marvel and non-DC comics, really, just because they always surprise me, help keep the markets fun and don't force brain-destroying crossovers on us every summer. And along those lines . . .



Truthfully, I think I am most thankful that Yotsuba &! exists (Mind you, I think you should all go out and buy it instead of reading it online because, well, it's just awesome enough to deserve all your money - consider this link a tasty crack sample). Any story that makes you look at the world with a child's glee and enthusiasm for life is always worth celebrating. Not to mention the gentle innocence and kindness -


Er. Never mind.

And I'm thankful for you, my happy readers. Knowing I'm bringing a bit of comic book sunshine into the hearts of others always cheers me up. Hope your Turkey Day's a delight!

Oh, and I almost forgot - this BONUS VIDEO CONTENT summarizes what the beautiful holiday of Thanksgiving is all about:

Ice Cream Birthday!

Today is my birthday, ladies and gentlemen. Which one is it? Well, I'll give you a hint or three.


Demotivationals



Still nothing? Well, think about ice cream. The wonderful variety of ice creams, specifically, from vanilla to butter brickle (and cake!) to presumably delicious Superman-flavored Ice Cream (I'd probably be more apt to try a Power Girl Ice Cream but to each their own*).

Yes, the variety of ice cream flavors must measure in the dozens, at least. More than 24, certainly, but less than 36. In any case, we can be certain of one thing - I am eating a metric freakin' ton of Ice Cream this year in celebration.
That, and in two years, I totally outlive Jesus! Take that, Son of God! Mind you, if I end up like this guy in 8 years, you all have permission to shun me.

If you feel like celebrating my birthday, feel free to provide me with comic book scans/funny drawings of superheroes/supervillains eating Ice Cream via the comments section or e-mail. I will also accept discussion of awesome ice cream of all kinds. My particular favorite is Raspberry Chocolate Melt from the Boulder-based Glacier Ice Cream (all ice cream made fresh daily!) or possibly their fresh Girl Scout Thin Mint flavor. And of course, any trip to Downtown Denver is incomplete without a visit to Gelazzi.

Yes, everyone from scientists to Andy Kaufman to Sarah McLachlan love Ice Cream. Because you know who doesn't like Ice Cream? Communists, that's who.**



*The LookOut - going for cheap laughs since, well, always. Truthfully, I am really excited about Peej's upcoming new series. While I'm not familiar enough with the character of Terra to get terribly excited, I'm a huge fan of Amanda Conner's art - she's only second to Kevin Maguire in terms of priceless facial expressions in my book. Fingers crossed this series will be well-written and do well - there's way too many good titles getting canceled lately.

**And the lactose-intolerant, of course, but I refuse to discuss Anti-Dairy Racists in my blog. :P

Thoughts on Empowered, Vol. 4

So, I've been a trifle remiss in my reviews (I know, nary a Haiku in sight for months now), but I can't let Empowered, Vol. 4 come out without giving it a glowing, mildly in-depth review. While others have stated the obvious - that Empowered is, as ever, a solidly wonderful series - I feel like I must add a bit to what others (okay, just Chris Sims so far) have said, given my previous opus on the series.

Empowered, Vol. 4 is decidedly the least titillating of all the volumes and this is not a bad thing. Adam Warren forgoes a great deal of playful sex jokes (but not all of them, don't worry) in order to expand Emp's universe into a uniquely Warren-esque world of giant alien organ transplants, Make-A-Wish supervillains and most undeniably, the Goddamn Maid Man. The Gleeful Mad Scientist Adam Warren of The Dirty Pair, Iron Man: Hypervelocity and the tragically unappreciated Livewires is back and in full effect here. The man who brought us the Proust Bomb, Schroedinger's Wankerboy and Hyperintelligent Killer Whales throws out several new bits of Sci-Fi crazy that, while not as immediately geektastic as the volumes listed above, fit as comfortably and organically into Emp's universe as the Caged Demonwulf lays upon her coffee table. He even leavens the fun and games with a few downright gruesome moments but to describe them would take away from the shock of seeing them for yourself. We'll just say that the oft-foreshadowed Willy Pete finally appears in the context of a particularly nasty "Supervillain Team-Up" and leave it at that.

Along with those darker moments mentioned above, there's several surprising character developments that pave the way to a verrrrry interesting Vol. 5 but I'll save that for a later date (or if anyone asks for spoilers in the comments section). I will say that this entire book was beautifully done and the ending made me genuinely grin. Adam Warren gives Empowered and a plethora of her supporting cast character beats that more than make up for any flaws or missteps that he may have made in Vol. 3, adding even greater depth and humanity to the most interesting cast of characters I've read in a superhero comic in years (which reminds me - pre-order the end of Hero Squared). Additionally, never has the reappearance of customized booty shorts been made into a moment deserving of a heroic rock montage.

In short, Volume 4 of Empowered made want to do this:



Thank you and good night!

(Additional videos from Mr. Galifianakis can be found here and here, if you're so inclined.)

BONUS BONUS VIDEO CONTENT:

From Mr. Warren's Deviant Art Page, I must present an amusingly apropos Rock Band video of Empowered and friends responding to their critics: