The Year 2003

For some reason, i've been on this 2003 kick recently. Don't quite know what brought it on. Maybe rewatching Chappelle's Show. That could have done it. I usually don't get nostalgic. Either way, I've been thinking about it recently, and it was a pretty good year for music. I was a sophomore/junior in high school, it was a very critical time in my youth, when of course you think you know everything. Either way, some very entertaining shows and music came out that year, and here are a couple of my favorites.

This is my favorite show ever. It's so cutting edge it had to end as quickly as it did. NEVER JUMPED THE SHARK. Dave Chappelle is my hero, and this show is still solid gold. So many legendary skits. Just genius.

This album seriously expanded my consciousness. I dug At The Drive-In, but The Mars Volta was an insane upgrade. I love everything these guys do pretty much. They are always thought provoking.

Outkast was peaking creatively in 2003, and we got this brilliant double album. There are many interesting things going on here. Besides the great songs, there was very little crossover between both members. It was like two solo albums released under the Outkast banner. Unfortunately, this was the last great thing these guys did as Outkast, but it was the biggest thing they ever did. "Hey Ya!" was inescapable. These album(s) still holds up. Andre 3000 is one of the most interesting people in music.

A.F.I. also got really huge in '03. I had heard there earlier stuff, but this is when they got really popular and gained radio play. Butch Vig produced this album and gave it a glossy sheen that served it well. I still think it is maybe their best album, honestly. The singles were great. Ironically though, I didn't really get into this album until like, 2006, so I didn't actually listen to it at the time, but the singles will always remind me of high school. Great album.

The Year 2003

Currently Reading Episode 9

Infinite Kung Fu by Kagan McLeod

First off, i'd like to mention that the title of this partly inspired the title of my blog, so I owe Kagan McLeod a thank you for that. 

This is amazing. It's a love letter to classic kung fu movies, blaxploitation, zombies, and general awesome shit.  I had so much fun reading this, it was a real treat. There are probably a couple references that are lost even on me, as I don't think I quite qualify as a Kung Fu Connoisseur yet, but i'm working on it. There's an obvious reference to the Shaw Brothers Five Deadly Venoms film, which I dig greatly. Since he both wrote and drew it, it's a more realized singular vision, instead of a marriage between writer and artist. I hope he produces more like this. I'd be fine with that.

4/5

here's a podcast with Kagan McLeod, done by the always awesome dudes at WRA: Chris Sims and that other guy:

War Rocket Ajax

good podcasts in general yo

Top 5 Favorite Soft Drinks

I'm a highly tasteful man. I like the good stuff. I'm a connoisseur of many things, and that of course goes includes beverage, specifically soft drinks (hard drinks too, but that shall come later.) Now, I don't drink soda often, in fact, it's a rare treat for me, since i'm "so frickin' health savvy" these days, but when I do, this is, in order, my favorite soft drinks. Or as we call it in Chicagoland, "pop."

1. Tahitian Treat

I dig me some fruit punch. Tahitian Treat is so dang tasty, and I don't know why, i've never checked the ingredients, but I feel like it's what Kool-Aid and Hawaiian Punch SHOULD taste like. It's also somewhat rare, as they don't carry this in most "mainstream" grocery stores. I know they have it at Meijier, on occasion. My fave.

2. Green River

You know, i'm not really a huge fan of lemon OR lime drinks, but when you combine them, I love it. Go figure. It's also a somewhat health conscious choice. I think.

3. Faygo Redpop

The patron saint of Juggalos across the country, it's Faygo. Of course, a juggalo friend of mine turned me onto this, and it's really damn good. I could list a dozen more faygo flavors on here, there's so much variety. It's also dirt cheap. Who's going chicken hunting?

4. Dr. Pepper

Just a classic. No knock offs compare. Eff Mr. Pibb!

5. A&W Root Beer (on tap of course)

This is heavenly. The food ain't bad either.

It's Super Bowl Sunday! Time for some COMICS

New awesome titles on my new pull list: (will elaborate later)

Orchid By Tom Morello, Scott Hepburn, and Dan Jackson. Dark Horse Comics. 

Yes, that Tom Morello :)

Wolverine & The X-Men by Jason Aaron, Chris Bachalo, Nick Bradshaw, et. al. Marvel Comics.

Great premise and Jason Aaron has yet to write a bad comic.

The Defenders By Matt Fraction, Terry Dodson, and  Rachel Dodson. Marvel Comics.

THIS is the book I've been waiting for from Fraction. Oh yea, and Iron Fist :)

Casanova: Avaritia by Matt Fraction and Gabriel Ba. Icon (Marvel Comics imprint.)

Fraction strikes again. If this book was a song by Kanye West, it'd be Monster. This shit is cray. Gabriel Ba on pencils is ALWAYS a selling point.

Fatale by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Image Comics.

Criminal + Cthulhu=Cthriminal? Eh. This may be the most complex thing we've seen from this creative team

I couldn't be more excited for this book. Sean Phillips is one of my favorite artists.

So there it is, five newer titles i'm completely jazzed for. All of them have less than six issues out and i'm already in love with every one of them. That means they are GOOD.

The best damn Fantastic Four run in ages

I have already professed my admiration for one J. Hickman. The first book I read by him was indeed Fantastic Four #570 I believe. The first issue after the end of Mark Millar's hyped run. Mark Millar, at that time, was still a pretty decent writer, but I had a good feeling about the book, so I continued to pick it up. Great decision right there. That first issue was pretty stunning, and introduced some fascinating ideas. It really took off from there, and I'd say it's been in my top 5-10 books for the last 2&1/2 years. BUT, I haven't even begun to describe why it's so great.

Reed Richards takes the center stage early on. 

Here are the ingredients that make this run so compelling:

1. Meticulous plotting

2. Great characterization/cast 

3. Innovative usage of continuity 

4. Freshness

Also, Hickman always pays homage to the creators of Fantastic Four, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, which is a nice touch and something you don't always see. Kudos/Bravo for that.

There is a LOT going on in this book.

1. Meticulous plotting.

This book un-weaves like a tapestry. You have to pay attention to the details, because in the very first issue, and really, for the first ten or so issues, he's just setting up the dominoes. He gives all the characters something to do, and it all ties into the overall scheme of things in a way that makes sense. He doesn't spell EVERYTHING out for you, which is  recurring theme in all of his work. It's a bit challenging in that respect, but very rewarding. He leaves you bread crumbs. The pieces of the puzzle are all there, you just have to find them. His run can also be seen as one LARGE story arc. It has a great flow to it and I am running out of ways to praise the plot.

2. Great characterization/cast

Here's where the book is most enjoyable. Hickman GETS these characters. At no point during reading this did I think a character acted or reacted in  a way that violated the fundamental core. He also expanded the cast to about, jeez, like roughly 20 people, is my guesstimate off-hand. Besides the Fantastic Four themselves, he's made Reed and Susan's children, Franklin and Valeria, just as important, if not more, than anyone else. He brought in the Future Foundation, Reed's think tank, which includes characters from Power Pack, (Alex Power) X-Men, (Artie & Leech) and others from the FF's larger mythology, like Dragon Man, the child version of the Wizard, Bentley 32, The moloid children, and the regents of Old Atlantis. He also brought Spider-Man, Reed's father Nathaniel, and Dr. Doom (yes, Dr. Doom) on the team. This has only made the book more enjoyable, and seeing all these characters interact in new and fascinating ways is a treat. He handles it deftly. A lesser writer would totally fuck that up. Valeria and Doom's interaction is a highlight. There's a lot of humour in this book! Always a plus. Even Spider-Man's quips are used sparingly. 

:)

3. Innovative usage of continuity

Um, yeah. Hickman is taking all the best parts of previous FF runs, (and maybe some of the worst parts) and making it ALL work. He's also using recent events in the Marvel U, OUTSIDE of Fantastic Four, to a great degree. He has used all the classic elements and villains of the FF, the usuals: Namor, Galactus, Silver Surfer, The Inhumans, The Mole Man, et cetera. He incorporates the Annihilation event into the scheme of things as well. He also uses Mark Millar's Nu Earth characters and resolves that in  a satisfying way. I'm sure there's more stuff that i'm not familiar with (haven't read EVERY issue of Fantastic Four) but yeah, that shows you the breadth of characters he's using in the sandbox. He's taking FULL advantage of the sandbox that is Marvel continuity, instead of being relegated by it. Expertly done.

He's not finished with the Human Torch, by any means.

For the first three points, I could sum it all up like this: Overall spot on storytelling with great scope.

4. Freshness

Hickman, being a graphic designer himself, is acutely aware of the power of simple designs, and doing something as simple as changing the 4 to a 3, is brilliant in its simplicity. It conveys so much with so little. Very economical. 

He's also taken a cue from Brian Michael Bendis, who shook up the Avengers, made it his own, and put his stamp on the teams history, with his seemingly ending of the Fantastic Four book, and changing its title to FF, or Future Foundation. 

Pretty dang snazzy.

Plus, any excuse for some new costume designs is a good excuse. Switching up a 60 year old pattern is not that novel of an idea.

The scary part is, he's not nearly finished yet. The Fantastic Four has returned, and now there are two titles, FF and Fantastic Four, that segue into each other, essentially we are getting two issues a month. Can't wait to see where he's going with it, and when all is said and done, I'm sure we're seeing a classic run on Fantastic Four, MAYBE best ever, but certainly top 10, maybe top 5. that says a lot, especially this late in the game. 

So yeah, great reads!

The arts not bad either.