At last...the long awaited return of greatness

So maybe you noticed I haven't had a blog post in...oh...6 months. Sorry about that. I kind of developed writer's block back around that time, and then got distracted by my new TV. It's not like I was lacking for free time either in the past half year...I ended up losing my job in late July and I was unemployed for 3.5 months.

And how was unemployment you ask? Actually, it was pretty awesome. I received my unemployment compensation as part of the 47% of scum bags Gov. Romney said were in this country and enjoyed myself. I visited family, read comics, watched horror movies, stayed up all hours of the night listening to Coast to Coast Am, and immersed myself into the world of "Dallas." My Canadian Belle and I were in the middle of season 3 when I lost my job and just last night we started season 12. What a wild ride it has been!

At any rate, I got a new, even better job in mid November, and things have been looking up for this basement dweller. At a work meeting this past week I became inspired to blog again and began jotting down ideas. I plan on tinkering with the format a little bit, and abandoning some of my former semi-regular features. You can expect at least a weekly post full of what I like to call "Random Ramblings." They're basically little bite-sized, easily digestible pellets of info about whatever I'm into that week, along with whatever happens to be on my mind at that time. I hope you all enjoy.

 

Random Rambling!
One cool thing I did on my hiatus from blogging was get together with a bunch of old college buddies to see the Beach Boys reunion tour for their 50th anniversary show at DTE Energy Theater in Clarkston, MI in late June. They put on one hell of a show, full of deep cuts and songs you never imagined you would hear live.
They're voices and harmonies shimmered with beauty, and their back up band and singers were top notch.

Here's a picture of the motley crew assembled for this historic occasion...all of us hadn't been together in the same space at the same time for 9 years. (That's me in the middle wearing the orange t-shirt. It's probably too hard to tell, but it says "Beacon Town Beavers 1985 District Champs." And what movie could that refer to?) You might recognize two of the guys (plaid shirt and bearded bro), they were featured in my blog post about my trip to the Motor City Comic Con back in May. Also, two very good friends drove up from Atlanta...the bald fellow on the left and his beautiful girlfriend. This bald gentleman has a blog I know I have mentioned before which you should check out (especially if you're a metal head). It's called  The Vintage Warrior

Drunkards Assemble!

Here's another picture from before the show of my lovely Canadian Belle wearing a vintage (from 1987) Beach Boys t shirt I found for her on Ebay!

Don't mess with her...she's on the Surf Patrol (with requisite aviator sunglasses).

Random Rambling!
I had an awesome Halloween. I went as Mike Nesmith from the Monkees and I got a lot of compliments on the costume...everyone said I looked just like him. The only thing I bought was the hat. Here's a pic:

Mike played drums instead of guitar that night!

The party was in Kalamazoo at the home of the bass player in my old band Fretbusters, Jesse. The Fretbusters had their second annual Halloween reunion that night. Sadly I have no video of us performing. Here's a pic of Jesse's sister Gail and myself on vocals as we did our best Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks impressions:

"You can go your own way!!!!!" (The cat-like Canadian Belle is behind us, and Gail's husband Herman Munster is on the left).

Random Rambling!
This next bit is not exactly retro related, but I thought it was interesting. On the day I was let go from my previous position, I also let my cell phone carrier contract expire. I had been with the same company for almost 10 years and decided enough was enough. I felt I was spending way more money than I should be. I signed up with Metro PCS and got a generic looking Blackberry phone that has unlimited talk and text for a whopping $25 a month. Yes, this means I don't have internet on my phone, but I haven't really missed it. If anything, I found having the internet on my phone to be just another distraction. The internet is more fun on a bigger screen anyway. I don't even have the ability to send and receives pics...just talk and text. This is fine...you know me, I try and keep it as low-fi/low-tech/old school as possible.

Random Rambling!
On a related note, I have been off Facebook a lot more lately. It's just not fun anymore. Whenever I log on I find myself grinding my teeth at all of the worthless noise and information on it. It's just another distraction in my life that I don't need...I'd rather read some old comics and watch "Family Ties." That's not to say there isn't good stuff on there by some of my friends (I'm looking at you Vintage Warrior!). The thing is, whenever I wanna leave a comment on a cool status, I have to contend with 20 other dudes whose comments I don't care about. So eff it.

Random Rambling!
I've been reading old Superman comics from the late '80s lately. These things are amazing...the characterization, the plots, the sub-plots, the earthy, realistic art work....for me, this is the golden age of comics. The creators involved included Jerry Ordway, Roger Stern, Kerry Gammil, Dan Jurgens, and George Perez. Not too shabby. Here's the cover to the latest issue I just read.

Random Rambling!
Has anyone been reading the Amazing Spider-Man lately? Shit is effed up! I can't wait to see what happens in the 700th (and final) issue. And then, in January, "Superior Spider-Man" debuts. I'm looking forward to seeing what all goes down.

It all started in issue #698, with a dying Dr. Octopus repeating the name of Peter Parker over and over...with a twist ending that came out of left field.

Random Rambling!
So I watched most of that Superstorm Sandy benefit concert the other night. The Stones didn't sound too bad, it was pretty cool to see them playing live again. The Canadian Belle said Jagger was still doable...whaaaaaaaaaaaat!???

You would do this guy? I guess if rubbing up against dry leather is your thing, go for it ;)

I thought the Who's set was another highlight, particularly their performances of "Who Are You," "Bellboy" (featuring archival video of Keith Moon singing!), and "Baba O'Reilly."

Speaking of that concert, if you had told me 10 years ago they would have a reunion of the remaining members of Nirvana with Paul McCartney of all people I would have cried "bullshit." But there they were. Cool song too.

Random Rambling!
This is my new favorite song..."Driver's Seat" by Sniff 'n the Tears. I've heard this song over the years but never knew what it was called or who did it. (I always thought they were saying "Driver's Suit"). It was featured in a season two episode of "The Walking Dead" and has been used as bumper music on "the Coast to Coast AM" radio show. It was played on a morning radio show I was listening to the other dayand they actually said the name of the song and artist. I love the vibe this song has...it's about driving at night, and it does sound like it would provide the perfect soundtrack for doing that. It's kind of eerie and creepy. Dig it.

Random Rambling!
R.I.P. Larry Hagman. What more can I say...you made the character of J.R. Ewing a legend of TV and icon of pop culture. This clip is of J.R.'s best one liners. Even if you're not a fan of the show or have never seen it I guarantee you're gonna laugh at some point during this. Larry Hagman OWNED this character. 'Nuff said.

And to play us out, someone else we recently lost...Ravi Shankar. From the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh.

I hope you enjoyed this legendary return to my blog, fellow basement dwellers. I'll be seeing you soon.

Motor City Comic Con!!

I had an awesome time at the Motor City Comic Con yesterday, with my good friends Ben, John, and Julia. What a blast! I got to meet Peter Tork from the Monkees, and he couldn't have been nicer. I also got to speak with one of my favorite alt comics creators, Peter Bagge. My buddy John told him how I turned him on to his work, and I mentioned how I turned others on to him also (I'm talking about you, Vintage Warrior!)...Peter then called me "the pied piper of Michigan." Now that's high praise! I found a few sweet items, like some Superman comics and Mad Magazines, all from the '70s. Check out the pics below, featuring just a fraction of the costumes we saw.

Ben with his fellow cosmic forces Galactus and Phoneix. John and Ben saw Galactus trying to enter the con and he couldn't get through the door, so he had to take his helmet off.

Stormtrooper and John

Darth Vader and myself. Darth wore a device that did the heavy breathing sound.

Me, John, and Ben in front of the A-Team van. We theorized that Mr. T was asleep in there and would eventually wake up not knowing where he was.

The Monkee mobile!

John vs. Wolverine...only one of them walked away!

John with Shredder

Here's the proof I met Peter Tork...

Ghostbuster, sexy Robin, and Slimer. Somewhere behind them is Billy Dee Williams' table

John and Ben with a Road Warrior

I can't wait for the next one! Sometimes you just have to go to a gathering of your people, ya know? It's fun knowing I'm not the only geek in the world...

Mid Ohio Comic Con 1992 - Reactions to "The Death of Superman"

Wow, talk about a blast from the past. Hard to believe it has been almost 20 years since this monumental story was released. I still remember being in 7th grade and on the verge of turning 13...that's right, a TEENAGER, when this story dropped. I have collected comics for over 23 years now, and in my eyes there has never been a more anticipated comic book than Superman (vol. 2) #75. Ever. The buzz, the excitement, the panicked fans trying to get a copy, the media attention...I have never seen anything like that in the world of comics, and don't think I ever will again.

I love the footage of people walking around the con...I went to a couple cons around that time and remember a lot of the folks there looking like the ones in this video. My dad used to drop me off at the door of the Dearborn Civic Center, head to the bar for a few hours, and then pick me up, all the while poking fun at all the "weirdos."

It's cool to see so many of my favorite creators 20 years younger. Roger Stern, that bowtie...yikes! Check out John Byrne at the 3:10 mark, being the legendary curmudgeon. Right after him they interview "Big" Jim Shooter, who is looking pretty yuppie with the slick-backed hair/pony-tail combo. I remember seeing Paul McCartney at the Silverdome in 1993 and a guy with the same haircut was sitting in front of me.

Off the (Spinner) Rack 1 - My Comic Collecting "Secret Origin"/Batman #430

Welcome to the inaugural edition of my new semi-regular column about comic books I'm currently reading and old memories of collecting that I like to call "Off the (Spinner) Rack."

 

Hey kids, remember these? I'm lucky enough to have a vintage one in my office.

The first comics I ever received were a pile of about five Marvel Comics from 1986. The titles included Conan, Transformers, GI Joe, the Avengers, and the Incredible Hulk. My mom bought them for me to keep me occupied during a road trip to visit my grandparents in Florida when I was in first grade, April of 1987, for spring break. Driving from MI to the Orlando area is a good 20 hour trip, and I needed all the diversions I could get.

In hindsight, the comics must have been from a multi-pack, where 3 or more comics would be bundled together and sold (in a sealed plastic bag). It also seemed like the comics featured more of their licensed properties than actual Marvel characters, which might have made the multi-pack more appealing to a mass market. All 5 comics were cover dated Novemeber 1986, when every Marvel comic published that month was given a company-wide trade dress featuring many of their well-known properties. The pic below is a sampling of what some of those covers looked like that month.

I can remember studying those multi-character covers for hours. They are definitely a time-capsule for how the heroes looked in the mid '80s.

Flash forward 1.5 years, to the fall of 1988, when my official phase of collecting had gotten underway. While I loved the comics mom bought me in first grade and spent hours poring over them (that Conan one was pretty gory in retrospect!), I didn't actually start collecting them on a regular basis until 3rd grade. And what got me into regular collecting you ask? That will be a story for another time. But the first Batman comic I ever read was issue #430, which I just reread the other day. The story title? "Fatal Wish."

I can remember mistaking the perspective of Batman walking on a ledge in the city for a giant Batman stalking through the streets! I purchased this at a party store, not far from Gun Lake, where my dad kept our pontoon boat.

The story is a good one, and an excellent intro for an 8 year old into the world of Batman. In it, Batman has to stop a disgruntled banker turned sniper. At one point early on the sniper (named Tim Conrad) yells "I wish you were all dead!" At that moment, Batman has a flashback to a child on the verge of adolescence.

The story then reveals that in the days leading up to the death of his parents, his father, Thomas Wayne, had suffered some financial set-backs. Because of this, one day a frustrated Thomas lashed out at Bruce, striking him with the back of his hand. Bruce was then consoled by his mother Martha, who told him his father didn't mean it. Bruce then yells something out of anger he would later come to regret: "I wish he was dead!"

Father and son eventually made up, and as a peace offering Thomas decided to take Bruce and Martha out to the movies to see "The Mark of Zorro." Those of you familiar with Batman's origin probably see where this is going...walking out of the movie, a thug named Joe Chill attempts a robbery, kills his parents, and the rest is history. The reason they went to the movie could indirectly be traced back to Thomas becoming angry with Bruce.

This issue was also setting up the new status quo for the character, as the previous 4 issues were part of the storyline "A Death In the Family," which featured the Joker killing the second Robin, Jason Todd. When Batman arrives on the scene at the beginning, Commissioner Gordon asks him if Robin is coming tonight, to which Batman lowers his head and quietly says "no." Gordon then asks him if something is wrong, and again Batman quietly says "no." Powerful stuff.

Looking back, that first issue of Batman I ever picked up was a great way to get started in the world of Batman. The origin was retold and a new status quo, with Batman going out without a Robin by his side, was set firmly in place. It also featured art by legendary Batman artist Jim Aparo, whose rendition of the character will always be the most definitive. The following summer the Batman movie came out, featuring Michael Keaton. The summer of the bat was soon to be upon me. But that's a story for another time.