2008 October - AudioShocker

Monthly Archive for October, 2008Page 2 of 4

The Top 9 Things That May Have Gone Wrong with Last Defenders - Part Two

Published

on October 24, 2008

. 0 Comments

Last week, I was a big jerk and I only gave you reasons nine thru five of why Marvel Comics' Last Defenders miniseries didn't get the proper comic book love. Now, here are the top four reasons... which I will still title "The Top 9" even though it's only the top four. Why? Because I'm a lazy bastard and writing these lists can be a bitch so I have to stretch things out.

4. What's the deal with Mark Millar's New Defenders? Here's part of where Marvel went wrong with Last Defenders. Mark Millar's Fantastic Four has, directly after the completion of Last Defenders, introduced a team of New Defenders. Think about that. Casey writes a book called Last Defenders, detailing the ULTIMATE fated destiny of the team, only to have Millar spin out his time-traveling future Defenders in a book featuring another cast of elemental characters. Plus, Millar's gearing up for the Lady Liberators, featuring She-Hulk (a member of the fated Last Defenders), and Valkyrie (a classic Defender).

How did that go down? Was FF editorial too scared to say no to Mark Millar? He is, after all, the new golden boy of the intersection between comic books and movies. Meanwhile, Joe Casey has been Marvel's resident Avengers continuity custodian for the past few years. If Millar is Marvel's rock star renegade writer, Joe Casey is Marvel's team book librarian who makes sure that you don't run down the halls.

3. Did Last Defenders get shorted on promotion from Marvel Comics? Despite his longing to play in the sandbox of continuity nostalgia all day, I saw Joe Casey take a break and go to bat for Last Defenders all over the Internet. And that was nearly all I saw from Marvel regarding this book. There were very few ads for Last Defenders, none of which utilized Jim Muniz's captivating art. And the book's promotion was highly obtuse. No one announced Last Defenders as the end-all love note to Defenders history. That angle may have actually attracted more readers.

2. Was Last Defenders unfairly overlooked by reviewers? Despite Casey's passion for the content and his fairly sophisticated method of storytelling, I saw little-to-no hype on this miniseries from reviewers. I thought it was positively fantastic for most of its issues. And while I concede that the story gets awfully confusing, the final issue wrapped it up nice and neat for me. It created an intriguing blueprint for future Defenders stories.

1. Where are the Last Defenders follow-up stories? Millar obviously had no trouble getting his Defenders approved despite the fact that it blows right past everything that Casey, Giffen, Muniz, Smith, and Fabela just did. The lack of internal Marvel promotion leads me to believe that this book either underwhelmed with sales or simply didn't lineup with the company's future plans. I haven't seen anything suggesting that the Last Defenders lineup will appear anywhere else.

It's a shame that this is all we'll get out of Casey's elegant Last Defenders concept. This story is a smart piece of fallout from Civil War -- but it got released too long after the end of the Civil War event to make a splash. So just like Christopher Priest's The Crew, Dwayne McDuffie's Fantastic Four, and Scott Lobdell's Alpha Flight vol. 3, it looks like Last Defenders now sits on Marvel's list of "to be ignored" superhero stories that took bold steps but never received the recognition they deserved.

Next: The Top 9 Star Wars Characters to Dress Up as for Halloween

Why the Top 9? Because 10 is too many and 9 is better. 3 X 3 = Awesome. Now that’s what I call math.

Sneaking Into Comics 007 - A Failed Intern Gives Advice on How to Score an Internship

Published

nick marino

on October 23, 2008

in Comics and Sneaking Into Comics

. 2 Comments

If you know me, this might be hard to believe: I am currently on an advisory board for a student internship center. That's ironic because I've only been an intern once (with Man Made Music, a small music production company) and it was long after I finished college. Therefore, I am no expert on how to be a successful intern.

However, I am an expert on how to be a failed intern. I've applied with both DC Comics and Marvel Comics (numerous times). I've let great connections at publishing companies like Random House and Ingram slip through my fingers. And I even botched a shot with Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson.

Both of the Big Two comic book publishers posted their internship opportunities much later that I expected. I thought they would be locking down interns in March or April. Not the case. DC and Marvel waited until late May / early June. And I would have been a great candidate... if only I had waited for their postings and not given up earlier.

I think the best way to get a resume to the right Big Two people is to pass one along through an editor. As a college grad, I managed to have some light communication with editorial. I once sent Andy Schmidt a resume back when he was with Marvel, and I think that would have been a great "in" had I been eligible to be an intern (you have to be a student).

As for publishing companies, my dad actually used to be the head of Ingram's digital printing division. Think of the great connections I could have made there as an intern. Instead, I decided it would be better to work as a YMCA summer camp counselor. That was one of my worst ideas ever. Later, a connection of mine from Ingram became the President of Random House. And what did I do? I blew that connection too! I called him up once and I failed to sell myself whatsoever. Another week, another blown opportunity.

The biggest and best shot I ever botched was a chance to intern for Nancy Cartwright. She works out in Hollywood, so naturally the internship would have been spent in Los Angeles. She needed someone who could navigate the city and get around easily. I should have said, "Okay, Nancy. I don't know Los Angeles that well… yet. But give me a month to research the city and I'll know it like the back of my hand!" Instead, I rushed off the phone and promptly lost her number.

So here's what I learned from all this: 1) Be patient. If the opportunity doesn't come along right away, stay vigilant. I called Marvel Comics every week for four months, but I never got a response because the internships weren't being offered yet. By the time they were available, I had stopped calling. 2) Be enthusiastic. Prove you're a necessity by being assertive and resourceful. 3) Fucking intern ANYWHERE!!! If I had interned at any one of these places, I would have been well on my way. Instead, I spent my summers earning minimum wage while working sucky, depressing jobs.

And that's just another reason why I'm going to have to sneak into the comic book industry if I ever want to make it in.

Slang of the Week - Jimmies

Published

neal

on October 22, 2008

in Slang of the Week

. 0 Comments

Homer lurves jimmies Depending on your geography, jimmies is either old-hat or it makes no sense. As a young'n growing up on the (not so) mean streets of Pittsburgh, I was exposed to a lot of Pittsburgeese including slippy and redd up. For me, jimmies represents a way of life and for that matter ordering dessert. South of PA, my requests are met with jeers and guffaws, but I gets no static at ice cream parlors throughout the Northeast.

jim·my [jim-ee] noun, plural -mies
-noun
1. The delicious little sprinkle things you get on ice cream, cupcakes, and donuts - usually rainbow or chocolate colored. Best enjoyed at Rita's or Dave and Andy's: Yo, make sure you put some rainbow jimmies on my wafflecone! I need my jimmies!

[Origin: Physically speaking the Netherlands if this Wikipedia article can be trusted]

formatting shamelessly stolen from dictionary.com

Ne-Yo - She Got Her Own (So What?)

Published

neal

on October 22, 2008

in Music Videos

. 0 Comments

Remixes are a gift and a curse. On one hand, they can introduce a track to a new audience and increase the artist's visibility astronomically. On the other hand, a remix can overexpose and detract from the quality of the original track. Of course, these days a remix is little more than a way to recycle a hook and split royalties with two other artists you barely know. In that vein, I bring you Ne-Yo's She Got Her Own (or the far stretch remix to Miss Independent)

The Track: First off, this beat blows. The high pitched baby voice thing is about 3 years too old and the slowjam tempo does not fit. Also, is Ne-Yo even on this track? He puts in maybe half a verse. Jamie Foxx's presence is an enigma. What is the point of an R&B singer featuring another R&B singer on his record? It works for rappers, (check Maino's Hi Hater Remix) but only because they have distinctive flos and styles.

Speaking of rappers, Fab must have received my note about the streets hurting for a new track. This is the second time in about two months that I have written about him and the second time he's collaboed with Ne-Yo. Sadly, the verse isn't exactly top notch pimp. It sounds like he wrote it in the taxi on the way to the studio.

And While I can't argue that having one's own money isn't important to me, you won't see me atop parapets shouting "my girl is financially independent and fiscally responsible!" I like picking up the check on a date. It drives me nuts when a girl wants to go dutch. Let me have the satisfaction of doing something positive after an entire workday of sloth and work avoidance. You can get the movie or desert afterwards if it matters that much. Also - I don't carry cash.

I mean it's great if she has her own loot- but don't let it define your relationship.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

The Video: Hey, does this sound familiar: black, white, 3 dudes, and 4 models? Thought so. I am tremendously underwhelmed by the visuals. There is so little to talk about that I'm stopping right here.

Of note: Independent women Eve and Estelle stop by for a quick cameo. I can dig it. Really, when was the last time Eve came across as anything but an independent woman? And Estelle is pretty hot right now. She was nominated for the Mercury Prize you know.

The Bottomline: Hey Ne-Yo, if she's got her own, why don't you ask her to buy you a better video?

AudioShocker Podcast #52 - Live from Phantom of the Attic Comics

Published

nick marino

on October 21, 2008

in Interviews and Podcast Episodes

. 1 Comment

AudioShocker #52 [ 1:12:32 ] Play Now | Download

Tom Scioli, Pat Lewis, Ed Piskor, Jason Lex, Jim Rugg, and Chris Moeller talk about their published comics and upcoming projects. Phantom of the Attic customers weigh in what's hot in comic books while they reveal shocking personal moments. Technical difficulties (a.k.a. I forgot to hit record) meant we missed some choice moments (sorry Mel, I wanted people to know about dirty balloon animals for adults too!).

Zombie Palin #1 - The Undead Attack!

Published

nick marino

on October 20, 2008

in Webcomics and Zombie Palin

. 8 Comments

The is the first installment of our new weekly webcomic, Zombie Palin. This strip will run every Monday at 10AM EST. It's plotted by Pete and myself, scripted by Pete, and arted by me. That's right, I just said "arted." Now enjoy the adventures of (soon to be) undead Sarah Palin.

Culturology 004 - Dick Cheney, We Forgive You

Published

pete

on October 20, 2008

in Culturology

. 10 Comments

So this week I’d finally look ahead to the future, and talk about something that I’m sure no one else, anywhere, ever, has yet talked about: the title of the new James Bond picture, Quantum of Solace. Or, it’s one of those things that it seems like everyone, just everyone has an opinion about, so I want to go ahead and record my view of the matter here at Culturology for posterity’s and history’s sake. My stance? Eh, it’s really not that bad. It seems like the discussion (as most discussions) breaks down into a simple set of pros and cons.

The pros:

1) It’s unique. I reckon that the title (and off the bat here, albeit parenthetically, I’d like to mention that the fact that it’s an actual title of an actual Ian Fleming story is pretty much completely unimportant) was picked as much for its sound as anything else. Kind of quasi-scientific but thoroughly open-ended. I suppose the expanded title would be something like A Discrete, Sub-Microscopic Amount of Solace. I’ve occasionally heard people complaining that the title doesn’t make any sense, but that really isn’t the case.

2) The notion of solace being right there in the title reminds the viewer that Daniel Craig’s James Bond is a different kind of Bond. Is a quantum of solace all the comfort and peace he’s going to get? Or how much he already has? Or how much he’s looking for? The Pierce Brosnan Bond movies came to be in the decadent mid-to-late ‘90s and, as such, were prone to the same kind of ridiculousness that ruined the Kilmer and Clooney Batman movies (though I generally think that Batman & Robin was so ridiculous that it’s worth keeping around, especially as Exhibit A in my on-going argument that the mid-to-late ‘90s was one of the most decadent and culturally destructive time-periods in American history), as awful titles like Tomorrow Never Dies, and The World is Not Enough demonstrate. Pierce Brosnan was a cardboard cut-out; Daniel Craig is not.

Continue reading 'Culturology 004 - Dick Cheney, We Forgive You'

The Top 9 Things That May Have Gone Wrong with Last Defenders - Part One

Published

nick marino

on October 17, 2008

in The Top 9

. 1 Comment

Reflecting back on this recent miniseries from Marvel Comics, I'm fascinated by its underwhelming promotion and reception. Last Defenders was a smart, fun, and kinetic story that followed Nighthawk thru an introspective journey into modern superheroics. Kyle Richmond asked a lot of existential questions about his place in the universe and received a lot of answers in the form of temporal tampering via Yandroth, a time traveling superbaddie with a big chip on his quantum shoulder.

So what went wrong? I'm no expert, but I am an asshole. That's why I'm only giving you reason nine thru five this week.

9. Was the art accessible enough? I found the story both brilliant and confusing. Jim Muniz, Cam Smith, and Antonio Fabela brought this journey to life in a sort of Ed McGuinness meets Duncan Rouleau way. The art was a big selling point for me, mostly because the stylized visuals took what could have been a painfully old school story and made it impossibly fresh. But was the art too stylized for this book's demographic?

8. Was Last Defenders TOO old school? To say that this could have been "painfully old-school" is not a knock to Joe Casey or Keith Giffen. They both did a great job here, with Giffen co-writing the first few issues and Casey carrying the rest. The story pulls from the Defenders back catalog of adventures in an obsessive way that's just as disorienting as it is fun. This comic was like a thesis statement on Defenders history, sprinkled with non-team team book irony.

Continue reading 'The Top 9 Things That May Have Gone Wrong with Last Defenders - Part One'

Sneaking Into Comics 006 - Next Time I Interview for MAD Magazine Front Desk Receptionist, I'm Bringing a Funny Hat

Published

nick marino

on October 16, 2008

in Comics and Sneaking Into Comics

. 5 Comments

Recently, I told you how a bunch of inappropriate emails and a voicemail from Tom DeFalco led me to an opportunity with Cracked.com. If you read those columns, you may remember that I was on the phone with DC Comics when I missed Tom's phone call. To be exact, I was speaking with Warner Bros human resources to set up an interview for the job of MAD Magazine front desk receptionist.

To say this was my most demeaning DC Comics interview would be an overstatement. My first interview experience with Joey Cavalieri and Joan Hilty was far more soul crushing. Not because of my interviewers -- they were great. Rather, the interview made me realize how savagely unqualified I was for the job.

Though not as bad as my first time at DC Comics, this interview with MAD was still pretty fucking bad. As if to prove that I learned nothing from my earlier shot at assistant editorial, I failed to research my MAD Magazine interviewer. Only being a casual reader of the magazine, I failed to even research MAD's publication history.

Continue reading 'Sneaking Into Comics 006 - Next Time I Interview for MAD Magazine Front Desk Receptionist, I'm Bringing a Funny Hat'

Ludacris - What Them Girls Like? (Our Podcast!)

Published

neal

on October 15, 2008

in Music Videos

. 2 Comments

Ludacris is a great lyricist and Chris Brown is a hot commodity. So obviously putting them together gaurantees a hit. That is the theory behind Luda's new joint What Them Girls Like. I once speculated that I could tell what girls what were thinking. I was right - but unfortunately so: girls in fifth grade aren't so much into Magic: The Gathering. From this I learned the important lesson that ignorance is bliss. But enough about me, let's get down to the nitty gritty.

The Track: Luda says it best at the tail end of the track between shout outs to Chris Brown and Sean Garret: 'It's too easy'. He's right. The hand claps, knock, and syrupy flow have me sprung. The track reminds me of Nelly's E.I. mixed with Drop It Like It's Hot. I could do without Sean Garret's vocals. Oldboy should stick to producing - he's actually good at it.

Luda is big on name dropping - but it's part of his style. He owns it, just like how Agness Deyn owns that blonde pixie cut. Surprisingly, none of the punchlines are noteworthy. I didn't find myself running the track back to hear a line again. That is kind of unprecedented for Ludacris. I still like the track, but I am a little disappointed.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

The Video: Luda's videos typically involve a lot of girls. More specifically, girls dancing, looking good, and being flirtatious. It adds to the appeal of the party and Chris Brown doesn't do videos unless he can show off his moves. Seriously, show me a video where he isn't MJing around the dance floor.

I know that all sounds dangerously close to Ryan Leslie's video, but Luda uses it. Sure, the girls are hot, but that's not the point. They are a mean's to a punchline, and the joke is on them. The speech bubbles give each girl a voice, but that voice is exactly what guys want to hear. The video portrays women with the mentality of an Axe Body Spray commercial.

Two more things - At the beginning of verse two Luda drops a line about girls wanting families and security. Look closely at the supporting bubble, you have to laugh. Also, the speech bubbles should really be thought bubbles.

The Bottom Line: Kind of mediocre - I encourage Luda to spend some time on punchlines. They are a signature part of his repetoire.