Friday Slice of Heaven, Slice Into the Woods 08/27/2010

Let's get to it, as there is a Cajun Kitchen Bacon Breakfast Burrito calling my name.  "Dooooonnnnnissstt.  Donnniiissssttt.  Hey a_hole!  I'm talking to you!  Get your ass to the Cajun Kitchen."

Slice of Heaven

We3 written by Grant Morrison with art by Frank Quietly, published by Vertigo Comics, an imprint of DC Comics.  This title reminds me slightly of the punch in the stomach that was Plague Dogs (on Netflix streaming and not for the feint of heart) crossed with Robocop.  Incredibly harsh, yet touching at times, it is the tale of three escaped weaponized animals: Bandit, Tinker and Pirate (a dog, cat and rabbit respectively).    When the three are decommissioned and sentenced to death, their handler sets them free, cybernetic armor and all.  As an animal lover, this book is oftentimes challenging to read, but the journey is wholeheartedly worth the trip.  Very, very good.  *The film rights were optioned years ago with Morrison as the screenwriter, but nothing has happened as of yet.

We3

Chew #13 written by John Layman with art by Rob Gillory, published by Image Comics.  I have written about this series before, and if you are interested in the craziness that is Chew, then buy the Chew Omnivore Edition Volume 1 HC which collects the first two story arcs.  This particular issue introduces Agent Tony Chu's old partner's partner Agent Caesar Valenzano who has been deep undercover for the FDA and only the only other person to know this is on-the-run Mason Savoy.  If you are confused by the FDA part, then you have not been reading Chew.  The FDA is one of the more powerful branches of the US Government after the bird flu killed far too many people and poultry was outlawed, resulting in a very lucrative, albeit highly illegal, chicken trade.  Agent Tony Chu, comes in to bring illegal chicken traders and egg hawkers to justice, but Tony has a special ability; he is a cibopath.  What the hell is a cibopath?  Well, Tony is someone who gets a psychic impression from everything that he eats--except for beets--and he uses this ability to solve FDA crimes.  Now, if a dangerous person has died before Tony is able to get much needed info from him, then one little nibble of...  An incredibly fun and addictive book.

Chew #13

Jonah Hex written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti with art by Luke Ross, published by DC Comics.  Okay, I have to admit that I have not seen the Jonah Hex Movie, which I have heard is one of the worst comic adaptations ever made, up there with Cat Woman, Daredevil and Elektra.  I am only talking about the first TPB Jonah Hex Vol. 1: Face Full of Violence.  This excellent series brings the Old Western disfigured character, Jonah Hex, back into the spotlight.  Hex is a bounty hunter with a self defined vision of right and wrong and a disposition that makes Clint Eastwood look like a schoolyard bully.  Each issue in this collection is a stand alone tale, which I assume is the case for the entire series, which means that you can jump into the story at any given point.  I vacillate between cheering the character's actions and covering my eyes in fright.  Very well written and highly addictive.  *I will admit that I do not own the tpb for this, I instead bought the first 18 issues from Comixology for the iPhone/iPad for $.99 each and will be buying all of the issues for $1.99 as they release.

Jonah Hex Vol. 1: Face Full of Violence

Writing for Comics and Graphic Novels written by Peter David.  I am halfway through this book and it offers great insight from one of the busiest writers in any medium.  Conflict, theme, hero creation, villain creation, this book thus far has it all.  Also, this book does not necessarily have to be for comics alone, as David's advice can apply to screenwriting, short stories and novels as well.  I will probably finish this book next week and will be all the better for it.

Writing for Comics and Graphic Novels with Peter David

Introduction to Comic Book Writing with Andy Schmidt.  This week I worked on a panel by panel description for my 5 page story with no captions, dialog or sound effects.  This version was created to be the template for an artist to understand the story and create the art from the description, which need to be informative yet allow the artist room to breath as they tell the story.  An incredibly fun, difficult-yet-rewarding process.  This week in class, we met Mike Costa, writer for G.I. Joe: Cobra, an excellent spy thriller graphic novel that will surprise anyone who turns their nose up at the mention of G.I. Joe.  This class continues to be a highly enjoyable and positive experience.

"Deano's" Pizza Lives again from the Creekside.
Oh the joy.  My dearly departed pizza joint, Deano's Pizzarama, which sadly closed its doors earlier this year with the aid of a heartless property management company seeking to maximize square-foot dollars by attracting "bigger" chain restaurants/stores.  Not only was Deano's the best pizza in town, it was also one of the oldest pizza joints in Santa Barbara, serving pizza to my parents when they were teens and hosting many of my birthday parties as a kid.  Happiness hit when I learned that many of the folks who worked at Deano's are now at the Creekside and are serving pizza which tastes exactly the same as the one that I love.  The only downside is that there is only one size of pizza, toppings are limited, and calling an order in will freak Creakside out, but then again, why not stroll in, order a pizza, relax and not only have the option to order a beer while you wait, but also bourbon and seltzer, or a martini.  Hell yes.

Chuck Season 1  -  I have listened to various podcast and television show review sites and the show Chuck comes up all the time as a much loved show.  We gave it a whirl and I am glad we did.  A nerdy guy adrift in life after being kicked out of  Stanford because of his old best friend and roommate, Bryce Larkin, who also stole Chuck's girlfriend to add insult to injury.  A few years later, unknown to Chuck, Bryce is a spy who sends an email containing a program consisting of terabytes of information pertaining to all sorts of matters of national security, lodging the info firmly in his brain.  Chuck meets the lovely Sarah Walker, a CIA agent, and John Casey, an NSA, agent, both of whom are desperate to lay claim to the information in Chucks head.  Well written, well acted, great action, great comedy--especially from Chuck's hanger-on buddy, Morgan--and an all around great show.  This show is supposedly on the chopping block every season, but fan support manages to keep it around.  Three seasons are out, and to quote my wife, "Zachary Levi is ssssssssooooooooo cute."  Well worth watching.

Chuck Season 1 on Blu-Ray

Madmen Season Four "The Chrysantemum and the Sword" - Not much else to say other than this episode managed to surpass the other excellent episodes.  This will probably be on here every week, so I will keep this short.  Just watch it, then buy all of the blu-rays and watch it again.



Slice in the Woods


Crazy Weather - What the hell?  I am not one for overly hot weather--usually when that happens, Santa Barbara practically burns to the ground--but what happened to our summer?  Some heat would be nice.  My parents came out to visit in July and we were wearing sweaters in the morning and part of the afternoon.  Now that school has started, we receive our first mini heatwave.  Very bizarre and overall annoying.

The Koch Brothers Continuing to Funnel Millions Into the Tea Party - Nothing angers me more than Big Business spreading fear, and working their agendas while hiding their actions.  Here is good article on this http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/30/100830fa_fact_mayer?currentPage=all
Americans for Prosperity???  Please...don't they mean American's Funding Kochs Prosperity?  Oil, formaldehyde in our products, destruction of the environment, just to name a few of the evils continuing to be commited by these idiots.  Guess who's funding your little Tea Parties, America, part of what is damaging our country.

Glenn Beck and His Moronic "Restoring Honor" Rally on Martin Luther King Day - Besides being a drug and alcohol addict, he is an all around douchebag.  No more to say, just wondering why people listen to this fool.

Friday Slice of Heaven, Slice Into the Woods 08/27/2010