Friday Slice of Heaven, Slice Into the Woods 5/25/2012

(Sung to the tune of XTC's "Making Plans for Nigel")

Chew is a favorite book of Obie's
Food powers are what's cool to him
Toni, not Tony, is fine for Obie
Toni gives Chow a helping hand
And if young Obie says he's happy
He must be happy
He must be happy with his books
In I,Vampire it's tough for Andrew
His army's stuck in the Utah plains
Sippin' on cows sucks for Mary
Van Helsing's comin' with a load of planes
Yeaaaaahhhhh

And if young Donist says he's happy 

He must be happy

He must be happy with his books

Obie enjoys a helping of
Donist World cakes

Hello all you happy people. Last week Obie, my friends' Boston terrier and Donist World CFO, took time out from working on his golf game to actually come into the office for a surprise visit and overnight stay. He spent the first 15 seconds touring the office and after commenting on the slight yellow tint on my iMac screen, my lack of dedication to the Donist World secret agenda (I can't talk about it, I'm under an NDA, it's confidential and...well...secret) and proceeded to eat a spare piece of kibble that his sister Tulip had missed in the corner of the kitchen. Once he finished "synergizing" me to his the Donist World cause, we discussed the forthcoming IPO of our stock that is set to be valued at $.0001 per share with 100,000 shares offered and Obie offered me 1000 options if I made him a small loan of ten bucks! Sweet deal...score, a direct hit! Anyways, we celebrated by reading comics, watching Iron Man 2 and eating delicious pancakes, all of which is intricately connected to our "secret" plans for Donist World Domination. In the meantime, grab a flapjack and take a gander at this week's...


Friday Slice of Heaven

Chew #26

Chew #26 - Written by John Layman and illustrated by Rob Guillory, published by Image Comics. Last year Layman and Guillory did something weird. They published Chew #27 a year early and then proceeded to fill in the gap of issues from 19 to this month's issue 26, bringing us up to date with the "comic from the future" and the events that led to Tony's hospitalization. For this run, Tony takes a much needed rest to recover from the horrible beating he received as siblings Chow and Toni take the reins.
Chow Chu is losing it. Not just his temper, but an auction to his nemesis, restauranteur, Barnabas Cremini, for a photorealistic painting that tastes as good as it looks. Meanwhile, Toni Chu (not Tony Chu, but his sister) just lost another boyfriend, this time her NASA partner, Paneer. It seems that significant others don't like to be bitten by Cibovoyants, like Toni, who have the ability to see the future when they bite into living people. Thankfully, there are positives to Cibovoyance as Toni divines Tony's fate after a single chomp. It's her other brother, Chow, who now has the problem as he enlists Toni to help him right a wrong committed by a certain restauranteur.
Another fantastically weird and fun issue of Chew and we readers are now up to date with the future issue. So, was this gimmick a success or a chicken lovin' failure? It's Chew. Of course it was a success and this issue leads into #27 just fine. Having been through the comicpacalypse of the '90s, I'm VERY hesitant anytime a gimmick is used to sell a book, but with Chew the creators know what they're doing and they do it well. Where was this book two decades ago when we needed it? When I needed it? In Chew anything is fair game whether inside the pages or out, and the creators expertly keep the reader guessing as to what comes next and to be excited for whatever it might be. So bring it Layman and Guillory! Bring on foil covers, Chew incentive trading cards, scratch and sniff stickers or a fried chicken dinner-flavored comic. I'll be there along with the other host of loyal fans. If you're not reading this comic, then you are missing out on THE most unique book on the stands and one of the best. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I, Vampire #9

I, Vampire #9 - Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov and illustrated by Andrea Sorrentino, published by DC Comics. If you've been following FSoH/SitW for any amount of time, you know that I LOVED this New 52 offering for the first three issues, but then came the crossovers and the events. As of last issue, the comic had been 62.5% crossover/event, but with this issue that percentage drops to 55.6% as it is all Andrew Bennett and the I, Vampire cast of characters, although a new crossover looms on the horizon.
Last issue Andrew Bennett came back from the dead as seen in a completely different comic title that I actually did not buy. With his resurrection came a whole host of new powers and abilities that no one can hope to challenge, especially those in his vampire army that he has led to take up residence in the Utah desert. Andrew has promised his people that he would lead them to a better life, but old habits die hard and Andrew has forbidden the juvenile vampires from consuming anything but cow blood. Mary Queen of Blood is disapproves of her love's beliefs, while John and Tig request an audience with the Van Helsing group.
There you go, an issue with no guest appearances anywhere and with this comes a glimpse into the story that I believe Fialkov set out to tell since the beginning of the series...just way ahead of schedule. It was interesting to see Andrew's impressive new power set on display--especially with the two redneck knuckleheads...creepy--and also the confidence he has in dealing with his "loyal" subjects. The odd thing about this issue is that Andrew just gained this new army and already he is telling them that they cannot be vampires. Then there's Mary Queen of Blood who wholeheartedly threw in with Andrew again only to be surprised that he has not changed. Something is missing, namely a few issues to develop the renewed hope and trust only to see it all come crumbling down to lead into a confrontation between the two lovers. That said, I still enjoyed this issue and Sorrentino's gorgeous art (complemented by Marcelo Maiolo's lovely coloring) makes this issue shine. I have not given up on I, Vampire and I hope to see the story that Fialkov set out to tell and at the pace he wishes to tell it, without all of the interference from the capes and tights crowd. Let's hope DC allows that to happen. RECOMMENDED!


Other Heavenly Items:

Drops of God, V. 3

The Drops of God, Volume 3 - Written by Tadashi Aqi, illustrated by Shu Okimoto, published by Vertical. I am still loving The Drops of God series. I have mentioned this wine-themed Manga an few times in past installments and as ridiculous as some of the moments can be, it is an engaging and dramatic blast. The Drops of God is the story of Shizuku Kanzaki, the son of the most renowned, and recently deceased, wine critic, Yutaka Kanzaki. After growing up around wine as a child and his father's obsession with teaching him about taste and smell and proper decanting techniques, Shizuku turned his back on his father's world and had never even tasted wine before. At the reading of his father's will, Shizuku stands to inherit a priceless wine collection and his father's beautiful home, but there is a slight problem. Before his death, Yutaka had adopted a young (and snobby) wine critic, Issei Tomine, and has paired the two against each other to find 13 wines known as "The Twelve Apostles" and the heavenly "Drops of God"with the winner taking it all. I this installment, the search for the first apostle is on, but Kanzaki might just have to help a woman suffering from amnesia regain her memories through the memory of a once treasured wine. Also a possible new client who cares only about money and branding might need to be taught the lesson that a top name brand does not always mean it is the best. Volume 4 is set to release in late June. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Chocolate with Bacon?
Yes, please.

Vosges Haut Chocolat - Two great tastes that taste great together...chocolate and salty bacon. What? What? What?! You have got to be kidding me. A friend of mine told me about this a couple weeks ago and although I was hesitant to give it a try, I have to say that it is unlike anything I have ever tasted in the best of ways. If I had to state a favorite, the dark chocolate, caramel, and Black Sea salt chocolate bar at Trader Joe's is my favorite, followed by any dark chocolate made with cayenne pepper, but this is definitely in the top five. Now, if only my friend had told me ahead of time that this thing cost like $7! Dang, that's like...almost two Marvel comic books.  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!



Slice Into the Woods

Beach Clean-Up - Yes, I know this has nothing to do with comics, but my day job gives its employees two volunteer days a year and I chose to do a beach clean-up at Hendry's beach. This is not the bad thing, actually quite the opposite. I was able to show up at the beach at 9:00 AM, pick-up trash for two and a half hours and then the rest of the day was mine. Not a bad deal at all, and I was able to pick up my comics a couple hours early. Win! The problem is that there has to be such a thing as a "Beach Clean-Up." Most of the trash that I gathered ended up being broken glass and cigarette butts. That's broken glass in the sand and cigarette butts everywhere. What is wrong with these morons leaving this crap behind for people and dogs to step on, or for the items to end up in the ocean to kill sea creatures large, microscopic and everything in between. The people leaving the trash are there to enjoy the beauty of the beach, swim in the ocean, or relax, and yet they are the ones destroying it. The kicker is that there are multitudes of trash bins at the parking lot. What worthless idiots. Fine the offenders into oblivion or give them mandatory community service. So sad.

Friday Slice of Heaven, Slice Into the Woods 5/25/2012