THE NEW 52…

Posted on September 11th, 2011 by ekko

• The JSA doesn’t exist in “our” world—they’re going to get their own Earth-2 series.
• Vertigo exists in our world…Except when it doesn’t.  Swamp Thing and Constantine are here—but it’s not clear whether the “Sweet Tooth” world will be explained and “fit in” to the new DCU.  I always assumed Swampy and Consty were already in the DCU, and Vertigo was just a line to tell more mature stories about them.  Shows what I know.
• Batman “hasn’t changed,” except that he has…He’s much more like Frank Miller’s All Star Batman, apparently, at least when Geoff Johns is writing him. Oh, and he has super-powers.  Or at least super armor.  Because in JL#1 ,he leaps “twenty feet.”
• Cyborg isn’t a Teen Titan.  Or is he?  He’s a founding member of the Justice League, at least, which takes place 5 years ago.  I guess we’ll see what happens when Titans launches.  All I know is, I just ordered the Wolfman/Perez New Teen Titans Omnibus, so no matter how Geoff Johns reorganizes/erases the DCU, he’ll never get those stories off of my shelf!
• The “beyond” universe will expand.  I’m pretty sure this is an alternate Earth thing.  But anway, we’ll see Superman Beyond and we’re promised “other” books as well.  I’m sure CD is happy to read that.  I know he’s a fan of Batman Beyond.
• The aforementioned JSA and Beyond books will be part of a second launch—books that will replace underperforming books from the first launch.  So, basically, Dan DiDio produced 52 new titles and is already planning for their failure.  Niiiiiiice.
• Raven isn’t in the Titans, but will get a miniseries.  A Teen Titans book without Raven?  That’s like a lollipop with no stick!
• The new Green Arrow looks like the Green Arrow from the Smallville TV show, and feels a lot like 1960s Batman.  Also, he looks kinda gay.  Actually, he kinda always looked gay.  (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)
• Scott Snyder hasn’t lost his knack for exciting arc-openers: Swamp Thing #1 began with a plague killing wildlife around the world, and Batman #1 shows us a person impaled to a wall by dozens of knives.  Neither beats the dead whale on the bank floor, but they’re still pretty damn good.
• Superman’s got an edge to him, which makes him (gasp!) actually interesting.

Tags: Comic books, Grant Morrison Sucks, Superman, The Caped Crusader

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Posted on September 11th, 2011 by ekko

Tags: Picture of the day

COMIC BOOK NEWS

Posted on September 10th, 2011 by ekko

Okay, so I just have to lead with this before the break.  Over at Kickstarter, you can help a group of indie (mostly online creators who are relatively unknown) comic book creators launch a one-sho

t comic consisting of 13 4-8 page stories based on…Smiths songs.

Wow.  Wild idea. It’s like a comic book version of music videos.

Hit the break for news.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Comic books

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Posted on September 10th, 2011 by ekko

Courtesy of Forgotten Doors…

Tags: Boobies, Picture of the day

RANDOM AXE-Random Axe

Posted on September 10th, 2011 by ekko

Hmmm.  Dare I say it?  (Glances at the calendar.)  It’s almost August.  We might have a winner: Best rap album of the year, on what may be the best independent rap label of the year.

Duck Down has brought us solid comebacks from Smif-N-Wessun and Pete Rock as well as Black Rob, and they’re promising an album reuniting Buckshot and 9th Wonder.  And they’ve delivered a supergroup album that far surpasses what Joell, Buddens, and Royce thought they’d be doing in Slaughterhouse (which was good, but not great).

Random Axe is three well-established underground rap artists: Detroit’s Black Milk (a well-known producer) and Guilty Simpson (known for his experimental work with J Dilla and Madlib), and New York’s Sean Price (of the legendary Boot Camp Clik, Brooklyn’s answer to Wu Tang Clan).

Black Milk’s production can, at times, border on the weird–but it’s always intricate.  Here, it’s a little more laid back than usual, but still captivating.  It’s as if he knows he’s part of a group now, so he’s on the team rather than dominating the affair.  Sean Price is probably the best street-story rhymer out there, but he’s struggled to reach name-brand status, and Guilty Simpson can be wild and daring.  With that duo on the cuts, Black Milk is wise to lay back in the cut.  You don’t even notice when he drops new beats in and out–it’s effortless for him.  There’s even several 1-minute cuts that, rather than being filler, provide smooth transitions between songs.

It’s hard to keep up with the verses here, with two rappers who are at the top of their game, and know how to kill it each and every time.  Here’s just a few choice lines:

“Your tough talk?  I don’t get it/You wouldn’t even fight a ticket.”

“Never been afraid to scrap/I’ll make your whole life fade to black.”

“Brain dead/Give great head/With a sassy mouth/At the club whole ass is out.”

“I’m blowing smoke signals at an Indian broad/I told her, ‘I’m unemployed, please give me a job.’”

“I’ll carve a smile right next to your frown/Like laugh now, cry later.”

Cameos by Roc Marciano, Danny Brown, Fatt Father, Trick Trick and Rock from Heltah Skeltah (a Sean Price duo), among others, fill out this brilliant rap album.  I’m so sure it’s great, I’m already giving it a Best of 2011 tag.

Chewbacca w/Roc Marciano

Tags: Best of 2011, Hip Hop

COVERS ON FRIDAYZ: Smashing Pumpkins

Posted on September 9th, 2011 by ekko

The Beautiful People (Marilyn Manson cover)

1979 (with Cheap Trick)

I Want You To Want Me (with Cheap Trick)

Tags: Covers On Fridaze

BUTTER-Removable Beast

Posted on September 8th, 2011 by ekko

I can’t find a whole lot of info about Butter, but I can tell you this: They’re damn good.  It’s indie folk/rock, with absolute zero twee factor, featuring the beautiful voice of Lisena Brown, along with tight guitar work, sweet harmonies, some wonderful cello interludes, and solid rhythm on the hooks.

And the lyrics!  How can you not dig verses as complex and insightful as this: “Call me when you get off probation/We can go get a root beer float/You’re out riding those bedsheets again/Here I thought you were my friend/All this time you were a cookie cutter man.”  Or a chorus that cries: “This is our church/Here in a house/Made up of smoke and wooden ghosts.”  The music is mysterious, beautiful, and romantic.

The band hails from Missoula, and this is their debut CD.

The album is three bucks.  Three bucks!  C’mon you cheap bastards, chip in and encourage the artist!

House Collapse

Wooden Ghosts

Tags: indie folk

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Posted on September 7th, 2011 by ekko

Tags: Godstuff, Picture of the day

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Posted on September 6th, 2011 by ekko

courtesy of comics alliance!

Tags: Picture of the day, Superman, The Caped Crusader

RAPID SHOTS: EPs by The Dirty Nil, Andrew Bryant and Brighten

Posted on September 6th, 2011 by ekko

THE DIRTY NILL-Fuckin’ Up Young

See, when I got the solicit to check out Dirty Nil’s first 7” vinyl single Fuckin’ Up Young, I assumed it would be a cover Neil Young’s “Fucking Up.”  It isn’t.  What it is is a raucous, riotous single.  I loved it.  The B-Side, Verona Lung, isn’t quite as good—I’d like to hear what else these guys can do—but Fuckin’ Up Young is an anthem.

Get it free here.

Fucking Up Young

ANDREW BRYANT-Honeymoon/Blackbird (EP)

Here’s a free album from a singer/songwriter with a lot of talent…It’s a little depressing; the chorus to the lead cut features fast-tempo 1980s drone with the refrain, “What about our honeymoon?”  He doesn’t add “…You bitch!” at the end, but it’s implied.

Real good stuff.

Free at Bandcamp.

BRIGHTEN-I’ll Always Be Around (EP)

If you like the Goo Goo Dolls, you might dig Justin “A Rocket To The Moon” Richards’ new project, Brighten.

I’ll Always Be Around

Tags: Extended Player (EP), Indie rock