Showing posts with label Venom 200. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Venom 200. Show all posts

Monday, June 21, 2021

Up All Night (Reading Comics)

 

I broke out El-P's 2007 I'll Sleep When You're Dead recently and found myself unable to get this particular song out of my head. I love where this man has gone with his craft, both as an artist and producer, since I found this album in a thrift store circa 2010 and was immediately hooked by the Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me sample that opens it.
 



READ:

I've read quite a few comics recently that surprised the hell out of me. Here's a rundown:


I mentioned wanting to read this after hearing writer Al Ewing interviewed on Marvel's Pull List Podcast, so I found it on Kindle and dug in. What a pleasant surprise! This almost feels like Neil Gaiman's Sandman at times, the way the story weaves through different iterations and incarnations of classic Folklore characters and situations. There's a charming complexity in Loki: AOA, which is part heist film, part fantasy, and part straight-up classic Marvel Super-Hero. Also, I'm really loving the art by Lee Garbett, who if this is any indication, is a criminally underrated illustrator.


If you want to know more, there's a great review of the Last Days chapter of the Loki saga over on Slings and Arrows HERE.

Next up, Venom 200 did some things I never would have seen coming from a mile away:


I won't spoil anything here, I'd rather just post more of this awesome cover art, however, let me just say that I've always had a bit of an issue with Brock as a 'good guy' character based on his early, heinous crimes after acquiring the symbiote. In fact, after buying and getting rid of the first issue of the original Venom series (Lethal Protector? How lame) (but if I'd held onto it despite my ire, I could sell that issue for a pretty f*&king penny today) in short order, I did not read another Venom book until a friend turned me onto Rick Remender's run, which eschewed Brock for Flash Thompson. I still feel that was the pinnacle for the character as a hero, instead of a villain.

That said, Venom 200 alleviated most of my "Brock issues," and ultimately changed the course of the character (hopefully) for all time. Because of this, and because the aforementioned Mr. Ewing is taking over the book from departing rock star Donny Cates, I'll probably stick around for a while. 


Finally, I picked up Planet-Size X-Men purely as an investment. I have NO intention of reading any X-books despite this purchase, but I did read and kind of marvel at the direction the franchise has taken. But I am SO tired of these characters, regardless of this drastic new direction, so while I enjoyed reading this simply for big picture reasons, this is where I leave you, oh brotherhood of dreary mutants. 




Playlist:

Slope - Street Heat
Turnstile - Nonstop Feeling
Nick Mason and Rick Fenn - White of the Eye OST
The Jon Spender Blues Explosion - Now I Got Worry
Lustmord - Heresy
Various - Twin Peaks (Music From the Limited Event Series)
John Carpenter - Lost Themes III: Alive After Death 
Pixies - Trump le Monde
 



Card:


 Okay, I really have no idea what the hell I'm NOT seeing here, but the cycle remains. 

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Tape Waves - Sundowning

 

Wow. I LOVE this band. I listened to Tape Waves' new record Bright about three times in a row last Friday night after Joe Bob's Last Drive-in, and I just can't get it out of my head since. Which is good, because I don't want it out of my head!




NCBD:

What a short but totally SWEET week for NCBD:


Hell is primed to break loose in this issue. Heads is gunna roll...


Love this book. Many thanks to my Drinking with Comics cohost Mike Wellman for making sure I read this book!


This Horror Anthology series is one of the best things to come down the pipes in years, and it has really given me an appreciation for Michael Walsh. 


Finally! I don't love this series, but I like it a lot, and a big part of that is Ryan Stegman's art. There have been several iterations of Venom's spooky-ass visage, and this is my favorite. By far. I actually ordered a couple of variants for this one, too:



I will actually probably sell both of these on eBay, however, this Stephanie Hans one is pretty damn awesome. Those colors!




Playlist:

Prince - Sign O' the Times
David Bowie - Reality
The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia 
Zeal and Ardor - Devil is Fine
Judas Priest - Hell Bent for Leather
Perturbator - Lustful Sacraments
Deafheaven - Infinite Granite
Empire of Love - Violet Cold




Card:

 

What am I missing? Apparently I'm clinging to something, but I'm not really sure what the hell that is.