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The Color of Noise

Last Call

So the first month of the rest of DC's life is done. I'm sure the comic fans are about as tired reading reviews as I am writing them. So this is it on DC for the time being. Anyhow, from what I read, quality exceeded my expectations. Apart from that, it showed that you can still gather some interest in a print industry. Whether this is a turnaround point or the last spasms of the industry's corpse remain to be seen.

Blackhawks
The main reason I picked this book up was because the titular characters share a name with my favorite hockey team. Aside from that, I wanted to check out some non-capes-and-tights stuff by creators I'm unfamiliar with. This is kind of GI Joeish and although it's not a great start, and I'll likely pick up issue two. These are a lot of completely new characters that Costa introduced which is always tough to do in 20 pages. I'm interested enough to see what he's doing and will stick around a little more.

Superman
This had a good story and stellar artwork, but I had a little problem with the script being too wordy. Not that I don't like reading, but I feel that Perez hasn't adapted to modern comicbook storytelling. A lot of the text is unnecessary and can be told through the art. I won't pick up the next few issues, but will be back for issue seven when Giffen takes over writing duties. So I guess that's something.





Anyway, those are the twelve comics I bought this month. Here's the final tally as to what I liked:

I'm in for good:
Resurrection Man
Wonder Woman

I'm in for issue two:
OMAC
Swamp Thing
Blackhawks

Maybe (but probably not):
Action
Deathstroke
Frankenstein
Batman
Penguin

I'm Out:
Justice League
Red Lanterns
Superman

Call This Number

A Whole New World

Batman
This is another pretty enjoyable issue that probably won't make the cut for me next month. I think I figured out why I don't love comics like this and Action (although this is a bit better than Action) as much as everyone else seems to. While Snyder nailed the essence of what Batman is in this story, as someone who's read many a Batman stories, this doesn't bring really anything new to the table that captures my attention (except maybe the Capullo's brilliant art and some pretty new character designs). I even kind of groaned at the cliffhanger. There's no way that anyone thinks that the evidence is really what it seems. I'd really like to see some new stories, which brings me to...

Wonder Woman
which is probably my favorite comic that I've read this month. I haven't read enough Wonder Woman to come right out and say that these are totally new stories, but they are totally different than the little I have read. Azzarello and Chiang are amazing, and until everyone on the internet started mentioning it this past week, I totally forgot  they did that great Dr 13 backup a few years ago. The one thing I want to mention is that I really wouldn't describe this as a horror comic as many people are. Although there are several horrifically grotesque things in there, it's way to fast paced to be called horror. A lot happens and a lot of characters and concepts are introduced. And it really doesn't get too wordy or convoluted. Great start. I'm completely on board with this series.

The Hunter

 I find this to be completely terrible, but check it out for yourselves:

A Whole New World

OK. So we're halfway into September, and I've bought about two thirds of the books I plan on getting. Surprisingly, none of them have been bad. While there are obviously some I liked more than others, there haven't been any that I flat out didn't enjoy. I probably would check out second issues on all of these if not for the fact that I don't want to be adding 12 monthly titles to my list at once. Therefore, out of these books, it's likely that the only issue two I will buy is Resurrection Man:

Deathstroke
I picked this up solely based on the awesome Simon Bisley cover. I was previously unfamiliar with the creative team. It's a solid issue. It's a standalone (though laying out groundwork) story that sets the title character strongly not as an anti-hero but as a badass criminal. And right from the first panel there is is plenty of badass.

Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE
Another solid start. It's a little slow and maybe begins with too much exposition when all I really want to see is monsters. There is some really cool artwork and good use of Universal Monsters.

Red Lanterns
Not a bad issue, but there are a couple things I don't really like. Atrocitus is made into a sympathetic character, which I guess is something you have to do. It's why generally spinoffs featuring villains don't work. The reason I like the Red Lanterns are because they're crazy over-the-top killing machines. I'm not interested too much in depth. But my biggest problem I think is that they spend way too long recapping the origin. There's only like 20 pages of story. I know it's important to go over Atrocitus for new readers, but there's a lot you don't need right now. So while its interesting enough, there's not enough to get a a sense of where the story's going.

Resurrection Man
Adversely, a lot happens in this issue. SPOILERS: It starts with a resurrection. It briefly explains the character within the story (no flashbacks). A fight where he dies. A reintroduction of the Body Doubles. Another interlude to setup where the story's headed. And another resurrection. I never read a lot of the original series and I'm glad DC's bringing back some more obscure characters.

Sep 20

A Whole New World

So this is the big week. The first real wave of new 52 books. The first Sunday as opposed to the Thursday night football game tonight if you will. This is what I got:

Action Comics
Action focuses on a young Superman who's kind of dumb and violent. Kind of like the new Star Trek, it's modernizes something that isn't really popular with the younger generation. I guess it could go either way. It could be interesting to see Superman grow into the iconic hero that he is, or it could be a Spider-man ripoff which is the tone the first issue set. He's a single young kid (drawn like a teenager actually) living alone in Metropolis trying to working for a newspaper. It's a decent first issue that introduces all the main characters. Not sure if I'll be back next month. It is Grant Morrison, so I may give him a couple more issues.

OMAC
This was my favorite book that I read all week. It's Giffen penciling Kirby-era weirdness with all-new OMAC Kevin Kho.This issue's pretty light on story and character. There's maybe two pages of setup. The bulk of the book is action and some really crazy fucking things. Then maybe another two pages of exposition and a setup for the series. Not necessarily bad for a first issue. What I'm hoping for in subsequent issues: (a) a little more story and character development if its quality or (b) stories focusing around batshit action. Could that get boring? Maybe. But probably not for me. I'm a sucker for any Kirby-styled retro.

Swamp Thing
This series brings Alec Holland back into the DC universe proper. This issue is very character-based and shows where Alec Holland stands in the new status quo. This is not a reboot and takes place after all Vertigo series. There's a conversation with Superman that reminds us that even though this is a horror book, it takes place in the DC universe. The B story is where the real horror lies, and Yanick Paquette's art really shines on these pages. I will definitely pick up the next issue.

A Whole New World

It's been three months since the announcement, and DC's new universe has officially begun. A couple months back, I listed the seven comics I would try out, so I figured I'd follow that up this month with reviews for those (and any others I decide to buy).

First off, I'm not sure exactly, but from reading the last few pages of Flashpoint 5 at the comicbook store, it seems that the Flash merged several alternate timelines together to start a new timeline where some previous continuity happened and some didn't. Easy enough, right? Here's my first review (spoilers):


Justice League
 I have to admit the only reason I bought this was because it's the first new title out, and I was curious to see what DC was doing. Although both Geoff Johns and Jim Lee have produced work that I like, I'm not too big a fan of either.

Before I give you my verdict, I'd like to make a point that I'm in my thirties. To roughly explain my tastes: I loved Tree of Life and thought Captain America was expensive-looking garbage. That is to say, I like what DC's doing although I didn't really enjoy the comic itself. I think that 20 years ago I would have loved this. This is a great comic to generate newer, younger readers. Not that mature readers won't enjoy it, but that's just not where I am right now.

Anyway, this issue centers around Batman and focuses primarily on his first encounter with Green Lantern. Some chasing and fighting but not really any plot except for some Darkseid foreshadowing. A few pages are dedicated to Victor Stone (not yet Cyborg). I think this is a good choice. New readers have seen a cartoon or movie and are likely familiar with the big heroes origins. It's good that they're established that far, and not too much is retreaded. However I don't even know anything about Cyborg. Redoing his origin isn't too gratuitous.

One theme that's been going on for a while now is that all heroes are chumps, and only Batman has any discipline. The new universe takes this even further by making the characters younger and more arrogant. Green Lantern makes several blunders throughout the issue, and Superman is introduced on the last page beating up Green Lantern and picking a fight with Batman.

The other three team members don't appear in this issue. So I guess my biggest complaint is that there's very little substance. I realize that some stories need time to build but with serialized storytelling, I feel the first issue should give readers a solid story and a good grip on what the series is about. This is mostly a prelude to a fight. There is absolutely nothing that gives me a curiosity to pick up the next one.

This came a couple days ago, and while I had a few criticisms after first listen it's pretty awesome. I'll get a full review up on Comfort Comes soon.

download link

http://www.comfortcomes.com/2011/08/25/retox-ugly-animals/



Click To Download

What the Fuck is a Clock?

So I fucking love using my internet to look up all things juggalo related. And I have no idea how many naked women have been on my computer screen. When these two things come together its a frightful and beautiful (although way more fright in the ratio) thing. Anyway the week after The Gathering of the Juggalo is a great time to find all sorts of links and pics and much time is spent immersed in this fascinating culture. The titty-paint always amazes me. Here's my favorite pic for this year:

Never Forget

Squidbillies premiere and the first full day of football! This is going to be the best 9-11 ever!

Recommended Reading

Severed
This just came out last Wednesday, and I was totally floored. It's the first part of a seven-issue miniseries by Scott Snyder, Scott Tuft, and Atilla Futaki. I know it's still early for a statement like this, but if the quality holds in subsequent issues, this could be Snyder's best work yet. Now you know I don't like talking about plot too much, so I'll say it's a dark atmospheric American Gothic horror story involving hobos. What more do you need?

Also, there have been a few other series that started up in recent months I've been meaning to mention, but just never got around to it. But you're going to want to pick these up too:

Butcher Baker, The Righteous Maker
This is without a doubt the BEST comicbook on the shelves right now. In fact, that's an understatement. It's Joe Casey's and Mike Huddleston's ongoing superhero book that's a cross between Captain America and Smokey and the Bandit. It's what Disney and Warner Brothers comics would be like if they had any balls and didn't just publish stories aimed at little kids to generate supplementary sales for their big budget summer garbage. It's kind of reminiscent of Automatic Kafka (which I thought I was the only person who knew of its existence; although in a recent discussion at a comic shop, I leaned it now has a kind of legendary cult status). Anyway, issue five recently came out, so there's probably a trade on the way soon. But definitely, one way or another, catch up.

Sergio Aragines Funnies
The title says it all. An anthology of color and B&W shorts. Some are funnies. Some are autobiographical. This series a no-brainer. Not sure why it took so long for its inception.

Dark Horse Presents
The new volume may surpass the original. 80 full-color pages filled with new stories by Howard Chaykin, Richard Corben, Neal Adams, and many others. The price may be a little steep, but add up any other comics and see how much 80 pages cost you, even with DC "holding the line." The best anthology on the shelves.

Metal!

Recommended Reading

If you read my piece on The Goon from a couple weeks back and still aren't reading, all I have to say is, "What the Fuck!?" I'm not going to say anymore. I'll just leave you a fine piece of dialogue from this gem:


Goon: I'm not calm. I'm bored. Let's go smash somethin' with a pipe. Studebakers. Let's go smash some Studebakes.

Franky: Okay. But it would be more fun if we was drunk. Holy crud, Goon. Look! It's one of those circus dogs what walks on two legs!

Goon: That's a werewolf, idiot! Let's smash him with a pipe!

and there's this too...

 EDIT: I got a press release stating that this will be a DVD with a Neil Hamburger commentary.
Catalog: IPC-129

Release Date: Sep. 6, 2011

1.The Godfather

2. Night of the Hunter

3.Cape Fear

4.Experiment in Terror

5.One Step Beyond

6.Rosemary’s Baby

7.The Devil Rides Out

8.Spider Baby

9.The Omen (Ave Satani)

10.Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer

11.Vendetta

12.Investigation Of A Citizen Above Suspicion

13.Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

14.Der Golem

15.Charade

16.Intermission

17.Simply Beautiful

18.Chariot Choogle

Green Naugahyde

This was announced a while back, but I was hearing numerous release dates, so I figured I'd wait for something official before mentioning this. Anyway, Primus' 8-year hiatus of making new music will be over September 13th. Will it be awesome? Probably not. Will it be bad? I don't think so. But I have a special nostalgic place in my heart for Primus that I'm excited for any kind of reunion thing. And they've been playing I think eight of the new songs over the past few months. This one's my favorite so far:



The first time I watched this clip and Les says, "You're gonna love this fucking song," I was like, "Sure I will (sarcastically and metaphorically rolled my eyes)." But it turned out to be awesome, and I felt ashamed of my New Yorker-like cynicism.

Who Knew You Could Bottle the Scent of Boner?

Guns Are Better Than Everything Else

So I'm trying to put together an interview with Big Business for Chunklet. Let me know if any of you have any questions. Also, I just got the Quadruple Single EP and it's totally badass and you should all go see them and pick it up while you're there.

Builders of Death

The Builders and the Butchers recently collaborated with Murder by Death as part of MBD's 7" series where they share a split and the bands cover each other. As a bonus, one of the dudes from TBATB did some extra songs involving chiptunes.

I don't think I've mentioned the Builders here, but they're a fantastic band and I had an absolutely great time seeing them a few months back at the Mercury Lounge.

This is cool. Check it out:

He's Back!

After about a year since the last Goon story, nearly two years since an issue was released, and close to two and a half years since there was a regular schedule, The Goon made its return yesterday with an issue devoted to beating on sparkly vampires and tween girls.

Anyway, The Goon is one of my favorite comics so I just wanted to give you all a heads up in case you missed this. If you're not reading, pick it up. It's new-reader friendly. If you want to go back, the beginning's a fine place to start (actually I started at the beginning of the Dark Horse series, I've never read the early stuff reprinted in vol 0-1), but the absolute best stories are the Chinatown Hardcover, and the 12-issue arc from Goon Year in 2008 (all of those are collected in vol 6-9).

Oddly enough, Criminal Macabre recently returned from a two year hiatus. A few months back, Steve Niles self published the Cal MacDonald prose short The Y Incision and brought the character back to comics in the Free Comic Book Day Criminal Macabre/Baltimore split.

Where am I going with this? Well two years ago these were two of my favorite books, and I'm hoping 2011 brings these titles back to their former glory. Next month the two characters share a one-shot. I know those things are never as awesome as you imagine. But fuck. I'm looking forward to it.

so this video's way better

Deathbound

ALTV

You're Gonna Die

Just a quick heads up. Louie returns tonight. If you missed it last year, check it out. The episodes are all self-contained so you can start here. It's his stand-up meshed with vignettes. It's dark. It's uncomfortable. It's not even always comedy. It's absolutely brilliant, and the best new show in a very long time.

Tomorrow

A Whole New World

Well hello there. It's been a while since I've posted, and it's been a really long time since I've actually written anything here. It's not that I haven't had any ideas. I just haven't had any time. Well as of two days ago the NHL playoffs and the job I was working ended. So I have nothing but time, and I plan to get back on this site. And since YDLH originally started as a comicbook blog, I'm going to kick it off with a comicbook post.

News broke a couple weeks back, but if any of you don't read comics, DC decided to reboot their entire line this September with 52 first issues (which, a friend pointed out, means there will be 52 number twos in October). As far as I know, DC hasn't stated whether the old series will continue or if everything's starting over. As with anything, a lot of people are pretty upset by this. But let's be honest: This will make things better.

Hear me out. I know there's a long tradition with a lot of these titles. A couple months back, I was talking about how cool it was that Action Comics reached its 900th issue without any renumbering or gimmicks. But let's face it: This is a business. A struggling business. Sales boosts are good. The more books sell, the longer DC will publish them. And really the big two are really only putting out books as something to sell when the movies come out. Although there is some really quality stuff coming out that I enjoy quite a bit, it's hardly art.

I think my only problem with what they're doing is that all 52 books are coming out in one month. That's a strain on the wallet. There's a lot of interesting-looking stuff coming out at once, and I'll have to pick and choose. As of now, there are seven books that I think I'll be picking up in September.

Action Comics
All-Star Superman is the best Superman and just one of the best comics ever. I'm very excited to see Grant Morrison writing Superman again. Although this series will be in continuity, and Frank Quietly is replaced by artist Rags Morales, I have high hopes for this series.

OMAC
Although this title looks so awful that I might pick it in a DCNU deadpool to be the first comic cancelled, it's a reworked Kirby character co-written and co-penciled by Keith Giffen, and for that I will give it a chance.

Swamp Thing
Although I'm not as in love with his Detective as everyone else seems to be, Scott Snyder's American Vampire (or AmVamp I feel should be the official brev) is a very solid book. It's cool that they're bringing these characters back since Vertigo isn't really using them.

Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE
I've never read anything Jeff Lemaire has written, but I'm a sucker for anything with Frankenstein except for the Mary Shelley novel where he hides in a hovel the whole time crying and learning to speak. Boring.

Red Lanterns
I'm not a big fan of Peter Milligan's mainstream work, but I do love the Red Lanterns. They're fueled by rage, come from Sector 666, and vomit a napalm-like blood on their enemies. What's more metal than that?

Resurrection Man
This is the one comic in the batch that I'd stake my reputation on. Abnett and Lanning returning to a character they created. This should be really great.

Wonder Woman
I don't think I've ever really read much Wonder Woman, but the creative team of Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang is pretty stellar. I'm curious.

Temporary Patch

   Phantom Limb by Hospital Ships

http://www.comfortcomes.com/2011/06/06/hospital-ships-lonely-twin/

Temporary Patch

http://www.comfortcomes.com/2011/05/27/melvins-sugar-daddy-live/

June 21st

Temporary Patch

http://www.comfortcomes.com/2011/04/05/gangpool-mit-the-1000-softcore-tourist-people-club/

Plug Time

OK. About a year ago I worked on this book with Chunklet Magazine, and it's now available for preorder on www.chunklet.com. I haven't yet seen the finished product, but I hear it has been printed, so I should get a copy soon. From what I remember, there should be some pretty funny if you get jokes. Check it out.

Rated R

I think the Oscars were the other night because I hear people talking about it. So I'm sure something won but I don't know what it is because I'm not even sure what was nominated. Except for The King's Speech because people won't shut up about it. You have to see The King's Speech. Yeah. That's how I want to spend two hours. Watching some douchebag learn how to not stutter. I mean we already have My Fair Lady and the Family Guy parody of My Fair Lady. How much more shit do we need about Brits that can't talk? And even when they can speak English it's all wrong anyway. They're like let's smoke a fag and drive a lorry. Mr T knows that's jibber jabber. At least there's not a sex scene I have to hear about. I swear that people's only defense of Black Swan is that there's a hot lesbian scene. It's like don't you assholes have the internet? You don't need to sit through 90 minutes of obvious symbolism that belongs in a freshman writing class to see cunnilingus. Anyway what I'm leading up to is if you want to see a movie that's fun go see Drive Angry. It's about someone who escapes from Hell and drives around chasing with a Satanic cult who killed his daughter and is about to kill his baby granddaughter. He also has a pentagram-barreled shotgun and drinks beer from skulls. And Nicolas Cage has one up on Colin Firth on acting. He overacts which is kind of like fitting 10 lbs of acting into a 5 lb acting bag. It's like the acting equivalent of Super Sizing. Also I wanted to apologize for not getting to this faster. The movie bombed so tonight might be the last night to see this. Sorry. Now watch this:

Marathon Man

Alright. It's marathon time at WFMU. For those of you who have not heard, WFMU is the coolest radio station in the world that I know about. It's completely free form. Seriously, if there's another station that plays both The Melvins and Tom Jones, I'd like know about it. If you've never listened, check it out:

http://www.wfmu.org/

It's completely listener sponsored, and the thought of it not being around always makes me sad. So pledge some money. As the kids say, "Do it, scumbag!"

And here's the cover:

So I just got home...

...and this press release was in my inbox:

THE MELVINS' LIVE ALBUM, SUGAR DADDY LIVE, SET FOR MAY 31 RELEASE ON IPECAC RECORDINGS

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 22 - The Melvins' latest offering Sugar Daddy Live, a thirteen-track live recording, will see a May 31 release on Ipecac Recordings.

Recorded at The Busta-Guts Club in Downey, Calif. the album features fan favorites such as "Boris," "A History of Bad Men" and "The Kicking Machine."

The band recently completed a month-long residency at Los Angeles' Spaceland and are currently in New Zealand with a forthcoming round of Australian dates as part of the Soundwave Festival.  The Melvins were in Christchurch when the Feb. 21 earthquake struck but escaped unscathed and are due to resume their tour later this week.

Sugar Daddy Live track listing:

1.  Nude with Boots

2.  Dog Island

3.  Dies Iraea

4.  Civilized Worm

5.  The Kicking Machine

6.  Eye Flies

7.  Tipping The Lion

8.  Rat Faced Granny

9.  The Hawk

10. You've Never Been Right

11. A History of Bad Men

12. Star Spangled Banner

13. Boris

Here's some more Tom Jones to play you out:

Hallo Spaceman

Hello there. Friend of You Don't Look Hip and Melvins fan, Mark Adams, has been hard at work writing and recording a slew of music. His album One Time Spaceman is set to be released next month. Check out some of the songs here:

http://www.markadamsusa.com/?section=music

And if you're like me (which you probably aren't) and prefer less words with your music, check out Epilogue Doggle from the album Noise Doggle. It's a bit noisier than his other albums.

I'll get a full review up on Comfort Comes (hopefully) soon once I get a little fucking time.

It's like they were reading my spankblog

My spankblog*: http://spankblog.blogspot.com/





*Not really my spankblog.**





**Luckily, this page already exists, so I didn't have to create it just for this joke.***





***However, eerily enough, this could very easily be a page I did create. Sorry for the confusion.****





****Not really sorry.

Eagleheart

OK. I realize the last show I told you guys to watch turned out a little disappointing. However, when was the last time Chris Elliott has done something that wasn't hilarious? I think it was Scary Movie 2 which also had David Cross, so I guess there was no saving that piece of shit. Anyway, this looks awesome and premieres on Adult Swim tonight.

this is awesome...

\

The Walking Dead

Killing Time

If you were reading this page back when I first began and it was comic book-themed (Although I believe I did mention that it could devolve into whatever I felt like. I guess I could go and check very easily, but I don't care enough and can't afford to hire editers), you might remember that I absolutely love Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four run. It's easily the best book that Marvel has (along with Hickman's SHEILD, which doesn't come out nearly enough), and maybe just the best book out there right now. That being said, I'm pretty worried that the book may be jumping the shark with issue 587 on Wednesday. This is the climax of the Three arc which promises to kill a member. Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of the superhero death. Here's why:

No one stays dead. Now, I'm not complaining about the unrealistic aspects in a story that involves people getting superpowers from cosmic rays. What bothers me is that it sucks most of the drama out of these ultra-dramatic moments, so then, really, what do you have left? An exception to this rule is Civil War: The Confession by Brian Michael Bendis, one off the finest single-issues ever written.

Too much promotion. Marvel has been promising in ads that someone will die. Although the title Three pretty heavily foreshadows death, a number of outcomes are possible (maybe Ben Grimm quits to join the Avengers full-time). Anyway, it kills any surprise that might be waiting. An exception is the end of Thanos Imperative where (Spoiler Alert) when Nova and Star Lord go out blazing like Butch and Sundance. This wasn't advertised at all, and it's believable because, honestly, it's conceivable that these two characters can never make an appearance again.

Death Sells. I never understood this. Every time, a superhero death boosts sale. Why? I mean, I understand that some chump sees that Batman is dying on the TV, so he'll run to a store and buy it thinking he'll be able to sell it for a lot of money one day, but why do comic book readers who know the character will return in a year. I mean, I'll buy it, but that's because I've been buying Fantastic Four every month for the past year and a half. I didn't buy the Captain America death issue, because I wasn't buying Captain America. When dealing with an A-list character, there is never an exception.

Predictions:

2 to 1: Reed dies. If anyone has been reading Hickman's run (or last month's issue), this is the obvious choice. Not in a bad way, but structurally, this is where the story is leading to. Almost anything else would be bad writing for shock value.

10 to 1: Ben dies. This was a little more plausible a couple months before Marvel started using him in 2011 ads. Anyway, Ben's turning human in the beginning of this arc cannot be a coincidence. It would be tragic if this caused his death. In light of the aforementioned ads, I now think it would be tragic if Reed dies because a depowered Ben can't stop the threats or save Reed.

50 to 1: Sue or Johnny dies. I don't see how this would fit the story.

100 to 1: Someone else dies. Marvel claims its a team member, but you never know with these things. It could be misdirection. However, with all this publicity, it seems that could cause some backlash.

Bonus Prediction: We know that after Fantastic Four ends next month, Marvel is relaunching it as FF at issue 1 in March. My prediction is whichever character dies will be brought back in a year, so that Marvel can change the numbering back to 600.