What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

Christmas Covers

Christmas Covers

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

Goodwill To Everyone

Wednesday Filler

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

Christmas Covers

Wednesday Filler

Todd Fedoruk has taken a beating throughout his pro hockey career.

The Ballad of Big Joe

Kudos to Mike!

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

Christmas Covers

Sage Advice

From "I Shall Destroy All Civilized Planets!" by Fletcher Hanks

Off the Shelf

The Return of Bruce Wayne

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

Watch the film here:

(it's broken into five parts)

Christmas Covers

GL Corps Wants You!

Great art by Matt Kindt

BeeLicker

Half Nerd Sleeve

Body by Mark Bielik

Off the Shelf

Sometimes, comics are really dumb...

...and hurtful.

So Long, Farewell

Friends, St. Louisans, Peeping Toms:

I've reached the conclusion of another fantastic film festival and have found that I miss my blog. I will return to you in full force very soon, but still find my energies lacking. I wish to give you what you want, as I shall give unto Caeser that which is Caesar's. For now, enjoy the trailer for SLIFF as prepared by CoolFire Media:

Here's me doing work:

(see more here)

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

Christmas Covers

'Tis the Season

Thanks, Mark!

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

Old Dog, New Trick

The new doc from Mike Steinberg and Thomas Crone:

OLD DOG NEW TRICK trailer from Mike Steinberg on Vimeo.

More details here.

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

Wedding Goodies

Karu and I were married back in May of this year. It's nearly our six month anniversary, so I figured it's time to post some memorabilia from the event. The following pieces are courtesy ofJeff Elden. The art adorned t-shirts we gave as gifts to the wedding party.

Go Bears!

I joined a volleyball team at the request of K-Dub.

We are the Bears and we play at Concordia Turners. Come out and watch the magic happen. The logo was drawn by David Callahan.

Off the Shelf

The Fantasy Shop in St. Charles recently staged a comic book back issue sale. Since the sale coincided with Halloween they also held a costume contest. Please be so kind as to vote for my dear pal, Dan Nichols.

He is the King of the Inhumans, Black Bolt!

Wednesday Filler

Christmas List

Check out more freaky Japanese stuff

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy

Cool Covers

It's fun seeing a hero beat down and broken, and "Invincible" continuously delivers moments like the one this cover hints at.

RoboGeisha

Thanks, Jeremy!

Wednesday Filler

As the Seinfeld cast reunites, take a look at "The Lucky Ladies of Seinfeld."

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

And now for something completely different...

check out behind the scene details here

Meatloaf Productions

We got a logo!

Cool Covers

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

Cool Covers

Another sweet antique shop find, purchased the same day as Firestorm #3.

It's almost Halloween!

Ghosts are real and I have the photographic evidence.

Tuesday Afternoon Fun

Thanks, Karibe!

Fest Art!

Check out this year's festival art by Tim Lane.

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

Notice this features Dr. Beverly Crusher and not Dr. Katherine Pulaski.

Cool Covers

I found this issue at an antique shop while I was out with my mom one day. I was probably around 12 years old, didn't know who Firestorm was, but I excited to find a comic in place filled with dusty, old relics.

Win Something Cool

Check out the neat contest at Draw Something Cool!

Let's All Go to the Lobby!

It's neat to see so many interesting films coming out on the same day (October 2). For the most part, each film is essentially a comedy (don't Michael Moore fool you). Now that we've entered the last quarter of the year, there will certainly be films of a higher quality debuting, so it's fun to have a comedy heavy slate hit before all the drowsy bleakness.

Whip It - Drew Barrymore's directorial debut features the ever stale Ellen Page. Increasingly the indie darling, Page turns in another performance as the alt-wunderkind trying to figure out her place in the world. I did not enjoy this film: the script was stale and common, the performances were wooden, and the direction was lacking. Barrymore's lovefest significantly hindered the development of the movie - long shots of quips and witticisms proved to be unnecessary. There is no real character development and the film is totally lost applauding its own subculture identity. Skip it.

Capitalism: A Love Story - The Michael Moore Propaganda Machine sets its sites on the American entrepreneurial system and hilarity ensues! I can see why Moore was able to release this film so close to the US economic meltdown: a majority of the film's footage comes from various archives and user material. While Moore continues his David vs. Goliath shtick, the film raises several interesting questions and points. As depressing as the subject matter can make you feel, Moore keeps plugging away with jokes and retorts that almost sugarcoat the dire straits we find ourselves in. As with Moore's previous films, he riles the audience up, ends on a hopeful note, but delivers no means of taking action. He leaves the viewers angry about the situation but with no method of doing anything about it. A majority of the people who will see the film will either be Moore supporters, eager to make a change in our society, or trying to escape the horrors of the situation with the help of Moore's heavy hand. And he's all the richer for it. Rent it.

The Invention of Lying - Admittedly, I wasn't sure what to expect going into this film. I haven't had much exposure to Ricky Gervais outside of "The Office," but I was pleasantly surprised. The film is funny from the outset based on the premise that Gervais lives in a world where no one has ever lied nor does anyone know of the concept of lying. Down on his luck, Gervais lies in a pinch and the results spiral out of control from there. The film takes a religious curve that I wasn't expecting, but continues to play to a comedy hilt. The third act seems to drag on and loses some of the comedic steam, but the film still wraps up in a timely fashion. There are several great cameos in the film (which were really unexpected), a true to life smarmy performance by Rob Lowe, and two particularly funny sight gags (of religious connotations). See it.

Zombieland - Of the four films debuting today, I didn't expect to enjoy Zombieland the most and yet I did. The film is a swift, crisply edited, funny romp through a zombie-ravaged America. While zombie films have become somewhat standard fare for the cineplex, the best films will always stand out. The film doesn't bother with all the pretense of how the zombie plague began to spread, where the remaining humans are, or what steps are being taken to reclaim the earth. Instead, the film is loose and goofy. It focuses on a list of rules for protection from zombies, twinkies, and hot chicks. The special effects were top-notch and the text/graphics were great. The opening sequence was one of the best I've seen in sometime. See it!

What is SLIFF?

Wednesday Filler

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

Cool Covers

Let's All Go to the Lobby!

"Surrogates" is part of a new wave of comic book films based on properties no one has ever heard of (similar to Whiteout, 30 Days of Night, Constantine, etc.).

While not horrible, the film deviates enough from the source material to leave even the casual fan wanting more (believe me, I asked). Bruce Willis stars as a cop in a world where crime barely exists and people live life virtually through a surrogate android. Someone starts killing users through the surrogates and the real Bruce Willis steps out into the real world to bust out his yippy-kai-yay action hero skills. The film hits all the necessary plot points of a thriller, but there may be one too many twists for the film to stay coherent. Rent it.

Patton Oswalt has made a name for himself by eating KFC. Now he'll reach a wider audience as a weirdo football loyalist in Robert Siegel's "Big Fan." Siegel continues the exploration of American sports that he began in "The Wrestler." Oswalt portrays a fanatical New York Giants loyalist. Even after a disastrous encounter with his favorite player, Oswalt remains fiercely allied with his team. I was actually quite surprised by the film, and pleased overall. The film took turns I wasn't expecting and went in directions lesser films/filmmakers would have allowed to devolve into redundancy. See it.

Who watches?

Off the Shelf

a preview of Lil Gotham

Wednesday Filler

A promo bumper for the Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX.

Thanks, Adam & Shaun!

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

Cool Covers

Miniature Models

Thanks, David!

Cool Covers Bonus

Comic book artists covering comic book covers...

Thanks, Karu!

Wednesday Filler

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

Cool Covers

Angel is probably one of the more overshadowed figures in X-Men folklore. As part of the original class of X-Men, he was the rich, white guy with angelic wings. Not as impressive as Iceman's snowman like appearance and sense of humor, Beast's acrobatics and intelligence, Cyclops's optic blasts and leadership, or Marvel Girl's telekinetic/telepathic prowess (and hotness). Angel has been through alot, however, and he's seen his share of heartache. He's been transformed into one of Apocalypse's Horsemen and then changed back again, and this cover shows off part of that painful transformation.

Moustache Ride

Off the Shelf

Top 70 Most Iconic Marvel Panels of All Time!

Courtesy of Comic Book Resources and the Comics Should Be Good blog.

Wednesday Filler

The new Elvis Costello album featuring art by Tony Millionaire.

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

Hitler likes to get down...

What, no W. poster?

Cool Covers

My grandma ordered a subscription to "The Amazing Spider-Man" for me when I was 11 years old and this was the first issue I received. Imagine my maximum delight!

Off the Shelf

World War Hulks is coming.

Wednesday Filler

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

What The?!

Disney has purchased Marvel. Is this Assistant Editors' Month?

Check out what else Disney owns.

Cool Covers

This is a really great "stand-alone" issue.

Off the Shelf

During the San Diego Comic Con, Google and DC Comics teamed up with this promotional art on Google's mainpage. A nifty piece by Jim Lee.

Wednesday Filler

Inception @ Yahoo! Video

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

In good taste...

Brilliantly Lazy

Cool Covers

What Shapes A Young Karen McCubbins?

Let's All Go to the Lobby!

The bastard child of cinema is at it again: Quentin Tarantino's new film "Inglourious Basterds" hits theatres today and is already one of the highlights of the year.

Though the film is a revisionist take on the outcome of WW2, it's still a fun action flick that features some of the best filmmaking I've seen in a while. There are two scenes in particular that have stuck with me and really showcase Tarantino's ability as a writer and composition on screen.

Some of the film, however, devolves into gory slapstick and contains allusions to many great cinematic pieces, but I think I can let that slide. Brad Pitt hams it up everytime he's on screen, though I wasn't completely impressed with his performance. There isn't much character development for the Basterds, just know that they are Jews in France looking to kill Nazis.

The film is truly carried by Christopher Waltz. He is a Nazi who revels in his ability to find and kill Jews but his character is so charming and engaging that you almost miss when he is not on screen. Waltz played the character fluidly, moving effortlessly from personable officer to ruthless murderer and back again without breaking a sweat.

Personally, I don't think this is Tarantino's best work, but it was a lot of fun. The film is great escapism and expertly crafted. I think it's safe to say that right now it's certainly in my Top 10 for the year.

"Inglourious Basterds" is in theatres today.

Wednesday Filler

Comedy Gold

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
David Cross
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

What Shapes A Young Brian Spath?

Cool Covers

What force could knock the Hulk off his bearings? Psychology, actually.