Midnight in the City

Still has the power to bring tears to my eyes, even after all this time, even after I've pretty much disengaged from everything Gonzalez has done since (except the Knife + Heart OST). Hearing this reminds me of the smoldering possibilities that still seemed to exist in 2011. Those are all but gone now, as we accept the shitty future the Corporations have made for us. Backed into a corner, hindsight isn't just nostalgic, it's paralyzing.

What a lead-in to our next topic of discussion...

---

---

---

Watch:

Heed my warning: much as I expected, if you live in the US, Civil War might F**K you up.

Another five-star nightmare from Alex Garland. I'm telling you, I've read all his books and seen all his movies - he never fails. This latest is possibly the most nerve-racking, terrifying film I've seen in years. K has had considerable PTSD from the flick, and I get it. I was literally terrified for the characters (one in particular) for pretty much the entirety of the film. Also, super cool that Garland still uses Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury for every score, and on top of that, there are not one but TWO Suicide tracks in the film. I love how, in the past year, I've now heard Suicide in a major theatrical release and Throbbing Gristle's "Hamburger Lady" in two (Love Lies Bleeding and V/H/S/85; I guess the latter isn't a major theatrical release, but I saw it in a theatre, so it felt like one at the time).

---

---

---

Read:

I had an insanely relaxing weekend—well, other than the anxiety from Civil War—reading comics. First, when my Drinking with Comics cohost Mike Shinabargar and his wife came down to visit us last weekend, he brought my Chicago Comics Pull down. This meant I could finally read the entirety of Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows' The Ribbon Queen from start to finish.

This is easily my favorite Garth Ennis comic since Preacher. There - I said it. Man, this was just... perfect. A story of revenge set amidst a backdrop of the Me-Too and BLM movements in 2020, the characters are fantastically conceived, established and developed, and the situations are tense and beautifully woven together with one of the most horrific 'monsters' I've seen in quite some time. Ennis is one of the few writers in comics who can so effortlessly blend the social dramas of our time with pure nightmare fuel. 

After watching the above episode of Cartoonist Kayfabe, I felt compelled to dig in the box of old Punisher comics I pulled from my parents' house last year right before they moved and see if I did indeed own any Punisher War Zone. As I thought, I had issue one, but I also had 2-4, so I did a re-read Sunday. 

I really love how the CK boys add a level of artistic context I would normally never possess for books like this, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I have A LOT of old Punisher comics - the ones that have always traveled with me wherever I move are the original 80s mini-series, about the first 17 or so of the original ongoing 80s series, and the first 8 issues of Punisher War Journal (also 80s). My actual Frank Castle collection is at least 3x that size, though, and includes a lot of issues I bought as they came out, but which I'm not so sure about. The Punisher was one of those characters whose popularity in the 80s mandated he be strip-mined well into the mid-90s and the books and character suffered for it. I think War Zone was about where I checked out, hence why I only have those first four issues, which sucks because I didn't finish out what I'm now remembering is a pretty damn good story about Frank infiltrating the Carbone crime family. That means I'll be checking some back issue bins at Rick's Comic City and online this week, looking to find the rest of that storyline (seems to be up through issue 11).

---

---

---

Playlist:

Dödsrit - Nocturnal Will

M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

!!! - Myth Takes

Dödsrit - Nocturnal Will

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse

Ghost - Opus Eponymous

Anthrax - Persistence of Time

High on Fire - Cometh the Storm (pre-release singles)

Suicide - Eponymous

Jimmy Buffet - Living and Dying in 3/4 Time

Turnstile - Glow On

Idles - Tangk

---

---

---

Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.

• Page (Princess ) of Cups

• Queen of Cups

• XI: Justice

I progression, I think, from my previous spread. Emotions are still high, but I'm keeping myself in check. I have a feeling this is a recurring cycle to the point that I could probably graph it, so I'm going to add a piece of metadata to this and my previous post, maybe even work back using the search function for keywords like "irritation" and "tolerate" so I can possibly get an even more accurate idea of how often and in what 'pattern' this occurs. 

The XI, which is Lust in the Crowley/Harris deck, is a nod toward the primordial power of Anger, however, it can also occasionally indicate a possible Lunar influence. That should be easy enough to map. I used to keep a moon phase widget this site, however, those always break. Might look for another one and begin adding that data to this section of the page, as I would be interested how this might line up with lunar cycles. 

Shoplifters of the World!

 

I've been on a bit of a Smiths kick lately, and it was cool to see David Fincher's new film The Killer pretty much use their greatest hits as the soundtrack for the titular character (to say nothing of the brilliant Rezner/Ross score).  Now, let's talk about that movie...

---

---

---

Watch:

I had somehow missed that a new David Fincher movie was on the horizon until just a week or two ago. I knew nothing about The Killer going in except it was Fincher directing from a graphic novel I am unfamiliar with and that Michael Fassbender would star. 

Everything about this flick worked for me, from how Fassbender's character dressed like Raoul Duke to the pop culture references on his IDs.  The lighting was to die for, and Erik Messerschmidt's cinematography was soft and fluid, even during the brutal scenes (Messerschmidt also shot Mank for Fincher and, more memorable to me, The Empty Man back in 2020). The Killer was a total homerun for me - possibly my favorite non-horror flick of the year. 

---

---

---

Read:

After hitting Amazing Fantasy in Frankfort, IL for my secondary pull there (mainly consisting of stuff I had trouble finding here in Clarksville for whatever reason), I was able to catch up on Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows' The Ribbon Queen.

This book is super gnarly as far as the kills, and that's part of what makes The Ribbon Queen feel right in line with all the books Avatar pu that company published in the mid-to-late 00s. This one's a Horror story on the surface, with underlining themes that touch on a host of modern issues, particularly those surrounding Police. As usual, Garth knows how to cut the shit and exploit the fallacies of both sides of the argument. 

---

---

---

Playlist:

Blackbraid - Blackbraid II

Frankie and the Witch Fingers - Data Doom

BABADNOTGOOD - IV

Jamiroquai - Return of the Space Cowboy

Jamiroquai - Canned Heat (single)

The Smiths - Louder Than Bombs

Danko Jones - We Sweat Blood

David Bowie - Outside

Type O Negative - Life is Killing Me

Screaming Females - Desire Pathway

Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting

NIN - With Teeth

Goatsnake - Black Age Blues

Seatbelts - Cowboy Bebop OST

Hexis - Aeternum

Code Orange - The Above

---

---

---

Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE.

• Six of Swords - Greater objectivity required

• Three of Cups - Family. Together

• Six of Cups - Emotional Balance

I love seeing these spreads that are so exactly the hammer on the head of a pin currently sticking out of my life. Moving my parents almost feels bleak right now; there's a level of having to accept that they won't be out on time (this Friday) and will need to pay the extension to stay. They are inbound to us now, coming down for another round of house hunting. The spread tells me to shove all my defeatist bullshit into the corner, remain objective and balanced, and that will eventually create stability.

7 Days of Ozzy - Day 3: Diary of a Madman

 

It's been a couple decades since I've listened to Diary of a Madman. This one was omnipotent in my life for a few years back around the end of High School/beginning of College. Not sure if the entire album will hold up, but I know the title track does.

---

---

---

Cast:

The second episode of my new Southside 90s podcast went up today:

This is a project I'd wanted to do for so very long; all my life-long friends from High School and I gathering periodically to tell the tales that, well, when we tell them, people don't believe them. But they're all real. Seriously. This week's ep is largely focused on a house we hung out at first semester of Junior Year, a two-story in a rich subdivision where adults were almost never present, and when they were, they didn't stop us. 

---

---

---

Watch:

Holy shite:

Have I mentioned how much more I like Amazon's version of The Boys than I do the comic? Nothing against Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson; this is totally a case of being able to improve a story with the hindsight that comes after a decade since its completion.

 

---

---

---

Dollar Bin:

You know what I find A LOT of in Dollar Bins? Issues from Marvel's failed late-80s New Universe line:

I'm not interested in all the books from that particular experiment, but anything pertaining to The Star Brand, The Pitt or the surrounding narrative that encompassed the four titles that survived after that first, failed year. These are pretty easy to come by these days, and that surprises me a little. I don't read Jason Aaron's Avengers book, but I know he's integrated The Star Brand into the modern 616 continuity over the last few years. I'm curious if anyone has updated Spitfire - basically the Iron Man of the New Universe, except with a woman in the armor (long before that was fashionable, to boot!), DP7 (mutants), or Justice, which I can't compare to a regular Marvel 616 book, as I don't think I ever read it or at least don't remember it.

These are total nostalgia bombs for me, but also, The New Universe's arrival dove-tailed with my blossoming interest in the non-G.I.Joe comics in general and Marvel Universe specifically, so there's something about it that is integral to my love of the medium.

And as I've said before, post-Pitt New Universe is dark AF.

---

---

---

Playlist:

The Mysterines - Reeling

The Bronx - The Bronx (II)

Blut Aus Nord - Hallucinogen

Intronaut - Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words with Tones)

The Atlas Moth - Coma Noir

The Ruby Friedman Orchestra - Gem

---

---

---

Card:

I'm pretty sure this either has to do with something I thought I was done with. Modern Life is Rubbish, indeed. 

John Constantine and the Fifth Patio

 

My good friend Mr. Grez recently introduced me to Maldita Vecindad y Los Hijos del Quinto Patio, or from what I'm seeing, more commonly shortened simply to Maldita Vecindad. This band is fantastic; they kind of run all over the place, but for an elevator pitch I might simply go with - from the few songs I know so far - Los Amigos Invisibles meets the Blue Meanies. Check this song out, which in particular was the impetus for me pulling out the Meanies late last week.

---

---

---

Read:

It's been difficult to log anything in this particular segment of late because I've literally been drowning in the written word (a nice way to go, eh?). From the early 90s Fantaco Night of the Living Dead graphic novel adaptation series (thanks, Butcher!), to Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, to weekly issues of the monthly series I follow, to the last-minute Bernie Wrightson/Kelley Jones re-reads I flew through over the weekend as prep for Chris Saunders and I sitting down with Jones to discuss Wrightson on the newest episode of A Most Horrible Library, I've been in and out of so many continuities lately that my heads started to spin a bit.

But something I've casually commented on over the last month or so that's percolating into a full-on reread is the old Hellblazer series. 

Although I was already in the middle of a slow crawl through Jamie Delano and John Ridgway's original arc collected in Original Sins, I went and reread perhaps Constantine's most iconic arc, the Garth Ennis and Will Simpson's Dangerous Habits. This was seasonal reading - the story I went to over a few pints of Guinness on St. Paddys last week. I finished it last night, and really felt a different aspect of the story resonate with me this time, and that's John's relationship with Matt. 

This relationship is extremely poignant in the Constantine evolution because it's one of (if not the first) time in the series that we see John make a new friend, and how because of how he's let down or betrayed so many of his other, old school friends, we see what Matt's friendship means to him, how he comes down on himself in such a brutal fashion when he gets a new lease on life and realizes he may have forgotten about Matt. This B-story is honestly more emotionally fulfilling than the iconic (and still awesome) Constantine cheats the Devil one in the foreground, and it's something that I don't really think made as big an impact on me back in the day as it does now.

From here, I'm going to continue through Original Sins, however, a full-on Ennis/Dillon reread is imminent at this point, now that my appetite for Ennis' particular take on the character has been reawakened.

---

---

---

Watch:

Patreon is a slippery slope. I launched one for The Horror Vision recently, mostly because last year, I found out there is another guy out there using our podcast name. We've had the name (and the .com) since October 2018; he started his almost a full year later. He also very obviously realized there was already a podcast with the same name when he went to buy the website and saw ours (his website is a derivation). At any rate, I don't really bear this person any ill will, however, I find it a little perplexing and frustrating that he wouldn't just, you know, come up with another name. So, after discovering all this, I immediately went and branded everything I could think of with our name, Patreon being one of the big ones.

But do we, The Horror Vision, as a podcast, do anything that warrants someone paying to support us on this platform? At the moment, no. I'm slowly working on getting some things off the ground that will make me better about occupying this space - the Patreon exclusive Podcast Elements of Horror is coming SOON - but in the meantime, I just feel weird about even having it. I mean, I don't even totally understand Patreon. Or, at least I didn't until I subscribed to Jeremy Haun's.

Now, this is nothing against Jonathan Grimm, whose Patreon I subbed to some time ago. John's one of my favorite artists working today, a frequent collaborator, and one of my best friends, so it's different. But Jeremy is someone who I met as a fan, and, I think, hit it off with over the course of a podcast interview so that, while I don't know that we're 'friends' exactly yet, we're friendly. And Jeremy's mind, the narrative work he creates, it just has me. The Red Mother was a unique and completely enthralling experience to read; having the opportunity to pick Jeremy's brain about it (and a hundred other things) was a pleasure and one that made me think I would absolutely benefit from supporting him on the Patreon platform. Turns out, I was right.

Just the Haunthology stuff alone fills my heart with the jet-black glee I love so much. Jeremy's is a narrative with ongoing, far-reaching continuity, and that's my favorite thing. Literally. The video above should help demonstrate that. I guess this is probably coming off as a sales pitch for Jeremy's Patreon, and I guess to some degree it is, because I just spent a wonderful hour immersing myself in it and feel completely elated, the way I do when I sit down and read a full arc by David Lapham, or a Hellblazer trade, or watch a great movie. And those are always going to be the things I want to tell other people about on here, because I like to spread the word. Works for the creator, works for the consumer. Literally, win-win.

---

---

---

Playlist:

Drab Majesty - Modern Mirror

Genghis Tron - Board Up the House

Pailhead - Singles

Primitive Man - Immersion 

Steve Moore - The Mind's Eye OST

Sunn O))) - Kanon

Steve Moore -  VFW OST

---

---

---

Card:

I have always loved the colors in this card. The rocky, pixelated backdrop and the emerald symmetry of the image in the foreground work together so well to create this feeling of order over chaos, which of course, is the nature of a truce.

 

This is the truce within myself that I have to navigate in the midst of the, frankly, insane workload I've created in my life. It's a constant energy drain to dodge and weave between projects, but there's no other way I can do things at this point. I believe it's how I've stayed sane during this trying time.

Happy St. Paddy's - Again!

 

Been drinking, felt the need to post. I was going to watch an Irish Horror Flick tonight, instead I think I'll round out the evening reading old Garth Ennis Hellblazer issues.

Isolation: Day 200

Musick:

 
Well, we pulled the bandage off last night and finished Halt and Catch Fire. Easily one of the best shows I've ever experienced, and it really reminded me a lot of Six Feet Under, which K has never seen. We're going to move that one up the list, however, now is the time to really double-down on The Boys. I watched Season One last year without her, so this year I've been slowly rewatching that with her in preparation for moving into Season Two. Can't wait, even if the pop culture saturation point with it is riding an annoying level of saturation.

Rewatching Six Feet Under scares me a little bit. I loved the show, however, by the end it had very much changed the way I looked at Death in a tangible way, and with it, how I look at life. Not necessarily bad, but from about halfway through the second to last season, the show really gets heavy, and I'm not sure I can take the emotional beating until at least after November (and maybe not then, depending on how things go).

---

---

---

NCBD

There's a number of great things out today:

The Boys: Dear Becky Issue 5, just in time for my engagement with the show. This book was obviously brought into existence to coincide with and capitalize on the show, however, I'm fine with that. Ennis is telling a story and flexing his absurdity muscles, so it's about what I would have expected. I don't love it, but I didn't love the entire comic series either - only the first six issues and the last year's worth, with the Butcher mini-series, included in that. Those were the facets of the saga I thought were fantastic. The rest had its high points but was a little too much of Ennis trying to out Preacher Preacher, if you know what I mean and I think you do.

I love this book, however, after reading 1-5 in a straight shot last month, there are some serious hinks to the writing. Usually, art will not make up for that in my book. With Mercy, the problems don't outweigh the good, especially with this art. It's fantastic.

Really digging this series so far, and meaning no disrespect whatsoever to Jacob Philips or Chris Condon, it fills the hole left by Criminal's end quite nicely.
 

---

---

---

Playlist:

Deftones - Ohms 

Dame Fortune - Am I a Warrior (single) 

Molchat Doma - Etahzi

Not a heavy music day yesterday, because over on the Bret Easton Ellis podcast, Mr. Ellis has begun reading his newest novel in a serialized fashion. He hasn't given a title, and it wasn't until this newest episode - the first hour or so of which is the reading (followed by a fantastic interview with Hollywood Legacy Executive Peter Bart) - that Ellis even quantified that that's what he's doing - serializing his new novel. The story is a purported memoir, though at this stage I'm fairly certain it's about as much of a memoir as Lunar Park is. That's fine - Lunar is my second favorite novel of all time, right behind Gatsby, and I find Ellis' ability to sync real life with narrative both riveting and powerful. 

The book has to do with something terrible that happened to a teenage Bret Ellis and his close friends 1981 in Los Angeles, and how those events line up with a serial killer dubbed "The Trawler" who stalked LA at the time. Ellis has said everyone's names have been changed, and even the killer's nome de plume is made-up, although was bandied about early on in this larger than life horror's earliest days of activities.

I'm fascinated, and can't wait for more. You can click over to Ellis' Patreon HERE to sign up and get the podcasts. Worth every dime (roughly $3 a month I believe for the silver tier, which is what I have).

 

---

---

---

Card:

New ideas, new journeys afoot.

Isolation: Day 108 Miranda Sex Garden - Tonight

It's been quite some time since I pulled out Miranda Sex Garden's 2000 swan song Carnival of Souls. Last night, prompted by nothing in particular, I noticed its spine on my CD shelf and was moved to give it a spin.

Wow! I've missed this one. My go-to albums with MSG will always be Fiarytales of Slavery and Suspiria. That said, this one has a much more polished feel, but it really works, playing out as a perfect cap on their short-lived career.

And bonus track, because while looking for a video of this one to post, I found this:



This is the first live footage I've found of the band, and it definitely doesn't disappoint. I really wish I could have seen them live.

**

What a NCBD we have this week! Holy cow am I excited! Why?

A 36-page One Shot, the proceeds go 100% to the comic stores selling it! That is awesome. Robert Kirkman can do no wrong in my eyes - he's helping out comic shops and giving us a new dose of one of my all-time favorite characters. Win win.

If that weren't enough:

The second issue of the new series following characters from Garth Ennis and Darrick Robertson's The Boys - with Russ Braun taking over penciling - Dear Becky looks as though it will reveal some interesting things about Butcher's character, while also giving us a glimpse into Wee Hughie's life twelve years after the events of the original series.

I picked up the first issue of this a while back and really liked it, so I'm glad to see the series continue. A weird little take on a horror story, plus, I really like supporting Action Lab. They are forever in my good graces after 2015's Night of the 80s Undead.

Over the weekend I just completed a re-read of The Plot 1-4, I can definitely say I LOVE this book. Ancestral Horror is a thing that needs to make a comeback. After the brief hiatus for the book, I'm psyched to get more answers and, I suppose, inevitably more questions.

**

Playlist:

Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
Lustmord - The Dark Places of the Earth
Pale Dian - Narrow Birth
Atrium Carceri - Cellblock
Kohler Playlist: Week of 6/29/20
Kohler Playlist: Week of 4/27/20
White Zombie - La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1
Ennio Morricone - The Thing OST
Miranda Sex Garden - Carnival of Souls

**

Card:

"Inspired from Above." Not entirely sure how that applies, but when I think about this card now, I reflect on the fact that this is the highest mark in the cycle of cups, where emotional maturity helps understand the path through Malkuth, the world. There's a harmonic resonance that feels reassuring, even as much of what's outside my window feels like its falling apart, and many of this world's denizens appear to be anything but emotionally mature.

2019: July 27th - Shellac The End of Radio Live 2004

It's been a few weeks since Shellac dropped The End of Radio, a really nice collection of live tracks culled from Peel Sessions in 1994 and 2004. Being that the band's 2007 album Excellent Italian Greyhound just might be my favorite of Shellac's records (or it's tied with 2000's 1000 Hurts), and I think Greyhound has one of the best opening tracks of all time, this is my favorite on this new album. The Martina Navratilova aside near the end of this performance makes me so happy I can often hardly stand it.

You can order The End of Radio on Vinyl - as it was meant to be heard - from Touch and Go Records HERE.

I really need to see Shellac live again. It's been a while.

**

I'll admit that I fully expected to hate Amazon's adaptation of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's The Boys, but after watching one and a half episodes last night, I can tell you that is most definitely not the case. In fact, so far, I LOVE it. Karl Urban remains a perfect actor, in my book.


**

Playlist from 7/26:

Primus - Frizzle Fry
Motörhead - Ace of Spades
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - The Night Creeper
Grand Duchy - Let the People Speak
Zeal and Ardor - Stranger Fruit
Numenorean - Adore

**

Card of the day:

Being that I've ended up working Tarot into Ciazarn considerably more than I expected, I'm going to continue interpreting these draws that occur while I'm on a writing streak with it as direct influences on the story and/or characters. In this case, I have two 'set pieces,' but I believe I need two more in order to have a solid first act.

Teaser Trailer for Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's The Boys

Courtesy of NYCC. Props to my good friend Chris from DwC and the Thirsty Crows for tipping me to it's release. After watching all I can say is...

I'm in.

As a series, I really liked The Boys at the start, but felt it became a bit blah in the middle. Then, about a year before it's end, Butcher stabbed someone to death for killing something special to him and the book became a juggernaut of awesome until the end. Hoping the show might streamline and smooth over some of the complacent parts.

2018: June 13th - More New Deafheaven

After having our new bed delivered and waiting all night to sleep on something my feet don't hang off the end of, I knocked out for a paltry 3 hours and 57 minutes, only to lay awake until finally calling a fail and getting up for the day at just before 2:00 AM.

Sucks, right?

Well, I've been rewarded by a nice morning writing, some strong coffee (much more of that to come today) and... new Deafheaven!



I haven't listened to this one yet - the album is out in just 1 month on Anti- so I'm debating on whether or not to save Canary Yellow for within the context of the entirety of the new album, Ordinary Corrupt Human Love. Gonna be really hard to wait, though...

New issue of Garth Ennis and Goran Sudzuka's A Walk Through Hell today:

Finally finished Ash Vs. Evil Dead season 2 yesterday (I know, I know. What took me so long? I bought the fucker on Blu Ray the day it came out last year, watched a few episodes and then I don't know what happened. Anyway, started a rewatch last week, loved every second of it).

I'm plowing through Laird Barron's first Crime Novel, Blood Standard. I love all of this man's work - he's become my favorite working author. And Blood Standard is no exception - it is a fantastic romp through the fringes of the detective genre. Mr. Barron has all the nuts and bolts of what's expected down, so it's not that he's reinventing the wheel. But he maneuvers the tropes in a way that lays a solid claim to them. I'm not the most versed in the genre - my friend Joe knows a hell of a lot more than I do, but in our conversations, and in being a fairly wide-read person in other regards, I know the Ps and Qs of the detective story. Mr. Barron gobbles them up and spits them back out in such a surefire, staccato fashion that the book is an absolute joy to read, especially with such an interesting setting (Upstate NY by-way-of Alaska) and such a joyously violent protagonist (Isaiah Coleridge), who while a man well-versed in destructive forces, generally avoids them by being an unbelievably well-rounded and, thus real character. When Isaiah does snap though, wow.

Playlist from 6/12/18:

Sys Exe - Downride
Lebanon Hanover - Let Them Be Alien
Chris Connelly - The Tide Stripped Bare
Junior Jr. - Obligatory Demo
Rammstein - Herzeleid
Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night
Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Zombi - Shape Shift

Card for the day:

The completion of potential. The last card in the deck, so to speak, so a form of completion. Also, it'd be nice if the same literal interpretation that happened with Luxury yesterday happened with this one today.

2018: May 5th 5:34 PM

Well, here's some fookin' Pogues because I met Garth Ennis today and he did a bumper for Drinking w/ Comics. Footage to appear sometime in the near future.



I'm not really one for autographs. In fact, one thing life has taught me, through my experience and those of others, is to avoid meeting anyone you are a fan of at all costs. Not entirely true, but a good rule of thumb. That said, there are a handful of writers/creators I just cannot pass up the chance to shake hands with and, in some cases, ask for an autograph. David Lynch was one, and my friend Lita Weisman helped make that dream come true at the release of his book Catching the Big Fish. Fast forward a number of years and I was able to meet Stray Bullets creator David Lapham. It's hard to overestimate the influence Stray Bullets has had on me, and I had Mr. Lapham sign a copy of the original issue #1, along with Young Liars #07, possibly my favorite comic book cover art EVER:

And today came Garth Ennis. Awesome Comic Shop 4 Color Fantasies in Rancho Cucamonga had an unbelievable deal for Free Comic Book Day, where for the paltry cost of $30, you could jump all the FCBD lines, get three items signed by Mr. Ennis, and you received a copy of either the first trade of Preacher - got it and the original issues to boot - or Punisher: Platoon, which I'd never read. Signing wise, I had a pretty hard time deciding what three items from the collection I would ask Mr. Ennis to put his Nom de Plume on, but I ended up going with three mid-90s heavies and the first three things I read by the man:

Playlist from yesterday:

Alice in Chains - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
Chelsea Wolfe - Spun
The Raveonettes - 2016 Atomized
Monolord - Vaenir
Kings of Leon - Because of the Times

Also, although I haven't been in the habit of listening to podcasts for a while now, I'm drifting back into it a bit. I spent a good deal of time over the previous two days listening to Blumhouse's Shockwaves Podcast, which I can't recommend enough for horror fans. I jumped right in with 2017's Halloween episode, where Waxwork Records' founder, co-owner Kevin Bergeron and composer Douglas Pipes were guests. Really great podcast.

No card today.

The Genesis of Preacher - A Preacher Discussion (Season 2, Ep. 8)

This episode more than any other so far has made us very interested in how Cassidy's origin and evolution is going to play out in this adaptation.

The Genesis of Preacher - A Preacher Discussion (Season 2, Ep. 7)

Finally! Ladies and Gentlemen... Herr Starr!!!

The Genesis of Preacher - A Preacher Discussion (Season 2, Ep 6)

We missed a couple due to my surgery, subsequent escape to Twin Peaks Fest and Chris's jaunt down to San Diego Comic con. With Episode 6, we're back!

The Genesis of Preacher

Along with the Twin Peaks video series I'm also doing a weekly after-episode discussion video on AMC's Preacher with Chris Saunders, one of my co-hosts on Drinking with Comics. Chris is helming the editing on this one and he's doing an outstanding job. I still have my issues with the series but overall this second season has more often than not delighted me, and we're trying to spend about ten minutes a week covering how the show deviates from the book, what we like and don't like about those deviations, and occasionally theorizing about where this version of the series is headed.
As I mentioned in my post for Twin Peaks Episode 9 I've been backlogged with responsibilities and as such am a bit behind posting stuff on this blog. Here's the videos for our discussions about Preacher episodes 2 and 3, with 4 to follow early this week. After that I hope to return to posting these as they come out.

The Genesis of Preacher: Discussing Preacher Sn 2.1

My good friend and fellow Drinking with Comics host Chris Saunders and I decided to do a discussion show for the second season of AMC's Preacher. I'll admit to being something of a skeptic on the first season - Preacher is my all-time favorite comic and holds a very dear place in my heart; the formula for its incredibly powerful story is a nuanced one, and I've always been fairly afraid that adapting it another medium would 'miss the heart' of Jessie, Tulip and Cass's journey. Preacher season one had it's ups and downs - I fully expected to hate it (AMC has already tarnished my second favorite comic of all-time with their TWD so my prejudice is not without basis) but ended up liking it enough to continue with Season Two. Imagine my surprise when I LOVED the first two episodes. And Chris - also a huge fan of the book - did too. Why? Click play and let us tell you.

Drinking with Comics on... Preacher

The first in the new DwC "after hours" shorts.

We've had trouble drumming up views lately and of course this is, as so many people tell me, because the regular version of the show is too long. Okay, I get it; we always functioned better as an iTunes podcast anyway, as longer content often does. That said, I've always wanted to make Drinking with Comics more akin to a late night show, specifically Lettermen. But people don't really watch that kind of content on youtube, or at least not the audience we're most naturally speaking to. So what to do?

Well, Chris has an amazing home and as I think is proven by this video, his reading room makes a fantastic backdrop for soused discussion. So we thought, why not start shooting some shorter bits, putting them up and see what happens? So, here's the first one, wherein we discuss Preacher, both the comic and the AMC adaptation. You'll notice the sound and lights are quite there, but we felt the content was strong enough to go ahead and post. Next one of these should be considerably better in the production department, though I'm definitely not knocking Chris's skills in putting it together. I edit most everything else and it is both a pleasure and a relief to have someone so talented to back me up.

So raise a glass and let's talk about Preacher. If you agree, disagree, whatever, leave a comment on the video. And if you're into it, please subscribe to our channel - more goodness coming!

My Suggestions for the Top 5 Graphic Novels Everyone Should Read

This week's Thee Comic Column over on Joup is the 100th edition! To celebrate I've compiled this list - it's not necessarily a list of my favorite five - though it's probably close - but the suggestions I would give to anyone - my mom, your sister, Sister Ray, Billy Joel - whoever on how to break in to comics. Because honestly, I feel these books transcend whatever anyone could expect of them and could all shatter whatever misconceptions keep people from giving the comics/GN's a fair shake.

Garth Ennis & Facundo Percio's Caliban

image courtesy of www.geekpr0n.com

... is the topic of discussion in this week's edition of Thee Comic Column, right over here on Joup.

Drinking w/ Comics Issue #4

In issue #4 of Drinking w/ Comics Shawn and Mike welcome Sara and Erin, the show's new 'Science Officers". They drink the new Goose Island 312 Urban Pale Ale and wax philosophical about Warren Ellis' new Moon Knight, Garth Ennis' Red Team, Matt Kindt's 3 Story and days gone by when Marvel's New Universe turned a family of four into the amorphous horror known as... Fami-leech! Plus: The threat of Tony Montana makes its presence known!