My Favourite Things: Aug/Sept 2013

NOTE: This article was originally published by me on asitecalledFRED.com

I'm so ashamed. I actually missed a month. After two years of doing this thing I have failed you. I suppose it was inevitable. It was due to conventions (plural) and live shows a-go-go. As a result this one spreads over two months, and I've picked my very favourite stuff I've seen online in that time.

1) Guitar Smash

As mentioned above, I was at a few conventions in the past couple months. One of which was Dragon Con in Atlanta, Georgia. On Saturday night FRED hosted a concert with tons of great people including Paul & Storm, Molly Lewis, Joseph Scrimshaw, and more. But we opened the show with this little ditty featuring Mike Phirman and Adam Savage. I was backstage while it happened but luckily Adam's crew got it all on tape. I hope you enjoy it.

Interview: Matt Hollingsworth

This past weekend I went to the Dublin International Comics Expo (or D.I.C.E. for short) and was lucky enough to chat to some of my favourite comic creators. I had originally filmed the interviews, with a screen shot below as proof, but due to some dumb equipment problems the footage is unusable. Luckily I was able to salvage the audio and have transcribed our conversations for you to read!

First up is the one and only Matt Hollingsworth. He is an Eisner award winning colourist and was nominated this year again, this time for his exceptional work on everyone's favourite comic book: Hawkeye.

Comics: 25th September 2013

It has been a manic week, I've just been able to get these comics read and this post written, so please forgive me if there are more spelling/grammar mistakes than usual.

- Wolverine and the X-Men #36
- Written by Jason Aaron
- Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli

So far both Battle of the Atom and Infinity have stayed away from the shitty comic trope of killing off a character in a big event to create buzz. Both have had ample opporutnity to do it too, with so many characters involved it would be easy to give into the temptation to off one for the craic.

As a result I've enjoyed both, it has made it seem less like a "and nothing will ever be the same" pander-fest and more like "hey this is a really big story we want to tell you" fun-time which I'm totally cool with.

I mean, this issue has Jean Grey fighting Jean Grey and neither has died yet. That is sort of a miracle in and of itself.

TDMTLTUT: Garfield and Friends

They Don't Make Them Like They Used To = Where I reminisce about my favourite TV show theme tunes from when I was a lad...

This is one I've been planning to cover for a long time. I sing this to myself far more than a man of my age should. I recognize that there was more than one intro song for the show but this is the one that always stuck with me.

Garfield and Friends as a show was split into two halves. There would be stories from the eponymous cat but also from Orson's Farm (which, I'm just finding out now was a strip called U.S. Acres in America... huh) and the title sequence represented that beautifully by having the two teams battle it out for the attention of you, the viewer.

The Drive In Of Doom - Captain America

And we're back with another Drive-In commentary. To cure our post-con blues we decided to complete our unintentional Chris Evans trilogy by covering one of our favourite movies; Captain America.

Look at him, that dreamy bastard. Control yourselves, ladies, it's just a digital image of him on your screen. If he were actually here in person you would have to fight me for him.

As per usual, the movies that we love are harder to cover but I think we do an admirable job of trying not to suck too much dick.

To listen CLICK HERE or to download directly CLICK HERE.

Gibson and the Question of Patriotism

Last week, a week after Giovanni Trapattoni's departure from the Irish team, Darron Gibson spoke for the first time about his exile from international football. For those who don't know, Gibson refused to play for the national team after the European Championship last summer. He has been silent on this issue (for the most part) and the speculation about his absence has remained a bone of contention between Irish supporters for the past year.


Darron Gibson


It seems his dissatisfaction stems from not taking part in the tournament itself and his relationship with the manager:

"Obviously I didn’t get on and I just felt he had some sort of problem with me but I felt he had a problem with me before the Euros as well as I never played. Like I said, I didn’t want to make a big deal about not playing under him so I kept myself quiet but I am available to come back now".

A bad working relationship can be problematic but Gibson even admits himself that Trapattoni didn't have an argument with him. The closest thing to a fight is when Gibson asked why he wasn't being played and Trapattoni replied "You are young". Not exactly a big bust up. But Gibson went on:

"I was embarrassed and that angry that I didn’t get on the pitch for even a second at the Euros. I felt I couldn’t come back and play for him again. When he made the three subs against Spain I’m sitting on the bench and thinking “what’s going on? There’s obviously something wrong. (But even then) if I’d gone on against Italy, I would have carried on playing".

Now that the situation has been made clear, and Gibson makes himself available to play again, Irish supporters are still divided. It is true that there is no lack of ego in the above statements. Gibson felt he was too good to be ignored, no matter his age or experience. He felt he was also better than most of the players in the team, that also can't be denied. What is so shocking for a lot of fans is that he felt all this was enough to turn his back on his country, even if temporarily. But Gibson is not the first to do it and not even the most controversial either.

Comics: 18th September 2013

Another jam-packed week. These big Marvel events are fun to read but they're tough on my wallet.

- Uncanny X-Men #12
- Written by Brian Michael Bendis
- Art by Chris Bachalo

It would be very difficult to talk about this issue without mentioning the final page and it would be very difficult to talk about the final page without spoiling it. So all I can really say is; "I love it".

This is the 4th chapter in the Battle of the Atom event and the story is ticking along wonderfully at this point. It has almost become a "chase" story, past-Jean and past-Cyclops on the run from the future-X-Men and the present-X-Men fight over what should be done.

This issue is a kind of showdown as all the players gather on Utopia, the now abandoned home of mutants.

Again, I don't want to give anything away but we now have two Jean Greys, two Cyclopses, and one Emma Frost all in one location. Just imagine how much fun that is.

Sound Board DragonCon Special Edition: Brit Pop 2013

Some more evidence of my panels at Dragon Con have rolled in (on a side note: while I love the reason behind why it's no longer there, I really miss the * in Dragon Con).

The Brit Pop panel at DC is always an interesting discussion. It's an unusual panel for the convention based purely on the fact that I think it's the only music panel that doesn't involve Elves or lutes. I usually have fun and make a ton of Irish-hating-the-Brits jokes while trying to sneak as many Irish musicians into the conversation as possible. We also mention a bunch of bands whose new albums have been released since this discussion so if you hear us talk about an album coming out soon, go look for it.

To listen CLICK HERE or to download directly CLICK HERE.

Trapattoni - A Goodbye

I took the above picture at the end of Ireland's home game against Sweden on the 6th of September, not knowing at the time that it would be manager Giovanni Trapattoni's last home game in charge of the Republic of Ireland.

The result that night was fiercely disappointing. Losing 2-1 is always tough but it's especially tough when qualification for a World Cup is on the line. We would lose again, this time 1-0, just 4 days later in Austria and that was it. The Trapattoni era was over.

He left with a weird sense of anamosity within the Irish fanbase. The majority of fans wanted him gone a long time ago (namely when we performed so badly at the European Championship last year) but there was still a strong minority of fans who respected the history of the man. Indeed, I was one of those in the minority and it's why it has taken me a week or so to write any sort of comment about his sacking. It's an unusual situation to be in, knowing that sacking one of the greatest managers football has ever seen is the right decision.

Comics: 11th September 2013

As if my local comic book store was reading these posts (you're not, are you?) the issue of New Avengers that I missed while away was instore this week, huzzah! Now I'm only waiting on getting Hawkeye #3 to complete my comics collection.

Not that you're reading this, local comic book store, but, you know, if I find it in the store next week it would be totally cool.

- X-Men #5
- Written by Brian Wood
- Art by David López

Here's a weird thing about cross-over events, they're cool and big and stuff like that but they also disrupt the flow of the stories on numerous titles. Case in point: Battle of the Atom. It flows across 4 different X-Men comics and also the stand-lone BotA comics.

Now, when all is said and done BotA will total 10 issues, which is not ridiculous by any sentiment. It's also an enjoyable read so far. but if you were only reading, say for example, X-Men by Brian Wood and no other X-title then you'd be thinking "what the fuck is this shit?!" because you really wouldn't have a clue what is going on.

Luckily, I've also been reading All New X-Men, as you know, so I'm enjoying the hell out of this.

10 Dragon Con Memories

I'm stealing this idea from my favourite ukulady, because she's smarter than me and I'm lazy. Also, she made direct eye-contact with me while eating dessert and since then my brain hasn't been working at full speed.


- Concert Entrances

On Saturday night FRED hosted a musical/comedy concert which has gotten some attention online. All I was scheduled to do was help set the show up and hang-out back stage and lend a hand if necessary. However, a number of things would happen which would change that.

Through a long string of strange circumstances I ended up doing an impromptu Irish jig onstage during Paul and Storm's final song. Trust me when I say that it wasn't planned.

Then, Molly Lewis needed a music stand for some lyrics she had written for the show that night and I offered to fill in. That's right folks, I subbed for an inanimate object. But it did allow for me to make an entrance with Sylvester McCoy. He was to play the spoons with Molly but as his foot was still in a cast since his surgery he was going to ride on stage on his motorized scooter. I floated the idea of us riding together. He seemed to like it so that's how we rolled AND I'M STILL LOOKING FOR FOOTAGE OF IT.

This is the only photo I could find, post-entrance, of the three of us together. Of course, my head is turned away from camera. Of course.

Comics: A Catch Up (Part 2)

Part One contained only Marvel pick-ups so I think it's appropriate that Part Two is solely indies. Two Image titles and a Vertigo. Oddly, they're all third issues too.

- Brother Lono #3
- Written by Brian Azzarello
- Art by Eduardo Risso

For those who don't remember: Lono was the biggest asshole imaginable in the 100 Bullets series. We now see him, an undeterminable amount of time since then, as a holy man in Mexico. It's a surprising set-up but it kind of makes sense.

Lono is one of the few characters to walk away from that book. He was then the good-guy-turned-bad. To have him now be the bad-guy-finding-redemption is a nice arc, a positive arc which is something you don't often see from Azzarello, but will it end well for him?

Fans of Azzarello will tell you "no" because that's just not what he likes to write. Wanna be compelled? Want to be shocked and engrossed? Azzarello is your man. Want to feel good? You need a different writer. This will be your only warning.

- Lazarus #3
- Written by Greg Rucka
- Art by Michael Lark with Stefano Gaudiano & Brian Level

I continue to be fascinated by the world building that's present here. Rucka has designed a future that has more in common with medieval society but still has all the intrigue of modern corporate screw-jobs. Add to that the human genetic experimentation and weird incest references, you really have to admire the scope that Lazarus is creating.

This issue even introduces a romantic angle! Woah, man, slow down. There are so many cool and interesting things going on, I might have to be an intelligent grown-up to dig this comic. Where are my fart jokes? Where is my cheese-cake tits and ass shots? I mean, our lead character is a woman who isn't very curvy, I don't know if I'll be able to keep reading if I can't masturbate soon.

Sort it out.

- Satellite Sam #3
- Written by Matt Fraction
- Art by Howard Chaykin

I truly believe Satellite Sam is a rarity in comics. A sexy story that isn't graphic or gratuitous in it's art.

The plot-line of SS is that a television star dies in suspicious circumstances. His son finds a ton of secret pin-up photographs his father has taken of ladies in various states of undress. As the son tries to figure out his father's secret life he realizes that his father's killer is one of the girls in these photographs. It's a solid story.

Set in the 1950s it is full of all the excess that modern audiences have come to know and love, thanks to shows like Mad Men. Add to that Fraction's ability to write people with shady pasts and you get a cast of characters that ooze appeal.

I wish I could adapt this to a television show or a movie. It's the type of thing that would be a dream to direct.

Weekend Justice #200: A League Divided (Live at DragonCon 2013)

Weekend Justice celebrated it's 200th episode at Dragon Con and to prove it, they've released the audio of said celebration. Now, Weekend Justice is a train wreck at the best of times so you can imagine when you put a live audience in front of us things can get even less tangent. Widge's microphone not being hooked up to the soundboard doesn't help, either.

But for what it's worth, here is a vague outline:

Saturday morning cartoons vs. the apocalypse

What's My Line? vs. geekery

Comics vs. movies

Inspirational furry cosplay (or not)

Relaxation (or not) (definitely not)

Very subtle Waffle House paid advertising

Rock Lobster(s) live!

Legion of the Opera Guys

The Horror of Jem (live and killing your brain)

Creating a cult and the power of magic

A lot of lies about condoms, science fiction, comic books and more

Showcase Showdown From Hell

Of Funyuns and Legality

To listen to the show CLICK HERE or to download directly CLICK HERE.

Comics: A Catch Up (Part 1)

With me having the time of my life, for the 6th time, at Dragon Con last week I wasn't around to do my usual comic review. A very jet-lagged trip to the store today helped me get the comics I was missing (although I couldn't find New Avengers #9 so that's a problem) but as there are more than usual I'm going to break this review up to make things easier.

- X-Men: Battle of the Atom #1
- Written by Brian Michael Bendis
- Art by Frank Cho with Stuart Immonen and Wade Von Grawbadger

It may be the jet-lag talking but all I want to write about right now is Wade Von Grawbadger's name. Just look at it. Graw-badger. VON Graw-badger. It's a thing of beauty.

Grawbadger is the name of my Robert Smith cover band.

As far as the comic is concerned, it's good stuff. Bendis continues the strides he has made with the All New title, and if I'm honest this doesn't really feel like a big event comic because it just feels like another issue of his All New X-Men series. The extra title seems like a money grab to me.

I know, right? Surprised me too. Superfluous comic title is a cynical move for our money. Who saw that coming?

- All New X-Men #16
- Written by Brian Michael Bendis
- Art by Stuart Immonen

And to further prove my point. TA-DAH!

Reading these back-to-back is cool, they're a good read and the story is interesting and I'm looking forward to reading more. Future X-Men have come to the present to admonish them for letting the past X-Men to hang around in the present as it will adversely affect the future. It's the right amount of ridiculous and stupid to be a great comic story. I'm all for it.

But it doesn't take away from my original point. Maybe I'm just getting jaded. Maybe it's because I'm kinda broke. I don't know. Either way, it has bugged me.

Maybe I need more sleep. I still recommend this comic.

- Infinity #2
- Written by Jonathan Hickman
- Art by Jerome Opeña & Dustin Weaver

And here is the other big event comic that Marvel is pushing right now. It's annoying because the title I missed out on last week was the lead in to this issue so there is a small gap in the story for me but it's not enough of a gap to feel like I can't follow what's going on and/or enjoy it.

Hickman does sci-fi best. That may be a shit sentence grammatically but I feel like it gets the point across. Anyway, this is perfect Hickman territory as he gets an opportunity to wage an intergalactic war and bring Thanos to the forefront of the Marvel universe. Playing with The Infinity Gauntlet is a bonus.

Black Bolt is getting a chance to shine and with another event sure to revolve around him on the horizon (Inhumanity) there is lots of the silent King to look forward to.

Mars Needs Podcasts - The Lost Panel At DragonCon 2013

This is my first day back home after the convention this year and before I put my butt on my couch, some Dragon Con content has already popped up online thanks to JJ over on Mars Needs. 

Our LOST panel with Jon Boutelle is a Dragon Con tradition, and as is tradition with our podcasts of the panel you will have a few moments where you can't hear what the audience is saying but we try our best to repeat questions. We were also a little overwhelmed by the size of the crowd and all the questions they had so we really don't have a linear narrative here. Bear with us while we try to keep the panel sane, we tried our best.

To give you an idea, here is a picture of the crowd I took before the panel started:

To listen CLICK HERE or to download directly CLICK HERE.