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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Dec 20, 2020 18:42:53 GMT -5
I'll be praying for you. At least this was my choice, whereas you are being forced to find something new. May your search be short and may your next job be satisfying, financially and professionally and personally. Thanks mate, heck I'd settle for any one of those 3. Its not too bad, we're getting paid out redundancy, but it would be nice to find something decent before I dip too much into the bank acc. I cant even blame it on Covid, as they announced it to us a year ago. Probably the only consolation is we have it pretty good here in NZ Covid wise, so visiting new businesses etc and meeting HR people in person is all still possible. My better half has been very supportive too, she's happy for me to find the right job, as opposed to A job. Im glad that your search seems to have paid off well for you, it seems that it can be a stressful time for anyone over there at the best of times, let alone mid-pandemic. Its always a relief to see you guys get a positive result in your life changes, like a distant family member doing well. I might not have been around much lately but you guys are important to me (That sounds a cross between creepy and weird when I read it back ... heh ) so seeing that Kurt is ok, or your job situation etc always makes my day a little sunnier. Plus you love Captain America too, so like brotherhood or some such
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Dec 20, 2020 15:47:05 GMT -5
After 19 months, five applications, four phone screens, one onsite interview (pre-COVID), and three online interviews, I have FINALLY gotten a job with this great local company that is 15 minutes and 8 miles down the road from my house. It's a lateral move (same work, same position title, and a whopping .5% raise, although their 401K match is considerably better, making it more like a 3.5% raise), but the future prospects with this company, both for potential promotions (my new manager said he could see me moving into something at a higher level within a couple of years) and security (my current company is going through all kinds of issues and isn't long for this world), are fantastic. Almost every local person that I've told about my switch has said one of two things, either: 1. "I know someone who works there and they say it's a GREAT company to work for.", or; 2. "I've used them when I worked for Company X, and they're a great company to deal with." Just to highlight the differences between the two is something completely small and stupid. I accepted their offer on the 9th, got the thumbs-up for my start date on the 17th, and yesterday (on the 19th), there was a box in my mail that included a company-logo facemask, a Christmas tree ornament, and a bag of candy, along with a note from my manager and the department director (who I've interviewed with three times) telling me how excited they are that I'm coming on board, while in five years at my current employer, I've never gotten ANYTHING for Christmas. Really looking forward to January 4, as that is when I start the next (and hopefully final) chapter in my professional career. Hope my journey will be similar. Friday(18th) was my last day after 19 years, they've packed up and moved their business to Thailand, so theres 150 of us joining the job search sites this week. Have had a couple of interviews at a place near here, but that constant worry of being able to provide doesnt go away.
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Dec 20, 2020 15:42:51 GMT -5
Hi, gang! I know the ever-discrete shax hinted at the reason for my recent absence, but now that I'm back, I thought I'd give you the straight skinny. A week ago last Tuesday, I was rushed to the emergency room, where I came uncomfortably close to bleeding to death. I won't bore you with all the gorey details, but the upshot was that a diverticulode (sp?) on the outer wall of my colon had ruptured, causing my blood pressure to drop precipitously. I was hospitalized for four days, during which I was given a blood transfusion and an emergency colonoscopy. I'm okay now, just dog tired and will probably remain so for another week. I'll be picking up the slack on Classic Comics Christmas tomorrow, but it may be a few more days before I add my entries to Days One through Six. Many thanks to shax for carrying the extra load! Cei-U! I summon the interrupted festivities! Hey man, glad you're ok.
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Dec 20, 2020 15:37:29 GMT -5
5. Pat Mills Judge Dredd, Flesh, Ro-Busters, ABC Warriors, Nemesis The Warlock, Slaine, Charlie's War, and Hook Jaw
That right there is the all-time wish fulfilment lineup for 2000AD, the greatest war comic ever, and the most unlikely hero of all. I was 12 when the best British comic ever hit the stands, Action had it all including 2 of the most violent strips of all, Spinball(I wish I could include this in the above strips) and Hook Jaw an unabashed riff on Jaws which was terrifying audiences for generations to come. A strip about an unstoppable Great White Shark devouring its way through some very foolish divers/swimmers/fishermen. Pure gold. In 2000AD Mills gave us the incredible Cursed earth story in Judge Dredd, based on Zelazny's Damnation Alley it was the first Dredd epic, leading the way for the Judge Child, the Apocalypse War, Necropolis and so so many others. Flesh, mining the Pre-Historic past for meat to feed the starving future...well thats not going to go wrong is it? Ro-Busters were essentially The Thunderbirds, and eventually evolved into the ABC Warriors, the futuristic robotic combat team. Nemesis took a throwaway story and evolved it into an anarchic battle with organised religion/politics, with Kevin O'Neil and Brian Talbot among the artists. Finally he gave us Slaine the Celtic warrior, always more than just a Conan clone, this warp spasming, head lopping, dwarf beater soon evolved into an exploration of celtic mythos(probably a lot more fictional than I know, but hey...) which is still running strong to this day. As mentioned before, those stories from your early teens, your prime comic years, seem to be the ones that resonate the most through the years. While I read a bazillion superhero books then, I was also lucky enough to be exposed to the variety of the British weeklies, Mad, the war digests(British books like Commando), Look and Learn(for a weekly Trigan Empire fix), and more. Mills wrote so many of the stories/strips that even 40 years later I consider to be the most enjoyable(as opposed to BEST) Ive ever read. Sure, there are better written books(now and then) but for one person to give you such a variety of memorable memories(now thats clunky writing) is an accomplishment to be appauded.
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Dec 19, 2020 14:55:33 GMT -5
Thinking of you Kurt, be well mate. 6. John Wagner Strontium Dog(Starlord), Judge Dredd(2000AD), One Eyed Jack(Valiant), and Rat Pack(Battle).
Wagner wrote half of my favorite characters in British comics, just not all for the same book. The anthology format of the British weeklies gave you such a variety of entertainment for your money, though the appalling newsprint paper, cut rate printing, and lack of interior color had them stand out from their American counterparts(not favorably I mean). There was also the virtual complete lack of superheroes(2000AD's Zenith being the only one I recall). Not necessarily the only author of the above strips, Wagner did write key stories, that 40 plus years later are still very much the core of my early fandom. One-Eyed Jack the hard nose cop inspired by Dirty Harry. Rat Pack with the immortal Carlos Ezquerra, about the convicts sent to do the Allies dirty jobs in WW2 ala The Dirty Dozen Judge Dredd (there better be no introduction needed here) where he wrote The Day the Law Died Judge Death The Judge Child Judge Death Lives Block Mania The Apocalpse War Oz Necropolis
among many others. Close to all of the best Dredd stories ever. Finally there is the awesome Strontium Dog, usually drawn by the awesome Carlos Ezquerra, and often co-authored by the awesome Alan Grant. Bounty Hunting, mutants, and Der Happy Stick. 2000AD's best strip(or is that most awesome) best character and best artist combined with its 2nd best writer.
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Dec 18, 2020 18:25:38 GMT -5
7. Grant Morrison JLA, Doom Patrol, All Star Superman
I found Morrison through Doom Patrol and for some reason I stuck with it. Im not usually a fan of strange and bizarre but in desperate need of some intelligent storytelling I was in. Then in the 90's, almost totally removed from comics I read a couple of JLA issues and was so impressed they were some of the first I sought out when I eventually returned to the fold a decade or so later. I still find them a fun read. All-Star is probably the only Superman story I would HAVE to own. I dont hate the character, I just dont think there is much worth more than cursory attention. All-Star with the excellent art of Frank Quitely crafted a modern homage to the Golden roots of the Man of Steel which reminds me so much of the classic Swan and Klein stories I read as a kid. Oh yeah he did New X-Men too, maybe the last time the mutants were written well.
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Dec 17, 2020 16:00:21 GMT -5
8. John Ostrander Grimjack and Suicide Squad In the mid 90's I was buying anything I could, but getting bored with the carbon copy mediocrity that Marvel and Dc were delivering. Through meeting a collector while I was at college who introduced me to First and Pacific Comics along with those early players in the indie market, I tried to expand my horizons. Now Im no great lover of literary works, so my tastes were still as they are now, but I just wanted well told stories with COOL art. Grimjack...John's anti-hero with an attitude along with the sheer badass Tim Truman on art duties filled the void. There has always been something about this that has stuck to the gallery in my head, an indelible impression that still leaves Grimjack my favourite book of the 80's. Then there was the Squad, my wheelhouse totally, underdogs, losers, and their kickass boss. Love books where they grab the 2nd stringers and run the gauntlet with them. Hell its what the Avengers were for big periods of time. Strength in numbers and friendship rather than sheer godlike power.
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Dec 17, 2020 0:45:37 GMT -5
9. Paul Levitz Legion of Super-Heroes
Another I have written about before, probably my most loved book of the 80's. I had discovered the Legion early in B&W reprints published in Australia. US editions of DC product were virtually non-existent here in NZ for most of the 70's and most that I found into the early 80's were British versions(I assume they were overstock issues dumped on the colonies). In '77 or '78 I read a couple of issues reprinting stories with Jim Sherman, I was gone. Fast forward a couple of years and I was lucky enough to pick up a few issues, drawn by Pat Broderick with these amazing back-ups by Keith Giffen who I recognized from some Defenders books I had. Within months it was full blown Great Darkness Saga. The rest was history. the work that Paul did, the Galactic Encyclopedia notes, individual voices, weaving old enemies with new, as well as the contribution of his artists like Giffen, LaRocque and Lightle created a soap opera I was delighted to live for the nine years...holy, it was 9 years? Karate Kid's death still hurts, some 35 years later ... shit Im old thats got to be good wring, doesnt it?
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Dec 16, 2020 21:55:44 GMT -5
10. Brian Bendis
New Avengers, Daredevil, and ALIAS (and so much more) I know his work can be quite divisive but I just dont get why. His dialogue makes his books like no other to me. As someone else wrote he seems like our version of Quentin Tarantino and Im real fine with that. Give me lots of snappy patter any day. As for the works themselves I loved his Avengers work, taking a book that had floundered for years and turning it on its head. Other than some of Busieks output the Avengers were far from Mighty(IMO). Im good with Spidey being there, and liked the street level characters getting a chance to strut their stuff. Theyre way more interesting than the overpowered originals anyway. Ive just finished rereading his Daredevil run(through the average Brubaker afterwards) and was again blown away. Dire straits, Inhumanity, depths plumbed and Kingpin kingpinning, I loved it all, certainly the best 'devil since Frank went Batty.
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Dec 16, 2020 21:23:53 GMT -5
11. J. Michael Straczynski
Thor
You know, having looked at his wikipedia article i have to admit to being ambivalent to the majority of his comic output(other than his Squadron Supreme related books). however, his run on Thor in 2007-2009 is IMHO stunning. Thor had been lost for some time, sure Jurgens had tried his best to do something of interest, but since the departure of Walt Simonson the title avoided GREAT (or more appropriately MIGHTY) with a vengeance. Things were so bad they didnt even have a book for some time. JMS along with Olivier Coipel brought the storm with a vengeance, delivering a truly memorable, human story...of the gods. In my mind this was the start of Thor being the best, most consistent continuing marvel title for the next 12 or 13 years. It laid the platform for others, especially Jason Aaron, to deliver true greatness.
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Dec 16, 2020 20:58:25 GMT -5
You fullas are so tricky. I know I havent been around much lately but Ive had a lurk or 2 trying to find out if this was happening again and had seen nothing. Imagine my pleasure opening the site last night and youre on day 3 already. So without further delay 12: Steve Englehart.
Captain America, Doctor Strange, and The Avengers
Ive posted before of my all consuming love for CA 153-156, which would get him in this list all on its own without the Nomad storyline(which I also adore), but I have to mention his Avengers run as well. This was the era that set the Avengers as MY team book. That Kang story, Mantis, and more, were all discovered at the magical age of 10-13 and burned into my psyche. Speaking of magical, it was his version of Strange in his own book or Defenders which helped solidify the love I had for Doc for the next 15 years or so.
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Nov 15, 2020 4:28:36 GMT -5
I'm stuck, cant get the 3rd face right...the grey one. Also dont know whether to leave as is , or paint in his jacket etc
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Nov 15, 2020 4:26:37 GMT -5
For my tragic Superman fan mate hmmm problem loading the 3rd
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Nov 15, 2020 4:23:11 GMT -5
This I get to claim as my own
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Nov 15, 2020 4:22:22 GMT -5
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