Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Apr 2, 2024 15:09:34 GMT -5
Recently read X-Men #94 and #95, which continue the adventures of the new X-Men team first seen in Giant-Size X-Men #1.  The plot concerns Count Nefaria and his Ani-Men invading the U.S. Army's Valhalla Base, located inside Cheyenne Mountain and home to NORAD, America's Cold War early warning air defence centre. At the same time, the old X-Men decide to depart from the team, leaving the new, hastily recruited line-up that Professor X assembled in Giant-Size X-Men #1 to take on Nefaria. Unfortunately, during the X-Men's assault on the base, Thunderbird is killed trying to stop the Count making his escape in a fighter jet. Chris Claremont's writing is solid here, rather than spectacular, but these were only his first two issues on the series, so I guess he'd not quite found his mojo yet. That said, they were good, honest Bronze Age comics and a lot of fun to read. I also think it was a bold decision to kill off one of the team this early. I've read that part of Marvel's thinking behind having an international team of X-Men was that it would increase sales in non-traditional American comic book markets. I guess that Thunderbird fans among the Native American reading public weren't a particularly big demographic for Marvel to worry about. I was glad to see Sunfire leaving the X-Men and return to Japan (good riddance, frankly!). He was such an uppity arse in GSXM #1 that his continued presence on the team would've really marred the series for me. As for the villains, I'm not sure I've ever read a comic with Count Nefaria in it before, but he's a good, dastardly villain and certainly a snappy dresser! The Ani-Men I recognise from early issues of Daredevil. One small criticism would be that the way in which the original X-Men just decide to leave the team one day, with little in the way of motivation, seems a little contrived. It just feels like an excuse to have the new team take over, which is exactly what it was, of course, but it's a little too obvious for my liking. That said, I think having Cyclops stay on as team leader was a good move, as he provides a nice link to the team's previous incarnation. All in all, these were some fun issues. |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Apr 2, 2024 13:52:05 GMT -5
March was a fairly poor month for me, as far as comic reading goes -- I only read 16 comics!
Still, there were some great comics among that 16, such as Giant-Size X-Men #1, Uncanny X-Men #141 and 142 (Days of Future Past), and the finish of J. Michael Straczynski's run on Amazing Spider-Man. It's quality, not quantity, right?
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Apr 2, 2024 11:52:21 GMT -5
Yeah, the floating island thing is a real head-scratcher. I was looking at the artwork and thinking, "that's not how islands work". But in the end I rationalised it in exactly the way you suggest, that Krakoa had broken away from where it first formed. Are you SURE that's not the way they work? I think the congressional record might disagree with you... Ha! I think Rep. Hank Johnson has been reading too many X-Men comics.  |
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Confessor
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Not Bucky O'Hare!
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Post by Confessor on Apr 2, 2024 6:48:45 GMT -5
I often think about buying art books, whether by the likes of Salvador Dali and Picasso, or by comic/pop culture artists like Boris Vallejo or Frank Frazetta, but I never do. I always kinda just think that if I want to look at the works of a particular artist I can access it all online.
I guess I just see art books as potentially taking up precious shelf space that could be used for books with words in them. But at the same time, I do kinda wonder if I'm missing out. Anyone care to try and sell me on art books?
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Apr 1, 2024 23:03:49 GMT -5
Well, now that I've proposed it, anyone willing to do a 50s Atlas retrospective? I doubt anyone has a complete collection of titles, but reviewing the ones that may have would still be an interesting topic about Marvel's "lost decade". Why not do it yourself? It doesn't even have to be a full, exhaustive review thread, per se; it could just be a more general freewheeling thing, where you maybe examine certain issues? I'm sure the comics in question are available online (not to advocate online comic priracy, of course, but maybe some of them are in the public domain now???) |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Apr 1, 2024 22:53:44 GMT -5
Suicide is the end-game of cancel culture mobs. This time they succeeded, sadly. Not to spark a big debate, but I'm not sure calling it the "end-game of cancel culture mobs" is entirely correct (though I get what you're trying to say). For one thing, online mob justice eminates from the woke cancel culture gang and from far-right loonies alike. For another, I can't honestly beileve that the majority of the shouty, Hollier-than-thou brigade on social media who attacked Piskor actually wanted to force him to take his own life. They just piled on in order to "punish" or bully him for his transgresions (as they saw them). Which is, of course, despicable in itself, but not the same as actively trying to drive someone to suicide. Unfortunately, this is the kind of tradgedy that mob "justice" like that -- online or in the real world -- can cause though, so I agree with you there. It's really a terrible waste of life. He was a talented and knowledgable guy. While the text messages he sent were definitely skeevy and not at all appropriate, it's not like he actually did anything criminal (as far as I'm aware). Taking his life over this seems really excessive, but maybe there was more going on in the background regarding his mental health than we know? |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Apr 1, 2024 22:37:10 GMT -5
Wow, Ed Piskor is gone, suicide. Holy sh*t! Obviously on the back of the recent scandal and his having been "cancelled". I only heard about it all yesterday from commond and now he's dead. That's a terrible waste of life. While the messages he sent were definitely skeevy and really not at all appropriate, it's not like he actually did anything criminal (as far as I'm aware). Taking his life over this seems really excessive, but maybe there was more going on in the background regarding his mental health than we know? On the other hand, it could just be a case of the "Hollier-than-thou" online mob having wrecked and destroyed a life. Whatever he did with those inappropriate texts, he didn't deserve this. |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Apr 1, 2024 22:32:00 GMT -5
So sometimes I struggle with what to share and what to keep to myself. In mid-March tests revealed that my PSA had jumped by 10 points indicating an enlarged prostate, which is often a warning sign of potential prostate cancer. I was told not to jump to conclusions, as with the recent hospitalization around Thanksgiving due to a blockage and living with the hernia, there are a number of possible causes that aren't worst case scenario, but not to ignore the issue either. I had an appointment earlier today for a prostate exam and all signs indicate it is healthy, with no growths or tumors, but we won't be certain until we get an MRI done, which I am waiting to hear from the imaging center for an available appointment, but after today's visit, we are cautiously optimistic. I see the specialist again in a month, after the latest batch of bloodwork has yielded results and I have the MRI done, but the doc felt that is it highly unlikely the enlargement is due to prostate cancer, so we may have dodged the bullet. We're not fully exhaling yet, but it is a chance to at least catch our breath and breathe a little easier. -M Glad things are looking cautiously positive. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed and wishing you all the best. |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Apr 1, 2024 10:45:37 GMT -5
#4 - Court and Spark by Joni Mitchell Court and Spark was Joni Mitchell's sixth album and it's the first where her folk-rock favoured confessional songwriting begins to take on influences from jazz. Mitchell's jazz-fusion explorations would continue into the late '70s and '80s, but this is where it began. The album received rave reviews in the music press upon release and is still considered one of Mitchell's key works today. Like all her albums from this period, the songwriting here is both exceptionally strong and pleasingly unorthodox, making use of unusual guitar tunings and daringly unconventional melody lines. The big hit from the album was "Help Me", which is a great song, but it's the lesser-known tracks (if there can be such a thing on a double platinum selling album) that are more interesting for me. In particular, "Free Man in Paris" and "Raised on Robbery" are both stand-out tracks. I would also point to "Just Like a Train", "Down to You", and the title track "Court and Spark" as worthy of a listen if you're unfamiliar with the album. But although I can point to several tracks as favourites, Court and Spark is one of those albums that is more than the sum of its parts and it deserves to be heard in its entirety. I've picked "Raised on Robbery" to accompany this post. It's a song recounting a conversation between a prostitute and a man she's trying to pick up in a hotel lounge. It's humorous and saucy, and a rare example of Mitchell rocking out a little…
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Apr 1, 2024 10:26:31 GMT -5
#4 - Gram Parsons – Grievous Angel
Yeah, as we discussed earlier, it was always likely that we'd see this album picked by us both, though I'm placing it a bit higher than you. It's just a great album. Amazing songs, great vocals and fantastic musicial arrangements. I love the earier GP as well, but Grievous Angel is the better album of the two. |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Apr 1, 2024 1:11:15 GMT -5
So, I checked to see what the latest Cartoonist Kayfabe videos were and apparently Ed Piskor has been cancelled and Jim Rugg has ended their professional relationship. Wow! Had not heard about this at all. What the hell did Ed Piskor do? |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Apr 1, 2024 1:00:15 GMT -5
I also prefer Amazing Spidey 121-22 to the debut of the Green Goblin in #14 Yeah, ASM #121 (and to a slightly lesser extent #122) is the "Key" issue that I originally thought of as one that is also a favourite to read for me. Not that I own a copy...I'm a Marvel Tales re-print man all the way with that issue. That Amazing Fantasy #15 is a pretty good read too! Another "Key" that I do actually own two copies of is Star Wars #42 (first comic appearance of Boba Fett [and Yoda]). While it's certainly a great issue with gorgeous Al Williamson art, it isn't actually the first comic appearance of either character: the paperback-sized Marvel Illustrated Version of The Empire Strikes Back appeared on stands in April 1980, about 5 months before SW #42. But SW #42 is a proper floppy monthly comic book and it features Boba Fett on the cover, so I get the appeal of the issue, but yeah...not close to being the first appearance. |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Apr 1, 2024 0:20:36 GMT -5
Another of my favourite albums of 1974... #5 - Planet Waves by Bob Dylan In 1974, Planet Waves was seen by critics and fans as something of a return to form for Bob Dylan, who was coming off of the back of a trio of badly received albums in Self Portrait, New Morning and Dylan. It was also his first album to feature The Band backing him up since the late '60s glory days of Blonde on Blonde and The Basement Tapes. Though, in hindsight, the real return to form wouldn't come until the following year's Blood on the Tracks, Planet Waves is nevertheless an important stepping stone back to greatness for Dylan. I guess the most famous song from the album is "Forever Young" (presented here in two different versions), but despite that song's towering reputation, there are a handful of other good songs to be found in its shadow. Personal favourites of mine would include "On a Night Like This", "Tough Mama", and "Wedding Song". Unfortunately, too much of this album is lacklustre and rather forgettable for it to be an all-time Dylan classic, but even half-cooked Dylan is better than what most other contemporary artists were capable of. I've picked the sprightly album opener "On a Night Like This", which I guess is my favourite song from the album that isn't "Forever Young"… |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Mar 31, 2024 23:45:48 GMT -5
Favorite albums of 1974 #5 - George Jones - The Grand Tour
I know pretty much nothing about George Jones outside of a couple of famous country classics like "She Thinks I Still Care" and "He Stopped Loving Her Today". I remember you pulling me up once before in the forum for citing the latter as an example of a song that was manipulatively maudlin.  I stand by that assessment.  I'm sure Jones was a very talented dude -- and he was certainly a prolific artist -- but I find him just a bit too "mainstream Nashville gloss" for my tastes. |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Mar 31, 2024 23:29:49 GMT -5
Time Fades Away, which was a live album of all new material that was issued between Harvest and On the Beach, is the real "lost" Neil Young album of that era. It was deleted in the mid-70s and last that I was aware had never been reissued on CD. I have a bootleg CD of it sourced from a pristine vinyl copy in my collection, which I picked up in the 2000s. Is the album available digitally now or on streaming sites? Wiki says: It was initially reissued on vinyl as part of the Official Release Series Discs 5-8 Vinyl Box Set for Record Store Day in 2014, then reissued again for its 50th anniversary in 2023 as Time Fades Away 50. The album finally saw an official CD release in August 2017 as part of the CD version of the boxset. It gradually became available on streaming platforms and on the Neil Young Archives website in 2021.Good old Wikipedia. Now I know! |
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I stand by that assessment. 