Movie Mondays!

Did you know? The original title of this special was I Kinda Like It When a Lot of People Die but the title was changed as it was recorded shortly after the attacks of 9/11. Nonetheless, George Carlin does here for the Ten Commandments what he did for the Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television three decades earlier - in essence, he performs a routine that codifies language, familiar language, universal to us all. And while his performance is a bit uneven at times, there is no denying the edginess and brilliance behind Carlin’s work. If you’re a fan of George Carlin, this cannot be considered his best but it is still quite a worthwhile performance and if you're not familiar with Carlin do yourself a favor and watch his specials in chronological order. Solid work by a comedic genius whose voice is missed.

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective on Giving Birth

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.

Bad anniversary.

Some things you don’t want to remember then, they sneak up on you and there you are. You’re not at all happy about it either. These are days where something bad has happened in the past and you’ve got a few years distance. You don’t really like thinking about it but, something reminds you and you’re feeling crappy all over again. You get older, you find you can have a lot more of those days if you let yourself, perhaps the best line Stan Lee ever wrote was Face Front True Believer!

Anyway, the fourth anniversary of the Mike Wieringo’s passing fell recently – it’s funny, I never met the guy but boy did I love his art!

I used to herald it to friends (these are guys who worked in comics as pencilers or inkers) and I’d hear crap about his work being ‘manga-influenced’ but to me there was no denying the beauty of everything he drew. The perfect line, the gesture, the expression all combined to amaze me at times.

When Mike Wieringo drew Spider Man... HE LOOKED LIKE SPIDER MAN. He had the body type Spider Man should have! His run on the Fantastic Four still stands head and shoulders as one of the best runs on the book over the last twenty years but the thing I’ll always remember him for and the thing that endeared him to my heart the most was Impulse.

I love Impulse, Impulse was a breath of fresh air in comics.

Something happened to comics during the eighties, something the industry still hasn’t recovered from. Great works like the Miller run on Daredevil, the Watchmen, the Killing Joke, the Dark Knight, Arkham Asylum all came along and suddenly everyone was working their hardest, doing their damndest to imitate those works more often than not failing miserably at it and taking all the fun out of comics.

But there during the Johns run on the Flash, teamed with Wieringo they were working so very hard to reverse the trend – not by turning the book into something it wasn’t but just by putting together a good comic book, just by being this great creative team.

And here’s the funny part, I started to write this a few weeks ago and had to stop! I used to love going to Mike Wieringo’s blog, I would go every day and just marvel at his process. The great thing about Mike’s blog was that day after day after day he would post a warm up drawing. The funny thing is how much I wish I could even draw as well as his ‘warm ups’ but, they were always fun to look at and there was always a story behind them. Maybe Mike had been rolling something over in his head at the time, or maybe he was geared up because he had just seen the previous evening’s LOST but, it was a treat because it was a chance to have a connection with someone whose work you appreciated and you also got a chance to ‘know’ them through their blog.

In a way, the blog recaptured some of that magic I used to get from reading the old Marvel comics I grew up with, back in the sixties and the seventies. If they had had something like the internet back then, Mike’s blog is the form it would have taken.

Mike has been gone now for over three years, but his brother Matt has kept the blog up and that’s a wonderful thing because in a way, Mike still lives in that one small corner of the internet that he called his own. I urge you to go check it out, some wonderful stuff that’s a real treat for the eyes of any fan of Mike’s work. Four years on and he is still very much missed.

Movie Mondays!

I probably would’ve enjoyed it a lot more if the disk I received had been in relatively decent shape but it was so full of skips and stops the magic here was in how a bad disk edited this documentary. Overall though what I did see I liked, it wasn't new ground for me but for someone unfamiliar with film it will be a real eye-opener.

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective on Anal Sex

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.

Movie Mondays!

NO LIGHTS!
This really isn’t a documentary as much as it is speculation on the life and motivations of CS Lewis. It is plodding, monotone and downright boring. I would venture to say it’s an example of how not to make an entertaining documentary. CS Lewis gave the world some truly beloved literature and was a contemporary of Tolkien. When the viewer finally gets to this point the film becomes slightly more entertaining but oh... what a slumber inducing voyage it is to that point. The incidental music is something better served to one of those tacky shows dealing with the prophecies of Nostradamus and the narrator has the cadence and tone of an undertaker. If you’re truly desperate and a die hard fan of CS Lewis looking for anything and everything on the author then watch it otherwise save yourself some precious hours and stay away. Better still pick up one of Lewis’ books far more entertaining than this piece of tripe.

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective on Online Dating

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.

An afternoon at the gallery.

Daredevil_i134_p11_Brown-Mooney

Matt Murdock is stunned to hear a news clip proclaiming Daredevil as responsable for the senseless murder of three policemen! He forgets the sudden betrayal of his hero, however, as his relationship with Heather Glenn takes a sudden turn for the romantic. Little does he imagine that Daredevil is innocent, and will soon be teaming up with another superhero wrongfully accused of murder! Can the two of them bring the Chameleon to justice... or will they end up behind bars themselves?

Check out my Comic Art Fans Galleries!
© All scans copyright PJ Mungiole 2011 -
may not be reproduced, reused, reposted without permission.

You know, last week I was talking about Gene Colan being THE Daredevil artist (unfortunately, things kind of went off the rails and while I had begun this entry to run in a certain sequence, all that was thrown out of kilter) and Colan did enjoy an exceptionally long run on the title. Did you know that Colan started on Daredevil on issue #20 dated September 1966 and worked on the title fairly unbroken until issue #98 in April 1973.

The only other person to pencil the book over this six and a half year period was Barry Windsor Smith (issues #50-52 and #83).

Now Sam Kweskin and Syd Shores did issue #99 before Colan returned to pencil issue #100 but then things went awry for ol’ hornhead and a series of artists came and went on the title but it reads like a who’s who of the industry with names (and some names that might not be so familiar to people) John Tartaglione, Don Heck (pencils and inks), Rich Buckler, Syd Shores, Frank Giacoia*, Sal Trapani*, Don Perlin*, Sal Buscema (pencils and inks), John Romita (pencils and inks), Paul Gulacy*, Frank Chiaramonte*, Jim Mooney*, Vince Colletta*, Jim Starlin, Al Milgrom*,

Bob Brown came on the title with issue #107 (January 1974) and stayed on the book right up until his death with his last issue being #143 (March 1977).

Today, while it might be hard for people to believe, Daredevil was very much a secondary character in the Marvel pantheon. After Colan left, Marvel played musical chairs with artists until Bob Brown took over. When Bob Brown passed away, Marvel would play musical chairs with the creative team on the title until Frank Miller came along and picked up the book with issue #158.

Brown would have the second longest stint on the book before Miller.

The shame of it is, today Bob Brown is a bit of a footnote. He has largely been forgotten by fans and it‘s simply a shame. Also, Klaus Janson would come onto the title as inker and when he did the artwork sang. It was truly one of Marvel’s better books of the period.

Check out my Comic Art Fans Galleries! © All scans copyright PJ Mungiole 2011 - may not be reproduced, reused, reposted without permission.

Movie Mondays!

This is the next to last of fourteen specials (performances) Carlin recorded to ultimately be aired on HBO and truthfully it is not his best. Carlin was one of the most talented and intelligent comics of his generation and his humor was biting and hilarious letting none of society’s trappings escape his cutting wit. He spent a lifetime pointing out the irony of the human condition and throwing “stones” at the world around him but here, there is less humor and more the anger mixed with the bitterness of a man who has tired of the battle. Aside from the opening 15 minutes where Carlin shows his amazing prowess with language, juxtaposing hackneyed phrases in an almost sing song mantra of self definition, the performance descends into a darker territory from which it fails to emerge. If you’ve never seen any of Carlin’s work, don’t start here - seek out his earlier performances. If you’re a longtime Carlin fan, you’ll see a great talent nearing the end.

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective on Swinging

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.

Well, things have been a bit sparse around here lately, haven’t they?

And that’s alright with me (as the song goes). I’ve been fairly busy and I don’t mind it. The days rocket past with alarming frequency and I look up and realize we are already halfway through summer.

One of the things I’ve been focused on more of late is age.

And I can say that I haven’t been focused on it in a good way because I am coming to grips with the whole mortality thing and realizing that the time on the clock is running down and I am now faced with less ahead of me than there is behind me. It is a reminder that if I do want to make some sort of significant impact with my existence, we are in the third quarter and I need to run up the score a bit.

Unfortunately something else comes along with that feeling... namely worry. I wonder if it is something that is part and parcel of age or if it isn’t an indictment of the times we live in but everything feels a lot more fragile to me than it ever did at any point during the course of my lifetime. Consequently, I am finding more of my focus each day is given over to worry.

And the thing about worry is that it never does a person any good – the time that you spend worrying about something is often time that would be much better spent addressing the thing it is that you are worrying about and trying to address the situation to alleviate that worry.

I’m not alone in this though because I see quite a few people around me in the same state. What’s that old thing... misery loves company?

And really... I can’t complain too much because when I look around I find myself thinking how much better off I am than so many others but then there is this feeling that I should be having more, wanting more out of life than I do and this isn’t really a discussion about material things because frankly material things are factoring into the equation less and less as time goes on. I don’t have this overwhelming desire to have some big fancy car, or any other symbol of status. More it’s about the way I spend the day, how I spend the day, what effect I have on the world around me and whether it is a positive or a negative one.

I’m really lucky because I’m working and right now there are far too many people I know who are out of work, who can’t pay their bills, who are facing untenable decisions about their lives. And much of the time, I really like my job which is something to say considering all the people I encounter who can do nothing more than complain about work.

I don’t know but something is percolating, I’m just waiting to see if it comes to a boil.

An afternoon at the gallery.

Daredevil_i290_p20_Dwyer-Fredricks

Matt dons the Bullseye costume to take down Bullseye wearing the DD duds.


Here Foggy has a conversation with his absent friend (Matt Murdock).

You know sometimes pages can be good even if they’re not necessarily by fan favorites. Here is a great page by Kieron Dwyer and Fred Fredericks and when you look at it, it has all the hallmarks of really good storytelling.

There are a lot of good choices that were made here, in terms of camera angles, body language, expressions – everything is just spot on. This is to me what good comic art is all about and we really don’t see quite as much of it as we once did probably because the generation of people working in comics today are regurgitating things from comics of the past.

Maybe I’m getting to that grumpy old man stage of life but, a lot of people in the business at one time actually read things other than comics, looked at art other than comics, before they actually went in and worked in comics.

Check out my Comic Art Fans Galleries! © All scans copyright PJ Mungiole 2011 - may not be reproduced, reused, reposted without permission.

Movie Mondays!

SEASONS 2 THROUGH 7

Unlikely to be packaged on DVD anytime soon and that's a shame because MITM is one of the funniest sitcoms in recent memory. If you’re curious as to why it hasn’t come out already it’s simple really... the show never secured the rights for much of the music played in the background and the additional cost has prevented FOX and the shows’ producers from issuing anything other than the first season. It’s too bad too because this really is a show to enjoy.

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective on Manscaping

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.

An afternoon at the gallery.

Daredevil-Shi_i01_p14_Igle-Williamson

Ana is of the Kyoto sohei, descendant from the warrior monks of Mount Hiei. She has spent her life mastering the art of combat. Never in all that time has she met an opponent like this one. “The Devil-Man seems to know where she will strike even before she has launched a blow. It is as though he sees her even when his eyes can not.” The dramatic crossing of Shi and Daredevil.This page has Daredevil (Matt) having a conversation with Ben Urich the reporter and sometimes confidant.

Sometimes, it may not be a penciller that makes the page great it may well be an inker. Not to say Jamal Igle didn’t do a great job with this page but any page that is graced by Al Williamson‘s inks becomes great just by him working on it.

Plus, you’ve got a really nice page with Daredevil and that essential character from the Daredevil universe, Ben Urich. You really can]t ask for much more.

Check out my Comic Art Fans Galleries! © All scans copyright PJ Mungiole 2011 - may not be reproduced, reused, reposted without permission.

Movie Mondays!

One of the best sitcoms in the last twenty years, Malcolm in the Middle was family entertainment and unquestionably funny. The show was one of the few successes of the genre in recent memory and went out of its way to skewer cliched portrayals of family life on television. Lois and Hal (the parents) are a very much in love couple who struggle to raise a herd of rebellious boys barely maintaining their sanity all the while. Frankie Muniz made a splash as the gifted Malcolm who serves as narrator and observer (breaking the fourth wall) for much of the first season. It’s a shame the rest of the series is unlikely to make it to DVD because of music clearance issues but this first season is proof of the series greatness as it hits the ground laugh out loud running and doesn’t give the viewer a chance to catch their breath. Family entertainment the whole family can enjoy and riotously funny!

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective — Reader Mailbag Edition

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.

An afternoon at the gallery.

Darkhold_i05_p19_Case_McKenna

The Darkhold is a written record of all of the Elder God Chthon's knowledge about evil and dark magic and contains a vast and varied number of spells. These spells, when cast by a magically skilled person behave the way spells do for most any other source of arcane energies. When the mystical barriers are thin enough and the Dwarf distributes pages of the Darkhold to people, usually unskilled in the mystic arts, they can still somehow chant the incantation that summons the Other and allows them to ask the demon to perform the spell contained on that page. In addition, the Darkhold parchment is completely indestructible. The binding of the book is not, but all the pages within can not be destroyed.


This page shows the battle between Ghost Rider and The Punisher.

This is an interesting page in that it has both the Punisher and the Ghost Rider on it. When the whole Midnight Sons thing came about and horror titles were once again in vogue I was a bit at a loss truth be told. I had enjoyed a certain heyday back in the early seventies when Marvel was putting out the first run of Ghost Rider and other title such as Werewolf by Night, The Living Mummy, Dracula and Man-Thing but when it all came around again I was just left cold.

I happen to like Richard Case’s work but I would much rather have a Doom Patrol page of his than this page, maybe someone will trade?

Check out my Comic Art Fans Galleries! © All scans copyright PJ Mungiole 2011 - may not be reproduced, reused, reposted without permission.

Movie Mondays!

As others have observed it is without a doubt one of the most poorly edited films I have even seen. The filmmakers have taken an interesting and meaty subject and turned it into a plodding, boring diatribe. The main reason for this is just the way the film is structured, television snippets from the then administration contrasted against interview snippets from people voicing their views on what they feel actually happened. It’s far too choppy and therein lies the biggest problem. As a viewer you want to hear more of what each person has to say and the choppiness just ruins the structure of the film. The best way to describe it is as a film school dropout’s D-graded final project.

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective on Birth Control

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.

An afternoon at the gallery.

Deadpool_i25_p20_WMcDaniel_Others

In the desert sands of Egypt, Deadpool does what even Captain America in a Landau, Luckman and Lake battle suit can’t—he accepts his destiny as a hero, steps up to the plate and saves the universe from a cosmic messiah who offers peace at the price of giving up free will and change; Dixon goes nuts in the aftermath and Zoe takes over LL & L as she writes Deadpool off as a loss.

I’m not really crazy abbout this page truth be told and it violates that key tenet of ‘Buy What You Like.’ I was going through a period where I was buying original art and this page came available and I got a very good deal on it. You always wonder though about these things and whether or not they’re important or just another forgotten page.

Check out my Comic Art Fans Galleries! © All scans copyright PJ Mungiole 2011 - may not be reproduced, reused, reposted without permission.

Movie Mondays!

Barrett’s film pointedly notes Giuliani grew up in a neighborhood once known as Pigtown (Crown Heights), it says everything about the agenda of this film. There is an irony watching former mayors take measure of Rudy Giuliani’s two terms: Ed Koch speaks about Rudy Giuliani’s heavy-handedness but the words sound hollow issuing from the lips of imperial Koch whose 3 terms as mayor saw regular “Days of Rage” demonstrations. Koch forgets names like Michael Stewart and Eleanor Bumpers while opining on Rudy Giuliani’s relations with the minority community but, laughably Koch presided over one of the most corrupt mayoral administrations in NYC’s history. Better yet is David Dinkins grousing yet, as mayor he sat idle during the Crown Heights riots and Korean grocer boycott. Giuliani far from perfect did take a city people thought unmanageable and restored order, improving the lives of all NYers and though many would paint him as a power mad racist, an interesting footnote is Bloomberg changed term limits laws without approval by NYC voters. Surprisingly, during Bloomberg’s tenure NYers have seen the shootings of Ousmane Zongo and Sean Bell but somehow Bloomberg escapes the racist tag? Simply not much to expect of a film which implies one of the best mayors New York had during the 20th century is connected or influenced by the Mob because of vague family ties, must be the Italian surname. Painting a Catholic school education as a hallmark of privilege (although middle class families in NYC have and continue to use this option to public schools) is a joke. Again, Giuliani is far from perfect and suffers many personality flaws but he deserves better treatment than he gets in this 118 minute long piece of propaganda. Don't waste your time on this biased garbage that masks itself as factual.

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective on One-Night Stands

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.

An afternoon at the gallery.

Fantastic_Four_v02_i13_p15_Wieringo-Case

Great page from the amazing crossover between WildStorm and Marvel that appeared between Heroes Reborn and Heroes Return. World War III had mixed teams of characters in this instance a hybrid Fantastic Four with WildC.A.T.s Spartan and Gen¹³’s Burnout as members.

You know I cannot tell you how much of a fan I was of the late Mike Wieringo’s work. Here was another artist whose work I sought out and art which would compel me to buy a book on the basis of looking at that art alone.

Mike Wieringo was taken far too soon, he was only in his forties when he passed away and the truth of it was he was a guy who ate right and exercised but he still died an early death. And that’s a shame really because he was a wonderfully talented artist and if you read any of his blogs you would come to find he was also a really nice guy.

He leaves behind a very respectable body of work but that doesn’t soften the blow of not being able to see any new work because of his tragic death. I’m just happy I was able to snag this piece which has him drawing characters which he left his mark on, The Fantastic Four.

Check out my Comic Art Fans Galleries! © All scans copyright PJ Mungiole 2011 - may not be reproduced, reused, reposted without permission.

Movie Mondays!

I don’t think there is anyone in this country or the world for that matter who hasn’t already formed an opinion about George W. Bush. Consequently, there are no surprises here. The performances are for the most part spot on but of course, Oliver Stone brings an agenda of his own to the table meaning there is a bias. Overall I enjoyed the movie, it’s a well-made film and entertaining to boot. The question with any Stone film though is how much of what you see is truly rooted in fact. The danger lies in the viewing public walking away believing all they see down to the language of the characters.

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective on Fighting

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.

There’s a bit of strum and drang.

The video below has stirred up quite a bit of controversy...

Aviation security experts who have seen the video say it doesn’t show any major security concerns because the two guys were ticketed passengers who had already been screened by the TSA.

DFW airport board member Betty Culbreath says while it may have been a prank, it sent the wrong message. “It’s not funny. It’s not going to happen again as far as I’m concerned. It should not have happened because it gives the perception the airport is sitting out there unguarded and that’s why I was concerned, and am still concerned.”

You know what‘s funny about this?

It ignores the fact that these guys were locked in the airport all night because they missed their connecting flight. Instead of making the airport more secure, how about treating passengers better so they aren’t locked in an airport terminal like a bunch of animals without a bed to sleep in?

Funny, isn’t it, how they don’t make mention of that?

Now get off the train and shut the f up.

You know, I commute to work every day. What sometimes amazes me is just how rude and insensitive other riders can be at times. Every time the train pulls out of Grand Central and infrequently during the journey itself, conductors will make an announcement about keeping your feet off the seats, making all seats available and keeping your voice down out of respect for the people around you.

Unfortunately there are quite a few people in this world who don’t think they’re talking into a cell phone rather they seem to imagine they are talking into a tin can connected by a string to whomever it is they are talking to.

Plainly put, they’re loud and obnoxious.

So, I give a big cheer to the conductor in the video below for maintaining her calm in the face of a passenger’s ill-mannered indignity over being asked to keep it down. Instead of calmly and politely acknowledging the conductor, it just gave her an excuse to raise her voice even more.

So again, let’s here it for the conductor because I actually want her to do that when I’m riding the train. So I can read, so I can sleep, so I can enjoy the view out the window, simply put, so I can enjoy the ride.

Meet the bicyclist douchebag.

File this under I am both stupid and feel uber-privileged. Here’s the thing about this video, there’s something douchebag can do in each instance but you’ll note he chooses again and again not to.



What is that.

Stop.

In other words simply: stop. your. bike.

You’ll notice there are pedestrians in a crosswalk when douchebag goes rolling through. The only thing that’s really unfortunate is douchebag didn’t get well and truly hurt in his attempt to make his point.

Let‘s follow his logic...

Sometimes the bike line isn’t the best place for a bicyclist, because there are impediments to his forward momentum. Let’s apply that logic to cars and have them drive on sidewalks. You’re in a city where you share the road with trucks, cars, buses, taxis and pedestrians. If you want to ride your bike learn how to SHARE the road and every once in awhile put on your f$%#ing brakes even though you‘ve built up a good head of steam.

That’s the one thing you never hear bicyclists talk about, putting on the brakes or stopping.

Also note douchebag doesn’t wear a helmet. I imagine that contrasts with the hipster douchbag cool look he’s going for. And finally douchebag you are not doing any one a favor but yourself. Stop holding yourself out as some valiant eco-warrior, you may believe your own hype but, I’m not buying it. Start following all the traffic laws to the letter.

And if you get a ticket because you’re a douchebag, suck it up.

Movie Mondays!

Crank 2 is a cartoon but what a wonderful cartoon it is! Full of violence, gore and sex, it uses every trick available to take its assault of the senses up a notch. Think of it as a B-movie with incredible production values, it doesn’t give you time to think about the plausibility of anything until after it’s over but what a great ride! Also, it goes by soooo fast you’ll undoubtedly miss the many little touches thrown into the film. I have rarely seen a movie that gets it as well as Crank. It is a perfect visual ballet and worth watching if only as a textbook on how to use quick cuts and camera effects right.

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.

And now, for something completely different...

A Woman’s Perspective on Ex-Girlfriends

With the thought that as a man, it’s always good to hear a woman’s viewpoint if only to try and understand them better.

Why doesn’t stuff like this get more press?

“It’s not one of your major rights. But we tell them that even if you give us all the basic and big rights, that you are claiming are more important than driving, we can’t enjoy practising those rights because the mobility is not there.”

“We can’t move around without a male.”

The motoring ban is not enforced by law, but is a religious fatwa imposed by conservative Muslim clerics. It is one of a number of severe restrictions on women in the country.

Supporters of the ban say it protects women and relieves them of the obligation to drive, while also preventing them from leaving home unescorted or traveling with an unrelated male.

Just in case you were wondering...

I know there are people at work who sometimes read the blog and for their benefit I think I should point out that I prepackage content and schedule the time it goes live. Meaning I usually write a lot of stuff in my off hours and set it to come up at certain times on certain days so the blog has a steady stream of new content. As a matter of fact, in some instances I already have material set to go live through 2012.

An afternoon at the gallery.

Impulse_i54_p12_EVS-Rollins-McCarthy

Bart Allen (Impulse) and his friends spend a night in the woods camping. Some amazing detail seen here in some of Ethan Van Sciver’s earliest work for DC.

Again, more Impulse work, more Ethan Van Sciver work. The thing that I find so very impressive about Van Sciver’s work is the amazing amount of detail that goes into his pages. The unfortunate thing about his work is how the wrong colorist can truly screw the pooch working on his stuff by doing things EVS has already done in ink.

Colorists today are just horrible and I’m speaking as someone who worked as a colorist (although how good of one I was is subject to debate). I think sometimes that some of the colorists out there are really frustrated pencillers taking out their frustrations over the work of the pencillers of the books they’re working on.

There are a couple of people who ‘get it’ but they are far and few between.

All too often instead what you find is someone who thinks coloring means showing off all the great tricks they’ve learned in Photoshop and putting far, far too much detail into a panel the measures 1" X 3". Photoshop may well be the single worst thing to happen to comics over the last three decades (one of the other things being Frank Miller’s run on Daredevil).

But more on those another day.


Check out my Comic Art Fans Galleries! © All scans copyright PJ Mungiole 2011 - may not be reproduced, reused, reposted without permission.

Hey Man, Nice Shot.

My friend Steve is a hiker, not only that but he’s a great retoucher too and a pretty damn good photographer as well. Since I’m always scrounging around for content, I figured I would post some beautiful shots he forwarded to me recently:

Chaos = New York
There’s something about being a lifelong New Yorker that allows you to embrace the chaos that is getting around Manhattan. Whether you are walking down the sidewalk or crossing the street basically everyone is trying to get where they are going or get around the tourists that are gawking at their surroundings.

The other thing is, the city has become something of a weird Disneyland lately with the addition of all the bike lanes. The bike lanes while well-intended, do nothing to restrain the mentality of most bicyclists who believe traffic laws do not apply to them and the rest of us are merely an obstacle to their momentum.

So, when I came across this film I found it somewhat ingenious and also I wouldn’t at all be surprised if it doesn’t manage to get increasing attention over the coming weeks:

3-Way Street from ronconcocacola on Vimeo.