Showing posts with label Bahlactus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bahlactus. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Hey, check out my briefs

Between trips out of town and the resulting backlog at work, posting here at GCP has been even spottier than usual — but that doesn't mean I haven't been around! Here are some of the things that have been in the back of my mind recently:

No, I haven't seen it yet. I know, I know — but it hasn't been because of a lack of desire, that's for sure (especially after I saw Church's and Sims' spoiler-free reviews). I tried to see it yesterday, but tickets had already sold out for the next two showings so I'm planning to try again this afternoon. But you know what's the worst part, worse than the anticipation or trying to avoid the inevitable spoilers? Here it is: My mom has already seen The Dark Knight.

My mom.



Speaking of lame, what's up with Christian Bale? It's never right to assault anybody, but your mother and sister?! I'm hoping — probably foolishly — that the allegations somehow turn out to be false, but we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, my selfish fanboy soul hopes this doesn't end up reflecting badly on the movie. Stupid Christian Bale.

Edit to Add: Thankfully, the whole thing doesn't seem to be as bad as the media reports first made it sound. Bale denies the allegations, the cops don't seem too stressed about it, and even his mother and sister seem to be downplaying the so-called incident. It's also important to note the definition of "assault" is different in England and in this case basically seems to mean he angrily hollered at people. Under that definition, I'd be considered a repeat offender. All in all, it seems to be no big deal — just the sort of thing that happens within families every Thanksgiving. It actually bothers me more that Fox seems to be the only ones following up on this story.



Speaking of movies, after seeing the trailer for the Watchmen movie, I'm getting more and more (cautiously) optimistic about the final product. I'm still a little worried about what's going to go into the movie and what's going to have to come out, but as long as the core concepts are included I think it'll turn out alright. So far it looks pretty good, and while Nite Owl is a little more buff than I expected, Dr. Manhattan is damn near perfect.

Also, this picture of the original Minutemen is pretty fantastic:

That's kind of what you would expect costumes in the 40s to look like, right? Sorta homemade and goofy looking. I appreciate that someone is paying attention to little details like that, instead of just going for wall-to-wall "WaTChmEn RUleZ!!"


So, I haven't read any Spider-Man books regularly for a while now (the clones did it to me), but I might have to pick this one up when it comes out in August just for the Adi Granov cover alone:

Positive reviews keep floating around, so this may be what gets me to finally give the post-Brand New Day Spidey a chance. Or not. We'll have to wait to see if Amazing Spider-Man Family #1 is any good or just a bunch of crap wrapped in a really beautiful cover.


As I mentioned at the beginning of this ramble, I've been out of town a lot lately and I'll be traveling again late next week (helloooo, Veracruz! Home of some of the best coffee ever as well as soul-crushing humidity).

Of course, that's also the same time the mighty Bahlactus will be hosting the first round of his latest Friday Night Fights bout, so I'm either going to be really, really early with my entry or I'm going to be experimenting with the scheduling function on Blogger. Either way, prepare for potential weirdness! I've been a longtime FNF participant and I've always appreciated how much work Bahlactus obviously puts into it, so I'm not about to miss one now — especially since the Big B hints that this might be the final fight.

If that's the case, I hope you'll join me in a proper salute.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Friday Night Fights: Hey, pal, it's your Viking funeral

Even though I came out before the bell last week, I'm still ready to go for another round in this mighty black-and-white match-up overseen by our cosmic ring master, Bahlactus!

But as I was preparing for another brutal bout (running up stairs, working the heavy bag, chasing chickens), I wondered: Is the KFC still open? And then I thought, what would be the best way to end this match? Who could I bring in that could bring the pain? What could reach the right level of awesome?

And then I realized: I started with Boyd and Yount, I'd end with Boyd and Yount. With that in mind, I give you ...

PIRATES
VS
VIKINGS FROM THE FUTURE



OK, maybe it's not the most menacing phrase in a pirate's vocabulary, but still. And the best part about using Scurvy Dogs? Even if I didn't use the Vikings, I still could've gone with the monkey fight or the battle against the Portuguese lepers; if I've learned anything from pirates, it's that it's nice to have choices.


Following a link? Read more Great Caesar's Post here!

Panels from Scurvy Dogs Vol. 1: Rags to Riches
Andrew Boyd and Ryan Yount, writers; Ryan Yount, artist

Friday, July 4, 2008

Friday Night Fights: The flying forearm of freedom!

Like a lot of Americans, I plan to celebrate this country's Independence Day by taking a short road trip and then sitting on my butt for the next three days, preferably near an ice chest. But while thinking about a life of luxury and all the Gulf shrimp I can handle, I also thought about the importance of this day.

The Fourth of July is more than fireworks and hot dogs — it's the founding of one of the greatest countries in modern history, a nation with a reputation as a source of endless opportunity. More than a seat of government, the United States serves as an ideal and it's hard not to think in terms of the icons that proudly proclaim, "This is America."

Y'know ... like a mythical Mexican wrestler fighting a pack of chupacabras in a Costa Rican cave.



Brings a patriotic tear to your eye, doesn't it? Viva America!

If you really want to see fireworks, trying messing with Bahlactus.

Following a link? You can read more Great Caesar's Post here!

Panels from "The Devil's Zapatos," published in The Amazing Joy Buzzards Vol. 2
Mark Andrew Smith, writer; Jim Pezzetti, artist

Friday, June 27, 2008

Friday Night Fights: Let's get Freako!

Judging by the creator's letter at the end of The Nearly Infamous Zango #3, the self-published title is looking at an uncertain future. Which means if you haven't jumped on the Zango bandwagon yet ... well, what are you waiting for?

Need more convincing? Let me break down the numbers for you:

VAN FREAKO + THE ATOMIC PILGRIM = AWESOME

You can read more about Lord Zango here, and you can even check out previews at Rob Osborne's site — so get to it! Save Zango!! And maybe — just maybe — save your soul.

You know Bahlactus would want you to do it.

Following a link? Read more of Great Caesar's Post here!

Panel from The Nearly Infamous Zango
Rob Osborne, writer and artist

Friday, June 20, 2008

Friday Night Fights: Proteck ya neck!

Awwwwwwwwwwww ...




... HELL NO!!!!

Dedicated to that galactic cat, Bahlactus!

Following a link? Read more Great Caesar's Post here!

Panels from Felt: True Tales of Underground Hip Hop
Jim Mahfood, writer and artist

Friday, June 13, 2008

Friday Night Fights: Black Panther's Five Knuckles of Truth


And don't even think about getting one past Bahlactus.

Following a link? Read more Great Caesar's Post here!

Panel from Marvel Team-Up #20
Len Wein, writer; Sal Buscema, artist

Friday, June 6, 2008

Friday Night Fights: Damned tough!

Morgan is the kind of guy who tends to operate on the seedier side of the docks, has a cursed gangster for a brother and gets into fistfights with the occasional demon from the pit — you can bet he's not gonna take guff from anybody.

Click to Behemoth-size!

OK ... maybe he'll take a little guff.


To get his little demons to behave, the Devil tells them stories about Bahlactus.

Following a link? Read more Great Caesar's Post here!

Panels from The Damned: Prodigal Sons #2
Cullen Bunn, writer; Brian Hurtt, artist

Friday, May 30, 2008

Friday Night Fights: Permission to come aboard?

When it comes to the work of Will Eisner — whether you're talking about The Spirit, his New York stories or his final masterpiece, The Plot — it's fair to say the comics legend was always trying to pass a little lesson on to his readers.

So what was one of the nuggets of wisdom Eisner shared with his early Sunday strip, Hawks of the Sea?

Just because you're a pirate doesn't mean you can't be polite:



Bahlactus always says "please" and "thank you" (and "stay down").

Following a link? Read more of Great Caesar's Post here!

Panels from Hawks of the Seas Vol. 1
Will Eisner, writer/artist (as Willis B. Rensie)

Friday, May 23, 2008

Friday Night Fights: Cutting through the red tape

In near-future Japan, military and tactical expertise will be kicking butt on near-Gibsonian levels thanks to nanotechnology, cyborg soldiers and neuro-networked weaponry.

Unfortunately, researchers will still be trying to find a cure for bureaucracy.

Click to upper-management size!

Luckily Major Motoko Kusanagi — the leader of an elite military unit answering directly to the Minister of Internal Affairs — knows a little something about inter-departmental diplomacy:


One ...

TWO!!


Bahlactus has his own idea of "negotiation."

Following a link? Read more Great Caesar's Post here!

Panels from Ghost in the Shell, Vol. 1
Masamune Shirow, writer/artist

Friday, May 16, 2008

Friday Night Fights: Hope you saved room for seconds

Whether it's a meal out with friends, a romantic dinner shared with that special someone, or even just a relaxed supper at home, it's always nice to have a little music to set the mood.

Personally, I've found one specific kind of music suits even the pickiest palates, something that helps any meal go down the way it should.

METAL.

(Whether he's dropping rhymes or dropping chumps, we all know Bahlactus is the hardest metal known to man.)

Following a link? Read more Great Caesar's Post here!

Panel from Black Metal Vol. 1
Rick Spears, writer; Chuck BB, artist

Friday, May 9, 2008

Friday Night Fights: And disaster walked right up and kissed him

Thanks to the musical, the movie and the legions of maniacally plucky young girls belting out "Tomorrow" over the years, it's easy to forget a couple of things about Little Orphan Annie:

1. She's an orphan.

2. She's an orphan from the streets.

What does that mean? It means Annie will hard-knock the life right out of you.





Oh, Annie — you're adorable! (Even Bahlactus would think so!)

Following a link? Read more of Great Caesar's Post here.

Panels from Comic Strip Masterpieces sampler
Harold Gray, writer/artist

Friday, May 2, 2008

Friday Night Fights: Batman and the sweet science!

Speaking of experiments, let's see what Batman's been cooking up in the lab:


Dr. Batman: Taking suckas to school since 1939!


Bahlactus could split the atom, but he'd rather split some skulls.

Following a link? Read more of Great Caesar's Post here!

Panel from Batman: Black and White #2
Jan Strnad, writer; Richard Corben, artist

Friday, April 25, 2008

Friday Night Fights: Milk and Cheese can be bad for your health

For this week's round of Friday Night Fights, a pair of infamous but aging fighters are being brought out of retirement and into the ring. But the question hangs in the air like the subtle stink of Chinese leftovers and lofty dreams gone bad: Can the past skills of these champions of menace still hold up?

Or have they gone stale? Has the ferocity and sheer brutality of the pint-sized beserkers known as Milk and Cheese become moldy with age?


Nope — still tastes funny!


(I wonder if this is making Bahlactus hungry — for violence!)

Following a link? Check the fridge and see what else Great Caesar's Post has got!

Panel from Milk and Cheese #5
Evan Dorkin, writer/artist

Friday, April 18, 2008

Friday Night Fights: In your face, Earth ninjas!

Someday, when the lunar colony seems quaint and Uranus is the latest trendy hot spot*, remember this when you gaze into the velvety darkness of space:

Look out — a ninja could be hiding there.

Sweep the leg, Johnny!

Click panels to monolith-size!

Not even the vastness of space can hope to contain a ninja, especially one with muttonchops! So as you look into the night sky, don't wonder when the ninjas will get there — instead, ask yourself, "Omigod, how long have those ninjas been there?!?"

Luckily, the master already has his own space-dojo.

Following a link? Read more of Great Caesar's Post here.

Panel from American Space Ninja (in Space) mini-comic
Andrew Boyd and Ryan Yount, writers; Ryan Yount, artist

*I'm so, so sorry.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Friday Night Fights: Monkey riot!

The Monkey King of Flower-Fruit Mountain doesn't want much.

A deity who just wants to oversee his peaceful slice of heaven, where his followers frolic while he masters the major heavenly disciplines of kung-fu, the Monkey King is content. Until he catches wind of a dinner party that all the gods, goddesses, spirits and demons will be attending. Deciding he likes a good dinner party as much as the next simian, the Monkey King flies off to heaven, where he runs into the spiritual version of The Dude Behind The Velvet Rope. He tries to explain that he should be on the guest list, but ...


In the end, The Monkey King did what any reasonable person would do and politely lodged a complaint with the management before making his dignified exit.

Oh, wait. That's not what happened at all.




Now — who wants dessert?


Hungry for a beating? Bahlactus has a full menu!

And if you're following a link, you can read more Great Caesar's Post here!

Panel from American Born Chinese
Gene Luen Yang, writer/artist

Friday, March 21, 2008

Friday Night Fights: Hellboy, the hero of Africa!

In the mini mini-series Makoma, Hellboy has a vision of fabled Africa thanks to a mummy that only he can hear and sees himself in the role of the hero. And the story the mummy has to tell is the stuff of legends: Makoma is born with the ability to speak and names himself with a handle that means, "He who is greatest and without fear."

Then he has his mom throw him into a pool filled with crocodiles.

Which is bad news for the crocodiles, because after a day and a night they're all dead and Makoma comes out of the pool full grown and "holding in his hand an iron hammer." (I don't have to tell you this story is bad-ass, right? Hold on, it gets even better.)

After consulting with the tribal chiefs and elders, Makoma heads out to defeat the evil powers holding reign over the land.

It almost makes you feel sorry for the evil powers.

Click to mountain-size!



Oh, crap — it's on!





That, Makoma, is awesome.


You don't even want to know what "Bahlactus" means ...

Following a link? Read more Great Caesar's Post here, and take the poll!

Panels from Hellboy: Makoma #1 (of 2)
Mike Mignola, writer; Richard Corben, artist; Dave Stewart, colors

Friday, March 14, 2008

Friday Night Fights: Haaww-kaaa!

World War II was a time of heroes, when ordinary men and women with a fighting spirit rose to the challenges put before them, whether it was leading a battle-hardened squad of Army joes across Europe, driving a haunted tank or shooting dinosaurs with a bazooka.

But there are few who are as legendary as the Blackhawk Squadron and none as trailblazing as Lady Blackhawk, the first female flying ace to join the team.

Which begs the question ... Greatest Generation?

You tell 'er, grandma!

Or Greatest Generation EVER?!


If you're looking for some historic battles, Bahlactus will be happy to school ya.

Following a link? Read more Great Caesar's Post here!

Panel from Birds of Prey #107
Gail Simone, writer; Nicola Scott, artist; Doug Hazlewood, inker

Friday, March 7, 2008

Friday Night Fights: Standing eight count!

Bahlactus, that galactic head-breaker and cosmic referee of the earth-shattering brawl known as Friday Night Fights, is touring the outer quadrants of space and has called for a short intermission. In other words, no fight this week.

The hurtin' will be back for certain next Friday, but in the meantime why not take a look back at some some scenes from Great Caesar's Posts' pugilistic past?

Panel from Manhunter #30

Aah ... memories!

Friday, February 29, 2008

Friday Night Fights: Brother Voodoo has had it up to here with you

You know what Brother Voodoo hates even more than lame zombie jokes and people who give him voodoo dolls as gifts?

Brother Voodoo hates a kiss-ass, man.


And is it asking too much to have one assistant who won't screw up his Starbucks order?! How hard can a grande decaf half-and-half mocha chocolata ya-ya be? C'mon, people!

While you're at it, pick one up for Mr. Bahlactus, too.

Following a link? Read more of Great Caesar's Post here!

Panel from Essential Marvel Team-Up Vol. 1
Originally published as Marvel Team-Up #24
Len Wein, writer; Jim Mooney and Sal Trapani, artists

Friday, February 22, 2008

Friday Night Fights: The Paladin goes medieval!

The Paladin, who should definitely NOT be confused with any captains from America, knew how to deal with Nazis while fighting for the Allies during World War II.


Hmm ... it feels like I'm forgetting someth ...


There it is!

Everyone knows Stan Lee got his ideas from Bahlactus ...

Following a link? You can read more of Great Caesar's Post here (there's a contest going on!).

Panels from "I, Paladin," originally published online by Flashback Universe.
Chad Bowers, writer; Pierre Villeneuve, artist and plotter