Showing posts with label Spider-Man. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spider-Man. 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.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Cover up: Amazing Spider-Man #135

The day job has my hands full, but I thought I'd share a cover that's always been a favorite — Amazing Spider-Man #135.

Click for bigger view!

One of the things that's great about this dynamic cover by John Romita, Sr., is that it not only promises a ton of story — it even says, "This issue's got everything!" — but it actually delivers. Every single thing on this cover happens at some point in the story, and it's as awesome as it looks.

This comic also has the distinction of being my introduction to The Punisher. I don't remember seeing the character before, but I certainly remember reading about him in this one. And what the hell kind of rifle is Frank packing there, anyway?

You could argue that this cover is too busy, but I think it succeeds in spite of its crowded design. In my opinion, something like this works better than a static "portrait" cover. What do you think?

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

WTF Wednesday: She's with Uncle Ben now

Not a hoax! Not an imaginary story! Not a What If!

Aunt May is DEAD!
Click for a closer pew!

Hey, who's that doctor, anyway? He sure seems ... mysterious. Oh well — it's not like they'd kill off a character just to bring her back, right?

Panel from The Amazing Spider-Man #196
Marv Wolfman, writer; Al Milgrom, artist; Jim Mooney and Frank Giacoia, inkers

Monday, January 21, 2008

Wheatcakes!!

I feel a little guilty for flaking on this weeks' Seven-Day Spotlight, so to make up for it I give you Aunt May's recipe for wheatcakes — so good, you'd sell your soul for a stack!

Click to super-size!

Aunt May's old-lady scratchings are a little hard to read, so here's the lowdown in case you're having trouble:

Mix together:

1 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup sifted whole wheat flour
2 tsps double-acting baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

In a separate bowl, mix 2 cups buttermilk and 2 tsps molasses, then set aside.

Add to the flour mix:

2 beaten egg yolks
1/4 melted butter
the buttermilk/molasses mixture

Whip 2 egg whites until stiff (but not dry!), then fold them into the batter gently until blended. Don't overmix!

Cook on a greased hot griddle or frying pan, until small bubbles appear on top. Then turn pancakes over and cook until bottom is lightly browned. Serve hot, with butter and maple syrup.

Peter's favorite!

Page from Untold Tales of Spider-Man '96

Friday, January 18, 2008

Friday Night Fights: Namor for the 'block!

Thanks to Marvel EIC Joe Quesada and his burning fanboy need for an unmarried Spider-Man, we've now got a Peter Parker who's swingin' in more ways than one. Does this mean we can look forward to all the married heroes suddenly hitting the singles bars? Will Mephisto open a matchmaking service? Most importantly — will Spider-Man get another shot at Sue Storm?!?

Gosh, I wish Marvel could publish a one-shot or something so we could see what that would be like. Oh wait — it already did!

Click to ... blah, blah, blah.

Other guys? OK, sure, Reed Richards might mope around a little but it's not like he and Sue didn't separate during Civil War anyway (or did they? I'm so confused now). Reed shouldn't be any competition for a Spidey on the prowl. And Namor? C'mon — the Sub-Mariner's always walking around in his tighty-greenies and reading weight-lifting magazines! It'll be all over for the little prince once Sue gets a back-rub from Parker's magic fing ...

Panels from Untold Tales of Spider-Man '96

Yikes! I guess a massage really will get you thrown out a window! Well, there's always Gwen Stacy — that should turn out OK, right?


One thing we know for sure ... Bahlactus is a lover and a fighter!

Following a link? You can read more of the Post here!

Friday, November 16, 2007

Friday Night Fights: A hard-hitting editorial!

Hey, J. Jonah Jameson! How do you respond to rumors that the Daily Bugle is getting soft on Spider-Man?


And it's JJJ for the KO!

Bahlactus knows that's the truth.

Following a link? Read more of the Post here.

Monday, August 27, 2007

To make the Earth a living TOOOOOMB!

Click to SAVE THE WORLD!!

Hey, man - even Doctor Doom has bills to pay.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Friday Night Fights: King of the ring!

Mixed weight-class, no holds barred, bare-knuckled brawlin' - GO!


Uppercut is the new Bahlactus.

Panel from Amazing Spider-Man #197

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Web-head


Why are you so addicting, Boneless Spidey? Why?!?

Er ... there'll be some real content here soon. Really. Shut up.