Comics day

The Order 2: A character named after one of my favorite Black Sabbath songs, and now a Rocky 4 reference? Was this written just for me or what? Awesome. My only potential problem with this book, that everything might actually be TOO bright and shiny, is even being addressed. Great comic. Matt Fraction is the man.

Immortal Iron Fist 8: I just got the hardcover of issues 1-6 and bought 7 when it came out, so I'm up to date on this book. It's an awesome, fun series. Great dialogue, great art (Aja is a nearly flawless artist), but it gets praised everywhere so I'll point out something different. I'm fairly sure Aja based Iron Fist's physique on Bruce Lee, which is cool bc he looks different than most superheroes (he's not a walking mountain of muscle, and he basically looks like a martial artist should - quick, agile, & tough). And he's tied directly into the image of the archetypal Kung Fu hero. His arch enemey, Davos the Steel Serpent, (and I'm not 100% sure of this, so I might be full of shit) looks like he was based on Bolo Yeung (the crazy eyed, tiny hands neck snapping evil kung fu guy with the enormous pectorals from Enter the Dragon and Bloodsport). So again, he's connected directly into an evil Kung Fu archetype, and one who was the villain to Bruce Lee in his last movie. If I were someone like Geoff Klock I could maybe talk some about anxiety of influence here, but I just thought it was fun.

Batman 668: I've learned with Morrison to not get too crazy with criticism or even analysis till the story is done, so I'll wait till next issue to see what i think. But in the meantime, JH Williams is freakin' amazing, easily one of the top 5 artists in the industry today. Even if the story ends up sucking and being completely worthless, I would still love this arc for his art alone, and I almost never say that.

This was a great week for comics. I also got Matt Fractions Five Fists of Science which I'll talk about at some other point, as well as Criminal 6-8.

The end of an era

My '94 Ford Tempo ("Setting the Tempo") is finally, after a lengthy journey of 115, 445 miles, going to that big autoyard in the sky. The brake pads are shot, the rotors are shot, and the right rear tire is scraping against the car in a violent fashion because my car is so bent on destroying itself it is actually struggling against any attempts at a proper wheel alignment.

Let us all take a moment of silence and enjoy some of my finest memories in this "classic" car:

Oct 2000: Getting pulled over for speeding in Albany because the new Dying Fetus album was getting me too freakin' pumped

Early 2001: Hitting 80 mph for the first time on my way home from college

April 2004: Thinking I was going to die as the Tempo shook violently on the BQE on my way to Brod's house for Wrestlemania 20

June 2002: Picking up my future wife for our second date in Brooklyn

August 2004: Having it get stuck in "Park" after paying over $1000 dollars to have it shipped to California

August 2004: Paying $1000 to have it shipped here when it's worth about $100

Nearly every ride in the past 18 months: Ever-increasing sense of fear as my car shakes & grinds violently on the California freeways

And finally, a haiku:

Oh, beloved car
So many grand memories
Death trap I call mine

So, anyone want to buy a piece of shit?