Rant Ramblings: Week of 7-12-13

Big news this week! In case you missed it, I announced Tuesday that my next book will be Apex Predator: A Grant Mercer novel! Check out that post for the details.

I finally picked up WWE '13 during Xbox Live's summer sale last week for $15, so I've been busy re-making characters in it when I haven't been working on Apex Predator. I only "upgrade" with this series every 2 or 3 years, so the changes are plentiful from the 2010 version I was accustomed to. The changes are mostly positive, although a few quirks in the character creator are annoying. If I come up with a way to capture decent gameplay videos without buying any new equipment, I'll post some videos in the coming weeks.

Here is a chronicle of the art created by a restaurant server who decided to do something special with order sheets. Pretty cool stuff.

Hold the mushrooms and onions, please.

We have AMAs by David X. Cohen (the head writer of Futurama) and John Malkovich, so get reading!

That's it for this week; I've gotta get back to writing!

My next book will be APEX PREDATOR: A Grant Mercer Novel

One of the most popular stories in Nightmare Escapade: A Horror Anthology was the tale that introduced Grant Mercer, a former detective whose search for a missing child takes a horrific turn when he stumbles upon the underworld of supernatural beings who are pulling everyone's strings from behind the scenes. Without spoiling things for those of you who have not yet read the story, things take some unexpected twists and turns, and by the end, the breakout character of the book was born. Almost every reader who gave me feedback on the book began with how much they enjoyed that particular story, and wanted to see what happened next.

It was my plan all along to launch Grant into his own series of novels, so naturally, I'm very happy that readers responded so well to his introductory story. In September, Apex Predator: A Grant Mercer Novel will pick up right where that story ended, delving into the supernatural empire that we've only glimpsed. Grant has only dipped his toe into the water; in Apex Predator, he gets tossed right into the deep end!

As a bonus, the story from Nightmare Escapade that introduced Grant will be included, so new readers won't have to buy another book to "catch up." With that inclusion, it seemed appropriate for that story to lend its name to the novel, since it picks up immediately following those events. Apex Predator is only two short months away. For now, enjoy the debut of the cover art, and give Nightmare Escapade another read to help you prepare!

Rant Ramblings: Week of 6-28-13

My first book is now available for the Nook, Kobo, and Apple devices, as well as the Kindle. You can download it here, and you'll receive a zip file containing Nightmare Escapade in mobi, epub, and pdf formats, so you'll be able to read it on pretty much any device. Go check it out, and spread the word!

Weird Al did an AMA yesterday! Go check it out, some good stuff in there.

There have been plenty of "I found a sealed safe!" posts on Reddit, but here's a photo album from someone who actually followed up, opened it, and photographed the contents!

That's it for this week! Just haven't had the time to put together a larger post this week, between working on my next book and the usual stuff. (Although, I've been working on it long enough that it probably is part of "the usual stuff" at this point.) Anyway, everyone enjoy the weekend, and I'll see you next week!

Rant Ramblings: Week of 6-21-13

What a week! Wednesday brought the stunning news that Microsoft has done a complete 180 on the mandatory online check-in and the used game restrictions that were recently announced for the upcoming Xbox One console. (Although the internet was quick to claim some sort of victory, we can be pretty damn sure the move is motivated by Microsoft's realization that it would wind up making far less money if it dug in its heels and stuck with the various restrictions. The outcry was loud and violent enough that it was an unmistakable conclusion.)
Personally, I thought the announced policies were restrictive enough that they partly led to my decision to preorder a PS4 rather than an Xbone, but the outcry was taken to rather ridiculous levels. Reddit, in particular, seemed extremely hypocritical; Valve's Steam platform is absolutely adored, and Valve can do no wrong, but when Microsoft tried to implement something very damn close to Steam's system, they were crucified for it. I think the restrictions were a bad idea, but I don't like them on Steam, either. Of course, it must be noted that Steam also brings many positive features to the table along with the drawbacks, and Microsoft was bringing the negative aspects of the service with no evidence that the good stuff would be included with them. People do not like being told how they can buy their games and what they can do with them, and if you're gonna try doing that, you'd damn well better have some great bonuses to make up for that lack of freedom. Microsoft may well have delivered on that, but there was no indication that they would, and they paid the price. Under the circumstances, backing down was far and away the best option.
If you're still undecided about which next-gen console you want, here's a handy graphic with direct comparisons in pretty much every category.

Here is a fun photo gallery chronicling a group of people decorating an old van with Sharpies.

Stephen King did an AMA, so you might wanna check that out.

Finally, I've gotten pretty sick of some of the complaints about Man of Steel, the thoroughly awesome Superman movie that debuted last week. (Maybe you've heard of it.)  No movie is flawless, of course, and I have no issue with people who just didn't dig the movie. However, some of the incessant gripes are downright ridiculous, even by the standard of whining we've come to expect from the internet whenever a comic-based movie is made. Spoilers lie ahead, so highlight the following if you want to keep reading: "Superman DOES NOT KILL" has become the mantra for a great many people in the past week. To them I say, "Oh, is that so?" That looks an awful lot like Superman executing three super-powered criminals to me! Oh, and one of them is General Zod, the very same dude who Superman is forced to kill in Man of Steel! This is from 1988's Superman #22. Not a hoax, not an imaginary story! It also bears mention that the beloved Christopher Reeve version of Superman also killed Zod in Superman 2. I've never heard anyone go apeshit over that, and Superman was far more callous about it, and didn't show a shred of remorse. Look, the movie has its flaws, and not everyone is gonna like it. But c'mon, don't try to bash the movie based on something as spurious as this. People love to claim fictional characters as their own in some way based on their personal ideal of the character-- and surprise, surprise, that nearly always just happens to be the version they first encountered when they were children-- and deem anything that sways from that ideal just plain wrong. If someone doesn't like the movie, that is just fine, but they should at least try to judge the movie on its own merits, without dragging their own personal baggage into it as if the director should have hired them as a consultant for the project. I don't normally get so annoyed about people on the internet disliking something, but I've encountered this several times daily since last Friday, and I had to have my say.

That's it for this week!

Rant Ramblings: Week of 6-14-13

I'm taking a break from working on my next book for this week's post, so it'll be a pretty short one.

We saw Man of Steel last night, and it is pretty awesome. Performances are fantastic across the board, Hans Zimmer's score is amazing, and WETA continues its streak as the best digital effects studio in the business. Russell Crowe is a standout, bringing so much pathos and dignity to Jor-El. I was very pleased that he has so much screen time. There is no post-credits scene, however, so don't bother waiting. I recommend the movie highly, so make a point of going to see it this weekend. Man of Steel is the Superman movie we've all been waiting for.

Much of this week has been consumed watching all the videos from E3, where Microsoft was the victim of a sound kick in the nuts by Sony. I was more interested in seeing what Microsoft brought to the table, since we'd seen little of the games that are on the way for the Xbox One. Micrsoft did have a very strong presentation, showing off tons of exclusives. Most of them are interesting, and a few look truly awesome.
Still, the specter of the announcements that the Xbox One will require you to check in online once a day to play your games, and that publishers can disable the option or charge a fee to play used games cast a pall over everything. When the $500 price tag was revealed, it didn't help matters.

Enter Sony. After a decent conference, they dropped a sequence of bombshells: The PS4 requires no internet check-in. Ever. The PS4 has no restrictions on used games. On top of all that, the retail price is $399, a full hundred dollar less than the Xbox One. Without being burdened by an expensive new Kinect, Sony is able to undercut the Xbox One significantly.

The upshot of all this is that the PS4 has been enjoying a massive surge in popularity, and many longtime Xbox loyalists are even jumping ship. Personally, I've gone with the Xbox for the past two console generations, but I'm no fanboy with some misguided sense of company loyalty. I always evaluate what is available and go with what fits me best. That was the Xbox the last two times around, but not this time. Sony got pretty arrogant and made some bad decisions with the PS3, but they've learned from those mistakes, and built a new console that is exactly what their customers want. Meanwhile, it seems that Microsoft has only been interested in building the console they want.

Microsoft is not doing anything with their new console that Valve hasn't been doing for years with their Steam platform, but until they demonstrate that these restrictions will also bring the positive aspects of Steam as well as the negatives, I won't go near it. I preordered a PS4, and I'm looking forward to it.

A couple of quick Reddit links: Bill Nye did an AMA, and so did Hans Zimmer.

That's it for this week! There should be a new Trash Rant next week, and hopefully some news about the new book.

Nightmare Escapade, my first book, is free until June 13!

For the next five days, you can download Nightmare Escapade: A Horror Anthology for free! Get it here! If you don't have a Kindle, Amazon has free Kindle apps for pretty much any device from a PC to an Ipod, so if you're reading this page, there's an app that will let you read the book. Once you've read it, taking a few minutes to leave an honest review will be much appreciated.
Now, back to work on my next book...

Rant Ramblings: Week of 5-31-13

A short column this week, and it's largely Batman-related. That's hardly a bad thing though, right?

Forgot to include this in last week's ramblings, so here it is now! If you haven't seen this, make sure you're sitting down and that you have the next ten minutes free, because you'll probably wanna watch it again as soon as it's done.

Pretty goddamn awesome, right? I love the bulky armor Batman is wearing, as it looks as if it will naturally evolve into the sleek, streamlined armor we had in Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. I love the inclusion of Black Mask as the (apparently) main antagonist. He's one of those C-listers I've always really liked that doesn't get used too often. We've had references to him in both previous Arkham games, so that makes it extra cool to see him take center stage. As for Deadshot, another favorite of mine, we can't see too much of his costume here, and we don't know if this is his default look for the game anyway, but it has to be an improvement over his Arkham City costume. That was the only redesign in that game that was truly awful.
Of course, there's also the issue of the voice cast. It's been confirmed that Kevin Conroy, who personifies Batman more than anyone else at this point, is not the voice of the Dark Knight in Origins. Mark Hammill won't be reprising his role as the Joker, either, but at least we were prepared for that with his insistence that he was done with the character after he completed his work on Arkham City. (Of course, we all still hope he can be lured back from time to time.) We have yet to hear what the characters will sound like in the game; hopefully all will be well, but however good it turns out, Conroy and Hammill will be missed. At least we can take consolation in the knowledge that Conroy is returning as Batman in the all-but-confirmed sequel to Arkham City that Asylum/City developers Rocksteady are working on.

Justice League of America #4 was released Wednesday, and it ended on a hell of a cliffhanger. Highlight if you want to read the spoiler: After being caught snooping around in the headquarters of the Secret Society, Catwoman was killed, shot in the head at point-blank range. It's possible it could be a fake-out, but if so, it's a damn convincing one. The whole deal was as unambiguous as it gets in superhero comics. You can see the pages in question here. It was a solid issue as usual, although the art is still the weakest point. Finch's art, which I normally find murky and just plain ugly, has looked very rushed since this series began. Brett Booth fills in for this issue, and while I'm not a fan of his work, it is an improvement. Matt Kindt's backup stories starring the Martian Manhunter remain the best part of the book.

This is a fantastic cover of A-Ha's sappy classic Take On Me that I overheard during an interminable visit to the mall a few weeks back. I've always liked the music of Sara Bareilles whenever I've heard it in the past, but I'd never come across this one before.

The trailer for Machete Kills has arrived, and it looks like they're doing their damnedest to top the awesomely outrageous Machete.

This looks so amazing that I'm not sure I'll make it out alive.

Batman Noir: Eduardo Risso was released Wednesday(although Amazon won't have it for a few more days). This book reprints so much excellent material that it's nearly criminal. The star attractions are probably Broken City and Batman: Knight of Vengeance, both of which are collaborations with Risso's 100 Bullets partner in crime Brian Azzarello. Broken City followed the far more hyped bloated and overrated mess Hush, and is far superior in every way. It's never attained the popularity and regard it deserves, so I hope it gets a higher profile as a result of its inclusion in this new collection. Knight of Vengeance, of course, is the Flashpoint tie-in that was easily the best thing about that event. I really wish it was an ongoing series set on that world, continuity be damned. There's other great material here, of course, including Batman/Deathblow: After the Fires, the excellent Batman strip from the brilliant Wednesday Comics, and a nice little Batman Black & White tale. This is one of the handful of collections I've been looking forward to all year-- thankfully it actually was released, thank you very fucking much for cancelling the paperback editions of the Starman Omnibus, DC--  and you can bet your ass I'll be getting my hands on it as soon as finances allow. It gets my highest possible recommendation, so grab it if you're the slightest bit interested.

That does it for this week!

Trash Rant: Z Comm #2- Killpoint

Situation: Hopeless. Solution: Z Comm!
Radical terrorists were plotting the ultimate coup. Their target: the mass annihilation of free world leaders at a summit conference in Venice. Their goal: the establishment of a global dictatorship conceived in blood and dedicated to the enslavement of mankind. Their first mistake: thinking the Z-Command would not interfere. Their last mistake: their first. 

With that rather oddly-written description, we're off to delve into one of the most demented books I've ever read. Killpoint, the second novel in the four-novel Z Comm series, is credited to Kyle Maning, a pseudonym for David Alexander. (I see that I have a book from the Alexander-penned Phoenix series on my trashy adventure novel shelf, so it'll be interesting to see if it measures up to the blood-splattered insanity of Killpoint.)  Z-Comm is a kind of grindhouse GI Joe, featuring characters from various branches of the military sporting often-goofy names tackling various terrorist threats, but with a tone that is decidedly geared toward exploitation. In other words, this book is crammed full of batshit insanity. After I read a passage in which a trio of terrorists shot a hooker to death while fisting her, I had to put the book down for a little while and wonder exactly what the hell I'd gotten myself into. If you like your crazy-ass novels lurid as hell, you need look no further than the Z Comm series!

The Z Comm members are team leader Logan Cage, martial artist Sam Proffitt, professional big mean bastard "Bear" MacBeth, expert thief Harry Zabriske, and obligatory tough, uber-sexy female Domino Black. It bears mention that MacBeth is frequently described as bald throughout the novel, yet none of the team members are bald on the cover art; likewise, Domino is wearing an eye patch on the cover, yet there is no mention of this anywhere in the novel. The team is up against the middle-eastern terrorist group of the man known as the Vulture, whose goal is to blow up Venice during a peace meeting attended by the President of the US and the Soviet Premier. But basically, the entire book consists of scene after scene of terrorists massacring large crowds of people in various horrible ways, followed up by Z Comm killing lots of the terrorists in turn.

The Vulture is one nasty bastard. He and his henchmen, who are frequently referred to as "camel humpers," "scum sheiks," and "terror guys," rain violent, bloody death on large groups of people again and again throughout the novel. Seriously, people die by the goddamn hundreds in this book. So many people die that it barely matters that the Z Comm team technically accomplishes their mission, as there must have been all of 30 people left alive in Italy by that time.

A few choice scenes involve Italian mafioso Ugliano. The Z Comm teams busts in on him while he is busy getting it on with a transsexual, and proceeds to interrogate him. When he returns to his house with intent to evict the Vulture from the premises, Vulchy turns the tables; while his men restrain Ugliano, Vulture slits a lamb's throat, and the blood washes over Ugliano. Alexander is sure to inform us that the blood somehow fills Ugliano's asshole. I don't know how the hell that works, and I'm sure I don't wanna find out.

The writing is no better than you'd expect, but it does keep the novel moving at a good clip, even through all the page-filling passages describing the countryside and the weapons the characters use. Alexander's terrorists are complete caricatures, but he does capture the mindset of absolute fanaticism quite well.

A few choice quotes:

 "May you swim for eternity in flaming lakes of diarrhea!" - a random "terror guy"
 

Bear knew he stuck out in the Plaza of the Crazies like a hard-on in a room full of nuns. 
 

"Shake your shit and get on the tit!" -Cage, for no discernible reason

As a bonus, here is the full cover art, revealed in all its glory when you open the front cover flap.

HOLYSHITJESUSFUCK What the hell is wrong with that guy?!?!!?

Just look at him!!!!

I can't possibly follow that up. Can the next book possibly match the fever dream that is Killpoint? Find out next time!

Rant Ramblings: Week of 5-24-13

Regular readers probably noticed there was no column last week; I was absorbed in the important work of watching cartoons, and it just plain slipped my mind. (I did warn that this column was "weekly-ish" at its inception, so no griping!) There'll be a couple of topics covered from last week to make up for it, so let's get rollin'!

DC's solicits for August revealed the latest round of cancellations, including such beloved series as Demon Knights, Dial H, Threshold, and Legion of Super-Heroes. DK is the one that really hurts, as it's been one my favorite books since DC's relaunch. It's a book that occupies a pretty unique niche, and it's a damn shame to see it go. Dial H, despite its critical acclaim, is a book that never really won me over. The only time it's been as good as it wants to be is the #0 issue, but I've stuck with it because I can feel how ambitious it is, and that still counts for something in my book. It never really "wows" me, but it's trying oh so hard. I'll be interested in checking out whatever China Melville does next. I've been enjoying Threshold, largely because it shines a spotlight onto a little-seen part of the DCU. I'm not surprised by its cancellation, as it is one of those  books I suspect was always intended to be an eight-issue series, just not announced as such to avoid the lower sales miniseries usually get. I've never been able to get interested in LOSH, so I won't miss it one bit. It's one of those series that DC seems hell-bent on publishing no matter what, so I'm sure it will return in some form before the year is over.
Of course, this opens up more slots for new series. With the all-but-confirmed Villains Month looming in September, we can surely look forward to seeing a few of these new series previewed in the specials focusing on whichever villains are specific to each book. Shazam/Black Adam is virtually a lock at this point, and I'd be surprised if we didn't get a Question series, since the other two members of the "Trinity of Sin" have their own series already. Beyond that, there are a ton of rumors, but nothing too substantial. Whatever happens, it's sure to be interesting.

The Xbox One was revealed Tuesday, and I was watching on Xbox Live. While I think Sony did a better job with their announcement event overall, the Xbox One is much more interesting to me than the PS4. I've never been too enamored of the Kinect, but the newest version of it looks simply amazing. I doubt I'll be able to afford to get the new Xbox when it's released, but hopefully I'll be able to snag one before it's been out too long. Microsoft would have to do something pretty stupid at this point to make me not want one(the rumored used game restriction might do it, but let's face it: all it is right now is a rumor).

An era ended when Green Lantern #20 was released Wednesday, capping off the epic nine-year run of Geoff Johns. I've been there from the beginning(and before, as I'd been buying the GL series for years prior to Rebirth), through all the ups and downs. The quality dipped a bit with the War of the Green Lanterns crossover, and the recent Rise of the Third Army and Wrath of the First Lantern were decidedly weak. For all of that, the entire run has been a hell of a thrill ride, and easily ranks among my all-time favorites. GL #20 is a fantastic sendoff. Perhaps the biggest compliment I can give Johns is that his GL run was so good that it took a series featuring a character I absolutely loathe-- Jordan-- and made it one of my favorite books each and every month. It's some damn fine work that can make you love a book that stars a character you hate. I'm looking forward to seeing where the new teams take the books, but they have a hell of an act to follow. (I'm also happy that the excellent Doug Mahnke is joining Johns on Justice League of America, but that's a little off-topic.)

Gillian Anderson did an AMA on Reddit, so go check that out.

In still more comics news, here's a fun interview with Masters of the Universe writer Keith Giffen about the upcoming Masters of the Universe vs. DC Universe series. A standout excerpt:
"I talked to [DC Comics co-publisher Dan] DiDio, he said, "I don't care if you cut off Wonder Woman's head. It's not in continuity." And I said, "Yes." Because I wanted to know how much I could push DC because I wanted to have this very specific scene. I wanted a scene with He-Man and Teela and while He-Man and Batman are talking, Teela is wandering around looking at the glass cases full of Robin suits and at one point she walks up to He-Man and says, "Yeah, we have to get out of here. I think he kills kids." [Laughs] And I was told: "Sure. Put it in."
This book is gonna be so awesome. Giffen's doing good work on the MOTU comics, and you should all give the current series a shot. It's not a big nostalgia wank.

The season finale of Arrow aired last week, and the season definitely ended on a high note. I was cautiously optimistic about this series when it debuted last fall, and it was just okay at first. Thankfully, it improved steadily, and I thoroughly enjoyed most of the season. I never liked Smallville, but this show is honestly better in every way. I'm not down with every creative decision that's been made in the show, but on the whole, it's a good series, and it ended its first season with one of its best episodes. I'm really looking forward to its return.

That'll do it for today; see you Wednesday for another Trash Rant!

Trash Rant: Rig Warrior

I'll tell ya what, I was sold on this one the moment I saw the cover.

"Barry straightened and looked around him. No witnesses. Good. The dimly lit parking area was void of human life. Not counting the shitheads on the asphalt. And Barry didn't count them as human." Meet our protagonist, Barry Rivers, a.k.a. Dog. No, really! His CB handle is Dog. Rig Warrior is the work of prolific author William W. Johnstone, no stranger to action novels. Barry Rivers-- a Vietnam vet, as required by the law of men's adventure novels-- is a weapons salesman with a thriving business who enjoys kicking the shit out of random street punks whenever the opportunity arises. Barry gets wind of the trouble his father, Big Joe, is having down in New Orleans with the Mafia trying to take over his trucking business. Barry heads down to deal with the situation, and it quickly becomes clear that the whole mess is far bigger and nastier than anyone imagined.

The story eventually encompasses a shady government program that is performing horrific experiments on Vietnam veterans who suffer from PTSD, along with illegal Mexican immigrants of all ages, homeless people, and pets for good measure. This book really wants us to hate scientists, as the horror of these experiments is repeatedly hammered into the reader, and we're reminded that it's all for the benefit of science. Apparently all scientists are evil sadists who enjoy performing horrible acts on people and animals. Who knew? On top of that, the dead bodies are used to smuggle cocaine once the eeeeeevil scientists are done with them. Even further on top of that, Dog and his loyal truckers are being set up to take the fall! And even higher up, on the tippy top of that, the man behind it all is one of the people Dog trusts most!

This novel functions largely as an origin story, setting up a series centering on Dog and his dog, Dog. That's right, vigilante trucker Dog has a dog named Dog. You can't make this stuff up! (Well, uh, I guess you can, but it's pretty damn goofy.) The main plot is abruptly abandoned near the novel's end, and the new status quo is established. The pair of Dogs drive off into the sunset, armed to the teeth, looking for punks and thugs to snuff out.

Barry/Dog is a typical adventure novel protagonist; he's tough, seems to secrete a musk that causes all women in his immediate vicinity to shuck their undergarments, and as mentioned, he's a Vietnam vet. We're reminded often of his "Cajun temper," and he despises all lawyers, even though his most trusted friend is-- any guesses?-- his lawyer. Naturally, he despises the criminal justice system, and we are reminded every couple of pages that the laws exist to protect the criminals, not the innocent. Here's a nice quote to that effect, when we discover that the truckers will carry their illegally owned firearms no matter what: "As should be the case for any taxpaying, normally law-abiding citizen who knows the law is slanted toward the criminal and against them." We're frequently reminded that it's all the fault of all the liberal bureaucrats in the government, those criminal-loving, pencil-pushing dickheads!

Barry is no slouch with the ladies either, of course. We're told that he has several regular lady friends in his city of residence, including Linda, who works for the Treasury. When Barry hosts her for dinner, it doesn't take long for her to succumb to Dog's irresistible charms: "The dinner had been very good, and dessert was even better; took two to consummate it." Whew, anyone else all hot and bothered after reading such masterful innuendo? Then there is Kate, who is described as "an angel with a garbage can for a mouth." Kate drives for Big Joe's trucking company, and don'tcha know that all the other truckers-- with handles such as Beer Butt and Panty Snatcher-- are always trying to get into her pants to no avail, but she just can't resist instantly falling for Dog! The two of them actually get married, however, which is definitely a bit surprising in a novel of this genre.

Rig Warrior isn't particularly well-written. Sentence fragments are often presented as if they are full sentences, sometimes even as an entire paragraph all on their own. There are also several instances where Johnstone just flat-out used the wrong damn word; my favorite is "Something he merely suspicioned?" There are the expected typos, as well. These are things any halfway decent editor should have caught. For all of that, Johnstone keeps the narrative moving at a rapid pace, so the reader never really has a chance to get too hung up on the book's flaws. The Rig Warrior series apparently only ran for two more installments, and I'll try to get my hands on them to see if they surpass this introductory novel, which manages to entertain despite all its shortcomings.

Rant Ramblings: Week of 5-10-13

Happy Whacking Day, everyone! The month-long Whacking Day event in the Simpsons: Tapped Out game has ended, but today is the actual date of the holiday. Speaking of the game, how did everyone do? I finished getting all the prizes a week or so ago, and managed to get the final Whack Box Wednesday night, just under the wire. (For those of you who don't know about the Whack Boxes, they're no big deal. Once you got the final Whacking Day prize, you won a Whack Box for every 1,000 snakes you whacked after that. You either got money or up to three donuts, and the money, obviously, was far more common. I got a total of four donuts out of the ten Whack Boxes.)  It's possible that there will be something special in the game today, but as I'm writing this section of the post early Friday morning, it hasn't happened yet!
Edit: Of course, soon after this posted and I opened the game again, I saw that the level 29 update had arrived. Additonally, Whacking Day has been extended until the 16th! Good news for those who still don't have all of the prizes. Get back to whacking!

There's been a lot of grumbling around the 'net over DC's announcement that He-Man will be getting a new costume in their Masters of the Universe comic this summer. (I find the Ed Benes art far more disagreeable than the new costume, but whatever.) Much of the dismay is directed at He-Man's swanky new pants. I've seen a ton of bitching, mostly by people who, by their own admission, don't even read the comic. There have been a couple of valid points made, but everyone seems to have forgotten a few things:
1. This is not permanent.
2. This is not the first time He-Man has worn pants. The character will miraculously survive.
3.  The costume is an updated version of the classic Battle Armor He-Man, so it actually has a basis in classic MOTU lore. (Yeah, the old BA He-Man toy didn't have pants, but the design is the obvious basis for the new costume.)
4. The whole thing is stirring up some interest in the MOTU comic, which is a good thing, since it's a pretty good comic that has been unjustly ignored, for the most part.
5. This "controversy" is pretty dumb, even by internet argument standards.
Everyone just needs to take a few deep breaths and relax. Everything is gonna be okay(well, as okay as things ever are). And for the people I've seen complain that the new design is a sign that DC is getting ready to integrate MOTU into the main DCU, and that we'll see He-Man on the Justice League before the year is out, I say that I'd be thrilled by that, honestly. I seriously doubt that's gonna happen, but I'd love it if it did.
Edit: And now, this news has broken. Masters of the Universe vs. DC Universe kicks off in August! I really thought this was too much to hope for, but it's happening! C'mon, DC, put Teela or He-Man on the Justice League when this is over!

Here is a novel from 2006 that features WWE wrestlers working as secret agents for the government. It sounds so awful that it has to be great! I have no idea how it existed for this long without me hearing about it.

Free Comic Book Day was a resounding success, and our local shop was much busier than we've ever seen it. We arrived at about the same time we did for last year's FCBD, and the store was at least twice as crowded! It's great to see it grow bigger each year. I picked up most of the free comics I wanted, and snagged the Sergio Aragones variant cover for Justice League #19 for $3! I normally can't manage to give a damn about variant covers, but this one was a must-have. Lunch at one of downtown Hattiesburg's great restaurants followed, then visits to a couple of the thrift stores I enjoy diving into so much. I picked up some nice fodder for future Trash Rants, so consider this your warning. ;)

After all that, we went to see Iron Man 3. While I am sure there are many hardcore Iron Man fans who are royally pissed about the big reveal, I thought it was a fun movie overall. It had the requisite plot holes and shortcomings that you just have to ignore in the name of enjoying most action movies(most movies in general, really), but there was one in particular that was so huge that it just bugged the hell out of me. This is gonna involve a spoiler, so highlight the text if you wanna keep reading. Tony had dozens of fully functional suits of Iron Man armor ready to go at a moment's notice, so why, exactly, did he wait to use any of them until the end of the movie? There were several times where he was well and truly fucked, not to mention the times other people were as well, and he couldn't be bothered to summon a suit of armor. Obviously, the reason he didn't was plot convenience. It wouldn't have taken much- just a line to explain why he didn't or couldn't summon the armors earlier than he did-- to smooth the whole thing over. Like I said, I'm accustomed to ignoring plot holes as long as a movie is fun and generally well-made, but this one really stuck in my craw. 
All that aside, it was a fun movie that didn't measure up to the first IM film. Regarding all the rumors that RDJ may not return to the role over payment disputes, Marvel/Disney need to just give him whatever he wants to continue. Most of the other roles can be recast without too much fuss, but they need RDJ to be Tony Stark for as long as he is willing to do it. The first Iron Man movie took a character who was a solid B-lister, not to mention a complete unknown outside of comics readers, and made him a huge star and a solid A-lister practically overnight. So much of that is due to RDJ's performance and charisma, and the movies-- and their profits-- will take a huge hit if and when he departs. Marvel Studios needs him far more than he needs it. That said, the rest of the cast and crew are due some serious raises, with the kind of insane profits these movies are making. It's disgusting that co-stars such as Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner made so little for The Avengers when RDJ and the studio is raking in so much.

Anyway, rant over for now. I've still got a good bit of stuff to move back in, so I'm out for today.

Rant Ramblings: Free Comic Book Day Edition!

Tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day, which is pretty self-explanatory. For those of you who have never participated, however, it may be helpful to have a few of the details clarified. Generally, FCBD goes something like this: You enter your local comic shop-- if you're unsure where the nearest one is, you can find out right here-- and the FCBD comics are displayed on a table or shelf, usually separate from the rest of the merchandise. Some shops place a limit on how many free books you can choose, while some let you grab as many as you like; it's all up to the owners of each store. Whatever the case, make sure to buy something while you're there, because while the comics are free to customers, the stores have to pay for them. They pay much less than they do for a normal comic, but it's still money out of their pockets.

FCBD grows each year, and so does the selection of free comics. It can be a little overwhelming, particularly with all the extra traffic most shops experience during the event. It helps to have a few key comics in mind that you're interested in, so acquaint yourself with what will be available here. (Of course, keep in mind that not every comic shop will have ordered every single comic. Generally, the majority should be offered, however.)

With all that said, these are the FCBD offerings I'm most looking forward to tomorrow!

Bongo Comics Free-For-All/Spongebob Squarepants Freestyle Funnies
The Bongo crew always puts together a nice sampler of their publishing line, which focuses mostly on Simpsons-related comics. They also hold the title of Best. FCBD Cover. EVER! for last year's offering!

The Walking Dead Special
Many FCBD offerings stick to reprints of existing material, but Image's TWD issue is among those offering new content. Fan-favorite Tyrese, who finally debuted in the middle of the TV show's third season, stars in a new story, and we'll be getting reprints featuring Michonne and King Dickbag--er, the Governor. Obviously, this one is gonna be essential for fans of the comic or TV show.

Kaboom! Summer Blast
Boom's imprint focusing on kid-friendly comics publishes some fine material, including Peanuts and Adventure Time! There's bound to be something in here for pretty much everyone.

Atomic Robo and Friends
Obviously, this is always a highlight of FCBD! Publisher Red 5 proclaims Atomic Robo  the perfect comic to give to a new comics reader, and that is truly no idle boast. If you see this in your local comic shop, get it! Even if it looks uninteresting, give it a shot. Unless you just hate joy in any form, you're bound to like it a least a little.


Buck Rogers/Prince Valiant
For anyone interested in comics from a historical perspective, this one is definitely worth a look. Personally, while I am interested in the historical perspective, I'm looking forward to reading these classic strips, too!

Fubar
I've heard of this historical-figures-battling-zombies comic, but never actually read any of it. Zombie stories have to have some sort of novel twist to get me interested at this point, and the historical angle is enough to get this history lover to pick this up.

The Smurfs
Papercutz's reprint series of the classic Smurfs strips are the first exposure many of us have had to the original comics, myself included. They're charming and fun, and I highly recommend this one to kids and adults alike.

Judge Dredd Classics
Judge Dredd is one of those characters I know about, but about whom I've actually read very little. Pretty much all I've read featuring Dredd are his crossover specials with Batman. Naturally, this issue reprinting a key story with new coloring is very attractive to me, and it has art by Brian Bolland to boot!

Mouse Guard/Rust
Archaia made a big splash with last year's FCBD offering, a great little hardcover book that was the talk of the event wherever I went. It was the first time I'd read any of their comics, and now I'm really looking forward to this year's issue. This is another great option if you want something aside from the usual superhero comics.

Red 10
A superhero retelling of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, this series debuted last year. I read about it, it looked interesting, and then I promptly forgot all about it. Oops. Well, it's back on my radar now, so I'll be checking it out.

The Tick
It's the Tick. Duh.

Overstreet Comic Book Marketplace
These Overstreet issues always have some very interesting articles about the history of the comic book industry, and I always look forward to them. Unfortunately, they're never available at the shop we go to. All the same, I'll be keeping an eye out for it tomorrow. Maybe we'll get lucky this time!

Valiant Harbinger Wars/Valiant Masters Showcase
The relaunch of the Valiant line has been chugging along nicely, and while I wouldn't call any of the books so far truly great, they've all been very solid and entertaining. I've read very little of the "classic" Valiant line, so whatever is in the Valiant Masters Showcase is likely to be new to me.

These are not the only FCBD issues I'm planning to get, but most of these are offerings from smaller publishers that you might not notice tomorrow unless you're specifically looking for them. Even this sampling of what's available displays the amazing diversity of the comic book industry, and there's no better time to try something new than FCBD. So get out there tomorrow and support your local comic shop, and have fun!