Comic Books of the Week (6/29/11)

Flashpoint: the Canterbury Cricket #1 - this one shot was really there to introduce a new character who then joins up with the Resistance against the Amazons in the UK. Will he stick around after Flashpoint ends for the new DCU? Probably so. Why else give him a one-shot like this? It was good to see the Demon and Godiva (though the later was poorly drawn, IMHO). Worth picking up? Only if you think the Cricket will be the newest breakout character. I am thinking not.

Flashpoint: Green Arrow Industries #1 - this one-shot really worked for me. Ollie as a weapons-seller, the use of villain-tech, the social commentary on big corporations destroying Main Street America - it all worked for me. Best book of the week.

Flashpoint: Hal Jordan #1 (of 3) - except for the Amazon/Atlantean war this read exactly like Hal's Green Lantern origin and the first fifteen minutes of the recent GL film. Yawn. Been here, done that. Give us something new, folks? Sigh.

Justice Society of America #52 - the mystery of the door beneath Monument Point continues. But, I couldn't get into it. Yes, we have some nice-to-see guest stars with the Challengers of the Unknown, but how can I get excited for a story that I know has just two issues to wrap up? And there is no sign of the JSA in the relaunch come September. Spinning our wheels here, people. Sad.

Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction

The California rock band Guns N’ Roses had an incredible recording debut with their 1987 album Appetite For Destruction, beating out the record held by Boston’s self-title debut album. The record has sold over 28 million copies world-wide.

Besides being a best-seller, the record was also a critical success. Rolling Stone ranked it at number 27 on its 100 Top Albums of the 80’s list and number 61 on its 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time list. VH1 named it their 42nd Greatest Album of All-Time. Guitar World magazine put it at number 2 on their list of 100 Greatest Guitar Albums.

George Michael - Faith

With their third and final album Music From the Edge of Heaven, the writing was already on the wall that things with Wham! were changing. Two of the singles from that record were even presented as solo vehicles for George Michael. The band soon broke up, allowing George Michael to work on much more mature songs.

In late 1987 he put out his first solo album Faith, a chart topping and award winning record. It sold over 1 million copies in its debut week on the charts and over 25 million worldwide since. It went to number 1 on the UK and US album charts; it also went to number 1 on the Billboard R&B charts, a first for a Caucasian artist. It spawned six chart topping hit singles, won a Grammy for Album of the Year in 1989, and earned George three American Music Awards that same year. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Faith at number 84 on its 100 Top Albums of the 1980's list and number 480 on its 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time list.

Depeche Mode - Music for the Masses

British synth-pop band Depeche Mode released Music for the Masses, its sixth studio album, in the fall of 1987.

In the US, this one did very well - reaching number 35 on the Billboard album charts. In their native UK, the record made it to the top 10.

Michael Jackson - Bad

This past weekend marked the second anniversary of the death of one of pop music’s mega-stars. While some might feel put off by his personal life and questionable behavior, there is no denying that Michael Jackson put out some amazing records. And his seventh solo album Bad, released in 1987, was one of those disks.

The album has sold over 30 million copies to date world-wide; it has gone Platinum many times over. The record was a top-10 seller in all major markets in the world and went to number 1 in nearly all of them (it only reached number 2 in Australia). Nine of the eleven songs were released as singles. The album received six Grammy Award nominations, winning two. It was ranked number 202 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time list (surprisingly it does not appear on the magazine’s 100 Best Albums of the 80’s list).

Who's That Girl (soundtrack)

Welcome to another edition of Soundtrack Sunday.

In the summer of 1987, Warner Brothers studio released a romantic comedy starring Madonna and Griffin Dunne. She played street-smart Nikki Finn who went to jail for a murder she didn’t commit. She meets a lawyer named Louden Trott (played by Dunne), and convinces him to help her clear her name. Sound like a must-see story? Neither the critics or the ticket buying public thought so. The film tanked.

Comic Books - Flashpoint week 4 (6/22/11)

Flashpoint: Lois Lane and the Resistance #1 (of 3) - this mini is going to give us another view point of the Amazons occupation of London. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning do a good job writing Lois, though I can see how she is not completely the same without Superman/Clark in her life. As the cover hints, I hope we'll see more characters in this mini as well. Enjoyed it.

Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #1 (of 3) - I'm on the fence on this one. Sterling Gates wrote Bart very well; he showed why this character has such potential. Oliver Nome did a decent job on the artwork. The thing is I just don't feel the urgency of the story. Yes, Bart is trapped in a future that isn't his own. Yes, he is in serious trouble and will need the new Hot Pursuit to help him. But will Bart be a key to helping Barry resolve the whole Flashpoint problem? Not sure at this point. My gut tells me maybe since Bart is one of the people that knows time is screwed up. We'll see.

Flashpoint: Reverse Flash - the cover says 1 of 3, but this was only supposed to be a one-shot. Given "the end" on the last page, I am thinking it is a cover goof. Scott Kolins wrote the issue, but I was surprised the the art was done by Joel Gomez. Scott usually pencils his own stuff. Honestly, this issue did not work for me. It seemed like a Reverse Flash primer for anyone who does not normally read the Flash and thus had to be filled in on what Eobard Thawne has done all these years to Barry. The issue ends with him confronting Barry's Mom but we all know it was the pre-Flashpoint continuity where he did this deed, not Flashpoint. So, what's the point of this issue? I had hoped we'd seem Zoom undoing events that created the Flashpoint continuity. Wasted opportunity.

Comic Books of the Week (6/22/11)

Green Arrow #13 - looks like we get a fill-in arc before the relaunch. The art by Agustin Padilla was pretty good - I liked it a lot. The story by James Patrick was alright. I'm not that impressed with Reverend Miggs as a villain, even if he seems to be well connected.

Justice League of America #58 - a sort of disjointed read by Robinson. The art by Sampere and Sepulveda was pretty good. Of course, everyone on the Internet is buzzing about the last page of the issue and what Eclipso does to one of the team. Now, do I think this is permanent? With the relaunch coming in a couple months that resets a lot of things, does it really matter? Sigh.

Brightest Day Aftermath: the Search for Swamp Thing #1 (of 3) - I pre-ordered this issue as it followed Brightest Day, not knowing who was being searched for. I was half-tempted not to pick it up since I am not a Swamp Thing or John Constantine fan. But, I did any way and it wasn't that bad. I liked the interplay with Batman and Zatanna. We'll see if I get the last two issue or not. I have no plans to follow the new Swamp Thing and Justice League Dark books after the relaunch.

John Byrne's Next Men #7 (37) - speaking of disjointed story telling, John Byrne was all over the map on this issue. I know he's trying to move the story along here but that was just too much jumping around for my taste. This was one book that I was going to keep me coming back to the comic shops after September (when I drop most if not all DC books) but now I'm not sure. I might skip the monthly and just wait for the trade paperbacks at this point. It might read a lot better in larger chunks.

Movie Review: Green Lantern (2011)

This afternoon, my family and I hit a matinee of the latest summer super-hero spectacular - Green Lantern. As a long time fan of the hero (I first started picking up GL's comics in the mid-1970's), this was one of those characters I really looked forwarded to seeing up on the silver screen. The idea of a hero who could create energy constructs with a power ring was the perfect visual concept for a film. Thus, I had pretty high expectations for this release.

The story is of pilot Hal Jordan (played by Ryan Reynolds) who is chosen to be a successor of Abin Sur in the Green Lantern Corps, an intergalactic peace-keeping organization. Of course, with this great power comes great responsibility - something that Hal seems a bit reckless with. Over the course of the film, he comes to grips with his own personal faults and manages to become a true hero.

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV

Welcome to another edition of Seventies Saturday.

When Led Zeppelin put out their fourth studio album in late 1971, there was no title printed on the front. So, everyone followed the naming convention from the first three records and called it Led Zeppelin IV.

This record was a huge seller, one of the best albums worldwide (over 32 million copies, 23 million of which were sold in the US alone). It went to number 1 on the UK Album and Canadian PRM 100 charts, number 2 on the US Billboard 200, the French Album, the Japanese Album and the Australian Album charts.

The Honeydrippers - The Honeydrippers Vol. 1

In the early 1980‘s, lead singer Robert Plant took breaks from his hard rocking for the legendary band Led Zeppelin to play some more classic rhythm and blues music in a group called the Honeydrippers. The band included fellow Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, former Yardbird member Jeff Beck and some other musicians.

the Cult - Electric

In 1987, the British band the Cult changed up their previous music style, going from Gothic rock to a more hard rock sound, with their third studio album Electric. For this release they also brought on board producer Rick Rubin, one of the founders of Def Jam Records, to assist with the changing of the sound. The end result was the band's first Platinum selling album.

Foreigner - 4

The British-American rock band Foreigner released their apply-titled fourth studio album 4 on July 2nd of 1981.

Thanks to a number of very successful singles, it was propelled to the top of the charts and was the band’s only number 1 LP in the United States (of the eighty-one weeks it spent on the US Billboard Album chart, ten of those were at the number 1 spot). The album was produced by “Mutt” Lange and band guitarist Mick Jones.

Comic Books of the Week (6/15/11)

Legion of Super-Heroes #14 - was it just me or did this issue seem a bit rushed? I liked the first few pages, especially the mystry of Professor Li, but the Immortus stuff seemed to go too fast (especially given it was spotlighted on the cover). I liked the LSV pages, but we kept jumping around - it all felt very disjointed.

Teen Titans #96 - on the flip side, this issue seemed very drawn out. Mostly it focused on Beast Boy and Solstice, while Rankor just seemed to stand around. What villain just stands around? I am bored with this plotline yet we still have another issue to go. This is definitely not keeping me interested for the final issues of this run. Bring on Superboy Prime, please.

Flashpoint: Grodd of War - I liked this one-shot. It painted a nice character study of what Grodd would be like if he actually accomplished his goals without opposition. In short, he longs for something more. Will he get it? We'll find out in another of the minis.

Flashpoint: Legion of Doom #1 (of 3) - when I found out Cyborg would be showing up later in this mini, I grabbed this one. Hmmm...a little different. I enjoy Heat Wave usually but this version is just a little too much for me. Oh, and those last pages with Cluemaster and... just ewwwww. Since it is only three issues, I may keep picking it up just to see where it leads.

Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the Furies #1 (of 3) - a key issue to why the Atlanteans and the Amazons are at war. This "flashback" explains what caused a union to go terribly wrong, putting the two forces at odds. The question is why? Hopefully we'll learn more.

R.E.M. - Document

The American alternative rock band R.E.M. released Document, their fifth studio album, in 1987. The addition of Scott Litt as co-producer also marked a change in direction as the songs musically shifted a bit more towards the mainstream. This album featured the band's first top 10 Billboard hit and the album was their first platinum seller. Rolling Stone magazine ranked the album at 41 on its 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980's list and number 470 on its 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time list.

Okay, if you’ll recall last time that I reviewed an album by R.E.M. I confessed that they lost me a lot on the lyrics. I’m actually pulling them up to follow along and will attempt to offer what I think they mean (I’m prepared to be totally off-base on a lot of them).

Def Leppard - Hysteria

After their 1983 release Pyromania, Def Leppard faced a number of challenges with the biggest being drummer Rick Allen's loss of an arm in a car accident in December of 1984. After a number of false starts, they locked in producer "Mutt" Lange and were able to release their fourth studio album in 1987. Hysteria was a commercial success - scoring the number 1 spot on the Billboard and UK album charts, generating seven singles, and selling over 20 million copies worldwide. The album was also ranked as number 472 on the Rolling Stone list of 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time.

Urban Cowboy (soundtrack)

Welcome to another Soundtrack Sunday.

After taking a spin in the disco and a nostalgic trip to the 50's, John Travolta donned a Stetson hat, a big belt and leather boots for 1980's Urban Cowboy. As Bud, he worked at an oil refinery by day and spent his nights at Gilley's honky-tonk. There he danced and fell in love with a cowgirl named Sissy (played by Debra Winger). There were bar fights and some mechanical bull riding too. Oh, and some amazing music which was released on a double-disk soundtrack record.

Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt - Trio

In the 70’s, this threesome of musical talents made an attempt to record an album together, but the stars just wouldn’t align properly. However, in 1987, things fell into place and yielded the best selling and award winning Trio. It spent five weeks at number 1 on the Billboard Country charts and went to number 6 on the regular Billboard 200.

Thomas Dolby - Oceanea EP

In 2010, Thomas Dolby began working on a new studio album called A Map of the Floating City which should be released some time in 2011. However, he started to release some of the tracks via EP releases. The first Amerikana was available in 2010. The second Oceanea was released in early 2011.

Peter Gabriel - So

So, released on May 19th of 1986, was the fifth studio album from Peter Gabriel. The record would eventually become his most successful solo release. It was a number 1 album in his native UK as well as Austria, Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, New Zealand, and Norway. Here in the US it reached number 2 on Billboard Album chart. The record went platinum a number of times.

Pat Benatar - In the Heat of the Night

Welcome to another edition of Seventies Saturday.

On October 20th of 1979, Pat Benatar exploded on the rock scene with her debut album In the Heat of the Night. With a combination of original tracks and amazing covers, the album became a best-seller (going all the way to number 12 on the Billboard album charts and selling over a million copies) and established her as an artist to watch in the 80’s.

The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead

In June of 1986, the Smiths released their third studio album The Queen Is Dead. The album was certified Gold in both the UK (where it reached number 2) and the US (where it only reached number 70 on the Billboard Album chart). The record appears on Rolling Stone magazines 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list at number 216.

Comic Books of the Week (6/18/11) - Flashpoint

Welcome to week two of the Flashpoint event over in DC Comics. Let's get to the books:

Booster Gold #45 - another solid issue by Dan Jurgens. Booster battles Doomsday who is being controlled by an old friend. Also, he meets Alexandra Gianopoulous, a woman who I think might be very important in the post-Flashpoint JLI book (written by Jurgens). If the character takes off, this issue will be important as her first appearance.

Flashpoint: Citizen Cold #1 (of 3) - Scott Kolins does the Rogues very well. This issue was quite enjoyable as we get a look into Central City's "hero" Citizen Cold (Len Snart). Definitely worth a look for Flash fans, though that final page may tick off a few folks. Just remember: alternate reality which has little effect (we hope) on the post-Flashpoint reallignment. Though I would like to see this character continue along this route - it would be fun.

Flashpoint: Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager #1 (of 3) - if you love Pirates, you'll love this one. Lots of DCU reimaging in this book, and it all works for me. I could see this as a natural extension given the rest of the world events. Solid book.

Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #1 (of 3) - and here we find out all about the Atlanteans and their leader. Again, good book and very key to the overall events in the main mini series. Lots of good back story. Is it wrong to say I'm liking this alternate-reality? At least here we know the rules (unlike the upcoming "relaunch" in September that we're still kind of in the dark about).

Comic Books of the Week (6/8/11) part 1

Breaking them up again between regular titles and Flashpoint books. Here's the regular:

Batman: the Brave and the Bold #8 - another fun romp with Batman and Aquaman. This book, while part of the DC Kids line, is always enjoyable. You get straight-forward stories with a beginning, middle and end all in a single issue. The story lines contain all the elements of classic comic books without the baggage. I hope this book is continuing come September with the new DC launches.

Birds of Prey #13 - this is Gail Simone's final issue on BOP. Come September, the book relaunches with a new writer, a new roster and very likely without this reader. I came back to BOP when Gail came back to the book. She knows and loves these gals very much. Without her, it won't be the same book. This issue clearly was written like a finale. The final plot is closed (though loose ends are there that, sadly, won't get realized), the gals do what they do best, and it was a lot of action with guest appearances from some Secret Six characters. Yes, there are two more issues of this run but they are guest-written and, in my eyes, very much fill-ins to round out things before the relaunch.

Prince - Sign O' The Times

In 1987, Prince released his ninth studio ninth studio album Sign O’ the Times. This was his second double-album of all-new material in just five years, and it featured material from a number of proposed projects he was working on from 1982 to 1986.

Sign O’ the Times is one of my top five favorite Prince albums of all time, and easily in my top 25 favorite of the 80’s. I purchased this one on vinyl during my final year of college and later purchased it on cassette too (so I would have a copy to listen to in the car). In the 90‘s, this was another one of the first albums I upgraded to CD. I have listened to this one end-to-end countless times over in the past twenty-four years. I think the record is simply amazing.

Anita Baker - Rapture

With her second studio release, 1986’s Rapture, R&B vocalist Anita Baker’s career jumped to the next level. The album sold 8 million copies (5 million in the US alone) and earned her two Grammy Awards (Best R&B Vocal Performance Female and Best R&B Song). Rolling Stone magazine ranked the record as number 36 on their list of 100 Greatest Albums of the 80’s. Chartwise, it went to number 50 in Germany, number 33 in Australia, number 32 in Sweden, number 25 in Canada, number 13 in the UK and number 12 in New Zealand. Here in the US, it spent one hundred and fifty-seven weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 11. It also went to number 12 on the US Billboard R&B chart.

XTC - Skylarking

For their eighth studio album Skylarking, the English band XTC brought in producer Todd Rundgren. This 1986 album features tracks that are influenced by earlier bands like the Beatles and the Electric Light Orchestra (those are the sounds I picked up from them). The record reached number 70 on the US album charts and number 90 on the UK album charts.

While I am familiar with the group through a few of their earlier songs, most of this album is relatively new to me. It does appear on the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list, so I thought I would give it a spin. This will be another one of my first-listening-impressions reviews.

Run-D.M.C. - Raising Hell

In 1986, the hip-hop kings from Queens crossed brought their music into the mainstream - thanks to a breakthrough hit and major exposure on MTV. Run-D.M.C.’s third album Raising Hell sold incredibly well (went triple platinum) and was critically praised (Rolling Stone ranked it number 120 in their 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time).

Raising Hell came out on July 14th of 1986 while I was working in New Jersey for a six-month stint, thus I purchased it on cassette. The first side was definitely my favorite as the first four tracks are a solid set. I could then usually flip it, back up a bit and pick up the final four tracks on side two.

Bright Lights Big City (soundtrack)

Welcome to another edition of Soundtrack Sunday.

In 1988, Michael J. Fox took the lead role in the adaptation of a Jay McInerney novel Bright Lights, Big City. Fox played a New York City magazine fact-checker with a cocaine habit that was slowly ruining his life. This very engaging drama also starred Phoebe Cates as the ex-wife and Kiefer Sutherland as the enabling best friend. The film is pretty good and the novel is a great read.

The soundtrack album that accompanied the film has a rather interesting mix to it. The contributions range from big name acts to some much lesser known ones. I think the end result is a good one.

Comic Books - Flashpoint week 1 (6/1/11)

This was the first full blown week of the Flashpoint event. I picked up the first issues of three of the four tie-in minis. My thoughts:

Flashpoint: Abin Sur - the Green Lantern #1 (of 3) - I found this one rather interesting. There seemed to be a lot of elements of the typical Green Lantern line (enemies, allies, etc.) with, of course, the notable difference of Abin Sur still being the Green Lantern of sector 2814. It isn't clear yet how the change occurred but that's okay for now. What is intriguing is what Atrocitus might now about "the Prophecy of the Flashpoint". We should find out more next issue.

Flashpoint: Secret Seven #1 (of 3) - I was sold on this one as soon as I saw that George Perez was doing the art. He is one of my all-time favorite artists. The man can draw everybody well. This story too seems to be standing on its own so far. We have Shade the Changing Man and the Enchantress, plus a whole lot of craziness and mystery. How does it tie into the main event? No clue but I enjoyed it a lot. Bring on next month!

the World of Flashpoint #1 (of 3) - even though we get a nice idea of what is going on with the Earth in this altered reality, the true star of the book is Traci Thirteen. We're getting another interesting character driven story set in the middle of this big event. Of the three books so far, this is one tie-in I think that most readers of the main five-issue mini will want to pick up. It gives good supplemental material to what else is going on.

Flashpoint #2 (of 5) - the opening six pages gives us a look at a lot of characters on this new world, including Deathstroke and Aquaman. It was a nice teaser to the minis starring them coming up soon. We then get eight pages picking up where last issue ended - with Barry Allen trying to explain what is "wrong" to this reality's Batman. Some good stuff. Next is a nice four-page intro to two more of the upcoming minis, the ones starring Wonder Woman and Lois Lane. Lastly, back to Barry and what the cover promises - an attempt to get his speed powers back. These page and the earlier eight really give a testament to Barry's character, what made him a great hero. He doesn't lie down quietly and accept things; he fights with whatever he can and is willing to pay the price to succeed. Did he this time? We'll find out next issue! The last seven pages are devoted to a world map (a nice two page spread that ties into the World of Flashpoitn well), and five sketchbook pages by artist Andy Kubert. I love things like this a lot (worth the extra buck on the cover price for this mini).

Carole King - Tapestry

Welcome to another edition of Seventies Saturday.

1971 began with the release of Carole King’s landmark album Tapestry (on February 10th of that year). Through out the 60’s, she had worked as a songwriter, penning tunes for other artists to turn into hits. She decided in the 70’s to start recording her songs herself; this would be her second studio release.

Comic Books of the Week (6/1/11) part 1

With Flashpoint kicking in this week for the summer, I'm going to break my weekly reviews between those in the regular line and those in that alternate reality. On to the regular stuff:

Adventure Comics #527 - this issue spotlights Comet Queen with her telling her origin story. Paul Levitz does a brilliant job on this issue, adding layers to a classic character. I love that she's got a thing for Bouncing Boy, I love her "irrational" thought process, I love that she has a heart, and I love how it is explained why she's back at the Legion Academy. The art by Geraldo Borges and Marlo Alquiza is solid too. A great companion to the regular Legion book. I will miss this one when the series ends its run.

Secret Six #34 - another fantastic issue from Gail Simone and J. Calafiore. I love how the team handles the scumbag who kidnapped Scandal's new love. I love how Bane's date played out. This creative team shows how far these dark characters will go to protect the ones they care about. I really like to see when "villainous" characters are shown to have so many facets to them. Well done indeed. I really hope this book and this creative team survives intact come September's relaunch of books. It is perfect the way it is and does not need any retooling.

Paul Simon - Graceland

During the 1960’s, Paul Simon partnered with Art Garfunkel for five albums. Afterwards, he went solo for the 70’s and 80’s In 1986, he released Graceland, his seventh studio album, but this time he had a little bit of help - some very talented South African musicians including the vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Graceland won the 1986 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Rolling Stone ranked it number five on its list of 100 Greatest Albums of the 80’s and number 81 on its list of 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time. It also sold over 10 million copies world-wide.

It went to number 46 in Japan, number 15 in Spain, number 13 in Norway and Sweden, number 4 in Italy, number 3 on the US Billboard Album chart, and number 1 in Australia, Canada, France, Switzerland and the UK.

Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet

In 1986, the New Jersey born rockers of Bon Jovi released their third studio album. It was a best-seller record (over 12 million copies in the US and 28 million worldwide). It spent eight weeks at the number one spot and 38 weeks in the top five on the Billboard album charts; it was also the top selling album of 1987.

Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill

Starting out as a hardcore rock band in 1979, the New York City based trio who would become known the world over as the Beastie Boys eventually transitioned into the growing genre of hip-hop. DJ-producer Rick Rubin gets a lot of credit as well for his part in putting this debut together.
In 1986, they released their debut album Licensed To Ill which became the first album of the genre to reach number 1 on the Billboard album charts. It was also the record label’s fastest selling debut record, selling over 9 million copies.