All Fours
Four jobs you've had in your life: Bartender (my favorite!) Library Page Financial Adviser Light Wheel Vehicle Mechanic (63B1P) Four movies you could watch over and over: It's A Wonderful Life The Incredibles Batman Begins Pump Up The Volume Four places you've lived: Crompond, NY Miami Beach, FL Union City, NJ Ft. Campbell, KY Four TV shows you love to watch: America's Funniest Home Videos Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Desperate Housewives Family Feud Four places you've been on vacation: Cancun, Mexico Santander, Spain New Orleans, LA Cape Cod, MA Four websites you visit daily: Buzzscope.com (aka PopCultureShock) NEWSarama Google News…
COMMENT: You Like Drama, Yes?
That's the only way I can think of to explain why, of the two links to this blog from The Beat earlier this week, way more people clicked over to the ongoing Speakeasy drama than did my bit on the general lack of interest in comics journalism. Like five times more. As I wrote to Tom Spurgeon, in response to his criticism of a PW Comics Week article last week, "the comics industry is simply too small and insular to support legitimate journalistic oversight - outside of independent efforts like [The Comics Reporter] and the sporadic gems that pop up…
On the Shelves: 12/21/05
Support GOOD Comics! Try something new EVERY month!There's a transit strike going on here in NYC, so who knows when I'll be able to pick up my books this week! Nevertheless, here's my weekly look at select comic books being released tomorrow, 12/21/05. The full shipping is list available at ComicList.[NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com]ACTOR Actor DFE Hunter Killer Foil Cvr, $14.99 Actor Top Cow Top 5 Starter Set,…
LINK: Even More on Speakeasy
Chuck Saterlee pulls the curtain back a bit further over on the Bendis Board thread that started it all. I'm quoting it in its entirety as I wouldn't be surprised if he was asked/made to delete it at some point, as it airs what could charitably be called dirty laundry.My name is Chuck Satterlee and I have/had two books with Speakeasy. The titles are SMOKE & MIRROR and OF BITTER SOULS.My association with Speakeasy has been decent on a personal level and disastrous on a professional level.To start, I have never had a personal problem with Fortier or anyone else,…
Buzzscope Reviews: 12/14/05
This week, I go the capsule/quickee route on AMELIA RULES! #16, DMZ #2, SON OF M #1 and X-FACTOR #1, while others take on MARVEL KNIGHTS SPIDER-MAN #21, THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF ONE PAGE FILLER MAN and more. Check it out.Also, be sure to check out Ronée's interview with Chris Moreno, up-and-coming artist of Dracula vs. King Arthur and, one of my favorites, Monkey In A Wagon Vs. Lemur On A Big Wheel.Finally, keep in mind that we're adding comics content almost every day, so be sure to hit the Comics section when you visit, not just the main page,…
R.I.P. Peter Conti (aka Peter of the Earth)
I hadn’t seen him in a few years, drifting apart when we moved to Virginia and never reconnecting after we returned, and had no idea he was sick, much less dying.
He missed his 30th birthday (today, Saturday) by one day.
I’ll always remember the carefree Peter who let it all hang out when the music was playing and he was surrounded by friends. The Peter in the picture here (at the National Poetry Slam in Chicago, 1999, courtesy of David Huang), who stood by me as a friend that entire season when ‘a little bit louder’ was born into a community divided. The Peter who could go toe-to-toe with me in a debate without ever letting it get personal, because in the end, we were fighting for the same thing.
The Peter who introduced me to a kind of spirituality that didn’t demand a church or a bible or any outward symbols, simply a desire to connect with something larger than one’s self and draw strength from it.
The Peter we always joked about being my gay twin brother, and who, despite his own insecurities about his poetry and his performances, inspired me every single time he got on stage. The Peter who brought me to full tears three different times with one of those performances, more than any other poet I know.
The Peter who had a way with words and never, I think, truly realized how special and talented he was.
Not even death can take that Peter away from me. Or from anyone else who knew him well enough to call him friend.
Rest in peace, Peter.
And if there’s anyone who could figure out a way to come back now and then and watch over his friends, I believe you’d be the one to pull it off. So I’ll be looking for you every time the music’s playing loud enough to get me on the dance floor; for that sign that it’s okay to let loose sometimes and simply enjoy the moment.
Thank you for your friendship. You’ll be missed, but never forgotten.
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