As in guillotine...

Preview: DC’s October Solicitations

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:July 24, 2005
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CBR has DC's October Solicitations up, and here's what I'm particularly looking forward to reading and/or snarking:BATMAN: GOTHAM COUNTY LINE #1Written by Steve Niles; Art and cover by Scott HamptonAcclaimed writer Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) joins distinctive painter Scott Hampton (BATMAN: NIGHT CRIES) for a 3-issue Prestige Format miniseries that uncovers the investigation of grisly murders outside Batman's usual territory…in the Gotham suburbs! Commissioner Gordon calls on the Dark Knight for help in solving the mystery, although Batman has never delved into the suburbs of Gotham before. But the series of murders is so shocking that Batman must…

Preview: Marvel’s October Solicitations

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:July 24, 2005
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Buzzscope has Marvel's October Solicitations up, and here's what I'm particularly looking forward to reading and/or snarking:House of M #8 (of 8)Marvel's big summer event that may or may not have huge repercussions for the entire Marvel Universe, depending on which interview you read, concludes. One thing's clear already, it's yet another story centering on Wolverine and, if this cover is more than the usual tease, maybe he finally gets to kill someone of consequence. Of course, Bendis' latest comments over on NEWSarama imply it might not even really be Magneto! Again...6. The Avengers were Earth's Mightiest Heroes, a status…

Comment: The Comics Blogiverse

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:July 22, 2005
Post category:Pop Culture Reviews
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The myriad comic book-related blogs that have sprung up over the past couple of years run the gamut from unpretentious reviews and commentary by enthusiastic fans to jaded bile and snark by agenda-driven wannabes looking to break into the industry. The Comic Weblog Linkatron 5000 links to them all without prejudice so I thought I'd offer up quick takes on some of my favorites, all linked (and newly updated) in the left-hand column under Comic Blogs.The BeatHeidi MacDonald is the real deal, an industry veteran covering the news of the day with an occasional dose of intelligent snark. Only downside…

R.I.P.: Jim Aparo (1932-2005)

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:July 20, 2005
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Jim Aparo is one of the first artists I have a distinct memory of from my earliest days of collecting comics, and his version of Batman remains to this day one of my favorites. He was one of the first artists whose styles I could recognize at first glance and who could get me to pick up a comic book I normally wouldn't, including Aquaman!When people say "they don't make them like they used to," they could easily be talking about Jim Aparo. Rest in peace. (Batman and the Outsiders #1 cover courtesy of the Grand Comic Book Database.)The following…

Our 7th Anniversary

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:July 20, 2005
Post category:Personal
Post comments:3 Comments

Rereading that last post, it almost sounds like our vacation sucked, but that’s just work filtering through and tainting my perspective. We had a great time, the most “quality time” we’ve had together since…hell, Spain in 2000, right before Isaac was born?

I was thinking about the past 7 years the other day, and what’s changed since July 18, 1998:

1) Bill Clinton was President and was somewhere in the process of being impeached for the whole Monica Lewinsky psuedo-scandal. George W. Bush was Governor of Texas and netted $14 million from the sale of the Texas Rangers, a nice profit from his $600,000 investment…with borrowed money!

2) The first Gulf War had still not been officially declared over, and I was still in the NJ National Guard.

3) A month after our wedding, I was on the Nuyorican Poets Café’s only National Poetry Slam Championship team, and had just started running a little bit louder a couple of months before that.

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Bourbon Street Stinks!

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:July 20, 2005
Post category:Media Personal
Post comments:1 Comment

How come no one warned me? Bourbon Street at night is like everything I hate about Hoboken, magnified 10 times over, plus strip clubs! And it stinks like a mix of old alcohol and stale mop water. For all its unappealing skankiness, though, we did have fun people-watching the first two nights; and while I don't believe they're really 180 Proof, the Hand Grenade is a mighty tasty drink. ;-) The French Quarter itself, and our trip overall, was a whole lot of fun. The humidity, as expected, was brutal at times, but for being on vacation instead of going…

INFO: Free Comic Book Day 2006

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:July 19, 2005
Post category:Media Pop Culture
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Diamond Comic Distributors has announced this weekend in San Diego that Free Comic Book Day 2006 will take place on Saturday, May 6th, the second consecutive year the event will take place separate from the release of a comic book-based movie. Marketing will be in full swing for the summer slate of comic book-inspired movies, though, including Zoom's Academy, scheduled for release the following weekend, May 12th; X3, May 23rd; and Superman Returns, June 30th.It also won't fall on Mother's Day weekend again, a poor bit of scheduling that made it difficult for some fathers **ahem** to fully participate in…