This week's theater & comics observations

Went to see The Doug Dank Project last night, with guest monologuist Kim Wall, and it was outstanding! I missed Kim's first Doug Dank show a few months ago, and now that I've seen her energetic stage presence, I really regret that. Now I have to rent "Sleepaway Camp III" and the "Dukes of Hazzard" movie...and that's a statement I never thought I'd make!

I also picked up my comics (and browsed through a few more) from both this week and last, and just wanted to share a few comments:

I once had an idea for a character: A mutant whose power was an artistic equivalent to Taskmaster's. After seeing an example of another artist's work, he would instinctively be able to duplicate that artist's style and technique (at least as it existed at the time of that particular artwork--for example, if the only Barry Windsor-Smith art he'd ever seen had been X-Men #53, his Windsor-Smith technique would be a perfect pastiche of a pale Kirby imitation). I never really did anything with this idea, but I mention it because I've concluded that there are, in fact, two mutants out there with this ability: J.H. Williams III (7 Soldiers) and Stuart Immonen (Nextwave). I mean, I had to keep checking the credits on those books to make sure they weren't the work of a bevy of guest artists.

Punisher: War Journal #1: Well-executed, but not really my thing. The Stilt-Man scene has been discussed elsewhere (I wish I could remember which blog had the post I wanted to link to), but I'm more intrigued by the fact that, according to Stilt-Man's Wikipedia entry, this was actually Stilt-Man II, Wilbur Day having finally wised up and given up the gig during Bendis' Daredevil run. Which means that somebody ELSE actually thought that being Stilt-Man was a good idea. Poor Stilt-Man...he didn't know when he was beaten. He didn't know when he was winning, either. He had no sort of sensory apparatus known to man.

Oh, and one more thing...Frank? NOBODY does that to the Tinkerer and gets away with it. (And by "gets away with it," I mean "appeals to me as a character.")

Guy Gardner: Collateral Damage #1: Remind me never to get in the way of a pissed-off G'Nort.

52 #30: I've generally been more focused on following the series than trying to figure out which of the co-writers was responsible for which parts...but I've just got to say, this re-interpretation of the Ten-Eyed Man has got Morrison's stamp all over it.

What If?: Wolverine: Enemy of the State: Okay, this was all kinds of bad, but I just wanted to mention one thing. Remember what I said about the Tinkerer? Well, that goes double for Susan Richards. NOBODY does that to Sue, even in a What If.

What I Sang 11-28

Once again, for Ben, Jessica, DQ et al., here's the rundown of what I sang at O'Terrill's:

"Silver Machine" by Hawkwind. (For a bit of tasteless humor, see the "Stephen Hawkwind" video on YouTube.)
"Kayleigh" by Marillion.
"Run Runaway" by Slade.

RIP Dave Cockrum

I just read the announcement of his passing...I'm too depressed for words. I always loved his work on X-Men, Legion, Futurians...you name it. My sincere condolences to Paty.

Obscure Thanksgiving Post

After finishing off all that turkey, I got to thinking of another Thanksgiving/turkey-related topic I should post, this one considerably more obscure.

Does anyone remember a show from Nickelodeon in the 1980s called "Turkey Television"? It was a comedy-clip show, with some original sketches (by some of the cast and writers of "You Can't Do That on Television"), but mostly filled with footage from other programs and filmed stand-up acts (including a pre-fame Dana Carvey doing his "Chopping Broccoli" song). The theme song told a story of how a turkey had to come up with something to distract the pilgrims, and devised the ultimate distraction: television. I can still remember the theme song's chorus (to the tune of "I'm My Own Grandpa"):

"That's how a turkey created TV,
Yes, a turkey created TV,
It sounds funny, but oh,
Take one look and you'll know
That a turkey created TV."

One other clip that stuck in my mind: Footage of John Cleese (in a non-Python show which I assume must be "To Norway, Home of Giants") presenting a singularly unappetizing guide to Scandinavian cuisine, including one dish which he described as "a delicately fish-flavored baseball bat." (That's right, that's where I got the title. Now you know...and knowing is damn sassy!)

Predictable, Obvious Thanksgiving Post #2

As God is my witness...

Predictable, Obvious Thanksgiving Post #1

I'm sure that several other comics blogs will be posting scans from this today, but I still can't resist...in honor of the day, here is a panel from Franklin Richards: Happy Franksgiving (by Chris Eliopoulous & Marc Sumerak).

What I Sang

This post is for Ben, Jessica the Destroyer, DQ, and everybody else who was at O'Terrill's tonight. Since my musical tastes are so eclectic that I frequently get asked "Where do you find those songs?", I've decided to offer a rundown of the songs I sang at karaoke tonight, with YouTube links where applicable. (This may become a regular feature, though I'm aware that I have an unfortunate habit of starting "regular features" and not following through with the "regular" part...)

Anyway, tonight's offerings:

"The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac.
"Hyperactive" by Thomas Dolby.
"Makin' It" by David Naughton. (No video to link to...I would've thought that somebody somewhere would have uploaded the opening credits of the short-lived TV series, since just about everything else is on the internet, but no such luck.)
"It Ain't What You Do It's the Way That You Do It" by Fun Boy Three & Bananarama.
"Are You Ready for the Sex Girls" by Gleaming Spires. (There doesn't seem to be a "real" video for this on YouTube, but somebody put together a montage of Harley Quinn drawings to the tune...strangely appropriate...)

Who Are YOU With?

Courtesy of Chibikasai, as posted on The Comics Curmudgeon.

For No Reason Whatsoever...

Just thought I'd make up a list:

Top 10 Song Lyrics That Would Make Good Story Titles (in no particular order)

(Some of these may have already been used, for all I know...but probably not.)

1. "When Everything Is In Roses": Lene Lovich, "New Toy"

2. "A Sudden Stroke of Night": Antonio Carlos Jobim, "Waters of March"

3. "Mouths Full of Wishes": April March, "Life of the Party"

4. "Made Galileo Look Like a Boy Scout": The Hombres, "Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)"

5. "The Heavy Heavy Monster Sound": Madness, "One Step Beyond"

6. "More Dearly Than the Spoken Word Can Tell": Roger Whittaker, "The Last Farewell"

7. "Everybody Wants a Box of Chocolates and a Long-Stemmed Rose": Leonard Cohen, "Everybody Knows"

8. "Hold Your Heading True": Michael Oldfield, "Five Miles Out"

9. "The Front of Your Dress All Shadowy Lined": Duran Duran, "The Chauffeur"

10. "Your Legs Give Way and Hit the Ground": The English Beat, "Save It for Later"

It's Back!

That's right, the McRib is back! Boo-yah!

Bully's Activity Time Fun Meme

Here's my contribution to Bully's Activity Time Fun Page (because memes oughta be fun!).

I Just Voted

Go thou and do likewise. (If thou art of age and eligible, that beith...)

Sassy!

Just got back from seeing a hilarious collision of the worlds of comics and theater: "The Brotherhood of Damn Sassy Mutants," a show created by The Mighty Rassilon Art Players performing at the Sketchworks theater. MRAP had originally performed this at Dragon*Con this year, but since I wasn't able to see it then, this was my first exposure to the Brotherhood of Damn Sassy Mutants. (I'm going to use their full title rather than the acronym...but just think about it for a moment...)

Just to give you a hint of what the show was like, here's the line-up of characters:

The team leader, with the power to generate any scent at will: Olfactor-X!

The ink-squirting slacker, Inkblot, a.k.a. Rorschach (no relation).

The Iron Sloth, whose steel skeleton grants him great strength and invulnerability (even as its weight limits his mobility).

The snake-controlling Charmer! (Imagine Princess Python on the side of the angels.)

Vibrabbit, best summed up in her own words: "I'm a woman with purple bunny ears who makes things vibrate. Nothing suprises me."

Mind Games (imagine a passive-aggressive Emma Frost).

Millionaire playboy Matt Ban and his youthful ward Willy Johnson, alias the legendary duo The Dark Fruitbat and Swallow! ("Too much innuendo!")

Multiple Girl, able to single-handedly staff a coffee shop!

The zoot-suit wearing, dimension-hopping hepcat Wormhole Jackson!

The super-evolved canine medical genius, Dr. Scruffles!

The villainous genetics-tampering madman Gene Spliceton, a.k.a. Splicemeister!

All presented under the alliterative auspices of the writing rapscallion Jude "The Dude" Lieber!

And that's just the cast of characters...the actual storyline was just too outrageous to be summed up. Suffice it to say that Splicemeister's sinister plan involved putting Inkblot through a major transformation (a change that Guy Gardner would find familiar...yes, that's a shout-out to Kalinara). The reactions of all the other characters (as well as Inkblot's own) to the change were priceless.

In addition, a throwaway line featured one of the worst (or best) puns I've heard recently:

"What are you reading?"
"Harry Potter #7: Snape's on the Train."

This was the closing night of a two-night limited engagement, but hopefully there'll be more installments in the future. Now you know...and knowing is damn sassy!