Boulder

I was very sorry to hear about this. While I've only read a fraction of his work, I enjoyed what I did read. It was sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, and always well written and thoughtful. More importantly, from his online presence, he seemed like a really nice guy. He'll be missed in many communities, that's for sure.

Also, you could just pick up the Omnibus of Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men. I'm not sure of the cost (though it's probably $75 retail and much cheaper online), but it collects all of his and John Cassaday's work on the characters. It's a streamlined look at the X-Men that makes for a good jumping-on point after seeing the movies. In fact, it's been called one of the most accessible X-Men works in years and years.

Also, is anybody reading T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents? This is one of those books that's going to get lost in the shuffle, but it's really good. The upside to it not getting a sales bump from being heaviy tied into DCU continuity is that anybody can just pick it up from issue one and follow along. Issue three just came out, and it was as good as the others. Nick Spencer is pretty much the fastest rising star in comics, and Cafu's art is great.

Wow, I was way off. How does "Deep Space Homer" not even make the Top 25?!?

So far, four of my picks made the list ("Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," "Homer the Heretic," "Treehouse of Horror IV," and "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?") and they were all pretty early on, so I was a bit surprised I didn't see more pop up as we went along. I didn't check out everybody else's votes, so I don't know what to expect, but if "Deep Space Homer" and "Stark Raving Dad" aren't one and two (and probably in that order) you people are nuts.

I love everything Grant Morrison's done on Batman, but it's pretty polarizing. His run starts with Batman and Son, so you should read that before reading Black Glove or R.I.P. Apart from that, I'm not a huge Batman fan. I thought Battle for the Cowl sucked, but it bridges the gap between R.I.P./Final Crisis and Batman and Robin.

He'll be missed terribly. I can't even count how many times I've seen the original Naked Gun over the years, but it's been one of my favorites since childhood. As much as I love the Zucker brothers' comedy style, it was really Leslie Nielsen that made those movies work. R.I.P.

Fuck, you guys have been to lots of shows.

I've seen "Weird Al" Yankovic twice, The Who twice (Robert Plant opened at the first show), and the Dropkick Murphys once. And my friend's two bands a bunch of times. Going to see Ozzy and Halford in December, though.

"Pfft, if anything, you should get more possessions! You don't even have a computer!"

7. Homer vs. Patty & Selma

"I'll take the numbers off my house tonight."

"We'll look for the house with no numbers."

"I'll take the numbers off my Neighbours' houses."

"We'll look for the house next to the house with no numbers."

"DO'H!"

That episode has one of my favorite quotes:

"Remember, you can't spell 'obsequious' without "I-O-U."

"I'll have to take your word for that."

1. Old Money - "Dignity's on me."

2. Deep Space Homer - "Oh, they were just about to show a close-up of the rod!"

3. Bart the Genius - "Mom, I think Bart's stupid again."

4. Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire - "But he's a loser. He's pathetic, he's... a Simpson."

5. Separate Vocations - "A forgery. So he didn't have leprosy."

6. Homer the Heretic - "What if we picked the wrong religion? We're just making God madder and madder every week."

7. Stark Raving Dad - "Marge, I can't wear a pink shirt to work. Everyone wears white shirts. I'm not popular enough to be different."

8. Sweet Seymour Skinner's Badasssssssss Song - "You gotta pet him so he can feel it."

9. Treehouse of Horror IV - "I'm smarter than the devil! I'm smarter than the dev-"

10. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? - "She did things your mother would never do... like have sex for money."

Is it based on the novel/John Wayne flick?

Yeah, but it's supposed to be more true to the novel than the original film was.

Personally, I can't wait. I love the Coen brothers, and it's almost scary how they've been consistently outdoing themselves. Also love Jeff Bridges and Josh Brolin.

1. Bugs Bunny

2. Hank Hill

3. Philip J. Fry

4. Bart Simpson

5. Daffy Duck

6. Duckman

7. Ren Hoek

8. Goofy

9. Homer Simpson

10. Darkwing Duck

Needs more duck.

Figured I'd try to spur on some discussion with a few thoughts about some of my favorite books each week. Spoilered for safety:

Going into the week, I was most looking forward to two books. The first Batman and Robin #14, was especially tantalizing, considering I've worked my way through Grant Morrison's entire Batman run over the past couple of months. I know it's been a polarizing story, but I absolutely love it. It's really not difficult to understand if you start at the beginning and work your way through, and I love how it's converging on a conclusion from several different story points. Anyway, this comic. I liked it well enough, I just had one problem- the situation eventually boils down to Dr. Hurt versus the Joker, with Batman as Joker's "knight," as Hurt puts it. It's an interesting reversal from RIP, where Hurt was using the Joker against Batman, but I don't love the concept of Batman (the top babyface, loath as I am to use that expression here) playing second banana to a different conflict. And I suppose that it's immaterial, since the real conflict is Bruce versus Dr. Hurt and Bruce is likely to swing back in and give hurt his comeuppance, but then that makes Dick Grayson look second-rate when he's been carrying all the bat-books for a year and a half. I mean, I like Grayson as Batman- I'm planning to keep up with this series after Morrison leaves, since it's still going to focus on Dick and Damian. I guess years of watching wrestling has made my view on booking babyfaces pretty parochial. Still, that's how it is.

The other book I was anxiously awaiting The Thanos Imperative #4, was filled to the brim with top level babyfaces- part of the draw of this issue was just that it was the next step in DnA's cosmic saga, and the other part was Nova's team of space heroes taking the fight to the bad guys. The bad-assery of Nova, Quasar, Beta Ray Bill, Silver Surfer, Ronan, and Gladiator all united did not disappoint. Some surprising twists and turns, and, while I didn't enjoy it as much as last month's issue, all good.

Doom Patrol #14 was a bit of a surprise; it's always good, but I don't usually enjoy it this much. This is one of those books that NOBODY'S reading- and it's really not fair. I've never read Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol, but Keith Giffen is certainly keeping this cerebral, creative, and filled with emotion. This issue focuses largely on Chief Niles Caulder, and while I'm not about to spoil everything, we get a great look into his head as he crosses a definite line. Giffen is great with all of the characters, especially Cliff and Larry, who feel quite real in terms of their relationship and conversation. I don't know if this is a jumping-on point, and I don't know how long the book will be around, but a great issue.

Irredeemable #17 came so close to being ranked as the book of the week- I didn't think anything would overtake it. It was a great book in the conventional sense- many plots advanced, a twist ending- but the real draw was the revelation regarding the relationship between Modeus and the Plutonian. It was a brilliant move by Waid that really makes a reader look at classic supervillain/hero dynamics in a new light. It's also the best kind of shock- one that seems so obvious afterwards. I've only been reading since issue #12 (in the process of tracking down the back issues), but now I literally can't wait for the next issue. Literally. I'm driving to Boom headquarters and sending this from my iPad.

It took an incredible showing to outdo Irredeemable, which is why the Weird War Tales One Shot from DC ranks as one of the best single issues I've read all year. It's three short stories by three creative teams- each very different, but each, well, weird and about war. Besides that, the only thing joining them is quality. The first story, by Darwyn Cooke, is quite funny and maybe a bit offensive to the easily offended, and the last, "Private Parker sees Thunder Lizards," is poignant and bittersweet. It's the middle story, though- "The Hell Above Us"- which really wowed me, though. It's got a Twilight Zone vibe and a brilliant atmosphere, put across in just a few pages. I really urge anyone to pick this book up- it's just a one shot, not an investment in a new series, and it's worth every penny.

What did you all read?

From what I've heard, Kraven killed the Grim Hunter (I think) and due to something going wrong with how he was brought back he can only die again if Spider-Man kills him (and I'd like for an explanation of how that works; does he regenerate (like Wolverine and several other characters) or pop up alive again later like a Highlander-type Immortal that `died' but didn't have their head cut off?). He's also pissed that he was brought back to life.

(I'm wondering if the `Spider-Man has to kill him for him to die' thing only applies to Peter Parker or to his clones, too? Maybe Kaine could take him out.)

Kaine was the "Spider-Man" who died so Kraven could come back to life in the first place. He switched with the original to trick the Kraven family and so Spider-Man could live.

You need to go back and reread the very last page of ASM 637!

Has anyone else ever played this awesome game? I loved it as a kid, but from about 1999 on it wasn't compatible with any of my computers. Last week, I bought it off GoodOldGames.com (whom I believe hold the legal rights to sell it... if I'm wrong, my apologies), and it's just as amazing as I remember. It's an RPG based on Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Saga, but the gameplay is a bit different from most RPGs I've played. It's just a great story and a lot of fun, I heartily recommend it to everyone.

Oh, and I don't remember much about the game, so let's keep the thread spoiler-free!

R.I.P. Mr. Chunks

Saw the fight. That Hell's Gate is a hell of a hold.

They aren't the same. Werdum used a trinagle choke with an armbar added for good measure, the Hell's Gate is a modified gogoplata, different moves, set up in different ways

Knew someone would say that. It was funny to me, dammit!

Saw the fight. That Hell's Gate is a hell of a hold.

1. Bio-Dome 1996

5. Vulgar 2002

36. Strange Wilderness 2008

42. Freddy Got Fingered 2001

53. Kung Pow!: Enter the Fist 2002

61. Carpool 1996

83. Billy Madison 1995

86. Half Baked 1998

105. See No Evil 2006

119. Gigli 2003

132. Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd 2003

148. Vegas Vacation 1997

154. Joe Dirt 2001

191. Cabin Boy 1994

Saw those. The only one I really hated was Freddy Got Fingered. I can't understand why Vegas Vacation was on the list- it's not a classic or anything, but it's completely inoffensive. I need to see Carpool again, I remember it ruling.

EDIT: And second the outrage over Billy Madison's inclusion. Growing up Jewish in the suburbs in the 1990s, I know that movie better than fundamentalists know their religious texts. Some kind of heartless fucks marked that one down. In closing, I award them no points, and may God have mercy on their souls.

Richard Pryor

Good call on the trades. IIM #7 was a one-shot dealing with Spider-Man and Iron Man's relationship post-Civil War and Secret Invasion. It was a good issue, I'm surprised they didn't stick it on The Five Nightmares.

Isn't the Green Lantern Rebirth that's coming out the Absolute edition? If so, it's a big, hardcover volume with a lot of extras, but also quite pricey. You might be better off just looking for the trade.

As far as Cap goes, there are three trades (Red Menace 1 & 2, Civil War) that bridge the gap between Winter Soldier and Death of Cap. You might be able to get by without reading them, but they all introduce elements that come into play in future stories, and they're all really good.

With Iron Man, you can either start with the beginning of Matt Fraction's run on the title (there's an omnibus of the first 19 issues, or you can get the first trade, The Five Nightmares), or you can go back to Warren Ellis's Extremis. If you're not looking to spend a lot of money the former option might be better, but Extremis is really the start of the "modern" Iron Man and I thought the Knaufs' work which followed it was superb.

Very sorry to hear this. I knew he was ill, and it just occurred to me recently that I hadn't heard anything about him of late. He was an amazing vocalist- like you said, Bobfoc, nobody blended power and range like him- sort of the Freddie Mercury of heavy metal. Of course, that's a pretty basic comparison that doesn't come close to telling the whole story- nothing can, save for listening to his music. The world most certainly lost a legend.

If anyone cares, I added a new piece to my Comic Art Fans gallery. (Got the artwork last month, but had to get a new scanner)

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetailSearch.asp?ATy=2&GCat=24836

Fantastic drawing, I miss seeing Chris G. draw the Mini-Marvels. Did you pick it up at a convention?

In Rebirth, before the story begins, there's a page where they go through each main character and explain the backstory, so he won't be completely clueless to it. I had never read GL before rebirth, but got caught up quickly thanks to them having that information in the book.

Ah, okay, didn't remember that. Yeah, then Rebirth is definitely a great place to start.

BTW, Boulder, did you ever read Green Lantern: Agent Orange or Green Lantern: Secret Origins by Geoff Johns? Are they worth getting?

Yeah, I read them both, and they were both good. Neither was as good as Rage of the Red Lanterns, which I believe came between those two storylines, but if you like Geoff Johns on Green Lantern you'll probably like both (or all three) stories. Plus, they all lead into Blackest Night, about which I had mixed feelings, but is certainly the biggest GL event since Johns took over.