Hey Now!
It's been a long, long time since my last post. Rather than spend too much time explaining where I've been, I figure I'll jump right into catching you up with what I'm into lately. Without further ado, here is what I'm digging:
1) Pro Wrestling
Not Sports Entertainment. Not terrible, poorly-acted male soap operas that occasionally involve a bodyslam or clothesline. I'm talking about 'Rasslin.
Vince McMahon is equal parts God and Devil when it comes to overseeing the evolution of the art of Pro Wrestling; most major innovations to the sport/art - both incredible and terrible - can be attributed to his reign as head honcho of "The Business."
I fell in love with Wrestling thanks to Vince's vision, then grew to hate it thanks to that same heavy-handed creative touch. But recently, thanks in large part to a desire to relate to one of my students, I started watching again. A few Bray Wyatt interviews, Daniel Bryan matches and Dean Ambrose brawls later, I was back as a regular viewer. Then after I started reading the wrestling commentary of David "AkaTheMaskedMan" Shoemaker - a gifted writer who hits the perfect balance between genuine fan, artistic critic and historian - my appreciation of pro wrestling's pure, vaudevillian brilliance came back full force. I was hooked again.
Then The Network launched.
Suffice it to say that, for now at least, Vince can do no wrong in my eyes. Making all this footage - everything from Sammartino at Shea to The Wrestling Classic to the most recent Royal Rumble - available on demand and streaming in HD is the best apology note Vince could ever possibly write to a lapsed, bitter fan like me.
I'm overwhelmed by the prospect of watching so many great, absurd performances. There was a time when I was absolutely obsessed with pro wrestling, and I now have unlimited access to reminders why. This really is one of my favorite forms of entertainment, behind only the blood, guts and tears of the blues and the primeval perfection of the comic book.
Anyway, I plan on writing a lot about Pro Rasslin in the coming months. If you liked my comic book commentary and like wrestling, I think you'll like my take on all things WWF/E. Stay tuned.
2) Joe Hill's Comics
20th Century Ghosts, Heart Shaped Box and Horns made it very apparent that Uncle Stevie's kid could boogie to a righteous beat - one that embraced and celebrated dad's legacy while folding a totally new and - dare I say it - literary voice into the mix. When it debuted, Locke and Key continued Hill's rising-star reputation. That said, for a variety of reasons that had nothing to do with the series' quality, I stopped reading it week-to-week after the second miniseries. I recently caught up and devoured the whole series, and I was absolutely delighted to see a tightly crafted horror comic evolve into a celebration of the comic book form that delivered satisfying single installments while maximizing the potential of serialization. Holy shit. Gabriel and Joe click and start turning out chapters that homage everything from Watterson to Steranko and Gaiman while never losing sight of their own vision.I even loved IDW's adaptation of The Cape, which took the wickedly awesome high concept of Hill's 20th Century Ghosts short story and cranked it up to fifteen in a very disturbing meditation on the superhero concept.
Hill is awesome. His NOS4A2 is high on my list of shit to read.
3) Earth Abides
Those of you who know me know I love Post-Apocalyptic fiction. I even made an original comic in the genre years ago.
This is a classic that predates (and eventually inspired) Liebowitz and I Am Legend. Think Post-Apocolypse by way of Les Stroud and Robinson Cursoe. Good shit.
4) Warren Zevon
The winter in New York has been horrible. I'm just getting over the flu.I'm ready for summer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqviDAkNo48
Good looks, everyone. Sorry for the radio silence.
- Dan
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