[This! Is! Mad Men! recaps the newest developments of Don Draper and his ragtag group of cohorts. In the spirit of the show, it will often be sexist and drunk. Apologies ahead of time.]

Ok, here we   go again – my unedited, stream-of-conscious thoughts about this week’s episode of Mad Men:

So we start with Draper reflecting on the fact that he never finished high school, has been drinking too much, and has never managed to pound out more than 250 words at a time. Is this the beginning of the upward swing we’ve all been waiting for? God I hope so.

Oh shit – John Draper’s smoking a butt in his sunglasses while the Rolling Stones’ Satisfaction plays. As a straight male with a fulfulling relationship, nothing has ever been more homosexually tempting. This guy is a fuggin’ stud through and through.

Keep Reading »

[images & words is the comic book pick-of-the-week at OL. equal parts review and diatribe, the post highlights the most memorable/infuriating/entertaining book released that wednesday]

Oh snap! It’s already Sunday!? Where did this week go? How could I have let work and personal tragedy get in the way of reading comics? Egads! Well then, the Sabbath will be kept holy! The funnies will be revered!

The best dang book from this week’s pile is THOR: The Might Avenger #4. Although OL’s been keeping an eye on this series for awhile now, we’ve yet to to grant it “best of” status. Which is damn shame, because this incarnation of the God of Thunder’s exploits is fuggin’ astounding. It’s bright and fun and full of the optimistic energy that Marvel is known for. Or used to be. Or still is, I’m not sure.

This issue picks up where the first three left off, bringing the readers through the origin-story of Thor’s arrival on Earth. The beautiful, bulky blond is straight chillin’ with his babe of an Earth-host, Jane Foster. In this retelling, Jane is an expert of Norse mythology and employed by a local museum – so of course she can’t help but take Goldilocks into her care when he stumbles off of the rainbow-bridge. Their relationship is slightly flirtatious, completely well-intentioned, and wholly endearing.

This most recent issue sees Thor’s homeboys the Warriors Three coming to visit him in his new realm. In search of a night of merriment and drinking, the foursome head to a tavern in England. Once there, the normal hijinks ensue; Fandral finds fleeting romance with the female bartender, Hogun keeps mum and Volstagg is the life of the party. And after Thor makes a scene when no one in the bar can tell him how to get to Trondheim, Captain Britain has to come regulate.

The ensuing confrontation between Captain Britain and Thor (with assistance from his buddies) is more of a skills-demonstration than a battle-to-the-death. What we see is warriors duking it out over a misunderstanding, being impressed by one another, and then ending the night by sharing a few rounds of brew! This is the type of friendly competition that is far too-often overlooked in favor of blood-feuds.

Roger Langridge’s script is both lighthearted and action packed. The characters, even when they are in the midst of more serious matters, always bring a smile to the reader’s face; for instance, even the Warriors Three’s investigations of Thor’s inability to recall his banishment is rife with jocular banter and witticisms. Fortunately, Samnee‘s pencils only make the comic stronger, lending a classic cartoon flair to even the most violent fight scenes. Chris Samnee manages to incorporate a level of detail into the art, which makes the almost animated stylings worthy of repeat-readings.

The word I find myself using over and over to describe this comic book is fun. This is a series for children and adults, for comics fans and newcomers, for writers and artists. There is no reason, provided that this quality continues, that this series can’t win and Eisner.

Or a whole heap of `em.

According to both his Twitter and his forum, Mike Portnoy is leaving Dream Theater.

Wait, huh? Yeah, that’s right – Mike Portnoy is leaving the most respected progressive-metal group on the planet, the very band he helped found twenty-five years ago and launched him to the status of music-nerd-legend. As the group’s most vocal member, the drummer has basically become synonymous with the Dream Theater franchise. This move is like James Hetfield leaving Metallica, Dave Mustaine leaving Megadeth, or maybe even Bruce Dickinson leaving Iron Maiden…Hey…wait a second…

So why did he leave? His reasoning:

We have been on an endless write/record/tour cycle for almost 20 years now (of which I have overseen EVERY aspect without a break) and while a few months apart from each other here & there over the years has been much needed and helpful, I honestly hoped the band could simply agree with me to taking a bit of a “hiatus” to recharge our batteries and “save me from ourselves”…

Sadly, in discussing this with the guys, they determined they do not share my feelings and have decided to continue without me rather than take a breather…I even offered to do some occasional work throughout 2011 against my initial wishes, but it was not to be…

My Interpretation: Portnoy has been sullied by playing with Avenged Sevenfold. He’s probably enjoying a level of recognition and luxury that Dream Theater could never afford him. While this is understandable, DT’s other members don’t have the same opportunities and probably don’t feel like waiting for him to finish living the life to start making music again. I’m sort of troubled by Portnoy’s offering to “do some occasional work” for the band.

Seems like priorities are shifting; he originally made it seem as though it was Avenged Sevenfold he’d be doing some occasional work for, not his own band.

My Prediction: This is going to create a huge riff in the Dream Theater fan community – I’m talking some David Lee Roth/Van Halen type of shit. But just like that classic rock feud, I can’t imagine this will last.

Hit the jump to see some Portnoy/Dream Theater highlights!
Keep Reading »

Source: Super Punch

Above is a Tibetan nomad, taken from an issue of National Geographic, circa 1989. Further proof that our sci-fi machinations are not fabrications, but merely residual knowledge from this and other dimensions bleeding into our collective unconscious! Where are you, unicorn?! Tell me! I need you.

[This! Is! Mad Men! recaps the newest developments of Don Draper and his ragtag group of cohorts. In the spirit of the show, it will often be sexist and drunk. Apologies ahead of time.]

Right off the bat, I’m going to apologize for the brevity of this week’s recap. While I usually use This! Is! Mad Men! as my excuse to wax philosophical, today is Labor Day and I’ve been tasked with addressing some pressing issues. Like sitting around in my boxers, eating junkfood and trying to enjoy my last day of freedom before returning to work. Ahh, what a mission to accomplish!

But how am I feeling after The Suitcase, episode seven of Mad Men‘s fourth season? Optimistic. I’ve made no reservations about the fact that I see Don Draper as descending into a point-of-return in which he’ll lose both his professional status as well as his few personal ties. And while I think Draper is still sinking, this episode tosses him a life preserver. Through his relationship with Peggy Olsen, Don Draper has demonstrated that he is still a human with a beating heart, capable of compassion and understanding.

Throughout The Suitcase, Don puts off phoning California as he knows the news waiting for him on the other end of the line is that Anna Draper has died. In an attempt to ignore this unfortunate duty, he coerces Peggy into staying late at the office. As she puts in overtime, Ms. Olsen misses a surprise birthday dinner thrown by her boyfriend, which finally ends in the dissolution of their relationship. Peggy and Don have a screaming match – she accuses him of co-opting her ideas whilst downplaying her input, he tells her she owes him her entire life. Tears are shed.

At this point, I really thought that Peggy was going to take Duck Phillips’ offer to start a new agency. He might be lonely, irresponsible and even more inebriated than the folks at SCDP, but he still represents an alternative. After having her emotions trampled on by Don yet again, I could envision Peggy jumping ship. I was worried.

But she doesn’t – righteous! Instead, the Madison Avenue’s dynamic duo get their shit together and talk it out. They share a laugh while listening to Roger’s ridiculous memoirs-on-tape; highlights include the fact that Bert Cooper’s testicles have been removed and that Ms. Blankenship was once a sex fiend. At dinner they discuss Peggy’s baby and Don’s affair with Allison. Don reveals that he never knew his mother and watched his father die. Peggy also watched her dad croak, so they have that in common. They head back to the office and Peggy assists Don into the bathroom so he can yak. Then, she breaks up a fight between Draper and the interloping Duck Phillips. After a long day, Don and Peggy fall asleep on the couch in his office.

When he wakes up, Don makes the call to California and hears what he already knows to be true – Anna is dead. He breaks down crying and Peggy consoles him. He tells her that the only person that really knew him died, but Peggy disagrees. It’s a genuinely touching moment, even if it isn’t completely true. Peggy doesn’t know about Dick Whitman, but she knows more about Donald Draper than anyone else. Maybe now that Anna’s out of the picture, more will be revealed. Or maybe not.

In this hour of television, I could see so many different scenarios beginning to unfurl and it made me nervous. Hell, I don’t want Peggy to leave SCDP! Fortunately, Draper has shown that he’s a redeemable character by treating Peggy as a true friend. Sure, she bears the brunt of some of his grief, but then he rights the wrongs. By taking her out. By revealing intimate details of his shrouded past. By defending her honor when Duck Phillips calls her a whore. There’re laughs and shouts and tears and arguments and confidences. And at the end of it, they’re both better for it.

The Suitcase ends with Peggy asking Don whether he wants the door “Open or closed?” as she leaves his office. Don wants the office, just like their relationship, to have an open door. There is room for more growth and maturation, the possibility that they will both allow the other to play a larger personal role. Don’s been a reprehensible drunkard this season, so it’s nice to see that he can still wear his heart on his sleeve. Peggy, by dedicating herself to work and casting aside the boyfriend she never really loved, secures herself a position in the newest wave of Women’s Liberation.

What the hell am I saying with all this? What’s the long and the short of it?

Don Draper and Peggy Olsen are totally BFFs.

Devin Townsend just released a video preview from the sessions for Ghost, the final component of his four-album DTP sequence. From his YouTube channel, Townsend explains:

So this is record 4 of the dtp, but I’m recording it third, because Deconstruction (3) is a nightmare technically and I wanted to make something lovely before diving into that.
There are a number of guests on the album, but the core is me, Dave Young (Keyboards) Mike St-Jean (Drums) and the fabulous Kat Epple of flute.

I’m about 2 weeks into this one, and I’ve got about a month and a half more work to do if I keep my schnoz to the grindstone.

I’ll keep you posted…

Oh yeah, please remember (and tell your friends…):

THIS IS NOT THE HEAVY ALBUM, that one is next…but they both get released simultaneously so all us misanthropes will have something to vent with before reading a National Geo to Ghost.

pz

dev.

[images & words is the comic book pick-of-the-week at OL. equal parts review and diatribe, the post highlights the most memorable/infuriating/entertaining book released that wednesday]

I’ve spent the last ten minutes gazing into this goddamn word processor. It’s white and bright and winning this staring contest with ease. Fugger! It’s not fair — he’s got pixels and electricity and all I’ve got is the soft gelatin of these dull cow eyes. My retinas will burn out before I think of a clever way to convey my message, so I might as well just lay it out there.

Paul Pope is a master comics creator. And he’s grossly underappreciated.

Those curious about Pope should refer to THB: Comics from Mars #2.

Keep Reading »

[This! Is! Mad Men! recaps the newest developments of Don Draper and his ragtag group of cohorts. In the spirit of the show, it will often be sexist and drunk. Apologies ahead of time.]

I’m worried about Don Draper. He’s always bent the elbow liberally, but never before has alcohol been such a destructive force in his life. Sure, there’ve been plenty of drunks in Mad Men — Freddy Rumsen and Duck Philips spring to mind — but Don’s supposed to be the exception to the rule!

Isn’t he?

When we first learnt of Don’s exploits in season one, there was a certain charm to them. He drinks? He philanders? He steals identities? All right…That’s not too cool but I guess I can see where he’s coming from. He was sympathetic – coming from nothing, he sought solace in the pursuit of the American dream. And just like Gatsby and Willy Loman and Hunter S. Thompson, Don Draper found out the hard way that the dream is dead.

How do know that that Don Draper has hit rock bottom? He gave away his secret identity.

Keep Reading »

As you may or may not know, yesterday was Read Comics In Public Day. It was a joyous day, filled with geeks strutting their geeky stuff in front of the masses. Mrs. Caffeine Power and I saw to it that we outed ourselves as geeks. Well, at least that she outed herself.

I was the big clunky kid wearing the Star Wars t-shirt, I don’t think I could have made it anymore obvious.

We kicked off the day by hitting up the fair streets of Salem, Massachusetts. And in a more rapturous moment, I finally, finally, finally found the first trade paperback of Jeff Lemire’s Sweet Tooth. It was at a comic book shop far from the confines of my regular Nerd Hovel that I frequent every Wednesday. After acquiring said trade paperback, we decided to nerd up a few spot locations throughout Salem. Basically, it’s just me looking stupid and the Future Wife looking beautiful and obliging to my nerd proclivities.

Hit the jump to see how dorky we are.

Keep Reading »

Somewhere around 5AM I Googled “Paul Pope” and stumbled across Comics from Mars #2. Apparently it’s Pope’s newest addition to the THB universe and an exclusive at this weekend’s Baltimore Comic Con. I’ve only dabbled in THB, as I was planning on waiting for the huge collections rather than hunting down issues from the hidden realm of comix.

But bleary eyed, tiring, and a willing gulper of Pulphope-flavored Kool-Aid, you better believe I ordered me one of these.