Eks-citement! I'm Bonafied!

"Street Level Avengers versus Traffic That Fights Back!"--posted by "cvain" on the Newsarama Message Boards in response to the announcement of an Avengers/Transformers mini-series. The Controversy starts here!

Greetings, my minions!

I come bearing the most tasty of news that I will now pelt at you in a chronologically correct, bulleted fashion:

--Orlando's Mega Con was fun. Daryn and I met comic book pros (not the hooker kind), we drank beer, and contemplated the complexities of the human condition at a TGIF.

--My first "real" interview with an industry professional, that I conducted while in Orlando, was published on Newsarama. Read it here. Mike Carey is awesome--check out his site.

--I apparently did a good enough job with Mike Carey's interview that Newsarama is considering paying me to indulge in all my sexy dorkiness. CHA-CHING!

--I interviewed Steve Niles last week. IF Newsarama doesn't run the feature--I will feature it somewhere else (see next pellet)!

--"Rally 'Round the Family with a Pocket Full of Shells!!!" Shotgun Reviews gets a new look and several new writers--INCLUDING YOURS TRULY! That's right, now not only can you hate reading the shape of my font on the Eks Factor; you can also go here--!BANG BANG!

--I'm also writing a pretty awesome article featuring the band A-Ha. Yes, the guys that sang "Take on Me" a million years ago. They are actually one of the hottest acts in Europe and they have been FOR YEARS. They are really much better than what we think, as slaves to the US Music Industry, so I hope you give that a read. I'm going to interview their biggest American Fan, Chuck Rassmussin.

--Look for the new Best Shots this morning around 10AM EST. I think it'll be one of my best reviews ever--803 Studio's anthology book, Sequential Suicide: Rottingwood Road and Powers #23. Plus, I give my two cents on Aunt May catching MJ's bullet in the newest issue of Amazing Spider-Man.

--In the works: I got confirmation from Jimmy Palmiotti tonight. I will interview him and discuss Jonah Hex and a ton of his other projects he has going on--including his thoughts on the creative process and writing comics outside the superhero genre!

Awesome, huh? Yeah I thought so too. Well, I finished up a few DVDs--here are a few quick thoughts.

Art School Confidential was great. I totally love the mockery of pretentious art students most of all. Plus, the cast is just pitch perfect--their look is so natural. John Malkovich is the perfect cast for a sexually ambiguous, art school professor and I get all befuddled in the cockles of my heart when Sophia Myles is on the screen--methinks she's all that and some black tar heroin. I give it 4 out of a total of 5 possible Picasso love-slaves under the age of 18.

This Film is Not Yet Rated should be a documentary watched by every person who considers themselves a modern "movie snob". Kirby Dick's film had me scared and laughing all at the same time. We are all slaves to the the major corporations of the U.S. and this film sets you up on a path of truthiness and discovery. Check it out--a documentary that's fun and full of Hollywood conspiracy...and Kevin Smith is in it too! I give it the shape of a triangle as an abstract rating that can be interpreted objectively.

Watching The Science of Sleep very soon...just wasn't in the mood after I saw Hannibal Rising which was pretty good. So good that I bought the Hannibal Collection--maybe I'll break those down on Shotgun...hmmm, pondersome.

Don't laugh but I'm going out to buy the new Justin Timberlake CD tomorrow. I'm owning up to the fact that I like this guy's music by openly purchasing it in a Target somewhere in the U.S. (see I'm still embarassed enough to not tell you where in the U.S.) I have to support musicians I actually like--this guy isn't such a raging bag of douche after all--well, I never knew if he was in the first place, I only assumed. Tsk, tsk...

Well, I'm off to ponder some more writing projects and to watch "Hannibal".

If you love me, you'll go to Shotgun and register for our Message Boards, if not then I hope you get shingles or scabbies--your choice!

Go, or it's your liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.
EKS

Listening to: Talking Heads, a mixture of their Greatest Hits and some live downloads the MP3 Fairy gave me.
Reading: Arkham Asylum from DC Comics, by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean
Watching: If you don't know, then you didn't read, @$$hole.
Plans for tomorrow: Playing "Human Slide" with my daughter, Katie :)

Eks-cuse me, I'm busy.

"If you wanna smear mud on your ass, smear mud on your ass, just be honest about it. Look Gene, I've never told anyone this before, but I can suck my own dick, and I do it a lot." --Can of Vegetables, Hot Wet American Summer

Sorry I haven't posted--I'm almost not as frequent as I would like to be. This weekend I'll be posting my feelings on some DVDs:

This Film Is Not Yet Rated
Art School Confidential
The Science of Sleep

Next week, expect to see a ton of reviews over at Newsarama on Best Shots. I'll be featuring:

Loveless #15
SHAZAM! The Monster Society of Evil #1
X-Men Annual #1
The Irredeemable Ant-Man #5

I'll also take a short, "pellet"-sized shot at:
Uncanny X-Men #483
Jonah Hex #16
Incredible Hulk #103
New Avengers #27
Spider-Man: Reign #3

Also, I might throw in a review of the new Hellboy: Swords of Storms direct to DVD cartoon.

I've been busy...and pages from my graphic novel may start appearing in semi-completed form either here on the blog or over at my ComicSpace page. Talk to me people!

If there's anything you'd like to find out about a big chunk of the indy comics scene--nows your chance to ask me--I'm heading to Mega Con in Orlando next week to cover it for Newsarama and to network--send me a mail or post any questions you may have.

Back to work!
Steve