Out of print posters by Mike Zeck (The artist of Secret Wars & Punisher)

Taken from mickzeck.com.

John Romita JR and SR in great video interviewed by Stan Lee

Great archive footage of two of the biggest talents form the 60's and 80's Father and son John Romita's Jr. & Snr.

All Time Classic:Fantastic Four #262 'The Trial of Reed Richards'

This issue just has to be one of the greatest comics of the 1980's, I just read it again over the weekend and had forgotten how good it was.It's almost like it takes every major concept Kirby created for the Fantastic Four in the 1960's and it just grabs that ball and runs with it.
      Sure, Byrne's figures are sleeker and a little more elegant, than Kirby's, with his ultra dynamic posing and robust powerful figure work, but this story remains true, to the flavour of what Lee, and more so Kirby, envisioned to be the cosmos as it exists within the Marvel Universe.
      The plot; Richards is made to answer for saving the life of the planet devourer Galactus back in issue 245 (I think) and is put on trial for his actions.After Galactus' life was saved he only went off and destroyed the Skrull throneworld killing 8 million beings, as you do, this is the reason Rchards is on trial.
       The jury is mostly composed of other races that have survived Galactus' assault on their world, so it's pretty obvious that Richards will be found guilty. In the public gallery there is a great assortment of the weirdest looking aliens, kind of like the bar scene from the first Star Wars film, all of them baying for Reed Richards' blood. Richard's pleads guilty to the charges levied against him..This further incites the partisan jury.
       Richards answers that he is merely guilty of the charge of saving Galactus' life, and reasons that Galactus is beyond good and evil and is therefore neutral and that Galactus has a greater role in the universe than merely destroying planets, that there is a higher purpose to his actions in the grand scheme of the cosmos. Princess Lilandra discounts this logical  thought progression of Richhards as 'childs arithmetic' where as the Watcher acting in Richards' defense says 'here this lone human has the intellect to understand the cosmos using simple logic'.

Then Galactus himself shows up telling the court that Richards' is among the few if any mortals he acknowledges as friend, and the interesting scene here is that all the different races perceive Galactus differently as their mortal mind  cannot comprehend a cosmic being of this magnitude.He appears humanoid to us but differently to all the different alien races. this is conveyed wonderfully in a beautiful splash page which shows Byrne at the height of his imaginative and artistic powers.The Watcher warns Galactus that he is doing Richards no favours by appearing at the trial as he is he is inciting the gallery to a combination of fear and hatred.

Galactus and how he is perceived by us and all the other races in a masterful touch by Byrne

The Watcher sends the Torch off to get get Odin of the Norse Pantheon and the assemblage is awe of the being in the presence of a God. He claims that Richards is not guilty of anything as Galactus is a force of nature and not the malevolent being that the assemblage thinks. This cuts some ice and nearly gets Richards off the hook. The final testimony is from Eternity the corporeal form of the universe itself and we are treated to a recounting of Galactus's origin and Eternity explains that Galactus exists to test planets and to weed out planets that do not pass the test, and reiterates that Richards is innocent.The trial ends. The Fantastic Four are returned to Earth.
John Byrne appears in this story as he is at a loose end on what to write in the next issue of Fantastic Four and he is told by the Watcher to recount the tale of the trial of Galactus while it is fresh in his mind as in his words 'such knowledge will fade as it is not meant for mortal minds' (Gotta love the Watcher.) The episode ends on an ominous note as the Watcher says the day Galactus is stopped and defeated , 'Let the universe mourn'.

Final Page;The Watcher and writer/artist John Byrne

Hinting,not so subtly, that it would be the end of everything. A true classic and a fine example of the shared Marvel Universe being used to its full potential, in crafting an intelligent science fiction thriller.

Galahad Lager e7.99 for 12 in Aldi

It's almost an urban legend; 12 cans of lager for the princely sum of e7.99. I often got it for 5.50 just because the wrapper was damaged.
    The question is; is it piss? The answer is a resounding no.. It may taste a bit bland and once you get past the sterile ambiance of the packaging and can design, it goes down easy, and is very drinkable. It is far from unpleasant, and no, the rock bottom price did not sweeten my palette. It's slightly weaker than most lagers at 3.9%.
    Someone tried to suggest to me that the can is unlined inside, which is bull. If that was true it wouldn't be allowed on the shelf. This comment came from a gentleman as he reclined in his armchair a midst the decadence of a six pack of Dutch Gold.
         If bereft of transport and within walking distance of supermarket, a good idea is too have a durable reusable plastic bag with two strong handles (The brown reusable ones from Dunnes Stores are the daddy) as the ones sold in Aldi will not always take the strain as it is a heavy motherfucker.. It exerts quite a bit of stress on   most bags as it swings when you're avoiding human traffic, prams etc en route to HQ.
         There's probably some beer snob out there scoffing at this man's folly for championing an inferior brew, but just because it wasn't brewed in the austere cloisters of a sheltered Bavarian monastery since the 1600's does not necessarily mean it's piss. A winner...

Shawn Michaels My Journey: Review

Just watched Shawn Michaels My Journey 3 dvd set. It's great. This format was a departure from WWE's normal format. Michaels talks you through the matches beforehand in a candid and relaxed fashion, rather than having one disc devoted to a documentary, and then 2 discs featuring matches and interviews. The match quality of course is fantastic, as you'd expect from a wrestler of Michaels' calibre. Interviewer Michael Cole asks many pointed questions regarding the matches on this set. Michaels answers them in wholeheartedly, and in the most candid fashion, he's not afraid to knock either himself or the WWE and Vince McMahon.
    If you want to catch Michaels' more famous bouts you need to buy 2003's From the Vault or 2007's Heartbreak and Triumph, which also has a documentary aswell giving a great career overview, with great contributions from former partner Marty Janetty on their rockers days, as well as Ted DiBiase, Jim Ross and longtime cohort Triple H.

Classic:Action Comics #597 (1988) 'Visitor'

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    This is one of my favorite Superman comics ever. It is written and drawn by John Byrne. It occurs right in the aftermath of 1988's modestly successful, critically and commercially, Millenium crossover, which ran through nearly all of DC's line in '88.
         The plot is quite simple; Lois travels to Smallville to get answers about the Manhunter androids who had taken over the denizens of Smallville. Lana Lang had traveled to Metropolis and ripped Clark Kent's shirt open (luckily Kent didn't have costume on) and flew out of the Daily Planet window using her Manhunter powers.This prompts reporter Lois to make the trip to Smallville.
         When she gets to Lana's house she finds Superman and Lana in an embrace. She is quite shocked as are Lana and Superman, by her sudden, unanounced arrival. Lois is starting to put two and two together about Superman and Clark Kent. She directly puts the question directly to Superman.


 Luckily Ma and Pa Kent arrive on the scene for the save. Pa thinks on his feet and tells Lois how he and Ma Kent raised BOTH Superman and Clark.



 Lois reacts with disgust, feeling that Superman fed her the odd scrap as Superman gave all the good stories to Clark, including the exclusive story of the first appearance of Superman. She feels she's been played for a fool and storms off in a huff. Clark later comes by her hotel room to explain and an irate Lois slams the door in his face. Clark sort of talks her around as the page becomes split in half, one half showing the conversation and the other showing Lois' relationship with her military and chauvinistic father. In a masterful touch by Byrne we get to see some of what makes Lois tick in these flashbacks as Lois is made to feel second best by her father as he had always wanted a son. The parallel here is between the similarity she imagines between Clark/Superman's treatment of her and her father's. It is obvious that the fallout from this perceived deceit will not heal overnight.
       The next day as Lois is leaving Smallville Lana brings her to a small diner to discuss the situation and tells Lois that Clark loves her. Lois visits Jose (Gangbuster) Delgado in hospital. He's been crippled by a supervillain created by Lex Luthor. Jose is very bitter, and he and Lois have a very touching scene. Superman then walks in and tells Jose he did well to still be alive. He asks Lois if she wants a lift home and

Jose Delgado (Gangbuster)

  she says she'd rather walk from now on, meaning their relationship has changed irrevocably.      

       What's great about it; this is one of those rare issues where there is absolutely no superheroics and is a great example of character study. In this issue we learn more about the Post Crisis Lois Lane than ever before through a simple flashback scene. The famous love triangle shared-by-two dynamic takes on a completely new wrinkle, and it is this that gives the story it's impetus. It's beautifully paced. Every so often Byrne cleverly drops visual hints that this is a time of change as we see in the foreground or background, browning, falling leaves. The passage of the seasons mimicking the changing dynamic of Clark/Superman and Lois' relationship. Of course then there is the artwork. Byrne depicts Smallville wonderfully with long windiing fences and furrowed fields. There is also vast open spaces and little farmhouses dotted around. It is almost Rockwellesque. Lana's house has that wonderful homely feel. The diner is evocative of a million other small town diners across the world in terms of it's decor and mood. Kenneth Starr's inks take away some of the slickness of Byrne's pencils in an effect that emphasizes the hazy feel of an autumnal afternoon in a small country Hamlet. A winner.

Batman Premiere Shooting, Aurora, Denver Colorado.

My heart goes out to the people of Aurora, Denver, Colorado today. It's a sad reflection of the times we live in today when innocent movie goers are butchered wholesale. What drives this mindset? Is it a reflection of a deep sickness at some level of society? Who knows. As I write this it is breaking news. I find it deeply disturbing and may God bless the victims and families involved.