That's no comic...it's a space station

Alrighty, time for another post. w00t. So the reason for this update is because of a poll I've been taking. I've been asking people who their favorite comic book character of all time is. I've gotten some pretty surprising answers, and not one of them has been the same. I'll update on that soon. However, the poll got me to do some thinking of my own. So I present to you for your pleasure:

Brandon's Top Ten Comic Characters of All Time!

Throw a dramatic echo in there for effect. Yeah, you get the idea. Now these ten fellows (yeah, they are all guys, not being sexist, just how I feel) are all based on my life experiences, and I don't expect you to agree/disagree either way. Just throwing them out there.

Number 10: Scarlet Spider

Yeah, yeah, I know. The Scarlet Spider, one of the infamous clones of Peter Parker that ultimately led to the series' demise. But Scarlet Spider, aka Ben Reilly, was different. He could've been so cool. If they had stopped with him, the clone thing wouldn't have been so bad. In fact, when he was around, I caught myself liking him better that Spidey himself. And the fact that he hooked up with Betty Brant, Parker's old flame, made him even cooler. Too bad they took it too far, and ended up killing one of the greatest comic franchises ever. Alas, Scarlet Spider, you could've been a contender.

Number 9: Violence Man

An obvious parody of The Punisher, Violence Man gave me a new appreciation for comics. He showed me that they can be witty and fun, and keep my interest without being over the top existential and such. Just a fun guy to be around, unless you are a criminal. Then you get some pain topped off with a nice one-liner.



Number 8: Hellboy

Hellboy is a fun guy. A demon summoned from Hell, he decided to shun his heritage and fight on the side of good. Which, of course, is the US of A. Another witty comic with awesome art. Hellboy takes the superhero image and turns it upside-down. In a good way. Not like Spawn. Who shall never be mentioned again.


Number 7: Dream

Neil Gaiman has always made for some spectacular reading. I was a fan of Sandman back before I even knew who Neil was. It wasn't until I had read through American Gods that I realized who I was dealing with here. That said, Dream is a compelling take on the myth of the Sandman. He had some pretty interesting conversations with Death, too. I need to finish the series to get the full respect he deserves, but so far Dream is climbing the list fast.

Number 6: The Tick

Absurd. Ridiculous. Hilarious. All these word describe The Tick, one of the greatest superheroes ever conceived. With his battle cry of "SPOON!" and his absurdly long speeches about justice and whatnot, The Tick both makes fun of and makes tribute to superhero comics of all types. Never a more noble hero was there than The Tick, and he lets you know every chance he gets. A man's man, yet also subtle, like a dandelion being cut down with a chainsaw. That, my friend, is The Tick.


Number 5: Nite Owl II

Dan Dreiberg is such a dork. He doesn't have much luck with the ladies, but he has a ship shaped like an owl's head in his basement. Poor guy, he's just go the hots for Silk Spectre II, but he only has any game when he's Nite Owl. Otherwise, you'd think he got his lady skills from a Catholic priest. Anywho, Nite Owl is one of the deeper characters on this list. He's almost painful to watch in action as Dan, and yet peerless as Nite Owl. Like Peter Parker if he had never gotten together with Mary Jane, and instead pined from afar until all hope was gone. Maybe it's sad that I relate to poor Dan more than most comic characters.

Number 4: Silver Surfer

Gotta love the Silver Surfer. He's the best thing to come out of the Fantastic Four. Once herald of Galactus, the planet-devouring force bent on binging on all the universes resources, Norrin Radd has been infused with the Power Cosmic by his former employer. Now he fights on the side of good, and has been known to oppose Galactus directly to save the planets he once was charged to doom. Plus he has a surfboard. In space. Wicked awesome.


Number 3: Luke Skywalker

Luke Skywalker isn't a comic character, you say? Then what about this:

"Who can have a greater appreciation of See Threepio, Artoo Detoo, Lord Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chewbacca, or the Jedi Knights than the blushing bullpen that has brought you Spider-Man the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Dr. Strange, and the Silver Surfer; as well as the ever-evil Dr. Doom, Galactus, and the deadly Red Skull, among countless other bigger, better, and badder-than-life comic-book cavorters,"

Who said that? Frickin' Stan Lee said it, in the intro to Marvel Star Wars, which would kick off a nine-year run of original adventures with Luke Skywalker and friends in a galaxy far, far away. I rest my case.

Number 2: Spider-Man

Peter Parker. He's a loser. A dork. Nobody really likes him. He spends all his time in books and studies. No wonder I related to Spider-Man growing up. He was me, but he got a chance to stir up his life. Bitten by a radioactive spider, Peter's DNA mutates, giving him the abilities and strength of a spider. At school, he's a loser, but now, on his own time, he's taking down baddies like Doc Ock and the Rhino and barely breaking a sweat. The worst part? No recognition, and with guys like J. Jonah Jameson on his case all the time, the pressure was on for Peter Parker. I like Spidey because he's an everyday guy who happens to have powers. The cloning thing went too far, I'll admit. But they seem to be back on track with Ultimate Spider-Man. Here's hoping.

Number 1: Venom

Spidey's sometime villain, sometime ally. Eddie Brock has a hatred for all things Spider-Man, but can put it aside when times call for it. Namely, when Carnage goes running amok. One of my favorite characters if just for the origin in the Secret Wars. Thanks to Peter Parker's curiosity, we have all these symbiotes on the loose. Venom looks tough (and is) but he gets his priorities right in the end. Most of the time. Coolest character ever.


Well, that's that for my picks. I'll post another with some of the favorites I get from my poll. Any disputes on my list, let me know, so we can argue, dork style. Peace.

Double the posting, double the FRENCH TOAST

So yeah...another day, another blog. I knew once I got started on this there would be no stopping me. Thanks Jenn. Anyway, I sit here at home because apparently my endeavor to the local IHOP ended in tragedy, leaving me clutching my stomach and cursing the ground walked on by whomever invented French toast. So...once again, I have to lay out of work for some time. Thank God for MetLife...lol.

So yeah, I went with my sister-in-law to take my poor cat Pippin to the vet today. He's allergic to flea saliva, and if he is bitten even once it gets in his bloodstream and he proceeds to chew himself to death. Fun. He was bitten a few weeks back when my mom visited with her dog and, to her surprise and our dismay, he had some fleas. They are gone now, but Pippin is still chewing. My sister-in-law was going to take him since Emily and Olivia are in Montgomery right now and I would be at work, but thanks to FRENCH TOAST I got a vacation day. So we got his shots updated, and he got a shot to take care of the allergy. The poor cat doesn't like anything out of the ordinary, so he nearly had a coronary when the doctor was looking at him. Plus the vet office has a bird that imitates everything, and it was mocking Pippin from the moment we entered. But he is home now, and hopefully on the way to recovery, with a follow-up in two weeks.

So on the way home, to thank my sis-in-law for helping, I decided to get us breakfast at BK. And what do I order? FRENCH TOAST STICKS. Lovely. Why am I stupid sometimes? I must still be freaked out by the deadpan waitress from IHOP last night...my mind isn't clear. So I sit and suffer the wrath of double French toast, while actually (for once) wishing I could be at work instead of using vacation time that I would rather save. At least the cat is okay.

Two nights, two landmarks, and a whole lot o' oddities...

Well well, my first blog ever. I figured this might be a good time to start, as much excellence (or lack thereof) that has been hapening over the past few days or so. And since most people who will read this already know of the birth of my beautiful daughter, I'll not bore you with that. There shall be plenty o' blogging on the subject of Olivia soon enough, but right now she is a newborn, so not much to write about except sleep and poop. So on to different subjects!

First thing: I went with the Jenns and Doug to see Watchmen tonight. I'm going to write as if everyone knows what I'm talking about and not give some synopsis of what it is or such crap. Anyway, here's my take on the movie...

Visually, the film had some ups and downs. I think Zack Snyder's style fit the feel of the comic very well. However, this also led the film to be less movie-like and more comic-esque. Certain visual effects that worked very well in the comic were less effective and believable on the screen. Lots of scenes were taken frame-by-frame from the comic. Very cool and very odd at the same time. Overall, I liked it though.

Musically, the movie went some odd directions. The opening with Dylan was cool, 99 Luftballoons and Hallelujah were less cool. There is a scene where Ozymandias is talking about the future of world energy and the melody of Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was playing subtly in the background. Very nice touch that will probably go unnoticed by people on the first or second viewings of the movie.

Onward to the meat. The writers changed very little of the plot, but they did make one major rewrite that really left me a little baffled. Not to put spoilers, but for those who know, the end with Ozymandias is a little off. Okay, a LOT off. But it still worked alright. The end result is the same. Other minor edits to fit the plotline into a two hour forty-five minute movie were barely noticable.

The acting left something to be desired. Both Silk Spectres missed the mark in my opinion, and Billy Crudup was horrendous as Dr. Manhattan. That said, Patrick Wilson was superb as Nite Owl II, and I am glad to say that Jeffery Dean Morgan was PERFECT as The Comedian. I had my doubts about him, and they were all banished within minutes. Kudos to you sir. Rorschach was also done very well by Jackie Earle Haley, and Ozymandias was fairly good, played by Matthew Goode. He looked a little like the youngest son on Home Improvement, but what can ya do?

In conclusion, after quite a bit of deliberating, I think I liked the movie. Of course, it pales in comparison to the book, but what movie doesn't? I think it was as well done as Watchmen could have been, and if nothing else will serve to expand the audience of the book it was based upon.

Okay, time to change the pace a bit and talk about another classic brought to life. Okay, maybe not a classic, but another chapter in a classic series. I'm talking Star Wars people. Those of you who know me well know that my love of all things Star Wars is so intense as to be classified as a character flaw. That being said, when I first heard about The Force Unleashed Project, I was skeptical. Not since 1996's Shadows of the Empire had such an undertaking occurred. While that one worked out well, this new one, which was released September of last year, just seemed a bit campy. I mean, come on, Darth Vader's secret apprentice? But I decided to give it a chance.


In the project we had the release of a novel, a video game, a graphic novel, a campaign guide to the Star Wars Roleplaying Game Saga Edition, and some other stuff I'm sure. I got my hands on the novel sometime last year. Upon reading it, I found it to be very enjoyable. Different from what I was used to, but no less excellent. However, its one thing to read about Vader's apprentice in the book and seeing him in action on the screen. I was VERY apprehensive about the video game, but after a very nice lady on Craigslist sold it to me for a reasonable price, I decided to give it a shot. Good decision.

The game itself is nothing to write home about. Missions, hordes of baddies, and boss fights and the norm. It is the story that makes this game worth playing. Vader's apprentice, Starkiller, is an excellent character. Protrayed by Sam Witwer of Battlestar Galactica and Smallville, he is a believable and sympathetic character, even if he is a Sith. The acting in the game is fairly good, except for some issues with Juno Eclipse, played by Nathalie Cox She just seemed to keep the same tone throughout, whether the scene was urgent, funny, romantic, etc. Oh well, Star Wars has never been about exceptional acting (I'm looking at YOU, Hayden Christensen) so I guess its acceptable.

I dont have much else to say about the game. I beat it yesterday, and it was great fun to see it in action. I recommend it to any SW fan or anyone who likes swinging a lightsaber. Just don't expect great depth or anything.

Well, I guess that's it for this post. I'll be catching ya on the flipside.