Friday, March 10, 2017

Friday Slice of Heaven, Slice into the Woods 3/10/2017

Welcome back, Donist World Denizens! For those of you new to our site, I’m Donist, and I am joined by Donist World CFO the Reverse Obie* (my friends’ Boston terrier whose fur recently swapped colors) and by our marketing director / administrative assistant / party planner / Luponic Distortion lover Tulip (my dog, Reverse Obie’s sister). I ain’t gonna lie, Denizens. I’m still reeling from seeing the amazing Logan this past Sunday, but I’m trying to maintain my composure and keep my enthusiasm on the down low because I know how much my puppy executive team really wanted to see this fine film. Thankfully, next week, we can ALL enjoy Iron Fist on Netflix even though advance reviews of the first six episodes have not been all that great. But that’ okay, we’re psyched anyways, and I’m sure there will be plenty for us to enjoy; it’s also inspiring how both Tulip and Reverse Obie have dyed their white, furry chests with black winged serpents. It’s totally bitchin’. But until then, stay positive, tattoo your chest with a winged serpent, have a beer or a strong ginger ale, RESIST the evil of #45, take care of yourself, and while you’re at it check out some great comics. Thank you for reading!

*Obie, through his dabbling in arcane magics mixed with ancient corrupt business practices, has had not just the colors of his fur switched, but a complete overhaul of his work ethic as well…I think I’m kinda okay with the mishap.

***Possible Spoilers Below***

Friday Slice of Heaven


Low #16

Written by Rick Remender, illustrated by Greg Tocchini, colored by Dave McCaig, lettered by Rus Wooton, edited by Sebastian Girner, published by Image Comics. Oh, no wonder I had no idea what had happened in the previous issue; the last time we checked in with Low was the beginning of August. That’s okay, though. As long as we continue to get new issues of my favorite post-apocalyptic, underwater-sci-fi comic, then I am one happy Donist. That said, I had to check back on my issue #15 post to remind myself of what had happened, and I now see that Stel Caine was left in a dire situation. Dang, Denizens, my favorite optimist was pretty much screwed last time, but at least now we…ummmm, this issue doesn’t even touch on Stel, or her twin daughters, Deja and Tajo. Nope, instead of moving forward with those characters who are, hopefully, living, we instead take a trip back in the past to the time Marik was forced to be a gladiator for the Pirate King Roln. Admittedly, I was at first taken aback by this decision, but then I noticed the story centered on an intriguing character I had never seen before — or maybe I need to do a reread — and this cool new character looks to play an important role going forward. Yes, I was disappointed for the first third of the issue but thrilled by the time I came to the end. The art is lovely as ever, although I was confused by the double-page spread of the arena and the hovering cube / television things, but those moments are few. McCaig’s complementary colors are especially delightful during certain key moments and give Tocchini’s art an otherworldly life. So, yeah, I really wanted to catch up with what remains of the Caine family, but this new character holds much promise. We’ll just have to see what happens next month. If you aren't reading this exciting creator-owned series from Remender — boy howdy, does he have a lot of ‘em nowadays — then you can quickly catch up with the three available trades, which I strongly recommend you do. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Man-Thing #1

Written by R.L. Stine, illustrated by German Peralta, colored by Rachelle Rosenberg, lettered by VC’s Travis Lanham, published by Marvel Comics. I’m not sure if this book’s for me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, and I applaud the Big Two anytime they step outside their comfort zone and give us something groovy and weird — see Weirdworld and Cage! — but I guess I have a different idea of who exactly the Man-Thing is. Y’see, I remember Man-Thing as written by Steve Gerber, and from my sorely-missed Power Records 45, and The Micronauts #7. I guess what I am saying is that I like the near mindless, monster whose touch burns those who know fear. I might also have a touch of jealousy of Stine, who has made a healthy living scaring the bejesus out of children with his writing, which just so happens to be a dream of mine, but best not to dwell. <sigh> Anyhow, this version of the muck monster has his mind fully intact and he finds himself as a down-on-his-luck monster-movie actor struggling to get by. Huh, after writing down that brief description, I kind of like the book a bit more. The story is good, but the art is most heavenly. Holy cow the art is beautiful. I love Peralta’s take on the Man-Thing whether he’s standing around in all his teeny-tiny-headed glory with his face roots flailing about, or duking it out with another creature. Rosenberg’s colors, especially on the title character is positively gorgeous; those piercing red eyes sunk within the various tints and shades of yellows and greens are spectacular. So, yeah, I’ll give the next issue a shot to support Marvel trying something different, and if you are a Stine fan or a fan of beautifully rendered swamp creatures, then this is definitely a comic you should take for a spin. RECOMMENDED!

Logan

I’m not used to writing movie reviews so I will keep this relatively short. I love this movie. Love it! I did the usual superhero movie ritual of grabbing lunch at Hollister Brewing Company and having a couple beers with my wife before heading over to the theater. I had avoided most of the trailers for Logan and for the past couple of months, after being less than thrilled by X-Men Apocalypse, I was fairly indifferent to seeing this film. Then the praise started rolling in. It is much deserved. This is the first Wolverine movie that has an actual story, that has emotional heft, that avoids much of the zip, bop, bang nonsense and character assassination (hello first attempt at Deadpool…yuck) found in the previous solo films. There is definitely action, and lots of it, but the action is crucial to the story and not just there to wow the audience. In fact, many sequences are brutally violent, but each is so intricately choreographed that even the most extreme moments are a thing of beauty. What really pulled me in, though, were the tremendous performances by Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Stephen Merchant, and the tremendous Dafne Keen. It is stunning what these actors can do once you remove the constraints of being “superheroes,” and they are allowed to be actual people; I felt for each of them. I was also struck by the film’s somber tone, which reminded me of a mixture of the best Western films and of my all-time favorite video game, The Last of Us. Dang, we’re going on almost a week since I saw the movie, and I cannot stop thinking about it. If anything above sounds interesting to you, then you need to immediately run out and see this movie on the big screen, but be warned that it is definitely an R-Rated film and that you most likely will not leave smiling. Logan is not just a great superhero movie, but rather a great movie in and of itself. I am counting the days until the release of the Blu-ray. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Slice into the Woods


The GOP, Their Man #45, and Healthcare - What the GOP and their champion #45 are trying to do to the Affordable Care Act (remember, Obamacare and the ACA are the same thing) is pure evil. I wonder what changes could happen if the members of Congress had to give up their cushy health insurance for the lowest level of insurance held by their constituents. On top of that, they should also be restricted to attending only VA hospitals for any and all services they or their family members require. I’m pretty certain both insurance and the conditions of VA hospitals would drastically improve. These “public servants” need to remember who they work for.


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