Monthly Archive: March 2010

Tomorrow is the day you’re supposed to officially fill out the US Census. As you should know, the Census is used to determine allocation of House seats, electoral votes, and federal funding relating to
transportation, agriculture, health, education, and housing.

But there are other reasons to fill out the form as well, and I’ll let co-husbands George Takei and Brad Altman explain it:

And here’s another reason: The national average on the return rate for census forms is 34%. In much
of Texas, the more
Republican the area, the lower the return rate. In Briscoe County
in the Panhandle, McCain/Palin won nearly 75% of the vote — and 8% of
locals are sending in their census materials. In King County, near
Lubbock, McCain/Palin won nearly 93% of the vote — and only 5% of
locals are answering the census.

So if you fill out the census, it’s like you’re voting– and if someone else doesn’t fill it out, they aren’t.

Warner Home Video released Sherlock
Holmes yesterday and tomorrow, those
possessing the combo pack can participate in a Live Community Screening
of the film with star Robert Downey Jr. participating. The event is
scheduled for 9 p.m., April 1 (no fooling) and people can sign up here.

Additionally, in support of the DVD release, WHV held a contest where a fan was chosen to learn the same sorts of stunts Downey mastered for his role as the detective. Take a peek at the results.

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A couple of weeks ago, the trailer for IRON MAN 2 came out and people are STILL talking about how cool it was to see a version of the “briefcase armor.”

But some of you may not be familiar with this. What exactly briefcase armor? Why is it cool? How has it evolved over time? How does it even make sense?

Fortunately for you, the Crazy Sexy Geeks have put together this short video explaining all those answers, followed by a fun montage of Iron Man’s many looks over the years.

NOTE: We did not include armor Tony wore in alternate universes (such as ULTIMATE) or possible futures (Arno Stark). We also did not include the armors seen in the infamous “The Crossing” and “Teen Tony” storylines because we would like to pretend those stories never ever happened.

Enjoy!

Hot Tub Time Machine‘s Rob Cordrry has a few dream projects in mind – one of which is starting in the big screen version of a little comic created by Garth Ennis. Can we make this happen, or better yet, can he?

Rob shares his thoughts here plus a Dragon sized box office, 24 clocks out and the passing of the legendary Dick Giordano.

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Possible tag lines? Oh, we got some:

Seven Total Strangers Team Up For The Perfect Crime. They Don’t Know Each Other’s Name. But They’ve Got Each Other’s Liscensed Foot Clan Headbands.

Four perfect killers. One perfect pizza. Now all they have to fear is Dominos not delivering to the sewers.

And of course: Every dog rat has his day.

On the Odd Hours (Louvre Collection)

By Eric Liberge
NBM Comics Lit, 72 pages, $14.95

Art is in the eye of the beholder, we’ve been taught. But it’s also a matter of the soul so some works move people while others are bored silly by the same piece. Apparently, there’s far more to the paintings and sculptures than one might imagine if you buy into Eric Liberge’s graphic novel [[[On the Odd Hours]]].

The third in an imaginative series of graphic novels co-published by NBM with the Louvre Museum, this book tells of Bastien, a deaf mute who has had an internship arranged for him by his loving girlfriend. Instead, he winds up missing his appointment and being recruited by a deaf guard to join him on the nightly rounds.

The night guards are charged with looking after the souls of the artwork, sounding percussion instruments in order to let them free and roam a bit before returning to their usual positions for the daylight patrons. Bastien is being recruited because the guard is old and sick and the legacy must continue.

The premise is certainly an interesting one but Liberge fails to make Bastien an interesting character, robbing the entire story of its power. The plight of the deaf mute is a difficult one, but we’re told he’s been difficult from birth, refusing to train himself to operate in the world. We have no clue what his girlfriend sees in him or why we should care for someone with contempt for the rest of the world. Had we seen some redeeming feature, his frustration with the haring world would have worked a lot better.

His mentor, Fu Zhi, delights in slowly revealing the museum’s true self to Bastien but with his illness, one would have expected him to explain more and prepare Bastien for his new role. Instead, Fu dies and Bastien winds up being fired from his job.

The entire final section of the book is Bastien’s immature attempt to regain his work and to protect the Louvre’s treasures. By the end, I am left deeply dissatisfied with the story.

Liberge’s artwork is attractive and works in a muted palette, making everything, even the classic works, feel drained of life. He’s ill-served by the small format of the book, 6.5” x 9”, so everything feels cramped. His balloon and caption placement is also dreadful and could have used a helping hand from his editor for greater clarity. 

Where he excels is in depicting how the deaf communicate and you gain a greater appreciation for their situation in a world built for oral and audio communication. A little less successful is how he shows the sonics freeing the souls of the artwork, especially as he frees most of them for the daylight climax.

Many will no doubt judge this as an artistic success for Liberge, who has graduated from fanzines to a fine career as a French graphic artist but for this patron, the work left much to be desired.

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