RIP George Pérez

RIP to an absolute legend in comics.  It's kind of hard to even describe what a giant George Pérez was in the industry.  The illustrator is probably best know for his work on "Teen Titans," "Crisis on Infinite Earths," or "Infinity Gauntlet," but his influence can be seen and felt everywhere.  He passed away yesterday.  RIP George Pérez.

RIP Stan Lee

Man, this one stings.  It's hard to even fathom the kind of impact Stan Lee has had on our popular culture, or more specifically on me when i was a kid.  I was painfully shy at times growing up, often paralyzed at even the thought of venturing out to make friends, and for a time comic books were my little world to get lost in, a balm for the loneliness.  And how i loved Stan and Kirby's and Ditko's creations, each one more iconic than the next.  They meant the world to me.  Forever a "Make Mine Marvel" guy, rest in peace Stan Lee.  Excelsior!

Poser

Waxwork is at again with more comic book / 7" vinyl madness.  This time around brings us the first issue of a new series "Poser" by Matt Miner and Clay McCormack, a horror story set in an underground punk rock scene setting.  Whereas the "House of Waxwork" books have an old school EC vibe going for them, "Poser" looks like something that might have been on Vertigo in the late '80s/early '90s.  Toxic Holocaust's Joel Grind provides the soundtrack.  Listen to both tracks below, described by the label as "Black Flag meets John Carpenter" and "Discharge meets Tangerine Dream."  Sweet.  Get it here.

The New Mutants

Evidently, Josh Boone is making a horror movie...but with X-Men in it.  Check out the trailer for next year's "The New Mutants."  I am so down with this.

House of Waxwork

Already a fantastic record label releasing absolutely beautiful reissues of film scores, the good folks over at Waxwork Records have really come upon one of the coolest ideas i've heard in a long time.  The label has begun putting out a horror anthology comic book called "House of Waxwork," and each issue comes with a 7" soundtrack (if you will) of music composed for the stories within each comic.  It's awesome, and it's out today.  Go get it here right now.  And stream the record below, featuring work from Rami Sharkey, Kevin Dredge, The Budapest Scoring Symphonic Orchestra, Douglas Pipes, and Creeper.

Also, dig on how much "The Die-rector" resembles David Lynch.

RIP Bernie Wrightson

RIP Bernie Wrightson, one of my all time favorite comic artists.  His work redefined illustrated horror.

RIP Darwyn Cooke

 It's being reported that comic book writer/illustrator Darwyn Cooke has passed away today from cancer at the age of 54.  He was one of the greats, crafting images and stories with a retro flair and ultimately optimistic tone that stood head and shoulders above everything else out there.  To me, his work carried a sense of wonder akin to the way comic books made me feel when i was a little kid, and every book he was involved with was a must-buy.  He certainly made his mark too, from his now iconic redesign of Catwoman to his current retro-noir Parker graphic novel adaptations to "New Frontier," easily one of the best comic series to come out in the last 25 years.  He will be missed.  RIP Darwyn Cooke.

Looks like i've got some stuff to go back and read again this weekend.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

I gotta love it when something makes my inner nerd excited, and the promo that was released yesterday for the upcoming "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." on ABC got me wiggling.  Joss Whedon is on board, as is Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), and one can only assume that any number of Whedon players could possibly show up as the show progresses.  It will be interesting to see how a TV show moves and shakes throughout a universe that takes place on the big screen.  Watch below.

East of West

Every now and then i feel compelled to toot the horn of a comic book series that i'm into.  And lately those books have been cranking out from Image Comics, which is kind of amusing (especially to someone who's been collecting comics for 25 years) since Image used to be the publisher that valued style over substance.  All the early books were rip-offs of other superhero books from the big two (Marvel and DC), hyper-stylized versions of the X-Men or Spiderman or Batman and so on.  So it seems odd now that some of the most original and fantastic work ("Fatale," "Saga," "Bedlam," "Sex") is coming out on said publisher, bu that's the way it goes.

All of this brings us to the new series from Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta.  "East of West" is a sci-fi, western, revenge tale set in a dystopian version of the United States involving the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.  Oh, and Death intends to hunt down the persons who have done him wrong, including the president.  Count me in.  The guys at my local comic store feel that Hickman is the smartest writer in comics these days, and those dudes generally know what they're talking about.  I cannot recommend this book enough.

"The things that divide us are stronger than the things that unite us."