2 in 1 Showcase Episdoe 147: Best of 2009 Nomination Special

It’s that time again! With only a month left in the year, the boys get together to make their nominations for the greatest in comics in 2009. Blake, Kenny, occasionally Mike, and Chase (via e-mail) make their choices and then leave it up to you to cast your votes by e-mailing the show by December 18! The guys then read a few e-mails, talk about the future of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and make this week’s picks, including Kenny’s Justice League of America #39, Mike’s Booster Gold #26, and Blake’s Monsters, Inc.: Laugh Factory #3 Contact us with comments, suggestions, or anything else at Showcase@Comixtreme.com!

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 147: Best of 2009 Nomination Special
Inside This Episode:

NaNoWriMo 2009: Finish Line

Twenty-eight days and 62,731 words later, I’ve crossed the finish line, my friends. I’ve completed work on the first draft of Opening Night of the Dead, my 2009 National Novel Writing Month project, with three whole days to spare.

I finished the story last night at about 12:30 a.m. I actually hit the required 50k a few days ago, on November 24, but I wasn’t finished with the story yet so I barged forward. I actually had my two most productive days of writing after I hit the 50k mark, with a burst of creative energy on Wednesday the 25th, then a slower day for Thanksgiving. Then yesterday, with the ending in sight… I’ve never been surfing, but I imagine that last burst of a novel is similar to catching that big wave and just riding it as far as it will take you.

I’m especially proud because, although I’ve met the 50K word requirement every year that I’ve taken this challenge, this is the first time since 2005 (when the project was a book you may have heard of called A Long November) that I actually finished the story itself and didn’t just make the word count prior to the end of November. That’s a pretty big deal to me, I have to admit.

“So Blake,” you ask, “What do you do now?” You’d think I would take a break, wouldn’t you? Sure, maybe if you didn’t know me at all. I am putting aside Opening Night for a while, though. Every writer learns some things about his own technique and style after a while, and one of the things I know to be true is that I cannot begin editing a project as soon as I finish the first draft. It’s still too fresh, I’m still too in love with the little lines and the little beats that a more objective eye can tell need to be changed — or even removed — to make for a better story. I need at least a few months before I can even think of beginning the editing process.

So what will I be doing instead? Well, two projects are in my immediate future. First, I’ve got to write my annual Christmas Card short story. I’ve got the plot, even the title, all planned out. It’s just a matter of putting pen to paper on that one. The other thing I need to do is get heavy in the edits for Cross-Purposes, to get that book polished up and ready to record to present in the Evercast in early 2010. Cross-Purposes, I should remind you, is my 2008 NaNoWriMo project. So that should give you an idea of my usual editing cycle.

So one project ends, and it’s back to an older one. But hey, this is what I love to do. So wish me luck, friends. It’s back to the grind.

What I’m Reading: Blackest Night #5

This issue: really bad stuff happens that I refuse to spoil, because you need to read it yourself.

Honestly, I could probably stop typing here and already have said everything I need to say, but I’m not going to do that because I feel like I should at least make the text reach far enough to wrap underneath the image at the right of this post. Awesome cover, isn’t it? Ivan Reis is the man.

Anyway, this issue picks up seconds after the end of Green Lantern #48. The seven leaders of the Corps that make up the emotional spectrum have finally united and are on a quest to seek out and destroy the Black Lanterns’ central power battery, unaware that it has manifested on Earth. Back home, Barry Allen is holding the line, and he’s not alone. The Justice League and Titans are there with him, fighting off the swarm of Black Lanterns and their newly-risen lord, Nekron. What nobody realizes, though, is that they may well be playing right into the God of Death’s hands.

One of the things this series was supposed to do at the outset was address what many people (myself included) have called the “Revolving Door in Heaven.” That comic book phenomenon where some characters just keep dying and coming back, dying and coming back. In fact, if you look at that cover, every character swirling around ol’ Nekron there is one who has come back after taking their own dirt nap, some of them terribly recently. This issue, the explanation brings us to one of the most chilling moments yet in this series.

I wouldn’t want to be one of Earth’s defenders this month, but it’s a great time to be a reader. Geoff Johns pulls off one of the twists of the year, doing something that (as all the best twists do) feels perfectly logical and reasonable, but that we never would have seen coming. This issue, again, shows us just why so many are calling this the best are calling this the best comic book event in years. Again, myself included.

Rating: 9/10

What I’m Reading: Green Lantern #48

In deep space, Hal Jordan and the other light-bearers he’s drawn together are seeking out the last two they need to have the entire emotional spectrum united, but Atrocitus and Larfleeze will not prove to be as rational as Sinestro and Saint Walker. Alliances are forged, betrayals revealed and long-buried secrets come to light.

While I wouldn’t go so far as to call this an “origin issue,” we do learn an awful lot about the motivations of the Red Lanterns in this issue, Atrocitus in particular. While he may be incredibly dangerous, it’s not beyond reason to think his rage could be justified. As for Larfleeze… Larfleeze is funny. There were several times reading this issue where I legitimately laughed out loud. Geoff Johns is playing the character for laughs, and he’s telling a great story in the process. His part in all this is becoming clearer, the truth about him being peeled back at the same time as we learn about Atrocitus. We even get a tiny little  hint about the ultra-secretive Indigo Corps.

Doug Mahnke must be having a blast on this title. Since taking over at the outset of this storyline, he’s spent most of his time in space, working with the various Corps involved in the War of Light, with aliens and monsters, with super-cool energy effects and so forth. In the grand scheme of things, this book really is something of a calm before the storm for Blackest Night. It’s one last chance to pause and catch our breath before the stuff really hits the fan in issue #5 of the main title. But this is no doubt a necessary step, and it puts the characters right where we need them as we move into the second half of this event.

Rating: 8/10

What I’m Reading: Justice League of America #39

Even before their “official” team takes over the book, James Robinson and Mark Bagley are having some fun with the remnants of the previous team in this Blackest Night crossover. The rag-tag team, including Vixen, Gypsy, Dr. Light,Zatanna, Red Tornado, and Plastic Man, stand in the broken husk of the Hall of Justice, where the Black Lantern corpses of many of their enemies have recently arisen. It’s not just the enemies they’ll need to deal with — Gypsy and Vixen find themselves facing their late teammate Vibe, Zatanna confronts the soulless corpse of her own father, and Dr. Light seeks out the villain whose name she has been trying to redeem for years.

As always, Robinson’s grasp of character is impeccable. He puts these heroes through real Hell, and they’ve started from a pretty nasty place to begin with. The duel between Zatanna and Zatara is epic, exciting stuff. Zee already had to watch her own father’s soul destroyed in the Reign in Hell series — fighting his body, battling him spell for spell… it’s wonderful. We also get some really good stuff here with Dr. Light. In fact, Robinson in general has become quite the champion of that character, both here and in Superman.

Bagley isn’t just one of the top artists in the business because he’s consistent. He’s also good. The women especially look good here, and the slowly-melting Plastic Man looks like he’s in major agony. Bad for Plas, of course, but it’s impressive in the terms of the artwork.

This story tales place after Robinson’s Cry For Justice miniseries which — as of this writing — still has two issues to go. But between that title and this one, I’m more than satisfied that the book is going to be in very good hands.

Rating: 8/10

What I’m Reading: Teen Titans #77

The core Teen Titans are busy getting into seriously nasty stuff over in Blackest Night #5 this week, so the title is handed off to former member and usual back-up feature star Ravager, in a story written by the Blackest Night: Titans writer J.T. Krul.

Ravager has finally tracked down her father, the murderous assassin called Deathstroke. The confrontation between the two of them is heated enough, but when you come from a family of assassins, you’ve got a lot of Black Lanterns out to hunt you down. Daddy and daughter are forced to work together against demons from their past, both blood and otherwise. Krul again has taken characters that haven’t been living up to their potential lately and made them really strong characters. In the course of this story, you can feel the conflict within both characters, long before the Black Lanterns crash the party.

This is the kind of thing these two should be doing. While Deathstroke never felt right as the anti-hero he was made out to be for much of the 90s, he does still have his own code of honor and, more importantly, a sense of family that’s important to him. Even when his own daughter would rather see him dead. Krul manages to tap into a really great slate of characters to turn on the Wilsons as well — some of the Black Lanterns most likely to mess with their heads (which, of course, has been the primary function of the Black Lanterns to date).

Joe Bennett’s given us some pretty solid artwork too. He does some of the best work on the Wilsons, Slade and Rose both, and I love his Black Lanterns. While we’ve seen a lot of the same basic page this month (Black Lanterns bursting from their own graves), he does it well. This is truly one of the strongest issues of Teen Titans in quite a while, and none of the main cast even appears in it. Dan DiDio has named Krul as a writer to watch. I hope he gets a regular assignment soon.

Rating: 8/10

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy Evercast #5!

Hello, everyone! It is Thanksgiving here in the States, and as always, we’re gearing up for a day of feasting and family. But as Linus Van Pelt would remind us, Thanksgiving is about far more than just dinner. We live in a country where many, many people had to suffer, fight, die to win us our freedoms over the past four centuries, and on this day more than any other, those people deserve our gratitude. The people in our lives deserve our gratitude. The people we love deserve to know it.

So Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and while you’re eating (I will be to) remember all the things that really make this life worthwhile.

Okay, enough of the schmaltz. I’ve still got a new episode of the Evercast for you today, friends, and as Thanksgiving for many of us marks the official start of the Christmas season, why not take a page from my good buddy Walt Kneeland and give A Long November a listen while you’re on your way to Grandma’s house?

This week on the Evercast, I talk Thanksgiving, National Novel Writing Month, and the new promo I’ve put together before taking you guys into part four of A Long November. In this episode, it’s Thanksgiving for Duncan, and Lou is growing desperate. There’s only one thing left he can think of to save Duncan before time runs out. It’s time for “The Trip.”

A Long November Part Four: Invitations (Evercast #5)

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Theme music by Jeff Hendricks. Evercast logo by Heather Petit-Keller. Additional music: Merry Freakin’ Christmas by the Mydols & Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Opp Sept Demo, provided by the Podshow Podsafe Music Network.

Send your e-mails to BlakeMPetit@gmail.com.

A Long November, along with eight other Christmas stories, is now available free of charge as an eBook from Smashwords.com. If you’ve got a Kindle, iPhone, Sony eReader, or virtually any other eBook-reading device, you can add the book to your device. Visit the book’s page at Smashwords.com!

Everything But Imaginary #330: Thanksgiving at the JSA Brownstone

It’s time for a special Thanksgiving treat courtesy of the Everything But Imaginary players! Step into Rip Hunter’s Time Sphere and accompany us on a quick jaunt just one day into the future, where we travel to the JSA Brownstone in New York. The decorations are hung, the walls are packed, and the aroma of turkey, ham, and Ma Hunkel’s famous Pumpkin Pie fill the air. Three generations of superheroes are gathering, and this year, you’re going to join us for…

Everything But Imaginary #330: Thanksgiving at the JSA Brownstone

What I’m Watching: Peanuts 1970s Collection Vol. 1

It’s still a tad early to break out my Christmas DVDs, and as far as Thanksgiving goes, there are really only two DVDs worth watching (A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Garfield’s Thanksgiving, both of which I’ve reviewed before). So with this week off work, to fill a little time, I took down a DVD I picked up about a month ago and popped it in: Peanuts 1970s Collection Volume 1.

Like the 1960s collection I reviewed a few months ago, this DVD includes several TV specials I’ve already reviewed in their original DVD releases. Also like that one, I got this DVD mainly for the specials I didn’t already have in my collection elsewhere. I can only hope that when this line gets to the 1980s, we’ll finally get a DVD collection of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show. Rather than run through all of them again, this set includes the previously-released cartoons You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown.

Now for the new cartoons. On DVD for the first time, we have the 1971 special Play it Again, Charlie Brown. Although almost all of the Peanuts specials made ol’ Chuck the title character, this special is really about Lucy and Schroeder, the Beethoven-loving pianist of her dreams. In an attempt to win his heart, Lucy arranges for Schroeder to have his first public piano recital. Schroeder is initially grateful, and it seems that Lucy’s plan may actually be working… until she discovers the recital she’s signed him up for is a rock and roll concert — no Beethoven allowed. As you can imagine, Schroeder is none too happy with this news, so Charlie Brown and the gang step in to help. This is definitely one of the better episodes on the disc, certainly the best out of the three “new” cartoons. There’s a lot of great music here, and it gives a spotlight to a member of the gang who usually spends his time in the background.

Next up is There’s No Time For Love, Charlie Brown, the 1973 special that ultimately inspired the epic motion picture Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Or something. With his grades struggling, Charlie Brown sees a chance to redeem himself by writing a paper on a class trip to a museum. But a misunderstanding strands Charlie Brown in a supermarket with Peppermint Patty and Marcie. And as if his grades weren’t a big enough problem, the girls’ conversation about how lovable ol’ Charles is may wind up being more depressing than anything else. The Charlie Brown-Peppermint Patty-Marcie pseudo-triangle has always been one of the most interesting relationships in Peanuts. Both girls, clearly, are in love with Charlie Brown, although Patty would never admit it, and while he’s completely oblivious to their feelings, it doesn’t save his own feelings from being shattered. It’s a kind of sad little cartoon, even at its funniest.

Finally, we get the 1974 cartoon It’s a Mystery, Charlie Brown. Sally, Snoopy and Woodstock take center stage here, when Sally is required to do a science project based on something from the natural world. The next morning, Woodstock is horrified to discover his nest has been stolen. Snoopy, in true Sherlock Holmes fashion, dons his deerstalker cap and sets out to crack the case. This is a nice little spotlight on Snoopy and Woodstock, and the nature of their friendship, and it also allows him to interact a little with a lot of members of the cast, including Linus and Lucy, Pig-Pen, and Peppermint Patty (who totally misinterprets Snoopy’s intentions) while trying to solve the crime. The climactic scene, with Lucy taking off her psychiatrist hat in order to offer “legal aid,” is a really good piece.

We also get a new short documentary on this disc: Woodstock: Creating Snoopy’s Sidekick. While every fan knows that Woodstock was a later addition to the comic strip, and didn’t even have a name for the first three years of his existence, this short discussion about the character does a very good job of discussing not only the circumstances of his creation, but analyzing the impact he had on Snoopy’s character, how he allowed more tales to be told that wouldn’t have worked with any of the kids. Woodstock was a character that more easily assimilated into Snoopy’s fantasy world.

This is a pretty good DVD, even if you already have half the cartoons in the set (as I do). For the fan, it’s worth getting.

What I’m Reading: Adventure Comics #4 (and Superman/Batman #66)

Superboy-Prime’s journey as a character has been a pretty unique one. He started out in the original Crisis on Infinite Earths as a hero, became a villain in Infinite Crisis, and kept on building himself as a threat throughout Sinestro Corps War, Countdown, and Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds. When last we saw him, he had been given both his greatest desire, and served his most devastation humiliation. His universe, Earth-Prime, was restored, but he was stranded there. Even worse, he was regarded as a joke, a comic fan’s cautionary tale. You see, on Earth-Prime, all of the DC Comics we know and love are presented as fictional stories, and only Prime himself knows that they’re very real. Now he’s trapped on this world, the ultimate irate fanboy.

Geoff Johns really takes advantage of the fictional nature of the DCU this issue, as Adventure Comics #4 begins with Superboy-Prime reading Adventure Comics #4. Horrified by the ending, he sets out to find out what’s going to happen in issue five. Meanwhile, back on New Earth, as the Black Lanterns claim his one-time ally, Alexander Luthor, Luthor crosses dimensions to get his vengeance on Prime.

The story has some really funny moments here (Luthor’s spot-on diagnosis of what the internet really is being my favorite), and it also features some awesome art by one of my all-time favorites, Jerry Ordway. We also get a glimpse of the team I call “Legion-3,” which we learned is the Legion of Earth-Prime’s 31st century. They’re keeping an eye on Prime, and that seems to be a nice set-up for future stories.

This is one of DC’s second feature books, in this case, the Legion of Super-Heroes. This story also picks up on Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds, as Blok, Dawnstar, and Wildfire visit the former Legionnaire who has taken Mordru’s place as the master of magic. There are some really chilling things here, and although I know Johns will soon be leaving this title, I desperately hope incoming writer Paul Levitz is planning to run with this. There’s some great potential here, stories just waiting to be unlocked.

Rating: 8/10

I set out summer to review all of the Blackest Night comics here at the Realms, not knowing at the time that there would be a crossover or two in books that I review on a regular basis over at Comixtreme.com. (If you haven’t been there lately, by the way, I do a buttload of reviews on a regular basis.) This week’s Superman/Batman #66 is a Blackest Night crossover, the first of a two-part storyline by Scott Kolins, in which the Black Lantern Solomon Grundy faces the warped dopplegangers of our heroes, Bizarro and Man-Bat. Rather than re-write a whole review here, I decided to just provide you guys the link to my CX review. If you’ve been enjoying the Blackest Night reviews, just click on that for another one.