Comicpalooza or Bust
See you this weekend, nerds
Houston! I’m setting up shop at Comicpalooza this weekend. I’ll be at booth 2740 all weekend, selling copies of WHERE WOLF, including both paperback and limited hardcover editions. For WHERE WOLF superfans, I’m working on having something a little extra available, so come up and say hello.
In addition, I’ll be participating in a couple of panels this weekend:
HUMOR IN LITERATURE AND WHY IT’S VITAL on Saturday at 10:30 AM in room 350DE
HORROR FOR THE 21ST CENTURY: FILM AND LITERATURE on Saturday at 12 PM in room 350DE
Finally, I will do a live reading on Saturday night at 8:30 PM in room 350DE. I have no idea how this will work - so let’s find out together!
Besides my blatant self-promotion, I look forward to checking out the artist’s alley and picking up some new comics - because my “to be read” pile apparently isn’t big enough as is.
But, because blatant self-promotion is important too, I’d like to take a moment to remind you that you can request a copy of WHERE WOLF from your local library or buy a personal copy directly from the publisher, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Brazos Bookstore in Houston, Ghoulish Books in San Antonio, or Whose Books in Dallas. If you've read WHERE WOLF, please consider leaving a rating or review on Amazon, Goodreads, The StoryGraph, or wherever you discover new books.
Speaking of Goodreads, I’m only three ratings away from hitting 50.
Why is hitting 50 important? I’m not sure that it is, to be honest, but I’d sure like to hit 50 before the end of the month. If you’ve read WHERE WOLF, please consider going to Goodreads and rating the book!
I’ve been revisiting the MAD MAX series in preparation for watching FURIOSA. I’ve actually never seen BEYOND THE THUNDERDOME all the way through before so that’s the movie I’m looking forward to the most in this lil’ project.
It’s remarkable how quaint the original film feels in comparison to the bombastic post-apocalyptic films the series would eventually become. MAD MAX doesn’t have any gimp-suited guitar players rocking out on a massive vehicle roided out for the ultimate desert chase sequence and so, despite knowing the original movie is set in an undetermined future, it just seems like it’s set in Australia. In fact, my favorite part about THE ROAD WARRIOR is that it seemingly only took a few years after society crumbled before people started wearing football padding and assless chaps and putting bandannas on dogs.
I finished watching X-MEN ‘97’s first season this past week. I grew up watching the original X-MEN cartoon religiously. It was a Saturday morning experience that single-handedly kickstarted a lifelong love affair with comics. Lately, though, I had fallen out of love with the Merry Mutants. This new Disney+ show, though, has me head over heels for these characters again.
It’s remarkable how this new season not only managed to stay true to the things I loved about the original cartoon but also improved almost every aspect of the ‘90s television show. The dialogue, action, animation, and designs work at a level I could never have dreamed of as a kid. It’s pre-teen boy fantasy but told with the nuance and care of somebody completely unembarrassed by all iterations of the source material.
I can’t wait to see what other ‘90s storylines the show tackles in future seasons. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for an Onslaught of new episodes in the near future.
Richard Linklater’s HIT MAN opens in select theaters this weekend. Glen Powell, who also co-wrote the script, plays an undercover cop who falls for a woman who tries to hire him as a hitman. The chemistry between Powell and Adria Arojona, who continue to be an incredible screen presence, is palpable. I enjoyed this movie, even if Linklater and Powell moved the story away from Houston, where it was initially set, and into Louisana. If you can see this movie in a theater, take it. Trust me - this movie is best experienced with an audience.
Loosely-inspired-by-true-story-rom-coms are back, baby.
I read some incredible comic books this past week.
Charles Burns’ LAST LOOK is a beautifully illustrated portrait of a life wrecked by regret. Combining BURNS’ own art style (weirdo body horror with a retro-realistic sheen) with a parallel tale done in the style of Hergé, LAST LOOK is the “David Cronenberg meets Tintin” emotional gut punch I’ve been looking for since BLACK HOLE.
WIFWULF, from Dailen Ogden, Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and their whole creative team, is a wonderful new take on werewolves. A woman escapes an abusive relationship and finds her self-worth in the woods. This haunting folktale is visually stunning and the story evokes the best of Angela Carter.
I missed out on it during its webcomic run, but Alec Robbins' MR. BOOP is an incredible comic - part elaborate prank, part all-in satire that both mocks and embraces IP appropriation. Read as one complete four-act story, MR. BOOP is high art masquerading as 4Chan shitposting in the best way possible. The book follows a fictional version of Robbins, who is married to Betty Boop and engages in three ways with Bugs Bunny, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Peter Griffin. But, unlike the Tijuanaja Bibles that inspired it, MR. BOOP has something really interesting to say about pop culture appropriation beyond “wouldn’t it be funny to see Mickey Mouse’s penis.” But don’t worry, you also get to see Mickey Mouse’s penis in MR. BOOP.
I found a copy of SLUCH - THE AGGIES’ AGGIE by Jim Earle at my parents’ house. This paperback presents a collection of cartoons that initially ran in The Battalion, Texas A&M’s student newspaper. In the introduction, cartoonist Earle talks about Aggies having a sense of humor about themselves. In my experience - having received a fair share of hate mail for stuff I ran in The Battalion while attending Texas A&M - that wasn’t necessarily true. But then I read the comics, and it’s all “Gee, ain’t class hard?” and “Dames sure are pretty!” so maybe it was me, the guy who tried to publish an interview with the long-dead Reveille mascot that I conducted with an Ouija board, that was the asshole…
Because of Comicpalooza, I’m only hosting one event at the Alamo Drafthouse this week. Join me Wednesday, May 22 at the Alamo LaCenterra for a screening of Elaine May and Neil Simon’s THE HEARTBREAK KID. This cringe-filled rom-com stars the incredible Charles Grodin as a recently married man who, while on his honeymoon, meets a woman who might just be his real soulmate.
If you know much about THE HEARTBREAK KID, you know that it’s almost impossible to watch. The film, not to be confused with the 2007 Farrelly Brothers-directed remake - is out of print on DVD and unavailable on any streaming services. Theatrical screenings are hard to come by either, due to the fact that the film’s rights are owned by global biopharmaceutical company Bristo Myers Squibb!
Do NOT miss this screening. Tickets are available here.