Day 584

Aka Thursday 6^th September

My back felt a little bit more painful today, but I think that is due to being more active yesterday, rather than my back regressing and getting worse. And I read some comics:

‘Giant Days’ #42 John Allison (creator and writer), Max Sarin (artist), Whitney Cogar (colours) and Jim Campbell (letters) (along with designer Grace Park, assistant editor Sophie Philips-Roberts and editor Shannon Watters) tell the sad tale of being in love with someone who is a friend and was in love with you, but has now fallen for someone else, but is still funny. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again Giant Days does a great job in balance humour and pathos, tells a complete story with believable and relatable characters in one issue, while developing the characters, setting up future storylines and always looks great. 10/10.

In ‘Kaijumax Season Four’ #2 Zander Cannon (with colour assists by Jason Fischer, co-designer Dylan Todd and editor Desiree Wilson) continues the high standard of previous issues in, what for me, feels like a clam before the storm issue. We get to know more about the inmates and guards and the temptations and realities they are face, some of which have you shouting at the page “…no don’t do it, you’ll get into trouble and it’ll come back and bite you…”! 10/10.

‘New Lieutenants Of Metal’ #3 (by Joe Casey, writer, Ulises Farinas, artist, Melody Often, colours, Rus Wooton, letters, and Sonia Harris, designer) is a fun, well written and illustrated series, with the ‘New Lieutenants…’ battling the machinations of the ‘Boy Band Nation’ and contemplating (a little) the death of ‘Grunge’, but for me the best bit is the back matter, in which Joe Casey discusses his history with Image (and confirms that Sex Book Six is forthcoming). 8/10. 

I came to ‘Modern Fantasy’ for the art by Kristen Gudsnuk and stayed for Rafer Roberts story (and Kristen’s art). In #2 and #3 Rafer and Kristen Gudsnuk, (alongside Josie Christensen, digital art technician, Justin Couch, designer, Brett Israel, assistant editor and Shantel LaRocque, editor), Sage of the Riverlands and friends rescue Lizard Wizard and train to fight the fire demon. ‘Modern Fantasy’ kinda reminds me of ‘Bright’, but done right. In both the premises is that the world of fantasy, such as orcs and magic, has been part of ‘normal’ live since the beginning of history, the difference is that ‘Modern Fantasy’ pulls this of and makes its world and characters seem thought though, believable and relatable and not like the modern world with fantasy elements shoved in (or maybe 'Modern Fantasy's is the fantasy world with bits of the real world added?). 8/10.

 

‘Rick and Morty’ #41 has two stories, ‘Rick Revenge Squad Part 1’ (by Kyle Starks, writer, Marc Ellerby, artist,) and ‘Adventures In The Public Domain Part 1’ (Tini Howard, writer, Jarrett Williams, artist) both of which have colours by Sarah Stern, colours, letters by Crank!, letters, design by Hilary Thompson, and edited by Ari Yarwood & Sarah Gaydos. Both stories capture the look and beats of the tv show, while using tricks available to comics, such as Mr. Poopy Butt Hole popping in and out of panels to let the reader know which back issue the character is from or referring to. 7/10.

I listened to the ‘The Man From Mo’Wax’ soundtrack, which brought back memories of my early and mid-Twenties, when Mo’Wax was at its height and was the face of British youth/counter culture – it had the look, the sound and the ethos – and, along with Ninja Tune and Skint were the labels that soundtracked most of my nights out and my nights in (the Nineties were great for new genres – Trip-Hop, Big Beat, NWONW, Brit Pop and Skunk Rock, being my top five).

The tracks on this compilation cover a lot of years, but there is a common ground of down temponess, touches of Lalo Schifrin soundtracks, smokey late night clubs, with Saturday nights merging into Sunday mornings and opening the curtains to be blinded by the sun and wondering where the night had gone, woozy and chilled and prowling beats. It’s top notch and timeless, while referring to the past (of hip-hop and jazz) and of their time (no guest vocals from Ed Sheeran on these tracks…unless you count Thom Yorke as the ‘90s Ed Sheeran 😊). 

Highlights for me are DJ Shadow’s remix of Zimbabwe Legit’s ‘Doin’ Damage In My Native Language’ (which is how James Lavelle, aka The Man From Mo’Wax, discovered DJ Shadow), RPM’s ‘Food Of My De-Rhythm’ and ‘Return Of The Original Art Form (DJ Mix)’ by Hiroshi & Kudo feat DJ Milo.

…and listened to some more episodes of ‘The Thing Minute’ podcast and I did the G2 crossword: