iPad: Once again, I’ll be honest and say that if it has the Steve Jobs stamp of approval on it, chances are damn good that I’ll own it. This device, however, was even a bit of a stretch for me in terms of justifying a purchase. My initial reaction to it, like so many others, was one of “I have this already. It’s my iPhone”. However, over the months since it’s April 2010 launch, I’ve found it vying for the spot as the single most used piece of tech in my household, second only to the television. For being something that I don’t “really” need, the iPad has managed to ingrain itself into the very fabric of my daily routine. It’s first thing I take out when I get to work, it’s the first thing my daughter asks for when I get home and it’s very often the last thing I see while reading a book in bed or watching a late-night television show with my wife. Say what you will about it, the iPad has managed to exceed my expectations by doing the impossible: carving out a niche in my already over-filled tech life.

Twitter: I was a fan of Twitter in 2009 (and put it on my best-of list then too, I believe) but this simple program has continued to show it’s usefulness in 2010. Part of what makes it so fantastic is it’s simple core structure; 140 character messages, nothing more. With this simple premise, however, Twitter has become my major news source, a vehicle for communicating with podcast listeners and keeping tabs on people I find interesting or inspirational. Hell, it’s even becoming a great vehicle for promoting your movie in the hands of Kevin Smith. Twitter shows that a simple, cleanly executed idea can become so much more when in hands of a creative and active user base. Let’s also mention that the fantastic mobile twitter app, Tweetie, was acquired by Twitter and their subsequent iPad and Mac offerings have become my favorite way to access the service.

Dropbox: This may go down as the most important program I installed on my devices this year. Simply put, Dropbox is a spot on the cloud where I can put my shit, to be accessed by all my devices that need said shit. While other programs and services do something similar, it’s the way in which Dropbox does it that sets it apart. It’s clean and simple with an interface that requires little thought. It’s automated, so it never feels like an FTP program and it’s fast so that uploading things isn’t a pain in the ass waiting game. The simplicity and ease of use make it a program that entered my workflow right away and stayed as an integral part of accessing things from anywhere. It’s a service I simply can’t live without now and it’s saved my ass a number of times. It’s my favorite new discovery of 2010.

The Social Network: I’m not sure, exactly, why I found this movie so inspirational. By all accounts, Mark Zuckerberg is I guy I just couldn’t stand to be around for more than 5 minutes. However, the story of how a college kid and his buddies managed to create a computer program that would embed itself into the very culture of America is a fascinating one for me. There is something about the story of an idealistic young man that takes a risk and becomes a success with that vision that really appeals to me. Sadly, it’s probably just me wishing I had the balls to do something similar but David Fincher’s film really spoke to me. It was also shot in such a warm and beautiful way, using the old Harvard campus to great effect, that it really sucked me into the world. Add the fantastic performances by the principle actors and the eerily quiet score by Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross and it was film that set the bar for me in 2010.

Cooking/Mexican Cuisine/Rick Bayless: In November of 2009, I had a rather life changing moment when I ate at Topolobompo, a gourmet Mexican restaurant owned by chef Rick Bayless. After eating what still stands as one of the most interesting and delicious meals of my life, I walked over to a counter that held a series of cookbooks by the chef. Standing there was a member of the cooking staff on break, reading one of the cookbooks. He spotted me browsing, turned to me and pointed at the book “Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen” and simply said “That one’s the best”. I took his advice and proceeded down a year that was dedicated to not only cooking traditional Mexican food but one where food was finally put into perspective in my own life.

I had cooked off and on over the years but never in a purposeful way. 2010 became the year where I dedicated myself to the idea of good food, prepared simply and in my own kitchen for my family. I wanted to capture the feelings that had been awakened during my meal at Topolobompo and by February, I had hosted my very first dinner party featuring Mexican cuisine. 2010 was the year of cooking meals for my family almost every day and with each new dish, my confidence as a cook grew stronger and stronger. I began consulting my mother on recipes she used to regularly make for us as kids, adding them back into the fabric of my life and passing those flavors onto my own children. In addition to meals for my family, I had the joy of cooking Paella with Moe on an outdoor brick oven for 30 friends, and serving Red Mole to a couple who understood it’s significance and history. Be it meals for everyday or celebratory moments of my life, 2010 was the year where I began to dedicate life to food and it’s proper place in my world. It has been one of the most joyful and satisfying endeavors I have ever undertaken.

Arcade Fire-The Suburbs: This disc captivated me during the summer of 2010 in a way that no other album did. It spun in my car, streamed off my iPod, iPad and Mac at every given opportunity. These songs had hooks and chord progressions that kept me engaged and they even managed to make the whole “concept album” idea palatable. Add to that the fact that they represent an Indie band that managed to reach the pinnacle of the venerated Top 10 list and you have something special. Now, if only everything hadn’t been ruined by their Saturday Night Live appearance which revealed just how goonie that lead singer guy is. Seriously, it’s like Lurch meets Kraftwerk.

I realize there are no videogames on this particular list and it’s not because I didn’t play them. I just feel like I’ve said all that on the podcast, so you can check that out if you’re curious as to my top 2010 games. With that, I’ll close by simply saying a big thank you to all the folks who have listened to us this year, helped celebrate our 5th year of podcasting and continued to make the show a fun thing by writing in and leaving us fantastic voice mails. 2011 represents the third year of Robot Panic’s existence and as such (if we stay true to form) it’s about time for us to start blowing shit up. I just want to thank you for being the kind of people who are mostly cool with that kind of thing and it’s nice to know we have such fun people along for the ride.

2010 was packed. So much that looking back I can hardly believe it all happened in just one single year. It was also a different sort of year for me as I did my best to focus on living, rather than simply consuming. This was as much a conscious decision as it was one born out of necessity. Now the father of two young boys, I find myself with less and less time to enjoy the frivolities that we generally celebrate here at Robot Panic, and more obliged to savor every moment I have that isn’t spent changing diapers, assembling toys, or pretending to chase invisible monsters in my house. As such, I purchased far fewer games, watched less than half the number of films I saw in 2009, and pulled the plug on a number of TV shows that I just didn’t have time for.

But don’t mistake my tone to be one of regret. 2010 was one of the most personally fulfilling years of my life. It was the year I was able to actually return to creating things, rather than just talking about them. The Shmopera was the first time in years that I sat behind a real drumset and felt competent. It was the year I really embraced fatherhood to the fullest and discovered that despite all my cynicism and reluctance, I really enjoy being a family man. I bought a cabin on the lake where I spent nearly every summer of my childhood, investing in a place where my young family can grow together and create great memories over the next several decades.

My Fortress of Solitude

Fret not, gentle readers. I won’t spend this entire post rambling about how I love my wife and kids and gushing over baby pictures. Without further ado, let’s get to the important shit, shall we?

Comics: I’m starting with comics because buying comics was the most consistent thing I did all year. Without fail, I made my weekly trip to the comic book shop to pick up books that provided me with much-needed escape from my hectic life. I found that I’ve all but left the Marvel universe this year, due to their over-emphasis on the multitude of Avengers franchises and lack of anything really interesting going on in their regular books. In fact, unless I’m mistaken, the only Marvel books I currently pick up on a regular basis are Iron Man, Captain America, and Secret Avengers. The first purely out of habit (Tony Stark’s journey to win back his fortune hasn’t been all that fascinating), and the last two simply because I’ll buy anything the Ed Brubaker writes.

In the superhero world, DC has been getting the bulk of my cash this year, and most of that is spent on the Batman franchise. Bruce Wayne finally returned, and as a result I now pull about a half-dozen bat-books per month. Detective Comics, Batman, Batman and Robin, Red Robin, Batman, Inc., and probably one or two others I’m forgetting. I’m glad they found a way to keep Dick Grayson in a Batman suit for the time being, but I can’t say I’m too fond of the whole “Bruce Wayne publicly admits to funding Batman all these years” story line. In fact, it makes the whole “secret identity” gimmick far less believable than ever; especially since Vicki Vale just about blew the lid on it last year anyway.

But the best comic books I’ve read this year have had nothing – or close to nothing – to do with men in tights and capes. The best book on the stands, bar none, continues to be Scalped. A pulp/crime drama set on an Indian reservation with all sorts of side stories, multiple story threads, and amazing action, Scalped finally beat out The Walking Dead this year as my favorite series.

The other book that has been blowing my mind is Chew, a story about FDA agent Tony Chu, a cibopath who can learn the backstory of any plant or animal simply by eating it. He uses his powers to solve murders (just take a bite out of the victim), and track down criminals. It’s an amazingly entertaining series full of brilliant writing and great hidden jokes on every page.

Scarlett by Brian Michael Bendis is also near the top of my list of must-read books this year. I know I gave Bendis a written lashing last year for the whole resolution to the big Marvel event that he orchestrated, but he sure came bouncing back with Scarlett, the story of a girl who’s been wronged and is out to whip some serious ass.

And then there was Casanova. It’s hard to describe Casanova. Spy book tripped out on acid? Sure, I guess. But that doesn’t do it justice. It’s complex, funny, and challenging. But it’s worth your time.

And finally, I can’t end a comic book rant without getting a plug in for my beloved Ed Brubaker. Whether it’s another great run on Criminal or his new installation of Incognito, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I will buy anything this guy puts out. He’s never, ever let me down.

Music: My aforementioned process of stripping away the excess in my life has had a huge effect on my music buying and listening. I’ve spent much of the year rediscovering albums in my collection, and that included about a month or two where I listened to nothing but “Pet Sounds” by The Beach Boys. I’m also just about finished re-purchasing the entire John Lennon solo catalog now that they’ve been remastered and reminding myself just how fucking brilliant the man was.

But in the way of “new” music this year, for me, nothing topped LCD Soundsystem’s “This is Happening”. It’s music in a genre I rarely get into, but every damn song on that album had me shaking my aged, fat ass. I’m ashamed that it took me so long to take SimpleNate’s advice to buy it, but I made up for my sins by listening to it over and over for nearly the entire month of August.

A close runner-up was “Brother” by The Black Keys. Two white dudes from Ohio doing a killer take on Delta blues. Gotta love it. I listened to this one almost as much as “This is Happening” and enjoyed every last track, especially “Ten Cent Pistol”. “Brother” was the perfect album for late nights sitting out under the stars while sipping on some Surly beer.

After that, the list starts to dwindle fast. I loved “The Suburbs” by Arcade Fire, but can’t decide if I like it better than “Neon Bible.” Either way, it’s a great album and a remarkable achievement in the whole “concept album” endeavor they’ve been chipping away at for seemingly their entire career. And I can’t decide if I love MGMT’s “Congratulations” or find it silly and pretentious.

Aside from that, what really struck me about my music habits in 2010 is that while I’m always actively seeking out something new and interesting to listen to, the wonder of modern technology and programs like iTunes, Grooveshark, and my friends’ recommendations via word-of-mouth or Twitter mean that at long last I’m no longer slave to popular culture. To this day, I have never heard a song by Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, or any of the other current “big things”. And I say this not as a badge of honor, but simply a recognition that I no longer have to participate in a musical culture in which I have no interest. I’ve been told that a few of those artists have put out interesting material, and I’m sure that’s true. But I’ve just reached the age where I simply don’t give a damn to turn the dial of my radio to the local “modern hits” station or watch whichever industry awards show where these types of people are paraded about. I’ll let the party-goers gossip about Kanye and Taylor as they dance to the latest auto-tuned bubblegum hit while I grow old clutching onto my Rolling Stones and Hendrix vinyl albums, not yearning for days gone by, but glad in the fact that my world no longer needs to overlap with that one.

Movies: This one’s gonna be short.

Am I crazy or did the majority of 2010 just seem as though it was about nothing but Inception and Toy Story 3? Granted, How to Train Your Dragon was pretty bad ass, but until December, those were the only two big-buzz films of the year that I can recall. To be fair, they were both phenomenal films and ones that I could watch repeatedly. But it certainly seemed like a slow year at the box office.

I did mention December, though, and that month brought True Grit, which further cements the Coen Brothers as two of the greatest filmmakers of our time. It’s great that they can go from producing little niche films like A Simple Man to massive hits like True Grit in the span of a year, and both films are so different yet fit perfectly within their catalog. I wanna see them take on sci-fi next. Deep space science fiction by the Coen Brothers. That shit’d be awesome.

And then there was Tron: Legacy. I’m sure Hilden will wax philosophic about this in much greater detail than I’m capable of, but I’m still of two minds about the movie. On one hand, I was just as apathetic about it as I was the original Tron. That movie was nerdy and 80s, which was a good thing, but it also was boring as absolute hell. This one upped the neat-o factor by a billion, gave Jeff Bridges’ character a Dude-like makeover, and oozed with style. Yet, it still felt a bit dumb and clumsy to me. If nothing else, it created an interesting world that I’d like to see more of. I just hope they remember to include an interesting story next time.

My favorite movie of the year, though? None of the above. My favorite flick was Machete. My wife and I went to see this on opening night and we both had a blast, quoting the movie for the rest of the week. What can I say? I like to have a good time at the movies.

Tech: The iPhone 4 is now more valuable to me than my dick. And that’s not just because I had a vasectomy this year. This thing does everything and it goes everywhere. I just need it to function as an automobile, provide shelter, and dispense food and I’ll never need anything else as long as I live. And you know what? iPhone games can be good. Damn good. Cave dropped a few wonderful titles for iPhone, and I now have an admittedly clunky, yet legitimate TurboGrafx-16 emulator on my phone! I can also listen to radio stations from all across the globe, watch Netflix, organize my comic book pull list, and write music…on my phone! We live in the future…

And then there was the iPad, a device I was certain I didn’t need until Hilden – that rat-bastard – bought one and brought it to the podcast. It wasn’t love at first sight, but it planted a seed. And that seed would grow over the next several weeks as I found out about all the new and awesome shit I could use it for. Next thing I knew – BAM! 64GB iPad in my possession. That thing is now loaded with movies, games, books, magazines, and tons of activities that keep my kids entertained and help them learn. And reading Wired magazine on iPad? One of the coolest things I’ve done all year.

And really, that’ll about do it for me. 2010 was pretty fucked up as far as world events went. Floods, earthquakes, oil spills, celebrity nonsense, crazy deaths. But for me? 2010 was pretty bad ass and I hope I’m able to build on it in 2011 and beyond. As always, thanks for sticking with us for another year and thanks for
hanging out. We enjoy having you around, talking about games, movies, and other random nonsense.

Ok, I want one. I want one RIGHT EFFING NOW!  I don’t care if have to sell my house and all of my worldly possessions, I want a Batmobile!  In all seriousness folks, for those who have $150,000 just burning a hole in your pocket, you too can own a 1960s style batmobile.  These units are custom made, officially licensed by DC (so you know they are good quality) and come fully equipped with:

• Working flamthrower exhaust (F YEAH)
• DVD player with in-dash LCD screen
• Car sports Radir wheels with accurately shaped bat spinners
• Brand new GM 350 crate engine
• Awesome chrome-painted seat buckets
• Red Bat emergency beacon light (in case their is a crime to get to)
• Batbeam antenna grid
• Bat-Radar
• Actuator switches for raining and lowering the hood and trunk
• Kick ass high end stereo to rock out the Batman theme

Batman and Robin costumes NOT included…

Order yours today here.

This week, we continue our look at some recent animated movies by exploring Marvel’s latest foray in the epic tales of one of their most beloved and yet conflicted heroes, The Incredible Hulk. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the Hulk; perhaps this stems from my Dad making me watch the 1970s TV series every Friday night.  Regardless, I’ve always found the dual nature of this unstoppable force to be one worth reading about.  I will admit, however, that both Plant Hulk and World War Hulk were series that I somehow missed.  Therein is where the beauty of this film resides. For upon watching the show I was immediately drawn to my favorite comic book store to pick up the trade and read it.  Here, Marvel is adeptly showing us how the power of a good story is crucial to any successful comic translation.

The story is pretty simple.  Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and the rest of the Illuminati have placed our green hero on a shuttle bound for a peaceful planet.  Iron Man declares that The Hulk has become too powerful and needs to be put on a planet where he can no longer hurt anyone.  Upon hearing this message, The Hulk gets pretty pissed off and destroys the shuttle’s navigation system sending him crashing to the planet Sakaar.  After emerging from the wreckage The Hulk is captured and carted off to an imperial coliseum.  Here, he and other slaves must do battle with powerful monsters in order to win their freedom.  At first, all the Hulk cares about is going home (presumably to kick Iron Man’s ass), but after awhile he befriends the group of revolutionaries he is forced to fight with, and together they attempt to free Sakaar from the tyranny of its dictator The Red King.

There are plenty of things to love about Planet Hulk, including some notable cameos in the film.  In the comics, The Hulk in forced to do battle with the Silver Surfer who has also been captured by the Red King. This was an amazing sequence in the comic and you should all take time to check that out.  However the replacement character that Marvel Animation chose was none other than Beta Ray Bill.  One might find this odd as it comes so close to the Hulk vs. Thor cartoon, but I enjoyed it tremendously.  I’ve always loved the Beta Ray Bill story and as such have always wanted to see the monstrous figure turned hero in more action sequences.     

The other thing I really enjoyed were the side characters in the film.  All of them were quite interesting, and while not as flushed out as they were in the comics, each one had a great backstory that is explored in flashbacks.  There is even a love interest for our green hero, a female warrior named Caiera who possess great strength and can go toe to toe with the Hulk.  The action sequences with Caiera and Hulk are fantastic and feel somewhat akin to foreplay.  This leads to a relationship at the end of the film that doesn’t feel forced at all, in fact it felt quite real.  And for a Hulk fan, that was a nice surprise indeed.  
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Like many of us, I grew up watching and loving Saturday morning cartoons.  You know, when Saturday morning was a big event and they had real cartoons on all morning long.  Heck, the major networks would even have special “preview shows”on a Friday night that showed us kids what we could expect to find the next morning.  This was a wonderful time, and it brought us some of the most memorable cartoon shows ever.  For some reason, I never quite grew out of my love for good cartoons, especially the animated series based on Marvel and DC comics. 

Recently, both studios have brought us some quality animated films on our favorite heroes.  In many cases, these animated films are much better than the live action blockbusters that Hollywood rolls out each and every summer.  The reason for this is quite simple: these films are made by people in the comic industry for the fans that love them the most.  The question producers ask is more often “how will the fans react to my choices,” vs. “will this attract a larger audience?”  What we get is a great example of translating the narrative of a comic series into something that works onscreen.  So with your permission, I would like to suggest a few of these wonderful pieces of work; beginning with the latest from DC and Warner Brothers Animation, Batman: Under the Red Hood. 

The film is based on storylines from the Batman series A Death in the Family and Under the Red Hood. Hopefully, most of us are familiar with at least one of the aspects of this legendary Batman canon.  In the Batman universe, there were two young boys who joined the caped crusader in his exploits against crime.  The first was of course Dick Grayson, a trapeze artist who’s family was murdered by a mob boss.  Of course Dick would eventually grow up and branch out on his own as Nightwing. 

The second person to don the Robin costume was Jason Todd.  For the time, Jason’s story was far more complex than Dick Grayson’s.  Batman discovered Jason one night as he was stealing the hubcaps off the Batmobile.  Instead of kicking his ass, Batman felt sorry for Jason and took him under his wing to become the next Robin.  Jason was much more impulsive and brash than Dick was and as such readers didn’t like him very much.  So in the 1980s, writer Jim Sterlin gave his readers the ultimate choice; decide the fate of the new boy wonder.  Readers could call a 1-900 number and vote whether Robin was going to live or die at the end of the Death in the Family storyline.  The voting only lasted one day, and despite being very close, readers chose death for young Jason.  The interesting thing about this storyline is that most casual fans didn’t truly understand what really went down, and they blamed Sterlin for killing off Dick Grayson and not the new Jason Todd. 

This, my friends, is where Batman: Under the Red Hood begins, with a short retelling of the final scenes from A Death in the Family.  The movie continues five years later as mob bosses gather in a warehouse, unaware of why they have been brought there. Enter the Red Hood, a vigilante who claims he can protect them all from Batman and the major crime boss of Gotham City, the Black Mask.  All they need to do is contribute 40% of their earnings to him and not sell drugs to kids.  Reluctantly, they agree to this proposal, pissing off The Black Mask and intriguing one Bruce Wayne.  With the aid of his former protégé Nightwing, Batman begins to put together the pieces of who this vigilante really is and what his ultimate plan may be.  The truth about what he discovers will not only revive many ghosts from his past, but challenge the very foundations on which Batman stands for.  
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Anybody growing up in the 1980′s will recognize the title of this article as one of Hasbro’s most popular toy lines. A slew of action figures and vehicles filled the closets and rooms of countless kids in those days. For most of us, these toys represent a nostalgic period of pure imagination and a culture of consumerism custom built for a 10 year old. However, looking back on the G.I. Joe phenomenon, I’ve come to realize that it represents one of the most cunning and brilliant franchises to ever grace the market.

It all started with one man who goes by the name of Larry Hama. Granted, the original idea for G.I.Joe had been around since the 60′s, but it was Larry Hama who turned it from a new version of the classic Army Man into a special forces extravaganza filled with eccentric bad guys and colorful heroes. For years, Hama’s G.I.Joe comic book series not only created a whole universe of fantastic stories and outrageous characters but designed his creations right from the start to go from comic page to toy shelves. Hence the genius of the Hasbro/Marvel alliance that forged the G.I.Joe name into a money making force. Not only could you read the comic on a monthly basis but you could bet that your favorite new vehicle, headquarters or character was waiting at the local retail store, ready for you to re-enact the stories at home. I have loads of memories, as do many of you I’m sure, of getting that new figure and being amazed at how close it resembled what I saw in the comic.

Sadly, like the fate of so many of it’s 80′s brethren, the kids grew up and the toys stopped flowing off the shelves in great numbers. The comic audience shrank and despite their best efforts to keep readers with shocking stories, G.I.Joe-A Real American Hero finished it’s run with issue 155 in 1994. There have been a few attempts over the years to resurrect the G.I.Joe line, most notably in 2001 when Devil’s Due Publishing rebooted the series. With IDW’s acquisition of the G.I.Joe comic property in 2009, the Joe’s were once again rebooted with a new comic series simply titled G.I.Joe. While being a fantastic book in it’s own right, I’ve always felt that something was missing. Some magic was lost from this world that I always attributed to not being 10 anymore. However, after perusing my extensive collection of 80′s classic G.I.Joe comics, I still felt that special connection to those characters and world. Larry Hama, the father of modern G.I.Joe was the heart and soul of the comic and without him, the series just wasn’t the G.I.Joe I remembered. You can imagine my surprise and glee when it was revealed earlier this year that Larry Hama would be returning to the G.I.Joe franchise.

Better yet, he’s picking up right where he left off over fifteen years ago.
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Captain America #607

What looks to be one of my favorite Captain America story arcs continues this week with the evil Baron Zemo targeting Bucky/Cap. Last issue we saw Cap dealing with the aftermath of the Steve Rodgers resurrection and Zemo’s new interest in him. This issue continues that plot with the mechanics of Zemo’s plan swinging into action. It’s a pretty action oriented book this month and not a whole lot of plot development. But what we do get to see is one of my favorite old school Cap resurrections, the awesome Iron Hand Hauptmann, fight Captain America in a hospital. As Brubaker does so well, he once again makes this fight ring with the old while being completely modern at the same time. Seeing Iron Hand swinging into action again is one thing, having him battle Cap in a hospital makes it feel old school Marvel. I’m not sure why that is but it just seems like a plot line stolen out of the brain of Stan Lee in the 60’s.

The whole issue reveals that Zemo is planning something big and is intent on digging up as much as he can on Bucky and his days as the Winter Soldier. As I said last week, only good things can come from Brubaker writing Zemo and so far these have been some of the most solid and exciting Captain America issues we’ve had in some time. With the way this book has been going over the last five years, that’s saying something. If you’re not reading this series, you’re being foolish. Go get it.
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In the opening song on Neil Young’s Greendale album, a tune called “Falling from Above”, Grandpa says to Cousin Jed, “Seems like that guy singin’ this song ‘been doin’ it a long time. Is there anything he knows that he ain’t said?”

Indeed, Neil Young’s been doing his thing for around forty-five years now, and in a world of disposable pop stars, that sort of career is almost unheard of. What keeps Neil Young vital and, more importantly, what keeps him relevant is something that I think we could all learn from. The guy does what he wants to do how he wants to do it, not giving a good God damn about what anybody else thinks. And, okay, it helps that he’s damn good at just about every thing he does. But rather than following a trend or trying to earn the maximum payout, Neil Young just keeps doing his thing (sponsored by no one), going where his mind takes him. And people keep following along.

I bought the Greendale album the day it was released in 2003, not knowing exactly what to expect. I had read that it was a “concept” album, which gave me flashbacks to Trans, the oddity in his catalog that involved using a vocoder on his vocals so his son, who has cerebral palsy, could hear him better. But no, Greendale, as it turned out, was an album telling a story of a multigenerational family called the Greens, who lived in the small town of Greendale, CA. At the center of the story is the young daughter Sun Green and her cousin, Jed Green, two kids who are around the same age and whose lives are going in very different directions. Grandpa figures prominently, as does the side story of Officer Carmichael. While there’s a fairly clear narrative present in the music alone, the accompanying DVD and booklet (complete with notes from Young himself), really flesh out the goings on.

But Greendale isn’t just a simple tale of an American family whose lives are overturned. The story is also infused with what more cynical folks might refer to as “idealistic, hippy, tree-hugging propaganda”; a sentiment that I do not share, but can easily see. And remember, the album was made at the outset of the Iraq war (of which we’re celebrating the seventh anniversary. Go America!), so there’s a strong anti-War message in there as well. But really, would you expect anything else from the guy who wrote Ohio? So if you have strong feelings on the “other” side of the issues, you may want to pick up this album instead.

Okay, so now you’re up to speed and you know what the album’s all about. What about the graphic novel? As you’d guess, this book includes all sorts of details and fills in the story much more than did the album, which is a scary proposition is you’re a big fan of Young’s original work. Fortunately, he collaborated with the folks at Vertigo/DC, giving his approval and insights along the way. And thanks to the medium, you’re able to more clearly discover out what drove Jed to his pivotal moment and the learn the mystery behind Sun’s “gift”. In addition, you get the complete Green family tree and the history of nearly all the family members. Cliff Chiang (the guy behind Human Target, Green Arrow & Black Canary, and various Batman titles) draws the world of Greendale wonderfully (and almost exactly as I pictured it), and Joshua Dysart takes Young’s story and fills in the blanks in a tasteful way, including many lines straight out of the album.

Young already turned Greendale in to a feature film, and Hilden and I saw the live Greendale show when Young brought it to town. But, to me, this book is almost an essential companion piece to the album and is definitely worth owning. Again, the artwork is beautiful, the storytelling is mysterious, and the book itself is a nicely-crafted hardcover, which sells for $19.99, though Amazon’s got it for around $14.

It’s been a good couple weeks in comics and I thought I’d talk about a few of the more interesting issues. A couple of awesome Ed Brubaker books have hit that deserve some mention so we’ll start with those.

Secret Avengers #1
First on the docket is the brand new (and much hyped) Secret Avengers #1. While I haven’t been keeping real close tabs on the whole Secret Invasion or it’s Siege-based aftermath, I have noticed that the Avengers sure have been getting some love from Marvel as of late. With a new movie in the works, the team being the centerpiece of both the Civil War and Secret Invasion story lines, and now a bunch of new books, it seems that the Avengers are once again the team of choice at Marvel.

The most interesting thing of this convoluted mess of a universe shake up is how Ed Brubaker has managed to make part of it cool by working in a few of his own storylines. When he killed off Steve Rogers in 2005, we all wondered how he was going to be brought back. While we all knew it was going to happen we can at least thank the comic gods that he held off a good 4 years before bringing him back. While the method in which Steve Rogers was returned to the Marvel Universe was typically cheesy and far-fetched, what I can’t complain about is how they’ve positioned him in the post-Siege world. Deciding to leave the shield and Captain America persona in the hands of his old parter Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers is simply being himself and leading the charge of rebuilding the mess that has been left in the wake of recent Bendis inspired events.

Enter Secret Avengers. The premise of this book has Steve Rogers leading a team of covert heroes that only band together when needed on a mission. The idea is to stay off the grid, in the shadows and take care of business in a more clandestine and old school manner. This type of team really draws from the old days when Steve Rogers ran the Invaders and super heroes did secret government work. I’ve always thought he idea of a small team turning the tide of war in the background was always a cool idea and one that is very “Marvel-esque”. It’s also a premise that Brubaker has explored numerous times in his Captain America books and more recently in the Marvels Project mini-series. To have him create a brand new team with a covert and old school emphasis is a breath of fresh air for the Avengers canon. With pencils by Mike Deodato, this first issue is a very strong start to the series and I can’t wait to see where it goes in the future.
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Hello again, dearest Robot Panic readers. I have returned from my far too long hiatus that may or may not have involved secret ninja training, world domination planning or seeing how many bags of Goldfish brand crackers I could ingest before my stomach ruptured. During my awesome and very hush hush ninja training, I have discovered something that I felt I need to share with all of you. It is a book, nay, a tome of collected literature/art hybrids. I shall call them…”comics”.

This particular collection is dubbed “Wednesday Comics”. A little backstory, if I may. About one year ago, a bunch of DC wiseguys put their artsy fartsy heads together and came up with an idea that would harken back to the early 1920′s and 1930′s, when a reader of the daily or in those days, weekend, newspaper would be entertained by pages of adventure comics featuring superheroes and other various kinds of heroes. This concept proved to be hugely successful, that is until it stopped being successful and became unsuccessful. So like many people before them that have fallen victim to the old addage of “History repeats itself”, DC has decided to bring back a form of entertainment that has been the way of Gary Coleman (too soon?) for decades. So DC decided to bring some of their most popular characters, with a few less popular, give each a team of great writers and artists, print each issue on shitty classic newsprint paper and ship em out every Wednesday for 12 weeks straight. It was a huge success and as of this day no word on whether or not another series will happen again. (I guess that DC doesn’t like money.)

Enclosed in this HUGE hardcover book, are the originally released 15 character based stories, plus 2 unreleased stories. And who might these characters be? Well, has anyone ever heard of Metamorpho? Or the Metal Men? Or Kamandi? Yes! These DC flagship characters are all in this collection, featuring new stories and collaborations from the top writers and artists that DC keeps locked inside a small, poorly lit basement surrounded by a chicken wire fence at an undisclosed location. Oh, and some jerks like Bat-something, Superbro and the Green…um…Giant are also in there, but no one cares about them. They suck and will probably never be heard from again after this. (more…)