Red Stripe? Oh so classy.

So an update on my Punisher paper: it got accepted to the Southwest/Texas Pop Culture and American Culture Association Conference, which will be in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I got the school to pay for around $350 worth of Punisher graphic novels, and soon I'll be booking my flight and hotel for it.

As a result, I'm months behind on my regular comic reading, which I hope to conquer over Christmas break. When I need to take a break from Punisher, I've been reading the run of Zatanna from a year or two ago.

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You guys definitely need to check out the Superman: Earth One series (there's only two volumes, so it's a great way to spend an afternoon). I got Volume 2 for Christmas, and it was great - the art is incredible, the plot is cool, and I really like the more philosophical take on Superman.

I got a new laptop, as my old one died before finals. Also got the first season of Blue Bloods, Star Fluxx (a card game), Superman: Earth One Vol. 2, some other random graphic novels, a Miami Marlins hat (time to retire my old Florida Marlins hat), beef jerky, a Wal-Mart gift card, and a long-sleeve shirt.

I possibly will be.

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The Star Trek Into Darkness trailer is here!

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/startrekintodarkness/

I saw Silent Hill: Revelation last week. The visuals were pretty awesome, and while the story and acting were lacking, I enjoyed it. I have a feeling that we won't be getting a third movie in the series.

I beat Borderlands 2 the other night. The final boss battle was fairly easy.

Wrong thread.

HOLY CRAP IN A HAT IT'S GORDON FREEMAN PLAYING THE HARP.

I'm looking forward to Army of TWO: The Devil's Cartel.

Borderlands 2 is my life until Halo 4 comes out.

I got my girlfriend playing it. I'm a gunzerker, she's a siren, and my roommate is the assassin.

Amazing how DZX9 went from "crazy psycho-lookin' kid with a weird Titan A.E. fascination" to "shampoo commercial model acting out A Midsummer Night's Dream".

I just read Batman: Earth One. I liked this reimagining, although I think I prefer Superman: Earth One more.

Caught up with the various Before Watchmen series. I highly recommend them if you haven't checked them out yet. All of them are great; Silk Spectre seems to be the weakest of all of the storylines, but even her series is pretty good. Definitely going to collect the graphic novels when they come out.

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I've finally ordered everything that I think I'll be needing for my Punisher paper. I still need to find a conference (the Terror and the Inhuman Conference turned down my paper), but I'd like to have a rough draft done by the end of the month, which is when the Fall 2012 semester starts.

Here's what I've bought in terms of graphic novels, including a bunch of non-Punisher stuff:

The Alcoholic
Area 10
Batman: Heart of Hush
Dark Rain: A New Orleans Story
Gangland
The Prisoner: Shattered Visage
The Punisher - Essential Vol. 3 (also put down an order for Vol. 4 coming in October)
The Punisher by Greg Rucka - Vol. 1
Punisher Max: Frank
The Punisher: War Journal - The Resurrection of Ma Gnucci
The Punisher: Widowmaker

Agreed. For instance, let's look at Abe Lincoln.


No beard. Failure at every damn thing under the sun.


Beard. President of the Motha#####in' United States of America, Bee-yotch.

Remember how we all used to draw pictures of each other in MS Paint? Anyone still have their drawings?

I'm watching the first episode of Bored to Death. I think I'm in love with this show.

Yesterday was Record Store Day, and while I didn't pick up any of the RSD exclusives (there's no way I'm paying $8 for a single on vinyl), I still bought quite a few albums.

Anti-Flag "The General Strike"
John Legend & The Roots "Wake Up!"
Mos Def "Black on Both Sides"
Nirvana "Nirvana"
Pennywise "Live @ the Key Club"
Pennywise "From the Ashes"
Pennywise "The Fuse"
The Raveonettes "Into the Night"

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GHETTO MUSICK

http://www.youtube.com/embed/ORwC4mu0qjs

I just bought the Star Wars: Jedi Knight pack, Cyan Worlds (Myst and the like), the Streets of Rage trilogy, and Virtua Fighter 2.

I'm a little pissed with Virtua Fighter 2 because I didn't know it would be the Sega Genesis version, as I had it for PC years ago. Suddenly it makes sense why there aren't any other Saturn titles on Steam...

I liked Brave. Not their best work, but still a very good movie.

21 Jump Street was #####in' hysterical.

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The Dark Knight Rises is the best of the series, but I still like The Dark Knight the most.

The last thing I read was from DC Universe Presents, with their relaunch of Challengers of the Unknown. I wasn't terribly impressed, but I also had no clue that it was a series from the 1950s and 1970s. I liked the idea of them being a part of some reality show, but otherwise it felt rushed. Like...why should I care about them?

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G.I. Combat #1 was way better than I expected it to be, but then again, how can you go wrong with a comic book that has dinosaurs vs. tanks?

Also, there is a series of Marvel one-shots starring Franklin Richards that I really dug, mainly because the artwork is reminiscent of Calvin & Hobbes.

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I'm not sure that I liked the Justice League Dark/I, Vampire crossover (at least on the Justice League Dark side; I've never read an issue of I, Vampire). The ending felt rushed and I'm not sure if I like the new team members that they've introduced.

Dynamite's The Lone Ranger is still a pretty solid series.

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I'm not digging the Red Lanterns' new direction with the introduction of the human character "Rankorr", who is the first one to be able to make constructs (like the Green Lanterns do). If the series keeps this up, I'll be dropping this series soon.

Voodoo is still pretty neat, although I think that ending the series in September is the right decision to make.

Even though it kind of sucks because I'm always playing catch-up, I like being able to read 5 or so issues of a series at a time. Plots seem to flow better, and I don't have to keep track of as much crap at a time.

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I could've sworn that I had posted about this before, but Barnes & Noble's websites, BN.com, is running a "Buy 2 Get 1 Free" sale on select graphic novels. It runs to 7/20. I picked up:

Catwoman Vol. 1, Detective Comics Vol. 1, Justice League Vol. 1, Mister Terrific Vol. 1, Suicide Squad Vol. 1

Non-superhero stuff: Daytripper, complete FLCL, and The Push Man and Other Stories.

So...Steam finally got me. Their summer sale was too good to pass up, and I ended up spending $16 on a bunch of cool games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and The Maw.

COMING IN 2013...

THE CROSSOVER EVENT WE ALL KNOW YOU'VE BEEN CRAVING AND WRITING #####TY FAN-FICTION FOR...

Mega Man and Sonic the Hedgehog are going to be teaming up in a 9-issue event.

I've watched two or three episodes of it and I got bored. However, I want that damn blonde-haired kid to #####ing die. I hate him so #####ing much.

I watched Tangled last night with my girlfriend. Cute movie, although I don't feel like I'll ever need to see it again.

Since Literature Camp is over and I don't have to deal with high school kids again until next year, I slept for about 11 hours today. It felt good. I went to work, ate some awesome mac and cheese, and then went home to play some Mass Effect 3.

Pretty swell day.

Pharaoh Man's music is cool, but it sounds like a sped-up mix of various tunes from Mega Man 2 all played at once.

As I'm writing my student research grant proposal, I've been listening to the soundtracks from Mega Man 1-6. I would just like to say that I think Mega Man 4 has the worst soundtrack of them all...the tracks are bland and none of them really stand out.

It apparently pulled in $200 million this weekend. #####in' A.

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My girlfriend and I went to the drive-in to watch Rock of Ages and Snow White and the Huntsman. Rock of Ages wasn't terrible, but it wore out its welcome halfway through, and if it had any balls, it would've ended at the halfway point. I can really only recommend it to fans of hair metal/80s rock and/or Glee. Snow White and the Huntsman was terrible. I feel like there's about 30 minutes of footage missing, yet because I was so bored throughout the movie, I don't give a damn enough to see an "uncut" edition. It just threw you into the world, had terrible pacing, there's two or three plot lines that are introduced yet never full explored, and this movie just gives us definite proof that Kristen Stewart can't act for #####.

If anything, Snow White and the Huntsman makes me hope that I find a genie who will grant me some wishes, one of them being that Kristen Stewart is forced to only find acting jobs with terrible SyFy "Monster of the Week" movies for the rest of her days.

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Holy ##########, Prometheus is amazing.

...I don't.

Then again, I just got texting a year ago, so let's not read too much into that.

This is true. Thus, I must begin a life-long journey throughout North America, kicking everyone's ass who wears ridiculous pants.

They could make a TV show out of it. Maybe they already did. Isn't that what "Knight Rider" was about?

Oh I see.
Obama really is looking out for the people, isn't he?

Don't worry, you won't be denied basic healthcare after your ass-kicking thanks to Obamacare.

I'd wear it just to call out the kind of people who pick fights over a pair of pants.

It's okay, because I think I'm legally justified to hit someone wearing those pants.

God help you if we ever meet in real life and you're wearing those pants.

For safety's sake, you should probably just walk around pantless everywhere.

That picture makes me want to hit someone. I don't understand why someone would buy jeans that look like that.

With the New 52, the ones that I have subscriptions to are:

Action Comics, All-Star Western, Blue Beetle, Deathstroke, The Flash, The Fury of Firestorm, Green Arrow, Green Lantern: New Guardians, Justice League, Red Hood and the Outlaws, and Red Lanterns

But I'm keeping an eye on (as in, buying the issues to see where they're going before getting a subscription):

Aquaman, Batwing, Captain Atom, Catwoman, DC Universe Presents (Deadman), Detective Comics, Justice League Dark, Mister Terrific, The Savage Hawkman, Supergirl, Superman, and  Voodoo

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Due to a research paper that I had to write for my Senior Seminar class (about how The Crow comics and movies were inspired by Batman, Ghost Rider, the Punisher, and Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven, yet through accepting modern gothic culture, makes The Crow being the only one who can actually deal with his problems), I've got a huge #####ing backlog of comics to read that I've only been able to start reading now.

So within the last week, I've managed to clear through All-Star Western to The Lone Ranger.

Honestly, I think that All-Star Western and Justice League are DC's best-written comics. Justice League is one "holy #####" moment after another.

I'm disappointed that Mister Terrific is getting axed after issue #8; I've been enjoying the series so far. I'm probably going to pick up the rest of Blackhawks, Men of War, and Static Shock just so I can have a complete run of those titles (I was able to pick up issue #1 for each of those when they first came out), even though I didn't really like them. However, I've already put in subscriptions for World's Finest, Earth 2, and Dial H. Dial H is the one I'm looking forward to the most, as it just seems awesome. Dude hops in a phone booth when there's trouble, dials a phone number, and gets a random-ass super power.

I'd really like to check out Dynamite's various Kirby: Genesis series. I have yet to read a single issue, but Alex Ross' cover art really makes me want to check it out. Each cover that he does looks #####ing sick. Speaking of Dynamite, Garth Ennis is writing their new series for The Shadow. #####. Yes.

Because of the backlog, I ended up having to read 4 or 5 issues of FF. Halfway through read, I was thinking about killing my subscription, but I'm glad that they've focused on the kids now instead of all of this weird backstory ##### that I have no #####ing clue what they're talking about. I wasn't crazy about the new art, but I'm getting used to it.

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Also, I really dug this G.I. Joe cover. Nothing great, but using action figures for a cover is fun.

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I think I would give my left nut for the original of this:

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Don't forget that this Saturday (May 5) is Free Comic Book Day!

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So yesterday was Free Comic Book Day. I got everything (except for The Avengers comic, which my girlfriend stole from me), along with a bunch of graphic novels on the cheap:

7 Billion Needles: Volume 1
Batman: Gates of Gotham
Batman Beyond: Industrial Revolution
Black Widow (Marvel Knights collection)
Doc Savage: The Silver Pyramid
The Incredible Hulk: Ground Zero
John Constantine, Hellblazer: Fear and Loathing
John Constantine, Hellblazer: Son of Man
John Constantine, Hellblazer: Red Sepulchre
John Constantine, Hellblazer: Stations of the Cross
John Constantine, Hellblazer: The Gift
Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers
Winsor McCay: Early Works II

I also won a big stack of DC Comics back issues from one of the nearby comic book stores!

I hated The Hunger Games. It felt like a completely unoriginal mashup of Battle Royale, Battle Royale II, The Running Man, The Condemned, The Truman Show, The Blue Lagoon, and whoever designs characters for Tim Burton. At 2 1/2 hours long, holy ##### was it way too damn long - trying to focus on the society while never actually focusing on said society. On top of it, it was the first time I've ever felt nauseous while watching shaky-cam footage.

I want my $9 back.

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Avengers was AWESOME!

Apparently the guys from American Pickers were a mile from my apartment today.

Finally! A thread combining my love of Mega Man and my need to purchase jeans!

Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

I'm online quite a bit. Look for the sexy mother#####er in the John Carter t-shirt.

If Nicki Minaj is truly incredibly (which I've heard quite a few times, but have actually yet to see), then she needs to stop selling herself as a brand and actually focus on her music. I've heard that her mixtapes from back in the day were killer. But the drivel I hear coming out of her mouth on the radio just reminds me of immature twats in movie theaters who spend the whole time talking on cell phones, and then act like you're somehow in the wrong when you call them out for it.

Also, I think Bruno Mars is terrible, but I don't think it's his fault. I just got sick of so many girls on Facebook gushing over his music "This is how a man should really act!" ##### you, you also think that Edward Cullen would make a terrific boyfriend.

Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch "You Gotta Believe"

http://youtu.be/Obupvycd8kY

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I'm really starting to hate pop radio right now. This is any hour during the day near me:

-20 minutes of commercials
-2 Katy Perry songs (1 of them being "Part of Me")
-1 song featuring Nicki Minaj or a Nicki Minaj song
-1 song by Adele (this is okay, because she actually has talent)
-Fun "We Are Young" (because the anthem of hipsters living off their parents' money isn't played on TV enough)
-1 "dance" song (usually featuring Pitbull)
-Kelly Clarkson "Stronger" (may be played twice in an hour)
-Token "alternative/indie" song (Coldplay, Gotye, Foster the People - but done in phases...almost as if there's an "alternative/indie" band of the month for pop radio)
-1 Bruno Mars song
-1 "rap" song

That's why you play with friends.

LIKE ME.

I saw Titanic (in 3D) for the first time last night. It was way better than I thought it would be, and I certainly understand why it was as popular as it was. I don't know if they touched up the CGI at all, but it still holds up extremely well.

Xbox Live is having a crazy SNK sale - it's nice when they have a sale featuring NOTHING that I currently own. I actually picked up everything:

King of Fighters '98
King of Fighters 2002
King of Fighters: Sky Stage
Metal Slug 3
Metal Slug XX
Trouble Witches Neo

I was the ORIGINAL Gyro Man. Until I got a super-sweet sprite.

I was big pimpin' with Gyro Man back then.

Only because I let you.

I forget why I wasn't able to watch it, but I would've been pretty stoked to see that.

If you want people to click you have to offer to rewards.

I suggest a racy calender featuring all of our members... In compromising poses... What's that? Can't rake up all the leaves?... Guess you better... bend a little... *snort snort*

Have a picture with me naked on top of the Mach 5 with a very well-placed traffic cone.

Coincidentally, the photo also helps induce vomiting.

I remember Abe had ads way back in the day, but I don't know how much they really helped.

I've always wanted to play it, but never got around to it because I finally picked up a PS2 not too long ago.

Don't they go under another name now?