Spongebob Comics #49

Publisher - United Plankton Pictures
Writer - Derek Drymon, various
Artist - Gregg Schigiel, various
Cover Artist - Kelley Jones

SpongeBob Comics isn't a title I buy on a regular basis. It's a title that I purchase maybe a couple of times a year or whenever the mood strikes. It is never a disappointment though, every issue of SpongeBob I have read has given me a few chuckles and has been worthwhile. There is normally a main story and several short backups of various degrees of quality. The reason I bought issue 49 was simply for the amazingly awesome cover art of Kelley Jones. Kelley is one of the best artists of monsters and monstrosities currently active in the comics field and I couldn't pass up this book when the cover caught my eye.
The main story in this issue is that Squidward has been hiding leftover Krabby Patties under a loose floorboard at  the Krusty Krab for quite some time and somehow the burgers have congealed into a giant monster that is coming after him. The monster in the story is drawn by equally legendary monster artist Stephen Bissette. Great stuff! The rest of the issue consists of several short stories including a really good one called Monster Canyon. Typical SpongeBob goodness.
As I said, this isn't a title I buy every month, but it is really fun. If you enjoy SpongeBob Squarepants you should pick this up and give it a try. Check out that cover!

Jirni - Aspen Comics

Publisher - Aspen
Writer - J.T. Krul
Artist - V Ken Marion
- SPOILERS SPOILERS -

There are many series from Aspen Comics that I enjoy. At times I wish they would get more books out there as they generally have very good quality stuff. Aspen are known for there cheesecake style covers and get a bit of a bad rap. Many people think the cheesecake is all that Aspen titles have going for them and that just isn't true. Very much like Zenoscope, if you give Aspen Comics a try you may discover there is a little more substance than what you have been led to believe. Jirni just might be my personal favorite from Aspen. A couple of years ago there was a mini series of Jirni that JT Krul wrote and it was good. It is the story of Ara, a young princess that discovered her mother is a D'Jinn. Or a Jinn. Or a genie. Her mother was captured by an evil wizard and taken away. Ara then discovers that she also has powers as she was unaware of her hybrid Jinn background. Ara tried to rescue her mother but was not successful. That brings us to this second mini series of Ara's adventures where we are in book three of five, smack dab in the middle of the story.
Ara is still trying to find her mother and she has hooked up with a trader/pirate named Boro. She is currently a passenger on his ship and they are traveling across the waters and come to a huge port city named Montessa. Boro is there with the intention of trading the Ziar Ore that was acquired in an adventure in a previous issue in this series. Ara discovers Montessa has just about anything and everything. There is even a man that manufactures and sells flying ships, which Ara is greatly intrigued with as her mother was taken away in a similar ship by the wizard Torintal. Ara becomes greatly disturbed when Boro trades his Ore for a bunch of beautiful women that he means to trade at another place at a later time. She is disillusioned by seeing Boro a bit more as he really is, a slave trading pirate. Ara has an argument with Boro and says she can no longer travel with him. The issue comes to an end as we are shown the slave women being loaded onto Boro's ship and we see that Ara has taken up a disguise and is passing herself off as one of the slaves.
Jirni is a fun series. It is on the light side storywise. Light adventuring I guess. I have heard comparisons saying Jirni is along the lines of the old Pirates of Dark Water cartoon series from twenty of so years ago. That seems about right. V Ken Marion lays down some beautiful pencil work and he has a bright future if he continues to develop his craft. The colors are really good also. If there is a house style of art for Aspen it would be no surprise that it is reminiscent of Image artwork from back in the day. Specifically along the lines of the Top Cow side of things, which is no surprise since Aspen was founded by Michael Turner and that is where he cut his teeth. Very nice art style, but not yet fully developed to the point of being ready for a big time book. By no means is Jirni essential reading, but it is a fun light hearted adventure with an enjoyable story and art.

Invincible Iron Man #1 (2015)

Publisher - Marvel
Writer - Bendis
Art - David Marquez
-SPOILERS ALL THE TIME EVERYWHERE-
Even though Secret Wars the event itself has turned into somewhat of a debacle, running way behind schedule and losing massive amounts of steam in my eyes, there are definitely some interesting books coming out of it. Invincible Iron Man wasn't one of the titles I was planning to read but after a conversation with Alec at my local comic book store I decided to give this one a try.  Not disappointed. The art by Marquez is excellent and I like the redesign of the Iron Man armor. Sleek and streamlined. Also Tony Stark looks a bit less like Robert Downey Jr. which works for me.
 The story put its hooks in me quickly as they bring Madame Masque in and she has acquired something powerful from A.I.M.. Tony puts finishing touches on the suit redesign, converses with his A.I. helper Friday and runs off to a dinner date. Female Thor makes a quick cameo that is used effectively for a humorous touch and the date is cut short when Friday informs Tony that Madame Masque is in play and in action. Tony flies off in pursuit and we are met with an interesting reveal on the last page that I actually won't spoil.
Great first issue in my opinion. Bendis may be suited well to write this book. I enjoyed his work on the Avengers for years and on the X-Men as well, but it could be that I prefer his writing on solo books rather than on teams.  As I said I wasn't planning to read this but it is now on my buy list.
Gotta grab issue 2. Captain Creepy says BUY IT!

Thoughts on Ghost Hunters (the show)

I have watched Ghost Hunters since it premiered in 2004. For many years it was one of my favorite shows. Episode after episode of these plumbers by day walking around at night trying to help their clients figure out what was going on in their house. They were genuinely interested in helping people.
Flash forward to fall of 2015. Ten seasons in and it just isn't the same. It seems these days that every investigation that TAPS conducts is for a business or a larger entity rather than in the home of a regular person. Problem can be that it's really good publicity for a business to be haunted, or at least allegedly haunted. Brings in curious customers. Now our erstwhile investigators of the unknown investigate hotels, culinary institutes, libraries, and museums. Nothing wrong with it, just not the same as helping the scared family on the outskirts of town. There is a large team of investigators and we don't get the behind the scenes personal touches that the early seasons had. It seems much colder, sterile, and formulaic. Remember when there would be entire investigations where nothing paranormal or particularly odd happened? Now there is something odd within the first ten minutes of every investigation. Footsteps upstairs, a door opening or closing on its own, whatever. The thought may be that if nothing spooky happens why would anyone watch the show. Well, how about because of a thing called realism.  Even if a location is known for some odd things happening there, it doesn't always take place as soon as you walk in the door. Give me a break. I don't blame the cast of the show. They are under contract to do what they are told and not disclose anything, and they don't edit the episodes. Come on though, if as a viewer I need to see something creepy happen before the first commercial break, I can watch a scripted horror show. This is suppose to be real and believable and unscripted isn't it?
Another problem lately is that no matter what evidence the team turns up and no matter what they experience Jason tells the client that there isn't anything to be afraid of and that no one is in any danger and no need for concern. Nothing evil is afoot. Well, when every damn investigation there is tons of activity but no cause for concern, after a time you wonder what is the point. Are they looking for explanations for life after death, are they searching for meaning for their own existence? Trying to unravel the mysteries of the universe? Or are they, at this point, bringing publicity to a struggling bar or hotel that will generate business and hopefully put some money in some pockets?
Captain Creepy has had a chance to meet some of the members of the TAPS team and they are all very nice and cool people, so I don't mean to disparage them by any means. It is just frustrating to see something that use to be so interesting spiral into the abyss.
I have watched every episode of the series and will continue to do so, but let's face it, the shark has most definitively been jumped. It is time to hang up the K2 meters and end this. Maybe then the good folks from TAPS can get back to helping real families that are scared in their homes. That can probably never happen now though, as the cult of personality is too prominent. Some of the cast may be able to springboard into other opportunities and I don't blame them in any way, shape, or form if that is the case. Strike while the iron is hot and make hay while the sun shines, because the sun is setting on a once really great show. Ghost Hunters, it's been fun.

Metal Menagerie - SPACE CHASERS - "Watch The Skies"

I have been a metalhead since the beginning of time. Every sub-genre of metal holds a certain amount of appeal to me. Some more than others. Today I wanted to begin to take a look at some of the music in my collection. Finding a place to start had me scratching my head so I decided to begin with the cd that is currently spinning in my car. As good a place to start as any I suppose.
Space Chaser is a young German Thrash band that plays an up-tempo style that could be categorized as Speed Thrash. They released an ep in 2013, but the disc I'm discussing today is their first full length release, "Watch The Skies."
Upon picking this up the first thing you notice is the extremely cool cover art showing aliens blasting the crap out of a cityscape in true classic thrash style artwork. Promising start.
I probably won't do this for all the stuff I put on here, but for this release I decided to go track by track and say a few words about each one.
The disc kicks off with a track called "Interstellar Overlords." A song that seems to be about aliens coming to earth in ancient times to get people hooked on beer in order to make this planet much easier to conquer. That's some highbrow concept work right there! Nice riffing, some tempo changes, and energetic soloing make this an excellent start for the album.
"Loaded To The Top" is about zombies that are driven by a thirst for beer. Are we discovering a theme already? The thrash clichés abound throughout this release, but that is just part of the fun. From the Repkaesque artwork to songs about aliens, beer, zombies, beer, etc. If you enjoy these traditional aspects of thrash you will not be disappointed here.
The title track "Watch The Skies" is a pummeling riff monster where we start to get a good feel of what this band is capable of. It is a great song. The vocals stay in the high pitched style of thrash singing/screaming style for the most part. He adds a nice dimension over the top of the speedy riffs. His soaring and screeching style is a nice departure and sets Space Chaser apart from many similar bands out there. This is an energy band and the song "Watch The Skies" features a very Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth from Overkill style of vocals.
"Saucer Attack" follows and this time around the vocals veer into a more Sean Killian of Vio-Lence fame type of style. There is also some tastefully melodic soloing that hints at a bit of Kirk Hammett influence. Another strong song.
"Wastecrawler" is where I first learned about Space Chaser. I came across the video on Youtube and became interested in the band because of it. The Captain has a soft spot for modern metal videos that are shot on a non existent budget, yet are still able to capture the flavor and energy of the band. Wastecrawler teaches us about the horrors of a post apocalyptic world after being devastated by the invading alien hordes. There is a nice slammable mosh pit section in this song but it is not even close to being the best track on the album.
The song "Space Chaser" comes next and is an instrumental that serves as a nicely placed interlude to transition into the second half of the album. Space Chaser showcases some catchy guitar licks.
"Decapitron" describes a monstrosity created by using hazardous waste that is let loose on the land and is chopping the heads off anything that gets in its way. Featuring a decent bass intro and traditional riffing, this is solid thrash. I was hoping this song was gonna be about the Decapitron that is one of the murderous puppets in the Puppet Master movie series. Oh well, maybe Decapitron 2 is in the works.
"Predator" is a song about...you guessed it, the Predator movie. This may be my favorite track on the album. Predator features a noticeable Slayer vibe and portions of this song are so similar to "Angel of Death" that it is hard to ignore. Not complaining about the wearing of influences on their sleeve, just making an observation that is hard to overlook. I greatly enjoy the pace of this song, the riffs, and overall classic groove feel. Outstanding.
"Thrashold" is a typical thrash song about thrashing. No epic story. No mystery. Think along the lines of Metallica's "Whiplash" and you will be on the right track for Thrashold.
The final tune is called "Undead Revenge." Obviously this is a story about unicorns and cotton candy. Or maybe this is just a typical zombie themed jam to close out the disc.
Space Chaser aren't shy about showing their influences on this recording, even with the first listen. Gama Bomb is a band that may come to mind upon the first spin, but repeated listens begin to bring into focus exactly what is up with these guys. After eight to ten listens through, I knew that this is a band that excites me, and I can't wait to see what other nonsense they are capable of vomiting onto the masses.

"

TV Talk - "Orphan Black"

Orphan Black - I caught up with the first
two seasons and stayed current with season three of Orphan Black. It is an interesting production as I believe it to be a joint British, Canadian, and United States show. This is a fun show
that follows a group of clones that are just discovering each other's existence
and are trying to figure out exactly what they are and where they come from.
Tatiana Maslany is the actress that plays multiple roles, sometimes several
characters in a single scene, and she is great. Of course all of the clones are quite divergent. A British Punk, a Russian assassin, an American housewife caught up in scheme after scheme, a hair stylist, a businesswoman, a scientist. You get the picture. This is a well executed,
intriguing show with layer upon layer of conspiracy. I find myself enjoying the plot lines that
revolve around the twisted up day to day mundane lives of the clones more so
than the over arching conspiratorial plot. That is unusual for me. I will continue to watch Orphan Black but overall is doesn't quite live up to the underground cult status hype that it seems to receive.
Good stuff, but not great stuff.

TV Talk - "12 Monkeys"

12 Monkeys - A SyFy Channel series about a dude time traveling
back from the future to try and prevent a virus from being let loose onto the world. Yes, it is a version of the story from the movie with Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt. I watched
the first season, and it was recently renewed for season two. This is a well
written show that bounces all over the place. Thoughtful science fiction from the SyFy Channel. What a concept. This series is shot in a very dark manner which suits
it well and features good production values for a SyFy show. Lots of stuff going on in this
one so don't be scrolling through Facebook while you are viewing 12 Monkeys or
you may get lost. 12 Monkeys is available on Netflix and is definitely worth a watch. I like it a lot.