Weekly Recap - July 3rd, 2010

Intro/Random Stuff:
*blows out the cobwebs*

Stepped away from the blog again. I've been posting quite a bit on Facebook, occasionally on Twitter, but I've gotten really bad about blogging. However, my work schedule has changed, so I'm going to try and make Saturday night a night to write a weekly post from now on. It will be a potpourri of random topics and links, and will hopefully be of interest to some of you.

For an example of the kind of random stuff that will usually be in this section, apparently I type about 89 words per minute. I am reasonably informed that this is my super-power, and as a super-power, it is quite lame.

I make no promise that I will actually do these weekly. Or that they'll be even remotely interesting. But I do promise to try.

Comics I Read This Week:
Batman Beyond #1 - I really liked this in terms of writing and art, but was disappointed in the plot. Specifically, given how fresh Batman Beyond was (and I'm one of those people who *loved* the cartoon), I was bummed to see the plot focusing heavily on old Batman villains. Especially given the reveal about the modern-day villain making the transition to "Beyond." I won't spoil it, but I've hated the character since his inception, and really didn't want to see him again in the main Batman books, let alone in the future book.

Captain America #607 - It's weird to me that Zemo/Fixer are in heavy use simultaneously here and in Thunderbolts, and I actually prefer Fixer redeemed as opposed to Zemo flunky mode, and it's a little annoying to me that Bucky Cap keeps getting set up by his foes to look/act stupid. All of that said, after a brief hiatus of reading this inspired by my intense dislike of Reborn, I'm back reading this and it's still the same great action-adventure/espionage book that it's been since Brubaker took it over.

Secret Avengers #2 - Liked this one too... not as much as the first issue, which I loved, but it's a very un-Brubaker type book in terms of tone and style, while maintaining the usual Brubaker quality of writing. The tonal shift from espionage to localized sci-fi threw me, and I'm not at all sold on Deodato's somewhat-bland "space" costumes for the characters, but there's more to like here than not. And I like seeing the Avengers having some action, rather than just talking all the time.

Comics News:
Spider-Man Cast, Randy Doesn't Care: Snoooorreeee. So they're starting him as a college student? What exactly was the point of re-booting the franchise? Are they going to do the origin movie *again*? Not surprised, but this has moved the movie pretty firmly into "who gives a shit" territory for me.

Videogames:
Ever since completing the story of Red Dead Redemption, I've been going back from time to time to complete Outfits, Strangers, Challenges, etc. But every time, I seem to devolve into murderous rampages. I don't know if this says something about me, Red Dead Redemption, or both. But I have been playing a lot of Red Dead Redemption, and I love the new free co-op missions.

Having finished the single player mission, however, I have to say: Much as I love the game, the storytelling is abysmal. You're railroaded into doing or turning a blind eye to horrible things, and you're never really given the chance to get any revenge. And the ending, while thematically appropriate to the story they're trying to tell, just enraged me and left me with a "Well, then what was the goddamned point!?"

I don't regret playing it or anything, because the gameplay is so good, and some of the supporting characters are fun, but maybe I've been spoiled by the branching gameplay of Mass Effect and games like it where your actions actually impact upon the game, rather than leading to the story the designers wanted to tell, no matter what your character does.

Credence Clearwater Revival Comes to Rock Band - Finally!

TV:
Finally caught the preview of Rubicon on AMC... it's really slow, has a '70s film style pacing to it... but I dug it, and can easily see it becoming as good as their other shows.

And with that, HBO, I bid you adieu until Treme comes back or Game of Thrones comes on. I'm just not willing to pay money every month for sexy vampires, even with Anna Paquin. Treme was great, though.

Party Down Cancelled - Not surprised, but sad. Both seasons available for viewing on Netflix Instant Watch, and I can't recommend it highly enough. From several of the writers of Veronica Mars, starring Mars and Apatow alum. Here is a sample, very funny, clip from the final episode.

Louis C.K. interview - Louis C.K.'s stand-up (Chewed Up is available on Netflix Instant Watch) is hilarious, and his new show, Louie, on FX, is a pretty good translation of his sense of humor into a weird stand-up/sitcom/skit show.

Other Links:
This is a masterpiece of a negative review of the film Grown-Ups

Karaoke Apocalypse at the Nomad - Karaoke with a live band. Awesomly fun.

I'm Not Sure I Have The Willpower to resist buying Dr. Seuss Converse All-Stars - I've worn pretty much nothing but Converse All-Stars since college, and I love Dr. Seuss. These might be the only thing that could top my cool Scott Morse custom-painted Converse.