Category Archives: comics

Book Review: "Sentences: The Life Of M.F. Grimm"

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SENTENCES: The Life of MF Grimm
By Percy Carey and Ronald Wimberly
Vertigo Books/DC Comics
$19.99, ISBN: 978-1-4012-1046-5

He was thisclose to getting out of The Life for good before the bullets came for his spine. But Percy Carey himself makes it hard to feel sorry for him before and after he was paralyzed from the waist down. Carey grew up in the ‘Hood before it became glamorized in 1990s song and film, and rolled with it simultaneously on his own and its terms. So he simultaneously produced hiphop and pain, strife and glory, street legend status and a criminal record.

So goes “Sentences,” the story of MF Grimm, a.k.a. “The Grimm Reaper,” and his battles using guns on the New York City streets and using words onstage as a rapper with serious potential undercut by tragedy. Carey’s first-person account, published in graphic novel form by DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint, is awash with paradox: shootouts in the afternoon and MC battles that same night; the boring monotony of drug dealing, and the most powerful love mixed in with the most violent hate.

This kind of nonfiction genre’s usual suspects show up—anger, the informant, jail life, redemption, realization, determination. Along the way, the reader gets a bi-coastal idea of how hiphop formed from the days of Run-DMC’s label-approved party jams through MF Doom’s independent moves. Carey was clearly a player: he met Chuck D, once shared a stage with KRS-One, assisted several Death Row Record artists (including Snoop Dogg), and even once interviewed Nas for “Right On!” magazine. As Grimm himself doesn’t fail to point out, he got shot before Corporate Music America learned to pimp that as a marketing move.

Carey relays his tale with a stark power that would make Ernest Hemingway pause and Donald Goines smile. Unfortunately, the wheelchair-bound hiphop artist has no profound thoughts to deliver, only the typical I-couldn’t-resist-the-lure-of-the-streets-so-don’t-let-this-happen-to-you lessons. His memories, regardless, are painful to re-live, even (and perhaps especially) in cartoon form, thanks to Ronald Wimberly. The artist’s superbly realistic but cartoony style, coupled with his brilliant uses of black space, almost produces sound—especially that of the revolving beauty and pain of the author’s personal journey into moral purgatory. Carey seeks to, and succeeds in, understanding his own demons, and he seems glad to be back to square one, ready to make new journeys out of his life.

"In Humble Sacrifice" :)

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Glad “Today’s Word” is back.

(And Dear Lord, I miss “Calvin and Hobbes.”)

TODAY’S WORD ON JOURNALISM — Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2007

“In the world of television, the massive flows of information are largely in only one direction, which makes it virtually impossible to take part in what passes for a national conversation. Individuals receive, but they cannot send. They hear, but they cannot speak. The ‘well-informed citizenry’ is in danger of becoming the ‘well-amused audience.'”
  –Al Gore, author, The Assault on Reason, 2007

~ ~ ~ ~
Ted Pease, Professor of Interesting Stuff
Department of Journalism & Communication
Utah State University

TODAY’S WORD ON JOURNALISM ©2007 is a ree “service” sent to its 1,500 or so misguided volunteer subscribers around the planet. If you have recovered and don’t want the WORD anymore, send “unsubscribe.” Or if you want to afflict someone else, send me the email address and watch the fun begin. (Disclaimer: I just quote ’em; I don’t necessarily endorse ’em. In theory, though, all contain at least a kernel of insight.) Responses, contributions and rebuttals welcome.

“Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.” –Tom Stoppard, playwright

VERY Quick Reviews Of Black Panther Nos. 24-29 and Fantastic Four 544-548

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blackpantherfourthehardwaytpb.jpg

The above—a Fantastic Four briefly led by T’Challa, with significant backup from Storm—was probably the only good thing to come out of Marvel Comics’ Civil War.

***

BLACK PANTHER 24-29
WRITER: Reginald Hudlin
PENCILLERS: Marcus To and Koi Turbull (24); To (25); Francis Portela (26-27; pencils and inks on 28-29);
INKERS: Don Ho, Jeff de los Santos (24-25), Sal Regla and Nick Nix (24); Victor Olazaba (26-27)
PLOT: The Civil War continues in 24 and 25. In the aftermath, King T’Challa and Queen Storm find a special crib in which to crash, and an important task. Then a refurbished Foursome meet the Marvel Zombies…….

FANTASTIC FOUR 544-548
WRITER: Dwayne McDuffie
PENCILLER: Paul Pelletier
INKER: Rick Magyar
PLOT: The “new” Fantastic Four go up against The Silver Surfer and The Frightful Four.

VERDICTS: As far as Hudlin’s BLACK PANTHER goes, I eagerly await his NEXT storyline—which, hopefully, will be in Wakanda. The Civil War crossover issues try their best to solidify the Panther-Storm relationship, but nothing else happens, except a couple of sub-plots. Continuity again takes a walk, even from less than five years ago: Panther and Falcon talk about upgrading Falcon’s wings, when Panther ALREADY DID THAT in the pages of CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FALCON. The Marvel Zombie storyline is not even worth discussing.

McDuffie had me cheering through his episodes of “Justice League Unlimited,” so I’m happy to report that his Fantastic Four is quite solid, albeit surface-level. Add Pelletier’s lovely art, and you’ve got a more-than-decent read.

Fanboys pitched a fit when T’Challa—who, in McDuffie’s book, at least, was a little more like the character Priest envisioned—was able to arm-lock Ol’ Chrome Dome. I guess they forgot when Stan Lee had Spider-Man do pretty much the same thing back in the day. Meanwhile, I got a little tired of seeing Sue captured for the 400th time and watching The Frightful Four try to get it together yet AGAIN, but the stories were entertaining, and I guess that’s the (only) point in 2007, right?

AUGUST 29th UPDATE (BLACK PANTHER 30 and FANTASTIC FOUR 549): Hudlin’s dialogue is still uneven, 30 issues into his BP run. *SIGH*.

McDuffie putting in Sue’s mouth the words “I. AM NOT. A HOSTAGE,” and her subsequent taking DOWN of three of the Frightful Four/Five by her damn self, was worth the price of the mag alone.  🙂 Again, if the goal is fun, the brothers are trying their best.

Pere Pascal And My Tribute To All My Meres And Peres

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pascal-and-wife.jpg

On a good day online, you make a good friend. Pascal, from France, is one.

“Meeting” at the Black Panther Message Board at least three years ago, we have swapped comic trade paperbacks across the Atlantic. I have a complete set of Christopher J. Priest’s take on the Marvel Comics superhero the Black Panther (sans the Kasper Cole storyline ) in French trade paperbacks, thanks to him. They are my prize possessions.

Anyway, he emailed me earlier today (sending me a .jpeg of his wedding picture from last year; I like that they both have glasses 🙂 ) to tell me that he and his wife are expecting a new comic geek to come forth. The end of January, he says.

My Photo

At least a couple of the couples I know are well on the way of poppin’ ’em out.  🙂   Adina’s little girl, her first, is due this December—I believe around the time my friend Jared’s wife Yari is expecting, their second.

Now, my friend Val….well, I lost count of the amount. 🙂 I think three.

So here’s my tribute to all the young meres (and peres) I know, courtesy of one of my all-time favorite artists, Basia:

*****

she’s gonna be a perfect mother,
perfect mother
in her mind there’s no doubt
though no one could show her how to be
a perfect mother, perfect mother
people say–she’s too young
should a child have a child?

hers is gonna be a perfect baby
raised according to the old prescription:
cuddle it daily and smother with kisses
’cause there’s nothing more important
just make sure that she never misses

a perfect mother, perfect mother
people say–she’s too young
no one could ever show her how

babies grow, then they tend to leave us
that’s how it’s always been and always will be
deep down inside you never stop wishing
for the hope to be certain that your
boy or girl
will be forever needing you

hers is gonna be a perfect baby
raised according to the old prescription:
cuddle it daily and smother with kisses
’cause there’s nothing more important…
who knows better–
all her life she missed her

My View Of "Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer"

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The 8-year-old (or so) I was with Friday night loved it. And my 9:15 p.m. Silver Spring showing looked sold out. When my friend Raoul Dennis asked for my verdict right after it was over, I said, “Well, it’s better the first, but what is that really saying?” We both laughed.

This is the reality of  “Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer.” Believe it or not, no mistakes were made the first time around, because all Tim Story did was make a better version of the first film. And I can’t be too mad at the brother; if my film made $300 million worldwide, would I really change that much?

That said, it IS better and worth seeing—even if you are a die-hard fan. At least the F.F. acted like the scientists/explorers they are in cartoons and comics. At least there were more scenes with Alicia Masters (and both her banter with Johnny Storm, and his conversations with and about her, were GREAT).

And Ol’ Chrome-Dome was on point. Visually, very much the character who blew my mind as a kid.

I’m excited about the Silver Surfer spin-off that’s in development. I hope in that film Galactus will be portrayed more traditionally. The storm thing DID work for “Rise,” though. As one poster said on “The Fantastic Four Message Board“: “While seeing Galactus looked cool back in my younger days I think we have all become a bit more sophisticated and I don’t think a big guy setting up some equipment on the the rooftop of a NYC skyscraper would have been better than the ominous looking Galactic Storm that threatens to consume the planet. Perhaps one day the original trilogy can be done by a top flight outfit like Pixar because I think he would look more plausible in that type of film.”

Blah, blah, blah. 🙂 None of this—including the weird (read: too fake) look that Jessica Alba’s very blond wig and too-blue contacts generated, the critics-reinforced opinion that many, MANY scenes could have been better acted—really matters. Silly Rabbit; Tricks Are For Kids. As I explained to a colleague on Friday before seeing the film: “I’m stuck. I’ve LOVED these characters since I was 10 years old.”

So with the Surfer risen, The Cosmic Quartet gains another group of 8-year-olds as a fan base, while the 10-year-old in me waits to join the next batch on line Opening Day for “FF3” in 2009. Not EXACTLY a lose-lose. 🙂

So Here's What We Know (I Think) About "Smallville"'s Next Season……..

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1) Lana’s not dead. She pulled a David Copperfield, and got into that vehicle that was passing by her car.

(Aside: Folks on the Web LOVE to hate Lana. But she’s too beautiful to hate. 🙂 )

2) Chloe will either be dead, alive or dead-but-a-permanent-part-of-Lois. And wouldn’t the third be crazy??? From the very beginning, some rabid “Smallville” fans have been theorizing that somehow Chloe would morph into Lois. Erica Durance joining the show killed that idea……until now. Hmmm……..  🙂 I love Chloe, but her essence transfer would be a “solution” to the problem of her on this show—taking up Lois’ historic space. And it would give this Lois a boost in the attributes and characteristics she needs to be a proper part of the Superman mythos.

3) Lionel’s not dead. Just knocked out.

4) Clark will find a way to kick Bizarro‘s ass, and he won’t put on a costume to do it.

 5) This was a strong ending to a weak season.

May 18th UPDATE: Understand that Chloe’s alive and will be on next season.

Says Al Gough, “Smallville”‘s executive producer, in this interview (which I didn’t read carefully enough yesterday): 

The idea that Chloe had a power was always something in the back of our minds, but we didn’t want it to be a cheap trick, we wanted the audience to be invested in the character and her relationship with Clark, and if we were going to do it, it was to deepen the character, which we think it does, and will allow us to keep exploring Chloe in season 7. You’ll see her power first manifest in the season finale.

 

Okay, there goes the theory. For now. 🙂

P.S. I guess it means NOBODY died after all. Oh, well, I would cry “gyp,” but it was an entertaining hour, so…….

A Few Words From Studs Terkel

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Enjoyed Studs Terkel being interviewed today on “Democracy Now!” I’ve wanted to be the next coming of Studs for at least 15 years now. Happy 95th Birthday, Studs!

Wanted to post some excerpts I particularly enjoyed. So here they are.

I’m known as a poet of the tape recorder, right? The fact is I have no idea how the hell it works. I’m terrible, I’m a nut, mechanically. I can’t drive a car. I can’t ride a bike. I don’t know what “internet” means, or “website.” Google is an old-time comic strip — “Barney Google” — with his goo-goo-googly eyes.

 

And so, you see, I’m not up on all the current stuff. And people say, “Boy, on that tape recorder, you capture those people.” No, they capture themselves, because I am inept. That comes out quite clearly.

Sometimes I turn the wrong button down. And that person in the housing project, she sees it doesn’t work, and she reminds me of it. And as I say, “Oh, I goofed,” at that moment, she is my equal or better than my equal. In other words, I am not, whoever it is, [inaudible], “Today” or “60 Minutes” or Kathy, whoever she is. It’s me, a guy who’s in trouble, and she helps me out. And so, I’m playing this tape recorder for this woman, very poor, very pretty. I don’t know whether she’s white or black. In those days, the early public housing projects were all mixed. And these little kids running around want to hear their mama’s voice on this new machine. And so, I’m playing it back, and she’s hearing her voice for the first time in her life, and suddenly she says, “Oh, my god!” And I say, “What is it?” She said, “I never thought I felt that way before.” Well, that’s an astonishing moment for her and for me, one you might say are fellow travelers together. So that’s the exciting stuff. She discovers that she does have a voice, that she counts.

The key word, by the way, in all of these people is they must feel they “count.” Nick von Hoffman, the columnist, used to work for the organizer Saul Alinsky, and he said once people get in a group and that group thinks as they do, he feels he counts or she counts more than alone. And so, that’s what it’s about.

AMY GOODMAN: What do you want them to think of when someone says “Studs Terkel”?

STUDS TERKEL: I want them to think of somebody who remembers them, to be remembered, whether it be me or anyone else. They want Studs Terkel, maybe as somebody — I’m romanticizing myself now — somebody who gave me hope. One of my books is Hope Dies Last. Without hope, forget it. It’s hope and thought, and that can counting. That’s what it’s about. That’s what I hope I’m about.

Coming Soon: "Sentences: The Life Of MF GRIMM"

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Just got this today. I was a huge Transmetropolitan fan, so I’m down with Vertigo. I eagerly await this.

Dear Producer/Editor,

Hip-Hop is a culture that can bring a community together with youth outreach and block parties or divide a neighborhood with violence and gangs. It’s a world built of DJs, Emcees, Writers and B-Boys, a world that grew from the streets. In SENTENCES: THE LIFE OF MF GRIMM, first-time graphic novel writer Percy Carey, a legend in underground Hip-Hop, provides an all access pass into his life and his community.

Carey’s memoir is a profoundly moving coming-of-age story of turf wars and emcee battles that begins in a most unexpected place “the set of “Sesame Street,” where a young Carey had his first taste of celebrity. Years later he recorded with MF Doom and performed with Tupac Shakur, the Dogg Pound and Snoop Dogg. Once again, celebrity seemed imminent.

Carey’s life then took an unexpected turn. On his way to a promising meeting with Atlantic Records, he was gunned down by rival drug dealers” an attack that left him paralyzed from the neck down. To this day, Carey remains confined to a wheelchair. After serving time and beating a life sentence for conspiracy to distribute narcotics, Carey has reclaimed his life and his music, founding Day By Day Entertainment and releasing a series of Hip-Hop albums.

In his first literary work, Carey collaborates with artist Ronald Wimberly (Swamp Thing, Lucifer) to create a book that is at once shocking, moving and inspirational. Wimberly’s striking black-and-white artwork perfectly captures Carey’s life providing a sharp-focused lens into the Hip-Hop world.

On sale this September from Vertigo, SENTENCES: THE LIFE OF M.F. GRIMM is intensely sincere and insightful, providing a griping look at a life lived fully and fervently. A highly charismatic individual, Carey is available for interviews to discuss this seminal piece of work.

Best,

David Hyde | Director of Publicity, DC Comics