Wednesday, December 3rd, 2003
Dumb Dumb Dumb
24 – What I want to know is what kind of a world do we live in where you can’t trust a drug lord and terrorist to let you go after you break him out of prison? For shame. I am at least comforted in the fact that even from the safety of the heart of CTU, Kim can still manage to be taken hostage. At least that will never change. You are my rock, Kim Bauer. Your ineptiude a compass that can guide my ship through even the stormiest waters.
I am all out of Preacher. I binged on all the trades – bought and devoured the final volume, Alamo, last night – and now there’s no more. I’m not dissatisfied with how it all wrapped up, to the contrary – I thought it was great. It just reaffirmed my belief that the best stories are the ones with endings, even if their conclusions leave the reader feeling bittersweet and wanting it to never end. I want more Jesse, more Tulip, more Cassidy, but I also know that their stories are done. Sigh.
So what else should I read?
Exclaim! has gotten their year-end lists online. They split theirs into genre – the only ones of interest to me are the pop/rock (9 of 20) and the folk/country/blues (6 of 10) lists.
That last bastion of power pop Not Lame Records is releasing a tribute album to Glasgow’s finest, Teenage Fanclub, next year. What A Concept is scheduled for a February 2004 release and features cuts from Redd Kross, Superdrag and a host of other bands that, honestly, I’ve never heard of. But apparently they all owe something to the Fannies. From The Catbirdseat.
There’s a complete Shins live set from the Austin City Limits Festival this past September available for download here. Link from Largehearted Boy, who has some other neat links to downloads today. Go peel slowly and see.
From Stereogum – Derek Zoolander’s Favorite Holiday Movies. “Taxi Driver is one of my favorite Christmas movies because at the end he’s wearing a green jacket, and then he gets red all over it.”
Emily Ypersound’s top 10 of 2003.
np – Velvet Crush / A Single Odessey
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12/3/03 9:46 am
Frank – I don’t know if you ever liked Sneaker Pimps, but I loved them, and then their lead singer (Kelly? Kellie?) left, and they released their second album, which was okay, but more ‘meh’.
Do you know if Kelly/ie ever did anything else that was good? Or do you know of other similar bands (besides Tricky)?
12/3/03 9:48 am
24 – I, for one, am pretty happy with how the episode turned out. Finally a bit of tension. I’m not sure who has been directing the episodes, but John Cassar http://…/ directed last nights episode and I’m giving him due credit.
I have to admit that Kim getting herself in a bind is pretty funny, but it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out. (The terrorists have Jack AND his family this time!)
And it’s nice to see President Palmer dig himself into a political hole and Chappel take over for Michelle (the awkward hug was a nice touch). And even Chloe’s awkwardness was playing to her advantage rather than against her.
So, any thoughts on the virus?
12/3/03 10:44 am
All I have to say on last night’s episodes, was major plot holes! still a very watchable episode, but still why would Jack take Ramon to the plane by himself? why were they trying to keep Kyle Singer? Kim is once again in a terrorist’s custody but for once has justice to it….how long is Tony gonna be out? with Chapelle back in and running things, we should see the dark days ahead for 24 as far as the characters go.
12/3/03 10:51 am
I vividly remember the day the last issue of Preacher came out… I bought it, sat down at my favorite bar, and read it slowly as I drank a beer. Then I read it again.
Didn’t want it to end. I still miss the characters.
Amie waited two months to read it… she couldn’t deal with it being over, so she delayed it as long as she could. When she finally gave in, she teared up as she neared the last pages.
Not sure another comic will ever match the impact that one had on me.
12/3/03 11:06 am
-why would Jack take Ramon to the plane by himself?
I thought they made that pretty clear with his "rogue agent status. trying to save the world, etc.
-why were they trying to keep Kyle Singer?
Red Herring. I saw the kyle thing coming, but I can’t figure out where the virus plays in. If I had to guess I’d say Gael is the carrier.
12/3/03 11:44 am
Derek – I know nothing about Sneaker Pimps, sorry.
24 folks – I don’t know what’s going on with the virus, but they better have a good explanation. I don’t believe it’s another decoy because the baddies were tracking Kyle Singer and Kyle Singer only. Maybe Tony has the virus now, it was on the bullet he got shot in the neck with. I don’t know if anyone already introduced could realistically be the carrier – the incubation period would have to be over by now and they’d have to be getting sick… I don’t think Chapelle is a portent of doom – on the contrary, the new huggy kinder, gentler Chapelle could be just the tonic CTU needs. And I don’t think they could possibly bring Tony back in any real capacity this season – he just got out of 2-3 hours of neck surgery. No way he’s going to be anywhere but a hospital bed for the next 18 hours.
Brad – I experienced the same feeling of ‘it’s over’ when Sandman wrapped up, but that series wasn’t as character-driven as Preacher, it was more high-fantasy with inhuman, inscrutable protagonists. Preacher was different. I will miss it. But what else should I be reading?
12/3/03 12:17 pm
24 – uh, just thought of something. isn’t the virus’ "3 hours-left" period coming to an end by the next episode? i think so. we’ll know by next week.
tony must’ve been out shooting a film or something. he’ll be back when that’s done.
and they teased us *twice!* with getting rid of kim in this episode. something’s going on. or else there’ll be hell to pay.
i never thought jack would be going to ctu. i always thought he was going with ramon to mexico anyway.
12/3/03 12:31 pm
24 – Gael is in the country and working with the terrorists. If he were to have and inject the virus into Kim, or himself or, say, Jack — Salazar knew Jack was an addict, and Gael had access to his office — then the virus is potentially loose. Whatever happened to the drugs they found in Jack’s office? I can’t remember if he injected himself or not. Did Chloe taste it or smell the vial? Hmmm….
12/3/03 12:38 pm
Chloe!! http://…/
12/3/03 12:59 pm
Correction for derek: Sneaker Pimps didn’t even really get rolling until Kelli Dayton left. The two albums released since her departure are leaps and bounds better than "Becoming X." She made them sound like a bad Tricky session. Now they sound (at times) like a reasonably good Depeche Mode.
12/3/03 1:00 pm
Give "Y: The Last Man" a try. First issues should be out in trades by now.
12/3/03 1:28 pm
Man, Wednesdays are the best blogdays. You guys rule.
Five Seventeen loves Chlooooeee. Five Seventeen loves Chlooooeeee.
I have no conspiracy theories. I will wait and see what happens next week, though I suspect the show will be taking its holiday break very very soon.
I have been reading Y-The Last Man for a few months now, I like it very much. I dig the character-driven Vertigo titles, I guess.
12/3/03 1:56 pm
Frank..
You known, I thought of the bullet-has-the-virus thing too, but..
Michelle’s been through enough already… what with Chapelle planting that "Kick-me" sign on her back.
Or did I misinterpret the gesture?
12/3/03 2:06 pm
Frank, 100 Bullets is a great spiralling read with disparate stories winding into each other. Lots of trades out there right now.
Top 10 by Alan Moore (two volumes available) – genius (hell, can you ever go wrong with Moore?)
X-Force/X-Statix by Peter Milligan and Mike Allred. Subversive.
Creature Tech by Doug TenNaple (it’s a one-shot graphic novel, but it’s good)
Plastic Man #1 by Kyle Baker is out today! (If you havn’t yet, you must get Baker’s The Cowboy Wally Show.. it’s my favorite comic of all time… sheer comic-as-in-comedy genius)
Pop Gun War by Farel Dalrymple is now collected in a trade by Dark Horse.
Hellboy, Hellboy, Hellboy!
and finally Lucifer. No less than 4 people read the 3rd trade I brought up to a cottage social this weekend, all of them liking it, some of them not avid comic readers.
12/3/03 4:15 pm
Yo Frank:
Transmetropolitan, if you havent already.
yes.
12/3/03 4:16 pm
Mark my words…I will stop visiting your site if you keep posting these "24" spoilers. So…far…away…from…North…America…
12/3/03 4:46 pm
100 Bullets!
As said before: a great noir book with individual arcs which work alone and as part of a much larger story.
Ennis is on Punisher now, but it isn’t supposed to be anything special.
12/4/03 12:25 am
I think the show has gone back to basics and we have stop tryin to figure all this out and let it come to us, I think there will be 2 more episodes before the break, so we shall see what kind of a cliffhanger they leave us on for a few weeks, as then we will have things to talk about.
12/8/03 5:17 am
woo! In the UK but all caught up (thanks internet! <wink> ) on my 24 season 3 so i can read some of Frank’s mentions of the series. Finally after ignoring all the posts about 24 I can read them and ponder the pondering.
Until the next post, anyway.