Matt [Member Since: October 17 '07]

I was born by the river in a little tent. And just like that river, I’ve been runnin’ ever since.

I’m a PR professional by day and a blogger/writer/geek by night and stolen moments at work. I wrote about the aforementioned geek crap at Alert Nerd and will probably babble about comics here pretty regularly too. In moments of crippling fear, I imagine I am a panther.

Here at Heavy Ink, I’m self-appointed Content Lackey, just trying to leech whatever residual awesomeness I can off this great site.

Blurbs

Dana says:

Why thank you!

Matt said:

Welcome Dana!

Robert says:

After reading the newsletter, I was severely disappointed that the HI blog hasn’t had an entry on Tyler’s eating habits yet. We were promised entries on Tyler’s eating habits!!!

Unrelated, I just read Morrison’s Arkham Asylum. Morrison’s writing was terrific, but Dave McKean’s art ruined it for me.

pat514 says:

Cool Morrison marathon you have going on. I decided to check out a few morrison books myself. I’m caught up on his Batman run which honestly was outstanding!

I’ve been reading a bit of Seven Soldiers of Victory and The Invisibles….oh my god, the guy is nuts!

Did you ever see Morrison’s speach on what inspired him to write the invisibles, totally nuts! http://youtube.com/watch?v=5gHOh4Cgkn0

I’d really love to see Morrison do a run on Green Lantern, that would be a match made in comic book heaven.

By the way if your just going to read Batman and Son, I highly suggest you track down issue #666, an absolutely amazing issue!

-b. says:

Hey dude, I’m very much interested in your Morrison project. How is it going?

FrogMan says:

cool, glad you got some use out of it. Funny thing is I had been compiling that list for a little while now and always meant to post it in a neat forum thread but when Tyler announced the list feature, it was just too easy not to do it then… :)

Matt said:

Froggie, just wanted to say “thanks” for that AWESOME list of cheapie preview issues. I got four books to check out for the price of one regular issue of an ongoing series! Sweet!

pat514 says:

Hey, I was thinking about picking up scalped again, have you read the second trade? Do you think you’ll keep following it?

daynah says:

“If you’re gonna try to paint Joss Whedon with the “women in refrigerators” brush, you will be fighting a long, losing, uphill battle, friend. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a single creator in media who’s done more to advance the cause of feminism in popular culture.”

Yes, he’s a noted feminist. But in THIS ARC he chose to put a sexually abused girl in it. Why? That plot hasn’t really done much for the story (usually fridge girls do) and (maybe due to poor writing) he hasn’t gotten across the point that “pedos are bad.” AND this is in a comic that previously was marketed for kids (small digest size).

Joss’ s howBUFFY has done a lot for women. Nothing else has expect in personal cases (though those do matter the most, I’ll admit).

-b. says:

Hi Matt, just read Killing Pickman #1. Very cool stuff. Thanks for recommending it. The art threw me a bit at first, as I’m not used to that type. But the story was good enough to cover for it, and I got used to the style by the end.

FrogMan says:

truer words have never been spoken my friend… :)

Matt said:

The only thing that would make HeavyInk any better is if all the comics were free.

FrogMan says:

I agree, it is indeed very cool. I had had some recommendations from another message board but HeavyInk is really incredible in terms of discovering new stuff. The last 11 in my pull list (starting with Locke & Key) were all either added after reading a review here (As for Fell, the FF special), comparing pull lists of people reading stuff similar to what I like (Locke & Key, Gate of the east wind, by simply looking at the “NEW” page (the three twilight crusade titles and you can add Blood Bowl), or again from the recommendation page (Kick ass, Criminal, Doctor Who). Very, very stoked with how HeavyInk is improving my comic fun so far. Will have to control myself a bit though cause I’m getting close to the max I wanna spend… ;)

Matt said:

It is so cool that you’re finding all these new books through HeavyInk. I’m doing the same—Atomic Robo is one that I would never have picked up were it not for HeavyInk. There’s some very cool stuff happening on the fringe of the mainstream and I think this site is ready to do a lot to promote it and make it more visible.

FrogMan says:

thanks for your input (re: Buffy). Base don it and Robert’s input, I’ve decided to pass on it. I’m lacking time to watch past series and there’s still plenty for me to read anyway…

I did pick up another series based on another of your reviews: Fell. Will be getting the trade first, then have added it to my pull list. Saw some previews and liked what I saw very much. Thanks for your reviews, they’ve been very helpful.

This is gonna sound very l33t but Heavy Ink rocks. I’ve discovered a ton of new stuff I probably would not have known about in the one week I’ve been around here.

Matt said:

That is a tough question FMan…if you can find a cheap copy of issue 1, I recommend going for it. Or if you have NetFlix and a lot of time, rent some Buffy DVDs and see if it’s your speed. I can’t really say for sure cause I’m a fan of the show, so reading the comic was no big deal to me.

FrogMan says:

I’ve read your review of Buffy season 8 and it, along with the good review I’ve seen from other friends, is making it tempting. Thing is, I’ve never read, nor followed the TV series. You think a newcomer to the series could pick it up from issue #1 of season 8, not be completely lost and would enjoy it? Thanks in advance.

pat514 says:

Hey man, I saw a few reviews you have up on here, glad other people like northlanders as well. Anyway I dunno if you follow Jason Aaron’s stuff at all but Scalped might be something you’d be into, also he took over Wolverine and Ghost Rider, and they’ve both been great.

Definitely check out Ghost Rider 20 if you can, I’ve never been a fan of the character but the new issue is just incredibly awesome and refreshing.

Robert says:

I’ll agree that USM doesn’t match the “epicness” of The Ultimates. I’d argue more, but I think at this point it’s just a difference of opinions. :)

daynah says:

Then why does his big titles, Astonishing and Runaways, both stink? And are late? Go cry in Angel’s arms.

Matt said:

His job is so totally not made of fail as to be made of pure awesome.

daynah says:

Maybe I should get off his back. He is busy failing at his job all the time. That must feel pretty bad.

Matt said:

oh, daynah. Get off Joss Whedon’s back! He’s busy being AWESOME all the time.

Todd Michael R. says:

You’ve been referred to: http://heavyink.com/forum/forums/1/topics/97?page=2#posts-1288

Todd Michael R. says:

Hey, I get to interview random users for Heavyink! I picked you as my second interview.

E-Mail me for more info

toddmichaelr@gmail.com

we’ll even plug you

alertnerd alertnerd alertnerd

See?

daynah says:

Thanks! I hope I can get better. I’m an english major and if I don’t figure out where the heck to put myself in the world, I’m gonna be broke.

Matt said:

Please don’t let creepy nerds keep you out of HeavyInk! You’re a great writer with some funny stories.

Sgt. Lunchmeat says:

I love both Rucka and Brubaker. I will most definitely pick this up – thanks.

-b. says: Well, I just ordered Casanova Vol 1 from Amazon, as HI doesn't offer it. Not sure what issues it covers though. We'll see how it goes.
-b. says: So I don't know if you saw my latest blog entries, but I lost all my downloaded comics. Among them were Casanova 1-7. I know you read that, or at least you did, so I'm wondering, can I pick up at issue 8, which I already have from HI? Or is it something I should look through the back issue bins for?
Dan says: Re: Starlin annuals - yeah, those were awesome! I bought the reprints they put out in the mid-80s. In fact, there's one I've been digging around in my longboxes for, to scan for a blog post I've been thinking about... I'm pretty sure one of Starlin's supporting characters is a swipe... 100% ripped off. But that "Starlinverse" (Charles Yoakum's phrase, I think) is awesome, and since they (or he, if we owe it all to Giffen?) started it all up again, I'm back to buying superhero comics... ("Just when I thought I was out... they PULL me back in!"). ;-)
Sgt. Lunchmeat says: You're right, that was a fantastic story.
Todd Michael R. says: I thought of you, while writing my latest blog entry...
Matt says: Aw. Kissies!
Todd Michael R. says: I think there's something right with you.
-b. says: Yeah, I can't wait to start the Cap Omnibus. It looks awesome. I actually have the day off today as court is not in session. (I'm working on a trial at the moment.) So I have time to read. Right now, I'm reading Green Lantern #19 and Green Lantern Corps #11. I'm trying to get to the Sinestro Corps War story arc. Almost there. When I do reach that point, I may just have to take a break from GL and go to Cap.
Dan says: OK, I have enough data now: no, there's nothing wrong with you. ;-)
Matt says: I think we're on much the same page, Dan; I enjoy and read lots that's outside the Marvel/DC sphere but it's usually held together by a semblance of story and yes, most of the time, some kind of genre trope. That's just how I roll.
Dan says: Sorry, that should have read "but the crappy look of them has kept me away".
Dan says: Yeah, if by 'art comics' you mean badly-drawn, loosely-autobiographical stories about temping by day and being a useless slacker with all the attendant hang-ups and problems by night, or other other weird **** that lacks any kind of story and just seems to be graphic wankery, then I'm with you. If you mean 'anything outside of the Marvel/DC milieu', then I'd disagree, as I think there's a lot of great stuff out there that qualifies as good comics. That said, I'm not a fan of the traditional underground-type stuff (Crumb, Spiegelman, etc), with occasional exceptions. Some folks seem to think auto/biographical things like Maus and Persopolis are good, the crappy look of them has kept me away.
Matt says: Re: my friends...what can I say? I like people.
Dan says: What's an "'art' comic"? Just wondering if I agree with you, but can't tell.
TJIC says: WRT "art" comics: yeah, I agree with you. I like to think of myself as at least somewhat intellectual - I read history books for fun, and the ocassional philosophy book...but when it comes to movies, I like "The Road Warrior". When it comes to TV, I like "The Sopranos". When it comes to comics, I like "The Walking Dead", etc. Angsty,arty, etc. comics leave me cold.
TJIC says: Holy crap! You've got three rows of Friends up above!
Matt says: thank god! Thanks Tyler.
Tyler says: Edit is coming! Right after I finish what I'm working on... (whatever that may be... dun dun dun)... Edit is coming, as well as the removal of the stupid rich text editor.
MD says: "wait, THE chupacabra?"

I fear what this implies, that there may be multiple chupacabra derivatives in existence.
Todd Michael R. says: wait, THE chupacabra?
Dan says: Brian, preference is preference, of course. I like CBR, too (at least when the scans fit on my monitor - or is there an easy way to resize them I don't know about?), but just wanted to point out that file format and image quality are unrelated.
-b. says: Matt, not to jump into a conversation, but I see you were discussing PDF vs. CBR. I've downloaded about 300 issues (I know, I know, bad for the industry. But good for me. I would never have been able to track down/afford all of them.), and about 99.44% are in CBR format. The little rest are in PDF. And I gotta say, I prefer the CBR format much more. Just my $0.02.
MD says: Your overwhelming quantity of blurbs makes me feel somewhat emasculated.

But thanks for commenting on the avatar :) I was debating just tweaking the "no image yet" to read "no image ever" and leave it at that, but then I thought to myself "What would Batman do?"
Todd Michael R. says: >In moments of crippling fear, I imagine I am a panther. That is genius. I like your alert nerd site.
Matt says: Eh. Kevin can be so BITCHY sometimes... :)
Dan says: heh.
Matt says: I just prefer getting my files in CBR format; it's easier for me, at least. Pages scroll in a more orderly fashion.
Dan says: Also, if you're a fan of 80s comics "Jon Sable, Freelance", or "Grimjack", Comicmix.com is serializing new stories from Grell, Ostrander & Truman (and a whole bunch of other stuff I haven't looked at). Pretty good flash reader, and they're free to read.
Dan says: There's nothing inferior about PDF. CBR is just an archive of JPGs - you can winWAR (or equivalent) the JPGs out of the file if you want. The quality of the PDFs depend on the quality of the files they're made from, same as CBR.
-b. says: Hi Matt, thanks for the recommendation to get Son of the Demon. I'll have to look for that one. And thanks for the heads up on the spoiler conversation. I appreciate that. -b.
Dan says: Sorry, should have read "any of"
Dan says: The Invisibles is outstanding, I highly recommend it. Haven't read Animal Man or Doom Patrol (or, for that matter, and of GM's superhero stuff, other than All Star Superman).
castewar says: Make Jeff be my friend. Or I'll cry. Also, I just made a blog post, not realizing you had also blogged about the Walt Simonson Thors - different post, don't worry.
Todd Michael R. says: Gentleman, good job. I'm VERY interested to see how this'll turn out. -mE!
Dan says: Do you just happen to have those Thors, or is Marvel reprinting them? I remember seeing them on the shelves at the time and thinking, "hmmmm... I should be following these", but then not doing it.
Matt says: Blurb me?! Blurb you, buddy!
Tyler says: Ah crap, I got blurb on my shoe.
TJIC says: You've got blurb!
Matt says: Thanks for your pity blurbs, Dan. They are appreciated. Yeah, I suppose Cerebus would be the originator of the "phonebook" format, aside from, of course, those who produced actual books containing phone numbers.
Dan says: Although, now that I think about it... I do have three Cerebus phonebooks (and wasn't the term coined by Sim to refer to his collected books, and he the first to demonstrate that there was a market for that sort of thing?), which I've read cover to cover many times.
Dan says: I only own one of those sorts of collections - Kirby's Eternals in hardcover ("Still only $75!" - hilarious!), and I confess I haven't finished it yet.
Dan says: Well, hell - I'll blurb you.

My OCD

by Matt at 10:03 AM

Spent Saturday morning deep in the short boxes, trying to get a handle on what I have and what I need in the way of comical books.

I feel more…organized, and yet…there are many books without bags and boards, and others with OLD bags that I know are rotting the pulpy pages even as I type. There’s stuff I’m keeping, and I’m not sure why; there’s stuff I’m getting rid of, and I’m not sure it’s a good idea.

I have mild OCD when it comes to my comics.

The other big area where this manifests itself is in how I read. I’ve got a pile of probably ten different trades/singles I’m reading at any given time—I like the variety, but then I get frustrated because I’m not “accomplishing” enough so I shove a bunch of them back in the boxes and I maybe take out one or two more and I start again.

I feel this inordinate sense of accomplishment when I finish a book, especially an Essential, which are marathon tomes. If I’m lucky, I get to read one or two issues’ worth of comics every day, so you can understand how long it might take.

Reading becomes less about enjoying the experience and more about finishing stuff and reaching stupid goals.

Please tell me I’m not alone, and that some of you are as sad as I am.

Comments

by FrogMan at 08:39 PM February 25, 2008

no, no, you are not alone. I read those big books usually before going to bed, since I don’t carry them around and don’t want to leave them in the living room or the dining room where there’s too much of a chance of one of my kids spilling something on top of them and it takes me forever to finish one too. I try to still keep it about enjoying it although it’s hard to shun the competitive nature in me and not see it as yet one more goal to achieve in my life… :)

I absolutely know what you are talking about…

FM

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