Superrrrrrrrr!!!! Oh, boy, it’s Wednesday again (tomorrow), and what a Wednesday it is (will be). There’s an assload of books being shipped to your local paper-jockey as we speak (type), and, if you’re anything like me, you’ll be plunking down a few of our American dollars on some specially designed comic-delivery systems. Here’s a look at this week’s more promising models…

Amazing Spider-Man #569…I’ve been on and off this book in the recent past, but Romita is back on pencils, so I’m in again. Plus, the Thunderbolts will be there. Good times.

Daredevil #110…I like it. Not as good as it once was, but still pretty great.

Speaking of which, want some of the really good stuff? Pick up this week’s thing-I -most-want-to-buy-but-can’t, the Bendis/Maleev Daredevil Hardcover Omnibus. Containing most of the best run on Daredevil ever, this is the big, beautiful book to buy if you want to curl up and hide from life in the dark streets and alleyway’s of Matt Murdock’s Hell’s Kitchen. Do it…punk.

Kick-Ass #4…who doesn’t love Kick-Ass? Seriously? Hmmm…..weird.

Mighty Avengers #17…this one has been on side-story duty for a while, supporting the main Secret Invasion title. This time, will it be more of the same? Who can say, other than all the people who were involved in making it and getting it to us.

New Avengers #44…will we finally learn the truth behind Marvel’s Illuminati? And how will it effect the Secret invasion?!? Only time (and maybe this book) will tell.

Having only read the first hardcover collection of Runaways, I am behind the curve on this comic. But Runaways (Vol. 3) #1 is where I’m jumping on (I’ll catch up with the back-story later). This book has moved through the hands of some very talented writers (Brian K. Vaughn and Joss Whedon), and the third volume is being helmed by the no-less-capable Terry Moore. I’m so there.

Thunderbolts #123…normally one of my faves, Thunderbolts is under new management. How that will pan out has yet to be seen, but…I’m game for another issue, at least.

Ultimate iron Man II #5…I totally don’t care about this book anymore. But number five completes the set, and I already have the first four, so…ugh.

Wolverine #68…I’ve really been digging this particular arc. I don’t know what’ll happen after it’s over, since it’s set in the future (does that make it a What If?), but I’m along for the ride until it gets lame again (which is only a matter of time…sorry, Logan).

Boy, I think that’s it. Way too many books on the old list this week…I might have to trim the fat when I’m at the shop. But all in all, there’s a lot to look forward to. And with that, I’m out. Until next time…

Bagged and boarded,

Grip

]]> http://www.routinefly.com/2008/08/grips-pull-list-for-08-27-08/feed/ http://www.routinefly.com/2008/08/rec-league-chart-toppers-week-2/ http://www.routinefly.com/2008/08/rec-league-chart-toppers-week-2/#comments Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:13:24 +0000 Grip Grand http://www.routinefly.com/?p=646
Here’s the Rihanna Disturbia Remix featuring Grip Grand…now go dumb!!
Grip Grand - Rihanna Disturbia RMX

Song- long-stroke

Label: Cotillion

Year: 1978

bpm: 86ish

I have found a shit load of breaks at Logos in Santa Cruz. Most of the Proe album.

Your Favorite Hits By Your Favorite Artists!
This Week:

I Kissed A Girl Hip-Hop Remix by Katy Perry feat. Grip Grand

Another day, another dollar to be wasted on baubles and trinkets. Not much on the old list this week, but we’ll see what we can scare up. Last week’s books were a slim batch. Halo 3 is totally pointless due to unforgivable delays. The game it was supposed to preface came out a year ago. Who cares anymore? They should have just stopped the “weekly” book and put it out in a trade instead. Astonishing X-Men was OK, but nowhere near the perfect tone of Whedon’s run. And Secret Invasion was cool, but I’m kind of just waiting to re-read it once the whole thing’s out. Issue to issue it has pacing problems, but I love the underlying story. And speaking of story, over the last two days I read the first 4 trades of Y the Last Man, and boy, it deserves all the praise it gets. I read Book One long ago, wasn’t amazed, but I enjoyed it. Well, once those gears get going, it’s quite a ride. Fans of strong plotting and character-driven storytelling should hop on this one. So, what’s up now, potna? Let’s do this thing. Here’s a few titles I might take home tomorrow.

Captain America #41 continues a tale that I would love to have read for the first time, all collected, in that recent Captain America Omnibus. Unfortunately, I didn’t. I read it weekly like a schlub. But this story is so long and strong (pause) that I bet the impact of an all-in-one read would be immense. I must say that I wish Steve Rogers would come back at this point…I don’t know if that’s in the cards, but Bucky still feels, well, temporary. This story wraps up soon, and let’s hope it does so with as much style as it’s had all along.

I’ve been reading a lot of Mark Millar lately, it seems. I just finished his unique and nihilistic graphic novel Wanted (made into something else entirely for the film), and it was imperfect and grand all at once. Now here comes Marvel: 1985 #4 to extend my Millar-fix a little longer. I had low expectations for this title, but so far it’s been pretty good stuff. Real world meets comic world. Thumbs up.

Well, uh…that’s it for the list. I may be looking into the new issue of Amazing Spider-Man (#568), which sees the return of John Romita Jr. in some capacity (art?), as well as a confrontation between Spidey and the Green Goblin-helmed Thunderbolts. Also of interest, Geoff Johns and George Perez begin Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds. Good creative team, so we’ll see. And last if not least, Vertigo will publish the first issue of Air, which is about God-only-knows what, but I always flip through the new Vertigo books.

Slim pickings, people. Time to go trade-shopping. Until next week…

Bagged and boarded,

Grip

]]> http://www.routinefly.com/2008/08/grips-pull-list-for-08-20-08/feed/ http://www.routinefly.com/2008/08/qmie-blog-qmie-blog-2/ http://www.routinefly.com/2008/08/qmie-blog-qmie-blog-2/#comments Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:40:48 +0000 Rob Rush http://www.routinefly.com/?p=626

Fresh from the studio booty mixes, but we want to share anyway. enjoy.

Q’m - Party Hard (produced by Grip Grand)

Rob Rush - One More Shot (Produced By No Wonder)

Self Titled

Skrulls. You know what I’m sayin’? I think you do. Everyone’s a Skrull (including all those people who thought that the Dark Knight movie was better than Iron Man), and I can’t trust the lot of you. Therefore, I shouldn’t be revealing top-secret information like the contents of my pull-list, especially not in a forum as public as this one. I mean, everyone totally reads this blog…even the Skrulls. So I guess I’d better watch my back, and in the meantime I’ll be down at my local Kree watering-hole, trying to make some friends.

OK, I met this guy named Mar-Vell, he says he’ll take care of it. So I guess it’s safe enough to get this show on the road. Let’s start it off in style, shall we?

Secret Invasion #5 is alive! SI is great (love that swimsuit issue!…wait, not that SI), and it really pays off the long-time Marvel/Bendis reader (I have no idea what it does for the noobs). There are tie-ins here (and in the other Bendis books, both New and Mighty Avengers, which carry much of the SI subplot) all the way back to his Secret War saga. Good stuff. OK…Maybe a little confusing. But re-reading it all in a row will be a good thing. C’mon, next issue! Be here now.

Astonishing X-Men #26 continues Warren Ellis’ new arc on this well-loved book. I haven’t read #25 yet, since Marvel has yet to release the the previous two trades in hardcover (as they did with the sweet two-trade hardcover for that story’s earlier arcs), and if I buy the separate softcover versions they won’t match the other collection on my shelf. Joss Whedon’s Astonishing run should be on every X-fan’s list of stuff to buy right now, and I look forward to seeing what Ellis does with Whedon’s strong foundation.

Halo: Uprising #3. Really? How long has it been since we’ve seen you? Really. And you expect to just show up, months after we’ve forgotten whatever the hell you were all about, and have us pay not two but three ninety-nine for the privilege of confusing ourselves further? Really?!? Really. Sure. If you say so. Good plan. We’ll see how that works out for you…wait, you were written by who? Brian Michael Bendis? With art by Alex Maleev? The same Eisner Award-winning team who did the best run on Daredevil ever (yeah, I see you Frank Miller)? Oh, well then, uh…I guess I’ll see you Wednesday.

So, that’s it then. No more books for me. By the way, I’m told that the second installment of Thunderbolts should be out this week, hardcover or soft I don’t know. Check for it. And if you ever dug the Punisher, look for last week’s hardcover collection of Garth Ennis’ 12-issue miniseries Welcome Back, Frank. Good stuff, especially if you want to see the Frank Castle turn a guy’s head allllllllllllll the way around, or maybe feed people to fish. Yeah, it’s like that. Remorseless, but light-hearted. Not psychological, not a character study. Just 12 solid issues of shoot-em-up, bang-bang, dead mafia guys, and a world full of hurt. Thumbs up.

Alright, then. I’m out like Batwoman. Until next time…

Keep it bagged and boarded,

Grip

THIS WEEK’S DEFENDANT: M.I.A. Soundmen

You may be seated.

Ladies and gentlemen, we all love a good rap show. Who among us can say that they don’t enjoy venturing down to the local music auditorium for a good old-fashioned rhyme recital? The anxious vibrations of the crowd, the luminous beams of color, the funky-fresh rhythms of the disc jockey, and the rhymes…wait a minute….I see the performer mouthing words into the mic, but it seems as though they’re not coming out of the speakers. Something must be wrong. Not to worry. There’s a guy whose job it is to manage situations just like this. He’s the soundman and he’s sitting right….over…..oh dear god.
Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the evil vortex of the MIA soundman. I shall explain. You see, MIA soundmen are not really men at all. More like “soundcowards” or “sound d-bags”. Daunted by the seemingly simple task that they have been hired to perform, they retreat to undisclosed locations leaving performers and showgoers to suffer through undesirable listening conditions. You may be asking yourself, but where do they go? No one knows. They could be anywhere. Perhaps they are already on to the next “job” ruining other listening experiences across town. Perhaps they are outside laughing with their likeminded cohorts about the havoc they have wreaked. Or perhaps they are not gone at all, merely hiding beneath the soundboard and crudely pleasuring themselves to the sounds of performers calling for the soundman. Wherever their vile little fingers may be, rest assured that they are not on the volume controls of the sound system.
Ladies and gentlemen, the people of the concert community cannot be expected to tolerate this sort of perverse neglect. If not properly reprimanded, MIA soundmen could further contaminate the world we live in with their reckless disregard for duty. Before we know it, their twisted excuse for ethics will have taken over the world. How would you feel about an MIA doctor or an MIA airline pilot? Who is going to save you, your family, and your home when it is going up in flames and the entire fire department feels like doing something else? No one. If we don’t admonish these soundmen, your house will burn down. That’s a promise. MIA soundmen, I hereby sentence you to jail for life. This court is adjourned.