#CS100

Yeah, I know. Been another long stretch of nothin'. For what it's worth, I have a couple story ideas I may want to put down on (digital) paper. I may be a little more active here again soon. But, then, I've been having too much fun on Panels On Pages. You remember me talking about that, right?

I need to start listing those pieces here, too. Maybe later. But, if it helps, having too much fun on Panels On Pages is kinda why I'm here right now.

Kit, Here's The Scoop on #CS100. You heard me talk about on it on Twitter all day yesterday. It came from a love of reading. And writing. And wanting to explore the "micro-blogging" properties of Twitter. #CS100 will accomplish all of the above.

This past weekend, ComiXology offered up 100 (!) titles from their "Submit" initiative for only $10 (!!). Of course I jumped on that. Not just because it worked out to a dime per title, but because it was all independent creators, which is where my tastes lie more nowadays.

I should probably back up a bit and explain what's going on for the uninitiated. Comixology is a digital comics platform where you can buy and read comics without all the messy paper. Comnixology Submit is their independent arm, launched a year ago at SXSW (where things like that apparently happen now). Instead of going for Marvel or DC (who it pains me to say is really tanking right now, at least in terms of quality), I've been leaning more towards smaller, independent books. Because more often than not, that's where the quality is at*. So, when they offered up 100 (!) titles from their "Submit" initiative for only $10 (!!), of course I jumped on that. Wow, deja vu.

I'm gonna have a blast reading each one of them. Yes, each one of them. And you get to come along for the ride and share in my madness, because each of the 100 titles will be reviewed on Twitter in no particular order. There'll also be a tie-in on the aforementioned Panels On Pages in a couple weeks. Now, this isn't the only thing I do on Twitter, so you'll know if it's a review by seeing the #CS100 (as in, Comixology Submit, 100 books) hashtag.

This is gonna be too much fun. Hope you come along for the ride.

* - Case in point: World War Mob by my pal, Vito Delsante. Imagine a croup of capos having to take out a hit. In the middle of the biggest war in our planet's history. This is good stuff, 2 issues in. And it's only about $2 an issue! Looking forward to more. I promise it won't disappoint if you give it a try.

I Can't Quit You

From the 12.31.13 post “Walking Away”:

No, this isn't a "retirement" post, per se. I've done more of those than Terry Funk.

Well, thank God I put that disclaimer in there.

Yes, this is going somewhere. Bear with me just a moment, because I have to pull another quote to explain what you’re about to read:

But, a much bigger reason I'm done with this? For good? Is because the internet has just become a cesspool. Opinions being treated as facts, shaming/guilting/humiliating people into thinking their way is wrong, getting on a soapbox, the proverbial chest-thumping self-righteousness of it all...yeah, no thanks.

Is the internet still a quagmire of self-righteous pieces of trash full of people shaming other people into thinking the same way they do? Of course it is. That hasn’t changed and I fear it probably never will. That in and of itself is unfortunate.

However, it’s not all bullying and boycotts. There are definitely good people out there who not only enjoy pleasant interactions, but feel the same way I do about false outrage and controversy for the sake of controversy! This is a group that likes to have fun, enjoys being fans rather than preachers, and has some level-headed, very likeable, and just plain good people among their ranks.

This is the Pop!-ulation. You can find them at Panels on Pages, as well as on their Podcast network. They’re a group that’s not really concerned with breaking the latest story and getting ALL TEH HITZ as much as they are having some fun and talking geekery. There are some great ideas and discussions that come from this crew. They have a place to converse among other civilized human beings.

And now I can announce that I am among their numbers.



I will be writing (semi-regularly) again, now for the fine folks at Panels on Pages. No news bits, no racing for the deadline…mainly just op-ed pieces and informative stuff about the things I like. Mainly what I do here*, except for an actual audience. Not to besmirch the…what, two? Three of you that check this place regularly? But Panels on Pages has a bigger audience than I do, and I dig on being part of a community that’s just doing the internet right. You’ll be able to read me there by the end of this week, as my first piece is set for Friday (August 9), with a five-part series starting on Sunday, August 11.

It’s nothing earth-shattering or life-changing, but it’s a way to me to get back to what I love doing and to actually be able to enjoy doing it. It kinda feels like a relief, and I’m excited to get the ball rolling. Overall, I’m looking to have some fun. And this crew knows how to do fun, for sure. Feel free to follow along and…you know, have some fun with us.



*Except for fantasy wrestling booking. That stays here because I can’t see many other site wanting a piece of that. Although, if you like that sort of thing, I may be doing some more here sooner than later. No promises, though.

Whatever You Do, Don't Get Killed.

Strictly considered, writing about music is as illogical as singing about economics. All the other arts can be talked about in the terms of ordinary life and experience. A poem, a statue, a painting or a play is a representation of somebody or something, and can be measurably described (the purely aesthetic values aside) by describing what it represents.
- New Republic, February 9, 1918

A day over 94 years later, I would finally find an album that lived up to that very description. Lord knows I’ve written my fair share of reviews about all sorts of madness. In some way shape or form, though, I was able to convey some sort of idea of what the sounds were like and how pleasant they were or weren’t.

Little did I know how tough that would be when I decided to give an ear to a podcaster I’ve come to enjoy over the last 6 months.



The podcast in question is actually plural, with both shows being from the same site. Panels on Pages is a tidy geek culture that focuses mostly on comics, but covers much more. Like video games. And wrestling. JFX316 - aka Jared Whittaker - is a site contributor and shows up on a couple podcasts a week offering his boisterous laugh and laser-focused opinions on a lot of subjects. After this long, I was aware of his music but hadn’t given it a chance until I was virtually dared to by the offer above.

The result? Okay, first, I have to pull a quote from JFX316 himself, from his Twitters:



Keep that exact quote in mind should you decide to make the intelligent decision to go spend $5 on JFX’s latest album, Don’t Get Killed. It speaks volumes about what you’ll hear once the download is done.

Looking for rock and roll? Trance? Trip-hop? A little metal? Dubstep? Where do I stop? There’s so much of a blender mix here it may be more apropos to describe it more like a microwave explosion. Sinking to cliches like “hodge-podge”, “mix of styles”, genre-bending”, and all the rest of those is certainly tempting. Cliches are such because they are true, and they all fit here. But going back to those wells to describe Don’t Get Killed does the record a disservice since it wears its insolence on its sleeve and, for that matter, on its Rusty Shackles-provided cover art:



The rhymes are sprinkled with metric tons of geek references from Tom Brevoort (look him up) to fellow PoP! cohort Dan Mahoney. Oh, and there are mentions of rasslin’ all over the place. And topical stuff that gets made fun of, too! Aside from all that, there are moments when these things are wrapped around JFX’s sonic fist like a chain that drills you right between the eyes:

Hip hop’s a dead man and I’m the White Lantern
Always backin’ up the fam, everyone else is catching a sidewalk slam...
All I wanted to be was the next Chuck D, MF Doom, Kool Keith, or DMC
Life in shambles, like DMZ
- JFX316, “Don’t Get Killed”

If you’re looking to dip out of here now and pick this up, I wouldn’t blame you one bit. But before you go, be warned now if you’re thinking this might make for a great record to have on in the background while you try and concentrate on something else, think again. The disjointed sounds alone will see to it that your attention is focused squarely on Don’t Get Killed whenever it’s playing. The closest thing this guy comes to a single is “Destitute”, which is still all over the place but somewhat refined with the most pop-esque sound you’re likely to hear out of JFX. Even that’s not very radio-friendly; in fact, it’s much more mocking of the idea of “let’s have a hit single” just in sound alone.



Self-effacing is something that JFX seems to do well. Not in the means that he has no confidence in himself, because it takes guts to put out a record at all in the world of digital media gluttony no matter who you are. It takes guts to make any kind of art, really. That having been said, he’ll apparently be the first to tell you:

A year ago, I was screaming “fuck you” on podcasts,
But now I get paid for shitty products like my name was Comcast...
I should change my name to Skynet, I’m self-aware, I’m everywhere
And I’m unsure why anybody fucking cares...
No producer please, sucker, please,
If you talk about me, please put the word ‘rapper’ in parentheses
- JFX316, “Sugary Disaster Cereals”

As far as the beats and the accompaniment go, not many dudes would be willing to make rap beats out of Nine Inch Nails and Danzig. I’m not sure how many would even be able. JFX pulls this off, and the kinda scary thing is those are probably a couple of the more tame beats on the record. An odd imaginarium of dubsteb, electronica, a dash of guitar, a slight hint of cacophony, and generous portions of middle finger are what the music itself is made of. Sits well right alongside the bouillabaisse of apathy, rage, disenchantment, disbelief, and generous portions of middle finger that comprise the majority of the vocals and rhymes.

I’ll be honest, after looking back at what I wrote objectively, it almost looks like there’s no discernible reason to give this a listen. But that might be the strength of Don’t Get Killed is that is might be a challenge to sit through. Let’s just shoot for a second - hip-hop, as we know it, is on life support at the very best. Cats like Apathy, Lyrics Born, Skratch Bastid, and Chuck D are doing their best to keep it alive when most of the art - or lack thereof - is slickly produced, soulless drivel that’s easily interchangeable. I can now add JFX316 to that list after haring an album that would rather stage dive in to a crowd of Occupy protesters on Wall Street from 50 stories up than be considered “Hip-Hop”. By being so openly defiant and not at all what the iPod crowd would probably not even consider actual music, Don’t Get Killed would probably shake the sleeping masses like a drunken nanny were it ever to reach them. For everyone’s sake, I would love to see exactly that happen, because this display of guts deserves that.

Go see for yourself and give Don’t Get Killed a try at the link your eyeballs just passed. If you think guys like Drake, T.I. and The Game are the kings of hip-hop, give up the mediocrity and pick this up. If you’re a music buff wanting to hear something different, treat yourself and pick this up. If any of those aren’t good enough reasons, this should be: