Brak For President: Alex Toth Tribute and Other Randomness

And I'm back. Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. I myself had a fun and relaxing few days. Some highlights included X-3, 80's Night, A.s.s.c.a.t. 3000 at the UCB Theater, and my first ever visit to Mel's Diner. I also got some shopping done, and had plenty of time to sit around, sleep late, and immerse myself in a few marathons of thumb-numbing videogaming.

I have to say that I am pretty happy that X-Men 3 has had such a monstrous opening weekend. Not because the movie is so mind-numbingly great that it deserves to shatter so many records (even though as you can see from my review below, I did really enjoy it). But because it is just kind of validation that the comic book movie lives, and that not only are these movies successful, but that when a series is given respect like X-Men has gotten in movie form, these great stories and characters really do become the modern day mythology of our time. Even though X-3 has its detractors (and, sidenote: While Brett Ratner is probably not the next Spielberg, what has he done to deserve such a bad reputation other than possibly be kind of a dick? I mean, the Rush Hour movies were pretty freaking entertaining were they not ...?), in my mind it is good enough to give the genre plenty of positive momentum going forward. It's like whenever a total crapfest like Fantastic Four comes out, even if it does well at the box office it kills momentum and makes the naysayers predict the end of comic-based movies -- so it's good to see so much love for the franchise that is one of the cornerstones of the current comic movie renassaince. And even though the fanboys complain about how plot points in the movie don't do justice to the comics, it's gotta make ya' smile to think that the greats like Stan Lee, Chris Clairemont, Len Wein, Dave Cockrum, and somewhere, Jack Kirby, are seeing their canonical work being enjoyed in a new form by so many people.

And speaking of the greats, I want to mention the passing away this weekend of Alex Toth. While not that many know his name, countless people are familiar with his work. Anyone who ever turned on the TV during their childhood and watched some of the classic Hannah-Barbera cartoons like Johnny Quest, Space Ghost, Birdman, or the Super Friends know the work of Toth - he was the primary artistic visionary behind many of those classic adventure characters. His designs and his characters were bold, iconic, elegant in their simplicity and brimming with dynamic energy. He was one of the greats in animation as well as comics, and his influence was absolutely huge on multiple generations of artists. I know that I have always been totally fascinated with those old Hannah-Barbera cartoons, loved them as a kid, and still look back at them with a huge fondness today. And a big part of that was the unique, dynamic art style of those shows. Much of the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup is practically a love-letter to Toth, with its humourous spins on Space Ghost, Harvey Bridman, and Sealab all using original Toth character art and designs incorprated into the shows. His work continues to be updated in comics, with new takes on old characters like DC's recent Space Ghost series and upcoming Johnny Quest. Comics, cartoons, and animation all owe a debt to Toth, as do the countless fans whose imaginations he inspired - it's sad to see such a legend go.

NBA STUFF:

This really is turning out to be a great year for the NBA Playoffs. While I can't count myself as a real fan of Miami or Detroit, it's kind of refreshing, in my opinion at least, to see Miami coming on strong against the Pistons, as a Miami vs. Dallas or Phoenix final is definitely intriguing and potentially a lot of fun to watch. As for Mavs-Suns, it's been a great series so far and Game 3 should be a lot of fun tonight. Personally I am kind of rooting for the Suns, but more than that am just hoping for some good basketball.

OTHER STUFF:

- You know what the thing about comedy is ... it's not easy to be funny when you're not around other funny people. It's like after seeing the improv show at the UCB theater on Sunday, I was suddenly filled with all kinds of comedy ideas and inspiration. Then I come into work today and sit staring at a computer while replying to emails and it's just like zapped right out of me. Must work on this.

- What movies do we still have to look forward to this summer? Tops on my list are:

Superman Returns (both looking forward to and cringing at how it might suck)
Nacho Libre (looks friggin' hilarious - the next Napoleon Dynamite?)
An Inconvenient Truth (have heard great things about this Al Gore eco-doc)
Clerks 2 (could finally be a return to the old-school Kevin Smith)
Lady in the Water (always a crapshoot with M Night, but definitely intriguing)
Miami Vice (Michael Mann makes me want to see this, without him at the helm not interested)
Pirates of the Carribean 2 (looks awesome, prob the summer's most sure-fire hit)
A Scanner Darkly (should def be worth checking out, Linklater is always interesting)

- I went crazy with mix CD-burning this weekend. I made one of all whiny, emo-ish songs from the likes of REM and other such bands, one of all random, political-themed songs, and one of all really long, epic, ballad-y rock songs, including the entire GNR "trilogy" of Don't Cry, November Rain, and Estranged. Yep, I love me some themed mix CD's.

- Alright, hopefully i'll soon have some more interesting stuff to talk about. Right now it's back to the grind. But how about a cheap plug before I go? Be sure to check out NBC, SciFi, USA, Bravo, and NBC News on I-Tunes! We've got everything from The Office to Battlestar Galactica to Saved by the Bell to Monk to Law and Order to Inside the Actor's Studio ready and waiting to be watched on your computer or I-Pod. Check it out.