Monday 30 July 2012

Book of the Month Club - July 2012 - THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST vol 1 - THE LAST IRON FIST STORY!

Since March of 2009, myself and a group of like minded comic enthusiasts have been meeting each month to discuss a book that has been picked by a member of the club to be read that month. We have read and discussed a variety of titles including; Watchmen, Preacher, Daredevil - Guardian Devil, Superman - Red Son, Judge Death - Boyhood of a Superfiend, Bakuman, A Right to be Hostile, GI Joe vol 1 and Neverwhere.
I would like to invite you all to join us, either physically each month if you live in the Kettering area and can attend the meetings, or virtually via this blog by reading the chosen book and voicing your opinions in our comments section. Each month I will post our thoughts on the pick as well as posting the name of the next months book.

This months pick...





THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST vol 1 - THE LAST IRON FIST STORY (w) Ed Brubaker & Matt Fraction (a) David Aja


A kung-fu superhero story set in the Marvel Universe, Danny Rand, The Immortal Iron Fist, always believed that he was the one and only bearer of the mystical power of Kun Lun, until Orson Randall arrives on the scene with all the power and double the experience. Who is he? Why does he posses the same power and Danny? How can there be two Iron Fists?

Our thoughts on the book...

Mario - I really enjoyed this book. It is an amazing blend of Super Heroics, crime noir, 70's Kung-Fu and Blaxploitation. I am a huge fan of Brubaker's work and even though I find Fraction to be hit and miss, I dug the hell out of this collaborative effort. David Aja's artwork is joyous to behold and his panel layouts are exciting and dynamic.
I have read the entire run of this book and as great as this volume is as a jumping off point, it just gets better and better as the books roll on. For that reason and that reason only, I will give this particular volume 7/10

Martin - The Immortal Iron Fist Vol. 1 is a very straight forward tale. There are no major surprises, no plot twists and nothing truly original within the story. This is what makes the book worth picking up.
Having a simple plot allows the book to showcase the real gold doubloons of this absolute treasure; the action! The set pieces for the fights are something to behold, with every punch, kick and headbutt lovingly detailed and presented superbly. The art also compliments the story, showcasing a different look whenever a different time period is presented.
Character development takes a backseat slightly, however the relationship between Danny and the other characters keep things interesting.
All in all, expect no story that will revolutionise or make you question your life. It's a straight shooter, slapping you in the face with awesome action scenes with nearly every page. If action movies or kung fu is your thing, then The Immortal Iron Fist may be for you.

8/10

Lee - The Immortal Iron Fist - The Last Iron Fist Story, seemed promising, a super hero who uses martial arts to fight droves of Hydra soldiers. But reading through I see there was little martial arts being shown, more of just 70's action movie violence. The plot is almost non-existent in this first volume and can only hope it assembles in later volumes.
- Was expecting technical martial arts and got kicked in the face.
- The overall plot to the entire Last Iron Fist story sounds very intriguing but volume 1 is a very poor start.
- Despite its flaws it can still be an entertaining comic to look at.

5/10

James - I enjoy Iron Fist as a character,I enjoy the idea of there being multiple ones throughout time who used the powers differently. I'm just not fond of extending his powers for no real reason.
7/10


Alex - One of my favourite series I've bought since I started reading comics, there is a lot I really like about this - really nice art, a really unusual sort of tone and setting for superhero comics with pulpy and kung fu cinema influences. Its not necessarily an expression of high-art but I don't think all comics should be - its a well drawn and fun adventure story done well. Also the covers are really striking and unusual compared to the standard superhero fare.

As others pointed out, it does have its problems: plot is a little choppy, doesn't really introduce the character fully for new readers and the plot is fairly light but I found that fairly minor compared to the overall experience.

8/10

Megan -
- Good art
- Would have perhaps been better if the main character was a bad ass Asian (given the Asian setting) rather than an adopted rich western guy.
- I don't really know much about the background of the character and that particular volume didn't round it up enough for me.
6/10 

Lainy - I'm not sure if it was just the kung fu style (because I have no idea what that would look like) but I found the entire book very scattered and confusing. the way the story kept jumping between different characters in the past and the present day made it difficult to follow. For example how did it go from "I want to buy some train tracks" to you have go and fight an epic battle in heaven to save mankind! WHAT? just stupid!
I found the present Iron Fist to be a ridiculously shallow character, yet another over-privileged emo ass who thinks he knows everything just because he's rich. we already have Batman for that and he does it with way more style.
My last point on this is that bringing in a former incarnation of the same character is lazy storytelling, was completely unnecessary in this case and has been done to death. I'm giving it a 4/10

Louise - Really liked this book as an introduction having not read Iron Fist previously. The graphics were really nice and well suited to the story. I think it's only downfall was the lack of explanation as to who characters were but that said there was more than enough to keep me interested and be intrigued to read more! Pretty solid 7/10

Frankie - Have borrowed the rest of the series from Alex - really enjoyed the 1st book - I don't mind that you don't know all the constituent parts and stories - I'm kind of used to not knowing what is going on as Book club jumps us all over the place with books! It's art work is really kinetic and I like the muted colour palette. 9/10

So there you go. This is what our club members thought of The Immortal Iron Fist volume 1. Please leave your comments in the box below to give us your two cents or if you live in the Kettering area, why not pop along to our next meeting on the 20th of August (message me for more details). Next month is the 50th Birthday of our Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man, so to celebrate we are throwing him a Book Club Birthday Party. Each member will read and give their thoughts on a different Spider-Man book. So show your love for the web slinger, read a Spidey book and give us your thoughts next month!

M X


Thursday 26 July 2012

Hero Talk Episode 13 & Norm Breyfogle Interview

Hey Guys 'n' Gals!!! We have a HERO TALK double whammy for you this week. In Episode 13, myself along with James Lundy, Mat Guy and Dean Saul talk about The Walking Dead #100 and the upcoming season 3 of the TV show, Marvel's slate of upcoming comic book movies announced at San Diego Comic Con and in Comics of Future Past, Mat discusses Todd McFarlane's Spider-Man #1, the Flash of the DC New 52 and Grant Morrison's forthcoming creator owned book; Happy.

In addition to that, we also have our first edition of 'In conversation with...' and our very special guest for our opening episode is none other than legendary Batman artist; Norm Breyfogle.

So get your HERO TALK on with us and drop us a comment in the box below :)

- Subscribe via iTunes entering the following: http://www.heroesandidols.com/htalkpodcast.xml
- Download the mp3 via: www.heroesandidols.com/podcasts/htalkep13.mp3
- Download the Norm Special: http://www.heroesandidols.com/podcasts/htalknbspecial.mp3

Wednesday 25 July 2012

It's not a review. It's just my opinion! #5 - MOON KNIGHT

I read a lot of graphic novels, more so than floppies. So I have decided to tell you all what I am reading and what I thought about those particular books. I want to stress though that I am not looking to review these books in the style of a critic, or to give them a rating, only to express my opinions as a fan of what I personally thought of what I have read. Please do not let my opinion sway you in any way, as I have always lived by the credo that I will make my own mind up about something and so should you. Plus, they say that critics are people that can't actually create themselves and that aint me.
Finally, this is my actual reading pile. All the books I have bought myself for the purpose of my enjoyment and as I am not tieing myself down to any kind of formulated structure, you may notice that I read whatever takes my fancy, rather than switching characters or publishers etc...

Anyhoo... MOON KNIGHT!!!


Without a shadow of a doubt, Moon Knight is one of the most unique super heroes, not only in the Marvel Universe, but in comics in general. A man with multiple identities; Marc Spector - the mercenary, Jake Lockley - New York City cab driver and millionaire Steven Grant. And lets not forget the identity that sells the comic itself - MOON KNIGHT! Sometimes confusing, but always gritty, the adventures of Lord Khonshu's chosen disciple are often compared to Batman's. There are many similarities to the Dark Knight, but this is far from a cheap carbon copy.





Countdown To Dark - (w) Doug Moench (a) Bill Sienkiewicz

This book collects a number of Moon Knight's back up strips from The Hulk magazine and is a collection of short stories, rather than one tale. The first story; The Big Blackmail/Countdown to Dark, didn't set my world on fire as far as an introduction to the character is concerned, but the narrative does break down the four identities of our titular hero for us, which is invaluable moving forward as I would have been lost without the explanation.
The second story is brilliant. It is the same tale, but shown from two separate perspectives as the Hulk unwittingly teams up with Moon Knight to thwart a gang of would be burglars during a lunar eclipse. Chapter one is told from Mooney's perspective and chapter two from ol' green skins. This story is fun and a joy to read.
The third story is without a doubt the most important of the book and one that probably deserves a higher page count. There is an axe murderer on the loose in New York City who is hacking up nurses and leaving clues for Marc Spector. We find out that the murderer is in fact Moon Knight's brother which leads to an emotional showdown between the two siblings. This is also the first point in which we are shown that Marc Spector must be the true identity of Moon Knight and that the others are fabrications.
The final story is a James Bond meets Batman style yarn in which we see Moon Knight jet setting across the globe to hunt down a mad scientist who is creating a method of brainwashing.
All in all this is an ok book and a decent enough introduction to the character. It isn't the most astounding graphic novel I have ever read, but it entertained me for the hour that I read it, Bill Sienkiewicz's are is glorious and it gives you an excellent grasp of the character.






The Bottom & Midnight Sun (w) Charlie Huston & Duane Swierczynski (a) David Finch, Mico Suyan, Tomm Coker & Jefte Palo

These two graphic novels showcase the Charlie Huston run on the book that re-launched Moon Knight back into the modern Marvel Universe in 2007. There is a massive gap between the Countdown To Dark graphic novel and The Bottom and as I have never read Moon Knight before, at least not in depth, it was a little disorienting at first. Luckily I at least had a grasp of his multiple personalities as there are times in this book where Crawley refers to him as Jake and Marlene calls him Steve, which I imagine would make no sense to the uninitiated.
The book starts with Marc Spector, crippled and battered after his last and final battle with his arch nemesis; Bushman, who he killed in an alley and it seems he cut his face off too. Reminiscing over the good old days of jumping out of helicopters and battling evil under the light of the full moon all for the sake of his Lord Khonshu. Now he is not only physically a wreck, but mentally too. He has lost all of his friends and loved ones and even Khonshu has forsaken him. Lured back into the costume by the new Committee who use the Profile to assess his state of being and send Taskmaster to kill him, Moon Knight returns and makes a statement by crashing one of his jets into the side of a building.
In the second volume Marc is approached by Captain America and Iron Man, who are in the midst of battling over the Superhuman Registration Act, only to tell him that neither side wants him. At the same time he is also dealing with the fact that as much as he wants Marlene back, she has moved on and found someone else. Then Midnight strikes and Moon Knight must stop his rampage of terror.
Neither of these arcs set my world on fire. I understand what Huston was trying to do with the character and I appreciate it, but it just seems like too much in too small an amount of issues, He is very wordy in his panels too, which is understandable from a writer of prose, but still a bit much for the introduction of a character. The art however is glorious all the way through.

The last issue of the second volume is the first Annual written by Duane Swierczynski and in my opinion says more about the character than the rest of the two volumes. In this story we are privy to a help group of women who have all been victims of rape. What they don't realise is that they have all been the victim of the same predator. As they reveal their individual accounts, we the reader get to see how their experiences interlock and how Moon Knight, who seeks retribution against this man, is involved. There is no personal vendetta in stopping this guy, instead we see for the first time in these two trades Moon Knight delivering justice to an evil man in defence of the innocent. I really enjoyed this chapter, even if at times it was uncomfortable to read, but then that is what sets Swierczynski apart as a great writer, his ability to emit emotion out of the page as well as great characterisation. In fact, do yourself a favour and read his runs on Cable and Iron Fist for more examples of this.


God and Country, The Death of Marc Spector & Down South (w) Mike Benson & Peter Milligan (a) Mark Texeira, Mike Deodato Jr, Laurence Campbell & Jefte Palo

The next run of Moon Knight is written by Mark Benson and begins with Marc Spector, now an official registered Super Hero in Tony Stark's new Initiative. But how did a nut job like Moon Knight get a card? And how does he manage to keep it when he is still roaming the streets and dispensing harsh vigilante justice onto the criminal underworld.
He is also still seeing visions of his Lord Khonshu in the guise of the faceless Bushman, who continues to goad him towards a breaking point that will have him go past the point of no return by killing his victims. On top of all this, Carson Knowles, aka The Black Spectre, has been released from prison and isn't having any luck going straight, so instead sets about on a killing spree whilst framing Moon Knight in the process. This all leads to a final battle that sees our hero pushing Black Spectre off of a roof, denying and abandoning his Lord Khonshu and becoming a fugitive from the law.
In the next volume, Moon Knight has escaped the law and is hiding in the sewers. Tony Stark and SHIELD are hellbent on finding and capturing him, but those higher up than Iron Man have taken the case away from them and passed it onto Norman Osborn and his group of Thunderbolts. Osborn, as we all know, is nothing if not completely ruthless and in an attempt to flush Spector out, sets his thugs onto Frenchie and hospitalises Rob. Battles ensue with Moon Knight squaring off against Bullseye and Venom and in a realisation that his existence is only hurting those that he loves, he fakes his death. Marc Spector is dead...
But Jake Lockley is still alive and has escaped to Mexico. In the final volume of this run, Jake Lockley is approached by a wealthy Mexican philanthropist to rescue his daughter from a bunch of crooked Federales. All is not as it seems, as once the girl is "rescued", she reveals that she was actually in protective custody and in hiding from her Father, who wants to kill her. So now her Father hires a pair of mercenaries in the guise of Luchadores to hunt both his Daughter and now Jake Lockley too. But one of them falls in love with the woman and they defect too. Throw in the Punisher and a Toltec assassin whose presence is never really explained and you have one giant cluster fuck of a story arc. At the end of the book, Moon Knight is watching the news only to find out that Norman Osbourne has risen to power back in the States and wanting vengeance, declares that he is returning home.

I found it very difficult and frustrating writing about these books as they left me with nothing but the feeling of a tonne of missed opportunities. His schizophrenia is never delved into in any deep way. His relationships with his friends/allies/accomplices are all grim and not in a fun way, as most of them have just completely given up on him which leads to a dead end in the story. As the disclaimer states at the top, this is only my opinion, but in my opinion this character has a massive wealth of potential that is just waiting to be tapped into.





Vengeance of the Moon Knight - Shock and Awe & Killed, Not Dead (w) Gregg Hurwitz (a) Jerome Opena, Tan Eng Huat & Juan Jose Ryp


This first volume of Vengeance of the Moon Knight is more about redemption than vengeance, as Moon Knight returns to New York and begins hunting down criminals, but this time making a concerted effort to not maim or kill any of his targets, but instead to just have them ready for the Police to collect. Norman Osbourne, who at this point is running HAMMER and is the most powerful man in the Marvel Universe, sees the return of Moon Knight as an obvious threat and insists that he be eliminated. So The Hood resurrects Bushman from the grave, who then teams up with Scarecrow and together with an army of lobotomised inmates from Blackgate Asylum, proceed to run amok in an attempt to lure out Moon Knight, who in turn is shocked by the return of his arch nemesis. Battle ensues and Moon Knight eventually wins the day and in doing so without using lethal force, scrapes back a bit of his dissipated dignity.
This first volume reads better than the previous few, but little things really took me out of the story. At one point the villain known as the Beetle is mentioned, but he went straight and is now working with the Thunderbolts. When speaking of Marc Spectors past as a mercenary, he claims that he used to accept Euros as payment, but the Euro wouldn't have existed at that point in time. I know I am nitpicking, but these little references that the editor at least should have picked up just knocked me out of the story for a bit.

The final volume was just a waste of time. In the first story Moon Knight has to stop Deadpool from killing an evil tycoon/mobster in a poor attempt to just wedge Deadpool into the book at the height of his popularity. In the second story, Moon Knight teams up with Spider-Man to take on the Sandman after a robbery at a museum and in the final issue, he joins the Secret Avengers and they stop a pirate. There is nothing outstanding about this book at all and there is certainly nothing between the covers that we haven't already seen one hundred and one times before!

All in all, other than Countdown to Dark, these book have left a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth in regards to the character. I know he can be written well, as the aforementioned Countdown to Dark and Ed Brubaker's run on Secret Avengers has proved, but for some reason he hasn't been handled at all well in these previous two series. I have yet to read Bendis and Maleev's run, so hopefully they will show me a Moon Knight that I want to read.

Anyhoo... can't win 'em all!

M X


Friday 20 July 2012

You never forget your first love - Hayley



The cliché claims that you never forget your first love and I hope to God that's true, because I don't ever want to forget Hayley Rebecca Young.

I was in year nine or ten and there was news that a new girl was joining the school. The anticipation of a new person was always fairly exciting, especially with it being a girl. The boys, being young adolescents, would always clamber around and ponder the probability of a new fittie to ogle over, not really taking into account that this new arrival may be a really nice person and eventually become a friend, that didn't seem as important at that age.

The first time I saw her is a little blurry to me. I seem to remember her being with Amanda and that they were already friends, but, if you believe in love at first sight or have ever experienced it yourself, you will understand exactly how I felt the first time I saw Hayley. It was her smile, it lit up the room and the laugh that very often accompanied it was absolutely infectious. She wouldn't just smile with her mouth, but with her eyes too. Her expression of joy was truly a thing of beauty to behold as she was genuine and fun and I honestly don't remember her being anything other than happy in those early days of knowing her.

So I fell head over heels and proceeded to do my very best to hide it however I could. I had little to no confidence as a kid. I was goofy and chubby and had a shit haircut and was no where near being the charismatic stud muffin that most of you people have grown to love. The only way I knew how to communicate with girls was by having a laugh and generally being the class clown, which most of the time put me in the "Friend Zone" with girls, because I was just nice. Plus, I was a nerd, which is a cool thing to be right now, but in the mid nineties you had to be a Rapper or a Raver or a Greb, or some other bullshit cliqué that society and peer pressure pushes you towards. I chose to be a Rapper. I had been listening to Hip Hop for a few years at this point and fancied myself as an Emcee and had been feverishly writing lyrics in my notebooks at school, at home, anywhere and everywhere. This was my calling, I thought. I was going to make it as a Rapper!

One afternoon, I went calling for Hayley. She lived on Weekley Gleebe Road right next to the Gleebe, which was a grouping of sports fields and was often picked as the hangout spot for a big group of us from School who wanted to get drunk on cheap white cider and alco-pops. I must have been calling for her on the way to meet the others, but for whatever reason, she wasn't expecting me. Her Mum sat me down in the living room and we got to chatting. There was music playing upstairs, some mid nineties R'n'B, probably Mary J Blige, and then I heard singing. It was Hayley singing over the song as she was getting ready. Her voice was incredible. Her Mum beamed proudly as she told me of a friend or neighbour that once mistook her voice for an actual CD. She nailed it, her voice rang out uninhibited as she perfectly hit each note with beautiful harmony. I was amazed. She came downstairs to see me on the couch and her face shot to a crimson red. I wasn't supposed to hear that and even my pleas of excellence fell on deaf ears as she insisted that she wasn't as good as she clearly was. She had a pure unadulterated talent and didn't realise it.



I wanted to spend more time with her, anything to be around her, I was besotted and our one major connection was our mutual love of music. So I insisted that we perform together, me rapping and her singing a duet. She wasn't keen at all, but I was persistent and said that I would go away and write the song and if she liked it, we would take it from there. No pressure.
Of course my mind wandered when writing a song that I planned on duetting with the girl I was in love with, so being the big sap that I was, I began writing lyrics about her instead. Eventually I finished the song, but I didn't get a chance to show her it right away.

And then she kissed me. It came out of nowhere one afternoon after we had finished our exams, a group of us ended up at Wicksteed Park with our ever present bottles of cheap cider and we all got drunk whilst the sun shone down on us. It was one of the last days that I remember being completely care free and not worried by any stresses of the world. Exams were over, Summer was here and I was with my friends just enjoying myself. So in a haze of beer goggled madness she kissed me and I felt like I had won the lottery. I can't remember a moment in time before that moment that I had ever felt as happy as I did right then. "She felt the same way as me" I naively thought as I opened up and told her just how I felt, that I had been in love with her from the moment I first saw her, that I had been aching for this moment for so long. But I had to leave. I was visiting my Dad that weekend in Luton and I had to go home to pack and get ready. I spent the weekend walking on air with the mindset that I had a girlfriend waiting for me when I got back and it was the girl of my dreams.

As soon as I arrived back at home I gave her a call. We didn't have mobiles back then, so as her home phone rang I had my fingers crossed that she was home to take my call. She picked up the phone and I excitedly began the conversation. I wanted us to go out, just the two of us, to the cinema or something. She cut me off before I could get much further. It was a mistake, she was drunk and she didn't mean to lead me on and was really sorry, but nothing was going to happen between us. But could we still be friends?

I was devastated. I didn't let on how much and I also wanted to make sure that we were still friends regardless, but I was truly heartbroken.

Not long after, our mutual group of friends decided to go camping in a field just off of Warkton Lane. It was awkward, but I treated it like a plaster that needed to be ripped off quickly and got it over and done with, rather than mope around and avoid her.
The next morning, Hayley, Amanda and myself got up early and walked back into Kettering. My Mum was at work that morning, so as the house was empty, that's where we headed. Amanda fell asleep, but me and Hayley stayed up and played Total NBA '96 for the PS1. Again, I was struck with the awesomeness of her smile and laughter, as I let her win the game, pretending that she was genuinely whooping me. Afterwards, she apologised to me again and insisted that she wasn't in the right place for a relationship. We had a hug and it was all water under the bridge. I also finally had the chance to show her my lyrics that I had written for our duet, so I passed her my lyric book and went upstairs to get changed and ready for whatever we had planned that afternoon.
When I came downstairs Amanda was awake and looking at me funny. Hayley too. My lyric book was open at the page with the lyrics I had written about Hayley. She asked; "Is this about me?" to which I sheepishly replied "Yes". Amanda was saying how sweet it was, but it was just so bloody awkward. Nothing more was said, they left and I could have died of embarrassment.

Not long after, there was another gathering at my house. Only four or five of us, but we sat in my room around the radio, which the girls insisted we had tuned into 'Late Night Love', and listened to the dodgy love songs as we once again consumed as much cheap alcohol as we could.
Hayley had gone to the bathroom, but had been a while, so Amanda went to investigate. She came back asking for my help as Hayley had locked the door and was crying. We pleaded with her to open the door and when she finally did, neither of us were prepared for what we saw.
Hayley had taken one of my Mum's razors and cut her wrists. The was blood pouring down her arms and tears pouring down her face. Something inside me took over as the panic tried to set in, I wouldn't allow it and I went and called for an ambulance. The ambulance came and she was taken to the hospital as nosey neighbours looked on. There wasn't enough room for me in the back of the ambulance and I had to wait for my Mum to get home so that I could explain to her what happened before I ran to meet them at the hospital. She insisted that she was ok. I wasn't convinced, but that was one of the last times I saw her for many years as I started college and our group of friends drifted apart.



The next time I saw her was about six years later. I don't know if she moved away for a while and came back, but all of a sudden I started to see her pop up every now and then. We chatted and joked and insisted that we would get together properly to reminisce and catch up.
The last time I saw her I was on my way to the Post Office. She was sitting on the wall that used to be where the monstrosity of a clock tower now is, facing the old Norwich and Peterborough Building Society, alone and looking lost in thought. I snuck up behind her and jumped down next to her, making her jump with fright. I giggled as she slapped my arm and I asked if she was ok. She insisted that she was fine, so I apologised that I was in a rush and had to dash off, but we swapped phone numbers and I headed off to the Post Office. As I looked back over my shoulder, Hayley had got up and began to walk off and she looked as if she was crying. What should I do? Should I go back and check on her? Was I mistaken? I did nothing. I went to the Post Office and carried on with my day. This is the biggest regret of my life.
We texted back and forth a little. This was my second chance and I wasn't going to waste it. One way or another I was determined to win her heart.

In late November of 2004, my telephone rang. I picked it up and AD Dell was on the other end of the line. I had always gotten on with AD really well, he is good people. I had been to see his band play a couple of times, but we were never close, not close enough for us to call each other out of the blue, so I immediately knew that something was up. He was calling to tell me that Hayley had committed suicide. Three weeks after her 23rd Birthday. He gave me the details for the funeral and asked me to let other former friends and classmates know.
I was a mess. I walked around in a daze for the next week as the reality of the situation settled in. I had only just been speaking to her. I should have stopped when I thought she was crying to comfort her, to give her a hug. Anything.
I didn't attend the funeral. I couldn't face it. Sometimes I regret not going, sometimes I'm glad I didn't. It wouldn't make a difference either way. It wouldn't bring her back.



I miss her so much more now than I did when she was alive. I took her presence for granted, knowing that I could or would still see her one day. Now I never will again and just knowing that frustrates and upsets me beyond belief. I visit her grave stone from time to time for a chat and I really hope that she can hear me. Even if she can't, it is still a comfort for me. I won't ever forget her, ever. And there will always be a special piece of my heart reserved for her.

I also don't want the world to forget her. She was such an incredible personality that I am convinced that if she would have had more faith in her singing ability that she would have been a star. So I have written a script about her from my perspective, how I knew her and how I loved her and I want people to read it and fall in love with her too, even if it is only as a character in a book, I don't want Hayley Rebecca Young to ever be forgotten. But I need an artist for this book, so please get in touch if you think you can do this script proud. It will be my most personal piece of work by far.

You Never Forget Your First Love.

I miss you...

M X

Tuesday 17 July 2012

Hero Talk Episode 12

Hey Dudes. Time for another episode of every ones favourite Comic Book Podcast; HERO TALK!!! With myself, James Lundy and Dean Saul. This week we discuss Comic Book Movies, especially the ones that fell flat from their goal. We also talk Star Wars and the rise of the FX channel.


And in Comics of Future Past, James talks JMS's Rising Stars, indie book; The Standard and Zenoscopes; Robyn Hood!

- Subscribe via iTunes entering the following: http://www.heroesandidols.com/htalkpodcast.xml
- Download the mp3 via: www.heroesandidols.com/podcasts/htalkep12.mp3

Friday 13 July 2012

Thank You Soapy!

Yesterday I was in attendance for the funeral of Alan 'Soapy' Irons, who is the Father of my best friend Brendon. My relationship with Soapy wasn't deep or profound, but I always had the utmost respect for him and like to think that we have a connection in our laid back demeanour's and passion for reading. The thing about Soapy that really stood out for me though, was that he was always so giving. If you needed anything, just ask and he would do his best to help in any way he could. So I want to take this opportunity to say Thank You to Alan for everything he did for me...

Thank You for all those times you drove me and Brendon to Memorabilia and spent all day sitting in the 'Loser Cruiser' whilst we ran around looking for cheap comics and Transformers.

Thank You for letting us use your house as a storage facility for all of our comics whilst we traipsed in and out with boxes.

Thank You for coming with us to the Ford dealership and helping us to buy the Apocalypse Mobile, as well as fixing the back up with straps for the boards.

Thank You for building the boards for us. We were supposed to borrow your tools and pick your brain on the best way to go about it, but before we knew it, you had already built the things.

Thank You for lending us your ladder so we could fix the sign that never worked on the front of the shop. We were supposed to give it back after the shop opened, but they stayed in the alley behind the shop till the day we closed. Sorry about that.

Thank You for letting me feel welcome and comfortable in your home, allowing me to have a front door key and to let myself in whenever I needed, especially during the early scanning days. I have always felt that 103 Wood Street is a home away from home, and you and Dot are the ones responsible for that.

And Thank You for raising Brendon and helping to make him the man that he is today. He is the brother that I never had, an amazing father and someone I am extremely proud to call my friend. I am sure you are even more proud of your boy.

I'll miss you Soapy. Our relationship may not have been profound, but your effect on my life was. Thank You.

M X


Saturday 7 July 2012

Hero Talk Episode 11

Hey Dudes. Time for another episode of every ones favourite Comic Book Podcast; HERO TALK!!! I wasn't available to participate this week, but special guest host Dean Saul fills in along with James Lundy and Mat Guy.
This week they discuss Glasgow Comic Con, Marvels planned Theme Park in Dubai, Action Figures, Sci-Fi Wife and in Comics of Future Past the boys discuss Batman, Executive Assistant Assassins and more Before Watchmen.
I'll be back next week for more Hero Talk madness :)

- Subscribe via iTunes entering the following: http://www.heroesandidols.com/htalkpodcast.xml
- Download the mp3 via: www.heroesandidols.com/podcasts/htalkep11.mp3

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Hero Talk Episode 10

Time for a new episode of the HERO TALK podcast, with me, Mat Guy and James Lundy! This week we talk BATMAN! The upcoming Dark Knight Rises movie, the brand new LEGO Batman 2 video game and the shock revelation at the end of Batman #10. And in Comics of Future Past, I discuss Marvel Two In One, The Walking Dead and the upcoming Green Lantern event; The Third Army!

As always, please leave your comments in the box below :)

- Subscribe via iTunes entering the following: http://www.heroesandidols.com/htalkpodcast.xml
- Download the mp3 via: www.heroesandidols.com/podcasts/htalkep10.mp3