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tiredofsatansbullshit · 1 year

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Jason Todd Reading List

Pre-Crisis Robin

(this includes his origin, how he becomes Robin, and what happens to this version of Jason in the Pre-Crisis Timeline)

Batman #357-399 (1983-1986)

Detective Comics #524-567 (1983-1986)

Batman #400-403 (1986-1987)

Crisis on Infinite Earths #5, #9, #11-12 (1985-1986)

Post Crisis Robin

(includes his origin, how he becomes Robin and his death - i tried to have this chronologically according to when these events take place so that means the publishing order is a bit weird)

Nightwing #103-106 - Collected as Nightwing: Year One

Batman #402-403, #408-425, #430-431

Batman Annual #10-12

Tales of the Teen Titans #86-91

Legends

Detective Comics #575-578

Batman: Full Circle

Superman Annual #11 (1985)

Blue Devil #19 (1986)

New Teen Titans #18-31 (1986-1987)

Action Comics #556, #594

Batman: The Cult

Batman: A Death in the Family

Post Death Mentions

(includes any mentions, memories or appearances of Jason's "ghost" after his death. honestly, you don't need to read these to follow along for Jason's storyline but they show how those who cared about him dealt with his death.)

Batman #432-435, #496 (1987-1993)

Detective Comics #606, #609 (1989)

Underworld Unleashed #2 (1995)

Batman/Demon (1996)

Nightwing #10 (1997)

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #100 (1997)

Nightwing: Secret Files and Origins (1999)

Jokers Last Laugh (2001)

Joker: Last Laugh Secret Files and Origins (2001)

Deadman: Dead Again (2001)

Batman: Gotham Knights 16, #34, #43-45 (2001-2003)

JLA Avengers #2 (2003)

Batman: Gotham Country line (2005)

Detective Comics #790 (2004)

Batman #620-630 (2004)

Red Hood

Red Hood: The Lost Days - This is before Jason returns to Gotham as the Red Hood. It shows a bit of what he did after coming back to life

Hush/Batman #608-619 (2002-2003)

Batman: Under the Red Hood

Teen Titans V2 #29

Nightwing V2 #118-124 - collected in - Nightwing: Brothers in Blood

Outsiders V3 #44-46

Outsiders V3 Annual 1

Green Arrow V3 #69-72

Countdown to Final Crisis: Countdown to Final Crisis #51 (2007) Teen Titans #47 (2007) Countdown to Final Crisis #50-33 (2007) All New Atom #13-15 (2007) Countdown to Final Crisis #31-1 (2007-2008)

Battle for the Cowl: Robin #177, #182-183 (2008-2009) Azrael: Deaths Dark Knight #3 (2009) Batman: Battle for the Cowl (2009) Batman and Robin #3-6, #23-25 (2009-2011)

New 52 Red Hood

Batman #0

Secret Origins #5

Red Hood and The Outlaws V1 #1-14 (2011-2015)

DC Universe Presents #17 (2015)

Batman: Death of the Family: Batman #13-15 Red Hood and The Outlaws #15 Teen Titans #15 Batman #16 Red Hood and The Outlaws #16 Teen Titans #16 Batman #17

Red Hood and The Outlaws #17 (2013)

Batman and Robin #10-12, #17 (2012-2013)

Batman Inc (2012-2013)

Red Hood and The Outlaws #18 (2013)

Justice League #19 (2013)

Batman and Robin #20 (2013)

Supergirl #35 (2014)

Batman/Superman Annual 1 (2014)

Action Comics #34 (2014)

Action Comics Annual 3 (2014)

Batman and Robin #33-37 (2014-2015)

Red Hood and The Outlaws #19 (2013)

Red Hood and The Outlaws Annual 1 (2013)

Red Hood and The Outlaws #20-40 (2013-2015)

Batman Eternal #10-12,#15 ,#18-20 ,#25 ,#26 ,#28 (2014-2015)

Grayson #12 (2015)

Deathstroke V3 #15-16 (2014)

Batman/Superman #25-27 (2014)

Red Hood/Arsenal #1-6 (2015)

Batman and Robin Eternal (2015-2016)

Robin War: Robin War #1 (2015) Grayson #15 (2015) Detective Comics #47 (2015) Red Hood/Arsenal #7 (2015) We are Robin #7 (2015) Robin: Son of Batman #7 (2015) Robin War #6 (2016)

Red Hood/Arsenal #8-13 (2015-2016)

Rebirth Red Hood

(current continuity)

Red Hood and The Outlaws V2 #1-6

Batman #16

Nightwing #15 (2017)

Trinity Annual 1

Trinity #12-15 (2017) - This and Trinity Annual 1 is also known as Dark Destiny Arc

Red Hood and The Outlaws #7-18

Red Hood and The Outlaws Annual 1

Batman #33 (2017)

Detective Comics #967-968 (2017)

New Talent Showcase (2017)

Batman and The Signal #1, #3 (2018)

Batman: Prelude to the Wedding: Red Hood vs Anarky

Red Hood and The Outlaws #26-31

Red Hood and The Outlaws Annual 2

Teen Titans #22 (2018)

Teen Titans Annual 1 (2019)

Red Hood: Outlaw #31-36 - Continuing on from the Red Hood and The Outlaws comics but Jason is on his own now.

Red Hood: Outlaw Annual 3

Event Leviathan #2-3 (2019)

Harley Quinn: Villain of the Year (2019)

Red Hood: Outlaw #37-47

Batman: Alfred R.I.P #1 (2020)

Robin 80th Anniversary (2020)

Joker War: Nightwing #72 (2020) Red Hood: Outlaw #49 (2020) Batman #100 (2020)

Detective Comics #1030-1033 (2020)

Teen Titans #45 (2020)

Red Hood: Outlaw #50-52 (2020)

Batman: Urban Legends #1-6

Truth & Justice #10-12

Batman Secret Files: Clownhunter #1

Robin #5 (2021)

Nightwing Annual 1

Detective Comics #1041-1043, #1052, #1057

Task Force Z #1-12 (2021-2022)

The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #2-10 (2022-2023) - This is still ongoing, I will update when new issues that Jason appears in is published - in 6 and 7 Jason is only there for a few panels

Batman: Legends of Gotham (2023)

Lazarus Planet: Next Evolution (2023)

Batman 136 (2023)

Knight Terrors: Robin (2023)

Gotham War: ongoing

Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War: Prelude [2023] Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War: Battle lines[2023] Catwoman 57 [2023] Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War: Red Hood #1 [2023] Batman 138 [2023] Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War:Red Hood #2 [2023] Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War: Scorched Earth - releasing 31/10/23

Nightwing 107 [2023]

Future State

(I'll be honest, I don't understand Future State vs current continuity so I can't explain much for this but it's a possible future timeline I think. Jason is undercover as a cop in this btw)

Dark Detective

Future State: Gotham #1-18

Alternate Universes

(can chose what among these you want to read. none of this affects the current continuity)

Batwoman #6 (2017)

- In this comic, Batwoman travels to an alternate universe where we see a Jason Todd who was never taken in by Bruce Wayne and ends up becoming a priest

DC Universe Legacies #5,6

Batman The Brave and the bold #13 (2012)

Li’l Gotham #2, #10, #12, #17, #20, #21, #24 (2012-2013)

- This comic is adorable

Tiny Titans #23, #29, #33, #39, #45, #47 (2010-2012)

- This comic is also adorable

Convergence: Batman and Robin (2015)

Arkhamverse: (these tie in with the Batman: Arkham Knight video game)

Arkham Knight: Genesis

Batman: Arkham Knight - the game picks up right after the end of this comic

DC Comics’ Bombshells #46, #60, #62 (2015-2016)

Bombshells United #18-24 (2018)

The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade #1 (2016)

Injustice: (these tie in with the Injustice video games)

Injustice - Gods Among Us: Year Five #38 (2016)

Injustice 2 #2-3, #5-7, #13, #18-20, #46-49 (2017-2018)

Injustice Vs. The Masters Of The Universe (2018)

Beware the Batman #11 (2014)

Batman: White Knight #7 (2018)

Mother Panic: Gotham A.D #2-6 (2018)

Batman Beyond #25 (2018)

Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #5-6 (2019)

Titans Giant #1-4 (2020)

DCEASED: Unkillables (2020)

DCEASED: Dead Planet #2-5 (2020)

Batman the Adventure Continues (2020)

Batman: Three Jokers #1-3 (2020)

Suicide Squad: Get Joker! #1-3 (2021)

Titans United (2021)

- This was to promote the Titans HBO show (even though it does not tie with the show)

DC's Round Robin - Robins (2021)

DC vs Vampires

Dark Knights of Steel: (Ongoing, I will update as they are posted. Medieval AU, the Robins are all younger and met each other before they met Bruce)

Dark Knights of Steel: Tales from the Three Kingdoms

Dark Knights of Steel #1

Batman vs Robin (2022)

- Some more honesty, I haven't got a clue as to what this fits in with so I can't help much with this but I do know that it will be 5 issues, finishing in 2023

Batman - Beyond The White Knight #1, #4-8 (2022) (ongoing)

Batman White Knight Presents: Red Hood #1-2 (2022)

Batman: Wayne Family Adventures (Ongoing series on Webtoon.)

Red Hood: Outlaws (Ongoing series on Webtoon)

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1, #4 (2023) - at the end we get to see an alternate universe where young Jason and Dick are brothers and first meet Bruce

Other Media

TV Shows

Batman: The Brave and The Bold, Season 2 Episode 19 - In this universe, Dick Grayson is the only Robin but in S2 E19, "Emperor Joker" features a scene in Bat-Mite's extra-dimensional museum where Bat-Mite has a statue depicting Jason's death. Bat-Mite then breaks the fourth wall and tells Batman that readers voted for Jason to die.

Young Justice - S2 E8, S2 E9, S2 E20, S4 E19 an image of Jason as Robin is seen with other memorials for heros. - Jason is also thought to be the Red Hooded Ninja who appears in S3 E6, S4 E5, S4 E8

Titans - Seasons 1 and 2 with a short cameo in season 3 of the HBO show

Movies

Batman: Under the Red Hood - Animated movie that changes the storyline of Jason's death, resurrection and return to Gotham

Batman: Death in the Family (2020) - This is an interactive film involving the events of Batman: Death in the Family comics.

Lego DC Batman: Family Matters (2019)

Video Games

Batman: Arkham Knight - Arkham Knight: Genesis and Batman: Arkham Knight comics are set before the events of this game.

Injustice: (these tie in with the Injustice comics listed above under Alternate Universes) Injustice: Gods Among us (mentioned) Injustice 2

Gotham Knights - The Batfamily (Dick, Barbara, Jason and Tim) protecting Gotham, as well as dealing with the death of Batman. This was very recently released and I haven't played it so I can't tell you much.

I just want to add the following: I cannot guarantee that this is 100% accurate or up to date. I will do my best to update when we get new Jason content. I have not had any help with this and got the information from multiple other sources. Because I've had no help, no one has proof checked this so there might be some errors.

If you notice any errors or know of anything I've missed please let me know and I will fix the error as soon as I can!

Last Updated: 25 October 2023

#jason todd #red hood #robin!jason #reading order #reading list #jason todd reading order #jason todd reading list #red hood reading order #red hood reading list #batfam #batfamily #comics #dc #batman #q's stuff

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thequiver · 2 years

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Who is David Haller? | A Reading Guide

David Haller is the son of Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Gabrielle Haller (the Israeli Ambassador to the UK) though neither Charles nor David would be aware of their relation to each other until after the founding of the New Mutants. While David was living in Paris with his mother and step-father, the home was the target of an Antisemitic attack that resulted in David’s step-father dying in front of him. The resulting trauma triggered David’s latent psionic powers but also fractured his mind resulting in the creation of many alters.

David is at his core a loving and gentle person, who struggles with his powers, his father’s legacy, and with his mental health. David is canonically autistic along with being what is possibly the strongest omega level mutant in the Marvel Universe. The full scope of his powers are incredibly complicated and for that I’ll link to the fandom wiki here. If you’re looking for the official Marvel Character Closeup for him you can find that here.

Reading list (with totally legal links) and synopsis/descriptors is under the cut.

David’s first canonical appearances really set the stage for the character- and are part of the acclaimed Claremont run of the New Mutants. I highly recommend starting with these first appearances to gain a better sense of the character before moving on.

New Mutants (1983) #26-34, 44

For those familiar with the FX show Legion (which is frankly a HORRIBLE depiction of David Haller), you will already be familiar with the main antagonist in David’s next major appearances, which take place during the Muir Island crossover event, where the X-Men battle the Shadow King. This event leaves David in a catatonic state that even Professor X cannot pull him from. This saga is extremely important for understanding both David’s trauma and the fears and anxieties other have about David. Definitely a must read. I’ve included here both the lead-up to the Muir Island saga and the official crossover event itself.

Uncanny X-Men (1963) #254

X-Men: Forever (2001) #2 - this comic is a much later look at the events of the previously listed comic from a different perspective

Uncanny X-Men (1963) #257-259

Uncanny X-Men Annual #15

X-Factor Annual #6

Uncanny X-Men (1963) #278-279 - Muir Island Saga #1

X-Factor (1986) #69 - Muir Island Saga #2

Uncanny X-Men (1963) #280 - Muir Island Saga #3

X-Factor (1986) #70 - Muir Island Saga #4

David next takes center stage in the lead up to one of the classic X-Men events, The Age of Apocalypse. The Legion Quest crossover event begins with David receiving intense medical care in the hopes that he’ll awaken from his catatonic state, but pushed on by Destiny, David awakens and pushes forward, grappling with his father’s legacy and eventually travelling back in time in an attempt to prevent the rift between the Brotherhood and the X-Men. David’s actions resulted in the alternate timeline “Age of Apocalypse” which is rectified by Bishop siphoning David’s powers to create a psionic-loop, the power from which was enough to damage David to the point he was presumed dead. This arc is one of the most important reads for this character.

X-Men (1991) #38

Uncanny X-Men #319

X-Men (1991) #39

Uncanny X-Men #320 - Legion Quest #1

X-Men (1991) #40 - Legion Quest #2

Uncanny X-Men #321 - Legion Quest #3

X-Men (1991) #41 - Legion Quest #4

Cable (1993) #20

David next appears in an arc known as the “Return of Legion” in New Mutants (2009)- where it’s revealed that rather than dying during Legion Quest, David had instead been banished to a place called “no-time.” This arc highlights David’s gentle nature while also showcasing the very real dangers posed by his mutation as one half of the New Mutants must fight David’s body, while the others enter his mind to try to rescue both him and a little girl named Marci from the darkness within David’s own mind.

New Mutants (2009) #1-5, 9, 14, 20, 21

David’s next highlighted in X-Men: Legacy, where David’s desire to be loved forces him to grapple with reality.

X-Men: Legacy (2008) #242-249

After that he’s next seen in X-Men: Age of X, there is some crossover in this event from the X-Men: Legacy issues I recommended immediately before this, but honestly I’d put Age of X as a must read as it places David in a role where he has to choose between a false universe where he is considered a beloved hero and reality where he must choose to be a hero despite the fear others feel about him.

X-Men: Age of X (2011)

Following X-Men: Age of X, some of David’s alters are given corporeal form - with a small team of X-Men David embarked on a quest to reabsorb these personalities.

X-Men: Legacy (2008) #250-253

The following event is being recommended for context- and while you don’t need to read the whole 12-issue event to proceed, I do highly recommend reading #5, and familiarizing yourself with the event’s conclusion before proceeding.

Avengers vs. X-Men

Once you’ve acquired the context from Avengers vs. X-Men you’ll want to move on to X-men: Legacy (2013)- which chronicles David’s struggles to overcome his past and to preserve his goal of gentleness and love.

X-Men: Legacy (2013) #1-24 (this is what’s collected in the Legion Omnibus)

Uncanny X-Men (2019) otherwise known as X-Men: Disassembled has... a lot of issues in its writing of Nate Grey and particularly in its writing of Magneto. While I would NOT recommend this arc in terms of a general X-Men comic recommendation, I am recommending it for David specifically because it shows his desperation to help, as well as his consistent dismissal and mistreatment from the X-Men. This comic is not without its issues and my full review of it can be found here.

Uncanny X-Men (2019) #1-10

Moving on to the Krakoa era- the following comics take great pains to not only provide David’s character with depth, but also to address many of the issues inherent in the Krakoan system. These are absolute must-reads and provide some incredible insight into David and Charles’ father-son dynamic, and the implications of that dynamic within the context of the Krakoan resurrection protocols.

Way of X (2021) #1-2

X-Men: The Trial of Magneto (2021) #5 - reading the whole Trial of Magneto event recommended but not required, I just think it’s neat

Way of X (2021) #3-5

X-Men: The Onslaught Revelation (2021) #1

Legion of X (2022) #1-4

A.X.E.: Judgement Day (2022) #4 - David’s appearance here is not really David but another character taking on David’s form to attempt to communicate with Charles, it’s still a great read to get a look at David and Charles’ relationship in this era of comics

Legion of X (2022) #5

This list is updated to reflect the current publications as of 5. October. 2022! As Legion of X is still being published it will not take long for this list to be out of date. I’ll come back to update it again when I have the time!

#david haller #legion #david haller legion #reading guide #reading list

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emily-mooon · 5 months

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Info dump on the 80s OCs

Hello Dearie!

Since this story is relatively new, I don’t have much but I’ll do my best to explain the concept and some other random ideas I have.

-the setting is a small town in Canada that starts in the fall of 1982 and I think will end at some point in 1983. It’s also loosely based on my hometown since it’s also quite small

- the plot revolves around the local high schools annual battle of the bands that started sometime in the late 60s. It’s also apart of a wider provincial battle of the bands that’s hosted in Toronto that if you win, you are offered a scholarship to one of the many music programs at any Canadian university or College of your choice.

-After seeing Joy Division live while visiting some cousins in Manchester, George vows that one day he’ll make his own band and enter it into battle of the bands with the hopes of winning. When he’s in his final year, that’s when he takes action. Maria sees one of his posters and despite not knowing how to play any of the instruments he needs, she decides to join as an escape from her parents control.

- George and Maria make a deal that if he teaches her how to play bass, she will help him with his math and science homework as they are not his best subjects and he needs good marks if he wants to go off to school.

- Eugene and Becky join a bit later as the guitarist and drummer respectively. For a bit George and Maria have to go hunting for them.

- all of the other bands are based in different music genres that were popular at the time. As I’ve mentioned, George’s band is post punk and starts off as a Joy Division cover band (something I have not mentioned)

-a possible romance blossoms between George and Maria. I’m not saying anything else that’s it.

-There’s also a romance between Becky and Lucy that’s lightly inspired by Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert of New Order (and in the formers case at one point Joy Division). I just love the idea of a keyboardist and a drummer falling in love I think it’s cute.

-Eugene is lightly inspired by guy who was in my music class who just so happened to play guitar (it was on purpose btw).

I think I’m going to end it here since I do plan on turning it into a comic. I’ve got two pages sketched out and I don’t want to spoil too much and I think I’ve done that enough already.

Thanks for the ask!

#know that I also really want to make a folk punk band but can’t cause violent femmes first album did not come out until 1983 #oc asks #mutuals! :)

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august-reads · 2 years

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*Happy face*

𝓜𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓫𝓾 𝓡𝓲𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓰

Taylor Jenkins Reid.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis -_-

Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.

Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them... and what they will leave behind.

Review ^_^

I love this book so much!

I have a lot to say, those little things are crashing inside my head, and now, let me just tell you, if you like summer, beach, surfing, heart broke, wild parties brutal inhuman acts, some actors and media personalities becoming crazy, an older sister who literallly was the main pillar of an almost broken family, best brother relationship, an asshole who can not hold his dick on his fucking pants, a family, a sweet, marvellous relationship of siblings, an asshole husband and most importantly, major plot twists, then what the hell you're doing? GO RUN AND READ THIS BOOK!!!

Taylor Jenkins Reid never disappointed me, ever! Her books.... It's a really out of the world kinda thing. She just slays on this book. Her writing is totally different and unique. She knows the assignment.

In this book, the characters say so much that it has lots to take, but ill try to make it short.

• Nina: she's the main character. And she is the best sister. However, her decision wasn't for her. Her entire life, all she did was take care of her siblings. And im so happy about what she did at last. She deserves it.

• Kit: she's badass. I like that about her. I love how she says everything that comes to her mind. She just doesn't give a fuck about what other people think about her actions. She cool.

• Hud: this man, is just awesome. Throughout the book, he just showed me, how a man can treat a woman. He's a comforting character. <33 him.

• Jay: he's good, I don't have anything specific to say about him. However, Jay and Hud's relationship was out of the world. They really meant for each other. They are like brother soulmates. ( if that even exists)

•June: this woman didn't deserve what she had her whole life. *shaking head sadly*

• Mick: you know, I don't want to talk about Mick. If he burns in hell, I don't really care much. He can go fuck himself.

Btw, other people like Carrie Soto ( I really love her boldness, can't wait to read her book) Branden ( fuck him ) Casey ( she's pretty good. I <33 ed her). Tarine ( she's a good best friend) all of them were needed in this book. They might not be into many parts, but who cares? These characters were interesting.

So, that's what I actually wanted to say about this book. I love this book so much.

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puutterings · 1 year

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sharp, staccato ideas; by action at last

So you see the imagination needs moodling,— long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering. These people who are always briskly doing something and as busy as waltzing mice, they have little, sharp, staccato ideas, such as: “I see where I can make an annual cut of $3.47 in my meat budget.” But they have no slow, big ideas. And the fewer consoling, noble, shining, free, jovial, magnanimous ideas that come, the more nervously and desperately they rush and run from office to office and up and downstairs, thinking by action at last to make life have some warmth and meaning. The great mystic philosopher Plotinus said about this: “So there are men too feeble for contemplation.” (This is his word for what I call the imagination.) “Being unable to raise themselves to contemplation from the weakness of their Soul, unable to behold spiritual reality and fill themselves with it, but desiring to see it, they are driven to action that they may see that which they could not see with the spiritual eye.” But I must go back to my subject,—writing.

—

Brenda Ueland, If You Want to Write : A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit (1938; second edition 1983) : 32 borrowable at archive.org : link (with very good introduction by Patricia Hampl)

—

Brenda Ueland (1891-1985) wikipedia : link

see also Brenda Ueland, Strength to your sword arm : selected writings (Holy Cow! Press, Duluth, Minn, 1993) borrowable at archive.org : link

#1938 #Brenda Ueland #Augustine-Stoddard-Ueland #slow big ideas #Plotinus

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greensparty · 1 year

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Movie Reviews: A Christmas Story Christmas / She Said

This week I got to review two movies at polar opposites of the cinematic spectrum:

A Christmas Story Christmas

movie poster

1983′s A Christmas Story, a nostalgic look back at small town 1940s America as little Ralphie plots to get a BB gun for the holidays, has become a classic. It is something you expect to see every year like the annual tree lighting. So many of the quotes from the movie have made their way into the lexicon: “you’ll shoot your eye out!”, “I triple dog dare you!”, and “Fraj-ee-lay! It must be Italian!”. There have been several attempts over the years to do sequels and spin-offs. American Playhouse did some spin-offs, the characters came back in 1994′s My Summer Story and 2012′s A Christmas Story 2 about Ralphie as a teenager. But after writer/narrator Jean Sheppard died in 1999 and ACS director Bob Clark died in 2007, it looked bleak to see a reunion of the original cast. Until now that is. Majority of the original cast of reunited to play their characters from ACS thirty-something years later in the mid-70s with A Christmas Story Christmas premiering on HBO Max this week.

Ralphie (played by Peter Billingsley) is now married with two kids in Chicago and he has given himself a year to try and make it as a published writer. It’s not looking good as the end of that year is nearing. Then Ralphie’s Mother (played by Julie Hagerty, replacing original mother Melinda Dillon, who is now retired from acting) calls about a death in the family. Ralphie packs up his kids and wife Sandy (Erinn Hayes) and they head back to Indiana to help Mrs. Parker and prepare for Christmas. While there, he runs into many old friends including Flick (Scott Schwartz) and Schwartz (R.D. Robb).

Hayes and Billingsly decorate the tree

Here is the thing with making a sequel to a modern classic and/or making that audience wait decades for the sequel: nostalgia is a double-edged sword. It is rare to top the original so in reuniting the cast, it can be fun to see these beloved characters return, but if it’s not engaging or entertaining enough, it’s just going to remind the audience how good the original was. One of the biggest hits of this year is Top Gun: Maverick, which was a sequel that came 36 years after the original, but the genius in that sequel is that it brought the characters into the present in a film that felt very much like the original but with even better action and set pieces. That kind of lightning striking is super rare, but when it works it works really well. 39 years after ACS was released, this sequel does have a clear affection and love of the original as you can see in countless shot compositions reflecting the original, exact replicas of the production design and dialogue in the same vein and the original cast members returning. Star / producer / co-writer Billingsley himself has actually been quite prolific in his adult life having produced a lot of films for Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, who is a producer on this film. It also tugged at my heartstrings as I, myself, dealt with a personal loss earlier this year. Story-wise I wished there was a little more to it and some of the gags don’t always land, but there actually were quite a few laughs to be had (more so than your average holiday movie). Semi-spoiler alert: The film also doesn’t cop out to make a super-happy ending, instead it goes more for realistic happy. This is not the Top Gun: Maverick of holiday movies by any means, but it is way better than it should be. Going into this I thought they’d just ride the coattails of the original cast, but they definitely tried to make this a loving tribute to the original. Worth watching!

For info on ACSC: https://www.hbomax.com/feature/a-christmas-story-christmas

3.5 out of 5 stars

She Said

movie poster

In October 2017, the New York Times published a report from investigative journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey about the sexual harassment and abuse of Miramax Films executive Harvey Weinstein. This article lead to more and more actresses coming forward to acknowledge the abuses of Weinstein and others in Hollywood and it became the catalyst for the #MeToo movement. Both Kantor and Twohey wrote a book in 2019 about their process of writing this investigative report. That book has now been adapted into the movie She Said, opening today from Universal Pictures.

Before I begin this review, I do want to acknowledge: I did an internship for a semester in 2001 at Miramax Films. I never once had any interaction or contact with the Weinstein brothers. I, myself, was not only not aware of anything going on behind closed doors, I actually worked for numerous female executives and from where I was standing (which was even below the ladder as a lowly intern) it seemed like a good place to work and make films with. Little did I know! But I worked with some amazing people, some of whom I’m still good friends with today. When the news broke in 2017 I was as surprised as anyone. There had been rumors for years of Harvey Weinstein being flirtatious, but no one expected the allegations and abuse of power. It was horrible and should not have happened in the first place, let alone for as long as it did.

Mulligan and Kazan

The film begins in 2016 as Twohey (played by Carrie Mulligan) is investigating then-presidential-candidate Donald Trump for sexual misconduct. Insult to injury is that Trump gets elected president. The following year, Twohey and Kantor (Zoe Kazan) begin an investigative story upon hearing some accusations about Harvey Weinstein. The film, directed by Maria Schrader, shows their process of digging deeper and deeper as they talk to people who have either been silenced or chosen not to speak for fear of being blackballed in Hollywood. It also shows the work-life balance of both journalists, as they go further and further down the rabbit hole.

I’m a big fan of the newspaper movie as a genre and this one is in that pantheon of Spotlight and The Post, where it shows the inner workings of a newspaper, the concerns of the editor and the question of when to run the story. Now going into this movie, I knew about NYT story and the impact it had, so the stakes were only so high, i.e. you know walking into this movie that the story is going to get finished and published. But there was quite a bit I didn’t know about in terms of how the journalists got their sources to speak on the record. That was fascinating. It also breaks down the third wall: there is one actress who was mentioned in the story and instead of having an actress portray her, she actually appears in the film as herself. It also feels like it is a movie that is very of-the-moment. 2017 is now five years ago, but it felt like watching a movie about something very recent. At times it reminded me a lot of All the President’s Men (the Sgt. Pepper of newspaper movies!), which was released in 1976 and took place between 1972 and 1974. That film showed the journalists in their process to uncover Watergate. Here Twohey and Kantor deep dive to uncover Weinstein but it also shows the newspaper itself and the decisions they made along the way. This is a solid historical drama and I’m thrilled to see both Mulligan and Kazan, both of whom I’ve always been a big fan of, swing for the fences!

For info on She Said: https://www.shesaidmovie.com/

4.5 out of 5 stars

#Movie Reviews #a christmas story christmas #a christmas story #clay kaytis #she said #maria schrader #film geek

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mylifeincinema · 2 years

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My Best of 2021: Non-2021 Films

My Best of 2021 is a series of annual lists in which I pick the best of the best from 2021, all leading up to my official picks for My Top 10 Films of 2021.

I saw a lot fewer new non-2021 films as I would have liked. Less than 15, I think. So it was tough making this list, but only because several on here don’t really belong on any ‘best of’ lists. Oh, well... here they are.

1. A Mighty Wind (Chistopher Guest, 2003)

A hilarious mockumentary about folk music that dismantles and pokes fun at the genre and the artists therein without ever becoming callous. And the original songs are fantastic.

2. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Powell & Pressburger, 1943)

Powell & Pressburger really could direct a movie, couldn’t they? Some of the narrative stuff doesn’t quite work for me, but the character work is phenomenal, and the performances behind them are so full of heart and dedication and loyalty that they fill in the parts that didn’t work and help create a whole that packs a punch.

3. Another Round (Thomas Vinterberg, 2020)

A film about alcohol… both its positives and its negatives. How it brings out the best in us and how it brings out the worst in us. This is a fascinating film about four friends stuck in a painfully boring rut who bust out of it in gloriously drunken fashion; a study of walking a line and finding that said line is quickly beginning to blur. Mads is a powerhouse, here. And that ending is every bit as wonderful as you’ve heard.

4. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (Joseph Sargent, 1974)

Matthau and Shaw are incredible, here. Just so pitch-perfect.

I love how bare-bones it all is. Just a simple heist/hostage film that doesn’t feel the need to overwrite its characters.

This is so, so much more effective than the remake, overall. And I actually really like the remake, too.

5. Best in Show (Christopher Guest, 2000)

It’s really funny. Guest and gang know what they’re doing, they know how to do it, and they milk it for every single available laugh.

6. Let Him Go (Thomas Bezucha, 2020)

This is NOT the film I thought it was going to be. Wow. This is such an effective slow burn of a film, with great performances from both Lane and Costner, a thematically rich, emotionally resonant screenplay and an explosive third act.

7. The War of the Worlds (Byron Haskin, 1953)

I loved the design of the Martians, and the VFX in general is just a ton of fun. There’s some really creative shit going on, here. Yeah, the ending is painfully anti-climactic. And sure, it’s Wells’ fault. But I’m still surprised no adaptation has managed to make it even a little more exciting/thrilling/interesting... and that’s a shame.

8. Greenland (Rick Roman Wuagh, 2020)

Significantly better than expected.

Butler puts a lot of his goofy machismo aside to accentuate his character’s desperation, here, and it pays off. They opt to tell this story with a greater focus on the human angle than the always crowd-pleasing ‘disaster porn’ angle, and that also pays off.

Also, most of this plays out very similar to Spielberg’s War of the Worlds without the aliens. That’s a compliment.

9. The Hunger (Tony Scott, 1983)

Not Scott’s best, but it does manage to captivate occasionally. Bowie is phenomenal in an all-too-small role. And Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon’s chemistry is equally natural and completely intoxicating.

10. Honest Thief (Mark Williams, 2020)

It’s at the lower end of the Liam Neeson action vehicles, but even that still makes for an entertaining ride. Neeson’s fantastic in this type of role, and it’s very hard not to cheer for him. The writing and directing here could have been better, but they do their job well enough for the type of film it is.

Enjoy!

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

Next Up: Assorted (Animated Feature, Foreign Film, Editing, Screenplay, Etc.)

More of My Best of 2021...

#film #movies #movie #cinema #best of 2021 #mybestof2021 #non-2021 movies #honest thief #the hunger #greenland #the war of the worlds #let him go #best in show #the taking of pelham one two three #the life and death of colonel blimp #another round #a mighty wind

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kaypeace21 · 3 years

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Im sorry but you thinking mileven is a bad ship doesn’t mean elmax can’t also be a bad ship. Also the way you’re describing it all makes mike and el seem like the worst characters ever.. Like come on... Mike only dating el to hide that he actually likes will, wouldn’t that be such an ass thing to do. Same with El. Like i ship byler but i don’t like the idea of Mike and El only dating each other because of that. Also Will calling El stupid is also just ugh. And i don’t think anyone found it cute how El let mike fall when talking to mike. But tell me why would she get jealous if she doesn’t actually like mike?

1) I never said that elmax was perfect. I don’t even ship elmax .I prefer El being single. But all the critiques you made about Elmax were about mileven and wrong- Max didn’t make El spy on Mike it was her own decision! just like how El spied on Mike in s2. And Max and El only being friends after the mileven breakup was cause like lucas, Dustin, Will, and Hopper mentioned- they neglected all their other relationships to be with eachother. Prior post here- i mentioned verbal examples.

2) Will wasn’t literally calling El stupid- it was projection! Why after the mike/Will fight he calls himself “so stupid” 4x. Robin even says she thought Steve’s hair was ‘’stupid’ cause she was just bitter and jealous Tammy was into Steve instead of her.

3) that’s your interpretation. Weird you brought up mike projecting- when I never mentioned it in the prior post. I wouldn’t find them unlikeable- they’re kids who make mistakes. And mileven brought out the worst in Mike & El. And do you people just not know how stigmatized being gay was in the 80s?! Of course Mike would be terrified ,confused , and hoping to fix himself and fall for El. Lol- being possessive and violently jealous does not equal love . Please, don’t date for your own sake- if you think it does. (Look at the comments on YouTube of that clip- the milevens loved it. )

El is a child who in s3 asked “how do I know what I like?” (while dating Mike). She asked Mike “Will you be like my brother? “ before he kissed her. And they paralleled mileven to Hopper/El (siblings and cousins) in s2-3. Then for a year she watched toxic romances from soap operas. And mimicked Erica Kane who rushed into a relationship with writer Mike Roy. Who guess what- weren’t endgame- and after they broke up ended with lots of stalking . Similar to mileven. So yeah Mike probably doesn’t love El- he’s projecting Will on to her. And El probably doesn’t love Mike but is confused and is projecting Mike Roy and the desire for normalcy onto Mike. They weren’t even upset when they broke up-c’mon.

ALSO HISTORY LESSON

The vast majority of 80s society hated gay people. In 1983 (st s1) , Pat bunchunan, communications director for President Ronald Reagan, calls AIDS, “nature’s revenge on gay men.” In 1984, (st s2) addressing the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, Paul Cameron uses the AIDS crisis to suggest that “the extermination of homosexuals might become necessary.” In 1986 Anti-gay groups cheer the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in Bowers v. Hardwick holding that state anti-sodomy statutes are constitutional (essentially making being gay illegal in those states) . In 1986, At the first Congressional hearings on anti-gay violence, Kathleen Sarris of Indianapolis (same city lonnie lives in/same state Mike lives in) tells of being stalked and assaulted by a "Christian soldier” who held her at gunpoint, beat and r**ed her for three hours, explaining that “he was acting for God; that what he was doing to me was God’s revenge on me because I was a ‘queer’ and getting rid of me would save children”. In 1989, U.S. Rep. William Dannemeyer (R-Calif: same state Max is from) publishes a landmark anti-gay tome, Shadow in the Land: Homosexuality in America. Calling lesbians and gay men "the ultimate enemy.”Many People equated being gay to mental illness, murderers, disease, religious sacrilege, r*pists/p*dos or even being unpatriotic. Homophobic slurs were commonplace everyday jargon. I could go on and on. It’s not 2020 (which isn’t perfect either). It’s the 80s! And the 80s were very very very homophobic! And we saw hints of that in s1.

So yeah- maybe leave Mike alone for trying to be straight. When his parents are literally Republican Reagan supporters. You people have the internet-but don’t even know basic history- it’s sad.

Also you don’t ship byler - you’re a mileven c’mon. Only milevens sh*t on Max for ruining mileven. And attack Will over the ‘stupid’ comment😂

#el hopper #mike wheeler #will byers #byler #max mayfield #anti mileven

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whumpster-fire · 3 years

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Trivia Fun Facts

Defenestrating Sphere has been voted the Best Dungeons and Dragons Spell for sixteen consecutive years since its publication in 2004 by the Royal Society For Yeeting Your Bitch Ass Out Of A Fucking Window, which is the greatest number of consecutive wins of this award for any spell published in a D&D splatbook by nine years, and the most awarded spell in the game overall by four years with the runner-up being Telekinesis (although Telekinesis has more total wins due to its being in the game for longer - it was already published at the founding of the Royal Society For Yeeting Your Bitch Ass Out Of A Fucking Window in 1983.

The American Your-Bitch-Ass-Out-Of-A-Window-Yeeting Association predates Dungeons and Dragons, but has only given awards for tabletop RPG spells since 2006. Defenestrating Sphere has won every single year in America, except for 2016 and 2008. In 2016 the award was given to Bigby’s Grasping Hand in a close vote, with the prevailing opinion being “come on, it’s just too easy, man.” The resulting riots nearly led to the AYBAOOAWYA’s collapse, and over twelve members were killed, most by the obvious cause but one by gunshot wounds. In 2008 the award was given to Hurl Through Hell. However, this was no longer valid in 2010 with the resolution to no longer consider D&D 4th Edition a Dungeons And Dragons Game, resulting in the award being moved to the new “Best Spell From A Tabletop Imitation Of A MMORPG” category, later renamed the “Best D&D 4th Edition Spell” in 2013. Hurl Through Hell has won this award every year since its inception. The 2008 “Best Dungeons And Dragons Spell” award was reinstated in 2014 after the release of D&D 5e and the inclusion of Hurl Through Hell, but was later rescinded in 2018 when somebody pointed out that Hurl Through Hell is a class feature and not a spell in 5e.

The AYBAOOAWYA currently does not recognize a winner for Best D&D Spell in 2008. The Czech Defenestration Society is the oldest and ninth-most prestigious recreational defenestration organization, established in 1419. However, to date CDS Windowlords have refused to add roleplaying games as an awards category, on the basis that it would detract from their reputation. This is hard to argue, as a photo of Lake Prague, once the site of a medieval Czech city that was hurled through a window-shaped dimensional portal by CDS mages on multiple occasions, clearly demonstrates the society’s power. After its third defenestration in 1618 which resulted in Prague falling over 17 miles (27358.8 meters), the city was never rebuilt and the crater was allowed to fill with water, though there are several villages surrounding the lake, as well as several villages that now lie at the bottom of the lake after being flung through a 400-meter tall iron window purpose-built by the CDS. Sadly this window was destroyed by Nazi bombing campaigns during WWII as retaliation for the 1939 Defenestration of Wolfenbüttel . Nevertheless the foundations of the great window, and the lake as a whole, have been designated a world heritage site by UNESCDO, the United Nations Cultural, Scientific, Cultural, and Defenestration Organization, and tourism has replaced fishing as the dominant industry in the area.

But this atrocity did not deter the CDS, and over the course of the war the Czechs proceeded to defenestrate several other German settlements including Cloppenburg, Dingolfing, and Bad Mergentheim (Good Mergentheim fifteen kilometers to the South was also leveled in an unrelated attack by the Budapest Pyromancy club. Sorta Okay Mergentheim still stands to this day, although it has been depopulated since 1971 due to the actions of the Slovenian Necromancer’s Guild), as well as Lubbock Texas, which was sadly confused with Lübeck, Germany (Which was sunk into the sea in 1955 by the Liverpool Cult of Neptune), and Ipswich, which was destroyed just for the fun of it. Luckily for the allies, the CDS was finally brought to its knees with the 1942 defeat of most of its Council of Archdefenestrators by Defenestrierungsmeister Hans Von Liechenberg, also known by his post-war professional wrestling stage name Hurl-It-Out Hans, using his signature finishing move, Defenestrierenkugel (roughly translates as: Defenestrating Sphere). Hurl-It-Out Hans was the third most popular defenestration-themed professional wrestler of all time, after Max Pane, and The Undertaker, best known for the 1998 match where he threw Mankind out the window of Hell In A Cell and plummeted 16 ft through an announcer's table.

However, while the Czech Defenestration Society has the most total destroyed cities to its record, the largest individual city to be defenestrated was San Antonion in 1993 by the Texas-based biker gang known as Yeet-Haw. A 2008 attempt by the CDS to overturn this record by defenestrating Hamburg ended in tragedy when Hamburg, Arkansas was accidentally defenestrated instead of Hamburg, Germany. After major public outcry, the CDS’s Senior Geography Officer Pepik Otradovec was ejected via the 14th-story window of the organization’s headquarters in Hradec.

This was also the same year that American Your-Bitch-Ass-Out-Of-A-Window-Yeeting Association retroactively failed to crown a Best Dungeons and Dragons Spell winner. As a result of these two incidents 2008 has been voted the Worst Year In History by the Royal Society For Yeeting Your Bitch Ass Out Of A Fucking Window five times, the third-most wins of any year. It is tied for third place with AD 79, when both Pompeii and Herculineum were destroyed by a volcanic eruption without windows being involved at all. In second place is 1965, when the Chicago Municipal Building Code briefly banned windows. This ban was quickly overturned due the entire committee responsible being hurled out of an existing window which had been grandfathered in and was not affected by the ban. In first place is 1903, the year when impact-resistant windowpanes for high-rises were invented.

1903, coincidentally, is also exactly 173 times the number of votes by which Bigby’s Grasping Hand won in 2016. But even more impressive is that 2016 happens equal the height in feet of the current world record for Highest Purely Architectural Defenestration in the Women’s Category by use of a rolling chair, set by Agnes Bilchmoitner of Lincoln, Nebraska (Defenestrator) and the late Joe Rusell Bracegirdle Junior (Defenestratee) of Schaumburg, Illinois, off the 137th floor of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which shattered not only the previous record but also the impact-resistant glass in use on the tower, although the record would have been higher if the structure had not been built with lower roofs which interrupted Mr. Bracegirdle’s fall against the recommendation of the American Your-Bitch-Ass-Out-Of-A-Window-Yeeting Association. Regardless, the floor number this record was set from with the last two digits reversed is equal to the ratio of the calendar year which was voted the Worst Year of All Time by the RSFYYBAOOAFW to the margin of victory for Bigby’s Grasping Hand, and the last two digits of the year when Bigby’s Grasping Hand won Best D&D Spell is the same as the distance in feet that the Undertaker threw Mankind out the window of Hell In A Cell and plummeted 16 ft through an announcer's table. This took place in 1998, which is not only the best version of Windows Operating System according to the AYBAOOAWYA, but is also equal to the current height in feet of the world record for Highest Magically-Assisted Purely Architectural Defenestration By A Minor, set by 16-year-old Brian Woolworth in 2004, which is when the D&D 3.5 edition Complete Arcana was published, including the spell Defenestrating Sphere, and Brian’s age when he set the record is equal to the number of consecutive years Defenestrating Sphere has been voted the Best Dungeons and Dragons spell by the RSFYYBAOOAFW.

And that, according to the Czech Defenestration Society’s 2021 annual awards ceremony, is the Greatest Defenestration Trivia Fact of the year.

#shitpost #high-effort shitpost #defenestrating sphere #defenestration #the defenestration of prague #war crimes content warning #defenestration content warning #destruction of historic defenestration-related monuments content warning #Lubbock Texas mention content warning #Hell in A Cell Pasta warning #awful content #Dungeons and Dragons Fandom #History #trivia #pseudo-fiction #my hideous sense of humor

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orbemnews · 3 years

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The Perseverance of New York City’s Wildflowers In Williamsburg, on a seven-acre park by the East River, spring will soon unfurl in blue blossoms. Cornflowers are always the first to bloom in the pollinator meadow of Marsha P. Johnson State Park, a welcome sign to bees and people that things are beginning to thaw. On Monday, the meadow got its annual mow-down, its grasses trimmed to six inches to make way for springtime blooms. “The mow-down encourages this rebirth and regrowth,” said Leslie Wright, the city’s regional director of the state park system. If New York City has a warm spring, the cornflowers may open up by late April, eventually followed by orange frills of butterfly milkweed, purple spindly bee balm and yolk-yellow, black-eyed Susans that also inhabit the meadow — hardy species that can weather the salty spray that confronts life on the waterfront. Not all of these flowers are native to New York, or even North America, but they have sustained themselves long enough to become naturalized. These species pose little threat to native wildlife, unlike more domineering introduced species such as mugwort, an herb with an intrepid rhizome system. Although cornflowers herald springtime now, they were not here hundreds of years ago, before colonizers forcibly displaced the Lenape people from their ancestral land of Lenapehoking, which encompasses New Jersey, Delaware and parts of Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New York State. The Lenape knew spring by another bloom: white tufts of flowers from the serviceberry tree, which powder its branches like snow in April. Today, serviceberries still bloom in Brooklyn, in both Prospect Park and John Paul Jones Park. A wildflower can refer to any flowering plant that was not cultivated, intentionally planted or given human aid, yet it still managed to grow and bloom. This is one of several definitions offered by the plant ecologist Donald J. Leopold in Andrew Garn’s new photo book “Wildflowers of New York City,” and one that feels particularly suited to the city and its many transplants. Mr. Garn did not intend for “Wildflowers of New York City” to be a traditional field guide for identifying flowers. Rather, his reverent portraits invite us to delight in the beauty of flowers that we more often encounter in a sidewalk crack than in a bouquet. “They all share a beauty of form and function that offers testimony to the glory of survival in the big city,” Mr. Garn writes. He asks us to stop and consider the sprouts we might pass every day and appreciate them not just for their beauty, but also for their ability to thrive. More than 2,000 species of plants are found in New York City, more than half of which are naturalized, Mr. Garn writes. Some were imported for their beauty; ornate shrubs such as the buttercup winterhazel, star magnolia and peegee hydrangea all reached North America for the first time in a single shipment to the Parsons & Sons Nursery in Flushing in 1862. Others came as stowaways, as the writer Allison C. Meier notes in the book’s introduction. In the 19th century, the botanist Addison Brown scoured the heaps of discarded ballast — earth and stones that weighed down ships — by city docks for unfamiliar blossoms, as he noted in an 1880 issue of the Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. During one July jaunt to Gowanus in Brooklyn, Mr. Brown noted purple sprouts of sticky nightshade, a plant native to South America. He also found violet tendrils of the welted thistle, native to Europe and Asia. The welted thistle did not successfully outgrow the ballast heap to take root in New York City, but sticky nightshade has stuck around. Marsha P. Johnson State Park, which sits on a 19th-century shipping dock and former garbage transfer station, is no stranger to ballast. The docks imported flour, sugar and many other goods until operations ceased in 1983. The state bought the land and, in 2007, reopened the site as East River State Park. In February of 2020, Gov. Andrew Cuomo renamed the park after the activist Marsha P. Johnson, one of the central figures of the Stonewall riots and a co-founder of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries with the activist Sylvia Rivera. Ms. Johnson, who died in 1992 of undetermined causes, would have turned 75 in August 2020. In January, the state parks department unveiled a proposed $14 million redesign of the park featuring a thermoplastic mural of rainbow stripes and flowers, reported the Brooklyn Paper. Although the state promised to consult with the city’s LGBTQ community, members of Ms. Johnson’s family and the trans community were not consulted and have criticized the proposal. Local residents created a petition — titled “Stop the plastic park!” — for real flowers and natural landscaping instead of the harsh colors of the thermoplastic mural. In response to the outcry, the state is holding workshops in March and April for the public to offer input on the redesign. “I have candles lit always for Marsha and Sylvia, but I’m praying especially hard now that we get a plan that includes lots of flowers,” said Mariah Lopez, the executive director of Strategic Trans Alliance for Radical Reform, or STARR, an advocacy group. Ms. Johnson was known for wearing crowns of fresh flowers that she would arrange from leftover blooms and discarded daffodils from the flower district in Manhattan, where she often slept. In one photo, Ms. Johnson wears a crown of roses, carnations, chrysanthemums, frilly tulips, statice and baby’s breath. Although cumulous clusters of baby’s breath are now a staple of floral arrangements, the species is a wildflower native to central and Eastern Europe. Ms. Lopez and STARR have criticized a proposal for a new $70 million beach scheduled to be built on Gansevoort Peninsula, near waterfronts where Ms. Rivera once lived and Ms. Johnson died. In its place, she suggests a memorial garden for Ms. Johnson, Ms. Rivera and other transgender people. “We will never feed enough people, we will never plant enough flowers, never be good enough to honor Sylvia and Marsha,” Ms. Lopez said. “They cared too much, even when no one cared for them.” Ms. Lopez, who grew up on the Upper West Side near a sooty smokestack, has always longed for more green spaces in the city. Her dream of the park includes a range of verdant and functional spaces: a paved area where people can vogue and hold rallies, a flower garden in tribute to Ms. Johnson, a greenhouse and an apiary for bees. “You can never have enough bees,” Ms. Lopez said. “They aren’t there to sting you. They’re minding their business.” Parts of Marsha P. Johnson State Park will remain closed for construction until June, when the native plantings meadow will be in fuller bloom, replete with the sunny heart-shaped petals of evening primrose, urchin-like heads of purple coneflowers and the drooping red bells of columbine. In late summer, buttery clumps of goldenrod will follow suit. Soon, the garden will also be abuzz with bees, beetles, moths, butterflies and other pollinators. There are several tunneled beehouses, designed to attract native solitary bees, such as carpenter bees, and offer them rest after imbibing nearby nectar. Unlike bumblebees, carpenter bees have no queens or worker castes. In some carpenter bee species, females nest in groups, living alongside their daughters or other adult female bees. The redesign of the park will add a new fence around the meadow, as well as interpretive signs about the pollinators who depend on its wildflowers. “What would happen if there were no bees in the world?” Ms. Wright, the city’s regional director of the state park system, wondered aloud. “We have to protect them. That’s what the function of this sweet little meadow is.” She added that the bees will come when the cornflowers bloom, in warmer, bluer months. Source link Orbem News #citys #Perseverance #Wildflowers #York

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thecomicsnexus · 4 years

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TOP 10 ARTISTS OF 2019′S REVIEWS

Believe it or not, it is harder to “rank” artists than writers, for comic-books. Most of the time, what you see is mostly a collaboration of many artists, and not always an ugly style is a bad thing. Art is subjective and that is why I am not doing a “bottom 10″ list of artists these years. It just wouldn’t make sense.

But because this year I took all sixty-something review that scored 10, while that is still a long list of artists, I was able to see which artists were more prominent in the material I read this year. This may or many not make sense to you, and it might not even make sense at all. But here it comes.

NUMBER TEN JERRY ORDWAY (1957 - PRESENT)

Jeremiah Ordway (born November 28, 1957) is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books.

He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985–1986), his long run working on the Superman titles from 1986–1993, and for writing and painting the Captain Marvel original graphic novel The Power of Shazam! (1994), and writing the ongoing monthly series from 1995–1999. He has provided inks for artists such as Curt Swan, Jack Kirby, Gil Kane, John Buscema, Steve Ditko, John Byrne, George Perez and others.

Jerry Ordway was inspired in his childhood by Marvel Comics, and dreamed of drawing Daredevil, Spider-Man, and the Avengers. To date he has only worked on the latter.

Ordway attended Milwaukee Technical High School, where he took a three-year commercial art course, before joining a commercial art studio as a typographer in 1976. He subsequently worked his way "from the ground floor up at the art studio" between 1978 and 1981.

Ordway is married to Peggy May Ordway (b. 1959).

While Ordway’s work this year that made him into the list is “Crisis on Infinite Earths”, I think that I am doing a special mention for him. He was inker for that series (And this year, I will be separating pencillers from the rest), but Ordway’s pencils have so much personality, that you sometimes forget he is just inking.

NUMBER NINE GARY FRANK (1969 - PRESENT)

Gary Frank (born 1969) is a British comics artist, notable for pencilling on Midnight Nation and Supreme Power, both written by J. Michael Straczynski. He has also worked with author Peter David on The Incredible Hulk and Supergirl. He had a creator-owned series, Kin, which he wrote himself, published by Top Cow Productions in 2000.

Writer Geoff Johns, who has collaborated with Frank, has opined that Frank's rendition of Superman is the best of his generation and that the only other artist in the same league with Frank in this regard is Curt Swan.

Gary Frank began his professional career in 1991, illustrating covers and interior short stories for publications such as Doctor Who Magazine and Toxic!. This led to a stint at Marvel UK in 1992 as regular series' artist on Motormouth & Killpower. It was on that series that he began a long-running collaboration with inker Cam Smith, who would continue to ink Frank's work for many years. In 1992, Frank was recruited by Marvel Comics to illustrate covers for The Incredible Hulk, beginning with issue No. 400. Shortly thereafter, he was hired as the series' ongoing artist beginning with issue No. 403 (March 1993) and ending with No. 425 (Jan. 1995).

During his initial time at Marvel, Frank contributed covers, interiors and pin-up illustrations for various series, such as X-Men Unlimited, the Sabretooth Special, X-Men Classic, X-Men Prime, and Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme, among others. He drew covers for Acclaim Comics' Ninjak and Harris Comics' Vampirella.

In 1996, Frank and Smith were hired as the art team on DC Comics' new Supergirl ongoing series, which re-teamed Frank with writer Peter David. Frank's run as penciller ended with issue No. 9 (May 1997), although he continued to provide covers for the series until issue No. 21. Other assignments for DC included a Birds of Prey one-shot and the DC/Marvel Amalgam Comics one-shot, Bullets and Bracelets.

In 1997, Frank and Smith moved to Image Comics, where they, along with writer John Arcudi, were hired as the new creative team on the Wildstorm title Gen¹³, beginning with the epilogue story in issue No. 25. Their run on the series was praised for its dark, realistic style in both writing and art; however, the drastic change in tone and style alienated many longtime fans who had grown accustomed to the more fantastical and cartoonish approach of the Brandon Choi/J. Scott Campbell run. The Arcudi/Frank/Smith tenure on the series lasted two years, until issue No. 41 (July 1999). It was during this run, in 1998, that Wildstorm head Jim Lee moved his studio and all its properties to DC Comics. Therefore, issues No. 25–36 were published by Image and issues No. 37–41 were published by DC/Wildstorm.

Gary made it into the list because of his work with Geoff Johns on Justice League (including Shazam’s origin). But he could have been included for his work on Doomsday Clock as well.

NUMBER EIGHT DAVE GIBBONS (1949 - PRESENT)

David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries Watchmen and the Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything". He was an artist for 2000 AD, for which he contributed a large body of work from its first issue in 1977.

Gibbons was born at Forest Gate Hospital in London, to Chester, a town planner, and Gladys, a secretary. He began reading comic books at the age of seven. A self-taught artist, he illustrated his own comic strips. Gibbons became a building surveyor but eventually entered the UK comics industry as a letterer for IPC Media. He left his surveyor job to focus on his comics career.

Gibbons was one of the British comic talents identified by Len Wein in 1982 for American publisher DC Comics: he was hired primarily to draw "Green Lantern Corps" backup stories within the pages of Green Lantern. Gibbons' first DC work was on the Green Lantern Corps story in Green Lantern No. 161 (February 1983), with writer Todd Klein, as well as the concurrently released "Creeper" two-part backup story in The Flash #318–319. Gibbons drew the lead story in The Brave and the Bold No. 200 (July 1983) which featured a team-up of the Batmen of Earth-One and Earth-Two. With Green Lantern No. 172 (Jan. 1984), Gibbons joined writer Wein on the main feature while continuing to illustrate the backup features. In issue No. 182, Wein and Gibbons made architect John Stewart, who had been introduced previously in issue No. 87, the title's primary character. Ceding the "Tales of the Green Lantern Corps" backup features to various other individuals from No. 181, Gibbons last issue with Wein was issue No. 186 (March 1985). Gibbons returned to pencil the backup story "Mogo Doesn't Socialize" with Alan Moore in issue No. 188.

While Marvel Comics reprinted some of Gibbons' Marvel UK Doctor Who work, Eclipse Comics reprinted some of his Warrior work and Eagle reprinted various Judge Dredd tales, Gibbons continued to produce new work almost exclusively for DC throughout the 1980s. For the 1985 Superman Annual No. 11, Gibbons drew the main story "For the Man Who Has Everything", again written by Alan Moore.

During 1985 and 1986, Gibbons' artwork graced the pages of several issues of both DC's Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe and Marvel's The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition. He was one of the contributors to the DC Challenge limited series and in December 1986, he contributed to Harrier Comics' Brickman No. 1 alongside Kevin O'Neill, Lew Stringer and others. Between May and August 1988, he contributed covers to The Phantom miniseries, inked Kevin Maguire's pencilled contribution to Action Comics No. 600, and produced the cover to Action Comics Weekly No. 601.

He is best known in the US for collaborating with Alan Moore on the 12-issue limited series Watchmen, now one of the best-selling graphic novels of all time, and the only one to feature on Time's "Top 100 Novels" list. Gibbons' artwork in Watchmen is notable both for its stark utilisation of the formulaic comicbook nine-panel grid layout, as well as for its intense narrative and symbolic density with some symbolic background elements suggested by Moore, others by Gibbons.

Gibbons lettered Watchmen and it was his lettering style that later served as one of two reference sources used by Vincent Connare when creating the controversial font Comic Sans in 1994. Gibbons has commented that "It's just a shame they couldn't have used just the original font, because it's a real mess. I think it's a particularly ugly letter form."

Comics historian Les Daniels noted that Watchmen "called into question the basic assumptions on which the super hero genre is formulated". DC Comics writer and executive Paul Levitz observed in 2010 that "As with The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen set off a chain reaction of rethinking the nature of super heroes and heroism itself, and pushed the genre darker for more than a decade. The series won acclaim...and would continue to be regarded as one of the most important literary works the field ever produced."

Gibbons returned to Watchmen in 2008, producing the behind-the-scenes book Watching the Watchmen to tie into the release of the 2009 film. Watching the Watchmen is his take on the creation of the seminal work, and features a number of rarely seen pieces of artwork including sketches and character designs, as well as "stuff," he says "that I just don't know why I kept but I'm really pleased I did." Gibbons stated that "I'm basically thrilled with the movie, you know; it's been in the making for years. There have been proposals to make it – some I was excited about, some I was less excited about. But I think the way that it finally has been made is just great. I honestly can't imagine it being made much better."

Gibbons was present in many reviews this year, but he made it into the list because of his work on “Superman” and “Watchmen”.

NUMBER SEVEN BRIAN BOLLAND (1951 - PRESENT)

Brian Bolland (born 26 March 1951) is a British comics artist. Best known in the United Kingdom as one of the definitive Judge Dredd artists for British comics anthology 2000 AD, he spearheaded the 'British Invasion' of the American comics industry, and in 1982 produced the artwork on Camelot 3000 (with author Mike W. Barr), which was DC Comics' first 12-issue comicbook maxiseries created for the direct market.

His rare forays into interior art also include Batman: The Killing Joke, with UK-based writer Alan Moore, and a self-penned Batman: Black and White story. Bolland remains in high demand as a cover artist, producing the vast majority of his work for DC Comics.

Brian Bolland was born in Butterwick, Lincolnshire, to parents Albert "A.J." John, a fenland farmer, and Lillie Bolland. He spent his "first 18 years" living "in a small village near Boston in the fens of Lincolnshire, England," but has "no memory of comics" much before the age of ten. When American comics began to be imported into England, c.1959, Bolland says that it "took a little while for me to discover them," but by 1960 he was intrigued by Dell Comics' Dinosaurus!, which fed into a childhood interest in dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. Comics including Turok, Son of Stone and DC Comics' Tomahawk soon followed, and it was this burgeoning comics collection that would help inspire the young Bolland to draw his own comics around the age of ten with ideas such as "Insect League." He recalls that "[s]uperheroes crept into my life by stealth," as he actively sought out covers featuring "any big creature that looked vaguely dinosaur-like, trampling puny humans." These adolescent criteria led from Dinosaurus! and Turok via House of Mystery to "Batman and Robin [who] were [often] being harassed by big weird things, as were Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman [etc]." Soon, family outings to Skegness became an excuse for the future artist to "trawl... round some of the more remote backstreet newsagents" for comics to store on an overflowing "bookcase I'd made in school woodwork especially."

As early as 1962, aged 11, Bolland remembers thinking that "Carmine Infantino's work on the Flash and Gil Kane's on Green Lantern and the Atom had a sophistication about it that I hadn't [previously] seen. The young Bolland did not rate Marvel Comics as highly as DC, feeling the covers cluttered and the paper quality crude. His appreciation of the artwork of Jack Kirby, he says, only materialised much later "through the eyes of a seasoned professional." Despite such a variety of inspirations, Bolland credits his eventual pursuance of art as a hobby and then vocation to a primary school art teacher, who "evidently said all the right things to me."

Growing up as "and only child in a house without culture," (Bolland says that his "mother and father had no use for art, literature or music"), he embraced the late 1960s pop culture explosion of "pirate radio stations, music (particularly Frank Zappa...), drug taking, psychedelia, "peace and love," "dropping out," the underground scene, Oz Magazine," and other aspects of hippy culture epitomised by underground comix such as Robert Crumb's Zap Comix. Having taken both O-Level and A-Level examinations in art, Bolland spent five years at art school (starting in 1969) learning graphic design and Art history. Learning to draw comics, however, was "more a self-taught thing," with Bolland eventually writing a 15,000-word dissertation in 1973 on Neal Adams – an "artist [his teachers] had never heard of." He would later recall:

It was during this time that I discovered the sheer range of comics and their history. All the British stuff I'd missed was there to be discovered. I found the American greats, Foster, Herriman, Alex Raymond and Winsor McCay... Noel Sickles, Milt Caniff, Roy Crane, had all, I discovered, put down the basic building blocks of our "Art form". And there were the Europeans... Moebius, Manara, Breccia. Later the Filipinos—Alex Niño, Nestor Redondo, Alfredo Alcala, all were inspirational. None of this stuff was to be found in the art schools. During my five years in three art schools I never learnt a single thing about comics from any of my tutors.

Bolland was among the first British comics creators 'discovered' by the American comics industry, spearheading the so-called "British Invasion" in 1979/80. Bolland recalls that his big break came when Joe Staton attended the Summer 1979 Comicon, and, needing somewhere to work (on Green Lantern) while in the UK, arranged to stay with the Bollands. Staton called his editor Jack Harris and told him that Bolland, a big Green Lantern fan, would like to draw a Green Lantern cover; Harris agreed. He drew several covers for DC Comics, starting with Green Lantern No. 127 (April 1980), as well as some fill-in stories. These stories included, in 1980-1981, "Certified Safe" in Mystery in Space and "Falling Down to Heaven" in Madame Xanadu, DC's first attempt at marketing comics specifically to the "direct market" of fans and collectors. For editor Julius Schwartz, Bolland drew covers around which writers would craft stories, which included two Starro covers for Justice League of America No. 189 and 190 and Superman No. 422 (Aug. 1986).

Among his earliest interior work for DC was a chapter in Justice League of America No. 200 (March 1982) alongside artistic heroes Joe Kubert, Carmine Infantino and Gil Kane, as well as Jim Aparo, George Pérez and Dick Giordano. This gave the artist his "first stab at drawing Batman." Bolland felt that "after my cover [GL #127] worked out the people at DC turned their gaze on London... and particularly on the group of artists at 2000AD who had been weaned on the DC characters." He recalled that, "after I was settled in at DC, scouts from that company came to our "Society of Strip Illustration" meetings to win over a few more of us," making a "formal invitation" at an SSI meeting, which saw "Dave Gibbons, Kevin O'Neill... [t]hen Alan Davis and Mark Farmer," following the artists "Alan Grant "went across" and, at some point, a certain tall hairy writer from the Midlands."

In 1982, DC editor Len Wein chose Bolland to be the artist on DC's Camelot 3000 12-issue maxi-series, with writer Mike W. Barr. The story, dealing with the return of King Arthur to save England from an alien invasion in the year 3000, not only "represents the single biggest body of work" by Bolland – and his only attempt to draw a monthly title – but was also the "first example of a DC (or otherwise) maxi-series." Bolland was not familiar with the Arthurian legends, and initially conceived Merlin as a comical character. The series was graced with considerable media hype, and Bolland found himself "whisked off to San Diego and places and made a fuss of." Bolland was allowed to pick between two inkers, but opted to ink his covers himself. Bolland was uncomfortable with having a third party ink his pencils, and later admitted that he put a high level of detail into his art for the series to leave as little room as possible for the inker to creatively reinterpret his work. However, "by the end I was quite pleased with the results." Reacting indignantly to being presented with Ross Andru layouts for the first two Camelot 3000 covers, he chose to ignore [the Andru design] completely and come up with my own unapproved design. Len Wein rejected it and told me to do the Ross Andru one. Grudgingly I drew the number one cover that made it onto the issue – but as a protest I reversed the letter N in my signature as a code to remind myself that my "artistic integrity" had been despoiled. I liked the backwards N enough to keep it from that day on.

Camelot 3000 had lengthy delays between its final issues. Bolland recalled that he and DC "talked quite a bit about how long it would take me to do the series," and because the series was inked by other artists, he started off "churning the pages out with great enthusiasm." As the series continued, however, Bolland became increasingly meticulous, "trying to make the pages look better and better". The added details he introduced into his artwork caused significant delays in the final issues of the limited series, causing issues #8–11 to be released on a quarterly rather than monthly status, and the final issue to be cover dated nine months later than the penultimate issue.

Bolland married his girlfriend, illustrator and sometime-collaborator Rachel Birkett in 1981. She later gave up illustration "to become a cook in a vegetarian restaurant, although she has since assisted her husband with his work, acting as colourist, inker, co-artist and ghost. The two have a son, Harry.

The Camelot 3000 limited series, which he created with Mike W. Barr, was nominated for the 1985 Kirby Award for Best Finite Series, narrowly losing to Marv Wolfman and George Pérez's Crisis on Infinite Earths. In 2002, he placed second behind Jack Kirby for the title of "Best Artist Ever" in the short-lived National Comics Awards.

Brian Bolland made it to the list because of... you probably guessed it... “Camelot 3000″ and “Batman: The Killing Joke”.

NUMBER SIX FRANK MILLER (1957 - PRESENT)

Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer best known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, Sin City, and 300.

He is in both, Writer and Artist list, and, surpise, surprise, for pretty much the same stuff (”The Dark Knight Returns”, “Ronin” and also “Wolverine”).

NUMBER FIVE MIKE DRINGENBERG (1965 - PRESENT)

Mike Dringenberg (born c. 1965) is an American comics artist best known for his work on DC Comics/Vertigo's Sandman series with writer Neil Gaiman. Mike Dringenberg was born in Laon, France.

Dringenberg first work in the comics industry was the story "A Tale Of... Lenny's Casino & Grill" in Kelvin Mace #1 (Dec. 1985) published by Vortex Comics. His other early work in the 1980s for publishers such as Eclipse Comics included Alien Worlds, Enchanter, and Total Eclipse. He worked on Adolescent Radioactive Blackbelt Hamsters, a parody of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which itself was a parody of many then-current comic books, and Shock the Monkey. His mainstream work includes DC's Doom Patrol with writer Grant Morrison, where he co-created Flex Mentallo; the fantasy card game Magic: The Gathering; and White Wolf Publishing's card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle.

Mike is in this list because of his work on “The Sandman”.

NUMBER FOUR RICK VEITCH (1951 - PRESENT)

Richard Veitch (born May 7, 1951) is an American comics artist and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground, and alternative comics. Rick Veitch is from a large Catholic family of six children. He was raised in Bellows Falls, Vermont.

Veitch made his publishing debut in 1972, illustrating the underground comix horror parody Two-Fisted Zombies published by Last Gasp and written by his brother Tom Veitch. This one-shot was excerpted in Mark Estren's History of Underground Comix. It also, according to Veitch, proved to be his ticket to admission to Joe Kubert School.

Veitch then studied cartooning at The Kubert School, and was in the first class to graduate from the school in 1978, along with his future long-time collaborators Stephen R. Bissette and John Totleben.

Veitch's next major project was an adaptation of the film 1941 with Bissette.

During the 1980s, Veitch became known as a distinctive fantasy artist and writer for Marvel Comics' Epic Comics line, for which he created three graphic novels, Abraxas and the Earthman serialized in Epic Illustrated; Heartburst published as a standalone graphic novel; and The One originally published as a six-issue comic book limited series. Heartburst was straightforward science fiction, while The One was an ambitious and bizarre fantasy-adventure involving monstrous superheroes, the Cold War, and spiritual evolution. During this period Veitch also contributed numerous self-contained comics short stories to Epic Illustrated.

Veitch's highest-profile title was DC Comics' Swamp Thing. His friends Totleben and Bissette had both illustrated the series since Alan Moore took over as writer. Veitch joined the team for issue #37 (cover dated June 1985), in which Moore's popular character John Constantine was introduced, and appeared regularly after issue #50. He also worked with Moore on Miracleman, illustrating the story that graphically depicted the birth of Miracleman's child published by Eclipse Comics in Miracleman #9 (July 1986).

When Moore left the Swamp Thing series after issue #64, Veitch took over as writer, dividing art duties between himself and Alfredo Alcala. His Swamp Thing stories took a similar approach to Moore's, combining horror-fantasy, ecological concerns, and an encyclopedic knowledge of DC Comics fantasy characters; he gradually turned his attention from the DC Universe to history and mythology, using time travel to introduce his hero to a variety of legendary figures. This was to conclude in issue #91. Difficulties arose after Veitch's plan for issue #88, a story in which Swamp Thing met Jesus Christ, was scrapped by DC President Jenette Kahn. Although DC had approved Veitch's initial script for the Jesus story, the topic was later deemed too inflammatory and was cancelled at the last minute. The publisher and writer were unable to reach a compromise; Veitch quit, and vowed never to work for DC until the story saw print. Though the story arc has still never been printed, Veitch eventually did return to DC.

After leaving DC, Veitch turned to the alternative comics field, where the success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had provided the impetus for a black-and-white independent comics boom. After doing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles storyline for Mirage Studios, "The River", he began creating his own titles again, published by the Mirage spin-off Tundra Publishing.

Rick is one of the “revelations” of this year, to me. He was included in this list because of his work in both, “Swamp Thing” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”. His TMNT story is one of my favorite TMNT stories of all time (even though it may or may not be canon).

NUMBER THREE JOHN TOTLEBEN (1958 - PRESENT)

John Thomas Totleben (born February 16, 1958 in Erie, Pennsylvania) is an American illustrator working mostly in comic books.

After studying art at Tech Memorial in Erie, Totleben attended The Kubert School for one year. He then spent several years working for comics editor Harry "A" Chesler, producing illustrations for the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam; which never saw print. His first published work appeared in Heavy Metal in January 1979.

His first success in American comics, and still his best-known work, was as the inker of pencilled art by Stephen R. Bissette for the DC Comics title Swamp Thing, when the series was being written and reinvented by Alan Moore. Totleben and Bissette joined the series in 1983 shortly before Moore. Totleben's style was unusual for the time, and is still distinctive among U.S. comics artists, for its fluid layouts and heavily detailed rendering using a combination of stippling and hatching. He also painted covers for the series in oils and acrylic. Totleben inked the story in Swamp Thing #37 (June 1985) which introduced the John Constantine character.

As with most cases in this list, these artists can ink, color and pencil their own art. Totleben is another artists that made it into this list thanks to his work on “Swamp Thing”.

NUMBER TWO STEPHEN R. BISSETTE (1955 - PRESENT)

Stephen R. "Steve" Bissette (born March 14, 1955) is an American comics artist, editor, and publisher with a focus on the horror genre. He is known for working with writer Alan Moore and inker John Totleben on the DC Comics series Swamp Thing in the 1980s.

Bissette was born and raised in Vermont, where he still lives, and was raised Catholic.

Shortly after the publication of his first work, Abyss (1976), Bissette enrolled in the first class of The Kubert School. Before his first year was completed, his work was being published professionally in the pages of Sojourn, Sgt. Rock, and Heavy Metal. In 1978, Bissette was among the Kubert School's first graduating class, along with classmates Rick Veitch, Tom Yeates, and others.

While still enrolled at The Kubert School, Bissette executed the logo for early New Jersey synth-pop band WKGB and drew the cover for the band's 1979 single "Non-Stop/Ultramarine" on Fetish Records.

His early work appeared in the pages of Heavy Metal, Epic Illustrated, Bizarre Adventures, Scholastic Corporation's Weird Worlds and Bananas illustrating stories written by Goosebumps founder and author R. L. Stine, and he worked with Rick Veitch on the graphic novelization of Steven Spielberg's motion picture.

Bissette is best known for his multiple award-winning collaboration with writer Alan Moore and inker John Totleben on DC Comics' Saga of the Swamp Thing (1983–1987).

Under the company name of Spiderbaby Grafix, he later published the horror anthology Taboo, the original home of Moore and Eddie Campbell's From Hell and Tim Lucas' Throat Sprockets illustrated by Mike Hoffman and David Lloyd. He created Tyrant, a comic book biography of a Tyrannosaurus rex, which lasted four issues. During this period, he edited the horror anthology Gore Shriek, published by FantaCo Enterprises.

Since 1991, Bissette has presented a lecture series on horror comics called "Journeys into Fear". Having since grown in scope into a five-part series, "Journeys into Fear" identifies 12th century Japanese ghost scrolls and the 16th Century Mixtec codices as early ancestors, and traces the genre from its roots in Winsor McCay's work such as Dream of the Rarebit Fiend. In 1996–1997, Bissette contributed five covers for a comic book series about another swamp monster, Hall of Heroes' Bog Swamp Demon.

Bissette subsequently worked with Moore, Totleben, and Rick Veitch on the Image Comics' limited series 1963, their final creative collaborative effort. From 1963, Bissette owns the characters Hypernaut, N-Man, and the Fury.

Scott McCloud's 24-hour comic project began as a dare to Bissette in 1990. Each created a 24-page comic in 24 hours. The 24-hour comics project evolved into a challenge taken up by numerous hopeful contributors, with several published collections, and inspired other time-limited creative projects. Bissette published the story A Life in black and white in his own comic book anthology SpiderBaby Comix #2 (SpiderBaby Graphix, 1997).

In 1993, Bissette and Stanley Wiater co-edited Comic Book Rebels: Conversations with the Creators of the New Comics, which featured interviews with such notable comics creators as Scott McCloud, Harvey Pekar, Dave Sim, Howard Cruse, Will Eisner, Peter Laird, Kevin Eastman, and Robert Crumb.

Bissette retired from the comics industry in 1999, alluding to what he termed a "generational shift." He teaches courses in Comic Art History, Drawing, and Film at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont

Since 2005, Bissette has also edited and published Green Mountain Cinema, a trade paperback journal devoted to the independent cinema scene in his home state of Vermont, as well as five volumes of Blur, collecting his film reviews and criticism.

The Stephen R. Bissette Collection at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, houses Bissette's works and memorabilia.

Bissette is in this list because of his work on “Swamp Thing”.

NUMBER ONE GEORGE PÉREZ (1954 - PRESENT)

George Pérez (born June 9, 1954) is a retired American comic book artist and writer, whose titles include The Avengers, Teen Titans, and Wonder Woman. Writer Peter David has named Pérez his favorite artistic collaborator.

George Pérez was born in the South Bronx, New York City, on June 9, 1954, to Jorge Guzman Pérez and Luz Maria Izquierdo, who were both from Caguas, Puerto Rico, but who did not meet until approximately 1949 or 1950, after both had settled in New Jersey while searching for job opportunities. They married in October 26, 1954 and subsequently moved to New York, where Jorge worked in the meat packing industry while Luz was a homemaker. George's younger brother David was born May 28, 1955. Both brothers aspired at a young age to be artists. with George Pérez beginning to draw at the age of five.

Pérez's first involvement with the professional comics industry was as artist Rich Buckler's assistant in 1973, and he made his professional debut in Marvel Comics' Astonishing Tales No. 25 (Aug. 1974) as penciler of an untitled two-page satire of Buckler's character Deathlok, star of that comic's main feature. Soon Pérez became a Marvel regular, penciling a run of "Sons of the Tiger", a serialized action-adventure strip published in Marvel's long-running Deadly Hands of Kung Fu magazine and authored by Bill Mantlo. He and Mantlo co-created the White Tiger (comics' first Puerto Rican superhero), a character that soon appeared in Marvel's color comics, most notably the Spider-Man titles.

Pérez came to prominence with Marvel's superhero-team comic The Avengers, starting with issue No. 141. In the 1970s, Pérez illustrated several other Marvel titles, including Creatures on the Loose, featuring the Man-Wolf; The Inhumans; and Fantastic Four. Writer Roy Thomas and Pérez crafted a metafictional story for Fantastic Four No. 176 (Nov. 1976) in which the Impossible Man visited the offices of Marvel Comics and met numerous comics creators. Whilst most of Pérez' Fantastic Four issues were written by Roy Thomas or Len Wein, it would be a Fantastic Four Annual where he would have his first major collaboration with writer Marv Wolfman. Pérez drew the first part of writer Jim Shooter's "The Korvac Saga", which featured nearly every Avenger who joined the team up to that point. Shooter and Pérez introduced the character of Henry Peter Gyrich, the Avengers' liaison to the United States National Security Council in the second chapter of that same storyline. Writer David Michelinie and Pérez created the Taskmaster in The Avengers No. 195 (May 1980).

In 1980, while still drawing The Avengers for Marvel, Pérez began working for their rival DC Comics. Offered the art chores for the launch of The New Teen Titans, written by Wolfman, Pérez' real incentive was the opportunity to draw Justice League of America (an ambition of Pérez's which "seemed like a natural progress from the Avengers"). Long-time Justice League artist Dick Dillin died right around that time, providing an opportunity for Pérez to step in as regular artist. While Pérez's stint on the JLA was popular with fans, his career took off with the New Teen Titans. The New Teen Titans was launched in a special preview in DC Comics Presents No. 26 (October 1980). This incarnation of the Titans was intended to be DC's answer to Marvel's increasingly popular X-Men comic, and Wolfman and Pérez indeed struck gold. A New Teen Titans drug awareness comic book sponsored by the Keebler Company, and drawn by Pérez was published in cooperation with The President's Drug Awareness Campaign in 1983. In August 1984, a second series of The New Teen Titans was launched by Wolfman and Pérez. Moreover, Pérez's facility with layouts, details, and faces improved enormously during his four years on the book, making him one of the most popular artists in comics as evidenced by the numerous industry awards he would receive during this time.

Pérez took a leave of absence from The New Teen Titans in 1984 to focus on his next project with Marv Wolfman, DC's 1985 50th-anniversary event, Crisis on Infinite Earths. Crisis purportedly featured every single character DC owned, in a story which radically restructured the DC universe's continuity. Pérez was inked on the series by Dick Giordano, Mike DeCarlo, and Jerry Ordway. After Crisis, Pérez inked the final issue of Superman (issue #423) in September 1986, over Curt Swan's pencils for part one of the two-part story "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" by writer Alan Moore. The following month, Pérez was one of the artists on Batman No. 400 (October 1986) Wolfman and Pérez teamed again to produce the History of the DC Universe limited series to summarize the company's new history. Pérez drew the cover for the DC Heroes roleplaying game (1985) from Mayfair Games:167 as well as the cover for the fourth edition of the Champions roleplaying game (1989) from Hero Games.

Pérez is married to Carol Flynn. He has no children. He has a brother, David, and a niece and nephew. He is diabetic, and has undergone surgery for diabetic retinopathy. In May 2017, Pérez was admitted to a hospital with chest pains and was diagnosed as having had a heart attack while travelling to New Jersey for a convention. He was subsequently released from the hospital after having a coronary stent fitted.

George was already in last year’s TOP 10 and he made it again this year, thanks to his work on “New Teen Titans”, “Crisis on Infinite Earths”, “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” and “Tales of the Teen Titans”, including “The Judas Contract”.

As I said before, most of these artists are pencillers, but most of them can do anything. Now, I have another list of artists coming up, that have a bit more “rigid” in what they do, but they also excel at it.

The artists in this list are only a small group, among all the other artists that could have made it into this list, some of them being: A. C. Farley, Bruce Timm, Bryan Hitch, Chris Allan, Jim Lawson, Chris Sprouse, Curt Swan, Dave McKean, Denys Cowan, Frank Quitely, Gene Colan, Jesus Merino, Emanuela Lupacchino, Jim Aparo, Jim Lee, Joe Quinones, Keith Pollard, Marcos Martin, Matt Hollingsworth, Paul Gulacy, Richard Pace, Leonard Kirk, Dan Jurgens, Sam Keith, Shawn McManus, Stephen Byrne, The Dodsons, Tony Harris, Stan Sakai and Bob Burden. Thank you all, and thank you to the artists of this list for making 2019 a better year for me.

#artists #comics #review #george perez #stephen bissette #john totleben #rick veitch #mike dringenberg #frank miller #brian bolland #dave gibbons #gary frank #jerry ordway #2019

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girlactionfigure · 4 years

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When a group of students were asked what they thought of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one student replied, "He was the person that stood up for everyone; he was everyone’s voice." Another student replied, "If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be here because my dad, he’s African-American, and my mom is white." In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill designating a federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. More than 6 million signatures had been presented to Congress to support the holiday - "the largest petition in favor of an issue in U.S. history", according to The Nation. Senator Jesse Helms, who had called the Civil Rights Act of 1964 "the single most dangerous piece of legislation ever introduced in the Congress", had led a filibuster against the bill. But, the bill still passed 338 to 90. Even Stevie Wonder would release his song "Happy Birthday", lamenting the fact that anyone would oppose the idea of a Dr. King holiday, where "peace is celebrated throughout the world". Martin Luther King Jr. Day, has now been an annual federal holiday since 1986, celebrating "the national civil rights leader who was instrumental in challenging the racial caste system that delineated how millions of Americans lived their lives," according to The Learning Network. "All 50 states celebrate the public holiday on the third Monday in January, but not all states, cities and towns dedicate it solely to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Some package it as a broader celebration of both Dr. King and Confederate leaders." In fact, Confederate Heroes Day, according to a recent report by the Dallas Morning News, is still celebrated in Texas on the same day as the King Holiday. After Dr. King died, the New York Times wrote in his obituary, "To many millions of American Negroes, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the prophet of their crusade for racial equality. He was their voice of anguish, their eloquence in humiliation, their battle cry for human dignity. He forged for them the weapons of nonviolence that withstood and blunted the ferocity of segregation." "Inevitably, as a symbol of integration, he became the object of unrelenting attacks and vilification," the Times continued. "His home was bombed. He was spat upon and mocked. He was struck and kicked. He was stabbed . . . He was frequently thrown into jail. Threats became so commonplace that his wife could ignore burning crosses on the lawn and ominous phone calls. Through it all he adhered to the creed of passive disobedience that infuriated segregationists." "He mobilized mass action to win a public accommodations bill and the right to vote," according to Jesse Jackson. "He led the Montgomery bus boycott and navigated police terror in Birmingham. He got us over the bloodstained bridge in Selma and survived the rocks and bottles and hatred in Chicago. He globalized our struggle to end the war in Vietnam." "How he lived is why he died," said Jackson. Historian Jason Sokol added: "Dr. King died for striking garbage workers and beseeched his government to protect the vulnerable. He had a message for those who would target immigrants or wall off America from the world. In a 1967 speech, he declared: 'Our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than national.' Instead of policing their borders, nations should 'develop an overriding loyalty to mankind as a whole.'" "He was battling racism in the North then, not just in the South," according to the New York Times. "He was pushing the government to address poverty, income inequality, structural racism and segregation in cities like Boston and Chicago. He was also calling for an end to a war that was draining the national treasury of funds needed to finance a progressive domestic agenda." Continuing with the statements of the group of young students, Chinika Ruffin, 14, said, "I’ve never been outside of Memphis. When Martin Luther King Day comes, I wonder what are they doing out there. Do they celebrate it, or do they go against him?" "When I think of his name, I think of a legend, a man that wanted our nation to be more, someone who wanted everyone to get along and be empowered by his speech and the things that he did," said Ruffin. "He really wanted people to have equal rights and treat people the way they wanted to be treated." Gabriella Valderrama, 13, said, "He stood up for his people, and I think that when he stood up for his people, he stood up for me because I’m different. I’m thankful for it . . . Whenever I’m afraid to do something, I think about his 'I Have a Dream” speech, and I tell myself I can do it.'" Nicko Brown, 13, said, "When I hear his name, it’s like an inspiration to me because he is a black man. He is a black individual, and he opened doors to the point where we can get along. We don’t have to be separated from whites. We can get along with them. We can work with them. We can be in the same places." Tommy Applewhite, 13, said, "There are still people fighting with each other, but there are people trying to bring them together instead of breaking them apart. If people just get along and stop the violence and stop going at each other and they just actually listen to Dr. King’s speeches, they could get along better." Cedricka Harris, 11, said, "People should listen to it more often because sometimes people might forget about it and still do things that Dr. King wouldn’t want them doing. My favorite part is that he said one day, his four children would rise and not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of the character." Jesse Jackson said, "We owe it to Dr. King — and to our children and grandchildren — to commemorate the man in full: a radical, ecumenical, antiwar, pro-immigrant and scholarly champion of the poor who spent much more time marching and going to jail for liberation and justice than he ever spent dreaming about it." Writing about the meaning of Martin Luther King Day, Coretta Scott King wrote: "On this day we commemorate Dr. King’s great dream of a vibrant, multiracial nation united in justice, peace and reconciliation; a nation that has a place at the table for children of every race and room at the inn for every needy child. We are called on this holiday, not merely to honor, but to celebrate the values of equality, tolerance and interracial sister and brotherhood he so compellingly expressed in his great dream for America. "It is a day of interracial and intercultural cooperation and sharing. No other day of the year brings so many peoples from different cultural backgrounds together in such a vibrant spirit of brother and sisterhood. Whether you are African-American, Hispanic or Native American, whether you are Caucasian or Asian-American, you are part of the great dream Martin Luther King, Jr. had for America. This is not a black holiday; it is a peoples’ holiday. And it is the young people of all races and religions who hold the keys to the fulfillment of his dream." National and Community Service also marks "The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Jan. 20, 2020 as the 25th anniversary of the day of service that celebrates the Civil Rights leader’s life and legacy . . . designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities." And, as 14-year-old Ruffin continued, "He said, 'The time is always right to do right,” and some people went by it and some people didn’t. I wish more people would follow behind his footsteps." [Art: 2020 Google Doodle, depicting the common dream that Martin Luther King Jr. Day represents]

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bearterritory · 4 years

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Evan Weaver Named Pac-12 Defensive Player Of The Year

Bynum, Curhan, Davis, Deng, Goode, Hawkins And Johnson Also Honored

SAN FRANCISCO – Cal senior inside linebacker Evan Weaver was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in a vote of the league's coaches the Pac-12 Conference announced Tuesday. Weaver becomes the eighth Cal player to earn a Player of the Year or Co-Player of the Year honor from the conference and the fifth on the defensive side of the ball joining Chuck Muncie (1975), Ron Rivera (1983, Co-Defensive), Mike Pawlawski (1991, Co-Offensive), Deltha O'Neal (1999, Defensive), Daymeion Hughes (2006, Defensive), Marshawn Lynch (2006, Offensive) and Mychal Kendricks (2011, Defensive). "This award means a lot to me," Weaver said. "It's really special when the coaches of the teams you play against recognize what you are doing on the football field." "Evan loves football as much or more than anyone I've ever coached," Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said. "We are so proud of him for earning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors and joining an elite group of players in our program's history. He has had a truly remarkable season and it is satisfying that the coaches in our conference have recognized that." Weaver was Cal's lone first-team selection while Camryn Bynum (Jr., CB) and Ashtyn Davis (Sr., S) were second-team picks. Jake Curhan (Jr., OL), Kuony Deng (Jr., ILB), Cameron Goode (Jr., OLB), Jaylinn Hawkins (Sr., S) and Zeandae Johnson (Sr., DE/DT) picked up honorable mention selections. Weaver earned his second All-Pac-12 honors after being a second-team selection in 2018. Bynum and Davis were both honorable mention picks last season, while Curhan, Deng, Goode, Hawkins and Johnson were honored for the first time in their careers.

Below are notes from the 2019 season on Cal's All-Pac-12 honorees with extended bios that also include career information available by clicking on each of their names.

Defensive Player Of The Year/First Team

Evan Weaver, ILB, 6-3, 245, Sr., 3L, Spokane, WA (Gonzaga Prep) • Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year • A national honors candidate who is a finalist for the Butkus Award®, Lott IMPACT Trophy and Senior CLASS Award, as well as a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award • A nearly unanimous first-team midseason All-American (Associated Press, Athlon Sports, CBS Sports, ESPN, The Athletic, USA Today) and named the midseason's leading candidate for Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors and a first-team All-Pac-12 selection by the Bay Area News Group • Has accepted an invitation to play in the 2020 Senior Bowl • Serving as one of three team season captains • Leads the nation in total tackles (school-record and career-high 173), total tackles per game (14.4), solo tackles (95) and solo tackles per game (7.9) • Has 26 more total tackles (second, Dele Harding of Illinois, 147) and 12 more solo tackles (second, Nate Landman, Colorado, 83) than anyone else in the FBS • Within 20 tackles of the all-time NCAA single-season tackle record of 193 set in 14 games by Lawrence Flugence of Texas Tech in 2002 • Has his first three career forced fumbles and ranks tied for second in the Pac-12 and tied for 20th nationally with an average of 0.25 per game while adding a career-high 10.0 tackles for loss (-36 yards), 2.5 sacks (-19 yards), three pass breakups and a career-high five quarterback hurries • Has combined with Kuony Deng (111 tackles) to form the nation's leading FBS duo with 284 tackles that is within 23 tackles of Cal's current school record of 307 by Weaver (159) and Jordan Kunaszyk (148) in 2018 • Has twice equaled Kunaszyk for the most tackles in a single game in Cal's recorded history when he had a career-high-tying 22 at Ole Miss and Utah, adding 0.5 tackles for loss (-2 yards), 0.5 sacks (-2 yards) and a career-high two quarterback hurries against the Rebels while he also had 1.0 tackle for loss (-2 yards) and a career-high-tying one forced fumble against the Utes • Has twice helped secure victories by making stops on the opponents' final offensive play, stuffing Ole Miss' John Rhys Plumlee on a QB sneak from the Cal 1-yard line as time expired to preserve the first Pac-12 victory on the road at an SEC school since 2010 and then combining with Cameron Goode to stop Stanford's Cameron Scarlett on fourth down and one from its' own 34-yard line to lift Cal to its first Big Game victory since 2009

Second Team

Ashtyn Davis, S, 6-1, 200, R Sr., 3L, Santa Cruz, CA (Santa Cruz HS) • One of three finalists for the Burlsworth Trophy given annually to the nation's top player who began his collegiate career as a walk-on • Second-team All-Pac-12 • Earned second-team midseason All-American honors from both Athlon Sports and The Athletic, while he was also a first-team All-Pac-12 selection of the Bay Area News Group and second-team choice of SB Nation • Has accepted an invitation to play in the 2020 Senior Bowl • Started all 11 games he played in including each of the first 10 before missing the Big Game at Stanford due to injury but returning to start the season finale at UCLA • Has recorded a career-high 57 tackles to rank fourth on the team, two interceptions that he returned a team-high 31 yards, four pass breakups, six passes defended, a team-high two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles • Fourth in the Pac-12 in per-game fumble recoveries (0.18) while he is tied for eighth in forced fumbles per game (0.18) • Leads the team with seven kick returns for 149 yards and has also seen the first action of his five-year career as a punt returner with two punt returns for 33 yards to total 213 all-purpose yards Camryn Bynum, CB, 6-0, 195, R Jr., 2L, Corona, CA (Centennial HS) • Serving as one of three season captains voted on by his teammates along with Jake Curhan and Evan Weaver • Second-team All-Pac-12 • A first-team midseason All-Pac-12 selection of SB Nation and a second-team pick of the Bay Area News Group • One of eight players and five on the defensive side of the ball to have started all 12 games • Third on the team with a career-high 59 tackles, while also picking up a career-high 3.0 tackles for loss (career-high-tying -5 yards), one interception, seven pass breakups and a team-high-tying eight passes defended

Honorable Mention

Jake Curhan, OL, 6-6, 335, R Jr., 2L, Larkspur, CA (Redwood HS) • Serving as one of three season captains voted on by his teammates along with Camryn Bynum and Evan Weaver • A first-team midseason All-Pac-12 selection of SB Nation and a second-team pick of the Bay Area News Group • One of eight players and five on the defensive side of the ball to have started all 12 games with each of his starts at right tackle • Has played a key role on an offense that has committed only 13 turnovers thru 12 games, two less than the 15 miscues in 2016 that are the fewest in school history with Cal committing only nine turnovers in its last 11 contests after a season-high four in the opener against UC Davis including four games in which the Golden Bears did not turn the ball over a single time including in back-to-back wins at Washington and against North Texas, as well as a victory at Stanford and a loss at Utah • Has one tackle against Washington State Kuony Deng, ILB, 6-6, 220, R Jr., JC, Aldie, VA (Independence CC/Virginia Military Institute/John Champe HS) • A first-team midseason All-Pac-12 selection of the Bay Area News Group • One of eight players and five on the defensive side of the ball to have started all 12 games • Second on the team with 111 tackles, while adding 7.5 tackles for loss (-27 yards), 3.0 sacks (-12 yards), a team-high eight pass breakups, a team-high-tying eight passes defended, four quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery • Has combined with Evan Weaver (173 tackles) to form the nation's leading FBS duo with 284 tackles that is within 23 tackles of Cal's current school record at 307 by Weaver (159) and Jordan Kunaszyk (148) in 2018 • Ranks among the Pac-12 and NCAA leaders in per game total tackles (4th Pac-12, T24th NCAA) Cameron Goode, OLB, 6-3, 235, R Jr., 1L, Spring, TX (Klein Collins HS) • Has career highs of 11 games played and starts while missing one contest due to injury • Has career highs of 49 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss (-73 yards), 8.5 sacks (-59 yards) and six quarterback hurries with all but the tackles also team highs • Ranks second in the Pac-12 with his 1.18 tackles for loss per game, while his per-game sack average of 0.77 is third • Also has a career-high-tying one forced fumble and one pass breakup • Has at least 2.0 tackles for loss five times, at least 1.0 on seven occasions and at least 0.5 on eight • Has at least 1.0 sack six times including a career-high-tying 2.0 in each of his final two regular-season contests at Stanford and UCLA Jaylinn Hawkins, S, 6-2, 210, R Sr., 3L, Buena Park, CA (Buena Park HS) • One of eight players and five on the defensive side of the ball to have started all 12 games • Has registered career highs of 50 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss (-10 yards), 2.0 sacks (career-high -6 yards), two forced fumbles and 47 kick return yards on a pair of kick returns • Also has a team-high-tying two interceptions that he has returned for 17 yards to give him 64 all-purpose yards, two pass breakups and four passes defended Zeandae Johnson, DE/DT, 6-4, 290, R Sr., 2L, Fresno, CA (Central HS) • Has played in all 12 games including a career-high 11 starts and contributed 26 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss (-17 yards), 2.5 sacks (-17 yards), one pass breakup and five quarterback hurries with all but the tackles for loss career highs

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