Things that piss me off... Tipping - Aka "Will work for more money"

Sorry for the delays in further words of wisdom from Brother Head.  The last month has been a little nutso.

Anyway, didn't really have anything to discuss at this point, so I looked in to the past and pulled one of my perls from my previous blog (from several years back).

So if you've read this before, it's a rerun.  If you haven't read this one, then it's new to you.

Either way, enjoy friends as I go on a rant about Tipping.

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Tipping - Aka "Will work for more money"... aka "I'm Begging for money..."

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Greetings all.  I'm sure that today's rant will piss of a few people.  I seem to be in the minority when it comes to tipping (me, Brother Dee, and Mr. Pink from Reservoir Dogs).

Most people believe that you should leave a tip with the waiter/waitress no matter what (unless you have really crappy service).  I say "Shenanigans!" (for the uninformed, that means 'Bullshit!').  I don't believe this in the slightest.  A tip (to me anyways) is a monetary reward for a job well done.  Not for doing your job, but for doing your job exceptionally.

Don't get me wrong... it's not that I won't tip.  I will and have.  But the waiter needs to do their job and then some to get a tip.

The great movie Reservoir Dogs has a character called Mr. Pink (played by Steve Buscemi) that sums up my feelings on tipping:

"I don't tip because society says I have to. All right, if someone deserves a tip, if they really put forth an effort, I'll give them something a little something extra. But this tipping automatically, it's for the birds. As far as I'm concerned, they're just doing their job." - Mr. Pink.

If I'm sitting in a restaurant eating my meal, bullshitting with friends, or spending time with the family, I expect the waiter to be there before I run out of soda or shortly thereafter.  I don't expect to go thirsty, damnit.

If you want a tip, don't just do your job.  You get paid from your employer to do your job.  If you want something from me, then damnit, you'd better impress me.

And why is it only certain places expect you to tip?  If I go to Chili's, then I'm expected to tip. I go to Carl's Jr... Not expected...  Why?  Who the hell made up the rule about tipping and who gets tips and who doesn't?   Probably a damn crappy waitress.

In fact, my best friend works for Mc Donalds.  Not only does he do his job with a smile (well, ok, Psychotic grin is a better term), but he cracks the jokes and makes people laugh and have a good time.  Does he get a tip? Noooo.  All he gets is grief from retarded co-workers and asshat management.

I used to work for an internet service provider.  Not only did I do my job, I think I did my job exceedingly well.  But did I get tips... Hell no. If I didn't do my job, I would have got fired (as it should be damnit!).

When I go out to eat, it's the waiter's job to bring me food and drink.  If you do your job, then you get paid... Don't expect me to support your coke and hooker habit or whatever you do.  I got my own hookers to support (I kid!)

Now, if not only do you bring me food and drink, but you do it with a smile, and you keep bringing me my drink, THEN you'll get a little something extra.  And this "You gotta tip 15%" bullshit (or whatever the hell it is...")  Bullshit.  You do a little extra, you get a little extra.  You do a lot extra, you get a lot extra.  You see how that works.  Your tip is in direct proportion to the job you do.  You make me feel special and well attended, then I'll leave you a good tip.  You barely acknowledge me, eheheh then you're going to have a hell of a mess to clean up, plus no damn tip.

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Usually when someone (like me) mentions that they don't tip, some asshat says "But they gotta pay taxes on your tip..."

Again, Mr. Pink sums it up nicely:

"I'm very sorry the government taxes their tips, that's fucked up. That ain't my fault. It would seem to me that waitresses are one of the many groups the government fucks in the ass on a regular basis. Look, if you ask me to sign something that says the government shouldn't do that, I'll sign it, put it to a vote, I'll vote for it, but what I won't do is play ball. And as for this non-college bullshit I got two words for that: learn to fuckin' type, 'cause if you're expecting me to help out with the rent you're in for a big fuckin' surprise" - Mr. Pink.

I say that if you want a tip, then make sure I'm happy.  Make sure I've got plenty of Dr. Pepper.  Make sure my food is cooked right and like I ordered.  And farkin' smile when you do.

Also.  If I don't give a tip (for whatever reason), I'm positive that there are others out there that leave bigger tips than the normal.  That should more than make up for my cheap ass.  It all equals out in the wash.  If you're not happy or not making enough money, quit.  Find something else that will pay you more.  You don't have the education or ability to do so, then quit whining and be happy with what you got.

Also, some jaggoff will always bring up "But what if they're busy,blah, blah, blah...".
Again, I cry Shenanigans.  If they want that tip, they need to put a little extra hustle in their step.  If they can't, then they either need to get another job or STFU and get me my food.  One of the two.  As Randall says in Clerks. "Either shit or get off the pot!"

Also as quoted from Reservoir Dogs  (once again, yes damn it, I like that movie.)
"The words 'too fucking busy' shouldn't be in a waitress's vocabulary." - Mr. Pink

And don't fucking get me started on "Automatic Gratuity".  That's just robbery without a gun.  If the restaurants think that their waitstaff deserves more money, then fuckin' pay em a decent salary.  Don't expect me to pay the bill, plus take care of your staff.  This whole "Automatic Gratuity on parties of 12 or more" is just one big rip off.  If your staff wants a tip, then they need to do their job (and then some).

In fact, let me give everyone here a tip.  In the immoral words of Brother Head... 'Don't tip because they expect it.  Tip because they deserve it.'

Anywho... that's enough bitching for one night.  Leave a comment below and let me know what you think (whether you agree or if you think I'm a cheap ass bastard).

We'll see you soon when I bring you further "Wisdom From Head!"

-Head

Comics and TV today

Comics and TV today!

Or

 "What Head's watching!"

Today's blog is going to be about (as you might be able to tell from the title) comic book tv shows that are currently on television.  I'll give brief reviews and/or opinions on all the tv shows (that I'm aware of) currently on-air.

As always, feel free to leave your comments below, whether you agree, disagree, or think I'm smoking some prime weed.  Let me know.

In a later blog, I might cover the past tv shows... but for now let's roll that beautiful bean footage....

-The Walking Dead (season 4 starts Sunday on AMC):
I've thoroughly enjoyed the first three seasons of The Walking Dead so far.   I first read the first few issues of the comic.  But due to financial reasons, I didn't keep reading the comic (wasn't in the mood to read a zombie comic at the time).  Then AMC premiered the tv show.  Which was amazing.  The first episode blew me away.  It was so graphic and the effects were amazing.  Not only does the show have fantastic graphics, but the interpersonal interactions between the cast is great.  They're not afraid to kill off characters and make drastic changes.  Yes, the show does veer from the comic (I finally got the TPBs from the library and got caught up on the entire run so far), but it's close enough in spirit to be fantastic.

If you haven't seen this, you should watch it.  This is about the best comic book tv show I have EVER seen.

-Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (on ABC)
Spinning out of the fantastic Avengers movies, this show focus' on Agent Phil Coulson and his hand selected group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents (S.H.I.E.L.D. stands for: Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division in the movie/tv universe, which is different from the actual comic universe).  I've heard several people complain about this show, but for my money, I think it's pretty good.  It is an ABC tv show, so it can be a bit formulaic, but overall I'm happy with it.  First episode had a guest appearance by Maria Hill (from The Avengers), second episode had a Nick Fury appearance.  And if you haven't seen Avengers yet, I'm going to spoil part of it for you.
This take place after The Avengers (as there are several references each episode to the "NY Event" and "Aliens Attacking Earth"), yet the main character is Agent Coulson (who dies in The Avengers at Loki's hands).  The first reference to this in the show, is that he wasn't really dead (Nick lied) and they shipped him off somewhere (Tahiti I think it was) to get better.
As a way to bring Coulson back, I guess I could buy that, but I wasn't 100% happy with it.  But behind Coulson's back, a couple of his people have made references that Coulson doesn't know what actually happened to him.  Which seems to imply that he did die and there is some other explanation.  I'm thinking either clone or LMD (Life Model Decoy).  Hopefully ABC doesn't cancel the show before we get our answers.

-Arrow (on CW, based on D.C.'s Green Arrow)
The Arrow has just started it's second season on the CW.  This series follows the exploits of billionaire Oliver Queen, who after five years of being stranded on a hostile island, returns home to fight crime and corruption as a secret masked vigilante, that the media and police call "The Hood".  The Hood's preferred weapon is the bow and arrow.
During the show, Oliver has ran in to several characters from the comics, including Deadshot, Slade "Deathstroke" Wilson, Shado, and The Count (aka Count Vertigo).  Also shown is Roy Harper (who in the comics becomes Oliver's sidekick Speedy).  Oliver is assisted by his bodyguard John Diggle and Felicity Smoak (in the comics, Felicity is the name of Ron (Firestorm) Raymond's step-mother.  Unfortunately, I don't see Ronnie showing up here *sad face*).
Also this season, Barry Allen is supposed to show up, leading in to a Flash tv show (for more on Flash and Firestorm, see my previous entry on my favorite super-heroes).

Anywho.... if you're in to comics and/or heroes, I definitely recommend this show.

-Mighty Med (Disney XD)
This is a new show on Disney XD.  It follows two boys who encounter a secret hospital for super-heroes.  Being it's on a Disney channel and stars Disney kids, it's about what you'd expect.  My 5 year old daughter really likes it.  I think it's alright.  It's got some decent super-hero effects, and decent story telling (aimed at a younger audience).  My only problem with it, is one of the characters (Alan Diaz) is annoying as fark.  I don't know if it's the character that annoys me (he's supposed to be the whiny annoying kid) or if it's the actor playing him I don't like. Either way, I'd like the show much better with out him.  But having said that, as long as Alexis is enjoying it, I'll keep tuning in.

-Avengers Assemble (Animated - Disney XD)
The first of the animated series I'll briefly discuss.  Actually the first and in my opinion, the best.  I'm really liking Avengers Assemble.  It's a continuation of the previous series Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.  This show follows the adventures of the Avengers as they take on villains such as Loki, Red Skull, MODOK, Doctor Doom and others.
This Avengers team consists of  Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow and newbie Falcon.
As far as cartoon adaptations goes, this one is pretty spot on.

-Hulks and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. (Animated - Disney XD)
Let me start off with a disclaimer on this one.  I'm not a fan of the new extended Hulk family.  Red Hulk, Red She-Hulk, A-Bomb, Skarr, everything in the past few years of comics I have not cared for.  I think Marvel tried WAY tooooo hard to make Red Hulk powerful (punching out the Watcher was one of my "I'm outta here" points) and they dragged the mystery of who the Red Hulk is out wayyyy to long (and did some questionable tactics to keep people from guessing who it is).  So seeing how this show highlights all of these characters (well, I haven't seen Red She-Hulk, but give em time), this isn't the right way to win my love.
Also, I'm not big on the "Web-series" format of the show.
If you haven't watched it yet, Rick Jones is doing a web show, trying to show the world how the Hulk isn't such a bad guy.  I don't know.  Maybe it's just me, but I don't care much for it.
The only reason I'm staying tuned is that my daughter seems to enjoy it.  And maybe that's my problem.  It appears the show is aimed at 5 years old and I'm just too old for it.  I dunno.

-Ultimate Spider-Man (Animated - Disney XD)
What can I say about Ultimate Spider-Man?  The animation isn't too bad.  I don't care for how he breaks the fourth wall so much (talking to the audience like he knows he's in a show), and I don't care for the very childish thought balloons (for lack of a better word) they use.  Again, my daughter loves it, so maybe I'm just getting too old for it (I know, I'm too old for comics in general.... yeah, yeah, yeah....).

At this point, if it went off the air, I wouldn't be too disappointed.

-Beware The Batman (Animated - Cartoon Network)
Half a dozen episodes of this and I'm still not sure.  It's not too bad.  I prefer the previous Green Lantern and Young Justice shows more.  The CG style (while similar to GL) is taking some getting use to.  Not 100% impressed with the younger, bald, gun toting Alfred.  I have never cared much for Katana, so having her as a regular presence isn't a big draw for me.  Though I do like they are focusing on the lesser known Batman villains in this show.  It's not a return of the Jokers, Ra's, Riddlers, etc.  So as it is a Batman cartoon and not too terrible, I'll stick with it for the time being.  Unlike my next topic...

-Teen Titans Go (Animated - Cartoon Network)
Not much to say about this show.  I'm saddened we lost The Green Lantern and Young Justice for this (as I mentioned previously).  I'm sure it's aimed for a much younger demographic than me, but as a comic fan, I don't care for it.  Can't speak for storylines themselves, as I can't get past the art on it.  I didn't care for it with Teen Titans a few years ago, I especially don't like it here.  As Thumper's dad used to say, if you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all...  So I won't say anything more about this.
 
-Comic Book Men (not a comic adaptation, but comic related)
Comic Book Men is a "reality show" that shows the going on's at Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Red Bank, New Jersey.  I know it's not reality (hence my using quote marks above), but that's the closest type of show I can call it.  The show follows Walt Flanagan, Mike Zapcic, Bryan Johnson, and Ming Chen as they go about their day buying and selling comic book paraphernalia.  Also Kevin Smith shows up here and there throughout the show, questioning the clerks about their day.
I love seeing the various comics that shows up on the show.  Also the various toys and other comic related memorabilia (same reason I enjoy watching Toy Hunter).

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Upcoming (that I'm aware of): Gotham (a pre-Batman, Gordan defending Gotham City), Constantine (based on the comic Hellblazer), The Flash (One of my FAVORITES) and Amazon (based on Wonder Woman).

Overall, at this point, I'm not too impressed with the animation shows we have out there, and I am enjoying most of the live action shows.

Anyways.... that'll do it for this blog.

Let me know what you think about my opinions below and let me know if I missed any shows.

As always, I remain....

-Head

Head's Geek Credentials 3

I know I said that this was a 2 part post, but hell, it's my blog so I can change my mind if I want.

Actually due to The Irredeemable Shag (from The Fire and Water Podcast and Firestorm Fan that I've mentioned previously in my blogs), I decided to add this third part.
He's recently released a new podcast reviewing the old DC Heroes roleplaying game (see: http://firestormfan.com/2013/09/09/hero-points-01/ ) which made me fondly remember my role-playing days.  So I decided to share my Role-playing origins and backgrounds.

So, without further ado, on to...

Head's Geek Credentials 3
aka
Role-playing with Head

First, for those that are looking at me puzzled, let me briefly explain role-playing games.

Role-playing games are when a bunch of friends get together to play a "board game".  Except there's no board.
All you need for role-playing is some paper, pens or pencils, dice and the most important thing... Imagination!
Keep in mind that during this post, I'm referring to what's known as tabletop role-playing, compared to the other type of role-playing, what's known as LARP (Live Action Role Playing).  In LARP, you actually get up and act out parts.  More like drama class for you and your friends (keeping in mind that I've never done any actual LARPing, cuz I'm too damn lazy.  8) ehehehh).

The most popular and well known role-playing game would have to be Dungeons and Dragons (also known as D&D).  Dungeons and Dragons came in to being, back in 1974.  For more information on D&D, check out the Wikipage for D&D.

But I digress.... let's get back to my discussion of role-playing and role-playing games.

As with most of the world, my first introduction to role-playing was indeed D&D.  I first remember it when I was in 6th or 7th grade.  Some of the "nerds" at my Jr. High would sit around under the trees on the benches playing it.  There was a group of 5 of them.  It seemed interesting and I always wanted to learn to play, but I wasn't "smart" enough or "geeky" enough to join them.  So my mom ended up getting me the basic set (I believe it was the 1983 Basic set) and a copy of some of the other books (like Monster Manual, the DM Guide, and Players Guide).

Dungeons and Dragon Basic Rules

Me and my friends started playing a little D&D here and there.  Also, in 1983/84 when I was in 8th grade, I had two periods of English (it may have been English/Reading or something).  I was doing so well in the class (my Reading scores tested first or second year college level at this point), that my mother (who was the Teacher's Aide for the Special Ed class) talked to my English teacher (Mr. Bean) about me coming to her classroom for one period so I can do a little D&D role-playing with some of her students (as a reward for when they did well).

After that I played D&D more and more infrequently (mostly as most of my friends weren't just that in to it).  At the tail end of 1984, beginning of 1985, me and my best friend (Dean Cole) created our own role-playing game.  The Adventures of Breakin' and Poppin'.  Yes, we created a role-playing game where you could be a break dancer (as we were both in to rap music at the time and Dee would do some breakin' and poppin' ).  Sadly, as a rotund, uncoordinated, young man, I couldn't break nor pop very well.  But with this game, I finally could!

For awhile after that (the next year or two), me and my friends would play this game.  It may be my faulty memory or simple nostalgia, but I seemed to remember really enjoying this game. Me and Dean had typed the game up on a typewriter I had got for Christmas in 1984.  We made our own rules (based loosely on D&D's rules), characters, equipment, and a list of moves you could use.  We even created a mini-adventure.

LOL... looking back I remember that game very fondly.  That was fun times.  I wish I could find one of my copies of it.

Eventually that game was left by the way side.  For the next few years I didn't do much role-playing.  Read my comics, did a little rapping, and lived my life.

Then in the late 80's (I forget when exactly), I was at my LCS (local comicbook shop) (Cop-A-Comics in Merced, CA (which I mentioned in an earlier post)).  On the wall he had DC Heroes 1st Edition (the Titanscentric box edition).  Remembering D&D and how fun it was, I had to buy it.  Again, while I didn't have people to play with, it still excited me to have it.

My next foray in to role-playing, didn't go very far.  In 1989, I moved to Merced with some friends (Dean (which I've mentioned previously), Ray Hatley, and Jake Miller).  While living up there, somewhere (may have been at Hobby Castle which used to be in Merced), I found a posting on a bulletin board about RPers looking for more players.  I gave them a call and one afternoon, I rode my bike to Atwater (about 5-10 miles away).  There I created a character for a role-playing game called Champions.  By the time we were all done creating characters, it was late, so we called it a night.  Due to my work schedule and it being so far away, I never got back over to play any more (told you, it didn't go very far).

In mid 1990, I found myself back in Chowchilla, living with some friends (one of them being Dean again).  One of our friends that was ALWAYS hanging out at our house (Bop aka Billy Tevnan), was also in to comics.  So one day I pulled my DC role-playing game and talked several of them in to playing with me.  Also somewhere along the way (I forget where and when) I also ended up with the Batman Roleplaying Game, the 2nd edition of the DC RPG and some supplemental material.  So, for the next year or two (until we all moved out), every so often, we'd get together and play superheroes (this was until about late 91, early 92 or so).

One of the best subplots we had that I remember to this day was when Dean approached me about doing a subplot where his character is kidnapped and replaced with a Durlan (an alien shapeshifter).  So we ran that subplot and for the next (I think) couple of months, Dean played his character as a Durlan impersonating his character (if I recall correctly his character's name was Sampson aka Dave Glass).
With my crappy memory, I about forgot the subplot (as it didn't come up for awhile).  Then one day, an NPC (a resurrected Barry Allen, before DC brought him back) was arguing with one of the characters (Bop's character).  Suddenly, Sampson grabbed Barry (I had him going by the name Mercury at this point), by the back of the head and slammed him in to the monitor banks (Sampson had some speed and super strength).  He then took out a couple of the other players, before taking off, launching in to the resolution of the subplot (bringing it forward as the main plot).  That was fun.  LOL

Then around 1993 (or so), I met a guy who became one of my best friends and brought me back in to role-playing.  His name is Scott Kessler.  We met at our local comic shop.  We met when we were both in the store buying our books.  I was talking to Lonnie (the owner) about a rumor I had heard that he was closing up shop.  He assured me that the rumors weren't true and he wasn't closing anytime soon (and he was around for the next 15 years or so until him and his wife passed away).

When I left the store, I decided to walk down Main St to meet up with where my wife (well, now my ex-wife) was at.  At the same time, Scott was leaving.  We happened to be walking the same way, so we started talking.  Scott told me that he had heard the same rumor, and he too was glad that it wasn't true.  We talked about a bit comics, then the subject of role-playing came up.  He mentioned that him and his friend do some role-playing and that I should join them.

So we got together (me, Scott and his friend Terry Richards) and started roleplaying (which we did almost once a week for like the next 5 years or so).  We played until Scott and Terry ended up moving away.

Here are the games we played or books I've bought to play (and never got around to playing):
Heroes Unlimited (I love this game)
Hong Kong Action Theatre (my buddy Scott actually wrote and had some material published for this game).
Vampire The Masquerade (a White Wolf game)
Heroes & Heroines
In Nomine (bought the books and never got around to playing)
Aeon
Wraith: The Oblivion
Blue Planet (Again, bought the game and never got a chance to play)
Legacy: War of the Ages (a Highlander based game, without being Highlander)
Shadowrun
Star Wars (I had a lot of books for this one, which I ended up giving to my buddy Scott after he moved to Missouri)
Conspiracy X (an X-Files type game).

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And that basically ended my role-playing (more or less).  Me and some friends started to play D&D, but a couple of the guys moved away after one or two sessions.
My son's friend came over and we played a White Wolf game one time (I think it was Hunter: The Reckoning).

And that's basically it.  I'm hoping at some point to do some more role-playing.... We'll have to wait and see.

Well, that should do it for Part Three of my Geek Credentials.  I hope you enjoyed reading my history.

Please feel free to leave comments below.

"I'm attacking the darkness!"

"Roll the dice to see if I'm getting drunk!"

"Okay, but if there's are any girls there, I wanna DO them!"

-Head

Head's Geek Credentials 2

...And now back to our show.

Head's Geek Credentials 2
or
Head's Favorite Superheroes:

To finish off the About Head section of my blog (for now), here are my top Superhero picks.

a) Firestorm and The Atom (Ray Palmer) - Tied for number one.
Firestorm - My first experience with Firestorm was probably the Superfriends cartoon of the early/mid 80's.  Even then, I thought he was pretty cool.  I then came across him in back issues of old JLA (Justice League of America) comics from the late 70's, early-mid 80's.  Something about the dual nature of Firestorm intrigued me.  For those that don't know, the early Firestorm was made up of two dudes.  Ronald Raymond (a high school jock) and Professor Martin Stein (a Nobel Prize-winning physicist).

In Firestorm, The Nuclear Man #1 (from 1978), young Ronnie Raymond joins a nuclear protest movement (to win the affections of a young lady (named Doreen Day)).  He breaks in to a nuclear power plant with the group only to learn that their goal is to cause the plant to explode (to show how bad nuclear power is).  When Ronnie hears this, he attempts to stop them, but is knocked out by the leader for his troubles.  Seeing the trouble on the monitors, Professor Stein rushes to where the bad guys are and threatens to call the cops if they don't leave immediately.  Knocking Stein unconscious (seems to be a pattern with these yahoos), they leave the two next to the bomb.  Ronnie (the young buck he is) awakens and tries to drag the unconscious Stein away, but alas he's not quick enough, as the bomb goes off, fusing the two together.  Ronnie being the controlling body and Martin Stein the disembodied voice that guides young Ronnie.  Firestorm's first series only ran 5 issues before dying in the DC Implosion.

In 1982 (after a stint in a back up feature in Flash and appearances in JLA) Firestorm is graced with a second series (which lasted a full 100 issues, plus several annuals).  In this second series, Ronnie and Martin will go on to have great adventures for the next several years until around Nov of 1987, when the "Firestorm Matrix" changes with the addition of Russian Mikhail "Pozhar" Arkadin.  This is known amongst fans as the "Blank Slate Era" as a amnesiac Professor Stein is in control of the Firestorm body with Ronnie and Mikhail being the disembodied voices.  Firestorm is then in constant flux for the next couple of years, becoming an Elemental and eventually kicking Mikhail and Ronnie out of the matrix, leaving Martin Stein as Firestorm, the Fire Elemental (in the last issue of his series #100).

Firestorm goes through several more changes, but as I see this is starting to turn in to a Firestorm-centric post, I'll leave off there.  Maybe in the future, I'll cover him more in depth.  Also, for more Firestorm goodness, check out the Firestorm Fan site (firestormfan.com).  The site is ran by a cat name Shag (aka Shagg aka Shaggg) who also has an awesome Firestorm podcast (The Fire and Water Podcast... the Water part is Aquamancentric).   Due to Firestorm's latest series being cancelled, currently Shag is reviewing the 2nd Firestorm series (from the 80's).  I think Shag is doing a fantastic job reviewing this wonderful series.  I encourage anyone interested in learning more about this era of Firestorm to check out the Fire and Water Podcast.

Firestorm and The Atom

The Atom - Over the years there have been several heroes using the name The Atom:  Al Pratt (the original), Paul Hoben, Adam Cray, Ryan Choi, and Rhonda Pineda.  But my favorite Atom of all is the 2nd one.  The Silver Age Atom.  Dr. Raymond Palmer, Phd.
Ray Palmer debuted as The Atom in Showcase #34 (back in 1961).  Ray Palmer used a fragment of a white dwarf star to miniaturize himself and become the hero known as The Atom.  Ray can shrink himself down to subatomic levels and uses his powers and intelligence to fight crime (mostly in his home city of Ivy Town (somewhere in New England)).  He ran in his own series from '62-'69 (the last year sharing the title with Hawkman).

I discovered The Atom while he appeared in the JLA.  The first solo stories I read was a mini series in the mid-80's called The Sword of the Atom.  Then in '88, he got his own series once again called The Power of the Atom (which only ran for about a year and a half).

Again, The Atom is another character I may go in to more detail on later.  For now, let's move on to...

b) Hawk and Dove - I haven't read much of the Hank and Don Hall appearances, just a few here and there.  Though I've recently acquired a handful of  their older issues, which I'm going to read through.  But the Hawk and Dove I read and am familiar with, is the Hank Hall and Dawn Granger version.  Hawk (Hank Hall) is an avatar for Chaos and prefers to settle things with his fists.  Dove (both Don Hall and Dawn Granger) is the avatar for Order and prefers to think things through.  Hank and Dawn (and Don) transform in to their alter-egos when danger is near by.  The original Dove (Don Hall, Hank's brother) died during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, while saving a kid from a collapsing building.  Dawn Granger appeared several years later (in real time) in the new Hawk and Dove mini-series.  Here we find out (via flashback), that at the same time Don died, Dawn received her powers.  The mini-series gets these two heroes together as a team, which then leads in to a wonderful (in my opinion) series, which ran 28 issues.
I believe this series ran in to issues (again, it's been over 20 years since they came out) when DC decided to make Hawk the big bad villain Monarch of the series Armageddon 2001, instead of Captain Adam (as fans guessed ahead of time).  Again, that last sentence is what I've heard from others, nothing from DC directly, so it could be inaccurate.

Anywho... definitely a must read (in Head's opinion) (even though, I believe, Rob Liefield supplied the art for the mini-series.).

Hawk and Dove

(Hank Hall and Dawn Granger)

c) Blue Beetle and Booster Gold (Ted Kord version of Beetle) - Blue Beetle and Booster Gold.  The ole Blue and Gold.  They each started off in their own series (bought by DC from another company).  Eventually the two wound up in the Giffen/DeMantis Justice League comic.  Their wacky hijinks quickly rocketed them to the top of my favorite list (even though DC has killed off Ted in favor of their more PC version Jaime Reyes).  Not sure which of Blue and Gold I like better, but they're both pretty damn awesome.

 Booster Gold and Blue Beetle

(aka Blue and Gold)

d) The Flash (either Barry or Wallly) - When I started reading the Flash, I started in the low teens of Wally's series (the third Flash).  But from the old Superfriends tv show and JLA comics, I knew the prior Flash (the second one) was Barry Allen.  So once I got collecting comics, I went back and bought back issues of Barry's series.  It appears that about 2 years before the end of his comic (and he goes off to die in the Crisis (Spoilers sweetie)), Barry Allen (aka The Flash) killed Professor Zoom (aka Reverse Flash) to protect Barry Allen's fiance (Fiona Webb, whom Zoom was attempting to kill on Barry's and Fiona's wedding day).  Knowing that they were going to end his series, the last two years of his book consisted of his trial for killing Reverse Flash.  In issue 350 (the last issue), Barry finally (after being found Not Guilty) went off in to the future to live with his previously deceased ex-wife (Iris Allen) (that in itself is a long story).

Anyway... long story shor... well, not short... but not quite as long, the Barry Allen Flash is in one of my top spots.

Reverse Flash and The Flash

e) Animal Man - I always liked Animal Man (the few appearances I saw him with the Forgotten Heroes, usually in a Superman comic), but he definitely moved in to one of my top spots after Grant Morrison's run on Animal Man (which first appeared in Sept of 1988).  If you haven't read it yet, go find his run and read it (I believe it's available in trades).  This series explored Buddy's family life while trying to cope with being a super-hero.

Animal Man

f) Green Lantern (Kyle followed by Hal) - My first Green Lantern was of course Hal Jordan.  I watched him on the Superfriends and when I started reading comics, he was Green Lantern (with John Stewart and Guy Gardner as back up roles).  But the Green Lantern I like best, is Kyle Rayner, who flew on to the scene in 1994 after Hal went apeshit crazy and tried to remake the universe after his hometown of Coast City was wiped out.

Kyle Rayner - Green Lantern

- Head

Head's Geek Credentials

Here's a little more about Head.  Basically this time, I'm going to go over what I call, my Geek Credentials.  What makes me a geek (in my opinion).
Originally this post consisted of two parts.  My comic origins and then my favorite superheroes.  But I noticed I started meandering and it got a little long, so I decided to split this in to two parts.  So this week I'll cover how I got in to comics and next week, I'll delight you wonderful readers with the best superheroes comics have to offer.
 
So, let's get started on my comic book origins, or what I call...

"How I got in to comics, by Head"

I've always liked superheroes.  Besides Star Wars, my earliest good memories are of superheroes.  While I didn't get in to comics proper until I was a teenager (when most boys are dropping comics for girls and cars), I've always liked superheroes.  I remember as young boy (1st and 2nd grade) watching the old Adam West Batman shows (in rerun of course).  Me and my cousin (Larry Park), would play Batman and Robin during recess (again, back in 1st and 2nd grade).  We had a half buried cement pipe as our Batmobile and a jungle gym as our Batcave with a Batpole.  Fun times.

I also have early memories of coloring in a Batman coloring book with my Aunt Val, laying on my grandmother's living room floor.  Batman seems to have been big for me as a kid.

Also growing up I enjoyed watching superhero cartoons.  Whether it be the Superfriends (again, with Batman), Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, The Fantastic Four or Plasticman, I enjoyed them all.  And let's not forget the other superhero live action shows: Captain America (I vaguely remember this), Shazam, Isis and The Incredible Hulk.  And while I didn't collect comics, I got the occasional Fantastic Four, or Incredible Hulk or Amazing Spider-Man at the odd yard sale here and there.

Looking back, I think there were two things that ended up getting me in to comics as a collector (instead of just a tv superhero fan).

First, in the early-mid-eighties, one of the shows I enjoyed watching was G.I. Joe (also The Transformers, but that's for later).  In 1985, I went back to Nebraska with my grandparents to visit some relatives (my grandfather's brother and his family).  While hanging out with my cousin (Brad, if I'm not mistaken), he had some G.I. Joe comics and G.I. Joe toys.  We read his few comics and played with his G.I. Joe toys almost the entire time.  When I left, that time left an impression with me.

The other thing that happened, to influence my love of comics, was in the mid-eighties (around the first part of 1985, if I'm not mistaken) a friend gave me a HUGE box of various comics.  They contained books like Amazing Spider-Man, Justice League of America, a lot of Superman and Action comics, Batman, and other assorted titles.  I read through these and enjoyed them.  In fact, I may have read through some of them multiple times.

Eventually all points lead to the beginning or some such nonsense.  'The Beginning' of me collecting comics.  One of the first comics I bought off the rack was G.I. Joe #58 (in 1987).  I was in Fresno with my mother and the asshat she was married to, eating (at a little dinner butted next to a Thrifty's on the corner of Ashlan and Blackstone (neither place is there any longer)).  After I got done, my parents were still eating.  So to kill time, I went in Thrifty's to look around.  I wandered in front of the comic rack they had there and decided to look at the selection.  Then one comic grabbed my balls and made me look at it.  The comic as I stated above.  G.I. Farkin' Joe!  This comic featured Cobra Commander's new Battle Armor.  The cover stated boldly... "COBRA COMMANDER -- REBORN!", with Cobra Commander standing in front of a body in a hospital bed.  I remember the Commander from the cartoons.  For a weeny, he was pretty cool.  So I decided pick it up.  Shortly thereafter, me and my mom was in K-Mart in Merced, California and I was looking at their comic selection.  At the time, they had some slightly older comics, 2 or 3 in a bag for a special low price.  One such bag was a G.I. Joe bag, containing issues 51, 53, and 55 (55 called Unmaskings, showing Cobra Commander, Destro and Snake-Eyes taking off their masks).  This I had to have.  So I added these to my meager collection.

As I said earlier, I also enjoyed watching Transformers.  Right after I found the above mentioned G.I. Joe comic (issue 58), I was in a Circle K (I believe).  There they had the comic Transformers: Headmasters.  They had just introduced Headmasters in to the cartoon, so I was intrigued.  So I picked up the series as they came out.  When the series ended, issue four referred the dear reader to the regular Transformer monthly.  So of course, I started following the Transformers.

A short time later, I found a comic shop in Merced (I think at the time it might have been called Bobby's Sportscards and Comics (or something like that).  It eventually turned in to Cop-A-Comics, my usual comic haunt for the next 20 years).  Also a block away was another comic shop (I forget the name, but it was ran by two Samoan brothers if I remember correctly).  I went in to both places looking for back issues of both G.I. Joe and Transformers.  From that moment I was addicted big time.  I was stopping in there whenever I could checking out new issues and back issues.

Another comic I need to mention, as it further pulled me in, was when I started collecting Spider-Man.  Specifically Amazing Spider-Man 314.  This was released in April of '89.  This comic grabbed me, as it featured Spider-Man and his wife Mary Jane getting evicted, with a Salvation Army Santa standing nearby.  I can't explain it, but something about this cover by the legendary Todd McFarlane, drew my attention... the next thing you know, I had all of the Spider-Man titles on my pull list.

Anywho.. that's how I got drawn in to comics.  Every week or two (hell when I lived in Merced, I was there almost daily) for the next 20 years, I would go to Cop-A-Comics in Merced, CA.  It was ran by the greatest couple.  Lonnie and Ann Cox.  They were a sweet couple.  Sadly, they've both passed on to the Great Comic Book Shop in the sky, and Cop-A-Comics has closed its doors *sniff sniff*.
I only stopped going when I moved to Fresno and couldn't afford to pick up comics anymore.  8(

Luckily I've found other avenues to access my comic fix.

Other comics I feel that need a mention here are:

As I said, G.I. Joe will always hold a special place in my heart.
The Fury of Firestorm
The Atom ('Sword of the Atom' and 'Power of the Atom')
Ostrander's first Suicide Squad book
Giffen and Demantis' Justice League run
A Death in the Family (the death of Jason Todd at the Joker's hands)
The Killing Joke (another Batman and Joker yarn)
 Hawk and Dove (with Dawn Granger... you'll read more about this next week).

Alright... I guess I'd better call it quits there.  But I could go on all day.

Continued next week in Head's Geek Credentials 2

Until then, remember...  After these messages, we'll be riiiighhht back!

- Head

New Batman in Man of Steel 2????

My next blog post was going be Head's Geek Credentials, where I talk about comics and my comic origins.  But I just ran across some news on the intertubes, so that post will have to be postponed....

Apparently someone in DC/Warner Brothers has lost their fuckin' minds.  Several sites are reporting that the new Batman (which will first appear in Man of Steel 2, coming in July 2015) is going to be Ben Affleck.

Now don't get me wrong.  I'm not an Affleck hater.  I think he's a fine actor in the right vehicle.  I enjoyed him in all of Kevin Smith's films (Dogma, Chasing Amy, etc).  Hell I even liked him in 'Forces of Nature".  Yes, I'll admit I watched it and thought it was a decent movie.  Hey... don't you dare fuckin' judge me!  Don't you dare!

But Daredevil... Don't get me wrong.  I enjoyed Daredevil for the most part.  Most people that refer to the movie say it was a horrible movie or they hated it or other such nonsense.  But I liked it (again, for the most part).  But there are two things I didn't care much for.  1) the Matt Murdock (blind lawyer)/ Elecktra playground fight (no, seriously... a BLIND attorney fighting that well in the playground in the middle of the farkin' day???) and 2) Affleck as Daredevil.  I think the movie would have been a lot of better if there was a different actor playing Daredevil.  I guess whoever is in charge of Batman over at DC/WB didn't watch the Daredevil movie.  Or read any of the criticisms of the movie.

Rumors where circulating that Joe Manganiello (from True Blood) and Ryan Gosling were in the running for Batman.  My personal opinion would be that either of these would be a decent if not great Batman.  But Ben Fuckin' Affleck?  I don't know man, I just don't know.

 And I know... He was da bomb in Phantoms, yo!

Anywho....

Now after all that ranting and raving, don't get me wrong.  I will go see Man of Steel 2 (or whatever they decide to call it) in 2015 when it's released.  I'll definitely be there.  And hoping for the best.

I guess we'll have to wait until July of 2015 to see how it's going to turn out.

Feel free to leave comments below and let's discuss this.

Until next time, keep it funny. Remember.  Humor covers a multitude of sins.  8)

-Head

The next Batman?  We'll see in July 2015!
For further information on the new Affleck-Batman see:
Entertainment Weekly
or
USA Today
or even:
Variety

A Lil Head

Before we go any further, I guess I should give some back story on Brother Head.

1) Origin of the name Head:
Even though it sounds dirty, my nickname Head came about rather innocently.

Growing up, I've always been a bit forgetful (and yes, nothing has changed all these many years later).  My friends (probably either Dee (Dean Cole) or Bop (Billy Tevnan) starting calling me Airhead (you know, like: Way to go Airhead).  So for awhile, I went be Airhead.  Eventually, being lazy bastichs, my friends shortened it down to Head.  So was born 'Head'.

Sometime later, they would start adding Brother on to the front of it (as we were like brothers growing up).  So for many, many years, I went by either Head or Brother Head.

2) My Family:
My immediate family consists of my beautiful wife Michelle Moss, daughter Alexis Moss and two sons, Timothy Moss (currently living in Chowchilla) and my baby boy, Steven Moss (yes, at 19, he's still my baby boy).  We live in Sanger, CA (except for Tim as I noted earlier) where we're buying a home (yeah for home ownership).  Also in Sanger are my in-laws, Robert and Jennifer Hudson (the best in-laws a guy could have).  On my mother's side of the family, I have uncles in Chowchilla, Fresno, Merced/Atwater, and Colorado.  On my step-father's side... eh, who gives a damn.  That side of the family is pretty damn worthless.

My brother (Jerry Lee Todd II), mother (Sherry Darlene Todd), and both grandparents (on my mom's side - Oscar and Betty Gipe) are deceased.  My step-father and his parents are also dead, but the less said about them the better.  For more on the death of my brother and mother, check out my actual website (http://brotherhead.wix.com.main under Head's Secret Origin).

Then you have my friends, who are like family.  First and foremost is my best friend in the whole world and has been for over 35 years, is Dean Ray Cole (of Chowchilla).  He was there when my brother and then mother died.  He was there when I got divorced.  He's been there when ever I need him.  And that's what family is.
My other close friends are Jason Spense (my brother from another mother and fellow Bear fan), Scott Kessler (even though he's out in Missouri now), Dean Kasparian, the Little's (no, not the people that live in walls from the 80's tv show, but John and Chanel), and last but not least Tony Ralls.
If I've forgotten anyone, oops.  Sorry.

3) Job:
Currently I'm working seasonally at the IRS as a Tax Examiner.  I work in the 1040X department handling amended tax returns (1040Xs).  I'm trying to get on permanent instead of just seasonal.  I'm nearing the end of my fourth season at the IRS.
When I'm not at the IRS, I find myself over at POM Wonderful in Del Ray, CA running the scale house.  I've been there for the past 3 seasons.

Going back to my first season at the IRS, it also marked my final year at Brand X Networks.  Brand X Networks was an internet company, doing technical support for other companies.  Brand X went by several names over the years: Protosource Networks (aka PSNW), Brand X Networks, Fused BX and finally back to Brand X Networks.  Due to mismanagement, Brand X finally closed it's doors (at least in Fresno) in 2010.

Besides these jobs, I've also tried to several jobs that have failed.  I tried to start an online comic with some guys, was brought on for a comic related fanzine that fell through, and finally with my best friend Dean, tried to write and direct movies.  Due to my procrastinating and also getting married, the filming and directing movies fell by the wayside (unfortunately).
Also, me and my buddy Scott Kessler (with our friends Terry and Josh) tried doing a comic book (called Crisis Control).  CC was Scott and Terry's idea that I assisted them with.  Josh was brought in as artist.  Unfortunately, again, things fell through.

Which brings us current.

Feel free to let me know what you guys think and keep reading my blog.

Coming next time: Head's Geek Credentials.

See ya in the funny pages.

-Head

Greetings from Earth Head!

Hey gang.

This is Brother Head.  Aka Aaron Moss.  Aka Head.  Aka The Fat Man (Formerly of Jake and...  well, my older friends will get that joke).

Anyways...Welcome to my relaunched blog.  I use to have a blog and a message board set up years ago when I worked at Protosource.  Due to my stupidity and procrastination, my domain (brotherhead.com) went bye bye.  I'm hoping to have a new domain at some point (once I get things situated).  And since I don't have quite the access I use to, I decided to use this simpler blog instead of installing and running my own.

Anywho... I'm decided to just relaunch my blog for now.  A place for me to rant and rave, give movie, comic and book reviews... basically post anything that pops in my head.

Hopefully you'll be entertained or enlightened.  At the minimum, slightly amused.

Please check back often for updates and also leave a message.  This thing works best when you guys play along at home.  Feel free to ask any questions and you might get answers.

I'm going to try and post a new message at least once a week (unless life gets in the way, or I have nothing to say).

Also, if you haven't done so, check out my website (http://brotherhead.wix.com/main)

Hope you enjoy your stay.

Aaron "Head" Moss