It's a Wonderful Jimmy Aquino

Comic News Insider Episode 478 - More Heroes Con w/ Kevin Mellon (Suicide Sisters, Archer), Mike Maihack (Cleopatra In Space), Rachel Pandich/Ashely Lanni (Aspire)

Comic News Insider: Episode 478 is now available for free download! Click on the link or get it through iTunes! Sponsored by Dynamic Forces.

Reviews: Crow Curare #1, Joe Hills Thumbprint #1, Superman Unchained #1, True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys #1, Man of Steel

Jimmy is joined in studio by his new nerdy pal Taylor Katz and they give a looooong review of the new Man of Steel film. More Heroes Con interviews with Kevin Mellon (Suicide Sisters, Archer), Mike Maihack (Cleopatra In Space), Rachel Pandich/Ashely Lanni (Aspire). Jimmy talks about how he almost screwed up his SDCC plans, briefly mentions new SyFy shows Primeval: New World(skip it) and Sinbad (not terrible) and gives love to his girls Alie &  Georgia regarding their new show on The Cooking Channel (Tripping Out with Alie & Georgia). News includes: Superman and Wonder Woman get romantical, Spider-man finds his sister, Dynamite Teams up Flash Gordon/The Phantom/Mandrake the Magician, Star Wars Land coming to Orlando and IDW gets animated…sort of! As always, listener feedback, Top 3 and more! Leave your iTunes comments! 5 stars and nothing but love!

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Jimmy Aquino: Man of Steel (SPOILERS!)

What? I can’t be a steel man? Okay, fine. Anyway, I saw Man of Steel Sunday night. Oh yeah, I did. Here are some SPOILERS filled highlights. You can also tune in to my podcast COMIC NEWS INSIDER to hear my pal Taylor and I review the movie. Episode 478 will be available Wednesday. 

• Let me get it out of the way. I loved it. I know it’s split the fandom a bit (which I’ll get to) but I still really enjoyed it. 
• Great cast. Henry Cavill as Superman is excellent. Russell Crowe as Jor-El is awesome. Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Pa and Ma Kent are great. Amy Adams as Lois Lane is fantastic (though a small part of me wanted someone else…not sure whom. Still, she was superb). Michael Shannon as Zod was menacing and fun. German actress Antje Traue as Faora-Ul (Zod’s right hand) stole many a scene with her badassery. 
• The romance between Lois and Clark was rushed but it made sense. I didn’t feel they connected completely though there were some nice subtle moments. I’m sure they’ll expand on it in the end. 
• Well directed by Zack Snyder. Great storytelling via flashbacks and present day. 
• The story was a retelling of the origin. Slightly different. Clark Kent still grew up in Smallville, Kansas. But when he got old enough, he didn’t move to Metropolis and work for the Daily Planet right away. He traveled the world leaving no paper trail. Getting odd jobs here and there all the while secretly helping people. And if he was seen using his extraordinary gifts, he moved on to the next place. Really like this idea. 
• Some more changes in other characters. In the flashbacks, Clark is shown using his gifts to help others. Pa Kent emphasizes that he needs to keep them secret or he’ll become a government experiment, etc. Even suggesting for a second that maybe Clark should let people perish if it means keeping the secret hidden. We’re used to the always positive/do the right thing advice from Pa Kent. This shocker still worked as it just shows how concerned and how much love he has for Clark. I don’t think it suggests Jonathan Kent is a bad person for thinking it. Parents will do anything for their children and this shows that strong bond between them. 
• Jonathan’s death scene was very moving. The hand up stopping Clark. A little bit of mist may have entered my eyeball then. 
• Did I mention Antje Traue stealing scenes? Oh yeah. Her fight scenes were so bad ass. And the lines she delivered came out both menacing and even a bit flirty. Just perfect. Not gonna lie…I think she was the crush of the movie for me. 
• While there wasn’t that classic John Williams theme we’re so used to, I liked the music in it. Good stuff from Hans Zimmer. 
• Fun to see some Battlestar Galactica alums in the cast. Tahmoh Penikett (“Helo” on BSG) had a brief appearance and a few lines. And Allesandra Juiliani (“Gaeta” on BSG) had a very slightly bigger role. Surprised they used Juliani as he was also in the Smallville TV show playing “Dr. Emil Hamilton”. Figured they’d want to stay away from any actors that were in previous iterations especially since another actor was playing the character of Hamilton in Man of Steel. Maybe they swapped notes. 
• No Jimmy Olsen in it. Perhaps the sequel. 
• Nice shots of other DC Universe things like a LexCorp tanker. And a WayneTech satellite. I hear there are other bits strewn in but I missed them. 
• Bit of a Matrix-y feel to Krypton with how they have their offspring. But still different enough and cool. 
• Great CGI. So great. Just moments of Superman hovering were incredible. Him learning to fly was really fun to watch as well. 
• Minor quibble I was thinking of while watching the climactic battle between Superman and Zod is all of the destruction they caused. SO MUCH. Buildings destroyed left and right. I thought, “Couldn’t Supes have tried to lead him out of Metropolis?” But, heat of the battle and all that. 
• Which leads us to THE climactic scene. Now you read in the beginning how I’m SPOILING things so here it is again. SPOILERS!!! YOU’VE BEEN WARNED! Superman breaks Zod’s neck. I audibly gasped (as did many around me). It is a complete break from the character as written in the comic book. But, yet…I understood it. I still wish he had found a way not to do it but at the moment there seemed to be no choice. Save humanity (or in this case just 4 or 5 people) from Zod’s raging heat vision or take him out permanently. People are outraged by this and I understand why. Yet, I think it’s another dimension to add to the character. So much is set up with the Jesus metaphors that this shows that he ISN’T that. He is flawed. And Cavill’s reactions really sold it as you know he immediately regretted it and it will haunt him forever. Something they’ll probably harp on in future movies. 
• I’m probably way off on this one. But during the scene where Superman’s trying to shut down the “World Machine”, these metal tentacles/arms attack him. Could this be Brainiac or an iteration there of? It would kind of make sense as Brainiac is an alien entity that has been altered a lot over the years. Still, he has a history with Krypton, Superman’s home planet. 
• At the end, when Clark moves to Metropolis, he gets his job at The Daily Planet and dons the glasses. Great moment between he and Lois as he’s introduced to her. It’s made obvious that she was in on this and she knows he’s really Superman. Which, while the glasses making him completely impossible to recognize has always been a stretch, works a bit better here because as an adult Clark Kent he was a drifter. So no one really knows him. 

Overall, I just really loved this film. Action packed with a great story. Not just a great superhero film, but a really great sci-fi adventure film! Go see it! And listen to us rave on about it in this week’s Comic News Insider available tomorrow on the website and iTunes. 

Jubilation June: Lorraine Cink!

I’ve decided that I’m going to celebrate June by celebrating friends. Each day I will tell you a bit about a friend that I love and why they are so awesome. It could be that they are awesome just because they are awesome. I think you’ll think the same. No rhyme or reason to which friends I pick. No order. Just random picks. If I leave someone out, it means we broke up and I’d like my pants back.

The next victim…uh…friend that gets the JJ treatment is Lorraine Cink! Lo C, her hip hop name that I gave her, is a relatively new friend. That’s her (and another pal Jessica) stacking the massive amount of plates from our Korean BBQ meal we had after one night after New York Comic Con last October (I took the picture). We only officially met (though knew of one another a bit longer) at the end of 2011. I had been wanting to meet her for awhile because mutual pals told me she was a proper comic book nerd. Bonus, she is in comedy too and performs weekly at The People’s Improv Theater. One of our mutuals, Grace Helbig, was on her improv team so I came to see one of their performances. We had many drinks after and got along swimmingly. She agreed to come do my podcast COMIC NEWS INSIDER (CNI) with me (and has a few times over the past year or so). I suppose it was all the shots I plied her with that convinced her. Besides comics and comedy, she’s got so much more going on that makes her ridiculously awesome. Keep reading and find out what! 

• First off, just look at her. She’s like a pinup model. If you were a pilot in WWII, you’d paint her on the side of your plane with the caption “Lady Lorraine” or “Lo C over the High C’s”. 
• The first time I had her on the podcast, she shamed me with all of her comic book knowledge. I know my stuff, but she KNOWS her stuff. A proper comic book nerd through and through. It’s great to just chat with her and nerd out over it all. 
• You may recognize her as the host/writer of Marvel’s The Watcher video show. She had hinted at her new gig when I met her. And to her credit, never gave up the info! No matter how much I begged and pleaded. She is a fantastic host. That right blend of informative, comical and engaging. If you are a Marvel zombie (heck, even if you’re not), you should definitely check out the videos. She gets to revel in all things Marvel and make you want to check it all out too. Fantastic stuff!
• She also hosts her own YouTube channel aptly called “The Lorraine Show”. It’s just her chatting to her audience waxing comedic. And it’s very comedic. She’s comedically comedic! There are also special appearances by her dog Robot. Yes, she named her dog Robot. And yes, that is awesome. She even gave me a huge shout out/apology for still holding on to some comics she borrowed a long time ago. I almost wet myself. Okay, I did wet myself. It’s why I watch her show at home when no one is around. Not sure if she has a set schedule for it but you can catch up on the latest real easy! 
• I’m pretty sure I shamelessly flirted with her for the first 6 months of our friendship. And proving what a nice person she is, she never dismissed me in a mean way. I then woke up one day and realized she’s way out of my league and we’ve been good pals ever since. 
• She is genuinely one of the kindest people I know. Rarely a bad word about someone else. And if a bad word slips out, she feels terrible for days about it. Gives herself 40 lashes and all that. I feel like if we didn’t see one another for years, she’d still come up to me and give me a big ol’ hug. Well, after she made sure I was disinfected. 
• She plays the ukulele. And plays it well. I know what you’re thinking. Another cute girl playing the ukulele. How adorable. Well you’d be right! It IS adorable and she’s damn good at it. Also on her YouTube channel are videos of her singing along to her ukulele playing. Total rock. 
• I slipped in that singing bit there. She is an amazing singer. That woman has got some pipes! I even cajoled her into singing with me on the podcast last year. She’s performed in many a musical too. Which ones? Just ask her. Maybe she’ll sing the whole score for you. Probably not, but it’s worth a shot. 
• I mentioned her improv. Well, she’s on 2 house teams at The PIT. One had our mutual pal Grace on it. At one of the shows, the normally 8 or 9 strong team was down many a member. It was Lorraine, Grace and one of the guys. Yup, just 3 of them. And this is no lie…it was probably one of the best shows I’ve ever seen them do. No hate on the absent members, but Lorraine kicked the shit out of that show. The moments with her and Grace were outstanding and Lorraine really shined. She’s a fine actress and great at improv. If you’re ever in NYC or live here, go see her in one of their shows! 
• Apparently, besides acting/improv/hosting/singing/playing ukulele/etc…she also writes and directs. Okay, we get it. You’re a Renaissance woman. Sheesh. Stop making us underachievers feel so underachievey. 

Lo C and I don’t hang all of the time. Schedules and all that. But we chat when we can and it’s usually ends with her shaking her head at something I said and saying, “Oh Jimmy”. Like when I told her I was chasing after this girl half my age. “Oh Jimmy”. When I said I wanted to leave everything behind and move to Timbuktu. “Oh Jimmy”. You get the idea. But for reals, she is a great listener and has heard my lamentations more than once. And she offered much more than an “Oh Jimmy”. She offered a kind word and a sound advice. She’s a true talent in many many ways. Jump on the Lorraine train so you can say you knew her when! Just don’t be creepy about it. No one likes a creeper. Here’s to you, Lo C. I need to write us another song to sing on the podcast. CNI and I miss you! 

Our first official meeting. Of course, shots. That’s our mutual pals Scotty and Grace with us. 

Co-hosting the podcast. This makes me laugh a lot.

About to leave my apartment after co-hosting the podcast. That’s our buddy Jon. Her face. Priceless. 

Another first meeting shot. Future BFFs. 

Lady Marvel herself. 

Jubilation June: Paul Pope!

I’ve decided that I’m going to celebrate June by celebrating friends. Each day I will tell you a bit about a friend that I love and why they are so awesome. It could be that they are awesome just because they are awesome. I think you’ll think the same. No rhyme or reason to which friends I pick. No order. Just random picks. If I leave someone out, it means we broke up and I’d like my pants back.

I first met Paul through a mutual pal of ours. That’s us in Toronto last month at TCAF. I was working a bar and my buddy John walks in with him and introduces us. We immediately got along and soon started hanging out. This was even before I started doing my podcast COMIC NEWS INSIDER. Besides comics, we had many other things in common and got along swimmingly. From going to burlesque shows to checking out some good jazz or just having a nice drink or 3. He was already considered someone to watch in the comics medium and it’s been fun watching him turn into a comic book rockstar over the years. Besides his obvious talent, he’s just an awesome dude. Here’s why I think so!

• Paul has always been very supportive of the podcast. He’s come on several times especially at the anniversary episodes. And he’s also introduced me to many people to have on. Arguably, he and our mutual pal John are the reason I have met/interviewed/become friends with so many in the comics industry. He listens to the show and often gives me his honest thoughts on it all. He still praises me for the Steve Rude interview I did years ago. 
• Not just a supporter of the podcast, but of me in general. I was doing sketch comedy back in 2004-2005 and he came to the shows I did. This was important not just because I was performing but also because I wrote a lot of the sketches. He knew it meant something to me and made sure he got to those shows. 
• As mentioned, he’s a rock star in the industry. It’s fun watching how people react to him. To his credit, he’s always gracious and loves talking about comics to people. Even when they don’t quite know that they’ve overstayed their welcome. He never dismisses and is open to any intelligent discussion about the medium. Heck, he’s open to chatting about anything you’d like! 
• I sometimes kid him for being “high fallutin’” on Twitter. But in reality, I love it. If you don’t know him, it could possibly be misconstrued as hoity toity talk but I’m here to tell you…he’s that smart. He knows his stuff and enjoys sharing any knowledge. Always giving credit where credit is due especially to his personal heroes like Moebius and Jack Kirby.
• He’s a thoughtful motherfucker. If he thinks some event might interest me, he’ll drop me an email, text or call to invite me along. Quite often, he’s right. 
• If you know me, you know what a big Batman fan I am. Paul did some one-off Batman stories for a few different titles and they were awesome. But perhaps his best known Bat work is Batman: Year 100. It’s a futuristic take on the character and he really nailed it. He gave his own take on Bats but still showed mad love to previous incarnations and creators. It’s one of the best Batman stories out there. If you haven’t read it, all 4 issues are collected in a trade paperback. Plus, I’m pretty sure he modeled Robin after me. 
• While I’ve made many a friend in various positions of the entertainment and comics world, I’m still not on everyone’s guest list. If Paul knows I’m interested in attending something, he’ll often make sure I can come along for the ride. And if there are some there who might wonder why I’m there, he makes sure they know why. It’s because I’m his friend. 
• It’s obvious he’s such a talented cartoonist. Writer. Artist. Well respected and deservedly so. His art is revered and copied the world over. And I mentioned his smarts. He is so knowledgeable about so many things. You just can’t not have a great conversation with him. 

Paul and I don’t hang out all of the time, but when we do it’s like we saw one another yesterday. We have great talks about our personal lives and he has given several pearls of wisdom to me in my time of need. He’s a solid friend and is always there if I need to chat. There are a few stories I can’t share of some good times we had. Mostly because the CIA asked us not to. Oh crap. With that knew PRISM act, they are probably on to me. Well, it was nice knowing you all. But especially Paul. If they come looking for me, he and I’ll be at a burlesque show throwing back some whiskey. Going out in style. The only way we know how. 

Me and Paul at a burlesque show. 

At my birthday in 2007. 

At TCAF in 2009.

At the epic episode 400 recording of my podcast (that’s my arm next to him!). 

Jubilation June: Becky Cloonan!

I’ve decided that I’m going to celebrate June by celebrating friends. Each day I will tell you a bit about a friend that I love and why they are so awesome. It could be that they are awesome just because they are awesome. I think you’ll think the same. No rhyme or reason to which friends I pick. No order. Just random picks. If I leave someone out, it means we broke up and I’d like my pants back.

Sorry for the lack of Jubilation June posts. I didn’t factor in the fact that I’d be out of town for the weekend for Heroes Con and the recovery time after. But, I’m back and with a good one. It’s Becky Cloonan!! That’s us up there back in May at TCAF in Toronto. I’m trying to remember when I first officially met Becky. I believe it was at San Diego Comic Con a few years back. 2010, if memory serves. I knew of her from her fantastic comic book work over the years but had never even interviewed her yet for my podcast COMIC NEWS INSIDER. Finally, at Heroes Con in 2011, we sat down for a long chat about her career and it was fantastic! We got along swimmingly and she’s been on the podcast many more times since. Not to mention, we like to get our drink on when we are ever in the same place. Usually a comic convention. She’s the cat’s meow for sure and you will definitely think so if you didn’t already! Check it.

• She is an amazing cartoonist. Her early work Demo with Brian Wood was just a hint of the greatness to come. Not just a drawer of pretty pictures. She’s a fine storyteller in her own right. As she’s proven with her 3 recent mini-comics over the past few years. The stories pull you in and are really moving. I look forward to a big graphic novel that she writes and draws one day! 
• She is one of those people that others immediately like. She is so positive and happy and has a great sense of humor. Not to mention one of the best smiles and laughs around! 
• After our first interview back in 2011, she complimented me on my interviewing style. She knew I also moderated panels at conventions. After being on the podcast a few times over 2011-2012, she asked me to moderate a spotlight panel at San Diego Comic Con last year. It was a fun/laid back conversation about her work and how to break in. I think I do a pretty good job of interviewing/moderating and it’s nice to hear someone like Becky always tell me I’m one of her favorites. 
• We both are oyster freaks. And quite a few times, we’ve gotten together with others and taken down dozens! Oysters are a hit or miss with most and some are deathly allergic. So it’s tough to find someone who wants to go for them. Becky is always up for it! We’ve put away many here in NYC, in Boston and recently at Heroes Con in Charlotte. OYSTERS!!! 
• She may not have invented it, but I’m going to give her credit for Draculoke. That’s Dracula + karaoke = Draculoke! We’ve gone karaoke-ing a few times and the first time she did it, I wet my pants. It’s, you guessed it, singing whatever song you choose in Dracula’s voice. Just makes it more awesome! Go on and try it next time you are rocking out at the karaoke spot. It makes it entertaining for those in the crowd whom were dragged there against their will. And just might get them up on the mic! 
• Last year, she became the first female artist to draw the main Batman title for DC Comics with her one issue stint on Batman #12. While I wish that other great female artists had previously gotten a crack at the Batman title, I’m glad she was the first. Hopefully, blazing a trail for the many many many amazing female artists out there. Let’s get her on a Bat title regularly! 
• Her most recent comic book work, The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, is written by Gerard Way. He being the founder/lead singer of the recently split up band, My Chemical Romance. He’s got good comic book cred with his award winning series The Umbrella Academy. They’ve been friends for awhile now. And while this comic is a sequel to the MCR album Danger Days, Becky is a big part of the collaboration. Issue 1 just came out and it’s fucking awesome. Go get it! 
• Her enthusiasm for the comic book medium is bigger than anyone else I know. She is a great teacher to those who want to get into the business and is still so eager to learn. She’ll gush over her favorite artists and talk about how they influenced her. She gives great advice about all sides of the business including technique, finances, self publishing, etc. 
• She’s been part of a couple of my podcast dinners where I sit down with about 4 cartoonists over dinner and just chat comics. She dubbed them “Dinterviews” during the recent one at TCAF in Toronto. Which I’ve now acquiesced. Also at that dinner, she got so excited over something our mutual pal Paul Pope said about ink. Just proves the previous paragraph of how she’s always open to learn and genuinely gets happy about it! Always looking to improve even though she’s so goddamn good already. 
• We were both in the UK last year attending conventions and even stayed with our mutual friend Emma Vieceli (a previous Jubilation June honoree) at the same time. We were so excited about British pies and Emma took us to a great local spot. We love our oysters, but we LOVE our British pies!! It’s just nice to have someone around who gets as hyped as I do for silly little things. 
• In the few years we’ve known one another, she’s always been so kind and supportive. I’ve been doing the podcast since 2005. I already had a few friends in the comic book biz, but since then, have made many more. On occasion, there might be one or two in the biz who look down upon me for being at a party or what not. I’m not a creator or even a real journalist. Just someone who interviews and covers the industry every week. If I’m with Becky at a convention, she introduces me to anyone I don’t know and brings me along to any bar/party/etc. Not allowing the negative Nancys to exclude me. 

She moved to Canada last year with her fiance’ Andy so I only tend to see her at comic shows. But when we do, it’s fun, drinks and often…oysters! She’s a force to be reckoned with in the comic book industry and will be for many years to come. I’ve never had a very close family except for my sister. But often I’ll have friends whom I consider like a brother or sister. Becky is definitely another one of those whom I’d like to claim as a little sister. Always lovely to be around and I defy you to be anything but happy when she’s around. You could be having a terrible day and then you run into Becky…presto change-o…happy! I’ll most likely see her again next month at San Diego Comic Con. And you can bet there will be lots of laughs and drinks happening. And maybe an oyster or 2! 

Becky, along with Paul Pope, Monica Gallagher, Glyn Dillon and myself at the TCAF “dinterview”. 

Last year at SDCC post-panel.

At the epic and live recording of the podcast’s 400th episode!

At the Boston “dinterview” last year with Ming Doyle, Andy Belanger and Jeremy Bastian.