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THE BOOK:
King of Lies by John Hart
This is my favorite kind of story: the tale of a confused and ethically compromised man, who in his most desperate hours, rediscovers his way and his equilibrium. Hart is getting comparisons to Grisham, presumably because he’s an ex-lawyer from the South. But there’s an underlying sadness shot through this story, and a terse lyricism to Hart’s prose, that more bring to mind the work of Ross MacDonald and James Lee Burke.
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THE SHORT STORY:
“Drummond & Son” by Charles D’Ambrosio
I don’t know if anyone gives a shit about this kind of fiction anymore, but sometimes I think it’s the only kind that matters. There’s not a single phony moment or wrong sentence here. There are no silly writer tricks either; Charles D’Ambrosio completely disappears into his story of a weary man who repairs typewriters, while caring for his emotionally disturbed, full-grown son. Sounds like a snooze-fest, huh? Yet rarely have I been so interested to see how a tale would turn out.
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THE COMIC:
Big in Japan – Seth Fisher/Zeb Wells
Big in Japan represents Seth’s last work for Marvel comics, a four-issue series featuring the Fantastic Four and Iron Man, and it’s a brightly colored sugar rush straight to the brain. A confession: My Spider-Man story, “Fanboyz,” was included in the back of the book as an extra, but that’s not why I’m recommending it (I try never to pimp myself on this page). Read it instead to see dozens of giant monsters doing the Tokyo stomp and a beast the size of Japan getting stabbed in the eye with a sharp volcano (don’t ask). Read it to catch a sunny blast of Seth at his subversive best, gleefully pushing the superhero genre to the most ridiculous extremes imaginable, and clearly having the time of his life in the process.
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THE MOVIE:
The Proposition
I wish I could recommend something more current – good luck finding this one anywhere at this late date – but what can I do? The latest crop of big budget event films (Superman Returns, Cars, etc.) are all passable-if-overinflated entertainments, but The Proposition is something different. It comes on like a fever dream, a diseased fantasy of Australia in the late 19th century, and tells the tale of a vicious man with a conscience, who agrees to kill one brother to save another. With all its blood, sand, and moral thunder, this is the closest the movies have ever come to capturing the distinct literary vision of Cormac McCarthy.
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THE VIDEO:
David Chappelle: For What It’s Worth
Until I saw For What It’s Worth, I didn’t know anything about David Chappelle except, “I’m Rick James, Bitch.” But it isn’t hard to see why he went from man to mania in a pop culture instant. This is the sickest, most fearless hour of stand-up I’ve seen as a grown-up.
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THE SHOW:
Battlestar Galactica
Deep into season 2 now. I am Galactica’s frackin’ bitch.
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THE SONG:
“Golden Days” – the Damnwells
How can this be? A group I had never even heard of, eighteen months ago, has now released three of the most beautiful singles I’ve ever heard. This one isn’t available anywhere except their MySpace page... pop over and discover the most irresistible American rock band of the new century.
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THE CD:
The Animal Years – Josh Ritter
Magic in the way David Gray’s White Ladder was magic... the sound of a great artist doing his best work now.
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THE ACTIVITY:
Cruising the free music on MySpace.
The new Damnwells track may be the best song I’ve discovered on MySpace in the last few weeks, but it’s not the only standout by any means. Try “Five” (Joan Jett), “Further on up the Road” (Johnny Cash), and “Give it Up” (8mm), this last a small trance-rock classic.
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THE CATCH:
A few weeks back, in an interleague game against the Mets, Red Sox center-fielder Coco Crisp made the most incredible, unlikely, electrifying catch I’ve ever seen in a baseball game. It’s certainly going to be the defensive play of the year; it could go down as one of the greatest regular season snags ever. Who needs Superman? You want to believe a man can fly? View this.
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ANTICIPATED PLEASURE:
The Eternals – Neil Gaiman/John Romita jr.
Jack Kirby’s original Eternals was trippy, mind-bending, and emotionally chilly stuff... I believe someone once described it as a comic book about aliens for aliens. I’ve heard Gaiman based his story on Kirby’s notes, which makes this series kind of like the Raymond Chandler-Robert Parker collaboration, Poodle Springs, or the recent Tabitha King-Michael McDonald mash-up, Candles Burning. If it’s even half as good as the rumors, it’ll instantly be the best thing to hit mainstream comics since, oh, probably Gaiman’s Endless Nights. It helps that he’s working with Romita, jr., a superhero artist without peer (Ever see his Hulk stuff? Sick). Get yours.
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