Movie Review: Up In The Air

So this is the first movie review that I've ever written, well, written since the 6th grade when I did a movie review for the Forest Trail Junior High School newspaper. So for my film reviews I'm going to be assigning the stereotypical 1 to 5 stars, with 5 being One of the Best Movies Ever and 1 being You Could Not Pay Me to Watch This Movie Again. So the other night, I took my lovely girlfriend Jesse out to a movie, and we went to see Up in the Air, the new Jason Reitman film starring George Clooney. What did I think of it? Did it come close to matching Reitman's previous films Juno or Thank You For Smoking? Hit the jump to find out.

Top 10 Favorite Episodes of Television - All-Time

So I usually open these posts with some witty or stupid comment about my life, relating some meaningless story for amusement. And I would do this today too, except I really don't have much of anything to talk about. I've been just so exhausted all week and I'm not entirely sure why, but it probably has to do with waking up at 6:30am everyday, something I'm still not accustomed to. Or it could be my overeliance on commas in a sentence, which I figure that the more commas, the better, while fewer commas, are probably worse,. Anyways, grammer jokes aside, down to bidness. So while working on me and Chris Kordy's upcoming Podcast "Status Update", I started digging through lists of television series' that I loved but has for the most part been forgotten for an episode that we're doing (the podcast will launch at the end of this year BTWs, and I'm going to be pimping it pretty hardcore when we're getting ready to launch it). This got me to thinking, and I have compiled my list of my Top 10 favorite episodes on Television of all time. Now, this isn't a "best of" list, but instead is a list of my favorite episodes that I've ever seen, so there is a heavy emphasis on shows that I love dearly. Hit the jump for the list.

DC Announces Rise of Arsenal / Fall of Green Arrow

I don't usually report on every news item that comes through with comic books, except that this week there have been a couple fairly major announcements that have come down the pike and I felt that they were worth noting. This, however, I definitely wanted to post and comment on since it follows up my Attention Must Be Paid article on Red Arrow and Cry for Justice #5. Today, DC announced through their blog The Source that there were going to be a one shot, a new miniseries, and a series defining arc on Green Arrow spinning out of Cry for Justice. Hit the jump for the story.

Windy City Mumblin' 12/11 - Sports Edition

Welcome to another edition of Windy City Mumblin' - which is basically me complaining about things that I don't have enough to write a full post about, so they get kind of lumped in here together. This week, I'm going to be talking about sports primarily, since the majority of the issues that I've been thinking about have to do with either our sports teams or sports in general. Hit the jump for the mumblin'.

Fatigue Relief - Weekly Comic Book Review 12/9

Sorry friends, I’m just not that clever. Here’s the breakdown of my reviews. I will be assigning everything I review a number, 1-10. Writing and plot are very important to me, so that’s the majority of the review. As far as art goes, I’m so terrible at drawing myself, unless the interiors are terrible, you won’t hear too much negativity about it from me. The most important aspect of a comic book, in my opinion, is characterization. If I’ve been reading Daredevil for an extended period of time, and throughout that run DD is constantly preaching that he will not join a team or group because he works solo, it drives me nuts that you find him in Spiderman working with Luke Cage and Iron Fist. That was a made up example, but it makes my point for me. I like my characters to be consistent. Oh hey, watch out for spoilers, because how can you review something and be totally ambiguous the whole time? Onto the reviews.

Put it Out to Pasture: The Office

"There is an end to everything, to good things as well" - Chaucer

With that said, I'd like to welcome you to the first post of another new feature here at Event Fatigue, Put it Out to Pasture. Basically, I spotlight TV shows, comic books, musicians, filmmakers, or anything else really that has outlived it's success and glory days and needs to be sent out to pasture. Now, in order for something to qualify for being put out to pasture, it has to actually be good at one point in its career, so no Til Death or CSI: Miami appearances because those shows just flat out need to die slowly and painfully. For the first post of the feature, I'm going to be talking about a show that was personally my favorite on TV but has now fallen and is no longer the juggernaut that it once was, The Office. Hit the jump for the article.

First Post!

Hello new readers of Event Fatigue! I hope you have been enjoying the website so far, and hopefully with my addition to the crew of writers you’ll like it even more. Let me start off by introducing myself. My name is Peter Durkin, I’m 25 and I’ve been reading and collecting comics for a very, very long time. My taste in comic books is a fairly popular one. I follow the big two, Marvel and DC, grab a couple of indie books from time to time, but mostly keep up via trade. I also keep up on the big events, but as the name of the web site says, I am a little fatigued by the constant events. I like my action big and my dialogue quick and am a stickler for consistent characterization. I appreciate most all artists work, because, well because I couldn’t draw if my life depended on it. But I am a fan in truest sense of the word. I will pick apart my favorite books and writers for the minutest detail, but I will defend to the death the medium in all arenas. So welcome new readers, I hope I give you something to read.

I’ve decided to write my first article not on my favorite character or list of greatest deaths that have been negated by a recent rebirth, but rather one of the happiest places in the world; my comic book store on new comic book Wednesday. I have been collecting comic books since about May of 1993 and over the years I have frequented many comic book vendors. When I was young, the local Walden Books or Magazine isle in Osco was where I found my comic book fix. Ah, the simpler times of my youth, where I could go to Osco with five dollars and walk away with at least four books with X in the title. I was strictly buying a book on the strength of its cover or whether or not Wolverine could be found in the ensuing pages. Sometimes, I would pick up a two or three pack at the local Toys R Us, and can remember very clearly when that same toy store was fazing out it’s selling of comics, so they were selling hundreds of books for pennies. I bought a plastic bag of 50 books for 10 dollars.

As I became more serious about being a collector, I found my first comic book store, Atlas Comics. Atlas, which is still around today, was a small store, but it packed a big punch. I would be taken for a trip to Atlas Comics( the marquee was missing the i in comics for a very long time) every four or five months and would load up when I got there. Whatever I could find in 20 minutes that fit within my $30 budget, that’s what I walked out with. I was a huge fan of Marvel’s What If? title and any book in the X universe. Shiny covers usually helped make hard decisions and quarter bins were my specialty. Atlas also boasted a great wall of vintage comic books, most notably, my holy grail at the time, Wolverine #1. ( The Claremont mini)

For some reason in my life, I stopped collecting. Stopped reading all together. I got back into books around age 15 when I picked up Ultimate X-Men #6, and I haven’t looked back since. By that time, I was able to commit myself to the weekly grind of collecting. After a trial period of finding the right store for me, I tried out Windy City Comics on North Ave in Melrose Park. The store had a great selection of back issues, never ran out of the new issues and had trades galore. But the reason I travel the extra distance for this particular store are the people that work there. I’m always greeted by a ‘Hello Peter!’ when I walk in and a ‘take it easy when I walk out’. The staff is always up for a spirited debate of current events and always more than happy to tell me that I read too much Marvel and not enough DC ( Hey I read all of Countdown, gimmie a break). But above all else, they appreciate your business. When I started all those years ago in Osco books were $1.25. Most of my books are pushing the $3.99 mark with no signs of slowing down in price increase. Windy City Comics recognizes that their core group of comic book denizens are fans through and through and they do the little things that keep us coming back. Bags and boards are on them. And if you start a subscription list (the idea that you’re going to become a loyal customer) you get 10% off new books. Those are little things they don’t have to do, but it’s the little things that make all the difference. But most important: they learn your name. I went into a chain store in Chicago and bought 60 dollars worth of books. The guy behind the register didn’t even bat an eye. Not so at Windy City.

I’m sure I’m not the only person out there who loves their comic book store. Everyone has a ‘guy’ or a sweet deal they’ve worked out. But for those of you who don’t love your store or you don’t get a ‘Hi Bob’, do yourself a favor and keep looking. The right store is out there and it makes all the difference in the world.


I hope you enjoyed my personal reflection on the comic book stores throughout my life. I’ll be breaking down everything from favorite single issues and trades to trends in current books I can’t stand right now. I should be coming out with weekly reviews as well. So keep tuning in, more is on the way.

Peter

"Ultimate" DC Line Set to Launch in 2010

Hey gang, so the big news today from DC's The Source blog is that in 2010 they are going to start releasing a series of graphic novels introducing a "modern" take on the origins of Batman and Superman. So basically, DC is launching their own Ultimate line of comics like Marvel did, except that DC is going to be only doing it as graphic novels instead of releasing single issues monthly like all other comic books. Kirk Warren at the Weekly Crisis sums up his feelings here and I absolutely agree with him 100%, and I'm going to share some things that Kirk and others haven't really discussed, since what most people have said so far is on the money. Hit the jump for those.

Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's New Project

As promised, I'm back with the update from our earlier story, when there was nothing but a teaser released revealing that superstar creators Mark Millar and Steve McNiven were reuniting for another project. Hit the jump for the details.

Trade Secrets - Review of The Boys Volume 1 & 2

Welcome to the first edition of Trade Secrets - A comic book trade paperback review from the folks at Event Fatigue. I'm going to be reviewing the first two volumes of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's hyper-violent and graphic comic book series, The Boys. Hit the jump for my review of The Name of the Game and Get Some.

Links You Should Know

I'm going to be spotlighting some links from the internet that anyone who enjoys my blog should also know about. I'm very involved with theater, but as an actor I'm not always involved in some of the more delicate aspects of the theatrical world, and usually I don't do any of the real "heavy lifting" so to say when it comes to putting a show together. Jesse Gaffney is a props master at several theaters here in Chicago, and she runs a blog about all of the different props that she's created over the years and it's incredibly informative for anyone that is interested in theater. Check it out.

Theatre Projects

www.theatreprojects.blogspot.com

Why Stringer Bell Needs To Be In Thor

Today at work I finally cleaned all the boxes out that have been there since I started so I have a spotless desk and room to move around. It seems great, except that I don't have much stuff and now that all the boxes are gone it's even more obvious how depressing my desk looks. Ah, the life of a temp is a lonely one. Anyways, what I really wanted to talk about on this post is the recent casting news for the Thor movie, specifically that Idris Elba (The Wire, Obsessed, The Losers) is going to be playing Heimdall, guardian of Asgard and gatekeeper to Midgard (that's what they call Earth). I think that this is awesome news, mostly because I think that the Wire is one of the best TV shows ever, mostly thanks to Elba's character Stringer Bell, who was just such a brilliant and fascinating antagonist thanks to Elba's portrayal of Stringer. But I saw a couple different bloggers, including my internet hero Kirk Warren from The Weekly Crisis, that were against the casting of Elba as Heimdall, so I thought I would throw in my own opinion on the matter. Hit the jump for more.

Attention Must Be Paid - 11/30

First off, I obviously wasn't going to be making any posts over Thanksgiving weekend, so I hope that people understand that. Also, today is my birthday and the only reason why I made a post today is because I was really bored at work. Anyways, here we are again. Another edition of Attention Must Be Paid, a feature where I examine a significant death in comics and what the death means to the world of comic books. Today's is an interesting one, since there is no death but a fairly important character was severely injured and essentially given a fate worse than death. Warning: the article contains a fairly large spoiler for Justice League : Cry For Justice #5 so don't finish this article if you haven't read it. Otherwise, hit the jump.

All-Time Awesome Lines From Comics - Pt. 11 - GIANT SIZE!

Well, as promised here is a Giant-Sized edition of All-Time Awesome Lines From Comics. I figure that I might as well make it up to you guys for the fact that since it's Thanksgiving I will probably not do much, or really any, posting to the blog this weekend. But who knows, cause I do have some ideas for posts and if I get bored of laying around doing nothing (which I never get sick of doing), I might end up cranking some things out. Alright, hit the jump for the last story arc by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday on Astonishing X-Men.

All-Time Awesome Lines From Comics - Pt. 10

So first off, I finally got my computer for my new job that I started on Friday. What is really funny about the whole experience is that it's an IBM ThinkBook, those like quintessential early 90's Laptops that are big and clunky, and I have to ask when outside of an office have you ever seen these laptops?! I had never seen one in person until I started temping, and the first time that someone told me that was the computer I would be using I thought "Well, they spent all their money on this fancy new office building, so they're skimping on the computers they give to Temps". That made sense to me. But I was wrong, because at six different office buildings I've worked in they all use them, and not just for Temps but for like full-time employees and Consultants. Everybody uses computers that came out in the Clinton Administration at offices around Chicago. Does anyone else find this incredibly bizarre or is it just me? There has to be a reason why all the offices in Chicago use them but I can't figure it out. Anyway, I'm off my soapbox and on to another All-time Awesome Line from Comic Books. Hit the jump for the next line from Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men.

Please like me...

Hello internet! I'm just in (in?) for a short post tonight to introduce myself as the second writer for Event Fatigue. My name is Tim Dunn and I'm an actor/writer living in the city of Chicago. I spend most of my time playing internet flash games, or beating the few demos available on my Mac. (Battlefield 1942 Single Player REPRESENT!!!) As a contributer to EF, I plan to write what I know: comics and video games.

Well, I guess that's about it! I'm planning to have my first real post up after Thanksgiving. Could be even sooner though, given how unemployed I am. (Ladies, I'm single.) See ya then...

Top 100 Greatest Movies All-Time: The Recap and Analysis

I know. I know. I said that I would put this up a week ago, but I didn't. But I'm putting it up now! So never fear! Anyways, here is the master list of all 100 films that I ranked in my top 100, and also with some breakdowns of the list and some of my greatest regrets from the list. Hit the jump for the breakdown.

Coming Soon: Bigger and Better, and now with 200% more people!

Hey all! I have some very exciting news to report to you all today, as soon Event Fatigue will no longer be just me writing about whatever I want to, but Peter Durkin and Tim Dunn will soon be joining the blog as Authors! The big thing that this means is that it will no longer be only me writing posts, but all three of us will now be posting a variety of awesome topics!

I know that Peter is planning on doing a weekly comic book review post, plus all sorts of other opinion/editorial or whatever other kind of posts that he wants to do. Since Peter is going to be doing reviews, I think I will focus my comic book posts on bringing back Best Lines of the Week, and maybe even do a spotlight post on a book that I either loved or hated that Pete didn't already cover. And Tim Dunn has talked about doing a couple posts about video games, along with whatever other topics that he wants to cover. Let me tell you, whatever topics either of these guys decide to write about, they're going to be awesome and if you are a fan of this site then you should be really excited that it won't just be me and my terrible grammer/spelling all the time. It's up to Pete and Tim when their first posts go up, so just keep an eye out for them but I really wanted to give everybody the heads up that changes were taking place here and they are very exciting. So have a great Sunday everybody, and let's go Bears!

All-Time Awesome Lines From Comics- Pt. 9

First and foremost, Newsarama has posted the teaser trailer for the upcoming Smallville TV movie featuring the JSA. Holy God. This looks all kinds of awesome. I was initially skeptical, even with Geoff Johns writing it, but the more I hear about it and from these clips it looks more and more like Johns is sticking close to the way JSA is in the comics, especially with that last shot in the clip. Hellz yeah. Anyway, hit the jump for another awesome line from Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon and John Cassady.

Windy City Mumblin' - 11/20

I know that I said I would do a full rundown of all 100 movies from my list with info about the films, but I just got a big job that I started so I was unable to get that finished yet. I will, however it won't be until Sunday so keep an eye out for that this weekend. For now, I figured since I had very little time to write this and I'm tired and ready to complain about stuff, I was going to throw in some rambling musings about things. Hit the jump for things that I think when I think about things.