May 02, 2002

 
I've watched a few episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer on FX the past couple days, and I think I'm finally warming up to the show after being put off by it for so long. I find that if I just watch it expecting the best, it really makes all of the difference. It's pretty good, it's about as good as a mediocre comic, I guess.

Newsarama has a very nice interview with John Romita, Jr. today - it's really nice to hear what he has to say, he comes off as a real gentleman and a total pro, although I'd already figured as much from him. The one thing that really made me go "what?" was his admiration for the Kubert Bros., which baffles me to no end. I can't see what a master of the form like JRJR might see in those two, I think the Kuberts are both erratic and verge on being total hacks. I think I'm going to go to Times Square and buy one of those sketches he's doing to raise money for his neice - it's a really nice thing for him to do, and I'd love to have a piece of original art by him.

I've become very interested in the Amazon reviews of one Henry Raddick - it's hilarious, and meticulously crafted. Read as single reviews it is merely funny; but read as a body of work it plays out into storylines, recurring characters and themes; it's fucking brilliant. The writer veers wildly between high and lowbrow humor, keeps many characters and situations constant while changing crucial things like Henry's age and occupation.

Not counting the oddball contradictory review, it seems that Henry Raddick is a morbidly obese conservative British expatriate with a glass eye, a wife named Marjorie, a 16 year old son named Jonathan, and a 14 year old daughter named Stephanie. He had a 12 year old spaniel named Barry, who died recently and was replaced by a disagreeable pug named Grendal. He is a very, very sad man; and at the same time, "cheeriness personified".

I love this guy.