Former Infatuation Junkies

Spent last night chatting, eating and drinking with Mark Parlade. Met him before, two years ago, at the Pinoy DC meet at Katips along with some of the Comic Brookers. But we didn’t speak with each other then. Last year, he texted me and I didn’t recognize which Mark it was at first, as most of the comic book guys referred to him as “Ike.” Turns out that he’s a Friendster friend (heheh) and meets up with the Comic Brook people from time to time, but couldn’t relate to the VS card games, like me, so he invited me to hang out with him.

We brought more than 15 comics each and met up at a Greenbelt restaurant. The guy treated me to a big serving of pasta with diced chicken that I couldn’t finish, as well as drinks called mojitos and mojichee (rum with fruits and soda?), which I enjoyed. Mmmm… yeah, they’re yummy, and made me feel a little hot and tingly shortly. Benedict joked later that I got roofied, heheh.

I discovered that Mark’s a friend of some of my friends from the paper for quite some time already, as the firm he works for handles some entertainment-centric accounts. We talked about work, comics, relatives, music, the “My Humps” parody and so on; it was kinda weird but cool to discover that there are a bunch of things I have in common with him (we studied in related schools and knew certain people; we like Alanis’ second album; we agreed that the latest Titans issue resorted to a familiar cliffhanger again, etc.). But the guy is different in many ways, as he’s a very outgoing person, a family guy and dad to the adorable Snow Pop/Noah, among other things. And he wears lense-less eyeglasses that, he admitted, have always been a conversation piece.

We walked to Greenbelt 1, where he was parked, about three and a half hours later. At the restroom upstairs, I brushed my teeth and didn’t quickly notice that a colleague, Jojo Panaligan, who writes for another paper’s entertainment section, was standing nearby. He liked what I did with my hair (I colored it brown), and briefly told me about his plans for the future before leaving for somewhere else. Outside, Mark didn’t recognize him as he walked away, but he remembers contacting him once for some old event. Yep, this guy’s practically met everyone by now. Oh, he did mention inviting old friends Gerry and Whilce Portacio for an interview that aired in channel 7 way back when.

Well, he’s recommending that I go soon to Boracay, his “spiritual home,” where he recently spent the Holy Week holidays (and got harassed in different ways, haha). Told him that I will visit, some day, just to see and experience the place for myself. The self-confessed Mozzie groupie also wants to hang out one of these days to watch Pam Pastor’s band perform. As we pretty much have the same taste in music, I’m gonna have to check them out. Pam’s been inviting me to the gigs but I have yet to see them play (sorry, miz editor!), because my sched’s often conflicted with their show dates. But now that Mark got me curious, will have to find time to watch ‘em, now.

Swell Saturday. Thanks Mark! That was different. The Mojitos made me feel a little buzzed after, which is probably the thing that was missing from my recent work-free, self-imposed holidays. I want some more.

Heat of the Moment

They could be heroes (pic from Yahoo TV)

Whoa, Benedict finished 24 episodes of Veronica Mars in two days. And I thought I was the couch potater.

Been watching eps of Lost season one again, and it’s gotten better, thankfully, from the last time I saw it. Also getting better is Heroes. Its last two episodes were really tense and the most memorable ones for me so far. It only has a few episodes left before the huge season finale, and because these latest eps have been good, I’m wondering how the big prophecies unfold and how some characters will end up.

I’m glad that serial killing freak Sylar is facing Peter Petrelli and that it’s finally pointed out that both of them are multi-powered copycat beings. Hope the ensuing battle is good. It also feels like The X-Files, back when it was good, now that it’s revealed that there’s a not-so-benevolent group keeping tabs on the superpowered humans, as well as a secret alliance that’s protecting Claire the impervious cheerleader. The connections are becoming clearer, and things are finally making sense. I hope the ten or so powered characters interact and organize real soon, as it would be great to have them work on a mission that would really make them heroes.

Summer Sky, Throat Bone Dry

Once in a while, I get a lingering heavy feeling, the kind I get when getting out of bed seems like a serious chore. I don’t normally procrastinate… well, maybe I do sometimes, as some friends will undoubtedly tell me when it comes to certain things. But no, I know my responsibilities. Yesterday, I was just feeling a little bummed out. Perhaps it’s a delayed response to the just-finished holidays; it’s probably my mind and body’s way of telling me that I should stop for a little while and get more rest. I don’t get to enjoy the days off like others may have, because, mainly, I didn’t go somewhere different last week and maybe I’m wishing for a change of scenery. Or maybe I’m just worrying about money. That’s probably it.

I’ve always tried to make the most of the summer season when I was younger. For kids, ten-month schoolyears meant that the remaining months of the year should be spent on just bumming around and enjoying the great outdoors. The thing back then was the family excursion, where relatives from one side would plan a trip together to some Laguna hot springs resort or some beach that wasn’t that far from southern Metro Manila. Those were the times when the famiy members and relatives felt closer, when joining them really wasn’t a question. Sure, I can enjoy time alone at home drawing, reading and watching TV, but those occasions seemed rare enough and I was a kid who didn’t want to be left out.

Nope, I’ve never been to the fabled land of Bora, but one day, I’ll have to visit just to see what it’s all about. I have, however, been to La Union as a boy, and later, as a college student. I’ve been to Baguio, too, right after those short stays at some not-so-swanky beachside resorts. The change of pace did me good every time, though, and getting in touch with nature did have some recuperative effects. It was especially helpful when I was away from the country for a brief vaycay in Hong Kong back in the ‘90s. Not that it was a healthy place to visit or anything, but the change of atmosphere was exciting. But some summers didn’t have to be spent away from home to be memorable.

One summer vacation in high school was kicked off by a farewell party at a classmate’s house. Some guys bought heavy booze, got really drunk, and soon passed out. My other classmates and I--the non-drinkers--were panicking, as our class adviser was about to arrive soon. I think I left really early, as the others were trying their damnedest to sober up the boozed-up guys. It was going to be a serious issue if they get caught that way, and we didn’t want any grief about it either. What a disaster, I thought, but I called up the classmate’s house later to check up on things, out of curiosity. The adviser even talked to me, and she sounded real happy, with nary an inkling of what transpired earlier. Pshew. I know, I’m such a nerd.

I wasn't into sports, but I kept myself busy. I drew a few pages of comics art for a friend’s brother the summer before fourth year high school, when I was 14. I think the guy was so dissatisfied with it that he just shelved it, and I remember that it really looked icky, so I guess it’s for the best that project didn’t continue. Three years later, one summer was spent mostly with new friends and fellow comic book fans, and we enthusiastically started working on a fantasy book. That has yet to be printed, heheh...

About the same time, when I was in my late teens, I took summer classes, not because I failed subjects, but because I wanted to get some of them out of the way. I took up advanced Filipino and Constitution classes with a friend, to free up the upcoming schoolyear somewhat. And I wasn’t gonna spend the season holed up at home. I soon met _________, which led to the end of the relationship with ________. But I’m not at liberty to discuss that, really. I won’t get into how I ________ with ________, either. Or my ________ with ________, some time later.

But back to the present. I need to step on a beach or something. I’m feeling a little tired, but now that I’ve written this, I feel considerably better. I’m just reminded and a bit relieved that I’ve some nice things to look forward to, even when I’m really itching to do something different. Hmmm… I colored my receding Bruce Willis-Diehard 1 hair a brownish hue again, which I haven’t done in about three years (been dyeing it a different color since around 2000, I think). My hair's a tad thicker now than when it was pictured in a post below, and I just felt like doing it. Maybe I’m just incredibly bored. I dunno. Time to pick up a sport or something. Or maybe I’ll just slump back and sleep some more.

Summer Hatin' Happens Too Fast

Yesiree, it’s too damn hot in the Philippines again. Getting by with summer lovin', though.

Lez, Get Crazy

Shane Shines (pic from YahooTV)

Just found out that Katherine Moennig, above, who plays Shane in The L Word, used to be the androgynous kid character in the old show Young Americans. Wow. I like her deep voice, and her promiscuous lesbian character is honest and really a nice person. Just finished the first season, and I must say that it took me long to like it. But after about seven eps, I got into it, and just had to see several episodes in succession. There are some storylines that I don’t really like, such as the longtime couple's breakup, and Alice and Dana’s secret hookup. That one reminds me too much of Queer As Folk’s pairing of Ted and Emmett. This may have preceded that or it may be a weird coincidence, I don’t know. Still, I really like sexy Shane, and I really want her and newbie bi girl Jenny (Mia Kirshner from 24!) to hook up. They’re sharing a house as roommates already, so that’s a start. They’re both dark-haired and blue-eyed, as a new character pointed out. They look great together.

That Broken Marvel Family

Assembling again. New cover art by Art Adams (pic from Newsarama)

Before I ever read X-Men as a kid, the first super-team that I really liked was the Avengers. I must be four or five, and I remember really liking a reprinted hardbound edition that had the Circus of Crime gatecrashing the wedding of Wasp and Yellowjacket. It had an unrelated backup story that starred Conan the Barbarian and Red Sonja, which was okay, I thought, but I liked the grouping of such colorfully costumed heroes better. I favored the Avengers title among those National Bookstore-reprinted versions, too. I liked Iron Man best, followed by Vision, Thor and Scarlet Witch. The Black Panther too, was interesting, as he seemed mysterious to me back then. When comics-reading shifted to the non-reprints, Avengers was the first comic book I bought, specifically # 105, which had Vision battling Yellow Claw on the cover.

I didn’t read it regularly as I was growing up, as I’ve been interested in other comic books, but I was there to witness some of my favorite superhero stories ever. I liked Roger Stern’s stuff most of all, which included the Masters of Evil arc, back in ’86. I remember it fondly because I thought that those villains, although they didn’t rival the meanness of the Marauders, who debuted in the X-books that same year, they were still quite badass. I also liked some of Steve Englehart’s and John Byrne’s West Coast Avengers stories, especially the time travel/Mockingbird’s secret arc, and Wanda’s first breakdown, respectively.

About nine years ago, I got into it again, with Kurt Busiek’s long stint. I also dug his Avengers Forever, which, while it has alienated non-fans, was mighty helpful in resolving some continuity and plot gaffes in the years that preceded it. This was followed by a new direction by Geoff Johns, whose UN-sanctioned status change had real potential, but wasn’t explored by subsequent writers.

I was there, mostly complaining, when "Disassembled" and House of M happened. The New Avengers series was strictly hit and miss. I was disappointed with the execution of Wanda’s second breakdown, Hawkeye’s deaths and resurrection, and the under-utilization of Sentry. I hope Brian Bendis does better with the new Mighty Avengers, starring the superhero police team, which feels like a more focused effort, dialogue quirks aside. Post-Civil War, the new NA team has gotten interesting with a new roster (Wolvie, Cage, Spider-Woman, Spidey, Echo, new Ronin, Iron Fist and Dr. Strange!), a new direction (they’re outlaws now, like the X-Men back in the ‘80s), and a new artist (I mostly like Leinil Yu’s fully penciled work here). I really loathe how Iron Man has transformed into a villain now, but I must admit that I like hating him. He seems to be hitting a new low every new issue (he baited the outlaw team with a fake Cap corpse recently!).

The Avengers are interesting again, but I’m most excited for Dan Slott’s new ongoing, Avengers- The Initiative, which starts next month. I’ve seen six pages of Initiative # 1, and I’m real excited with Slott’s handling of older members War Machine, Yellowjacket, She-Hulk, and Justice. I’m looking forward to the new young recruits, as well. I wonder how this affects the Young Avengers. The Gauntlet character is annoying, however, and is just asking for a beatdown.

Captain America just before his death, Iron Man pre- and post-CW, and Scarlet Witch since 2004 may have been “ruined,” but we all know that such things are canon only until someone rewrites or retcons their out-of-character tragedies. Well, by June, there’ll be another title, Avengers Classics, which, like the old Classic X-Men comics, will feature reprints with new backup features. Art Adams did that cover above (Yay, Genis-Vell’s there, he was a member of the Destiny War Avengers!). That’s a whole lot of avenging this year. I’m still hoping that there will be more memorable superhero stories and the new exploits will add to the characters’ complex, unending mythologies.

More Than Meets the Eye

Bumblepiglet (thanks to the Cybertron member who took the pic)

To be honest, I didn’t know Benedict would pull it off, but he did. He took long enough to finish his Bumblebee costume, which was made of different, thick box boards and house paint, velcroed together over loose black pants and a long-sleeved shirt. But again, the effort and last-minute touches paid off. It’s like he’s another person in that getup, which is a good thing, and he enjoyed being the mascot for that eyeball party thingie event weeks ago. Other people dug it, too, so he’s now encouraged to make more costumes for himself. I suggested that he wear a Jamie Braddock costume next time, for other comics-related events, but he’s kinda shy. And he might get escorted out by security if he pushes through with that.