I am working on organizing my comics. It is really fun! Anyway, enjoy some Carl ranting about a week without a football...
Fresh-From-Scratch Chicken Reuben Sandwich
- The meat is fresh cooked chicken breast or, at the very least, a good quality chicken breast sliced fresh at the deli-counter; and
- Both the cole slaw and the dressing are made fresh.
The classic Reuben is a grilled sandwich with layers of pastrami or corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian or Thousand Island dressing. It’s a classic, and completely wonderful, deli delight. So who was Reuben, and where did he learn to make such a great sandwich? Accounts vary. Some say it was created in the 1920’s by Reuben Kulakofsky, a Nebraska grocer, as a way of feeding his poker-buddies. Others claim it was invented by either by New York deli-owner Arnold Reuben as the “Reuben Special” in 1914, or by Alfred Scheuing, Arnold Reuben’s chef, for Reuben’s son Arnold sometime in the 1930’s. I have no idea which version, if any at all, is true, though I do have a hard time believing a great corned-beef sandwich came out of Nebraska over New York.
Over the years, a variant-Reuben has emerged made with turkey instead of corned beef or pastrami, and cole slaw in place of the sauerkraut.
Today’s recipe is based on the simple idea that almost anything normally made using packaged ingredients can be made better using fresh, home-made ingredients. (For instance, make that same tuna salad sandwich you’ve always made, but use fresh-grilled tuna instead of canned, and you’ll know immediately what I mean.) No disrespect to Sandra Lee intended. I’m just saying…
The Fresh-From-Scratch Chicken Reuben sandwich is similar to a standard Turkey Reuben, with a few exceptions:
Once the chicken, slaw and dressing are made, the sandwich is assembled with Swiss cheese and good rye bread, finished with a bit of time on the griddle, and served up to someone very grateful! (It should be noted that there’s a great debate among Reuben lovers as to whether the sandwich should be served closed, as the original seems to have been, or open. Good Reubens can be had either way. This recipe assumes a closed sandwich.)
The slaw is best after it has marinated for a while, so let’s make that first so we can let it rest while we make the rest of the sandwich components. An important, if obvious, note about the cole slaw: even the smallest slaw recipe makes a lot more than is needed to make a few Reubens. It’s ok. Just put it in a sealed container and enjoy it as a side with other meals too. I mean, it’s cole slaw, for goodness sake! (You’ll have leftover dressing too.)
Put ½ a red onion, thinly sliced, in ice water for about 10 minutes to reduce the “bite.” While the onion is soaking, prepare the remaining cole slaw ingredients.
In a bowl, combine the dressing ingredients: 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise; 1/2 tablespoon brown mustard; 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1/2 teaspoon celery seed; and salt and pepper to taste.
In a separate bowl, combine the vegetable ingredients: 1/2 head of cabbage, thinly shredded (about 3 cups); 1/2 cups shredded carrot (about 1 large); and the sliced red onion, drained well.
Gradually add dressing to the vegetables, mixing well, until the desired slaw texture is reached. Refrigerate the slaw mixture for 2 hours for best taste. When you’re ready to use the slaw, add 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley.
Next, the Thousand Island Dressing (makes about 1 cup):
Combine the dressing ingredients: 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise; ¼ cup low-fat sour cream; ¼ cup ketchup; ¼ cup pickle relish; and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Now for the chicken:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Brush 1 pound of boneless chicken breast or tenders with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, and dried thyme. (I kept the chicken seasonings simple to bring out the flavor of the chicken while not conflicting with the seasonings in the other sandwich components.) Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. (Note: It’s not necessary to turn them over part-way.)
With the chicken cooked, and the cole slaw and dressing made, you’re now ready to assemble and finish your Reuben!
Lightly butter 2 slices of rye bread for each sandwich. Working one sandwich at a time, put two slices on a not griddle pan, butter side down. On each, put a slice of Swiss cheese, and some Russian dressing. On one of the slices, put some cole slaw, then some chicken. On the other slice, put more cole slaw. Cook until the cheese is melted and each sliced is browned on the bottom. Remove the bread slices to the counter and combine to complete the sandwich. Slice in half diagonally and serve the freshest Reuben in town!
If narrative recipes aren’t your thing and you prefer a notebook-ready, cookbook-style version of this or any other recipe published on Kissing the Cook, just let me know in a comment or an e-mail and it will be sent right out!
I look forward to seeing you here again next week. Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)
GOTW
As I was sitting here going through all of my comics (yeah, it is a boat load of fun), I started thumbing through 100 Bullets, which is a fantastic read, and I remembered how hot Megan Dietrich was, and how much of a major bitch she could be. She was a bit of slut, liked to play Benito and his father of each other (and I think she slept with both of them). But, she is one of the most powerful people in the world and that makes her even hotter. Sadly, I could not find any good pictures of her, so you will just have to buy the comics and read them yourself.
Fernandez and Wells - Spanish Heaven on Lexington St
This is one of my favourite places... ever. Now, you should know, I am the kind of person who can be enticed into any establishment, if there is Jamon hanging in the window! Even if you are not a fan of the deliciousness that is cured meat, you are bound to fall in love with this place for many more reasons. The food is mouth watering (with only top notch ingredients used), the wine selection delicious and the staff friendly and knowledgeable, but the great thing about this place is the atmosphere. It is so comfortable and relaxing, that inevitably a quick drink easily turns into a bottle with food - not that I'm complaining! A great place to meet friends, enjoy an intimate date or indulge in a cheeky glass of wine on a Wednesday night! Get a feel for the place (and food) here.
Taxes and Titans
Last night I decided to do two very torturous things to myself: my taxes and watch Clash of the Titans. Which should I start with, I will take the lesser of two evils: taxes.
Taxes
Last year I used TurboTax and it was a good experience, so I figured I would use it again. One of the things I have discovered is that it does not matter that I give money to charity or that I save my receipts for my work shoes and clothes. None of these things make my refund any different.
It is also so depressing to look at your gross pay and then see how much you lost in taxes. This reminds me that I need to set up a 401K, might as well lose that money before the taxes come out. Also, I wonder if I donate all my comics to charity, if I claim them will that affect my refund? It would have to, right?
I do recommend using TurboTax if you have a simple tax return and want to get it done and over with. My return should be in my account in the next eight to fourteen days. And I have a few plans for that money, but more on that to come later in life.
Clash of the Titans
I heard this movie was terrible, but terrible does not do it justice. I just did not understand why the hell they felt the need to take the story of Perseus and mangle it all up. Why was Hades trying to kill Zeus? In the original myth, Hades helps Perseus by giving him a helmet (or was it a cloak?) that makes him invisible.
I also hated how crappy the Djinn looked. Wait, why were they even in the movie? Why did the scorpion scenes feel like a rip-off from Transformers? Oh, because it was pretty much identical. And what the hell is Hollywood's fascination with the kraken? This was not the creature from the original myth, why would you change it?
The biggest irritation was the whole Io subplot. Why was she even in this movie? Io was turned in a cow after having sex with Zeus, then she went to Egypt (I cannot remember all her adventures, sue me). Perseus is supposed to save Andromeda and then marry her. Granted, I thought that Gemma Arterton was hotter than Alexa Davalos, but it seems like they needed to put a character in to help Perseus and did not want to use Athena (who helps Perseus in the myth).
I would try to say something good about the movie, but there was not that much. I like Sam Worthington (he was great in Terminator Salvation) and I thought Medusa looked pretty good. That was one scene where they bumped up the action and it actually was good.
Needless to say, I am glad I did not see this in the theater. I would have probably got up halfway through and left.
Since I know you are asking who the girl to the left is, I figured I would make you all work it out. Just kidding, this is Natalia Vodianova, she played Medusa. Not going to lie, I would stare at her until I turned into stone.
Taxes
Last year I used TurboTax and it was a good experience, so I figured I would use it again. One of the things I have discovered is that it does not matter that I give money to charity or that I save my receipts for my work shoes and clothes. None of these things make my refund any different.
It is also so depressing to look at your gross pay and then see how much you lost in taxes. This reminds me that I need to set up a 401K, might as well lose that money before the taxes come out. Also, I wonder if I donate all my comics to charity, if I claim them will that affect my refund? It would have to, right?
I do recommend using TurboTax if you have a simple tax return and want to get it done and over with. My return should be in my account in the next eight to fourteen days. And I have a few plans for that money, but more on that to come later in life.
Clash of the Titans
I heard this movie was terrible, but terrible does not do it justice. I just did not understand why the hell they felt the need to take the story of Perseus and mangle it all up. Why was Hades trying to kill Zeus? In the original myth, Hades helps Perseus by giving him a helmet (or was it a cloak?) that makes him invisible.
The biggest irritation was the whole Io subplot. Why was she even in this movie? Io was turned in a cow after having sex with Zeus, then she went to Egypt (I cannot remember all her adventures, sue me). Perseus is supposed to save Andromeda and then marry her. Granted, I thought that Gemma Arterton was hotter than Alexa Davalos, but it seems like they needed to put a character in to help Perseus and did not want to use Athena (who helps Perseus in the myth).I would try to say something good about the movie, but there was not that much. I like Sam Worthington (he was great in Terminator Salvation) and I thought Medusa looked pretty good. That was one scene where they bumped up the action and it actually was good.
Since I know you are asking who the girl to the left is, I figured I would make you all work it out. Just kidding, this is Natalia Vodianova, she played Medusa. Not going to lie, I would stare at her until I turned into stone.
Smile for London - Art on the Underground
Smile for London has vowed to help us beat the January blues (the most depressing day of the year was apparently last Monday) with a 'showcase of film, art and animation' on the underground. A fantastic group of artists have created a collection of 'creative intermissions', which are being showcased during morning and evening rush hour at selected stations.
It has certainly put a smile of my face, with favourites being Amy Thornley's 'Spreadsheet Invasion' (sharing my contempt for spreadsheets) and Sodazot's film with the crazy eyes (I may have actually snorted out loud)! I found myself doing the unthinkable and voluntarily missing a tube (or two), just to see more, as well as mixing up my journey to catch films at different stations! Check out their great site for a map of featured stations, as well as artist names and previews of what to expect.
Best Before – Smile Birdy Smile
Last day to catch this is Friday, but hopefully there will be more projects to follow...
A Bunch of Football Stuff
Allow me to start out by saying how excited I am for the Steelers to be in the Super Bowl. I also think it will be a fantastic game between them and the Packers. Both teams are so similar, which should make it interesting. As you know though, the next two weeks will be filled with every conceivable story about both teams.
Just Make It Stop Already
-Aaron Rodgers was Brett Favre's backup and has finally risen up and led his team to the Super Bowl. Seriously, there will be so many stories about Brett Favre. Hell, at some point there will be speculation about him playing next season (as James said via facebook: "I wouldn't be surprised if he played for the Bills next season.") We all remember how the Packers decided to ignore Favre when he wanted to return and finally allow Rodgers the chance to take the reins. It was only like three seasons ago.
-The trials and tribulations of Ben Roethlisberger. Did you know that he was suspended for the first four games of the season? Everyone will tell us this, but no one will mention for what. Actually a few will say something like "stemming from an alleged sexual assault during the summer." I like Big Ben (as a quarterback) and I am sure that he is trying to be a good person, but I really do not care that he from the ashes and led his team to the Super Bowl. It feels like every writer had these stories written for Michael Vick and now that he is out of the playoffs, they will just replace Vick with Big Ben and killed dogs with alleged sexual assault.
-Mike McCarthy is from Pittsburgh. I am sure this will get mentioned a few hundred times. Who cares? Is McCarthy going to make bad calls because he was a Steelers fan as a kid? Probably not. Who will his family be rooting for? All that kind of dumb shit will just annoy the hell out of me.
-These storied franchises. The team of the 60s vs. the team of the 70s! I know it is a cool thing, but seriously, every football fan already knows how they are both great franchises. Please do not dumb down the discussion by explaining this to us. Hell, only a few of the coaches were even alive to see those Packers teams. Not many of the players were alive to see the Steelers teams of the 70s. Why not just focus on the here and now? These teams have a chance to kick off the race to see who will be the team of the 20Teens (what the hell else should we call this decade?).
-How young Mike Tomlin is. We have a young coach, the youngest to ever lead his team to a second Super Bowl. No shit, he was the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl. If the Steelers go again in the next twenty of so years, he will probably still be the youngest coach to lead his team to three Super Bowls. Why? Most coaches are old, Tomlin is really young. And I am sure there will be a few jokes about how he looks like Omar Epps...
My Thoughts on Jay Cutler
Most of you by now have heard about how players criticized Jay Cutler (via Twitter) for leaving the game on Sunday. From what I have heard, the team doctors were the ones who were not sure about the extent of the injury and decided he could not play. What if he would have went back in and thrown a few interception because he could not plant his leg and get a solid throw? People would have said how he was hurting his team by being in there. What if he goes back out and gets hit and ends his career? How many people would then be saying how silly it was for him to go back in the game? I do think it is great that the Bears defensive players have his back and as Chris Harris said yesterday on the Jim Rome show, they know which players said what, they will be looking for them next season.
Mark Sanchez To Lead The League in Picks
My Plans
Friday before the Super Bowl, I will be at the Pens game with Lindsey, Adam, and Lora. We are then going out that night and then we are going to come back to Ebensburg on Saturday, then head back to Pittsburgh to watch the game in the city. What better way to spend the Super Bowl then down in the Steel City?
My prediction for the game: 27-23 Steelers! Oh, and if you want to see me on television, I suggest you click this link.
Just Make It Stop Already
-The trials and tribulations of Ben Roethlisberger. Did you know that he was suspended for the first four games of the season? Everyone will tell us this, but no one will mention for what. Actually a few will say something like "stemming from an alleged sexual assault during the summer." I like Big Ben (as a quarterback) and I am sure that he is trying to be a good person, but I really do not care that he from the ashes and led his team to the Super Bowl. It feels like every writer had these stories written for Michael Vick and now that he is out of the playoffs, they will just replace Vick with Big Ben and killed dogs with alleged sexual assault.
-Mike McCarthy is from Pittsburgh. I am sure this will get mentioned a few hundred times. Who cares? Is McCarthy going to make bad calls because he was a Steelers fan as a kid? Probably not. Who will his family be rooting for? All that kind of dumb shit will just annoy the hell out of me.
-These storied franchises. The team of the 60s vs. the team of the 70s! I know it is a cool thing, but seriously, every football fan already knows how they are both great franchises. Please do not dumb down the discussion by explaining this to us. Hell, only a few of the coaches were even alive to see those Packers teams. Not many of the players were alive to see the Steelers teams of the 70s. Why not just focus on the here and now? These teams have a chance to kick off the race to see who will be the team of the 20Teens (what the hell else should we call this decade?).
My Thoughts on Jay Cutler
Most of you by now have heard about how players criticized Jay Cutler (via Twitter) for leaving the game on Sunday. From what I have heard, the team doctors were the ones who were not sure about the extent of the injury and decided he could not play. What if he would have went back in and thrown a few interception because he could not plant his leg and get a solid throw? People would have said how he was hurting his team by being in there. What if he goes back out and gets hit and ends his career? How many people would then be saying how silly it was for him to go back in the game? I do think it is great that the Bears defensive players have his back and as Chris Harris said yesterday on the Jim Rome show, they know which players said what, they will be looking for them next season.
Mark Sanchez To Lead The League in Picks
My Plans
Friday before the Super Bowl, I will be at the Pens game with Lindsey, Adam, and Lora. We are then going out that night and then we are going to come back to Ebensburg on Saturday, then head back to Pittsburgh to watch the game in the city. What better way to spend the Super Bowl then down in the Steel City?
My prediction for the game: 27-23 Steelers! Oh, and if you want to see me on television, I suggest you click this link.
Vroom Vroom Sculpture
When I heard that this new piece of sculptural art had hit our streets, I just had to go and see it up close, especially as i have a long standing love for the classic Cinquecento. Talking about his piece, Lorenzo Quinn said that 'Vroom Vroom symbolises part of my independence, my freedom and my personal growth. This was the first car I bought with the money I made in my first jobs'.
Still my perfect city car... minus the giant arm!
On display on Park Lane until April
Batman: The Dark Knight Rises
I have had a few people ask me about this, so I figured I might as well write about it. Remember when I wrote about the third Batman film after I saw Inception? It appears that I was correct about Tom Hardy playing one the villain, unfortunately I got it kind of wrong. Christopher Nolan says that Hardy will play the bad guy Bane. In a surprise move though, Anne Hathaway has been chosen to play Catwoman.
I have no problem with the castings of either of them, yet I do have to wonder about how these two will tie into the idea of Batman rising up as the hero of Gotham. Will Bane be written like he was in the original Knightsend story? He was extremely strong because of the Venom drug, but he was also somewhat smart. He wanted to weaken Batman before fighting him. He released all the bad guys from Arkham Asylum and then when Batman was nearly exhausted he chose to fight him and break him.
I would imagine that the movie will start with Gotham being hit by some sophisticated cat burglar. Batman will track the person down, only to realize it is a woman. They will spar and flirt and in the end she will escape. How does this tie into Bane though? Will Bane come to Gotham to try and take over the gangs? Does he want to take over the entire city? Maybe he hires Catwoman to find out who Batman really is?
Anyways, here are some things I do not want to see in this film:
-Supernatural powers or backgrounds for Catwoman. No cat-god powers, no nine lives, none of that nonsense. Just make her a cat burglar who likes to dress like a cat or something. Keep it simple.
-Bane as just some hired thug. If the gangs hire him to kill Batman, it will be incredibly stupid. I mean, did they forget how well it worked out using the Joker?
-Batman taking his mask off to talk Catwoman out of killing someone. The downfall of Batman movies always seems when the actor playing Batman wants more lines or screen time. Do you realize how often Batman takes his mask off in the comics? Pretty much never. Nolan has done a good job of keeping it on most of them, just do it again for one more movie. Not even if Christian Bale starts screaming at him...
-Please Mr. Nolan, do not introduce some kind of new Bat-suit. I am okay with a new Batmobile, maybe even splurging and seeing a Batplane, but the one thing I really hate is when they change the suit. It just never makes sense. Unless it serves the movie. I mean, yes, in the last one, it made sense for Bruce to want a suit that would stop dogs and allow his head to turn. I just do not want to see an all new design or some specialty suit, like the fire proof sonar suit. Ugh.
-The love story. Obviously that is why Catwoman will be making her debut in this film. However, keep it to her and Batman. Do not bring in the idiotic Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne relationship. In fact, make sure that Selina never knows Batman's identity. And under no circumstances should they figure out each others secret by some stupid back and forth like "mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it...a kiss can be deadlier if you mean it."
Anyways, I am excited about the film and I completely trust Christopher Nolan. I am sure he will make a great movie and that it will finish up his trilogy quite nicely. And then in a few years, they can bring another director and actor in and completely screw it all up.
I would imagine that the movie will start with Gotham being hit by some sophisticated cat burglar. Batman will track the person down, only to realize it is a woman. They will spar and flirt and in the end she will escape. How does this tie into Bane though? Will Bane come to Gotham to try and take over the gangs? Does he want to take over the entire city? Maybe he hires Catwoman to find out who Batman really is?
 |
| Have you seen the film Havoc? Who knew she was such a dirty girl... |
Anyways, here are some things I do not want to see in this film:
-Supernatural powers or backgrounds for Catwoman. No cat-god powers, no nine lives, none of that nonsense. Just make her a cat burglar who likes to dress like a cat or something. Keep it simple.
-Bane as just some hired thug. If the gangs hire him to kill Batman, it will be incredibly stupid. I mean, did they forget how well it worked out using the Joker?
-Batman taking his mask off to talk Catwoman out of killing someone. The downfall of Batman movies always seems when the actor playing Batman wants more lines or screen time. Do you realize how often Batman takes his mask off in the comics? Pretty much never. Nolan has done a good job of keeping it on most of them, just do it again for one more movie. Not even if Christian Bale starts screaming at him...
 |
| I really hope they use a suit similar to this... |
Anyways, I am excited about the film and I completely trust Christopher Nolan. I am sure he will make a great movie and that it will finish up his trilogy quite nicely. And then in a few years, they can bring another director and actor in and completely screw it all up.
Three-Cheese Blintzes with Apple Topping
A warm welcome to all the new Kissing the Cook followers!
Back in the 60’s, an enormously popular ad campaign assured us that it was ok for people of any culture to eat Levy’s Jewish Rye Bread. Today, it is in that same spirit of culinary inclusion that I give you Three-Cheese Blintzes with Apple Topping, along with my complete assurance that you can enjoy them regardless of your heritage or beliefs.
Blintzes, for anyone unfamiliar with them, are a delicious take on crepes that, although often associated with Jewish cuisine, are actually more broadly eastern European. (You’ll sometimes even find them on good diner menus, alongside meat loaf, open-face turkey sandwiches, and 24-hour breakfasts.) Many fillings are available but blintzes are most often filled with a sweet cheese mixture made with cream cheese and either farmer cheese, cottage cheese or, in more modern versions, ricotta. The three-cheese recipe below uses a combination of cream cheese, farmer cheese and cottage cheese. (While ricotta certainly can be used, being of Russian extraction I went with the cheeses that more directly address the blintz’s eastern European origins. My grandmother, originally from Kiev, used cream cheese and cottage cheese in hers.) It’s worth noting that my wife, who does not like cottage cheese or farmer cheese, likes these blintzes very much!
Aside from three-cheese filling, this recipe also varies from the usual blintz preparation in another important way. Blintzes are normally cooked twice: once to cook the crepe, and once to fry or bake the filled blintz to brown its outside. (Those recipes generally include beaten eggs in the filling, which makes the frying or baking a necessary step.) In my version, there are no eggs in the filling; the frying/baking is replaced by simply warming the finished blintzes, leaving the outside cooked, but not overly browned. Again, it’s the way the ones I grew up eating were made. Topped with a delicious apple topping and some confectioner’s sugar, they not only can be a great dessert, but a wonderful (and just the right bit naughty) main dish as well.
A note about the topping: I selected apples because they’re available year round. If you want to make your topping with seasonal fruit, using the same general method as described below for the apples, it should work just as well. (I confess my one reservation about the apples is that they don’t add enough color to the appearance of the dish.)
The following recipe makes 6 ten-inch crepes.
Make 6 crepes, lightly cooked (see separate recipe), and set aside to cool.For the filling, combine ½ pound farmer cheese, 1 cup low fat cottage cheese, 8 ounces softened low fat cream cheese, 3/8 cup sugar, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt, and the zest of ½ lemon. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the topping.For the topping, put 1/3 cup sugar and the juice of ½ lemon, into a saucepan, and stir until the juice is distributed and the sugar is dissolved. Add ½ teaspoon kosher salt; a pinch of ground nutmeg; and 5 large red delicious apples, peeled, cored and chopped into ¼” pieces, and turn the heat on very low. Cook until the apples are softened but not mushy. Put the topping aside and let it cool.To prepare the blintzes, lay a crepe out flat and put about 1/3 cup of cheese filling half-way between the center-line and edge nearest you. Fold the edge nearest you over the filling, then fold in the left and right sides, then roll the crepe away from you to form the blintz, folding the sides in again if necessary. Repeat until all the blintzes are made.To serve, top each blintz with some of the apple mixture, then heat gently until warm but not hot. Sprinkle some confectioner’s sugar on the plate as a garnish, then put a warm blintz with apple topping on the plate. Garnish the topping with a bit of confectioner’s sugar. Serve warm.
This is special dish I really hope you’ll try and enjoy.
For a cookbook-style, notebook-ready copy of this recipe, just ask in a comment or e-mail and it will be sent from me to you!
Till next week, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)
Thank You Jesus For This One Small Miracle!
I realize that my title may confuse some of you, since I do not believe in miracles and whatnot. All day at work I kept worrying that Carl would pick the Steelers this week and pretty much doom them. Fortunately he went with the NFC, which means the Steelers are in pretty good shape. Thanks Carl!
GOTW
This week's GOTW is one of the stars of Lie to Me, no not Tim Roth, but instead Monica Raymund, who plays Torres. I enjoy the show and I definitely enjoy checking her out. Sadly, I cannot find any great pictures, but if you watch the show, you will see what I mean.
Comics, What Are Those?
Back in September I decided to switch from receiving single issue comics to just getting the trade paperbacks. I did this for a variety of reasons. The main one is that I like storing them in a book case instead of storing them in tons of boxes in a closet. Also, when you only pick up your comics every couple months, it is hard to remember what the hell was happening. When I picked them up on Monday there were still a good bit of single issues left since they finished up the current arc I was reading. Here are my thoughts on some of them.
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
Allow me to recap for those of you that did not follow this whole thing. Batman was killed by Darkseid, but it turns out that the body that Superman found was not actually Batman. Instead he was sent back in time with no memory. He bounces through time, leaving clues that he is alive around Wayne Manor. Turns out that Darkseid made Batman into a weapon and when he finally comes back, he will destroy the universe (do not ask, it really makes no sense, ask DCUniverse).
Anyways, everything ends with Bruce back and he wants to take Batman international. Set up some franchises across the world. The only thing I can agree with is the decision to not force Dick out of his role as Batman. I actually loved Dick as Batman. It was nice to see an unsure Batman. I also enjoyed his relationship with Damian as the new Robin. And since everyone now knows that Bruce has been funding Batman for years, I am guessing everyone will just put two and two together that they are one and the same. I guess it is that leap of faith we have to take whenever Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent hang out. A billionaire playboy and a mild-mannered reporter are really good friends, one from Gotham, the other from Metropolis, just like two superheroes?
Daredevil Shadowland
I started out really loving this story. Daredevil takes over the Hand and wants to turn them into something good. He takes over Hell's Kitchen (he uses his assassins to patrol the streets and kick HAMMER's ass when they come to shut him down) and seems to be doing good things. I wanted to see where this was going to go. Unfortunately, they decided to go a different route. Turns out that there is a secret group with the secret group that needs a pure soul to kill someone in order to let the Beast in. The Beast is some kind of evil incarnate and it causes the people of Hell's Kitchen to go crazy.
The heroes connected to DD come out and want to stop him. They find out the only way to stop the Beast is to kill the host. They try to fight him, but he kicks their asses. Matt regains control for a second and decides to take his own life and everything is fine. Then his body disappears and we see that he is alive and well. He decides to leave the city and give up his life as Daredevil. Apparently he cannot forgive himself for what he did. But, it was such a let down. I mean, either he should have killed himself or just write the whole thing off as him being mind-controlled. And now the Black Panther is patrolling the rooftops of Hell's Kitchen. Oh, and why the hell did Wolverine just show up at the end for the last battle? He is rarely a character that pops up in DD (especially over the last few years). In fact, someone even asks why he is there. He does not appear in enough books, they had to just toss him randomly into this story.
Supergod
This is one that would have been great to read as a collected edition (hell I might buy it someday just to reread it in one sitting). Unfortunately, none of the single issues were very standout, yet the idea was very cool. The idea is what if countries had an arms race trying to create a superhuman. The different nations basically create gods and they end up destroying most of the world. Like most Warren Ellis stories, it is definitely out there.
Ultimate Spider-Man
This one actually ended pretty well. The story was that this new Chameleon tries to take J. Jonah Jameson and steal his identity. Peter Parker tries to stop him and the new guy realizes Peter is Spider-Man and decides to take his identity. This guy and his sister have the same shape-changing powers. The story ends with the Human Torch and Iceman rescuing Peter. Unfortunately, the bad guys know their identities. Instead of doing something complex, they just take the two villains to SHIELD where they are locked up. I love that Bendis uses SHIELD to aid Spider-Man. It is kind of like whenever Spidey would be fighting someone in the regular Marvel Universe, you would ask yourself "why don't the Avengers ever just show up and help him out?" I also loved that at the end, JJJ realizes that Parker is Spider-Man. I also like the JJJ thinks of Spider-Man as a hero in this universe (he realizes his during the whole Magneto world ending event, I think it was called Ultimatum or something).
Where Does This Leave Me?
I have a few trades to read, which I might write about next week. I have come to an interesting decision though. I want to get rid of all my single issues. I am going to try to find a way to sell them, I have heard of a few sites where people will buy your entire collection. I realize I will not get anything close to what I paid for them and I am pretty much okay with that. If I cannot find a buyer by next October, I will most likely use them for charity at work. Maybe set up a table and sell single issues for a quarter or five for a dollar. All the money would go to the Children's Hospital. Anything left over, I will just donate to some library or maybe one of those charities for soldiers...
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
Allow me to recap for those of you that did not follow this whole thing. Batman was killed by Darkseid, but it turns out that the body that Superman found was not actually Batman. Instead he was sent back in time with no memory. He bounces through time, leaving clues that he is alive around Wayne Manor. Turns out that Darkseid made Batman into a weapon and when he finally comes back, he will destroy the universe (do not ask, it really makes no sense, ask DCUniverse).
Daredevil Shadowland
I started out really loving this story. Daredevil takes over the Hand and wants to turn them into something good. He takes over Hell's Kitchen (he uses his assassins to patrol the streets and kick HAMMER's ass when they come to shut him down) and seems to be doing good things. I wanted to see where this was going to go. Unfortunately, they decided to go a different route. Turns out that there is a secret group with the secret group that needs a pure soul to kill someone in order to let the Beast in. The Beast is some kind of evil incarnate and it causes the people of Hell's Kitchen to go crazy.
The heroes connected to DD come out and want to stop him. They find out the only way to stop the Beast is to kill the host. They try to fight him, but he kicks their asses. Matt regains control for a second and decides to take his own life and everything is fine. Then his body disappears and we see that he is alive and well. He decides to leave the city and give up his life as Daredevil. Apparently he cannot forgive himself for what he did. But, it was such a let down. I mean, either he should have killed himself or just write the whole thing off as him being mind-controlled. And now the Black Panther is patrolling the rooftops of Hell's Kitchen. Oh, and why the hell did Wolverine just show up at the end for the last battle? He is rarely a character that pops up in DD (especially over the last few years). In fact, someone even asks why he is there. He does not appear in enough books, they had to just toss him randomly into this story.
Supergod
Ultimate Spider-Man
This one actually ended pretty well. The story was that this new Chameleon tries to take J. Jonah Jameson and steal his identity. Peter Parker tries to stop him and the new guy realizes Peter is Spider-Man and decides to take his identity. This guy and his sister have the same shape-changing powers. The story ends with the Human Torch and Iceman rescuing Peter. Unfortunately, the bad guys know their identities. Instead of doing something complex, they just take the two villains to SHIELD where they are locked up. I love that Bendis uses SHIELD to aid Spider-Man. It is kind of like whenever Spidey would be fighting someone in the regular Marvel Universe, you would ask yourself "why don't the Avengers ever just show up and help him out?" I also loved that at the end, JJJ realizes that Parker is Spider-Man. I also like the JJJ thinks of Spider-Man as a hero in this universe (he realizes his during the whole Magneto world ending event, I think it was called Ultimatum or something).
Where Does This Leave Me?
I have a few trades to read, which I might write about next week. I have come to an interesting decision though. I want to get rid of all my single issues. I am going to try to find a way to sell them, I have heard of a few sites where people will buy your entire collection. I realize I will not get anything close to what I paid for them and I am pretty much okay with that. If I cannot find a buyer by next October, I will most likely use them for charity at work. Maybe set up a table and sell single issues for a quarter or five for a dollar. All the money would go to the Children's Hospital. Anything left over, I will just donate to some library or maybe one of those charities for soldiers...
Swedish Hasbeens for H&M
Here is something to cheer you up on this cold January day... H&M have announced that their next shoe collaboration will be with Swedish Hasbeens - Very exciting! These wooden soled, mega comfortable shoes became extremely popular last year and are set to become even more so with this collaboration. Available from 20th April in over 150 stores, the collection ticks both the 70's and Swedish trends that are set to be key for summer. But wait...you haven't heard the best bit yet... prices will start from only £34.99! With original Hasbeens in the £100+ bracket, these gorgeous shoes are sure to create humongous queues. I am planning my strategy now, as these are a must for my summer wardrobe. I have my heart set on the red peeptoes... I just might have to get them in white as well!
These three styles will each come in two colours....decisions, decisions...
Black Swan
The already critically acclaimed Black Swan is set to hit our cinema screens this weekend and I can't wait! Having missed the opportunity to see the film at the BFI Film Festival last October, I have been craving the general release ever since. There is a lot of buzz around the film and it is sure to be very inspiring to the fashion and design world, especially if these stunning Art Deco style posters are anything to go by! Unfortunately they are not available to buy as of yet (only used for promotions and displays in cinemas), but hopefully that will change with the success of the film.
The posters are the work of London based design studio La Boca. Check out their portfolio and great blog for more visual treats.
I am finding it impossible to choose my favourite...I love them all!
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