Top 5 comic books every comic fan should read

There are certain comics that every comic fan has at the very least heard of. Stuff like Watchmen,Dark Knight Returns and Crisis on Infinite Earths. But there is so many comics that I think every comic fan should read,but so many haven't. So here is a quick Top 5 list of some of these.

5.Megaton Man

Written and drawn by Don Simpson,Megaton Man first appeared in 1984. Published by various companies it was one of the earliest of the 80s parodies of the superhero tropes. Sadly the series got over-shadowed by The Tick. Simpson has tried many times to bring it back. But these revivals never last long. Simpson has long stated he thinks Ben Edlund stole the basic idea of Megaton Man and slightly changed it with the Tick. And I can see why he might think that. They have many similarities. As far as I know there is no trades or hardcovers reprinting the various series. But I do see the issues in the cheap bins fairly often. If you like the Tick or just comedy/parody comics this is one to track down.

4.Ms. Tree

Created by Max Collins and Terry Beatty,Ms Tree first appeared in the early 80s. Not too long after her first appearance she got a long running series that was mostly published by Renegade comics. Michael Tree is a female PI. Who not too long after getting married her husband is killed by the mob. It wasn't until this past spring that I got into Ms. Tree. I had heard of the series for years. Then at a con I got close to 30 issues for around a quarter an issue. Most issues have two chapters of the current storyline. Then at least one or sometimes two 2 or 3 page short mysteries. This series became known for tackling controversial issues. And you can see how Frank Miller and Brian Michael Bendis were influenced by it with their film noir/mystery/crime comics of the 90s.

3.Brat pack

Created,written and drawn by the highly under-rated Rick Veitch,this early 90s mini series was fairly controversial when it came out. But over the years it seems to have been forgotten. Veitch took the concept of teenage sidekicks and went to a very dark place. For years various articles had been published speculating on a possible homosexual relationship between Batman and Robin. Well in Brat Pack Veitch addresses that. With the Batman analog Midnight Mink and his sidekick Chippy. This along with Maximortal was suppose to be the first 2 parts of a 4 part series of interlocking mini series from Rick Veitch. As of 2013 the other 2 parts have not been published. But if you loved Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns this is a series to check out.

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2.1963

This 6 issue mini series is the best thing to come out of the first 4 years of Image comics. Written by Alan Moore. 1963 was a homage and a parody of the silver age of comics. With each issue focusing on 1 or 2 heroes or teams. You had the Fantastic Four like Mystery Inc,the Spider-Manish Fury and others. Each issue was made to be a stand alone read. But if you read all 6 you could see there was a underlying plot. Which was suppose to be wrapped up in the never published 1963 annual. I have heard many stories and lots of speculation as to why the annual never came out. And now Alan Moore and another of the creators of this great unsung gem have had a falling out. So the chances of this getting reprinted as a trade or a hardcover are very slim. But thankfully this series came out in the early 90s boom so finding the issues cheap won't be a problem.

2.Squadron Supreme

Starting in the summer of 1985 this was a 12 issue mini series. Where Mark Grunwald took Marvel's JLA parody and got dead serious. The last time the Squadron had appeared their world was devastated.So they took over the USA and set about a plan to create a Utopia. And over the course of the series we how a Utopia will never work. To me this is as good if not better than the much better known 12 issue mini series Watchmen. And I wouldn't be surprised if Alan Moore didn't read this and become inspired. I have seen how over the past decade this series is finally slowly starting to get some of the praise it has deserved.

1.Marvelman/Miracleman

In 1982 Alan Moore took Marvelman,a UK ripoff of Captain Marvel, and revitalized him. This story was serialized in the acclaimed UK comic anthology Warrior. But Warrior went under. Thankfully over in the States Eclipse comics picked it up and continued the series. Alan Moore and various artist did 16 issues. By issue 16 the now known as Miracleman had created a perfect Utopia. And that is where Moore ended his run on the series. He handed the writing duties off to at the time an almost unknown Neil Gaiman. Gaiman plotted out 3 storylines. Each to run 6 issues. The first was called The Golden Age and dealt with Miracleman and the rest of the world dealing with the new Utopia. The next storyline,titled the Silver Age, only had 1 issue printed before Eclipse went bankrupt. And for years it felt like this series was forgotten. Then Todd McFarlene tried to bring Miracleman back in his Spawn comic. But it turns out that Neil Gaiman and others own part of the rights to the character. So for years and years it looked like not only would this amazing storyline not be finished but also wouldn't be reprinted. Finally this year Marvel comics announced they had all the rights issues sorta out and sometime in 2014 they will start reprinting the 24 issues. And then Neil Gaiman will get to finish what he started back in the 90s. While with Alan Moore his Swamp Thing and Watchmen work gets so much praise,to me this is the best thing he has ever done. And with Neil Gaiman,Sandman gets all the hype and praise. But that is shit compared to what he did on Miracleman. Maybe now that it can be reprints more people will read what I consider one of the best comics of all time. 

Top 10 Tech/weapons/gadgets in the Marvel Universe

 

 Top 10 Tech/Weapons/Gadgets in the Marvel Universe

10.Nightcrawler's image inducer-No idea if this has been used in years. But I use to like how he would use it when out in the public.


09.Silver Surfer's surfboard-Could count as tech/weapon/vehicle.



08.Wonderman's flightbelt-Again no idea if he uses this anymore. But I always found it interesting that Simon pretty much had all the powers of Superman minus flight.


07.Dr Pym's pouches full of shrunken gadgets-During Hank's short lived stint as Dr Pym he wore a jumpsuit covered with pockets and pouches. Each was filled with piles of miniaturized gadgets and weapons.


06.Spider-man's spidey tracers-I love how they are made so he can trace them thanks to his spider sense.



05.Dr Strange's Clock of levitation-Sure he could fly just by using his magic. But with the clock he can fly and use his magic for other stuff.



04.Tigra's cat amulet-Another I have no idea if this exist anymore. But during her time in the West Coast Avengers she wore a amulet that allowed her to change from her cat person form into her human mode.


03.Dr Strange's eye of Agamotto-One of Stephen Strange's most powerful artifacts. You always knew when he brought it out shit was getting real.


02.Hawkeye (Clint Barton) trick arrows-Like I said in an earlier post in the fantastical world of comic books normal arrows just don't make much sense to me. I love how in OHOTMU they explained how Hawkeye's arrows had changeable arrow heads that he kept in the belts across his chest.



01.Captain America's shield-Now I do like the original shield. But the circular vibraium/adamantium combination shield is my favorite. 3 or 4 years ago some company made a life sized replica of it. And I came very close to ordering it.

Top 5 comics writers

5.Erik Larsen

Best known for Savage Dragon,Erik Larsen has been in the comic industry since the 80s. Before Savage Dragon I just knew Larsen from his work on Spider-man. And while that was entertaining it was nothing special. Well when Image started I was one of the many that bought everything they put out. I saw the cover for Savage Dragon and figured it would be a Hulk ripoff. How wrong I was. It was a very well done mixture of superheroes,cop drama and science fiction. Larsen has talked about how he created Dragon when he was a young child.. And for years made his own comics starring Dragon. All this rich back story has been woven into the Savage Dragon comic book. It is also the only one of the original Image titles that still has it's original creator working on it.

4.Peter Bagge

I discovered Peter Bagge when on a whim I picked up issue 3 of Hate. Bagge is one of the best satirist working in modern comics. Hate started off as a piss-take of Generation X and slackers. And over it's 30 issue run Bagge targeted all kinds of subjects. And each time it not only made me laugh but made me think. Since Hate ended Bagge has done other stuff. His highest profile work is when he did the Bat-Boy comic strip in the Weekly World News. But of all his post Hate work the one that stands out the most to me is his short lived YEAH! comic. This all ages series was the story of an all female teenage rock band. On one level it was just about their wacky adventures. On another level it was all about the explosion in the late 90s of pop bands that were marketed more based on their looks than their actual talent.


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3.Garth Ennis

Before Preacher I knew Ennis's name. But I don't think I had read much of his work. Since Preacher ended I have went back and read some of his work on Hellblazer,The Demon,Shadowman and Hitman. I keep hearing that Ennis' work on various war based comics. The other of his work I have read and loved is "The Boys". Which is a dark and twisted look at superheroes.

3.Steve Gerber

Until about 10 years ago I really hadn't read much of Gerber's comic work. Since then I have dove head first into his 70s stuff and he has become in my eyes one of the most under-rated comic writers out there.His best known stuff is the run on Howard the Duck. Which was such as subversive comic. Then you got his long run on Man-thing. Which took the ages old swamp monster genre and warped and changed it into something totally different. I truly believe that Alan Moore read Gerber's run on Man-thing and was inspired for his acclaimed Swamp Thing run.  I am not surprised that after Gerber left Man-thing it didn't last much longer. Now Howard and Man-thing are starting to get the acclaim they deserve. His run on the Defenders is as good as the previous mentioned runs. But never gets talked about. Then in the 90s Steve took one panel from one of his more experimental issues of Howard and used that to inspire his Nevada mini series. Which is all about a Vegas showgirl and her pet ostrich who have to fight to save the universe. Sadly back in Feb 2008 Mr Gerber passed away.

2.Rick Veitch

While Mr Veitch is well known for his art skills, and his art is great. But his writing is his best talent.Stuff like Heartburst,Roaring Rick's Rarebit Fiends and Brat Pack are all under-rated pieces of comic brilliance. Inspired by Little Nemo,Roaring Rick's Rarebit Fiends was Veitch's dream diary. Now thanks to the meds I have to take to sleep and they cause me to have strange dreams. But Veitch had STRANGE dreams. And Brat Pack,which should be spoken of in the same tone and praise as Watchmen,Dark Knight Returns and all the other 80s deconstructions of the superhero mythos. This dark and disturbing tale of superhero and their sidekicks. Maybe because it was a black and white indy that didn't get published by a big company,but Brat Pack feels like the lost classic of 80s comics.

TIE

1.Frank Miller

Yeah I know not that big a surprise Miller is #1. And I do agree that his Daredevil run and Dark Knight Returns are stunning pieces of  comic work. But I prefer Sin City,the Martha Washington mini series and The Dark Knight Strikes Again. Before reading the first 2 Sin City I had no interest in the film noir genre. But Sin City got me interested not only in the film noir genre of cinema but mysteries,detective fiction,That is the sign of a great work of fiction when it gets you interested in reading what inspired it. For years fans had been wanting a sequel to Dark Knight Returns. So in fall of 2001 the first of the 3 issue sequel,Dark Knight Strikes Again,was published. And the fanboys hated it. I didn't read it at that time. I had stopped reading comics. It wasn't until early 2009 that I read it. I had only heard one person say they had enjoyed it. So going into it I was prepared to be disappointed. I read the entire series in one sitting and was shocked. "Why the hell does everyone hate this?" I wondered. A few weeks later I sat down and read it again and realized why so many people hated it. Miller never wanted to do a sequel. DC kept throwing more and more money at him to do it. So he agreed. And produced one of the best "FUCK YOU FANBOYS" comics I have ever seen. The entire 3 issues is a huge middle finger to all those fans that for years had been begging for a sequel.

1.Alan Moore

Again I know not a big surprise that on a list of top comic writers Alan Moore is #1. The first of Mr Moore's work I read was Swamp Thing. I had become a fan of the character thanks to the under-rated Wes Craven movie. I was fairly young when I was reading Moore's run on Swamp Thing and it shocked me. I had never see comics like this. Then my cousin told me he had a comic for me. "Yeah I got this comic because Superman was in it.I don't like it so you can have it." That comic was an issue of DC Comics Presents that teamed Superman up with Swamp Thing. I have never been a Superman fan. But this comic I loved. I looked at the credits and saw that Alan Moore had wrote it. I assume everyone reading this has at least heard of Watchmen so I won't bother talking about it. But to me the best thing Moore has done is sadly one of the least read. In the 80s in the UK comic anthology comic "Warrior" Alan Moore took the old UK superhero Marvelman and brought him into the modern age. In the short 16 issue run Moore deconstructed the entire superhero mythos. Sadly thanks to various rights issues Marvelman/Miracleman has been out of print for years now. And the issues,TPBs and hardcovers are costly. Sometime in the next few years Marvel Comics will be reprinting and continuing this classic of modern comics.

Top 5 Indy wrestlers you should know about

By indy I mean anyone who currently isn't under contract to WWE,TNA or ROH. Also I have had to have seen each person on my list at least 3 times.

TIE

5.Purple Haze Davey Hendrix

The first time I saw Davey was at Powerslam Productions Spring Bash show. Davey took on Lukas Frost. And it was a great match up. Both guys are high flyers. Since then I have seen Davey 4 more times and each time he gets better. It also helps that he is a super nice guy.

5.Max Maverick

I discovered Max Maverick at the first show Last Rites Championship Wrestling had. He was part of a 3 way match for the Last Rites Hardcore title. Before the match started Max grabbed the mic and cut a great heel promo. As you can see in the above picture he won. Since then I have looked up Max on youtube and saw that not only can he do high flying moves he is also a good chain wrestler. Plus he is damn good on the mic. What shocked me is that when I first saw him he hadn't been wrestling that long.

5.Cale Conners

Cale is another good wrestler I first saw at the Last Rites show in town. When he walked through the curtain he got my attention. He has this presence about him. At the show he came out wearing this really neat metallic skull mask with light up eyes. Well since he was the heel I started heckling him. Calling him fat. He turns and looks at me and said "Like I haven't heard that before. Come on try to come up with something original." I quickly said "Well you look like Kane and Playboy Buddy Rose had a kid!" Cale didn't miss a beat and replied with "Hey look everyone we got ourselves a  smart mark!" Then the match started and I was majorly impressed with Cale's ringwork. He is a tall and fairly big guy. But moves like someone half his size. After the show I was heading to the bathroom. Saw him coming down the hall and thanked him for the smart mark comment. Since that night I have watched a bunch of his matches on Youtube. And like Max,Cale is a guy that is good in the ring and good on the mic.

TIE

4.Reggie Krimsyn Matthews

I had been talking to Reggie on Facebook for at least 2 months before I even met him. Last December on the 15th I went to my first Powerslam show. About a week before the show I had sent Reggie a message on Facebook asking if he could hold two front row seats for me. I get to the show and there was two seats with my name on them. That night I got to see Reggie face Calvin Rose. And the match was so much fun. You could tell that Reggie really enjoys being in the ring.One thing Reggie has is he not only has great charisma but he has that "It" factor. Since then I have seen Reggie wrestle many times. My favorite match of his is from last years Slamfest. Reggie faced Joe Kane. And the crowd was so hot. Back in August I asked Reggie if he would come on my podcast and do an interview. He came on and it was so much fun. We recorded for over 3 hours. Reggie Krimsyn Matthews Interview on Asshat Podcast. Reggie is also one of the nicest guys I have met in this area.

4.Sgt Sorroco

Sgt is another guy who I first saw at my first Powerslam show. After the show I was talking to him and found out he was in the Army. We talked for a bit about Army related stuff. Sgt is one of those wrestlers that can do a little bit of everything. At Wildkat Sports "Schools Out" show on June 8th of this year Sgt had a match against Outlaw Matt Lancie. And it turned into a old school southern style locker room clearing brawl. With Sgt taking a shot to the nose and bleeding all over the floor. Now that match was really good,but the best match I have seen from Sgt was at the next Wildkat show. On August 24th at the Wildkat Sports "Hawx vs Hardy" show Sgt and the Outlaw had a feud ending bullrope match. And to add something extra to the match it was for the Wildkat Revolution title. This match turned out to be even more brutal than their last match. After it was over,sadly Sgt lost,the entire crowd was on their feet clapping.

4.The Outlaw Matt Lancie

Lancie,who I am pretty sure is the current Wildkat Revolution champion, reminds me so much of Stan Hansen. He is a great example of someone who has taken the old southern brawling style and updated it. Living in the deep south it is a great showing of how much talent Matt has when he can work a cowboyish gimmick and still get the crowd to boo him. Everyone of his moves looks super stiff. And that is another thing that makes him stand out to me. Then there is how he carries himself before the match,it is hard to describe. But he has this kind of hunched over walk and stance. Then he has a way at staring at people that just is so damn creepy.

4.Bolt Brady

The first time I saw Bolt was at the first Wildkat show I went to. The match was Bolt Brady vs Bestia 666. I went to that show just to see Bestia 666. Thinking how many chances would I get to see a legit luchadore. I had heard of Bolt before that match,but never seen him. Holy fuck those two guys put on a fast paced action packed match. From when the bell rung till Bolt got the pinfall neither guy slowed down. That night when I got home I searched for Bolt Brady on Youtube. And found out he works a lot for ACW out of Texas. I saw a fun tag match with him and ACH vs two guys who I can't remember. Then this past August Wildkat had a rematch between Bolt and Bestia 666. And once again both guy gave it their all. This time with Bestia winning. After the match it was strongly hinted that we will get a 3rd match between the two and I can't wait. Bolt has great charisma. Then you add in his energy packed high flying style I could see him one day working for ROH,TNA or WWE.

TIE

3.Bu Ku Dao AKA Ling Pham

Standing at barely over 5 foot,Bu Ku Dao impressed me the first time I saw him. It was Powerslam Productions December Double shot part 1 in 2012. And Bu Ku Dao,who goes by Ling Pham in Powerslam, was facing Lukas Frost. With both guys working a high flying style I got to see a super fun match. Bu Ku Dao really reminds me of Rey Jr before his knees went to shit. The stand out match for me has to be when Bu Ku Dao took on Chris Masters at the first Wildkat show I went too. Now Masters is over a foot taller than Dao. And has to have at least 100lbs on him. But Dao fought back and tried his best,before finally getting caught in the Masterlock and passing out. What I didn't know at the time was Dao and Stud Matthews were in the middle of what ended up being a year long feud.  At the August Wildkat show they had the final match in the feud. I was shocked when Dao locked Matthews in a crossface and getting a submission win. Dao is another guy who each time I see him he gets better.

3.Curt "The Stud" Matthews

At the PSP December Double Shot part 1 I got to see Stud Matthews. Turns out this was the first time he used his new gimmick. He comes out to Eye of the tiger. And it is a Hulk Hogan tribute style. Curt is good in the ring. But it is the little things he does that makes him stand out. Like how after each match he goes out in the crowd and thumb wrestles with the kids. Or how he has all the Hogan moves down. And all the Hogan mannerisms. Then you factor in that while he is a face in Powerslam,down in Wildkat he is a heel. In Wildkat he does a arrogant weightlifter gimmick. If you look up Wildkat Sports on Youtube you can see some great Curt "The Stud" Matthews promos. Plus there is lots of his matches on Youtube. As for my favorite match of his it is a tie. One of them is the feud ending match against Bu Ku Dao that I mentioned above. The other is from the Powerslam Spring Bash show. The final match of the night was a battle royale. Which Curt won. Curt is another guy that just oozes charisma. At the Powerslam Productions Slamfest show in Liberty most of the crowd had no idea who he was. But by the time he had walked through the crowd and entered the ring he had already gotten the crowd to cheer him.

TIE

2.Bestia 666

The son of luca libre legend Damien 666,Bestia is as talented as his father. I first heard of him when he was having matches in the Extreme Rising show. Then after the Powerslam Productions Spring Bash show was over Luke Hawx told me that at the next Wildkat show Bestia was going to be coming in. Luke had remembered how much I love lucha libre. So I talked my buddy Collin into driving us down. And that show Bestia faced Bolt Brady in what was to me the match of the night. Then at the August show Bestia came back to have a rematch with Bolt. Bestia tried his best to get the crowd to boo him. Even going so far as to yell "Viva la Mexico". But it didn't work the crowd loves him. Since then I have watched many of his matches on youtube. What I enjoy about Bestia is 2 main things. I have been told that behind the scenes he is a super nice super humble guy. The other thing is unlike some other luchadores that have trouble adapting to the American style of wrestling,Bestia doesn't have that issue.

2.Lukas Frost

Lukas is one of the most well rounded wrestlers on the southern indy circuit. Not only is he good in the ring and on the mic. He also knows the little things that can make a difference. Like the cloak he has on in the above picture. It just helps add to his character. I have seen him live 4 times now. Now Lukas works a high flyer style. But unlike some indy high flyers Lukas know how and when to sell. For 3 years Lukas,who is known as Frostie, wrote a great blog.Lukas Frost's blog . Where he not only told lots of great behind the scenes stories. But gave piles of great advice. Now my memory isn't the best but I kind of remember Lukas telling me one time that he has thought about taking the blog posts and making a book out of it. If this happens I will buy it. Now while Lukas is a huge heel in the ring, outside it he is such a nice guy. The many times we have talked Lukas has told me how much he enjoys reading my posts here at the blog about the indy shows I go to. It is feedback like that that keeps me writing.

TIE

1.Joe Kane the Prince of Pain

Joe has been around the southern indy scene for years now. And it shows when he is in the ring. He know how to pace a match,how to get the crowd to react the way he wants them too. Perfect example,at the Powerslam Slamfest show. Joe came out to the ring and without saying a word got the entire crowd booing him before the match even started. And his is one of the best sellers around this area. And like everyone else on this list Joe has always been so nice when I have talked to him. If you want to see what a southern style heel should be just Youtube Joe Kane. He has plenty of matches up on Youtube. From the ones  I have seen Joe can have a good match with anyone. I bet if you put me in the ring with him,it would end up being good match. And I have not athletic skills at all.

1.Wes Adams

Besides Bestia 666,Wes is most likely the most well known guy on this list. He has been around for years now wrestling. Working in Memphis as one of the Lifeguards. Then having a stint in NWA Wildside. From there he moved on to the WWE developmental territory Deep South Wrestling. And when DSW shut down Wes was sent to FCW. He ended up becoming a ref. And was used a lot on WWE's version of ECW. Once his contract was up and not renewed Wes came back to Mississippi and started up Powerslam Productions. In many ways Wes reminds me of Mid South/UWF era Terry Taylor. At the June Wildkat show Wes had a match against Rudy Russo. A few minutes into the match Rudy injured Wes' leg and the rest of the match was built around Rudy trying to work Wes' leg and Wes trying to protect it. One thing that I doubt many people know is that Wes is really good at cutting promos. I have seen him cut a few live and he has a way of getting the  crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. Another thing is there are some wrestlers that might be good at singles matches but if you put them in a tag team it doesn't work. Not Wes. I have seen him work singles and tag matches and he is good in both.

Is it worth it Wednesdays:The best of the best of The Electric Company from Shout Factory

Media-DVD
Title-The best of the best of the Electric Company
Company-Shout Factory
Price-$5

As a kid I watched Sesame Street. Then when I started kindergarten I started watching Electric Company. And I enjoyed Electric Company more than Sesame Street. One reason is EC had Spider-man on it. Another was because EC also had Bill Cosby who I knew from Fat Albert and Picture pages. I knew that Shout Factory had released some Electric Company DVDs. But also had heard that they didn't have the Spiderman bits.Cause of rights issues. So I avoided those sets. Then months back I was digging through the $5 bin and found this DVD. "Well it's only $5 and it is 165 minutes. So 5 episodes for $5 that is worth it to me."

I got home and opened it up. Planning on mostly listening to it while I was on the computer. After maybe 10 minutes all my attention was on the TV. One of the episodes included on this disc is the series premiere which I doubt I had ever seen. I didn't remember any of these episodes at all.

I love how 70s this show feels. And yes I know all the episodes on here are from the 70s. But I didn't remember it feeling so of it's time. And what a great cast the show had. I already mentioned Bill Cosby,but also there is Rita Moreno,Joan Rivers,Gene Wilder,Zero Mostel and Morgan Freeman. Freeman is so damn entertaining as Easy Reader.Now it isn't a secret I am not a fan of hippies. Mostly because all the hippies I have ever ran into are modern day upper class trust fund hippies. But if all hippies were like Easy Reader I would be a huge fan of them.

There is so much to love about this show. From the zany comedy skits. The music videos and oh so trippy animation. Add in how while the show is educational,but isn't boring like some educational shows are.

I ended up watching the entire DVD the day I bought it. But was wondering if it would appeal to kids today. So my next trip to visit my family on the coast I brought it along.My cousin who I always stay with has two sons. One who is 11 and the other is 6. Well one day both their parents were at work. And I had been told the boys were only allowed to play video games for 1 hour that day. But I cut them a deal. If they were willing to watch 2 episodes of Electric Company,I would allow them to play video games for 1 1/2 hours. So I put in the DVD. Started it and went and got on the computer. After 2 episodes were over the 6 year old asked if he could watch more. The 11 year old was ready to get his 1 1/2 hours of video games. I left the DVD playing. And noticed that the older brother was actually paying more attention to the DVD than his video game. They ended up watching the entire DVD and asked me if I had anymore.

I asked each one of them what they liked most about the show. The older one told me he liked the cartoons and how everyone "dressed very funny looking". The younger one told me he liked the songs and Letterman.

So was it worth it?-Well it is 5 episodes plus extras for $5. So yes it is totally worth it. But one caveat I don't know how much appeal this DVD will have for anyone who either didn't grow up watching this. Or isn't a pre-teen or younger.

Top 5 songs that changed how I viewed the world when I was a teen.

I have always been hugely into music. By the age of 8 I had a decent sized record and 8-track collection. Yeah I hear you snickering about the 8-tracks.

Now all the following songs,unless noted, I discovered thanks to a great friend of mine Thomas. Our father's worked together. And at least one weekend a month we would go visit. He was always into all kinds of music. Usually each visit he had a new 90 minute cassette of stuff he thought I might like.

5.Velvet Underground-Heroin

This is one I didn't discover thanks to Thomas. My much older cousin, who back then was kind of a biker, was babysitting me. And he put on "The Velvet Underground and Nico" album. I was 13 and the changes in style and tempo of the song called out to me. I made him copy this one song to a cassette for me. And I listened to it over and over again for weeks. At the time I kind of knew what heroin was. This song,along with Cheech and Chong films is what introduced me to the drug culture. Weirdly that cousin is now a fairly well known youth minister on the coast. This song totally changed my mind about music that was made before I was born. Before hearing this any band from before my birth I considered "Old stuff that only my parents listen too." Thanks to my cousin playing me this song I started going back and discovered so many great bands.

4.Dead Kennedys-Pull my strings

Thomas handed me a cassette one day. And like always he had on the paper insert listed all the bands and the songs. I looked and saw Dead Kennedys. Then thought to myself what a strange name for a band. When I got home that night I was playing some Nintendo game. Threw the tape in the portable cassette player I kept in my bedroom window for years. Once this song started something in my brain told me "Stop the game and pay close attention." I did and was blown away. Here was a band giving a huge FUCK YOU to the corporate music industry. Sure before hearing this I had heard the Sex Pistols-EMI. But the anger and vitriol in EMI had nothing on Pull my strings. I started thinking about how bands had to answer to the record labels they worked for. And how the only way to truly put out the music you wanted was to DO IT YOURSELF.

3.Black Flag-Rise Above

I am pretty sure this song was on the same cassette as Pull my strings. But where as Pull my strings was kind of radio friendly,well as radio friendly as a Dead Kennedys song can get, Rise Above was 2 1/2 minutes of pure raw anger. Here was this band telling me "Guess what you don't fit in. FUCK THAT. FUCK ALL THOSE PEOPLE THAT FUCK WITH YOU CAUSE YOU DON'T CONFIRM TO THEIR STANDARDS." This song made me realize it was much better to stop trying to fit in and just be myself.

2.Dead Kennedys-Stars and Stripes of Corruption

I got my first copy of Frankenchrist on vinyl. And it was one of the early pressing that came with the infamous Giger poster. And while it is a good album. This song which is the final track is the one that stood out to me. I was 13 or 14 when I got the album. And really not that much into politics. Back then cause I had a Walkman, which fuck those things were huge and ate batteries so fast, I would take albums and put my favorite songs off each onto cassettes. This song was quickly added to a cassette. Listening to it over and over I started to realize that it is my job as a citizen to question the government. And how much horrible shit happens cause people are too complacent to not pay attention to what is happening.

1.Bad Religion-Fuck Armageddon this is Hell

I mentioned on my top 10 bands list how I discovered Bad Religion. And to be honest my Jr High years were hell. The first Jr High I went to was mostly made up of ultra rich snobby as fuck kids. At the time my family wasn't well off. Most of my clothes were hand me downs from my older cousins. And I got picked on daily because of this. So when I got the "How can hell be any worse" album this song became a personal anthem to me. The opening riff still sends tremors all over my body. And I realized that those others that were judging me based on what I wore meant nothing to me. That no matter what I wore or did they would still not like me. Because I wasn't like them. Fuck fitting in,fuck making sure I kept up with whatever the newest fad in clothing was. Wear what I wanted. Do what I wanted. I have since learned that 3 of the ones that treated me the worst,well one is serving 20 years in jail,one has been married 3 times had 2 kids and is stuck working the counter at Mcdonalds. And the final one actually got in touch with me and apologized for how she treated me back then.

Top 5 Female pro wrestlers

I love wrestling. Been watching it off and on since I was 4 or 5. But until I started watching GLOW in 1986 and that is when I got into female wrestling. Yeah I find it funny some of the worst women wrestling is what got me into it. Now a few things. First off I have barely seen any joshi. So there won't be any ladies from that style on my list. And I haven't watched any lucha libre in years now. So no female luchadores on the list.

5.AJ Lee

AJ is a great mixture of good on the mic,good at the outside the ring stuff and good in the ring. I love the "crazy hot woman" gimmick she was doing for awhile. And I have only seen one bad match from her. That was against one of the Bellas. The Bellas ,in my eyes, have almost no wrestling talent.

TIE

4.Saturyne

Yes I know she doesn't use that name anymore. So far I have only seen here on various Wrestling is FUN! shows. And she was the stand out to me. Working a mixture of American ladies style plus lucha libre. Her flexibility and just general athleticism impressed me. I hope the rumors about why she has changed her name and isn't working for the WIF fed anymore aren't true. But she is one I can easily see getting one day called up to WWE or TNA. Plus think how over with kids she would be doing the intergalactic luchadore gimmick would be.

4.Mickie James AKA Alexis Laree

The first time I saw Mickie she was wrestling as Alexis Laree in WEW. My late grandmother had bought me a WEW dvd set. I am sure she got it because she knew I love wrestling and it was 8 hours of wrestling for $5. Well out of those 8 hours the only matches worth watching all had Alexis in them. Mickie then came over to the WWE and exploded. Her feud with Trish is one of the highlights of that era of WWE. In the ring Mickie is very well rounded. And when she is a heel she is great on the mic. As a face her mic work isn't as good. But still she is a great talent. Maybe one day she will come back to WWE. But if the rumors about why her contract wasn't renewed are true I don't see her coming back.

3.Tina Ferrari AKA Ivory

I first saw Ivory in GLOW and she my favorite. Then after GLOW folded I forgot about her. In 1999 she started in the WWF. I knew she looked familiar but I really had no idea why. It wasn't until a year later I found out she was from GLOW. I loved how when she first showed up in WWF she was one of the few Divas that was actually a wrestler first. It seemed to me that during that year all the other Divas were models/fitness trainers/etc that were trained to be wrestlers. Ivory was a wrestler first. And what a wrestler she was. She is one of the few female wrestlers that I could see facing off against the males and looking legit in it. Since she left WWE she hasn't done that much. But I sometimes dig out my old "Ivory comp" tape and watch it.

2.Ms Chif

I came to the Ms Chif party way late. In 2008 I found a bunch of Gateway Championship Wrestling Ms Chif matches for download. I grabbed them and was blown away. Earlier I mentioned how flexible Saturyne is. But Ms Chif is like one of those Gumby dolls. Since then I have wondered why TNA or WWE never picked her up. Then I found out thanks to the PBS documentary "The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers" she works in a lab as a genetics scientist.

1.Molly Holly

Since I gave up on WCW after Starrcade 1997 I never saw any of Molly in WCW. But once she showed up in WWF and had her first match I was majorly impressed. Not only is she a very nice looking woman but she is a great wrestler. Starting off as the younger cousin of Crash and Hardcore Holly,Molly excelled at playing the wide eyed innocent country girl. But when she went from blonde to brunette and became a heel is when she really proved to me she is the best female wrestler I have ever seen. Many many times she was stuck in there with barely trained models. And she would do everything she could to make sure the match was good. I am still pissed about one of her last angles in the WWE. Where the announcers and some of the other wrestlers were calling her fat. Molly is far from fat. And I hate how the US culture has tried to convince people that if you are a woman and above a size 3 you are fat. Molly is a healthy looking woman. She retired from the ring for various reasons. And after watching her self produced shoot interview I became a even bigger fan. She talked about how she retired so she could help out her family and she had a health scare. Since her retirement she has traveled to many third world countries and helped build homes and schools. She worked for a drug counseling center. I would love to see her come back to wrestling, but if she doesn't at least I got plenty of tapes and DVDs of her matches.

Is it worth it Wednesdays:The Django Collection from TGG Direct

So I am trying out a new thing. Wednesdays I will do a review of DVD,Comic book,Book,etc. Then explain if I think it was worth what I paid.

Media-DVD
Title-The Django Collection
Company-TGG Direct
Price-$5

With Quentin Tarentino's "Django Unchained" being a pretty big hit I was expecting to see some cheap multipacks of "Django" films. Back earlier this year I found this DVD sitting in the Walmart $5. I have never been a fan of the Western genre. But the spaghetti westerns I have seen I did really enjoy. I glanced at the films listed on the back and thought "Shit 6 movies $5 that is less than a buck a film. If I don't like any of them I can always give it to someone that likes westerns."

1.A Man called Django AKA Viva! Django from 1971

This is your basic revenge drama set in the west. Anthony Steffen plays Django. And is decent. He is after a group of outlaws that raped and killed his wife. He teams up with a horse thief. While fairly violent and bloody,really the film didn't hold my attention much. I kept glancing at the timer to see how much longer it was.

2.Django the runner AKA Massacre Time from 1966

When I got home from buying this DVD I looked up each film. Since the back has no descriptions of the films I looked for non-spoiler plot synopsis. Seeing that this film is directed by Lucio Fulci it was the first one I watched. I knew Fulci had done some spaghetti westerns. I went in hoping for his trademark extreme gore and violence. Spaghetti western regular Franco Nero plays Tom Corbett. He is a gold prospector who has to go back to his home town. He arrives and finds it under the control of the evil Jason Scott.Tom ends up teaming up with his drunk ass brother to wrestle control of the town back from the evil Scott family.

This is one of many films that was retitled to Django "Something" when released in the States. As far as I remember no one in the film is called Django. But that doesn't matter,because this was a really entertaining film. I am betting even if I didn't know before viewing it that Lucio Fulci had directed I would have been able to tell. All his directorial touches show up.

3.Hanging for Django AKA Una lunga fila di croci from 1969

Anthony Steffen returns,but he is Johnny Brandon this time. The plot is about smuggling Mexicans into the States. I am pretty sure this is another film that just had the Django name slapped on it to sell more tickets. Now it has some fairly violent gunfights. But they don't make up for how confusing the plot is. The little bit of research I have done has let me know this is a fairly hard film to find. If it was a better film then it getting a wide and cheap release would be something to celebrate.

4.Django:A Bullet for you AKA Pochi dollari per Djang 1966

Anthony Steffen is back again. I believe this is not one of the many spaghetti films that was retitled to Django for a USA release. Now this is what I want from a spaghetti western. Lots of great camera work. Piles of blood and violence. And unlike lots of American westerns,everyone in this film isn't all clean and pretty looking. They look more like people would have looked back in the old west. I can see myself going back and rewatching this film every few years.

5.Return of Django AKA Il figlio di Django from 1967

Like the previous film I am pretty sure this is a "legit" Django film. Gabriele Tinti plays Jeff Tracy. Who is Django's son. And we get what amounts to a revenge against the mob story. But set in the old west.For me it has everything I want out of this type of western. Plus Gabriele has that weathered look I always figured someone who spent lots of their time outdoors in the harsh sun would have.

6.Pistol for Django AKA Django's Cut Price Corpses from 1971

Django's lady is kidnapped. And he heads out to rescue her.The kidnappers are wanted for stealing gold from a bank. So Django teams up with a man that was hired to bring back the gold. Sadly this film is lacking action. There is long stretches with almost nothing going on. At least Jeff Cameron is called Django in this film.

So was it worth it?- Since the DVD was only $5 I would say this set is worth it.Django the runner,Django:A Bullet for you and Return of Django are all good films. The other 3 range from meh to horrible.