To All Who Have Died...

Today, I find out Michael Turner died on Friday. I've pretty upset.

Michael Turner is responsible for Witchblade, one of the most influential comic book series of the 1990's and was responsible, along with Lady Death, the "Bad Girl" comics era of the 90's. I'm not going to lie, I never read any of his books. The art, though, always influenced me. I was going to try and meet him this year at Wizard World. Today, I want to kick my ass for complaining that he wasn't there this year like he always is. I was pissed because I REALLY wanted to meet him this year and... well, just talk to him.

Wizard Magazine had an article about him a year ago about how he battled cancer since 2000 and basically overcame it. Sadly, unlike the comics, the good guys didn't win and cancer, sadly, beat Mr. Turner at 10:24PM on June 27, 2008.

To anyone who is reading this and is a big fan of his work, my apologizes for this not being a more fitting eulogy. Today, I'm kicking myself for never meeting him, despite having so many chances to do so! I always wanted to, but the lines for him were so long I never could! I feel like the biggest asshole in the world because I always complained that he was the biggest name at Wizard World East for about 5-years straight... and now he's gone.

It seems every year that about 2 or 3 people who have made an impact on the world leave us at any given time. This year, this time, it seems that we are losing more and more in this summer of mourning.

Within the past month, we have lost 4 great human beings in the world: Musician Bo Diddly, Hard-hitting reporter Tim Russert, Comedian and Social Commentator George Carlin, and now comic book artist and innovator Michael Turner.

I will never forget what Michael wrote once, and it's advice I still hold close to this day. He said he never knew where an idea would come, so he kept a sketch pad by his bed to sketch down any ideas he got at night so he wouldn't forget. I won't forget his lessons on learning how to draw women, and I will never forget how he has redefined how to draw comics. If you don't believe me, look at his art and the way comics have basically evolved since 1995.

When Christians write and talk about "The Rapture", it's always prsented as a single moment, a single event. That all the people who would be "Saved" would be gone in an instant before the end of the world. Instead, it seems that if this is it, if this really is the end, The Rapture, instead, is a slow process where the very people we looked up to, relied on, trusted, and almost worshipped... they are the ones that leave us first instead.

Obama: "I Support [Spying on Americans]"

Obama has endorsed FISA. He has voted in favor of allowing the Telecom companies immunity and his justification is "Well, I'll fix it when I'm elected." You know what? Bashing be damned, here's his own words:

“It is not all that I would want,” Obama said of the legislation, which was negotiated by congressional leaders of both parties. “But given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence-collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay. So I support the compromise but do so with a firm pledge that, as president, I will carefully monitor the program, review the report by the inspectors general and work with the Congress to take any additional steps I deem necessary to protect the lives - and the liberty - of the American people.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/26/politics/politico/main4212811.shtml

Look, saying "When I'm President" is great and all, but using that bit of pompousness to justify a REALLY bad vote, one that he could have influenced and to have it fail in the Senate, shows that he's just going to let things slide until they become a problem. He said he wouldn't vote for this and he wound up flip-flopping on this. It really speaks more to his own personal ignorance that he think he can simply "fix it later," like he's so sure he's going to win the race and do it when he's president. What if he doesn't? What if he can't?

The Dem's folded like a house of cards again to the Republicans, and it's getting sad and scary to see this happen time and time again. We voted for these folks to stand up for us, not to allow Bush and his cronies to keep providing us with a good does of "Fuck the American People".

Here's the real problem with this: It isn't just the fact he did this once, it's about his mentality about the issue and how he will act if he's elected. He basically said, "Fuck this, I'll do this later! 81% of my base basically love me, they're not going to let this spoil it for them!" How is he going to handle something new like this in office? Is he just going to let it go and handle it later?

Let's stop and look at all this for a second, OK? Obama has a history of letting things go until they're a problem!

Want a list?

Rev. Wright - Let him stay until the media called him out on it.
His Church - Stayed as a member until he got called out on that.
FISA - Against it until now.

How many staff members has he had that said horrible things and they weren't fired, but they resigned? He doesn't take control of problems, he just sits back and waits for them to be solved, waits for them to fix themselves! FUCK THAT! No, this is what he does, he does it time and time again, and anyone supporting him DOES need to realize that! What, if he had a staffer that openly said white people suck and that America deserves terrorist attacks, shouldn't he just fire that idiot?

He let's things go until later, when they are a problem. It's becoming more and more of a theme, and I honestly can't back him for this stuff.

Relapse Records, We Hardly Knew Ye...

On Thursday, the word went out: Relapse Records was no more.

In what is nothing short of a devastating blow to the metal community in Philadelphia, the last Bastille of pure metal is now gone. Our own little Hellvete, the famous store known for fostering the Black Metal Scene over the ocean and in the land of viking legends and lore, Relapse Retail in Philadelphia did something that few stores around the country, let alone in Philadelphia, had the balls to do, and that was not to stock anything NOT Metal or, to an extent, punk.

The following statment was posted on their MySpace Page:

It was a sad day for us to have to close our store yesterday after giving it a go for several years. ... It is deeply important to us that you pass along this thank you to the greater Philly area.

Thank you to anyone who has ever shopped at, browsed through, or otherwise been part of the community at the Relapse Retail store on 4th street. We appreciate you support and enthusiasm more than you know.

Relapse

Relapse Records was the place I went to get my metal CD's. I started to get tired of spending any money at all at FYE, metal section or not, and Relapse always had a better selection of CD's and, even more importantly, t-shirts. When Rock & Roll+ went under in 2004, Relapse was the only place to buy band shirts in Philly. No it's gone.

But even more importantly, Relapse Records allowed you to meet the bands you loved! Or, in more cases than not for me, meet bands I liked and found it cool to meet. Obituary, DragonForce, Lacuna Coil, Meshuggah... Good times! I'll never forget going there in September of 2006 to browse around and being told that Brian Poshen, one of my favorite comedians and a real metal fan, was upstairs doing a meet & greet with free pizza. I thought it was a joke, but lo and behold, YEP! There he was!

This was my stomping ground, my haven away from the tourists that have taken over South Street, and one of the very, very, very few reasons I had left to venture down there. Save Noise Pollution and Crash Bang, I doubt 4th and South is going to be a place for me to go to much more. On the plus side, the idiots who work at Jim's Steaks will stop looking at everyone who goes to that store like freaks, something I can only assume these jackasses would had gotten used to after some 6-odd years there.

Insult to injury, they just got a new sign for that store and renovated the entire place last year.

I can't lie about this part in particular; for all the bitching and moaning I make on a daily basis of the Alt-Weeklies in Philadelphia, how they seem to hate metal and are dominated by a small minority of "hipper-than-thou" people... I have been proven wrong. Philadelphia City Paper actually had a nice (be it still in the tounge-in-cheek fashion as they always have) about this to inform us. Philebrity.com, the site that even went so far as to cover me during my run last year, had a mention of it.

I honestly could just go on and on about this store and the people who worked there, people I grew to know over the years. More than anyone, I will never forget the lovely dreadlocked woman who worked behind the counter. I will never forget how hard she worked and tried to make sure this store stayed afloat. Her tireless efforts are something I won't forget, and I wish her the best and greatest of luck in all of her future endevors! Joy, you will be missed as well.

If you can, for older releases, try to check out the legendary Noise Pollution shop across from where Relapse Records is. I know the owner and the store, literally, is it in terms of good music stores in Philly if your not some hipster or indie fan. If you love metal and punk, Noise Pollution is it!

Check out the MySpace page for Relpase Retail here.