Comic Watch Editorials

These pieces are originally published with www.comic-watch.com 

Comics, Culture, & More has been an idea that I came up with years ago about an idea that I wanted to write commentaries/blog entries about not only comics but the culture around them. Everything from collecting, creators we love, personal connections, and the like. These ideas never really manifested outside what spiraled notebook I was writing in at that time. Many years later, once I started writing for Comic Watch I pitched the idea and was given the green light. I've enjoyed writing this column and I'm extremely grateful for Comic Watch for giving me the opportunity and a boost in confidence to publish.  

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The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have always been a huge part of my life and the fandom is absolutely a joy to be around. I truly believe it's one of the best fandoms with very little toxicity. In Under the Shell I try to capture the great feeling about not only being apart of this great fandom but how the turtles are a part of who we are. 

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My love for horror started young and it started with Michal & Freddy. To this very day, I will binge Nightmare on Elm St. and Halloween and be just as amazed as I was all those years ago. There's something about horror that is so satisfying and oddly comforting. My hope is that these feelings come through with these commentaries. 

You are all my children now: Celebrating 30 years of Freddy Krueger and A Nightmare on Elm St.

From Haddonfield With Love…Michael Myers, Halloween, and Why We Can’t Stop Watching!

I retired from the Navy in 2017 and I'm still not sure where I fit into the grand scheme of things when it comes to being a "veteran". I'm glad I did it, I made some great friends, and I've got to see some really cool places but I also missed a lot. I'm more interested in moving forward than I am looking back on those days.   

Thank You For Your Service: A Veteran's Day Perspective

A "Thank You" letter to Donny Cates and everyone that has worked on the last 34 issues of Venom taking its 200th issue milestone. Definitely an important time for the Venom lore

The Kings in Black - A Thank You Letter

The Threshold of Tolerance

2020 has been an interesting year. Not only is it an election year, but why not add more senseless police brutality, a pandemic, and riots for good measure. Times are turbulent, to say the least; however, it is not the end of days. Amongst the riots, we see solidarity in protest over the ever-common injustice in America. The major news outlets only cover the upfront and center stories that will look good on headlines. Although you may read about discord in other parts of life, like the shocking reveal of the current backlash by comic book creators being outed for them being part of grooming younger females.

It is always a shot to the gut to hear people you hold in high regard do evil things. You want to be as supportive and understanding for victims you most likely do not know, and you want to exercise your anger at your heroes for their deeds. We see them on television in magazines or stand in long lines to get their autograph, all the while trying to maintain some sort of composure. Regardless of their profession, we hold heroes to a higher regard and sometimes forget they are human and will f*ck up. In this instance, I am talking about drug use, stealing a car, possessing an unlicensed weapon, etc. I am not talking about sexual crimes...yet.

I remember when Patrick Kane (my favorite hockey player) was going through his case of being accused of sexual assault. The social media justice system already had him convicted, depending on what side you were on. As the case unfolded, the evidence was leaning to the other side and not a conviction. As it came to be, the accuser and her mother had fabricated the story. Now I bring this up to talk about the tolerance of our heroes. I would still be a die-hard Blackhawk fan; however, I could no longer support him or wear anything depicting his jersey number or name.

My tolerance has a limit, as does everyone else. I couldn't in good faith support anyone who partook in sex crimes, child crimes, murder. Here comes the part where I say I can overlook being caught with drugs, probation violation, punching paparazzi, etc. People are always going to be people, and people make mistakes. Mistakes are one thing; being a predator and taking advantage of someone is not a mistake. You don't mistakingly beat someone, sexually assault someone, you plan to do those things, and when you do, you join a classification of a monster of the lowest form.

With tolerance being up to the soul of the person at hand, I always find this fascinating. The vegan who doesn't eat animals because their conscience can't handle it; however, wearing canvas Nikes made by a 10-year-old in Tawain is ok. Their tolerance allows it. I don't have time to get into NFL and its fandom, but tolerance levels over there are magnificently high. When someone says "All Lives Matter," but vote for the bill making it illegal for gay couples to marry and adopt. Your tolerance is satisfied with keeping a kid from a loving family.

When does tolerance run out, and you cleanse collections of those that have harmed and did wrong in and to society? One person's trash is another treasure. By that, when we see the aftermath of tolerance, we tend to measure our own to theirs, and sometimes we don't understand it and tend to get defensive for something that does not warrant it. Our tolerance is our own, just like our DNA; however, tolerance can change, unlike ours. If you're an asshole, that is in your DNA.

I suppose tolerance is like the world. It's confusing when you don't understand it. It can make you angry, and it can make you sad. The world needs tolerance...to an extent. You don't get tolerance when you are an asshole. Tolerance comes from being a beautiful human to others and acknowledging that monsters will always be monsters.

I'm GRATEFUL for August

It was 1988. I was 10. I remember seeing a bunch of non-makeup-wearing guys that are the same age as my parents on MTV. "What the hell," I remember saying to myself. How and why are these "old" fogies on MTV? Bring on RATT, Cinderella, Poison, Great White.  The song was Touch of Grey, and the band was The Grateful Dead...my life forever changed. After the video went off, I promptly went over to my step-father's CD and record collection and snatched up anything that said Grateful Dead. I remember thinking, how is it possible for this music to sound so fresh and ageless, and it's not on MTV? It has to be on MTV, right? 

All I was working on was that they were as old as my parents, and the lead singer looked homeless.  As the years went on, my taste in music shifted to the likes of Dinosaur Jr, Pearl Jam, Butthole Surfers, Henry Rollins, Fugazi, etc.  But I always found time for the Grateful Dead.  Fast forward to 1997.  HS graduation, time to be an adult, the Navy was right around the corner all was rolling full steam ahead.  My oldest brother Daryl brought some "tapes" down with him.  Those tapes contained something I was not ready for.  Something that I have to talk about, something that has to be known.  

The gospel was contained in those tapes.  I had no idea that there was another side to The Grateful Dead, the side where numerous people would gather in a section of the audience and record the concert.  This wasn't your ordinary "Darkstar" or "Cream Puff War."  This was live Dead, Jerry would preach the gospel, Bob Weir took up the collection plate, Phil Lesh made sure you paid attention with thunderous six-string notes, Krutzman/Hart kept you in line long enough to melt your face in space. I never got to see the Dead live. The closest I came was in 2001 in Va Beach during the Phil & Friends Tour...still amazing.  

Every August since about 2000, I made it a point to listen to nothing but the Grateful Dead for the first week in August...for Jerry, for my brother, for music.  I become a "music snob" when it comes to the Grateful Dead; I just don't understand how you can't just stop and listen.  Thank you, Jerry, Bob, Phil, Mickey, Bill, Donna, Keith, Pigpen, Brent, Vince (why not), Bill, & Daryl.  May the memories continue, and may someone read this and become so sick and tired of me talking about the Grateful Dead that you close your eyes, press play, & live.