DD, both of 'em

Radio Free Internet has a lot of Dresden Dolls cover gems. (Scroll down, I promise they're there.) Apparently DD is opening for Panic at the Disco on their summer tour. Tickets in the town nearest me are $18. I could rant and rave, but I think "WTF!" pretty much says it.

Sorry for that bit of whining.

To make up for it, here's DD playing "War Pigs" playing at SXSW. Sorry, it's just a clip.



For the two of you who actually read my blog on a regular basis, you might notice something new. Below the links, I've added what I'm currently listening to and a list of comics I read monthly (or whenever they come out). Thanks to Yeti Don't Dance via Stereogum for the code.

I'm discussed most of the music (or will in the future), but here's a run down of what's good about pictures & words:

Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev just finished their long, critically acclaimed run on Daredevil. Writer Ed Brubaker has done an excellent job of taking over and Michael Lark's pencils and inks leave nothing to be desired. The blind lawyer/superhero is currently in jail. A main character just died, which usually signals bad things for a comic, but we'll see.

Hard Time has been described as Oz meets My So-Called Life. Not a perfect description, but we'll take it. Throw in a little Eastern mysticism, a cute boy named Cindy, and a SG-esque love interest and we're almost dead-on.

100 Bullets is complex political thriller, hard-boiled noir, and good-ole fist-pounding action rolled into one hard-to-open package. It's as intimidating as it is well-written.

New Avengers is my funtime-action book. Bendis has taken a lot of flack and received a lot of praise. It's not the best book out there, but it's one of funnest!

Only one issue of the Batman: Secrets miniseries has hit the shelves, but I'm as impressed with Sam Keith as ever. The Dark Knight takes on his arch-nemesis The Joker.

Runaways is as good as superhero books can get. It's relevant, funny, clever, and compelling. Brian K. Vaughn (Y, the Last Man) writes this story of anti-hero teens and their mission to make up for the wrongs of their supervillian parents. Vaughn also writers Ex Machina, the story of a machine-controlling superhero who hangs up his mask (and helmet) after saving one of the World Trade Towers. EM hits all the big issues, including racism and homosexual marriage.

Local and Fell are both serials featuring one-shot, self-contained stories. In Local, Brian Wood's (What's up with all the Brians?) city-by-city indie/hipster/bohemian vignettes have all the coolness and personality of a carefully crafted mixtape. And they come with tracklistings for mixes by the artist and writer. Fell is Silent Hill meets detective noir. 'Nuff said!

Preorder Yes, Virginia by the Dresden Dolls
Marvel Comics (New Avengers, Daredevil, Runaways)
DC Comics (100 Bullets, Batman: Secrets, Hard Time, Ex Machine)
Local
Image Comics (Fell)

Support your local comic store.