Columnist, Ars Comicomedia
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Tell me about your column and your latest projects.
I review comic books, graphic novels, and related pop media. I write about what I like. I don't particularly carry any angst over whether you like what I like, but I have great taste, and my comic book collection is a) very probably bigger than yours, and b) wicked geek cred. I'm also writing a book, which I will plug shamelessly and ad nauseum when I finish it. I'm a shameless language snob, and I like to use terms like "ad nauseum" because is hides my insecurities behind an almost impenetrable wall of intellectual posturing.
Who or what are the biggest influences on your work and If you could pick one person to collaborate with living or dead, who would you pick?
I'd love to perform a song with Sting. I'd love to co-write a book with George R.R. Martin. I'd love to have coffee with Barack Obama, and to explain to him what's really up with southern Africa, about which I have many brilliant opinions, some of which are even substantiated. I use words like "substantiated" because I have a law degree, and I just can't help myself. I'd love another chance to play the Bach double violin concerto with Midori. I'd like to have a drink with Jennifer Connelly, because she seems genuinely intelligent, and I think it would be fun to share book lists. Ditto Johnny Depp, though he's not as hot as Jennifer Connelly, so if I had to choose between then, adios Johnny.
What album had the most influence on your adolescence?
Synchronicity (Police); Under a Blood Red Sky (U2); Kind of Blue (Miles Davis); Free To Be, You And Me (various)
What were your favorite toys or games from your childhood?
My 12" Six Million Dollar Man action figure and rocket playset, Legos and Star Wars Figures. The Millenium Falcon was my Best Christmas Present Ever. Having said that, I am continuously amazed by the engineering genius of Transformers.
What is your pop culture guilty pleasure? (What movie, tv show, band, etc. do you love that you know is awful, but you love it anyway?)
I loved Alias with Jennifer Garner. These days, I don't watch a lot of TV, but my one guilty pleasure is watching MMA/Mixed Martial Arts. I can't stop. It's like watching a train wreck. Anderson "the Spider" Silva is the bomb. Oh, and I genuinely enjoy watching The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Milan. He's funny. I'm not guilty about watching it...but I do have some guilt associated with the fact that I use a lot of his dog training philosophy to parent my two toddlers. I also have to admit to enjoying "America's Got Talent." $#it, maybe I watch more TV than I think I do...
If you could own one piece of artwork by any artist, who would you choose and why?
Vermeer's "The Concert." Because it is one of the greatest crimes against art that it was stolen from the Gardner museum and has never been recovered, and if I had it I would put it on permanent display in a local museum so that I could share it with the world. I love Vermeer in general, but that one's my favorite, hands down. I wish I knew what that woman was reading. I think it's a grocery list.
What are your favorite television shows that you feel ended too soon?
The old Warner Bros' Bugs Bunny 'toons. Remember the Bugs Bunny & Road Runner Hour on Saturday mornings, when it was actually 90 minutes, and when The Lone Ranger came on after? That was back before they had a Cartoon Channel, when you actually had to wait until Saturday to see animation. Good times.
Who is your favorite super hero?
Batman. Period, full stop.
If you were to have dinner with 5 people living or dead, who are they and what would you serve?
Why on earth would I want to have dinner with 5 dead people?! I think that would ruin my appetite.
What fictional character do you identify most with?
Batman.
What 5 movies could you watch again and again?
The Dark Knight, Casablanca, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Aliens, The Matrix
What book or author do you regularly recommend?
"A Game of Thrones," by George R.R. Martin
What are your favorite web sites?
Facebook. I'm addicted to Mafia Wars.
What are you most looking forward to geeking out over in the coming year?
I am truly giddy to see what Grant Morrison is going to brew up in the the "Batman and Robin" comic (with artist Frank Quitely). He describes it as "a mix of the '60s Adam West TV show and David Lynch, with Chris Cunningham's peculiar brand of wrongness thrown in as well..." I've only read the first issue, and this is typically the worst possible time to try to button-hole a book as bad or good...but so far, he knocked it out of the @!#$ing park. In case you haven't heard though, Bruce Wayne is no longer Batman, and I'm frankly having a crisis of faith over this. You know...because I'm a geek and stuff, and this $#it is my religion.
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