Some end of week Media: Bernie, Where Danger Lives, Ghosts of Belfast, Downton Abbey

Watched two completely different movies tonight.  Bernie and Where Danger Lives.  These days I'm re-watching movies less and trying to see new things more.

Bernie was shot somewhat locally by Austin-based filmmaker Richard Linklater and got a lot of local praise when the movie was released, but I don't know how far and wide it was seen outside of Texas.  A true story of a mortician (Jack Black) and his nebulous relationship with an older woman (Shirley MacLaine) and how everything's relative in a small town in Texas, including murder.

I'd heard a lot of good things, and the locals both cut into the movie in "interview" segments and playing themselves were a very clever twist.  I just wasn't sure the movie actually worked all that well, especially as the murder - which is a matter of public record - doesn't come til the 2/3rds mark...

Probably worth a spin sometime.

Also watched Where Danger Lives with Robert Mitchum, and it's sort of a studio-friendly take on the Detour concept.  Frankly, that is one crazy movie and I'll need to watch it again.  It's so noir, it's almost dripping black off the screen, with Mitchum getting in way, way over his head, while drunk and concussed with a classic femme fatale who doesn't have Ann Savage's brutal, sexy cruelty, but has her own more recognizable looney-tunes-ness.  It's a great "and mistakes were made" kind of story.  Bonus points for brazen sexuality in a 1950 film, all through a lack of camera movement and a few key lines of dialog.

Started listening to the audiobook of The Ghosts of Belfast.  It's an interesting book thus far, and I wish I knew more about the history of the IRA, but even what little I do know is sort of keeping me up to speed.

Last night we tried our first episode of Downton Abbey.  I can't say I exactly see what the big deal is, but it was the pilot.  We'll try again later.  I do not get hot and bothered often by Upstairs/ Downstairs-type dramas, and it's so over the top, it does feel like camp.  Is this show supposed to be camp?  Someone help me out.

All right.  I'm tired.  I'm going to bed.

Signal Watch Watches: Killer School Girls From Outer Space (2011)

So, life is funny how it surprised you sometimes.

Not that long ago I was sitting in my office at work making digital libraries happen when a guy from my building who I talk to now and again, mostly "howdy" and "hello" as we pass, asked me about some posters from Mondo I have hanging up in my office.

"You like sci-fi?"
"Yeah!  It's kind of my thing.  Not so much the modern stuff, but I kind of dig mid-century stuff and maybe up to the 80's the best."
"Cool!"
And we parted ways.
A few days later Bill appeared in my doorway with a DVD in his hand.
"A while back, my son and I made this movie."
My stomach dropped.  I like a good Birdemic trainwreck, but I like it from a casual distance.  I do not like to have to nod and smile and say "that was super!" when it was not super at all.  Then I looked down at the cover.

"...is that Ron Jeremy?"
Bill nodded.  "Yeah, we hired him for a day.  All green screen.  He was really nice."
"This is...  like, everything awesome about movies."

For some reason, Formula 1 Racing Came to Austin

About two and a half-years ago, Austinites woke up to find that some deal had been reached to bring Formula 1 racing to our city.  Mostly, the news was met with puzzled stares.  This is not a motorsports kind of town, and F1 is something that takes place in Monte Carlo, not in our berg.

If you do not know (I didn't), F1 is monstrously popular everywhere but the US, and despite astronomically high tickets prices, tends to draw hundreds of thousands of people to each city.  Rich people.  Who supposedly spend money.

TX Panhandle, TX Secession and the Freakout in Comic Culture over CosPlay Girls

For some reason, I am in the Texas Panhandle.

It's work related.  In theory, I should be home in 48 hours.

It is safe to say I am about done with the schedule I've been on for the past 6 weeks or so and the Thanksgiving Holiday cannot really come fast enough.  I could really use some time just laying very still while someone else makes cornbread stuffing and lets me silently appreciate the Rockettes during their number at the Macy's Parade.

if loving the Rockettes is wrong, I don't want to be right

TX Secession

I know it made headlines, but the petition sent to the White House and chatter about Texas seceding is all that it is.  Chatter.  The petition doesn't have enough signatures to fill half of DKR Memorial Stadium, and a whole lot of those aren't from Texas.  I expect that in the years to come "secession" will be the pouty rallying cry of Texans wishing they could take their ball and go home when things don't go the way of insignificant politians from scrubby, backwater towns in The Lone Star State (seriously, press, stop giving these people a megaphone).

I am returned, briefly. Also, Jason's front page story.

I just got back from visiting family in Tallahassee, Florida where a good chunk of my relatives dwell.  Nice weekend, great town.  It's a blur at this point.

Tuesday I depart for the northwesterly regions of Texas, and will return Thursday.  And I sort of refuse to travel again until after Christmas.

By the way, Jason was on the front page of the Austin American-Statesman!  As some of you know, my brother is a prosecutor in Travis County, Texas.  As such, he does sometimes put away bad guys or deal with crooks, but the last few years he's been working in a Veterans' Court assisting former service men and women who are having issues, primarily associated with PTSD.

there's ol' Beard-Face himself on the left, making JUSTICE

You can read the story here, which doesn't really mention Jason or his role, but it's all about his office.

Some interesting stuff in Action Comics #14 on Wednesday!

Quick Superman related notes...

I wasn't off the plane yet and was checking email, and got a note from CanadianSimon about this week's release of Action Comics #14.  Apparently - it guest stars my favorite media-savvy scientist, Neil DeGrasse Tyson!  

NDG pops up in a lot of documentaries, is the host of Nova Science Now! and his podcast, StarTalk.  He also attended UT for a while, but did not feel it suited him and left.

Here he is rolling up his sleeves to go to work, side-by-side with Superman!

Man, someone really talented flatted that page

Oh, by the way, local artist and colorist, Jordan Gibson, did some work on that story!  He is the "flatter" on the art, which means he did some coloring work on this back-up feature.  Jordan is a huge Superman nut, and I'm totally thrilled he's getting an opportunity to see his work in Action Comics.

Amanda Palmer at Stubb's BBQ in Austin, Texas

Wednesday evening I hit Stubb's BBQ here in sunny Austin, Texas with Jason's finance, Amy, to see Amanda Palmer and The Grand Theft Orchestra.

Much has been made of Palmer in recent months as she released yet another album not just independent of any label, but by asking her fanbase for about $100,000 via Kickstarter and came up with $1.2 million.  As Palmer mounted her tour, her usual routine of recruiting local talent to help out in what's always a pretty raucous stage show, was met with a sudden and vociferous bit of controversy.  Apparently a lot of musicians who were in no way involved got mad that Palmer was asking for volunteers, and, anyway...  it got ugly.

Keep in mind, Palmer is far from the only artist who has folks sit in, includes local marching bands, choirs, whatever...  But because these were horn and string musicians, somehow it became a big deal.  Anyhow, it all ends happily with Palmer shuffling her budget, not doing a music video or something, and coughing up cash so people would get the @#$% over it.

I tend to think of rock and roll as having far less whining associated than what folks were tossing Palmer's way, and as many people I personally know (this is Austin) who play for free all the time, I couldn't really wrap my head around it.  It's a rock and roll show, and, no, you're not going to convince me otherwise when it comes to Palmer somehow undermining the payment of musicians when she's inviting collaboration with locals.  You psycho.

By the way, while you're getting mad at Amanda Palmer, you can download the new album for whatever you can or feel like paying.  Here you go.

Fast forward to today, and Palmer's album, Theater is Evil, has debuted on the Billboard top 200 at position #10.  Not bad for a record by an artist that has no TV coverage, no label support and has never had it's featured artist on American Idol.

You'll have to forgive me re: the pictures.  I was using my iPhone.  I'm a lousy photographer to begin with, and the stage lighting and the limitations of the iPhone's digital zoom capability were wreaking a bit of havoc. For fun, though, let's pretend this was all intentional and I'm just a really un-self-aware but hilariously lousy artist.

A few things. I'm going to bed.

Into the long weekend.  Here we go.

1.  The mother-in-law, Judy, has returned home!  This is big news.  She'll be receiving rehabilitation at home for a while, and then, I guess, maybe at a clinic.  But watching her progress over the last 20 days or so has been absolutely stunning.  And, if I can step back a pace, it's also been completely fascinating.

Judy had damage in her speech center, and so in the days immediately following her surgery, she couldn't say much.  And then more words came, and she could sometimes communicate what she wanted, but not very often.  It's this slow build up.  You can tell all the words are on the hard drive, and her thoughts are complete, but she's having trouble accessing a lot of her vocabulary.  So while she isn't slurring not is there any loss of that fashion, she might not remember a word like "California".  Even after you say "California".

The really interesting bit is what is there.  A lot of phrases are there completely intact, and if you want her to sing a song she knows, she can do it from beginning to end.  I sat with her last week and a commercial came on which used "Blue Skies", and when it ended, she sang the whole song.  She does this with great regularity.  Apparently, songs and phrases are in an easy-to-reach part of the memory bank.

Anyway, Jamie went down today and worked with her and hung out.  I think I'm going down Sunday.  But it's great to have Judy home and I am sure my father-in-law, Dick, is pretty pleased to not be sitting on the couch or chair in the hospital.  Kudos to him for all the hard work.

2.  The RNC is on but I haven't watched a minute, just as I haven't watched a convention since high school, so no news there.  I'm not really following the election except via Factcheck.org, and, people... it's not pretty coming from either side. Let's just say I think we had a good run with this "democracy" idea, but we may need to move onto the Philosopher-King model.

I would also pitch the notion that we just let a council of scientists who would judge you via videoconference rule us.  The one flaw in this plan would be if they ignored crucial, planet-saving scientific evidence.  Which would never happen.

3.  The annual sale is on at Austin Books and Comics, so if you're in town and want half-off on back issues or to go raid the back-issue store, they're open all weekend.  

I had dinner with PalKevin who does not read comics, but he wanted to go with me to ABC afterward, and it was fun walking around with him.  I found out he's read all the John Carter books (we agreed to disagree on the movie), but I had a harder time actually selling him on any comics.

As a man who already owns a lot of comics, I do have a strategy.  I basically knew of a bunch of back issues I wanted that I didn't want to pay full-price for, and I just waited until this week, and then I bought them.  I didn't really look for anything new, and yet, somehow, I was able to spend money.  I was a bit more impulsive at the Sidekick Store, but not too much.  I realize I am getting picky about the conditions of my Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane issues, and I'm not ready to start with reader copies unless its a book I've just not seen out before.

Came home with a lot of Joe Kubert drawn comics, including Tor, Our Army at War and others.  And I picked up the DC Christmas Special with the John Byrne drawn Enemy Ace story which I've had in reprints, but, you know.  Enemy Ace.

Anniversary of the Tower Shooting Part 2

Last night I posted on the Anniversary of the 1966 shootings that occurred at UT Austin.

Today I had no lunch plans, and so I got up from my desk and walked to the UT Tower, arriving just before 11:48 AM. The University of Texas doesn't do anything in particular to commemorate the day every year, and certainly not the time. When they do hold events, which does happen from time to time, I am uncertain if they hold them on the day and time of shootings.

So, walking up to the Tower, it was the usual mishmash you see in August. Tourists. Summer school students. Kids on campus for camp, a mixed bag of college aged people engaged in group activities you can't quite puzzle out.

The sky was clear today and the temperatures were in the high 90's.  Despite the lunch hour, not many folks walked the main plaza, an area most folks know is often hot and free of shade.  I'd venture that few were aware of the date.

I snapped a picture of the flagpole from our earlier post. It's not quite as far from a door as I thought, but it's still a good 30 yards, and that's if you cleared the hedge.

46th Anniversary of the UT Tower Shootings

On August 1, 1966 Charles Whitman killed both his mother and his wife while they slept.  He went and purchased firearms from local shops, then drove to UT Austin's central tower.

Then, as today, the tower was an administrative building and, at the time, was also the library for UT Austin. It still looms well above all other features not just on campus, but for much of the surrounding territory.   From the top of the tower, one has a panoramic view in all directions, far out to the hills of West Austin, into downtown to the South if you look beyond the South Mall and the older buildings on campus that surround the grassy strip, usually strewn with students studying and socializing.  To the East lies the stadium and a great swath of campus, and to the North, the science buildings, and past that, the Hyde Park neighborhood.

I went up the first time in 2000 shortly after the Tower's observation deck re-opened for the first time since a rash of suicides in the 1970's.  No, Whitman's atrocity didn't convince the University that it needed to be closed.

On that morning, Whitman took a footlocker full of weapons with him to the top of the tower, and knocked an administrative assistant unconscious with his rifle (she would die later at Seton Hospital).  He would show a final and baffling act of mercy as he let a couple who had not seen the secretary's unconscious form bypass him, and then he barricaded the door.  Moments later he would kill and wound several tourists who came to the door seeking to go out to the Tower's observation deck.

Whitman took advantage of the unimpeded vantage provided by the 27 story tower and began firing down upon students and faculty walking between buildings.  For about 100 minutes Whitman held Austin hostage between Guadalupe and the East Mall, from the North Mall to far past the South Mall, where visibility goes down to 21st Street and further down University Avenue.

God Bless Our Snipers

The other day I got stuck in traffic for about an hour (Austin motorists, your hill-billy like gawking on MoPac is indefensible. It was a minor truck accident). For about twenty minutes of the total 1.5 hours, I was behind a "murdered out" black Range Rover.

This is what I looked at for about 20 minutes.

I support our troops.  I do.  Great folks.  Freedom, etc...

And I even like me some gallows humor, which often seems to confuse people in my social media sphere, but I strongly suspect the last thought I'd have as a piano fell out of a window upon me would be:  Heh.  Well, of-@#$%ing-course.

But I find a matte-black Range Rover with a vaguely threatening sticker just a little too loud for cool, too deliberate for funny.  It all had the sort of weird insecure, over-compensating tough-guy vibe I usually associate with martial arts instructors in strip malls.

I will tell you this:  when they saw me taking a picture over the steering column (in dead still traffic - don't worry, Ma) they immediately changed lanes and got away from me, proving to me once and for all that people who shoot other people from vast distances are really huge scaredy-cats afraid of a camera phone from a guy with a Donald Duck doll hanging from his rearview mirror.

If you're going to play it loud, I don't really know what you expect.  We're all going to just be blown away by how bad ass your truck is?  That you're a sniper?  That you don't need corrective lenses for driving and you have a fetish for an un-resellable paint job on your very expensive car?

People are silly.  Especially our snipers.

Now if I can just get them some black Truck Nutz.

Westward, Ho! Allison B and Chris Roberson flee Austin

In a day or two Allison B and Chris Roberson pack up and depart Austin for the untamed wilderness that is Portland, Oregon, where they will most certainly be eaten by a bear.

I shall miss their hospitality, and Austin in poorer for their departure.  It is an odd thing to find oneself in the company of a writer you truly enjoy and respect first, and then get to make their acquaintance as a family unit living in the same town.

Here's to a great family as they set off on an all new adventure.

Portland, be nice to these folks.   They're all right.   And please find them decent tacos.

A few scattered things...

Parks and Recreation:  Another season of the show has come and gone.  I am a fan, and I look forward to the show's return.

solid advice

As a state employee and public servant, I appreciate that someone on TV occasionally suggests that folks working in public sector jobs might choose to work these because they love their work and what it does for the community and public.  I know its an unpopular sentiment to express aloud, but that's been my experience with myself and my co-workers.

Curiously, I've found a bit of a hero in Ron Swanson, played by Nick Offerman.  And not just because he's married to Megan Mullally in real life.  Maybe its his eating habits.  Maybe its the exhausted look he wears when dealing with his co-workers, or the Ron Swanson Pyramid of Greatness.

I can't say, but he is my current rolemodel.


Avengers:  Despite what some of you believe, I quite liked The Avengers.  And like many of you, for reasons I can't put my finger on, I am a big fan of Agent Coulson.   If you have seen the movie and are also A Fan of Phil, I recommend you start following #coulsonlives or @coulsonlives on Twitter.  Also, actor Clark Gregg.

Irredeemable:  I believe Mark Waid's amazing series, Irredeemable, will release its 37th and final issue on Wednesday.  While I am sad it is over, I am glad it existed.  And, frankly, I like the idea that it has a conclusion, like every good story in history.

It doesn't mean Waid can't revisit the setting or characters, but for now...  the curtain draws shut and we get our denouement.

Midnight Cowboy:   No, not the film.  For many years, those of us who looked up above the first story of the buildings on Austin's famed Sixth Street noticed that somehow a "masssage parlor" was operating just right there under the name "Midnight Cowboy".    I'm not clear on how these things work, but as far as I know it was open from the time the name "Midnight Cowboy" had immediate cultural cache until what must have been the last couple of years.

Well, the cocktail maestro for The Alamo Drafthouse (Bill Norris) has taken the space over, bleached it, added tables, and it is now a reservations-only cocktail bar on Dirty Sixth.  But they kept the signs and the name "Midnight Cowboy Modeling".  I'll report out in early June as to how it went.  A quick write up here.

FCBD2012 at Austin Books

Free Comic Book Day is still going on all over the place! I, however, am done for the year.

I met up with PaulT, we visited the comics tent at Austin Books and Comics on Lamar, then went into the shop. I picked up a back issue and an action figure I was missing from my line-up (I'd already been to the shop this week). Then headed next door to Guzu Gallery where Paul picked up a couple of prints and I bought something for Jamie.

Then we went to House Pizza, and it was totally great.

But, FCBD!

While waiting in line, I got to meet vintage Catwoman.  She looked purrr-fect.  Yes, I just did that.

this pic came out weird because I'm holding a water bottle in my hand and didn't make fists

Apparently I was having hair issues today.  Too much product.

You can't go to FCBD and not get the annual picture with Sidekick Girl

I don't even think this is in her job description.  I think its just what she DOES.

We were allowed 10 comics from the tent.  I picked up nine because I cannot count.

In group A, we see Donald Duck Family, Superman Family, Escapegoat (a leftover from last year), and Atomic Robo and Friends

And here we see the hardcover free comic (I know, I don't get it either) for Mouse Guard, Ride, Graphic Elvis (just nice pictures of Elvis.  How was I to say no to that?), Dinosaus vs. Aliens and oddball offering, Animal Planet's World's Most Dangerous Animals.

All in all, a really fun day!

Now get out there and find some comics!

Reminder: Saturday is Free Comic Book Day!

This Saturday is Free Comic Book Day, which means comic book stores across the country will be hosting events at their shops where they will be giving away promotional comics aimed at a wide variety of ages and tastes in order to get the public a bit more familiarized with what comics are like these days.

Most stores know how to do this right, and it can be a lot of fun.  

I'm going to Austin Books and Comics with PaulT where, really, I plan to distract Brandon while he tries to work.  Then we'll probably grab some lunch.  If you're up and about that early, let me know if you want to hang out.  I believe our plan is to be in line by 11:00 AM.

I've read that ABC will have things like:

• Storm Troopers!
• Ultimate Spider-Man artist Ultimate David Marquez!
• The Amazing Brandon!
• The crew from CCP!
• and, briefly, PaulT and I will put in an appearance

So check your local listings and get out there!

Oh, also - PARENTS.  You can preview the comics here.  You might want to check out the books before assuming they're right for your wee ones.

That said, the offerings this year are really great.  Tons of stuff to check out (get that Donald Duck book.  I guarantee it'll be a favorite or your money back).

Signal Reminder: Free Comic Book Day is May 5th

Hey, kids!  Comics!

May 5th is Free Comic Book Day 2012!

Not all shops participate in the event, and if they don't...  that's probably not much of a comic shop.  So call ahead in the coming weeks to see what your local comic shop is doing.  I know at Austin Books and Comics, its always a big to-do, and gets Brandon all crazy-eyed, but in a good way (it gets crazy-busy).

The comics this year look really good.  Atomic Robo, Donald Duck, Avengers and other recognizable names like Buffy and many, many all-ages options.

Report: Alamo Slaughter Lane is pretty great

The newest Austin location of The Alamo Drafthouse has opened very close to my house, and I am extremely impressed.  The tradition of service and experience continues, as well as the obvious differences at this location which reflect The Alamo's continual desire to improve their theaters.

It should be noted, the other Alamo locations are hampered a bit by the fact that all were built out of existing structures.

• The Original Alamo - I have no idea, but it was an old space dowtown, and the fact that you climbed about 50 feet of stairs and the space was kind of flat never worked terribly well
• Alamo South - a former Fiesta Grocery
• The Alamo Ritz - the Ritz movie theater/ venue/ lousy club I used to go to in college
• The Alamo Village - took over the old arthouse theater in town where I'd seen plenty of films from 4th grade through about 2001.  It was an old theater then and showed it.
• The Alamo LakeCreek - took over the multiplex LakeCreek, which I think was an AMC, and never my favorite theater.  Its no doubt better as an Alamo, and used to be the only location with this great Turkey Sandwich.  But you can still feel the 90's movie-chain vibe.

The new space is laid out with ideas like audience management in mind.  The queues of the Alamo South don't exist.  Instead, it works almost exactly like Southwest Airlines' seating, with groups going in by letter and number (something I'm becoming pretty damned accustomed to of late).   My lesson on this:  get your tickets as early as possible.  Yeah, if you're a "let's go to the theater and see what's showing!" at 7:00 on a Friday kind of movie-goer, the Alamo may not be for you, but its probably not for you, anyway.  You're going to want to know up to five days in advance if you're going to take in a film.  Now, you're going to also want to organize your friends a day or two ahead of that, so you can all enter together.

The menu hasn't changed much from the other locations.  However, I'd note the following:

• The coffee is now French Press and easily 10x better than their old coffee service, which was just never as good as I wanted it to be.
• Thanks to their co-habitation with a new cocktail bar, they've added a Maker's Mark Milk Punch which was even better than it sounds. 

The Alamo South has had a great "UFO's Blowing Up Texas" theme since it opened.  The lobby is full of old-timey carnival ride parts suggesting an epic battle between airplanes and flying saucers, with a mural of a drive-in getting vaporized.

The new location has gone for a sort of "man-eating plant is out of control" theme.

nom nom nom

General Update: SXSW, Books, This week's Comics, Pop Art

Howdy!

While I'm still not firing on all cylinders, I'm so much better than this time last week.  Basically, I think I'll have a cough and sinus issues for a while, and I don't want to risk 30 minutes on the elliptical til this weekend, but I'm basically back up to firing speed.

SXSW

As we say in Austin, "South By" is on.  Tomorrow begins the musical portion, and I will not get to see Bruce Springsteen.

We missed Nathan this year as we were a sick house, and in no condition to get the house prepped, even had I not worried about hacking a lung all over him.  From watching him on Facebook, it looks like he had another great few days of coverage of the Film portion.

Some other friends from Seattle (if you knew me back in The Day, you might know them) showed up.  The My, Bryan M and their two bandmates.  We grabbed a meal with them and then they came to my office this week at work just to see me and see what I'm up to, which cracked me up.  Unfortunately I still haven't felt well enough to go out to any of their showcase shows.

Books

I just re-read A Princess of Mars and am starting Gods of Mars, the second John Carter book by Edgar Rice Burroughs.  I'd like to read at least the first three novels (especially as they came in a handy, single volume from Simon & Shuster for a really reasonable price).  Meanwhile, I decided to countermeasure that by giving 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke a listen as an audio book during my commute.

Yes, I've seen the movie a half-dozen times, but I'd always heard such good things about the book, and I wasn't ready to jump right into Rendevous with Rama.  If I like 2001, I will add that one to my bucket list.

It is really nice out today

So its, like, 75 degrees out, sunny and 0% humidity. We were going to try to do the Austin Kite Festival, but, man, the traffic was insane. So, we headed down to the green belt under MoPac.

Jamie hobo's it up under the bridge

me and my pals

A Special Announcement Regarding Reviews of DC's New 52 (and thanks to @AustinBooks)

Hello, Signal Corps.

I have fallen into a bizarre and amazing situation courtesy of our friends at Austin Books and Comics (conveniently located on sunny Lamar Boulevard in fabulous Austin, Texas).  I have been extended an invitation to receive copies of all the DC New 52 #1's that I did not read for review.  And I am totally going to do it.

Fortunately, the offer they made works within my own review policy, and will actually be getting these comics on loan (yes, I will return them... except the ones I really like).  Then I'll be handing over more money to Austin Books, which is, I am perfectly aware, Brad's evil scheme.

Austin Book's owner, Brad Bankston

There's no clause that says I need to say anything nice about any books, or even anything nice about Austin Books, but when local merchants go out of their way to see that a customer such as myself is done a huge favor (completely unprompted), and just because they know I am a particularly serious DC dork, then I say:  I AM TELLING YOU TO SHOP AT AUSTIN BOOKS AND COMICS.*

It seems this is a good guy doing a solid for a guy who likes Superman.  And that's what makes the world go-round, people.

You can expect the next round of New 52 reviews to begin this weekend.  Yes, I will cover Red Hood and Catwoman.

Don't worry Brad and Brandon, I will keep my cat away from the comics and will limit the number of grape jelly sandwiches I consume while handling the comics.

*seriously, I've been to shops all over the place, and ABC is still the best one I've visited.