Top 10 Comic Book Covers

Alright, we haven't had any comic related posts in a while. How about top comic book covers? Sound like a plan? Good 'cause that's what we're doing.

10) Transmetropolitan- Lust for Life

The first time I saw the cover for this trade I knew it was a series I had to read. And now Spider Jerusalem is pretty much my hero.

 9) Nth Man #1

I bought this comic when I was 8 years old because I was trying to figure out how he could spin that sword and not chop off his fucking arm. I'm 30 and still trying to figure that shit out. The sign of any great cover.

8) Punisher - Born

This cover is a trip. It's like something you'd see in a psychiatry presentation examining the inner workings of a deranged soldiers mind.

7) Superman - The Death of Superman

I've never been a huge Superman fan but I had to buy this when it came out. The impact of the death of an American icon was profound. Then of course like all comic book characters he was resurrected by the all powerful dollar.

 6) Wolverine #50

Have to give Marvel a lot of credit for this one. The cover is actually a faux file folder with claw marks.

5) Spider-Man #50

Maybe Marvel has something with the #50 and badass covers. This one is so iconic it was referenced in Spider-Man 2 as well as other comics.

 4) Spectre #0

Bought this comic, never read it, have no earthly clue what it's about. The cover kicks that much ass.

 3) Preacher #1

Just look at it! You know some wild shit is behind that cover.

2) Iron Man #128

Tony Stark all strung out and sporting some hobo chic clothing. It doesn't get any better than this.

1) Batman - The Dark Knight Returns

Simple and powerful. The stripped down image is very contrary to the contents inside which helped revolutionize Batman and comics as a whole.

Top 10 Rock and Metal Bass Players

 Bass players - the bastard children of the rock world. Usually relegated to the instrument because "somebody has to be the bass player", some players embrace their position and rise above the obscurity. And as a side note it's been my personal experience that the bass player is one of if not the coolest person in any given band.



10) John Paul Jones - Led Zeppelin, Them Crooked Vultures

Though rarely mentioned, John Paul Jones was responsible for the balls in Zeppelin's sound. Without him Jimmy Page's sloppy playing would be even more evident.



9) Jack Bruce - Cream

Years ago someone told me that the only influence a bass player needs is Motown and Jack Bruce. I'm inclined to agree with that statement.



8) Geddy Lee - Rush

I'm not a big fan of Rush, but there's no denying Geddy Lee's talent. The fact that he can sing, play keyboards and play bass all at the same time is amazing. A normal person's head would explode if they tried to split their brain like that.



7) Alex Webster - Cannibal Corpse

Getting recognition as a bass player is difficult, it's infinitely harder for a death metal bass player. Alex made huge advances for extreme metal bass players to not only be heard, but also be recognized for their talent. Plus, he doesn't use a pick!



6) Lemmy - Motorhead, Hawkwind

If I may quote a rather stupid movie, "Lemmy IS God."



5) Jaco Pastorious - Weather Report

Although Weather Report is more of a jazz fusion band Jaco had to be included. Simply put, Jaco was a bad, bad man. His playing helped inspire generations of bass players.



4) Cliff Burton - Metallica

Every time I hear an old school Cliff song, it makes me hate the new Metallica even more. Dammit why didn't that bus kill Lars?



3) Billy Sheehan - Mr. Big, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth

Billy Sheehan is a freak. 'Nuff said.



2) Steve DiGiorgio - Sadus, Testament, Death, Control Denied, Iced Earth, Dark Hall

Steve is a legendary journeyman in the metal scene. He's played with some of the titans and made them even better. His fretless bass lends a unique quality to the genre. His instrumental jazz project Dark Hall really showcases his phenomenal talent.



1) Geezer Butler - Black Sabbath, GZR

Let's put this in perspective - Tony Iommi wrote some of the most crushing riffs ever known to mankind. Geezer made them even heavier. That's like saying "You're tank is cool, but let's strap a fucking nuclear missile on top of it."

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Top 10 Movie Sequels

We're a week a way from the ultimate fan boy wet dream - a sequel to Tron. While it's been 20+ years since I've seen the original, I admit my curiosity is piqued. I started thinking about the all the great sequels that have come out over the years and I'm hoping Tron:Legacy can join the ranks.

10) Friday the 13th Part II 

The first appearance of adult Jason, this movie is a horror classic. Hillbilly Jason with the hood is a hell of a lot scarier than his crazy ass mom or the machete wielding goalie of the later films.

9) Blade II

Guillermo Del Toro took the franchise to the next level with this film. His action sequences and visual effects topped the first installment. Too bad David S. Goyer had to destroy all of his work with Blade: Trinity.

8) Aliens

How do you make a badass movie about extraterrestrial killing machines even better? I have no fucking idea but James Cameron did. He built upon Ridley Scott's brilliant original work and arguably improved it.

7) Spider-Man 2

Sam Raimi did such an amazing job on this film. He managed to inject a colossal amount of depth and emotion into a comic book movie. Best part - he paid homage to the classic Spider-Man No More cover.

6) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

When you're a world traveling, ass-kicking archaeologist up against Nazi's and biblical artifacts, who do you call? You're dad. The chemistry between Sean Connery and Harrison Ford alone makes this movie worth watching.

5) The Dark Knight

Is this the greatest movie ever? No. Is it a fantastic sequel? Most certainly. Sure it has it's faults (Why does Batman have the voice of Satan??) but they are far outweighed by it's strength's. Heath Ledger's Joker and Aaron Eckhart's Two-Face are about as perfect as you can get. As an added bonus Rachel Dawes dies a horrible, painful death.

4) Terminator 2

Damn you, James Cameron!!! How do you go from Terminators and Aliens to Titanic??

3) Empire Strikes Back

This classic film gave us a budding relationship between Han and Leia. It introduced Yoda and Boba Fett and it gave us the often misquoted line "No, I am your father."

2) Halloween II

This is what a horror sequel should be. It picks up precisely where the original leaves off and continues the story without interruption. No missing years, no back story, no what does Michael Myers do in his off time while he's waiting for October 31, just a slight recap and go.

1) The Godfather Part II

With this movie we see the story of young Vito Corleone taken from Mario Puzo's novel compared to Michael Corleone's rise and subsequent fall from grace. The stellar cast of this film make it rise above the source material, becoming a celluloid legend.


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Top 10 Songs To Drive To When You're Pissed Off

You're stuck in Monday morning traffic. You're running 20 minutes late and you're seriously thinking about grabbing the asshole in front of you and yanking him out of his car because he's paying more attention to his cell phone than the road. What do you do? You can either act on the aforementioned murderous impulse or you can turn on the stereo and crank the shit out of one of these songs. Then at least you have a killer soundtrack when you wail on somebody with a tire iron.




10) Honey Hush - Foghat

Not as heavy as the other songs on the list, Honey Hush will still get your blood pumping. This song is the reason your stereo goes to 10. Rod Price's guitar work on the version from Foghat Live makes you wish it went to 11.




9) Wish - Nine Inch Nails

I don't even like Nine Inch Nails, but this song has a strange effect on my accelerator foot. I suddenly find myself doing 30 miles over the speed limit whenever I hear it.




8) Beneath the Wheel - D.R.I.

Nothing better than some old school thrash when you're running late.



7) Burst - Anthrax

If you crank this song in your car people will look at you all kinds of fucked up. Not because of the song but because your body spontaneously starts moshing whenever it plays.



6) Ace of Spades - Motorhead

Lets face it; Ace of Spades is so badass you should just listen to it all the time anyway.



5) Refuse/Resist - Sepultura

Refuse/Resist has the power to a turn Toyota Prius into a fucking tank!




4) Johnny Black - Pro-Pain

The relatable story of an American man and his daily grind. The drum beat alone just makes you want to kick someone in the face.



3) Joy Ride - Snot

More songs should be written about hunting people down with a .44. Maybe people would think twice about driving like dumb asses.



2) Binge and Purge - Clutch

You have to be careful listening to Bing and Purge. When it kicks in after the slow build up you're liable to put a fist through your windshield.



1) Fucking Hostile - Pantera

It is physically impossible to get more pissed off than this song. I know, I've tried.

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Top 10 Underrated Guitar Players

Here we have another touchy subject for guitarists - underrated guitar heroes. While there are dozens of amazing players that don't get the credit they deserve these 10 spring to mind for me.



10) Mick Mars (Motley Crue)

Like many of the musicians on the list, Mick has long been overshadowed by his band mates and their antics. Maybe if he releases an amateur porn and beats his wife he'll get some recognition.



9) Ty Tabor (King's X)

King's X as a whole is a criminally underrated band. They've had the misfortune of being saddled with the stigma of being a Christian band. That being said, Ty Tabor is a tone god. His sound has been sought after for decades by players in the know.



8) Buck Dharma (Blue Oyster Cult)

I was never a big B.O.C. fan until a few years ago. They were on a morning radio show playing an acoustic version of "Don't Fear The Reaper". When Buck started shredding on an acoustic he earned my respect.



7) Tim Sult (Clutch)

Tim is a master of conservative playing. He doesn't need to cram a million notes into a song, just huge riffs and a fat tone.



6) Rory Gallagher

It's a tragedy that this Irish blues-rock legend has been lost in the annals of time.



5) Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity, Down)

Lead singer and guitarist for C.O.C. and a founding member of Down, Pepper is a workhorse in southern metal. His hallmarks are fat riffs and bluesy deep fried leads.



4) Eric Peterson (Testament)

As a founding member of a band that has employed two of the most revered lead guitarists in music, it's a difficult task to gain special recognition. Eric is a primary songwriter and producer for Testament and helped cement them as one of the baddest metal bands to ever walk the earth.




3) Brad Whitford - (Aerosmith)

You know him as the "Not Joe Perry" guitar player in Aerosmith. Brad has written some of the BEST Aerosmith songs, probably while Joe was too fucked up to see.



2) Robby Krieger - (The Doors)

Having one of the best known front men in the world and being a contemporary of titans such as Hendrix and Clapton, it's easy to see how Robby gets lost in the shuffle. A talented flamenco player and songwriter, he deserves respect.



1) George Harrison - (The Beatles, Solo, Traveling Wilburys)

Forever attached to the stigma of being a Beatle, George never got the recognition he deserved as a guitarist or as a songwriter. Even as one of the Fab Four his compositions are among the best they ever produced.

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Top 10 Underrated 80s Films

Being a child of the 80s I sometimes long for those nostalgic moments produced by the decade of excess (The 80s had the BEST Saturday morning cartoons, but that's another topic). Here's a list of my childhood movies that never received their just rewards.

10) Iron Eagle (1986)

A film featuring at the time modern aerial combat, Iron Eagle was overshadowed by Top Gun. While it isn't of the production quality of Top Gun it has three distinct advantages: Louis Gossett Jr., a rocking soundtrack and it doesn't have that creepy, overt homoerotic feeling that Top Gun has.

9) Runaway (1984)

Written and directed by Michael Crichton, Runaway features Magnum P.I. matching wits with robots and a makeup free Gene Simmons. It even has Kirstie Alley when she was still hot, you know before she unhinged her lower jaw and swallowed half of southern California. Unfortunately, these attributes weren't enough to top another man vs robot film from the same year - The Terminator.

8) The Last Starfighter (1984)

It's the age old tale of boy from trailer park is recruited via arcade game to fight in an intergalactic war. OK, it's not the most thought provoking story, but it kicks ass and it's creators didn't feel the need to continuously rape it's memory for money. (I'm pointing at you, George Lucas.)

7) Blind Date (1987)

This movie is hysterical! Bruce Willis and John Larroquette should be in a movie together at least every two years. On top of being funny as hell, Blind Date features Stanley Jordan in the studio laying down a killer guitar track. It has nothing to do with the story, but it's great.

6) The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)

Buckaroo Bonzai is proof that people were still doing good drugs in the 80s. If you ever try to explain the plot of this movie to someone who has never seen it they will look at you like you just chopped up your family with a plastic butter knife and stored the bodies in a Coleman roll around cooler. The sign of any great film.

5) Spies Like Us (1985)

This a bittersweet film for me. It's one of the last times Chevy Chase was funny and it features the last good song Paul McCartney wrote.

4) Heavy Metal (1981)

Long before Pixar was the darling of the movie going public and 3d was all the rage, animated films had to be drawn by hand by real people. Heavy Metal is one of the finest examples. Featuring a legendary voice cast, drug sniffing aliens and a shitload of animated boobies this should be required watching for all would be animators.

3) Monster Squad (1987)

The progenitor of the timeless quote "Wolfman's got nards!" Monster Squad is like Baby's First Horror Movie.

2) Harlem Nights (1989)

This movie not being highly acclaimed is criminal. The fact that three of the funniest comedians to ever walk the earth are in the cast should be enough to warrant accolades. And remember folks, this is pre hanging out with transvestite hookers and making crappy kids movies Eddie Murphy.

1) Clue (1985)

If you had HBO in the 80s you've seen this movie roughly 2,954 times and it keeps getting funnier. It's hard to make a board game into a full length movie and even harder to do it well. Featuring a top notch comedic cast, quick witted writing and Lee Ving from Fear, Clue is the epitome of what a media crossover film should be. Maybe you should watch this a few times before you make another shitty video game movie, Uwe Boll.

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Top 10 Forgotten Rock Songs

When I turn on the classic rock station and I hear Led Zeppelin for the millionth time, I want to scream. For every Elvis, Jimi Hendrix, Doors or Zeppelin there's probably 1000 better bands that we never heard of or we did and they have been buried in the annals of rock and roll history. Growing up in St. Louis and listening to KSHE I was fortunate enough to be exposed some of these legendary tracks. Here's a list of some of the best forgotten rock songs.



10) All You Zombies - The Hooters

This song has the distinction of being the only entry from the 80's. The song's lyrics are based on biblical themes and was initially met with resistance by radio stations. The song eventually reached #58 and then faded into obscurity, yet Bon Jovi is still around. I don't get it.




9) Train, Train - Blackfoot

Blackfoot started out as a southern rock band in the 70's in same vein as Skynyrd and Molly Hatchett before adopting a more hard rock sound in the 80's to adapt to the changing climate. Train, Train is an example of the fine work that could have been produced if not for the fickleness of consumers and record companies.



8) Say It Ain't So Joe - Roger Daltrey

While Roger Daltry achieved monumental success as the frontman for the Who his solo efforts have largely gone unnoticed. This track is from his 1977 album One of the Boys.




7) Fly At Night - Chilliwack

A Canadian outfit, Chilliwack went virtually unnoticed south of the border. Instead we chose to import Nickelback and listen to Chad Kroger every-single-fucking-time-I-get-in-the-car. But I'm not bitter.




6) I've Been Around Too Long - The Marmalade

While mostly remembered as a pop band from Scotland, The Marmalade produced one of the most rocking tracks ever.



5) D.O.A. - Bloodrock

This epic song recounts a horrific plane crash from the first person. It's grisly content caused it to be banned by several radio stations.




4) The Tower - Angel

This song should be the theme song to every game of D&D ever played. At the very least it should be featured in a shitload of fantasy movies.



3) The Song of Crazy Horse - J.D. Blackfoot

Telling the story of legendary Lakota warrior Crazy Horse, this is one of the greatest epic songs you will ever hear. The lyrics and arrangement will haunt you.



2) Two Hangmen - Mason Proffit

A regional hit for Mason Proffit, Two Hangmen should be played EVERY SINGLE DAY to remind us how stupid our government is.




1) The Four Horsemen - Aphrodite's Child

This track is from the album 666, essentially a concept album for Vangelis that tells the story of the book of Revelations. The Four Horseman mixes Greek instrumentation with psychedelic rock creating in unforgettable classic.

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