Amazing Transformers/G.I. Joe Mash-up

 Check out more pictures and other custom figures on the toycutter webpage.

Suggested Reading: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 1: Change is Constant
Written by Kevin B. Eastman and Tom Waltz
Art by Dan Duncan

Amazon.com Summary:

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles return to comics in their first IDW adventure! It''s a different world for the Turtles. The group is broken as Raphael wanders the streets of NYC in search of food and shelter. His brothers and Master Splinter are on the search, but so far all they can find is trouble - in the form of mutant alley cat Old Hob and his gang of criminals! The very core of the Turtles family is at stake as the new origin of TMNT is revealed! Join Tom Waltz, Dan Duncan, and TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman for the start of a wild ride!

Originally created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are firmly rooted in the popular superhero comics of it's time, most notably Frank Miller's run on Daredevil and the incredible popularity of Marv Woflman's run on the New Teen Titans.

However, like many of my peers, the original black-and-white comics were not my first exposure to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but rather the cartoon of the late 80's. Shortly after my introduction to the cartoon, I became obsessed with the action figures, and sure enough, my love for the Turtles led me to the kid-friendly Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures published by Archie Comics. I vaguely remember picking up my first issue on a trip to KB Toys (rest in peace, mall-staple of my childhood), and predates my interest in superhero comics by a couple of years.Needless to say, this franchise holds a special place in my geeky heart.

While the Turtles never really went away, they certainly waned in popularity after the initial cartoon launch and the kids of that era grew into teenagers themselves. More recently however, the Turtles are popping up in the news again thanks to a new cartoon from Nickelodeon later in 2012, a new toy line from Playmates who made the original action figures , and even a movie from Michael Bay that's been raising all sorts of controversy. And now, in addition to all of that excitement, TMNT has  alsoreturned as a new ongoing comic series and even enlists one of the original creators, Kevin Eastman, which lends quite a boost in the legitimacy of this series as a torchbearer to a new era for the Turtles.

So how does the new series hold up? Quite nicely if you ask me. While the artwork can be a bit shaky at times, the story itself is a nice blend of what's come before in Turtle lore for a good dose of nostalgia, and doesn't come off at all as stale.

The first four issues of the series have been collected as Volume 1, "Change Is Constant", which I would readily recommend to any fan open to a modern interpretation

Rating: 3.5/5.0

If you'd like to read more on the origin of the Turtles, check out this great history lesson from Comics Alliance!

Link Round-up: Week of April 9, 2012

 

With the changing of each season, there's always an uptick in entries on fashion and style blogs. This week I discovered one called Street Etiquette that had a great article on a DIY project using an old pair of canvas sneakers and a bottle of dye. Check it out, along with some other links, below:

• DIY Etiquette: Using Dye [Vol 1] (STREET ETIQUETTE) [shoes]
• Reader Q+A: Dressing well in warmer weather (Effortless Gent) [clothes]
• Meme Alert: Chandler Bing From ‘Friends’ Dances on Everything (Mashable) [humor, television]

Off to Taiwan

Things will be quiet for the next two weeks or so on the blog as the Mrs. and I take a family trip to the beautiful island of Taiwan! We'll be seeing family and will primarily be on the tour of the western side of the island. What's there you ask? I'm not entirely sure, but I can't wait to find out as there are both bustling cities and an abundance of natural beauty in Taiwan.

Man, the last time I was back in the motherland was April of 1999, this trip has been waiting to happen for quite awhile now. While my spoken Taiwanese is decent, I can't read or write, and my Mandarin is practically non-existent all the more reason why I'm thankful my mom and sister are along on this trip.

While you can expect entries for "Tuesday's Tunes" to continue, other content will be on hold until I return...

....with tons of pictures...

...mostly of food.

I'm especially look forward to trying as many bowls of Beef Noodle soup as I can, in the eternal quest to improve my own recipe.

Photo from Chow Times
I was instantly drooling after my Google Image search for this...

And while travel for me goes hand-in-hand with eating, I am really looking forward to members of my family that I rarely get to see and to experience with all of my senses the place that previous generations of my family called "home."

Suggested Reading: Morning Glories

Morning Glories, Vol. 1: For a Better Future
Written by Nick Spencer
Art by Joe Eisma

Amazon.com summary:

"Morning Glory Academy is one of the most prestigious prep schools in the country... but something sinister and deadly lurks behind its walls. When six gifted, but troubled, students arrive, they find themselves trapped and fighting for their lives as the secrets of the academy reveal themselves!"

Discovering Morning Glories was like finally being able to scratch that itch I've had since Lost finished and went off-air a few years ago. With strong characterization, the story that unravels before you fills your mind with a million questions, and like any good mystery, every time you are a given an answer...you are left with a dozen new questions. I love the twist endings that seem to be in almost every issue/chapter, which readily invoke my favorite "What the?!?" moments in Lost. Needless to say, I readily consumed the first two collected volumes. Best of all? I passed along, said volumes to my wife, a casual comic reader who has enjoyed Y: The Last Man and Fables, and she finished them faster than I did and asked for more.

While I agree with the many reviews that Joe Eisma's art can make it difficult to distinguish one character from another, a problem only exacerbated by the large cast all dressed in matching school uniforms, it's not distracting enough from the stellar characters and story that just pull you in with the gravitational force of a black hole. I know that the lasting power of Morning Glories will ultimately depend on how Nick Spencer and the team end the series, but I'm more than willing to stay on for the ride to find out!

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Tuesday's Tunes: Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers

Here are two great 80's covers from Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers, live from their "Van Sessions." Keep your eyes and ears out for a kazoo solo on "I Can't Go For That" and some sweet sounds from the melodica on "Material Girl"!

Cover of Hall & Oates - I Can't Go For That

Cover of Madonna - Material Girl

Check out the Rise of the Guardians movie trailer

This is all kinds of awesome:

They're break dance fighting!

With the arrival of Avengers vs. X-Men, the big thing happening right now with Marvel, wouldn't it be great if this is how super-heroes resolved ALL of their disputes: with a break dance battle? And if you like this piece, be sure to check out some of artist Bobby Rubio's other pieces on his site!

Christ is risen from the dead

He is Risen indeed! This song is relatively new to me, but really listen for the bridge, which has the victorious cry of "O death, where is your sting?/O hell, where is your victory?" it just gives me goosebumps!

May today be a joyous Easter Day wherever you are!

Christ is Risen
By: Matt Maher

Verse 1
Let no one caught in sin remain
Inside the lie of inward shame
But fix our eyes upon the cross
And run to Him
Who showed great love
And bled for us
Freely You’ve bled for us

Chorus
Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake 
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave

Verse 2
Beneath the weight of all our sin
You bowed to none but heaven’s will
No scheme of hell
No scoffer's crown
No burden great
Can hold You down
In strength You reign
Forever let Your church proclaim

Bridge
O death, where is your sting?
O hell, where is your victory?
O church, come stand in the light
The glory of God has defeated the night
O death, where is your sting
O hell, where is your victory
O church, come stand in the light
Our God is not dead
He's alive! He's alive!

Get the chords and lyrics at worshiptogether.com

Link Round-up: Week of April 2, 2012

Another work week has come and gone. Only a few items for this week's post, but be sure to check out the video above for some truly bizarre footage: Dancing to "I'm Han Solo" from the new Kinect Star Wars game.

• What I remember most about LEGOs (The Oatmeal)[toys, nostalgia, humor]
• What if the Facebook were invented in the 1990s? (Retroist)[nostalgia, humor]

Thanks for reading and have a great Easter weekend!

Good Friday

Whether you're at work or have the day off, may you be able to carve out some time for reflection on the Jesus' sacrifice on the cross this Good Friday. Sharing this great song to hopefully help with that.

Sweetly Broken
By: Jeremy Riddle

Verse 1
To the cross I look, to the cross I cling
Of it's suffering I do drink
Of it's work I do sing

For on it my Savior both bruised and crushed
Showed that God is love
And God is just

Chorus
At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

Verse 2
What a priceless gift, undeserved life
Have I been given
Through Christ crucified

You’ve called me out of death
You’ve called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now through the cross I’m reconciled

Bridge
In awe of the cross I must confess
How wondrous Your redeeming love and
How great is Your faithfulness

Mad Men as interpreted by Phil Noto

Mr. and Mrs. Draper

I haven't watched Mad Men since the beginning of Season 2, but these pieces by one of my favorite artists Phil Noto was too good not to share. What can I say, he just makes the characters look so damn classy.

Be sure to check out his website, which features a variety of pop culture icons...and a lot of super heroes to boot!

Roger

Joan

Iron Man & the Avengers

Of the many comic book-based  movies that have come over the past year or so, I believe Iron Man has remained the best of the bunch and so I couldn't resist picking up this adorable rendition on a recent trip to Target. 

There's this little movie coming out on May 4th called The Avengers that I'm very excited for. I still remember when they first announced this project and that movies for both Thor and Captain America would pave the way for the Avengers to assemble. Now a little more than a month away, I'm curious how audiences will receive this super group:

This whole idea of combining multiple popular comic book characters might seem familiar to some of you in the form of the Justice League:

Both teams are ultimately lead by a core trinity: Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor for the Avengers and Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman for the Justice League. While powerhouses each in their own right, you really get to see the solo heroes fleshed out when placed in a team, and that's what I hope we at least get a taste of in the upcoming Avengers movie.

Tuesday's Tunes: 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)
By: Matt Redman, Jonas Myrin

Chorus
Bless the Lord O my soul
O my soul
Worship His Holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your Holy name

Verse 1
The sun comes up
It's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass
And whatever lies before me
Let me be singing 
When the evening comes

Verse 2
You're rich in love
And You're slow to anger
Your name is great
And Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness
I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons
For my heart to find

Verse 3
And on that day
When my strength is failing
The end draws near
And my time has come
Still my soul will
Sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years
And then forevermore

Get the chords and lyrics at worshiptogether.com

The Dark (and Foamy) Knight

If only this could be every morning...

Palm Sunday

Have a blessed Palm Sunday, Hosanna in the highest!

Hosanna

By: Brooke Fraser

Verse 1
I see the king of glory
Coming down the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes, the whole earth shakes
I see his love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing, the people sing



Chorus
Hosanna, hosanna
Hosanna in the highest

Verse 2
I see a generation
Rising up to take the place
With selfless faith, with selfless faith
I see a new revival
Staring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees, we're on our knees


Bridge
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart for what is yours
Everything I am for your kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity