NerDgasm VI

In an effort to pull in the norms to Big D's NerDgasm Quiz, The Pillars of Hercules have done a bit of creative rebranding...

Anyone who turned up expecting questions about Kramer vs Kramer or Terms of Endearment would have been sadly disappointed, but no matter, I'm sure they would still have left happy, because it goes without saying that last night's quiz was a treat. New faces, old faces, an argument over the original Defenders line-up (whatever anyone says, John B was right - The Silver Surfer wasn't on the team), a chance for me to discover that I've stored the theme tune to TJ Hooker in some dark recess of my brain, prizes for everyone, (we scored some fine second-hand FF books and a vile statue of a barbarian on a mound of severed heads), and, above all, laughs. Lots of laughs!

A couple of people saw the plug on The Gosh blog, turned up, teamed up (with Dave's brother, Little Ad') and won! One fella wandered in from the coffee shop next door and enjoyed himself so much that he left vowing to bring new recruits to the next one, and the LLC sponsored team boasted a record seven members.

Given that it was pissing down with rain, turnout was good. Hopefully even more of you will come to the next one. As ever, I'll let you know when it is.

It really is a spanking night. In what other drinking establishment can you sup your ale to the strains of C.H.I.P.S. and The Gonk?

Spotted today

Gold raygun bolted to the door of a derelict electricity sub-station in Hackney...

NerDgasm VI is this Sunday!

Only one man asks tougher questions than Big Dave F...

And he's dead, which makes Dave Number One!

The last NerDgasm was a blast. This one promises to be even bigger. There's nowt interesting to do at home on a Sunday night anyway, so come on: get yourselves down to The Pillars of Hercules and pit your wits against London's most ripped quizmaster!

It all gets going at 7pm. See you there!

Suddenly!

Scan from Starlord Annual 1981

Shopping List

Some good stuff out this week. Quite a big shopping list for me, which is a shame as I've hardly had a chance to make a dent on last week's stack. Some serious catching up to do then. Here's a few of the floppies I'll be adding to my teetering "To Read" pile...

Roberson and Allred's I Zombie #1, which sounds a teensy bit like a rip off of the BBC show Being Human, but has received some positive buzz and looks beautiful. I'm as burnt out by zombie comics as the next man, but this promises to put a fresh spin on a tired genre, and with that creative team I think it deserves a shot.

Brightest Day #1, which is what it is - namely another DC event book of no intellectual worth in which Geoff Johns seeks to tie together jumbled continuity and turn the clocks back to what he perceives to be a happier time for DC comics. It's a trend that's obviously gone down well with a lot of readers, but which has alarmed others. I'm on record as a fan of Johns' work on Green Lantern and The JSA, so I'll be buying. Have to say though, I can see where the critics are coming from. For a fantastic, eye-opening article from one of the alarmed contingent, check THIS out.

Hellboy in Mexico, a one shot set in 1950s Mexico written by Mike Mignola and drawn by the legendary Rich Corben. Corben has been on strong form of late, producing some stunning work in Conan and Hellboy. I usually trade wait on the Hellboy books, but I think I'll grab this now.

Sweet Tooth #9 Jeff Lemire's weird and wonderful comic about the adventures of a Deer Boy and a bounty hunter in a post-apocalyptic America. I'm not suggesting you pick it up with this issue, but the first trade comes out this week and if you haven't been reading, it's well worth picking up.

There's loads more good comics including new issues of Conan, Jonah Hex and Batman and Robin. And, if you missed it last week then I heartily recommend you pick up The DC Showcase of Dial H For Hero. It's a slimmer volume than the usual showcases, but it's absolutely crammed full of bonkers Silver Age goodness. Well worth £7 of anyone's hard earned.

Giant Talking Thieving Ants FTW!

Scan from House of Mystery #163, December 1966. Reprinted in DC Showcase Presents Dial H For Hero

Charity Shop Comics - AIDS Awareness

Here's an extract from one of the finest introductions to a comic I've ever read...

WTF?! Talk about tenuous analogies!

It's a masterfully inappropriate start to the 1993 comic curio, AIDS Awareness, that I found lurking in the corner of Oxfam this morning.

While the people behind this book undoubtedly had their hearts in the right place, you have to laugh at the tone of the piece. Never mind that cracking intro, check out the Simon Bisley cover...

So, that's a terrified bloke with two syringes hanging out of his arm, catching a reach-around from a skeleton while a gigantic sperm heads for his crotch and three ghostly condoms float about in the background. Magic! It's an image that screams AIDS! at you isn't it?

Course it is!

It's also an image that has absolutely nothing to do with the story inside, a reworking of A Christmas Carol in which some bloke returns home from work to this...

YEEEEES!

The dribble running out the side of his mouth is an AIDS giveaway, but judging from dad's reaction it came on quick. His son probably looked fine at breakfast.

Your eyes don't deceive you by the way, that is Dave Gibbons artwork. He's one of a number of big-name creators who donated their time and talent to this enterprise. Later on in the story Bryan Hitch, Charlie Adlard and John Ridgeway pitch in with a few pages.

Then there's a really odd pin-up from Kevin O'Neill in the back...

John Pain, Guilty as Hell? What exactly is this? Some vengeful AIDS demon?

Again, seriously: WTF?

To round things off, there's a huge pic of a bloke with a gun and a badge that says "Spunk" on it, and a competition...

At first glance it appears to be a competition to "Win AIDS". This is mildly amusing in itself, but it's the questions that really get me. Even allowing for the fact that it appears in an AIDS Awareness comic, question C is right up there as a jaw-droppingly inappropriate teaser!

Surely the most tasteless comic competition of all time.

Huzzah!

For more charity shop finds, click the Charity Shop Comics label below.