I’ve followed American politics since before I could vote, finding it exciting and captivating, sometimes even fun. I naively and mistakenly thought I was accustomed to all the various tricks the murderous bloodsport had to offer, its unpredictable lurching, its penchant for absurd twists and turns. I should be used to it. The first election…
Author: Erik Radvon
Roach Dude Election Special ’16 – aka Fun with Manga Studio
Hello internet. I just got Manga Studio 5 and a cheap Wacom tablet so I can make cheap comics for cheap laughs. Note: I’m a writer, and my artistic output illustrates that wonderfully. Don’t hate. Here are breakdowns of my first output, a patriotic mini-comic called ROACH DUDE ELECTION SPECIAL ’16.
Trainspotting and the Ghost of ‘Sally’
I’ll call her ‘Sally’ out of respect for the dead. We worked together at McDonald’s, the last refuge of scoundrels and lower-middle class ambitions. Fitchburg, Mass. long had strong undercurrents of vice coursing through it. Heroin was no different. In the mid-90s, it roared to the top of the menu. It was often easier to…
Newsletter, Volume 0
My first newsletter is out in the wild, appropriately starting with Volume 0. Read it here: http://tinyletter.com/radvon/letters/free-radicals-a-newsletter-from-erik-radvon-volume-0 Subscribe here, if you’re into that kind of thing: http://tinyletter.com/radvon
Growing up in the Dark Ages of Star Wars
“This is it. They’re making a new Star Wars.” This was me, to my parents, my friends, the disinterested kid next to me on the bus, our local postal worker- everyone I knew. In my hands, the novel “Star Wars – Heir to the Empire” by Timothy Zahn, its foil embossed cover shinning like a…
Happy Thanksgiving 2015
Happy Thanksgiving! If you’re reading this chances are you’re my friend, family, or a very stubborn Spambot. In any case, if we’re connected on any level you should know that you’re dear to me, whether I’ve known you for 20 years or we just chat about video games. I’m thankful for you all. It’s been…
Barcelona: City on the Edge of Tomorrow
Barcelona feels like a city on the edge of something new. Yes, the history is here, backed by a rich Catalan (don’t you dare call it Spanish) culture, and yes, there are plenty of museums and sights to take in, but unlike a lot of Europe the story doesn’t quite seem finished yet. It’s unusual…
When the Chips are Down
There’s a line in the 2005 movie Sin City that sticks with me. “A smoker’s a smoker when the chips are down.” I used to be a smoker, but years ago I chose life and dropped the vile habit. I now find my thrills by way of Starbucks espresso and sugar-free Jell-O Pudding , like…
Remembering Wes Craven
A knife to the gut. A plunge from on high. It comes out of nowhere, sudden and fast. Its horror isn’t so much in the act itself, but in its explosive speed and its undeniable finality. Like a cart over the rails, once set in motion there’s no stopping it. It just goes. You can…
Jurassic World – A Benevolently Absurd Modern Blockbuster
I couldn’t stop laughing. During the course of its two-hour-plus run time, Jurassic World dishes up something for everyone. As in, everyone in the world. All ages and all demographics are assembled, ushered into an Epcot Center-like faux theme park setting to square off against the real reason we’re in attendance- the dinosaurs. For me, the…
Ascent Into Madness: The Wachowski’s Have Made the Craziest Movie Ever
I finally got the opportunity to see Jupiter Ascending. Jessika surprised me with it last night, the deluxe 3D Blu Ray version no less. The 3D functionality of our TV was dormant for at least two years, but this seemed like a good a catalyst as any to knock the dust off the glasses and fire it up. Nothing…
Goodnight to the Big Show
Tonight is going to be so weird. The Post-Letterman Era is upon us. I discovered the David Letterman show when I was 8 or 9. It was summer. Grandpa left the TV on after another broadcast of The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson wrapped up from Burbank. The TV blinked over to a completely new…
MAD MAX FURY ROAD: A Post-Apocalyptic Fable for the 21st Century
We live in a terrifying world. The cult of ISIS marches through the Middle East, with its black clad fundamentalists consumed by zealotry dispensing brutal violence without a pause. On the flip side, callous operators dispense drone strikes and missiles from afar, the deaths of innocents engulfed in flames tallied on reports, reviewed by commissions….
2015 Eisner Awards Nominees + My Picks for Winners
The 2015 Eisner Awards nominations have been released! Check out the full list here. Just for fun, here are my picks for winners in each category: Best Short Story “Rule Number One,” by Lee Bermejo, in Batman Black and White #3 (DC) Love, love, love that this got nominated, and would love it even more…
‘We’re Home’ – Star Wars Brings a Generation Full Circle
When Han Solo and Chewbacca appeared together on screen for the first time in over 30 years via last week’s new Star Wars The Force Awakens teaser trailer, it took Harrison Ford just a single line to bring an entire generation to its emotional knees– “Chewie,” Ford’s aged voice uttered in gravely undertones, “We’re home.”…