Sign, sign, everywhere a sign Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign? -Ancient Proverb Let it be known that I did it for the lolz. It was one of those things I thought maybe would make a handful of […]
Comic Review: BLACK WIDOW #1
Black Widow #1 Review by: Erik Radvon Story by Chris Samnee and Mark Waid Art by Chris Samnee Color Art by Matthew Wilson Lettering by VC’s Joe Caramagna Cover by Chris Samnee & Matthew Wilson Publisher – Marvel Comics Cover Price – $3.99(USD) Release Date: Mar 2, 2016 Rating: 4/5 […]
Kill the Silver Age
I will never get tired of seeing Barry Allen die. Blame my age. My comic-reading vice (it’s an absurd habit, really) latched onto my central nervous system sometime in the mid ’80s. From the vantage of 2016, it was an extraordinarily strange time to come into the medium. The X-Men […]
The Twilight Zone Election
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]