Peter's Reviews - Books and Magazines

Family Finds 1st Issue Of Superman and Saves House From Forclosure

nospam@example.com (Peter) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 13:53:03 -0700

Every collector dreams of the moment where something in their possession is worth a "life changing" amount of money. A family whose house was in foreclosure found such an item in Action comics #1 which has the origin of Superman.

Click here to read more at Asylum.com

Is Borders On Its Deathbed?

nospam@example.com (Peter) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:20:57 -0700

Anyone who's been to a Borders lately knows that people go there to read, not to buy. Tons of lazy slackers break bindings and fingerprint new books with no intention of buying and tired mothers unleash their brats like it's a free daycare. Now there are reports that Borders are eliminating their CD and DVD sections that when I've been there have always been pretty empty. If Borders goes under will people actually go back to the library or go and overcrowd Barnes & Noble?

From the Consumerist: Yesterday's post about Borders closing down its unprofitable CD and DVD sections prompted a tip from the owner of a small music label. He says his distributor has already cut off shipments to Borders once for nonpayment (in November 2008), and on Monday the distributor warned labels that they'll have to agree not to hold him "liable on any future shipments to Borders in case they file for bankruptcy."

Barack Obama Meets Spiderman?

nospam@example.com (Peter) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:16:33 -0700

According to Slash Film, Barack Obama makes an appearance in Spiderman #583.

From Slash Film: Marvels Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada says that President-Elect Obama is a collector of Spider-Man comics and a Spider-Man fan moving into the Oval Office is an event that must be commemorated in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man.

Click here to read more at Slash Film

Mad Magazine - Calvin & Jobs

nospam@example.com (Peter) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:12:28 -0700

It's been a long, long, long time since I had any interest in Mad Magazine but if this is the quality of what they're up to now, it might be time to pick up a copy. (source - Gizmodo)

Click here to visit the official Mad Magazine website

Quiz: Which Superhero Are You?

nospam@example.com (Peter) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 09:32:04 -0700

Your results:
You are The Flash The Flash

90% Supergirl

75% Superman

75% Spider-Man

70% Catwoman

65% Batman

65% Robin

60% Iron Man

60% Wonder Woman

55% Green Lantern

50% Hulk

50% Fast, athletic and flirtatious.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

I'm a little surprised to find that I would be "The Flash" but the shocking thing is that it claims I'm 90% Supergirl. If you do the quiz, post what you would be.

Book: How To Traumatize Your Children

nospam@example.com (Peter) — Mon, 05 May 2008 21:33:43 -0700

Here's a gift for all the new parents you know. (source - OhGizmo)

Matt Hughes' Autobiography, Made in America on Sale Now

nospam@example.com (Peter) — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:49:39 -0700

I think it's way too early for Matt Hughes to have an autobiography since he still has at least 3-5 fights left in him. It should be interesting to read about his falling out with his hero, Randy Couture. That's a story that I had never heard of before. Also, he promises to tell the full story of the Tito Ortiz vs. Lee Murray street brawl.

Be sure to watch UFC 79 this Saturday to see the rubber match between Hughes and Georges St. Pierre.

Click here to order your copy of "Made in America" from Matt Hughes' web site

Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography by David Michaelis

nospam@example.com (Peter) — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 03:54:00 -0700

Growing up, I read a lot of Peanuts. I would sit at the library and read those huge collections of all of Schulz's books and looking up his references taught me about art, sports, religion and more.

David Michaelis explores the creative mind behind Charlie Brown and the rest of the crew but the man he found might surprise you. It sounds like Charles Schulz was a tortured, bitter artist that was highly competitive.

From MSNBC.com: But the bitterness and competitiveness are striking. Early on, when one of his fellow art school instructorsCharlie Brown, as it happenstold Schulz that he himself was giving up his cartoon ambitions, Schulz replied, Good. That will make one less cartoonist I have to compete with. Even later, when Peanuts reached $1 billion a year in 1989 and he was making tens of millions of dollars every year in the 1990s, he felt so competitive toward another cartoonist that he threatened to draw a Peanuts strip so that everybody will worry about Snoopy, and nobodys going to read your stupid story, and Ill get more publicity than you will! So there!
I wished for him that, in his 60s and 70, he would come to grips with some of this, the competitiveness and bitterness, his use of misery as a strategy. I asked friends, did Sparky ever grow up, did he become the man he could be and fulfill himself in an Aristotelian sense. I felt Charles Schulz never transcended himself as the boy Minnesota and the barbers son.

Click here to read the whole interview at MSNBC.com

Click here to check out Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography at Amazon.com

Video: Marvel vs. DC Mac/PC Spoof

nospam@example.com (Peter) — Mon, 07 May 2007 02:05:00 -0700

This quickly-made spoof of the Mac/PC ads actually makes some good points with the Marvel and DC movie franchises. If you liked this video, there are four more to enjoy.

Click here to check out the other videos

E Magazine - The Environmental Magazine

nospam@example.com (Peter) — Tue, 01 May 2007 11:33:00 -0700

Everyone would like to have a cleaner, better planet for our children and future generations and finally caring for our environment has become a respected thing to do. But for the regular person, where do we start? That's where E Magazine - The Environmental Magazine comes in. This is the first magazine I've seen that's dedicated to the environment in a practical way.

E Magazine is filled with guides for the normal person who wants to improve conditions on the planet, live and eat organic, waste less energy and also become aware of environmental news. In the issue I picked up, there were excellent articles about hybrid cars, driving clean, buying organic food, and more articles about implementing greener living into our everyday lives. This is a great magazine for those who are just starting to become aware of our environment and want to live better and cleaner. One thing I really liked is that there was a noticeable absence of heavy-handed political opinions. Being good to our planet and our bodies isn't a democratic or republican issue, it's for everyone and so is this magazine. If you're at all interested in the environment and want to be entertained at the same time, I highly recommend E Magazine.

Click here to visit the official E, The Environmental Magazine's web site

Drumhead - The Best New Magazine For Drummers

nospam@example.com (Peter) — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 01:57:00 -0700

I've been a drummer for many years and I wish that the magazine Drumhead was around when I started playing. I've been a huge fan of other drum magazines like Modern Drummer but Drumhead seems like it was written for me.

Drumhead was started by drummer, Jonathan Mover who has played with Steve Howe, Joe Satriani, Fuel, Shakira and many more famous musicians. Jonathan wanted to create a magazine that was all about educating drummers and if the premiere issue of Drumhead is any indication of what's to come, this magazine is going to be a big hit!

So what makes this magazine so different? It has a lot of the same interviews and lessons that other magazines do but the writing style is clean, clear and easy to understand. The biggest selling point is the included CD. This gives the reader the opportunity to hear every lesson demonstrated. Another extremely cool feature is that you can also hear the gear reviewed in the magazine demoed on the CD. My only criticism is that I would've liked to have heard the drums that were reviewed recorded alone and completely dry without effects.

If you're a beginning drummer or a seasoned pro, there's enough in this magazine that you'll definitely learn something every month. A week before I picked up a copy of Drumhead at NAMM, I was working on my Latin rhythms and working the clave into drumset patterns and I was pleasantly surprised to find an article about clave independence in the magazine! I'm really looking forward to future issues of Drumhead and I would have to say if you could only have one drum magazine, Drumhead would be it!

Click here to visit the official Drumhead web site

Mini Book Review - I Killed, True Stories of the Road from America's Top Comics

nospam@example.com (Peter) — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 23:51:24 -0700

If you're a fan of comedy and comedians, this book is an absolute must-read! I Killed is a compilation of true stories told by comedians about antics that happened to them on the road. There are incredibly funny and uncensored stories that might just change the way you look at your favorite comedians like George Lopez, Jay Leno and Chris Rock. Ritch Shydner and Mark Schiff have done an outstanding job of collecting stories that don't always portray our favorite comedians in the best light but I guarantee that you'll enjoy these behind-the-scenes stories. Hilarious and entertaining!

Here's a quote about the book from Publisher's Weekly: In this collection, Ron Shock tells of being goaded by outlaw comic Bill Hicks into dropping acid before a show, infuriating the audience and escaping just in time. Jay Leno recounts how he accidentally left a groupie tied to her bed overnightand she loved it. Black comic Alonzo Bodden recalls ripping into a redneck from the stage and having audience members tell him later that his target ran the local Klan. Shydner, early in his career, performed regularly at a variety of bars around Washington, D.C., and found himself opening for a riled-up audience eager to see the Ramones. He suffered through a "beer shower," and one of the Ramones thought that was his act: human beer sponge. Jerry Seinfeld, in his foreword, calls comedy "one of the Great Jobs"; this volume makes for excellent bathroom readingand that's a compliment.

Click here to check out I Killed, True Stories of the Road from America's Top Comics at Amazon.com