4 Color Junkie Store now open!

Not content with just providing news, reviews, and biased opinions on all things comic book; I have decided to set up a SAFE and SECURE website store to help you get what you want without having to look any further! Right now, I am just set up for graphic novels and not monthly books but you can also find movies, books, games and more great swag! Please, give us a chance, you will be pleased!

Watchmen, Director's Cut

Cover of Watchmen

Two days ago, Watchmen was released on Blu-Ray and DVD.

In case you live in a cave with an anti-comic book barrier, you would know that the Watchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins. The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987 which chronicled an event in a parallel Earth in which superheroes have been treated like celebrities and eventually outlawed. The cold war has risen to a scary high as nuclear holocaust is imminent and only half a dozen costumed vigilantes have any chance at saving the dying planet. The main characters of the story are Nite Owl, Rorschach, Silk Spectre, Doctor Manhattan, Ozymandias, and the (deceased) Comedian. Telling anything more about the epic tale of The Watchmen would take up far more room than one blog can even hope to manage, so I will move on to the Director's Cut of this newly released movie on Blu-Ray.

I grew up never being able to get my mitts on a single copy of this urban legend of a comic book series. In the year 2000, I was fortunate enough (on my honeymoon) to find every single issue at a comic book shop in Salt Lake City, for $3 a book. I was blown away!

Nine years after reading this mini-series, the powers that be in the land of glitter and gluttony have released this work of literary art in theaters and now for home consumption! I watched the movie in the theaters (sorry, Mr. Moore) and, though there was a singular glaring difference between these two medium of the same story, every other thing in this incredible story was spot on accurate! Spot on, not unlike the spot of blood on Comedian's happy badge! Speaking of Comedian, when you watch the very first scene of the movie, Comedian is wearing the exact same bathrobe that he is in the comic book! Okay, I know that one robe is fictional, but you don't realize that while watching!

Image via Wikipedia

The interpretive changes were minimal and even a large amount of the dialogue was so similar, you would think the re-writer just threw a trade paper back at the actors. Another thing I couldn't help but notice was that the director's cut of the movie added about half an hour of footage back into the movie (even reverting a scene or two back to the comic version of the story). I thought this movie couldn't get any better without restoring the original plot twist, UNTIL the director's cut was released! (By the way, the actors seemed to step straight out of the pages of the comic!)

Now that my heart has quit pounding through my chest and my jitters have calmed enough to write this, I would like to say to director Zack Snyder, "Thank you! A thousand times, thank you!" To the rest of you....BUY THIS MOVIE!!!

The Punisher in Oregon!

Not ready to go home from the Mayhem concert in Auburn, Washington, I found myself heading down into Oregon for a couple days of excitement at Newport beach and the surrounding area. Some of the great things about this area are, the ocean (naturally), Yaquina Bay light house, both the Ripley's Believe It Or Not and the wax Museums, the Aquatic Center and the underwater aquarium, boat tours, you name it. One thing that isn't easily associated with the wet, salty air of the coastline is a comic book shop! I may have missed a hidden little hole in the wall while hitting the shopping areas of town (both touristy and non) but I wouldn't be surprised if there was no such shop.

Down near Pier 1, however; I found this quaint little shop tucked into the back room of a micro-mall on the 'strip' that sells clay mugs that are crafted into faces that could easily be found in a 1970s cartoon intended for adults (think "Light Years") or maybe some hippie calendar of gnomes and mushrooms.Directly outside of this shop, there are two boxes of comics, bagged and boarded; just waiting to find new homes. On the front of the boxes, a paper sign gloriously announces, "Vintage comics- around 15 years old- $1.50 ea. or 4/$5.00"

Well, that sounded like an invitation to browse to me and so my fingers began their walking, stepping through each and every book. Within these home crafted boxes, I found a lot of Image books, including Savage Dragon; some Ultraverse books like Mantra and even DC's Metal Men mini-series from the early 90s and a four consecutive issue run of Marvel comic's the Punisher, issues 79 - 82. This may not have been a golden pick that puts my kids through college, but it is a pretty cool find for a town that doesn't really have a comic book store.

Cannibal Corpse?! I thought this was about comics?

Image via Wikipedia

I didn't get to hit the local "bookstore" to snatch up my stack of 4 color escapist magazines this week because Rockstar Energy Drink's Mayhem Festival hit town (and by town, I mean, across the state) to devastate the Pacific Northwest and I had to go...no, really, I HAD to go, I am a big Behemoth fan and they were playing (I already missed them once last year). Well, I also was dying to see Trivium, Slayer, Job For A Cowboy, Whitechapel, and Cannibal Corpse....that's right, Cannibal Corpse!

Of course, by now, you are sitting here thinking, "What in the world does this have to do with comics, man?!" To which, I will say:

The shows were great and the energy was stratosphere. There were so many different people from various walks of life there to watch incredibly talented bands perform wonderfully twisted music, I wouldn't have asked for anything more!

Again, you ask, "Seriously, what about comics?" I then say:

Among the T-shirt and CD covered vendors, sitting on a table, I found the most amazing thing...
A Cannibal Corpse comic book! (Well, graphic novel, if oyu wanna get all technical and whiney about it). That's right a glossy paged comic chocked full of short stories! WOW! The cool thing is, each short story seemed to be based off of a different song from their latest release, Evisceration Plague! How freakin' cool is that?! The book was bagged with the album and the bundle cost me no more than 20 coin so I had to get it, even though that means I now have two copies of their album.

The day went on and I had an amazing time, jumping in the pit to some of the heaviest bands in America (and successfully protecting my comic book treasure). Moshing and headbanging, yelling and singing. The day couldn't get any better....or could it?

Taking a break from the constant slamming, I made my way back to the vendor booths (I am a sucker for spending) and was only half surprised to see band members signing their autographs for appreciative fans. After peering into the crowd of fans for a moment, I caught glimpse of the artists at the signing booth...Cannibal Corpse! A wave of giddiness washed over me and I instantly dug deep and fast for my newly acquired bagged book and just about pulled the plastic from it at light speed, then I charged the line and waited....and waited...In real time, it was two or three minutes tops, but in eager anticipation time, it was an eternity on slow motion! I got to the front of the line and proudly displayed the book and watched as each of the members of this long running and well respected band put their diabolical John Hancock on MY comic book! I continued down the line with a handshake and a 'thank you' until I gathered each musician and then got lost again in the crowd of metalheads, goth girls, and freaks...jealously guarding my latest prize possession.

I walked out of that concert (barely) with some incredible memories, richly colored bruising and great merchandise but the one possession I prize over all others is my Cannibal Corpse comic book, fully autographed by one of the nicest death metal bands ever (sorry guys if this ruins your reputation for being evil)!

I have been trying to locate a link for you to buy this book but have been unable to do so. For now, check out this merch from Cannibal Corpse:

Brutish Fun!

Hey there, friends!

I was doing some random online browsing for internet excitement of an odd flavor and I ended up running across the craziest little game! (Okay, it probably isn't extremely crazy but it does seem like a lot of fun)!


The game is called My Brute and when you show up at the site, you get the chance to make your own little brute. By simply typing in your fighter's name, the site generates a cute little fighter for you. If you don't like the way he or she looks, click on the little button to the left of it, near th
e feet and the site will randomly generate a new character until you find something more appealing. You can even change the color scheme of your Brute with the button on the right.

Get your guy or gal started and throw it into the arena for some fighting fun! The site will ask you to set up a password but doesn't ask for anything else!

There is no real complicated game play, just a couple clicks gets you into a fight with another brute and the website A.I. does the rest! It may not be super involved but is an entertaining 3 minutes of the day, regardless!

Character spotlight on: She-Hulk

Welcome to the debut of my character spotlight segment. I plan on shining some light on great characters that may not be getting proper treatment. This is me, doing my part to help raise awareness and trying to stop the horrible and unaddressed issue of character neglet!

Image via Wikipedia

This entry is to spotlight one of the strongest women in comics, the Sensational She-Hulk. This 29 year old, emerald skinned, comic book good girl is an incredible asset to a character stable. As Jennifer Walters, she is a skilled attorney that is just as passionate about fighting legal battles as her 6' 7", superheroine counterpart is eager to bust heads! Always thinking of more than just mercenary tactics and brawling, She-Hulk has even been able to put her villain bashing abilities to professional use as she has been recently seen traveling across the country as a bounty hunter for bail skippers.

She-Hulk is one of the last characters that Stan Lee created for Marvel and has starred in no less than four on-going series including the Savage She-Hulk (her first comic which lasted to nearly 30 issues) and the Sensational She-Hulk which saw John Byrne take the emerald Avenger through 60 issues of comedy, parody in which her jade jaws were often talking directly to the reader.

She may not be a requirement in the Marvel stable like Spidey, Mutants, or even the Hulk, but her depth and richness of character is one that could go toe to toe with her cousin and win, every time!

Street Fighter II- The Legend of Chun-Li

Image via Wikipedia

This post is all about Street Fighter II- The Legend of Chun-Li.

I remember playing the SNES Street Fighter II for hours and days with friends and I was best with Chun-Li (she was the only one I could find that could get out of the cheese moves like Guile's Sonic Boom) so, when I heard that 'they' crafted a movie based primarily around my favorite Street Fighter, I was pumped! However, when this movie came out in theaters, I missed it and was very saddened. Fortunately, thanks to Terminator, Wolverine, Star Trek, and a few other movies, I almost didn't even notice the wait for Chun-Li to hit Blu-Ray.

I eager scampered out and rented a copy (I wanted to buy it but the only available copies were on DVD) and sat down to watch it at my earliest convenience (last night). I was settled in and ready to go, I even updated my Memorex player.

I was very surprised to find that Kristen Kreuk (Smallville's Lana Lang) was playing the lead role and was also a bit shocked to find Chris Klein cast as Nash. I must also admit that I had quite the crush on Miss Kreuk when I used to watch Smallville regularly.

The movie kicked off and was already showing great promise by the title sequence, so I was very thrilled to grab up this movie but, as the time began to drag on, I was quickly realizing why this movie was not receiving the warm buzz that some cult classics gain. The story was quickly proving to be no better than early Steven Segal flicks, the villains were all wet, Kristen (alas, my aching heart) seemed almost crackhead thin and was not able to pull off a good Chun-Li. Nothing of any major worth came from this movie. The Chi was hokey and the special effects belonged on USA Up All Night. The fight scenes were generic, the soundtrack was audial diarhea, and Chris Klein does NOT play a bad ass. He seems more like a woman dressed as a man, playing a woman who is pretending to be a hard ass guy. Sorry Mr. Klein but your performance left something to be desired (like a male presence).

I sat through this 90 minute arcade devastation and, as it was beginning to roll its ending credits, I asked myself what I had just done! Through it all, one good thing came out of this movie...I didn't spend twenty bucks so it could waste space on my movie shelf between Spider-Man and Superman.

Hidden Treasures!

While out on my bicycle today with my wife and fellow comic book geek, we happened to pass by an antique store in town by the name of Shady Lawn Antiques. This antique store was a dairy and creamery for Walla Walla once upon a time, but has since been transformed into an incredible antique store with some unique treasures and amazing blasts from the past, any past. I am a junk hunter and love going through antique stores, but when I find an antique store with comic books, then I am in heaven! I don't care what the book is, somebody outside the four color field has acknowledged that these illustrated magazines are a valuable piece of our American history.

I found a small box of comic books and rummaged through each and every book (as I typically do). I passed beyond the stacks of Archie comics (not my thing) and hacked through the Conan books. Every book was gently used and slightly worn, which is common for shops that don't fully understand the world of comic books. Some books had slight tears or minor folds, some were discolored with rolled spines, and most had been slumped and bent enough to have soft spines.

I am a bad collector in the sense that I don't require my books be sharp and crisp, I can almost be considered a comic book shelter. I will take in the book no matter the condition. I just love comics, not their price tag.

With that said, there were seven books I felt that I had to have above the others and they were Whitman Comics' Flash Gordon #31 and 31 (the movie adaptation issues); The Bionic Woman #4 from 1978; the first series of New Mutants #9 which sees the New Mutants in Nova Roma; Iron Man #102, which chronicles the gold and crimson Avenger and his battle with The Dreadknight; All-Star Comics #63 where the Justice Society take on the Injustice Society with a great cover of Solomon Grundy thumping the JSA; and finally, Battle Of The Planets #3 from 1979! I didn't even know that BotP was that old, much less, printed by Gold Key Comics!


Find some treasures of your own!