The Weekly Worship: Finally, some Maple Syrup I can afford!

I like waffles.

You know why. They’re fun, affordable, and swift. Go great with Flax.

But, maple syrup? Damn, it always costs like 17 bucks. You know, unless you’re drenched deep in the sticks of Vermont, half of that shit is fake. So, allow Trader Joe’s to be honest, call this fine product a “blend” and charge hardly anything for it.

And the happier my mornings-food go, the less stress I will take out on my favorite comic book writers.

In today’s first annual “Weekly Worship” segment, I’d like to commend the oft-criticized Matt Fraction for a hell of a run on the new Defenders title. Matty had a rough go at it with Uncanny X-Men and last winter’s Fear Itself, despite our monastery enjoying a fair portion of Marvel’s last event. And, for whatever reason, the tie-ins were actually awesome.

Fraction’s 4-year-plus long run (!!!) on Invincible Iron Man is about as great a run in comics in recent history; and while it’s often been quarantined into “slow burn” status among cynics (damn this new ADD generation!), the writer’s use of Stark’s self-doubt seclusion, seamless Downey Jr.-inspired characterization (a movie tie-in that actually works!), and ability to keep the same artist month and month out (Salvador “De” Larroca!) needs to be recognized. Sinners.

Now, if only Frac could find a way to sell a solo War Machine comic…

Defenders are a fun group led by Doctor Strange (I even quoted the skunky-haired sex addict on my Facebook today) and somehow the title even has me caring about weird shit like the… Concordance Engine?!…. Nearly every page has some eclectic quote, hint, advertisement, or self-afflicting tagline on it, so kudos to the letterer dude. That’s like giving credit to a busboy after a reasonable dining experience.

I honestly don’t know why I like Defenders; I just think it’s a book people would find fascinating if they didn’t care about superheroes too much. It’s a bunch of uncomfortable oddball B-listers (Sub-Mariner, Red She-Hulk, etc.) trying to solve uncomfortable riddles written by a guy using the uncomfortable plot-focused Marvel method, which just makes the shit just uncomfortably awesome.

The Offering Plate:

• Go see The Avengers this weekend, or move to another country. Oh, wait, all of them saw it too. You’re fucked.
• Although he stopped writing “Secret Avengers” — douche! — Ed Brubaker‘s one of my favorite writers and favorite people in the biz. Check out some cool-ass coverage I snatched @ Meltdown Comics about the Captain America and Criminal writer being a part of Avengers vs. X-Men right at this link: Comics Bulletin, yo.
• May 5th marks the annual Free Comic Book Day. This is a great way to get kids, superhero movie fans, and slacking web series producers an opportunity to grab some free funnypages and find out what the fuss is all about (a Mega Man comic, rad). Here’s a link to see all the freebie books you can get breaking the eight commandment, sin free.
• Since Apple/Sony and YouTube have seemingly been at war longer than that garbage over at Kosovo, I had trouble downloading the new Amazing Spider-Man movie trailer. But maybe your iPad-loving ass won’t, so here ye go: Whyisnthisonyoutube!
• Man. It was a rough week for us irritating Bahstun sports fans. (Oh, boo-hoo, 7 championships in a decade and still cryin’?). Well, yes. The Red Sox suck. The Bruins were excused out of the playoffs by the Caps (though the dream lives on in my season of NHL ’12). The Celtics lost to a ‘Nique-less Hawks team. And sadly, one of the NFL’s brightest smiles is no longer with us. Junior Seau, 43, died of an apparent suicide yesterday inside his San Diego home. His versatility, determination, and work ethic fit the Patriot mold, and, to boot, was a classy guy both on and off the field. #55 will be missed…

-Travis Moody