Stork versus Mongoose

Heroes, Season 3

The new season of Heroes premiered last Monday with a ridiculous three hour block on NBC. I know it's typical for a network to hype it's own success, but a red carpet special? I consider myself as enthusiastic a fan as anyone, but even I had to wonder what NBC was thinking. Still, network self-promotion isn't exactly news, so I didn't let the extra hour of masturbatory television scare me away from the premiere.

A few things have struck me as the show has moved into it's third season. One, is how bad the show is by conventional standards. I've already argued that comic book movies must be judged by their own criteria. Still, the melodrama, the predictable "twists" and the sub-par acting don't make for the best combination. And yet, I find myself enjoying the show, and eager to see what happens next.

Secondly was something I noticed after a conversation with a friend who criticized the spread of Claire's healing power to other characters, essentially making it impossible for anyone important to die. This may be true, but just like the poor overall quality of Heroes relative to "normal" shows, it doesn't matter. In fact, it makes the show stronger in a way, because of one broader point I've decided about the show.

Heroes isn't trying to be the best show on television (at least, I hope it's not). I don't think it's really trying to be a "show" at all in the traditional sense. Really, it's just a comic book made for television. When you think about it, Heroes lines up pretty perfectly with the make-up of an X-Men or Justice League comic. The plot line of a comic, for example, is basically predictable, with just enough surprises thrown in. Furthermore, nobody in a comic book, whether hero or villain, ever stays dead (see Superman, Jean Grey, et al).

Traditional comic books (as opposed to weightier graphic novels like Watchmen) have always indulged in melodramatic plots that require a large degree of faith. If you demanded an answer for every plot hole/loop in a comic book you couldn't ever fully enjoy the reading experience. Heroes demands the same of its viewers. Comic books and Heroes as extension serve mainly as allegories or fables. The plots are flawed, filled with ridiculously beautiful characters doing really awesome stuff, but they're nothing more than a vehicle for a deeper message. Now does Heroes contain such a message? That remains to be seen. But in the mean time I don't mind watching incredibly attractive people run around blowing my mind with special effects-created powers.

Griffey in '96

Streetwear for President '08

If you had to guess, I don't think it would be hard to figure which candidate the street scene supports overwhelmingly. Shepard Fairey, the artist behind the notorious viral art of Obey famously lent his support with his Hope poster.

Recently, Obama love is being felt even more fervently, showing up more and more often on one of my favorite streetwear blog's High Snobiety. First, Kidrobot released images of their Kidrobama '08 T. Even cooler was Jim Lasser's Obama Force One which features Obama on both soles, along with the phrase "A Black Man Runs And A Nation Is Behing Him" on the left sole. Upper Playground released a limited edition Obama T along with Digital Gravel as well.


My favorite by far though has to be Mighty Healthy's political design that features the slogan, "Obama Bumaye!" taken from the famous Rumble in the Jungle between Ali and Foreman. I wonder: Does Obama has an October "rope a dope" strategy of his own?

Hip Hop and Hiatus dot com

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Return of the Black Panther

If you think I wouldn't barter a pack of smokes to get this sweet retro Black Panther baseball cap from a Mexican day laborer, you're wrong.

GZA The Genius, Pro Tools

It's telling that GZA the Genius decided to name his latest effort, Pro Tools, after the software he used to produce the album. He loses the usual Shaolin elements of fantasy and samurai worship. Instead he sticks to what he does best: nothing flashy, just seemingly effortless flows strung over minimalist, but energetic beats. Where much of mainstream hip hop has been bogged down and bloated with excess, GZA and the members of the Wu-Tang Clan he enlists on the album keep things lean, mean and powerful.

There are no catchy hooks repeated ad nauseum. There are no retro tunes, revamped and amped for the club. What’s left are lyrics that stream seamlessly and belie true intellect and talent.

While examples abound on the album from start to finish, “0% Finance” is perhaps the best. Set against a ridiculously simple guitar and snare beat (with only intermittent interjections of sound effects) GZA flows on an automobile motif for more than four minutes seemingly nonstop.

On the album’s interlude GZA discusses how he once saw a fan sporting a Wu-Tang Clan face tattoo. While he admits its possible there exists another fan out there with G-Unit inked on his face, he doubts it. “I would say [the Wu-Tang] is sort of like a cult following.” Given the swath of aural wasteland hip hop fans are facing these days, it’s not surprising they would latch on to lyricists like GZA with almost spiritual fervor.

GZA isn’t above rapping about the usual material – hood life and hustlin’ – or continuing his beef with G-Unit. On “Paper Plate” he takes aim at 50 Cent, accusing him of being unoriginal: “I get it, you got rich robbing those in the industry/ Bite off this one, steal from your enemy,” and worse calling him out for his GQ cover shot:

“Never try to play the hottest one out ya camp
He might step off and take half the joules from ya amp
Enough to make ya Vogue on that cover of GQ
Only missing the sheer blouse, homey, you see-through.”

The G-Unit/Wu dispute hasn’t gotten much attention as of yet, but considering the talent differential it’s likely G-Unit would prefer it stays that way.

Perhaps hip hop isn’t yet dead. It still has a faint pulse. If you listen to it closely enough you can hear some of the remaining great MC’s, of whom GZA is one of the best.