sandman - the dust covers

sandman was a series that defined 90's comics and ha become a touchstone of fantasy literature. had dave mckean's striking covers not grabbed readers attention it may have had a hard time being discovered. this collection of covers with commentary by mckean is essential for every sandman fan. each cover is a work of art in itself. creepy? yes. beautiful? without a doubt.

dropkick murphys

it' easy to call certain songs on this album "sellout", but it's nothing more than a knee jerk reaction and opinion that would change with further listenings. to me this album hits a really pure working class no bullshit blue collar working class record... in a way. the struggles of the worker in an undiluted exspression that transcends political classification. there is common ground here that all of the 99% can relate to.

dead kennedys - live the early years

furious and with a positive social message, what the dead kennedys lacked in finesse and chops they made up for in energy and righteous anger. but the really punch this band packed was jello biafara's keen mind. he comes across as a kid playing pranks until you understand he's hitting on truth.

boulevard of broken dreams

kim deitch's cartoon work is beautiful and psychedelic, influenced as much by early disney cartoons as robert crumb' work. Boulevard sees these influences to their logical if still surreal conclusions.. a mad cartoonist and an even more insane cat. a tale of the early days of cartooning wrapped in the pathos of modern life.. brilliant.

izombie vol 2 - ivampire

zombies and vampires are hot right now. combining them in an adult oriented but still teen centric comic seems like a no brainer(the zombie ate it). the second collection of sleeper vertigo hit izombie is a very human tale involving supernatural beings. it is the human part that makes the story compelling. in the end they are just like us... with the same trials and challenges we faced as teenagers.. yeah we've seen this kind of story telling before but good writing makes these characters very relatable. - becky hunt