| Name: Jaime E. Munoz-Diaz. I was named by my grandfather who believed that the first son should always be named after the father so I got stuck with being a "jr." Ironically enough, he didn't name a son after himself until he had three. Age: 26 Weight: 240 lbs. I only include this because I get the "are you really fat?" question asked to me a lot online. Location: Los Angeles. I can't picture myself living anywhere else in the U.S. Chicago is too segregated, New York is too crowded, San Francisco is too expensive, Phoenix is too hot and everywhere else is too cold. Favorite Artists: My favorite classical artist is Michelangelo. Da Vinci is a close second because he had some awesome drawings. Gaugin is my favorite post impressionist (I don't like impressionism) and you can't beat Picasso's early (cubist) work when it comes to cubism. As far as comics are concerned, my favorite artist is Geoff Darrow. I love his acumulative style and the fact that he understands that normal people have varying features and bone structures. Alex Ross is god but he's more of a painter. Favorite comic books: Kraven's Last Hunt. This was actually a Spiderman limited series (I think it was Web of but I'm not sure) and I started reading it late so I didn't know that it wasn't Spidey being ruthless to the criminals. This was THE series of books that got me started collecting. The Dark Knight Returns. A friend of mine lent me the trade paperback in junior high and I went nuts. The movie was about to come out so Batman was really popular but I'd never seen a Batman like the one in DKR. The only Batman I knew was the one in the tv shows and that's NOT Batman. This book also helped me realize that all art doesn't have to look the same for it to be good. Thanks Frank. Marvel Comics Presents: Weapon X. The original origin story for Wolverine drawn by Barry Windsor Smith. Awesome. It also hinted to the fact that his claws were not implanted and I was trully upset when scribes at all mighty Marvel decided to make this storyline a "memory implant" (as were all those collectors whose MCP: Weapon X value took a nose dive). Sin City. Frank Miller at his best. Some say Ronin was his best work and others argue that it was DKR but I read this at a time when I needed more than guys in spandex fighting supervillains. Miller was also experimenting with his art and he pulled off a great book. He trully re-invented himself. Hardboiled. Miller and Darrow working together to make a book full of dark humor and gore. Need I say more? Akira. Katsuhiro Otomo ROCKS! This book is perfect for a sci fi junkie like me. Other comics I liked: The Big guy and Rusty the Boy Robot. Miller and Darrow together again in a story remenicent of Gigantor and Astro Boy. Who could ask for more? Secret Wars. Marvels best pitted against Marvel's worst. No explenation needed other than a cosmic being wants to learn about good and evil (Star Trek anyone?). Banner starts to lose his grip on his anger once again, Captain America breaks his shield, Professor Xavier walks, Doom gets his ass kicked by Galactus and Spidey gets a new costume. Fun, fun fun. Conquest of the Champions. You could say that this was the original Secret Wars. This time, however, it's good guys versus good guys in an obvious attempt to boost sales for certain Marvel Comics. Still a fun two parter though. The Age of Apocalypse. Definitely the best "What if?" scenario Marvel has come up with. I love any series where the heroes get completely revamped and this one had no holds barred. You had good guys as bad guys, bad guys as good guys and the worst guy of all was in charge. Marvels. Alex Ross is God! I didn't collect the original books (I still kick myself for that) but my friend did and every month we anticipated on how he would make each character look. I own the trade paperback and it's really ragged since it's the book I go back to the most. Kindom Come. Ross does his version of the DC characters in this one and I have the first three signed by the man himself. This was the first and only signing I've attended thus far. The writing was excellent as well. If you haven't read it, you should kick yourself. Favorite Books: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I read it when I was twelve and I still watch the movie on a regular basis. James and the Giant Peach. I read this one about a year after reading Charlie and the Chocolate factory and I can probably still paraphrase the whole thing. Too bad the movie sucked so bad. Flowers for Algernon. The first real sad book I ever read and the story had some sci fi so it was perfect for me. The Fountainhead. My uncle gave me this book when he saw how opinionated I had become by the time I reached high school. It sparked many a debate between myself, my English teachers and fellow students. Atlas Shrugged. The Fountainhead part two. This one is even more preachy than the first. My original copy is ragged and full of highlighted lines. Some people follow the bible; I used to follow this good book. The Exsorcist. I read this book in three days flat. I couldn't put it down and it trully scared the hell out of me. The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned. They answer all the questions raised in Interview with the Vampire (which I thought sucked since it wasn't much better than the movie). The Queen of the Damned movie doesn't even begin to do these books justice. . |
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