I’ve seen a lot of WEIRD things. Movies, stories, comics, real life etc. A lot of it shapes your tastes, both likes and dislikes. Sometimes, you like things that are not necessarily part of the mainstream norm.

I have a thing for over the top violent things. Not horror-based. Action-based. I just gravitate towards that unbelievable over-the-top stuff. Mainstream media has sanitized things so much, that it has become quite dull and uninspired.

At an early age, I got into Heavy Metal magazine. The stories in there were vastly different to the ones you’d pick up off the spinner rack and the corner store. I was hooked. One of the first stories I fell in love with was from the “Hombre” series by Segura and Ortiz.

Now… for a thirteen year old kid who was well on his way into puberty, the fact that an action comic was out there, with a scantily clad woman and some intense fight scenes blew my mind. It left an indelible impression on my young mind.

The second was Judge Dredd from 2000AD. We had very little exposure to that here in North America, but I was gifted a number of issues during my teens and fell in love with the post-apocalyptic setting and the idea of roving Judge/Jury/Executioners policing overcrowded mega cities. The stories didn’t take themselves too seriously, and that was part of the fun.

The third was a collaboration from two of my favourites. Frank Miller and Geof Darrow. The result was Hard-Boiled. And that series blew my mind. The combination of Darrow’s hyper-detail and Miller’s dark story were irresistible.

and the last one is just a weird personal favourite of mine. I love and still reread the Ángel series from Iron, because it’s just so much psychotic craziness wrapped up in a small package. Imagine the lovechild of a Mad Max movie and a Slayer album.

fucked up, man

and this is just comics I’ve read.. there’s loads of films and series I haven’t even touched on. Perhaps a part two is in order…