Darwyn Cooks Dies at Age 53

Longtime readers of my blog know that, once upon a time, I fancied becoming a comic book artist.  I even got to take some classes with the late, great artist Joe Kubert.

As it turned out, I didn't have the chops for the business.  I could draw something (or someone) passably well if it (or she) was posed in front of me.  But ask me to draw something out of my imagination, and the result looked like it was done by a six-year-old.

Nevertheless, I continue to have a great affection for comic book artists.

So I'm saddened today by the death of iconic Canadian artist Darwyn Cooke.  Going against the trend towards photo-realistic art, Cooke had a distinctive, iconic style that was like no one else currently in the business.  He worked primarily on DC Comic characters, and may be best known for his revamped design for Catwoman.

He died of cancer at the age of 53, far too young.  I'm saddened by his passing...but I'm also angered at our own loss.  We have missed out on another few decades of work by an exemplary talent.

Goodbye, Darwyn. 

James Bond Drinks WHAT?

It's been reported that, in the next James Bond film, the iconic hero will forsake his traditional martini for a beer. A Heineken, in fact.

I suppose that Heineken was willing to pay more in product placement money than whatever the martini fixin's paid. (For the record, a standard martini is just gin and vermouth plus a garnish, although there are many variants.)

They already did away with his martini mixing preference in the remake of "Casino Royale." When a bartender asks Daniel Craig if he wants his martini "stirred or shaken," Craig intones, "Do I look like I give a damn?"

But you can only update James Bond so much before he's no longer James Bond. That's the way it is with iconic characters.

For example, DC Comics tried making Catwoman into a butch prostitute. But the fans didn't like it, and her backstory was changed at the next re-boot. (Comics get revamped every few years, nowadays.)

Even though I'm not personally fond of martinis, I'd prefer that James Bond continue drinking them. And, as a former bartender, I can attest that martini drinkers tend to be high on the "annoying customer scale." They want their drinks made just so ( "Gimme a dirty, bone-dry vodka martini with three olives, straight up" ). They often return martinis that aren't made to their satisfaction. I even had a customer pull the strainer out of my hand as I was making his martini, accusing me of "watering down" his drink!

But James Bond should be drinking martinis.

The only way I'd approve of James Bond drinking a Heineken is if he kills someone with the Heineken bottle.

And if he does, no doubt the brand name on the label will be visible, even if most of the bottle is jammed inside a malefactor's skull.