A fusion of so many things I love.
When I wrote my script for last fall’s X-Men anthology NATION X, the conceit was watching two of my favorite mutants on a road trip: Wolverine & Nightcrawler.
When it came to depicting the feel of a great trek like that, I peppered in some things that make me love the long highways: roadside oddities, deeply candid conversations, and something great to listen to. So I went with THIS AMERICAN LIFE.
Just thinking about the show (a series of rich audio documentaries and essays) provokes a very specific emotional response for me. It seemed like a perfect short-hand.
Plus – I’m always happy to offer a shout-out to something I love, in hopes that a couple more people will turn on its wonderfulness.
But to my thrill, I ended up hearing from the staff of the show (who were equally psyched to have such a cool fan…in Wolverine).
All of that leads us to this. This American Life collaborated with Marvel to print up a limited edition poster of the panel – available through the show’s website.
I practically $#!+ my pants.
The only thing that could make this team-up any better (for my money, at least) is the fact that the story’s art was done by the fantastic MIKE ALLRED. I’ve said it before – but it was a dream come true to have him illustrate one of my scripts. He has been my #1 favorite comic artist (and a great writer, too) since I first read the Dark Horse run of his most famous creation, MADMAN.*
There are only 2,000 copies of this poster available. I know that may sound like a lot – but not when you consider how awesome the mash-up of elements vs. how many people like awesomeness.
So do yourself (or a nerd you love) a favor and pick it up while you can. If you’re on the fence, TAL made a handy Venn Diagram to get you off …the fence.
A handy Venn Diagram of this poster's target audience...and of my psyche
*Seriously – if you haven’t read it, go buy a copy now. Though the first mini-series is great, the tone really shifted afterward. So I recommend starting with either the second 3-part story originally published through Tundra, or his initial Dark Horse run. Both have been re-collected in trades that are still available.
