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tork

Name: Alexander Tork

Bio: A few facts about me:* I now write articles for the Alternative Chronicle under my real name, "Kenny Cooper".  Please, Google it and read my stuff.  I tend to work hard on those articles and nobody really reads them.* "Alexander Tork" isn't my real name.  It's just a pseudeonym I use on the internet because I hate my real name and I'm paranoid that the Annuaki will discover who I really am and off me before I can twart their plans of conquering the planet before me.* My favorite characters (in no real order) are Iron Man, Spider-Man, Batman, Dr. Doom, and Lex Luthor.* My favorite writers are Grant Morrison, (pre-Marvel return) Jeph Loeb, Mark Gruenwald, J.M. DeMatteis, Joe Casey, David Michelinie, Ed Brubaker, and Geoff Johns.*My favorite artists are Jim Steranko (writing as well), Jack Kirby, Frank Quitely, John Cassaday, Seth Fisher, Eric Canete, Mike Mignola (writing as well), Brian Bolland, and Ethan Van Scriver.My favorite books are Squadron Supreme (the 1980's version), The Killing Joke, The Long Halloween (my first book when getting back into comics), the Stane saga in Iron Man, All-Star Superman, Best of Enemies from Spider-Man, Planetary, Right Hand of Doom from Hellboy, the Sinestro Corps War, Willworld, Bru's Captain America, Immortal Iron Fist, and Enter the Mandarin.* I don't think Watchmen is the greatest comic book ever.  Nor do I think Alan Moore is the greatest writer ever.  And I've never read a Garth Ennis book I liked.  Yes, that includes Preacher.* My first comic book as a kid was a reprint of Amazing Spider-Man #260 when Hobgoblin stuck his hand in a toliet in a ladies' bathroom.* I'm kind of stubborn and crouchy when it comes to characterization.  I believe a character's personality should be fairly consistant or at least that when characters change, there should be some reasonable explanation for that change.* I like continuity and think it should be respected by writers.  I don't think every little thing must line up perfectly but I do believe comic books are special partially because of the ability to interweave a wide-scoping narrative over multiple decades and countless creators.  Yes, trying to not contradict Roy Thomas or David Michelinie is hard.. thst's why you need to be a creative and good writer.* I often threaten to hit Joe Quesada with a shovel for One More Day and Clor.  I'm sure that's going to come up when I ask Marvel for a job.* I've spend most of my days behind more a Marvel fan than DC, though that has changed in the last couple years.  Though the Bru is keeping from abandoning Marvel all together.  And I got to stick it out for Iron Man.* I'm in college right now to get an English degree so I can be a writer in my own right.  Hopefully, with a lot of hard work and a little luck, I can one day be criticized in a podcast by Josh, Ron, and Conor over how my book is a self-indulgent decompressed waste of paper.* I write really long and drawn-out reviews... kind of like how this profile is... ah, well.


Reviews

Francisco Francavilla is more than one person.  I am convinced of this.  Francavilla is one of the rising talents in…

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Francisco Francavilla is more than one person.  I am convinced of this.  Francavilla is one of the rising talents in…

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Hey, this is my first time writing a review on the site in a long time.  I’m been busy writing…

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tork's Recent Comments
July 21, 2011 3:54 am If I remember right, wasn't it the other way around?  Turkish Cap was the main hero and Turkish Santo helped out by shoving important evidence into his pants?
July 21, 2011 3:30 am Best thing ever done with Josie & the Pussycats was this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvQY6tLMdL0

I miss Groovies.
July 20, 2011 5:19 pm Personally, I think Ultimate Cap was fine for the first couple volumes of Ultimates, save for the "France" line which even he admits he doesn't why he blurted it out.  For the first couple volumes, Cap was just a stand-up guy who was really out of place in 2001 and was really protective of his friends.  And then, after that, he's never been able to live down that one moment to where now writers just go with it.  So, yeah, now he's a jingoistic jerk.
July 20, 2011 1:27 pm Turkish Spider-Man is bloody psychotic in that movie.  He duct tapes a tube to a guy's face and then has guinea pigs eat his face.
July 19, 2011 9:27 pm Honestly, I always thought the Reagan stuff in DKR came off as a little silly.  I actually stopped reading Elektra: Assassin about half way through because I thought the political satire was getting too dopey.  There are stories that do political statements well by being subtle and refrain from hammering the message about people's heads (The Wild Bunch's commentary about the Vietnam War comes to mind.) but I've rarely if ever seen it pulled off well in a comic.
July 19, 2011 4:24 pm If a sequel involved Peter going to Russia to find out what happened to his parents and fighting Kraven and/or Chameleon, I'd be very, very happy.
July 19, 2011 4:14 pm The top of Walker's head isn't matching up to the rest of his head and it's bothering me very, very badly.

I also concur with Radmobile.  Where's the love for Isaiah Bradley?  Straight up racism going on here.  (I kid!)
July 18, 2011 5:17 pm With Nick Fury.
July 18, 2011 4:56 pm And at this moment in time, I don't think Marvel wants to alienate readers from either part of the spectrum anymore so they can make a statement that MIGHT turn out to be ham-fisted and silly.

Sorry.
July 18, 2011 4:55 pm In all fairness, it's very, very, very hard to write a politically charged story and it not come off as incredibly reductive and ham-fisted.  Civil War was a testament to that.  Even Secret Empire comes off as hilariously ham-fisted and silly in its premise where Nixon=Blofeld.  The best of them tend to be those where you barely even realize there's a political undertone to it.  You throw in Captain America, a character who is supposed to be the essence of the American ideal, and it's a sticky wicket.  It is easier with Iron Man or others because you can disagree with Iron Man if you want to.  You can't be on the wrong side of the fence with Captain America.  He's Captain America.  And at this moment in time, I don't think Marvel wants to alienate readers from either part of the spectrum anymore so they can make a statement that turn out to be ham-fisted and silly.