2016 Forceys

THE FORCEYS (Manchester Grand Hyatt)  This year's 11th Annual Forcey Awards took place on the Friday night of the 2016 Comic Con in San Diego.  The awards still generate much discussion about the previous year.  This hotel is the closest we've ever stayed to the venue and was a nice change of pace from shuttle riding.  The group of five representatives gathered with beer, whiskey and wine to celebrate the best of 2015/2106.  After over a decade we're still going strong . . . 

BEST MOVIE - Star Wars: The Force Awakens.   Strikeforce has often rewarded comic book adaptations with this award.  Despite a strong run in the voting from "Civil War", Star Wars nostalgia won the day for this strong return of the franchise.  With a new release coming at us yearly and Marvel not slowing down their schedule, this should be a strong rivalry going forward.

BEST COMIC - Paper Girls.  This category has had a variety of winners over the years.  We've had mainstream superhero comics, Vertigo titles, TV show adventures and independent comics.  "Saga" is a title that gets runner up votes each year but has never held the crown.  This year's winner harkens back to our first winner "Y: The Last Man".  This Brian K. Vaughn science fiction mystery title captured our imaginations in 2015/2016.

BEST MUSIC - David Bowie - Black Star.  Radiohead, Wilco and Leon Bridges all made good runs at this award this year.  But an appreciate for Bowie's legacy vaulted this album to the top.  It is certainly a worthy album for consideration but there's a feeling that in a different year he wouldn't have made it.  I don't disagree but will defend the quality of this release held up against other recent releases.

 

BEST OF TV -  Daredevil.  This is the odd category that hasn't had a repeat winner.  We've chosen superhero shows more often than not but there have been comedies and drama's too.  Last year's "The Flash" looked to be making a good effort for repeat winner but the Netflix power of their Marvel Universe passed them up and "Daredevil" was the big winner.  Netflix has built a huge stable of shows but our love of superheroes drove this one.  Will they have staying power into the future?  Our fickle tastes and number of choices would tell me we'll find something new to love.

BEST OF THE WEB - Netflix.  This 3rd time consecutive winner might mean the retirement of this category.  YouTube was a three time winner in it's day, so we almost need to have a run off this year to see who rules.  Amazon has yet to make a solid run at this crown.  Is anyone willing to make a case for them or Hulu against these content provider giants?

COOLEST ITEM OF THE YEAR - Sphero BB-8.   Because of the timing of this, I thought that Pokemon Go! was going to pull out a last second win.  But the rebirth of Star Wars mania won the day.  This little guy picked up the cute droid flag and ran with it (rolled with it, technically).  Hard to deny the cool aspects of this guy.  Brings back memories of our first winner - The Phantasm Ball.

STRIKEFORCE HALL OF DOOM - the highest honor is also known as "The Kirby".  Last year we inducted five honorees.  This year was also a solid crop of 5 inductees.  Each very deserving of the honor.

Atari 2600.  The classic game console joins the Hall.

David Bowie.  Sadly it took his death to get him in here.

John Carpenter.  One of the most unanimous picks we've ever had.

Steve Ditko.  For years and years he has just barely missed the cut and got through this time.

Weed.  It's been another nominee for years that finally is getting a little love.  Legalization across the nation is probably only a decade away.

Just missing the vote this year and hoping for further consideration - Blondie, Coen Brothers, Looney Tunes and Public Enemy

THE KINNEY -  Trump/Clinton Election -  Inaction On Gun Control.  I thought it would be hard to top previous winners like Bush/Libby and last year's Cosby.  This year was a little over the top with crazy crap.  I think we'll continue this theme of the category for a few years.

BLAST FROM THE PAST - BEST REISSUE - Complete Peanuts V.25.  The project took over a decade to finish.  I spent the 2016 year reading every strip from 1950 to 2000.  This collection is one of my most valued possessions for what it has meant to me over the course of my lifetime.  Few things have put such a smile on my face.

The Forceys took place late in the drinking evening but there was still plenty of post-awards fun to be had.  This gathering of the tribe is always the highlight of the weekend.  The awards for 2016/2017 promise to be just as much fun with another unique location.  Please make your plans right now to join us in a couple weeks.

"I'm a blackstar, way up, oh hone, I've got game / I see right so white, so open-heart it's pain / I want eagles in my daydreams, diamonds in my eyes."   Stay hard.

sb

2015 Forceys

THE FORCEYS (Kona Kai Resort San Diego)  This year's 10th Annual Forcey Awards took place on the Friday night of the 2015 Comic Con.  This was one of our most beautiful venues in the decade of Forceys.  The group of five representatives gathered with beer, whiskey and wine to celebrate the best of 2014/2105.  After a decade we're still going strong . . . 

BEST MOVIE - Guardians of the Galaxy.  Beating out "Birdman" and "Mad Max Fury Road", this wasn't a huge surprise.  In the past ten years, The Forceys have rewarded superhero films like "Iron Man", "The Dark Knight" and "The Avengers".  This was a solid Marvel entry and won by a landslide.

BEST COMIC - Southern Bastards.  Marvel superheroes win the Best Movie category but it's a small story about folks in rural Alabama that takes the Best Comic category.  Previous winners Hawkeye and Sandman stepped aside for this interesting and powerful title.  The Spider-Man fans split their votes among multiple Spider titles and this Bastard snuck in for the victory.

BEST MUSIC - John Carpenter - Lost Themes.  There were some solid releases from Basement Jaxx, Failure and Giorgio Moroder but this first release from director, John Carpenter are moody pieces that could have come from any of the classic 1970s horror films.  Previous winners - St. Vincent, Daft Punk and Broken Bells among others shows the eclectic tastes of this group.  This collection of themes is a fine addition.

BEST OF TV - The Flash.  The comic book genre dominates the TV section again.  The new show on the block beat out a solid run from "Daredevil", "Better Call Saul" and "Veep".  Previous winners including "The Walking Dead" and the original winner "Heroes" also come from the comic/superhero genre.

BEST OF THE WEB - Netflix. The best location on the web came down to three candidates.  There was the upstart of Comixology, the Forcey champion and three time winner, YouTube and the movie streaming game changer, Netflix.  Netflix on the heels of such great work as "Daredevil" tied YouTube as a three time winner this year.  It's hard to imagine a new winner in the years to come.

COOLEST ITEM OF THE YEAR - Gay Marriage.  A year after we were able to celebrate Legal Weed in this category, we awarded the Coolest Item to something that didn't seem possible when the Forceys started in 2005.  The world isn't such a bad place after all.  Just not as cool were the Lego Batman Tumbler and Pop Dolls.

STRIKEFORCE HALL OF DOOM - the highest honor is also known as "The Kirby".  Last year we inducted five honorees.  This year was also a solid crop of 5 inductees.  Each very deserving of the honor.

Christopher Lee.  Actor

Clint Eastwood.  Actor, director.

H.P. Lovecraft.  Author

Late Night / Late Show w/David Letterman

The Cure / Robert Smith.  Music.

Just missing the vote this year and hoping for further consideration - Carl Sagan, Doctor Who, HR Giger, Looney Tunes and Steve Ditko

THE KINNEY -  Cosby.  This category "celebrates" the worst / pathetic items of the year and there was a huge battle between Bill Cosby, Civil Unrest Because of Racism and simply something labelled Trump.  It was a single vote that kept Cosby atop the race.

BLAST FROM THE PAST - BEST REISSUE - 1966 Batman Show / Decline of Western Civilization Series Box Set. (Tie).  These two very different reissues both deserved recognition and voters couldn't decide.  This category recently celebrated Creepy, Roger Corman, Thor and Bone.

The Forceys took place late in the drinking evening but there was still plenty of post-awards fun to be had.  This gathering of the tribe is always the highlight of the weekend.  Guests are welcomed and encouraged for the 2016 version.

"If only I'd have thought of the right words / I could have held onto your heart / If only I'd thought of the right words / I wouldn't be breaking apart all my pictures of you."  Stay hard.

sb

NOVICE - Grilled Cheese Ep. 2

The continuing adventures of Grilled Cheese. . . 

March brought a trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas to see my older son and a visit to my first and favorite grilled cheese specific restaurant -  Hammontree's.  There are 16 sandwiches on the menu - so I really should have invited 13 more of you along.  Instead we were able to sample three of the sandwiches - all of which come highly recommended.

Caleb got the PARMAGEDDON without the mushrooms and on sourdough.  I got the SCARLET CHEDDAR on sourdough.  The 24 month vintage cheddar was incredible.  I can't recommend this highly enough.  The third sandwich is untitled because I just plain forgot to write it down in my excitement over the sandwiches.

In late March and early April we tried a couple other variations at home.

First we tried a very basic grilled cheese with bacon.  That's your basic topping and hard to do wrong.  The next attempt with pulled pork was even better.  The different meats all work quite well in the grilled cheese format.  I don't know that any single meat or combo of meats would be wrong.

Today, April 12th is National Grilled Cheese Day.  We celebrated with a little different take on the traditional sandwich.  The bread is dipped in egg like French Toast and coated with parmesan cheese.  The cheese inside is melted mozzarella.  I added tomato and jalapeno to mine and we dipped them in a vodka tomato sauce.  It's a nice little cheesestick style sandwich.

Still a novice we are just starting to expand horizons.  Nothing really crazy yet.  There are still some more breads and cheeses to judge.  So far the sourdough bread is the clear winner.

NOVICE - Grilled Cheese - Ep. 1

Novice.  Someone new or inexperienced to a situation or subject.

I've always had my little "projects".  In other days they were sweetly called "hobbies".  I've had moments where you might call them obsessions.  My OCD likes to defend them as learning.  I've learned about whiskey and I've spent a year sampling different cheeseburgers.  Part of my method has mostly been documenting the progress through Social Media.  See Instagram or Twitter or Facebook for my counts and countdowns.  What I've done but not documented is the process of my learning.

Last year I had over 500 beers in 11 months.  I learned more about craft beer and breweries than I ever thought I would know in my lifetime.  I started as more of a Beer Novice than I thought I was and border on being a Craft Enthusiast right now.  What I wish I'd done is document the progression.  What were the moments of "ah-ha" and when did I learn new important things.  It's easy to talk about the project at the end but I don't document the process enough.

The goal of this NOVICE project is to pick one or two or twelve things and write short to medium length blogs along the way about my progress.  Some will be just knowledge. Some will be trying new things.  Some will be larger adventures.  I'm limited by time, geography and budget in many cases.  So that's why there will be multiple projects at once.  I'm happy to accept challenges because there might be things I want to know about that I need a push on (thanks to Kim for encouraging me to watch all of "Sons of Anarchy").

GRILLED CHEESE

It's hard to call myself a "novice" regarding the first solid food I ever remember eating.  I've had them for 47 years and yet I've really never put much thought into the sandwich.  It's always just been whatever bread is available (usually white or wheat) and some butter and most of the time just some melted cheddar.  I've added some bacon and tried a couple different cheeses.  But in general it's been something I've not put much thought into.

For this purpose I'm talking about Grilled Cheese or Cheese Toasties.  Two pieces of bread, butter and melted cheese.  That's the base.  I'll get into different toppings and breads and cheeses as I go.  My first sandwich this weekend was my base.  It was a white bread from the bakery at Kroger, sharp cheddar and butter on the griddle.  I like my bread just a little golden brown.

I had tomato soup with the first batch but I am not making that a requirement for the project.  This is the classic for me.  This is the grilled cheese sandwich of my youth.  Melted cheese dripping off the plate.  Every future grilled cheese is measured against this classic.

The grilled cheese as we know it seems to have been around since the 1920s and the invention of sliced bread.  My very short research came up with the addition of tomato soup as a way to get children Vitamin C with their meal of the sandwich.

Next episode - different cheeses and different breads and maybe explore some toppings.

SB

2015 Beer School #1-250

I've had beer before.  I like beer.  I've been drinking beer probably since a young age when my father and his friends would give me a sip of their Michelob while they played poker at our house when I was young.  I graduated to drinking Budweiser and cheap beer like Schaefer's in college.  I was never a beer snob of any sort.

When I lived in California I would sometimes have Anchor Steam and when I moved back to Michigan it would be Bells.  But those were rare moments.  Normally it was the easy picks like Coors or Labatts or Molson Golden.  Mainly I was a liquor guy and beer was just a distraction in public.  Even moving to Texas I adopted Shiner but I wasn't very knowledgable about the product other than I liked the Bock.

I spent 2013 learning and sampling whiskey and 2014 learning and sampling vodka.  Those years taught me lots about what I liked and didn't like in those liquors and gave me more of a palate to discern the differences.  So 2015 it seemed time to do the same to beer.  So I started a journey that I thought would be 200 beers.  That goal came and wend and I'm looking to drink 500 different beers before the end of the year.

Methodology.  I'm only counting bottles or cans I have at home.  That way I slow down and really look at the product and take my time to read up on each beer.  I still drink at the bars and restaurants but I'm using those venues as a way to sample product I might want to purchase or revisit beers that I really like.  On June 30th I reached the halfway point and here are a few observations.

I've come a long way since that Shiner - Cheer on January 1st.  I feel like such a beer novice looking back on the first few weeks.  I was all over the board without any idea what I was drinking.  I'm looking over a list and these are some unofficial stats.

Beers By Style

1.  IPA
2.  Pale Ale
3.  Wheat
4.  Amber Ale
5.  Lager

I think this is influenced by the sheer numbers of different IPA's out there now.  It's definitely a beer style of the day.  And six months ago I wouldn't have necessarily known the difference between one style or another.  But now I can smell and taste and most likely tell you the kind of beer I'm drinking.

That said, what really excites me is the hybrids that are happening out there.  Not content to just make an IPA - there are brewers pushing the envelope and mixing different types and creating beers like the red or black IPAs that have really interested me.

Beers By Brewery

1.  Ballast Point
2.  Rahr
3.  Samuel Adams
4.  New Belgium
5.  Green Flash

This is hard because some great breweries just don't have many beers.  But what I've found is that once you find a brewery you like, it's usually a good idea to trust their other beers.  The list is initially heavy on beers from Texas and California.  Part of it is the availability of the beers in this area but also the two states are home to some great beers.  As a region, there are some great beers to come from the Midwest and Northeast.  Michigan and Wisconsin and Vermont have become areas of the country I've come to trust.

Let's get down to it.  Here's a ranking of my Top Ten Beers out of the first half.

10.  Kona Brewery - Big Wave Golden Ale
9.  Sierra Nevada - 2015 Beer Camp
8.  Magic Hat - #9 Pale Ale
7.  Breckenridge - OPhelia Hoppy Wheat
6.  Dogfish Head - Aprihop
5.  Founders - All Day IPA.  I had this one back on January 13th.  This Michigan IPA was the first time I really discovered that I loved IPAs.  It had a light fruity taste that I didn't expect from an IPA.  And I discovered that this Grand Rapids, Michigan brewery makes some incredible beers.

4.  Green Flash - Soul Style IPA.  On April 20th I discovered this favorite from San Diego, California.  There's a citrus taste to this that takes much of the hoppy taste off.  I could see this being "my beer" for a long time.

3.  Revolver - Blood & Honey.  I had this beer for the first time last Summer.  It was a favorite but I feel like I'm only learning why I like different beers.  I made sure this was one of my first - January 2, 2015.  This wheat ale from Granbury, Texas has great color and flavor.  I wouldn't have even known before that it was a wheat.  The beer smells wonderful and the blood orange just smooths out the taste.

2.  Community - Mosaic IPA.  Dallas, Texas represents.  Why did I even wait until May 25th to have this?  Smooth taste, great color.  It's not a beer to hide the hops.  There's a bitterness that I've learned to love.  I wouldn't have liked this beer six months ago.  But here's how I've changed - my tastes have evolved to love a little bit of bitter hops.  This is a perfect combination and one I'll have for a long time.

1.  Ballast Point - Grapefruit Sculpin.  I'm not alone in loving this beer.  In fact, almost every beer drinking that I've met has found that they love this beer.  It's one of those "I don't like IPAs but . . . " beers.  Mostly it's the perfect blend of the grapefruit with the IPA.  This isn't a fruit beer - the citrus just takes the edge off the bitterness.  This is a beer that will sneak up on you but one that you can drink all day too.

There are still a few that I've had and love but haven't made the list because I haven't had them at home yet.  Leading the list of favorites are the Green Flash / Peticolas Collaboration IPA and Bell's Oberon.   I'm learning more with each beer I've tried.  And the best part is being able to talk beer intelligently with people.  I've found so many more people who love their beer than when I was doing whiskey.  Keep your recommendations coming - I write them all down and I've found some awesome beers through it.   I can't wait to see what #215-500 bring.

Shawn

2014 Forceys

THE FORCEYS (Town and Country Resort and Convention Center)  This year's 9th Annual Forcey Awards took place on the last night of the 2014 Comic Con.  The new venue was more relaxed and the crew was enthusiastic.  We gathered with four other Strikeforce members represented and the return of Grace's friend who was impressed enough in 2013 to bring a boyfriend to the occasion this year.  We missed Cantankerous Chris this year and hope for his quick return to the fold.  The results were live tweeted to dozens of followers.  For those who somehow missed the overage - without further ado - your 2014 Forcey Award Winners . . . 

BEST MOVIE - Lego Movie.  This was a bit of an upset winner.  Previous years have leaned towards Superhero films (Iron Man, The Dark Knight, The Avengers) and more adult fare (Pan's Labyrinth, Let The Right One In).  For the first time, a truly all ages film won out over Captain America 2 and X-Men: Days of Future Past.

BEST COMIC - Sandman: Overture.  Previous winner Hawkeye made a solid run at a two year run.  But the return of Sandman claimed the top spot over up and comer, Saga.  The old comic reader vote wins out.

BEST MUSIC - St. Vincent - St. Vincent.  Last year, Daft Punk was the runaway winner.  This year there was almost a dead heat.  Beck and Jack White and Queens of the Stone Age split many of the votes.  But the best music of the year came out of the Dallas, Texas and the Polyphonic Spree.  Annie Clark has been around for years but really broke out with this album and was rewarded with a Forcey.

BEST OF TV - True Detective.  With multiple past winners returning including The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad, this category was taken by the only newcomer.  HBO brought a nontraditional story to air that really caught on.  Harrelson and McConaughey kicked ass as flawed cops.  A repeat of this magic seems unlikely.

BEST OF THE WEB - Netflix.  Only YouTube has won more than second time winner Netflix.  With the addition of quality direct-to-Netflix originals and a steady supply of binge worthy shows, this could be the start of a long run of victories for this voting block.

COOLEST ITEM OF THE YEAR - Legal Weed.  Beating out World Cup soccer, Marvel comics movies and even Pop Dolls it was the growing trend of legalized weed.  Keep the dream alive, fellas.

STRIKEFORCE HALL OF DOOM - the highest honor is also known as "The Kirby".  Last year we inducted a record six new honorees.  This year was a solid crop of 5 inductees.  Each very deserving of the honor.

John Williams. Composer.

Monty Python.  Comic troop.

Prince.  Musician.

Saturday Night Live.  TV show.

Star Trek.  Mega franchise.

Just missing the vote this year and hoping for further consideration - Bill Waterson, Clint Eastwood, Steve Ditko and Thelonious Monk.

THE KINNEY -  Edgar Wright Off of Ant Man.  The film didn't make it out in the wave of Marvel films that it should have and the man that could have balanced the humor and action was sent packing and/or quit.  Either way we wait another year and fear that the potentially fun character might be ruined.

BLAST FROM THE PAST - BEST REISSUE - Bone Artists Edition.  There is no arguing that this Mat Smith book is a modern classic.  Having read it in original issues it's funny to see it already winning as a Best Reissue but deserving.

The Forceys took place late in the drinking evening but there was still plenty of post-awards fun to be had.  Steve provided a nice mix of music to background some great conversation with old friends.

"And if the elevator tries to bring you down / Go crazy.  Punch a higher floor."  Stay hard.

sb

2013 Forceys

THE FORCEYS (EMBASSY SUITES)  This year's 8th Annual Forcey Awards took place on the last night of the 2013 Comic Con.  We gathered with four other Strikeforce members represented and a slightly confused friend of Grace's trying to figure out what was happening.  Cantankerous Chris commented on the weakness of this year's winners and Samsung Steve live tweeted the results to 10s of waiting fans.  Without further ado - your 2013 Forcey Award Winners . . . 

BEST MOVIE - Pacific Rim.  A write-in wins in a landslide.  Django Unchained and Skyfall can't even make a dent into the last minute Summer excitement of Pacific Rim.

BEST COMIC - Hawkeye.  There was a close push from Batman '66 and Superman Family Adventures.  But Hawkeye hit the bullseye and broke the hold that Buffy has had on this category.

BEST MUSIC - Daft Punk - Random Access Memory.  Black Sabbath put up a fight but it couldn't beat the juggernaut of Daft Punk.   The boys gave us the song of the Summer and brought home the Forcey.  Plus, there was a call for this category to lose the "Best CD' title and we'll just go with music, no matter how you consume it.

BEST OF TV - Game of Thrones.  In a sea of great TV shows, votes were all over the board but this one inched out a victory.  We are full of quality shows and I wouldn't have been disappointed no matter who won.  Votes came in for Network, Cable, Pay Cable and Netflix shows.  Making a push was Arrested Development, Justified, The Good Wife and previous winners Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead.

BEST OF THE WEB - Netflix / Twitter.  Once again, votes were split amongst all nominees, but these two are worthy winners.  This is the 2nd win for Netflix.  Warner Archives and Comixology were strong in the runnerup status.  Previous three time winner YouTube.com did not even make the final ballot.

COOLEST ITEM OF THE YEAR - Aw Yeah Comics.  Chris tried to deflect this as a BS winner - that it qualifies under "personal" victories.  But he was shouted down, it's cool.  Others getting solid votes included Shout Factory's Scream Factory line, Supreme Court ruling DOMA illegal and Amercian Comic Book Chronicles.

STRIKEFORCE HALL OF DOOM - a record six inductees were added to our roster aka "The Kirby"

Ennio Morricone

James Bond

Jaws

Neil Gaiman

Rankin & Bass

Stephen King

All excellent choices and some that have gone years of coming close and finally got over the hump this year.  This brings the total members of the Hall to 36.  All worthy of their own wing.  Another year just out of the voting . . .  Star Trek, John Williams, Harrison Ford and Steve Ditko.

THE KINNEY - Women's Rights In Texas.  Once again, no clear cut winner and this one pulled in one more vote than many other choices.  Can't say we're proud of this victory in most of Texas.  This even beat out Hurricane Sandy.

BLAST FROM THE PAST - BEST REISSUE - Jaws Blu-ray w/The Shark Is Still Working.  Essentially this Hall of Doom winner got this award based on a most excellent "extra" on the disc.  A doc worthy of a separate purchase if I didn't get it on the disc.  And our first double winner is very important because of the affect it has had on so many of us from that generation.  Bond 50 set and Clint Eastwood 40 Film Collection could not touch the single film of Jaws.

The post-Forcey parties are always legendary.  This year included a great trip to the Hilton bar and after walking through parts of downtown San Diego I've never seen - we settled on some excellent after hours tacos.  Because other than copious amounts of whiskey, nothing really says Forceys like a late night taco.

And with that we cast an eye towards Forceys 2014.

"So lets raise the bar.and our cups the the stars."  Stay hard.

sb