There is no Santa? NO!!!!!

Now I’ve always liked Mark Waid. The dude is a talented engine of creativity that hasn’t stopped writing amazing stories regularly – or regularly enough – for two decades. That’s twenty (20) years folks, some of the talent in comics today can’t even remember that far back! His team-up with Alex Ross on Kingdom Come is an absolute must-have for any comic collector although I know him best from his run on RUSE published by the ill-fated CrossGen comics – now a MARVEL book thanks to Disney.

I loved CrossGen. Let’s take a moment to remember it shall we?

Alright so enough praise for Mark Waid; let’s talk about his inconceivable Irredeemable! If this book isn’t a good read then I’m not reading good things. It definitely has its roots in a sub-plot of Kingdom Come but takes it to a devastating degree. I haven’t read the individual comics because I’ve been on a trade kick as of late but as the trades are keeping me on the edge of my seat I can only imagine what it’s like to get them one book at a time!

Think of what would happen if the most powerful superhero in the world went all ape-spit on everyone because something in his head just finally tilted and snapped – like the caption I have in the picture – and started destroying cities and continents. Not stopping there he decides to take out certain heroes too and all the while the people he had promised to protect live in fear that he will turn on them. Well… this book outlines all those things as well as a history of events that would make one question the ideals of all super heroes. Thank goodness it’s just a story!

No more tacos for you!

And that’s one of the reasons I started reading Incorruptible; it isn’t the same story although the setting is in the same world and has a nice dessert feel to the big meal that is Irredeemable. Completely the opposite of the other book I’ve now named twice, Incorruptible is about a super-powered asshole villain that decides to go “good”  when the Plutonian – hero-turned-oppressor – goes berserk. Instead of looting he decides to walk the straight ant narrow and begins working with a Police liaison while keeping up the bad-guy status. Kinda like what the last scene of the 2008 film  The Dark Knight implies.

It sounds a little lame when I put it that way maybe, but it’s Mark Waid dammit! The dude is King Midas of comics!!

Potter’s Field is a great read for anyone that appreciates a good noir-style mystery without super-peoples. The brains at Boom! really knew what they were doing by showcasing previews of books like this and The Unknown in the back of their trades. They got me hooked and helped push me a little closer to my Waid appreciation, allowing for this blog post. I know, right? The Unknown is a noir-style supernatural story published in two different trades (The Unknown and, Unknown: The Devil Made Flesh) that I’m aware of. Definitely a great addition to my collection although a bit of a let-down, but I’ll let you down by not expounding. The real tragedy of the Unknown books is that of the illustrator Minck Oosterveer which is something I’ve alluded to in another post.

Anyway that’s all I wanted to say. It’s taken me a while to say it but it’s said and I’ll not repeat myself. Soon enough I’ll write about other books I’ve found – like  Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall. Very good stuff!

Until then…

-VR

Ok, so I’ve read a ton of novels – both graphic and not – over the last few months and haven’t really kept up with blogging about them, sorry. My fan/reader base is comprised solely of stragglers and those that follow this blog either out of plain curiosity, kindness or a need to point and laugh – it’s all the same really. Reality doesn’t give much in the way of drive. *sigh*
But that aside I’ll try to throw some titles out there.

Not as serious as it seems.

Recently I finished Godland Vol.1 – by Image comics. It reads like Stan at first; I think they’re paying homage to the classics because it is visually like Jack. I enjoyed this book. It really gave me that classic-yet-campy feeling like The Venture Brothers.

 Godland is decently written though horribly edited. Not as bad as some Marvel titles I’ve recently read (currently reading [suffering through] the Onslaught collection – ugh!).  The Artwork is definitely Kirby-esque, especially the women – wide and squat but still attractive. I don’t think this book would work any other way, honestly.

If you know anything about me by now it’s that I love Sci-Fi. I especially love Cosmic adventures. Godland has that but not as “epic” as I would like. Yeah, yeah,  planet earth needs saving… whatever. The Villains aren’t really what I would expect a cosmic-powered hero to fight but they do offer him a challenge: the challenge of memory! Read it and you’ll see what I mean.

The most recent cheap find I’ve really enjoyed was Soulwind Vol.1 – again from Image. I like the format of the book so far – thin and easy to hold – but heard/read that there is a “collected” version like the BONE collection. Not a big fan of books that are as bulky as a dictionary. I yawn just thinking about it.

Since I mentioned BONE in the Soulwind paragraph I’ll compare: It’s similar.
Yeah, deep.
How is it similar? First off the obvious would be the B&W format. Second being the somewhat cartoon-style creatures, expressions and silent moments – narration solely by the voices in your head interpreting the images you see.

I have no problem with a lack of color if the art is decent and the story is slightly interesting – I’m easy; what makes this book work for me, aside from a great, compelling story, is the artwork. Different story segments have different art-styles by the same artist (note the picture). It could be a portfolio in the guise of a story for all we know and I would assume all comics are like that to some extent. That doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I got my money’s worth. Even if some of the shadows didn’t make sense in a panel or two I understood what the artist was trying to convey and accept that.

Nope, I’m not hip to the new books coming out. I have, however discovered within the last year a publisher called Kickstart Comics when I stumbled upon them in the magazine section of the-store-that-shall-not-be-named when I need to get my Tiger Beat fix. Thumbed through them right there and liked what I saw.
Bought a couple too!
Got them home and read them in a flash.
I didn’t feel like they changed my life any but they were decent and entertaining enough. Likely geared toward teenage audiences, I’m assuming.
Kickstart publishes digest-sized graphic novels – being self-contained story’s – so far.
Some of the titles I picked up read a little… rushed. Heavy Water could have been a little longer but Endangered, maybe even Ward 6 were a bit choppy on the editing. That’s why Editors make the big bucks!

There are several other books I need to list but this is a good start for now. At some point I need to write about how amazing both FABLES and Unwritten are (no, not the song damn you!) and maybe even dive into my new-found obsession with Mark Waid and Boom! Studios and why I believe that talented, up-and-coming artists can never be too confident on their motorcycles. But that’s all for another time.

Thanks for reading!

-VR

I’m kidding. Though that’s not record time considering the format, material and that I really love sci-fi.

Toys wasn’t a bad read at all. It was full of action, violence, sexuality, betrayal, gadgets and… just a little kissing. So if you get all excited over any or all these things then I highly recommend this read. Otherwise steer clear or you might end up being sucked into the genre.

  You mean that’s not a brand name?
Never before  have I read any books with the name of James Patterson printed across the cover as though it were the true title of the book. Lord knows there are many of them. Nor have I even seen or heard of Neil McMahon. Sorry, it’s truth. When it comes to Patterson I figured he was just a genre-machine like King, Rice or Goodkind but that doesn’t matter, does it? Since this was a thrill-ride if only in the pacing. I promise!
It was like watching those Saturday afternoon lounging-around Sci-fi thrillers you’d watch back in the day because there was nothing else better to do. Both saddened and amazed you would realize two things 1.) being that you enjoy the cheap thrills on some unknown level; a mystery that may still elude you and 2.) you wasted a perfectly good afternoon.
Toys was a simple read, no doubt but it had enough complexities that would draw in any new reader while appealing to readers a bit more familiar with Science Fiction as a whole. I’m a big fan of Cloak & Dagger, dare I say, Bond-esque leading heroes, but the main character really wasn’t as smart as he wanted you to believe.

Initially I read a synopsis for Toys in some magazine giving me an interest but the real draw was the title and the picture on the cover. Yes, I know the adage. Unfortunately it wasn’t a challenging story – having “solved” it even before I finished it – but continued because I wanted to make sure I was right;  sometimes an author will surprise you with a sudden twist here and a turn there. And there were surprises a-many but ultimately it went right back to where I knew it eventually would which is kind of sad really but sometimes it’s not about the destination but the journey.

If I were to put this overall story into another format other than novelization it would definitely be a decent film source if they do the effects right. I would love to see Peter Chung – of Aeon Flux fame – take a stab at an animated version of it. Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury is a good example of what I’m talking about.

To stress a point: Toys isn’t the greatest story ever told. But for fast pacing, a somewhat dystopian-style futuristic setting with Humans suffering for their “mistakes” – implied devastation – at the hands of genetically engineered elitists… it was still quite entertaining. If that doesn’t interest you in the slightest then you wouldn’t be sold on it anyway.

-VR

 I want it known that I make no money off anything I post here. If I like something I’ll write about it, if I don’t like something I feel less inclined to write about it. If there is something I think you few random stragglers may find of interest then I’ll post something about it. Thanks for reading!

Honestly, what more could you ask for?

Okay, It’s Angel. As a PUPPET! Carrying a sword?! Seriously, what’s not to love?

I hadn’t seen the episode before though I remembered when it aired how – from the buzz amongst friends and strangers long before Facebook connected everyone -  it was humorous and very well-done. Better than you’d think.

My hat’s off to the puppeteer(s).

Check it out on Netflix when you get a chance.

-VR

When I did – finally! – find some issues they would  seem to be some random issue number making it difficult for me to get a true feel for the title (not unlike Jeff Smith’s Bone). In case you hadn’t noticed I’m a fan of continuity and that includes starting a series, no matter the format, from the very beginning. It’s just how I roll.

Yay for collected editions!

A few years ago – after some time passed and I had all but forgotten about Medley and her book – while my wife and I were shopping at the local mega-book mart I finally found the series published in a hardback, collected form by Fantagraphics! I knew I liked it from what I remembered seeing but when I thumbed through it this time I fell instantly in love.

When I saw the simple-yet-detailed artistic style Medley brought to every page and panel and how well her art complimented the characters, the setting(s) and mood(s) it was then that I fell in love. Truly. The artwork reminded me of the books I’d “read” as a child, all the different illustrations for some old story within an Encyclopedia or my dad’s highly touted upon “Book of Knowledge” series.  How the little-known (to me, that is) artists would draw simple but well enough structured depictions of certain ideas and themes within the story’s; whether characters, scenery or both on the following or proceeding pages within the chapters. I thought it was brilliantly simple, clean and fitting for a fantasy-based graphic story.

Now I won’t bore you with details on the story within the book. I will say that I don’t think it was written particularly for a male audience but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable. Obviously! or I wouldn’t be writing about it!
There are currently two volumes out and I’m just a little disappointed in where the second one just… drops off. You should at least pick up the first volume and see if the characters and the mystery behind them and their surroundings manages to pull you in. If it doesn’t suck you in no matter how much you struggle then it’s obviously not for you but if it does then welcome. Welcome!

Thanks for reading and I’m sure the ever elusive Linda Medley thanks you too.

-VR

Kiss it!

This issue is chock-full of great articles and interviews, the one featuring Neeson is pretty good, though the author, having an issue with time continuity, does have a weird way of phrasing things and I had to read some paragraphs a couple times over to make sure I was getting what he was trying to say.
Liam is interesting and I like him as an actor and have since I saw him in Krull when I was a child. In the article he seemed to have a hard time talking about his late wife Natasha Richardson which is completely understandable. She was a good actress that brought something different to the films she was in, not unlike Neeson himself (and I honestly think I saw her in person when my wife and I were having dinner with a couple friends at a very overpriced and overrated Taco joint near an Angelika theater. We have no idea if it was really her since we assume celebs don’t like to be pestered by the common public and, above all else, why in the heck she would be there of all places – with some guy I could only guess was an agent – but it’s one of those things I’ll hold on to and always wonder).

The article made me sad, definitely because we lost a star but also because I am a human and a husband and the last thing I want is to lose my wife to death. I would rather screw up and have her leave me and know that she’s still alive than have her die. It’s happened before and I don’t prefer it.

But as touching as that article was it didn’t quite compare to the story that you won’t find listed as a “must-read” on Esquire’s website – even if you search for it (I tried!) – about Raymond D. Towler, entitled “The Someone You’re Not“. **Update – I did find the Towler article when I searched for images. You can read the article by Mike Sager by clicking the article title above.

[If you want to read The Hard Luck and Beautiful Life of Liam Neeson click here!]

Raymond’s story struck a familiar nerve with me as a person who has been wrongly accused – for the ease of blame placement – more than I’d like. The problem is that Towler was, according to the article, accused of child molestation/rape and the poor guy was nowhere around when it happened. It was, at the very least, a case of racial profiling. Yeah I said it! He was around 24 years old when he was sentenced and spent nearly 30 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. The man had to live every single day in several different correctional facilities under the stigma of child molestation. How sick is that?

The reason he was there, as the article seemed to suggest, was in no small part due to the incompetence of his lawyer combined with the drive and push that the Judge and Assistant Prosecutor seemed to have to get the trial over with.

But here’s the thing that got me after reading it all: Towler isn’t all festering and pissed off about it. Sure, he’s “a little mad” but he’s just happy to be out of there. That’s nearly 30 years of an innocent person’s life; you can’t pay a man enough to right that sort of wrong. He had to endure watching people come and go, either being transferred or dying all through the years most people, like you and I, just piss away doing nothing but worrying about the next time we get to eat at McDonald’s. The only time he was able to get out for a moment was when he attended his mother’s funeral in ’84. Even then he was in shackles.

On another positive side he’s a very talented guy. As an artist and a musician he was able to achieve things other inmates really couldn’t. He even took some classes in various vocations, got his GED as well as an Associates degree and could have gone further if there was proper funding. Needless to say I thought it was the best real-life Shawshank Redemption story I’ve ever heard if I’ve heard any others. But unlike that story he didn’t have to dig his way out through the walls; he just had to be patient. Kinda.

Can I relate to this man? In some ways yes and that’s why I thought it was something worth posting about. But unlike him I don’t think I would have been strong enough to have lasted all those years incarcerated for something I didn’t do. Of all the things I’ve been falsely accused of I still retain some anger and hurt for it all – I even have doubts sometimes as to whether I did them or not – and they’re on a scale that doesn’t even compare to the crap this man had to put up with. Through it all it makes you wonder what the justice system is really about. I can’t help but think that something is messed up there. It’s guilty until proven innocent and that’s pretty scary.

Who knows what Raymond Towler could have done or what he would have been if the justice system was a little more justice than system; if it actually had hard evidence other than the testimony of a scared little child that probably thought all black people looked the same or a prosecutor and a judge that wasn’t out for… who knows what really.

I don’t want to assume anything and throw the “race” card out there but more often than not that seems to be the real case. It’s sad.

Sure, I have my misgivings about people that use the word “racist” to somehow get ahead in life, especially the people who already have everything but seem to think it will help them even more. I don’t know how it works that they can use a word to get power over you but I do know it sucks when people think you’re something that you’re not.

Mr. Towler is in his 50′s and was one of the many people released in 2010 because of DNA testing. I think that is amazing. I’ve never been in prison but something tells me it’s not a place I’d like to be, I don’t even know if I want to visit. I’ve seen the inside of a holding facility and that’s all I care to see.

If you’re interested in reading an actual article about Raymond Towler check out this one from Cincinnati Magazine entitled “The Correction“.

-VR

With the 83rd annual Academy Awards approaching – where they hand out the Oscars for those outside the know – I felt like seeing the  nominations in the way of animation.

Alright, I don’t want you to assume I actually keep up with that stuff. I get emails from the Angelika theater about what’s showing and why. When I noticed they’re showing a foreign Animation made by the director of The Triplets of Belleville, I thought to myself why not? and jumped right on it.

Caution: Minor Rabbit Trail

That movie, The Triplets…, was pretty good – what I mean to say is the animation was great! I just didn’t get the movie at all. The characters weren’t all that likable and the story left me wanting something a little more (however the song from the film is still stuck in my head. It’s catchy although hard to understand).

But it’s been a few years now that I’ve become more open to different animation styles and story’s. It hasn’t been too easy for me to admit that Ralph Bakshi is even a great animator but… he is. Revolutionary, could describe his style; a merging of live action with animation. In his day, he took animation back to its roots with adult themed situations, while keeping the themes relevant to the  modern times they represented which is a big old plus in my book. Always controversial and misunderstood.

Minor Rabbit Trail: End

Since I love both animation and foreign films I decided to take a look at the movie: L’Illusionniste or what we here in the states and for those that speak English in general would naturally call The Illusionist. I didn’t know anything about the film so this is all based solely on my experience and perception. Neat huh?

What I have to say might shock you if you haven’t seen the film and I’ll try my hardest not to spoil anything but this movie is – for lack of a better word – beautiful. I’m not saying the animation and the artistry of it was, in limitation, what made this film immaculate; it was very well paced, well written and an all around wonderful experience. That’s not something I say lightly; I would normally reserve such expressions of “awe” for the experiences had with the different Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli films I have seen. The difference: this movie had great build up and kept you there. It didn’t boast of anything that it couldn’t fulfill.

Leaving Paris

The film, set initially in Paris, 1959, is about a man who is a vaudeville performer, a Magician – or Illusionist, naturally. He’s an older man I’d place in his late 40′s. Yes, that’s what I would call “older”.

He doesn’t seem to have much luck with entertaining people or drawing in the crowds anymore and his “assistant” is a vicious animal that causes him more trouble than he can really afford.

Waiting on "Billy Boy and the Britoons" to finish their set.

You’re not given any back story so you really don’t know why this man insists on doing this job; maybe it was a dream he had as a child and he’s living it out. Some things in the film hint at this but it’s mostly left open to interpretation which is a great feat in any method of storytelling.

An example of the beautiful animation. Sorry the quality isn't that great.

As long as you can lead an audience and gently let them drift off into their own conclusion and still manage to keep everyone happy then you’ve done a great job. The score by Sylvain Chomet is amazing, fitting and filling every scene to perfection, and rightly so! – Since he’s the director.

When I first watched this movie I felt like it was a sad story, but I watched it again and felt better about it. It’s easy to feel bad for the main character because he looks so pathetic and you can tell he loves what he does but I couldn’t help feel that he was sabotaging himself more than anything, greedy people or not.

Alice wandering about.

The characters are all alike in the way of “dreams” it seems: they all have them and are trying to pursue them. Some of them manage to make it outside their professions and make ends meet but there are those that still suffer for their passions and professions and it’s worth noting how well L’Illusionniste is able to convey that.
“The Illusionist” is a great film for people of all ages. It surpasses its directors predecessor The Triplets of  Belleville by leaps, bounds and class. It does however contain scenes of drinking and rock-and-roll so if you’re the type that’s easily offended by this then you should probably skip it until you are open to the fact that people do this and it’s normal. If for no other reason watch this movie so you can know that Magicians do, indeed exist.

Thanks for reading!

-VR

1. I don’t really care how happy and wonderful people think their families are.
2. I really don’t like it when people have an alert to when my birthday or anniversary is. If they want to know then they can ask and wish when they want and not have to be “pressured” into something possibly insincere.
3. I could not care any less how awesome your significant other is and what they got you and what you got them; feeling like I have to compare notes or something so meaningless as that isn’t what I call “fun”.
4. No, I don’t want to go to your party unless you can go that extra mile and call me. It’s so token to invite a bunch of people through a social network and expect them to contribute food-stuffs.
5. If I’m not that special you’re not that special either.

It’s not that I don’t think I’m a Grinch or something comparable. I know that I am actually because my birthday – which just happens to be 2 days after my anniversary – is 2 weeks before the biggest commercially driven Holiday ever(!) and 3 weeks before the apocalypse of the year in which I had just spent a good part adapting to.

So whatever.

It’s a new year and a new age to remember and hope I get it right.

All that said, I think I did good this past Christmas. Only two people gave gifts I actually wanted but the other gifts aren’t bad either. I can probably make some money selling them on Craig’s List or potentially re-gifting them later on. You really can’t go wrong with gift cards unless they’re for some random place most people have never heard of. The true spirit of a cheerful, giving person indeed!

All I wanted was any of the items I had accumulated in my Amazon wishlist(s). Not just in any random order though. If it’s a series I wanted them in order not just #3 here and #5 there.

By now I’m sure you’ve realized that I’m an avid reader of graphic novels and really a big kid at heart or in whole.

No?

Well I am. Honest!

My favorite is Flight.  For those not in the know it’s like one of those anthology series that have short stories in them by different artists and writers and sometimes featuring collaborations between several of them. So far I’ve gotten them all with the exception of volume #’s 6 and 7. And yes, they are listed on the aforementioned wishlist.

So Christmas came and Santa brought me Flight Volume #6 along with an Iron Fist action figure, which, for a guy that I haven’t believed in for years, was a pretty snazzy thing to do!

And because Kazu Kibuishi is the editor, cover artist and often contributor to the Flight books – and probably hand-presses the pages made from his own ink and paper recipes – I wanted to get his Amulet series which was also listed as a wishful item.

Kibuishi has a beautiful style that meets my fantasy needs and he hasn’t let me down yet! Just Google him and check out some covers to the previous Flight books and you’ll see what I’m talking about. That’s not to say that the other contributors to the Flight books aren’t equally as talented, but I didn’t score any of their books for Christmas so no need for honorable mentions, right?

Along with the books and action figure I also managed to score a couple stocking-stuffer movies I’d wanted for years now but had been reluctant to buy myself:

1. Sling Blade – which is an awesome movie on so many different levels. Don’t sweat the fact it’s a drama because if you pay close enough attention to it you’ll end up laughing your ass off! It’s guarenteed to offend just about anyone on any level.
2. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – another clever and vulgar yet funny movie. I know Robert Downey Jr. seemed to reinvent himself with the Iron Man flicks but I think this one helped push that metamorphosis along.. Though I’m not sure wtf is up with the name. My nerdy hope originally was that it was based loosely on a dead comic book series of the same name but no such luck.

Since Christmas was a while ago now I’ve come across a few more great finds that I’ll have to get around to posting about at some point in the hopefully near future.  I will say that Half Price Books is a great resource for any books, games and DVD’s. I can’t promise they’ll have exactly what you’re looking for, but oftentimes neither can they and I find more things there that I forgot I wanted than what I actually went in to find. Ha!

So kiddo’s, the moral of this story is throw out the joy and great cheer and give me presents that I actually want for Christmas. Is it too much to ask?

It was one of those movies that my parents watched – they being super-religious-type people that raised me up being aware of every single curse word spoken in a movie – while my brother and I sat uncomfortably through as we tried to make sense of something we, or I alone, couldn’t quite relate to or begin to understand at such an age.

Now that I’m an adult and have contemplated the idea of mortality lately for the passing of more and more people who have been mainstays in my life… well it kind of struck a nerve. Of course the strummed cord was one of many in this sad song I’ve grooved to lately, but it doesn’t change the fact that for a movie with material this good and a message that hits so close to home, I don’t know if I even want to read the book.

It very well could be the ramifications of staying up late since I finished the movie at 2 A.M. And it very well could be that the Hot Toddy I made myself had a more adverse effect on me. Whiskey does affect me in weird ways.

I’ve debated lately the life of this blog too. It started out as a place where I could put all my non-personal, generic ideas and stuff while hoping that some voice would be found and an audience could be had but I don’t know if any of that has happened. It was mostly supposed to be reviews about local, Dallas-type things that I’ve witnessed or been a part of, but that idea seemed very limited because my heart just isn’t in “big D” at all.

Since it looks like my ties to “Clean Dallas“  are cut I really don’t have to focus on something local since it doesn’t interest me. Heck I’m not really into the comics engine anymore because the industry, as talented as the people who put the books out there are, has no soul anymore.

I’ll watch the animated movies (the live action crap is just that!), I’ll even buy the trades if I’m that interested but I won’t be sucked into the fantastical soap operas that tirelessly run on and on, piling more layers upon foundations that are way beyond capacity and have been unstable for the past 30 years.

People die, life evolves. We won’t be around to see where it ultimately goes but is that so bad? Just move on and give the tired beast a rest.

Maybe I’ll move to Montana some day or just visit there and try my hand at fly fishing. Nature is peaceful and enjoyable and maybe it will get me away from these things and people who I’ve let bring me down, assisting in this personal stagnation.

Who knows…?

And so I realize that there are things you just can’t change. Maybe it’s how you approach the problem that makes it this or maybe it’s because you’re the only one that sees a problem there at all. And here I would reiterate the question above. What I do know is that life is too short to bother with stupidity and tolerate the intolerable but that doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate it for the unique and oftentimes fresh perspective it allows for you to perceive the world around you in a different light.

But as an adult it’s nice to think that I have all the answers and that the decisions I make are the right ones because when it comes to trial and error I’ve been there, done that and have the scars to prove it and am beyond that sort of elementary, basic means of functioning. But that would mean I’m perfect and I know also that’s just not possible.

No one is. So just let it be.

-VR

Moving is never easy for many different reasons but I want to focus on only one of those reasons right now: there are so many new restaurants to try and so little time to try them all! – I say that as if they all have to be tried within the first few months. Ha!

It’s just nice to know where to take your family when they visit or that hole-in-the-wall place that no one seems to notice but managed to catch your eye. It’s places like that I’m proud to be giving my wife’s hard-earned cash.

Lately I’ve had a crazy craving for Tex-Mex. I like mine to be more Mex than Tex, as authentic as I can get, but a good flavor combination definitely scores points in my book!

… And I have found just the place in Rancho La Sandia!
(Cue matador fanfare)

Sure there are other Mexican, Tex-Mex or similar ethnic restaurants around but they pale in comparison. If you keep on reading you’ll see why.

It’s really easy to miss this little gem unless you’re a local and/or just have a super-keen sense of direction to traverse a couple of the many confusing streets Garland has to offer. I’m not a native of this city so over the years I have had the wonderful experience of getting lost more times than I can imagine. The roads were obviously designed by a civil engineer that practiced Timothy Leary’s philosophy on life or thought that Batman was real and, being a super-villain that designed random streets, would have the upper hand on evading his chase. Who knows?
It’s located on Marketplace just off of and facing Centerville. There are never too many cars parked outside and that’s too bad because people are missing out.

I didn’t know what to expect when I first visited Rancho La Sandia. After driving by several times, trying to familiarize myself with the best way to navigate the area I decided to take a chance.
Sometimes this type of food is just too bland or too salty to even give a second chance but it’s always that first try you need, a push for that little taste of adventure that lets you know you’ve accomplished something however minute it might be.

So I went in and grabbed a seat and there was Juan(ito) – by his own naming – to greet me. Handing me a menu he took my drink order and as usual I go for the Dr. Pepper.
According to their website Rancho La Sandia has been here since 1990 and “has been responsible for providing outstanding handmade Mexican Food ever since“. Obviously that’s given them enough time to fill out a menu and give it a proper layout. I was definitely impressed. They also have weekend brunch!

To those of you that are afraid to eat "green things"... more for me!

Juan came back and brought my drink with not one but two salsas, one typical and the other verde (green). When I say typical I’m not saying it’s anything less, just red and “basic”, but their Salsa Verde is the creamiest green tomato salsa I’ve ever had. Sometimes I like to try and gauge the rest of the food by the salsa that’s brought to me and if there are two that are awesome yet completely different then that’s a good sign.

After thumbing through the menu and snacking on the chips and salsa I came across two menu items that sounded interesting: Enchiladas de Pollo and Pollo Rostizado. Obviously I was in the mood for chicken. As an experienced waiter myself I found it only natural to ask Juan when he came back which of those two choices he thought would be best and he recommended the latter of the two. The former I tried at a later time; it was good but he was correct. I like a waiter that knows his menu!

If you don't like chicken on the bone, don't try this. You might actually like it!

When the food arrived in just a few minutes I was surprised! Chicken on the bone was never really a favorite of mine but it came with the choice of corn or flour tortillas and since I always go for corn and Juan recommended the dish I might as well try to pick at the bones and get some minor enjoyment out of it at least. The surprise is here: at my first attempt I used a knife and fork on the meat and it pulled right off the bone. That’s a wonderful experience, honestly. When the meat effortlessly comes right off the bone without you having to use your fingers, I know there’s definitely something right about this chicken. When I popped a piece in my mouth an explosion of flavor transported me to another place and time. It was amazing!

Needless to say after that initial experience I’ve revisited Rancho La Sandia several times. I was disappointed only once and that was when I had ordered their taco salad and Juan seemed to be the only server on duty during a busy time. The salad was a bit soggier than I prefer and didn’t have too much flavor at all, but what do you expect? They’re not Taco Delite or Pancho’s!

Holy Mole! - Yeah, I know.

After the Salad failure I decided to try something that seemed more… signature and tried their Enchiladas en Mole. That was another glorious experience. When it came out it didn’t look like much and I had never really been a fan of Mole before but there’s that “adventure” thing again. It rocked my face off! It was sweet and savory and both flavors managed to compliment the other in a slow, smooth and delicious ballet in my mouth. It’s definitely a must try!

Rancho La Sandia seems to always have a happy hour or their Margaritas are just always well priced. And if you want to catch a game they will more than likely have it on. So if you guys want a great meal and want to get your significant other all nice and saucy then this is the place to go. It’s quaint and the atmosphere is very welcoming. Just chew and swallow before you cheer.

-VR

If you’re interested in reading other reviews for Rancho La Sandia they can be found at the links below. Thanks!

Active Diner, Urbanspoon, Yelp