One of my favourite comics of all time is The Invisibles issue 9 which presents the day in the life of a henchman leading up to the moment where he’s killed by King Mob and company in one panel in a previous issue. A deleted scene on the Austin Powers DVD has a similar scene showing the effects the death of a henchman has on his family. Adult Swim shows like Venture Brothers, Frisky Dingo, Sealab 2021 and even Robot Chicken often make it a point to explore what’s happening on the sidelines of the major action.
I love diversionary stories like this. I’d love to see a whole series where it’s solely about the Kobra or Hydra henchmen who get killed or maimed or brutalized by an invading Checkmate or SHIELD as presented in a big action-sequence-filled first issue, but each successive issue presents the story of a different henchman and you don’t really which henchman it is until you get to the moment of truth… anyway…
BURN-E, a Pixar digital short on the WALL-E DVD, follows the BURN-E as he goes about his daily exterior maintenance and welding existence on the AXIOM ship. BURN-E can be seen briefly in the main WALL-E movie, but this short shows how WALL-E’s generally positive influence on most of the ship’s denizens is actually a little more than disruptive to BURN-E’s routine. It’s a cute and funny short which fast forwards through the main feature but focussing on the most minor of characters in the film.
Album: Straight Up Sewaside (1994), Hold It Down (1995). Das EFX seems to escape the consciousness of hip-hop fans, myself included, as one of the best rap groups of all time. Straight Up Sewaside and Hold It Down are all classic albums (Dead Serious, their debut has less longevity), full of catchy hooks, quotable lyrics and some absolutely slamming head-nodding beats. Back in the CD clean-out of of 2004, I attempted to dispose of my Das EFX albums, thinking them obsolete, but not realizing that each listen is a welcome listen. “Real Hip Hop”, “Here We Go” or “Krazy Wit Da Books” come on and I’m right in there with Dre and Skoob trading off their lyrics.