July is right around the corner and I (David Hildebrand) have been enjoying the World Cup so far, have you? I’m gonna step on my soap box briefly and say that if you think soccer is boring or don’t want to watch because USA didn’t make it into the tournament (we aren’t that good), then you are missing out. There have been a lot of exciting games and some insane finishes so far and we are only in the opening rounds. I’m loving this World Cup!
But let me move on to the real reason we are here, the AiPT! Staff Picks! Each month a couple of our contributors sit down and share with you, our lovely readers, what has been keeping them entertained. This month we have contributors Max Sisco and Jim Lehane.
Jim Lehane: Contributor
Current favorite comic series: I currently have a comic stack that I haven’t touched, reaching all the way back to early last year. It is entirely Star Wars and I just haven’t had the umph to get 
into it. Marvel, I feel dropped the ball with the Star Wars line, and there just wasn’t enough “good” stories to keep my interest (at least, at the time). I do look forward to that new Darth Vader series though. Don’t worry, I’ll jump into them soon.
Current favorite TV series: Since the beginning of summer has reached us, that can mean only one thing; I can finally catch up on my stories. During the main season I generally follow the CW DC shows and I do a pretty good job at keeping up, but there is one show there that has jumped to my must watch immediately list: Black Lightning. Black Lightning doesn’t cross over with the other DC shows, so there is no need to even feel like you need to keep up with everything. It is its own thing, at least for now. The writing is superb, and it doesn’t shy away from controversial issues. And unlike Arrow and Supergirl, which their political stance can sometimes be too heavy handed (I’m a far left leaning individual and even then it was a bit much for me), Black Lightning does it right. It’s not subtle, but it fits the plot and it fits into today’s America perfectly. I love it and I can’t wait for season 2.
Current gaming addiction: I am not much of a gamer. Typically I will try and play my XBox One whenever a new Star Wars title comes out, and even then I only will play it for the campaign. So once Battlefront II‘s campaign was beaten, I haven’t even touched the machine. But I have been playing a game on my phone quite a bit. It is called “PEAK“, and it is a mind exercising game. Basically it is a bunch of small games meant to stretch and workout your memory, reasoning skills, and basically keep your mind sharp. And since the latest update, the game has actually fixed a bunch of flaws I had been giving their developers crap over, like the inability to see my friends scores, despite their insistence that I could.
Last good movie you saw: As the father of an eight-year-old daughter, I have been hearing about Incredibles 2 for months now. We still haven’t seen it yet (been rather busy at home) but we did make some time last night to watch The Incredibles. I had heard the sequel started right off from the end of the first movie so I thought it would be a great lead up to our hitting the theaters later this week. And man, that movie is great. It is incredibly funny, yet real in how it treats getting older and finding that you just aren’t wanted around any more. Re-watching The Incredibles has me itching to see Incredibles 2 now.
Coolest recent purchase: I just bought a deck for my house and have been spending the last two months installing it. So, yea. I’ve been busy. I don’t know if it is “cool” but it was definitely expensive.
The summer is here which means new comic titles are on the horizon. Out of all the newer titles that have been announced which one(s) are you looking forward to the most? Like I said, I am not up to date on the comics but I am excited about the new Star Wars book coming out later this summer – Thrawn: Alliances. This is the sequel to the previous Thrawn book that was excellent and by the ever fantastic Timothy Zahn, who can’t seem to do a bad Thrawn book.
What is a current song that you just can’t get out of your head? Mr. Brightside by The Killers
You have one million dollars to start up your dream company. What is the company and what fictional character would you recruit to work with you and why? Hmmm, I want to run a sweets show that sells ice cream and pies. The person I would bring in to help me would be Ned from Pushing Daisies. I mean who better to bring in than someone who could make all your fruit fresh again? Talk about a cost savings. (If you’ve never seen the show I definitely recommend it.)
June is over but the summer has just begun. What are you looking forward to about July? Besides Thrawn: Alliances, traveling. I am going to Florida and California next month. Should be a fun time.
Max Sisco: Contributor
Current favorite comic series: I’ve been plowing through Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning’s Legion of Super-heroes run as of late. I’ve always had a soft spot for the legion but just now am 
starting to read a lot of their rich and convoluted history. This run has Olivere Coipel on art in one of his first major works in comics, and I’m very taken with his sketchy yet fluid and beautiful style.
Current favorite TV series: Right now I’m embroiled in a re-watch of the Showtime series Dead Like Me. Such a wonderfully dark and quirky series that was gone before it’s time. I also have a deep love for Mandy Patinkin, which is why I got much farther into Homeland than anyone should have gone. Brian Fuller is hit or miss for me but Pushing Daisies and Dead Like Me remain some of the best out of the box storytelling out there.
Current gaming addiction: Kinda cheating because it hasn’t come out yet but I’m extremely excited for the switch port of the jrpg The World Ends With You. An awesome game with a very unique visual and play style that might have one of the best soundtracks in any game ever. Any game where buying different pairs of designer jeans ups different stats in battle is a home run for me.
Last good movie you saw: I don’t go to the movies a lot, but I did watch the HBO original movie Behind the Candelabra about the life of Liberace and it was absolutely fabulous. Matt Damon and Michael Douglas were brilliant as well as the script and production value. I highly recommend anyone of the gay persuasion check it out if only for twink Matt Damon.
Coolest recent purchase: This week I got the first issue of Y: The Last Man as an early birthday present for a great price from a local Half Price Books. Very excited to own it, even if it’s never coming out of the bag and board.
The summer is here which means new comic titles are on the horizon. Out of all the newer titles that have been announced which one(s) are you looking forward to the most? Very excited for a lot of upcoming titles, including The Sentry, Multiple Man, Heroes in Crisis, and pretty much everything that was announced at Image Expo.
What is a current song that you just can’t get out of your head? The entire cast recording of the off Broadway musical Be More Chill.
You have one million dollars to start up your dream company. What is the company and what fictional character would you recruit to work with you and why? An audio book company for comics. I hire comedians who know nothing about comics to go panel by panel and describe in detail what’s going on. The cast of Santa Clarita Diet is somehow involved.
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