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ISSUE . June 26th, 2008
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Cover Story


Outside the Box
Pete Stathis sets the tone for our latest Book Quarterly.
by Carolyn Huckabay
"Comics can't really be described adequately with words alone. They're a unique language with their own alphabet."

Comic Verite
Kids in Mantua use pictures to tell the story of their neighborhood and themselves.
by Patrick Rapa and Sam Tremble
The kids were encouraged to think about the ways superheroes overcome their obstacles — and then think about what they had overcome.

Graphic Jam
Save money on gas and go on a visual journey.
by Dominic Mercier
Freddie & Me: A Coming-of-Age (Bohemian) Rhapsody | Three Shadows | Life Sucks | Water Baby | A People's History of American Empire

Non-Fiction Reviews
R.E.M.: Hello Portraits | On Guerrilla Gardening | Me of Little Faith | War Nerd | The Encyclopedia Shatnerica: Millennium Edition | Outlaw Journalist: The Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson | Stuff White People Like: A Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions | When You Are Engulfed in Flames

Fiction Reviews
My Sister, My Love | The Enchantress of Florence | Prescription for a Superior Existence | Atmospheric Disturbances | The Turnaround | Dear American Airlines | Real World |


Opinion


Loose Canon:
Renegade Green Goddess
Why is Miriam Schaefer committing eco-heresy?
by Bruce Schimmel
Schaefer holds a special place in my pantheon of local woman enviros. She stands out, having excelled where women are often excluded — in construction and finance.

Slant:
Chinese Take Out?
Clueless Cheney tries to scare us into drilling everything.
by David Faris
Conservative economists are all over the place claiming that if only we'd unleash the free market, the oil would once again flow like Miller Lite at a College Republicans convention.

Food Crisis
What Nutter must do to ensure Philadelphia's food security.
by Meghan McCracken
There is no need to purchase apples from Peru when we produce beautiful, delicious apples right here in Pennsylvania.

Feedback:
Letters to the Editor
What You Say
"We all remember the Great Young White Male Army Vet Roundup of 1995, don't we?"


Naked City


Naked City :: First PitchFirst Pitch
Unearthing the birthplace of soccer in Philadelphia.
by Joseph Freeman
Situated at Front and Erie, across from St. Christopher's hospital, "Lighthouse Field" is spoken of with a reverence verging on the divine by those who came through its grassy ranks.

Icepack
Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
I ain't saying this in a prison kinda way, but Tom Colicchio's cute.

Running Numbers
A scholarly look at the digits that matter.
by Nick Norlen
You don't see Beaver College changing its name just because everyone thinks it's a taxidermy school, do you? OK, bad example.


News


News :: Forty-five DaysForty-five Days
The short Philly life of Beau Zabel.
by Mike Newall
It was two minutes to 2 a.m., and the bar was quiet. The air conditioner was blasting. Nobody in the place heard anything. Not the shot. Not the sirens. Tony kicked out the handful of regulars, locked the doors and walked with the police down a narrow side-street to the crime scene. They turned the corner and Tony stepped into the pool of blood.

The Bell Curve
City Paper's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter
When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes.

Beyond Green
The broad mission of Philly's incoming sustainability director.
by Andrew Thompson
A panel of academics had been discussing metrics for gauging how sustainable Philly is. But when Mark Alan Hughes delivered his keynote address, he posed a more fundamental question: Do we even know what "sustainability" means?

Political Notebook:
Hunting for Fumo?
by Mary F. Patel
A detailed report being circulated in Washington, D.C., suggests that Vincent Fumo's prosecution was politically motivated.

Two Minutes With...:
Tyreke Evans
by E. James Beale
"On the court the hype doesn't bother me at all. I'm just going to go out there and play my game."


Arts


Arts :: Curtain Crawl
Art:
Curtain Crawl
Take a hot, sticky stroll through Philly's summer theater offerings.
by Mark Cofta
To battle Philadelphia's apparent "summer theater" oxymoron, area companies are taking risks in the hot months.

Re-View:
Men of Many Parts
Robin Rice on Visual Art
by Robin Rice
Because of his use of occasional fluorescent colors and other texture contrasts, Ryan Beck's paintings, though good on the Internet, are better in person.

Web Exclusive
Theater Review:
Flying Colors
The musical adaptation of The Color Purple does Alice Walker's classic superb justice.
by David Anthony Fox
As The Color Purple moves on, the spoken dialogue takes on central importance, and the songs more conventionally punctuate big moments. It might be uneven, but somehow it all works together.

Arts Picks:
La Bohème
Tue., July 1, 8 p.m., $30-$50 ($10 for lawn seats), Mann Music Center, 5201 Parkside Ave., 215-893-1999, manncenter.org.
by David Shengold
If you're new to the opera experience, 1896's La Bohème makes for a fresh, amusing, moving introduction.

Paul Elwork
Sat., June 28, 2 p.m., free, Port Richmond Books, 3037 Richmond St., 215-425-3385.
by Gary M. Kramer
Elwork introduces tarot cards, folklore and a magician who wants to harness Emily and Michael's power for his own use in this compelling tale of people coping with loss.


Arts Agenda


Arts Agenda :: Last ChanceLast Chance
Catch it or Regret It
by Tami Fertig
Peter Kinney: Mud in Your Eye | Jessica Demcsak: The Crane Adjacent | Shozo Tomioka: Images from Noto Peninsula

Arts Agenda Picks:
On the DL
Relic
by Dominic Mercier
Abandoned buildings serve as an endless source of inspiration, and in Philadelphia there's no shortage of them on their way to a pile of rubble or grand renovation.

In the Event That...
You've Had Nintendonitis since 1985
by Molly Eichel
The group show consists of several types of media, including manipulated technology like hacked video games, in which artists changed the code of old games to create something highly different.

Just Do It
Robert Schlesinger: White House Ghosts
by Shaun Brady
Robert Schlesinger traces an alternative history of the modern presidency through the speechwriters who aspire to communicate (and, in many cases, influence) policy.

Galleries
Galleries are usually open Tuesdays through Saturdays; please call the gallery for exact days and hours. Receptions are denoted with Reception 13 NORTH ART GALLERY

Museums/Exhibits
Museums and exhibits have varying schedules;please call for exact days, hours and prices. ABINGTON ART CENTER , 515 Meetinghouse Rd., Jenkintown, 215-887-4882. METAMORPHOSIS, Features work

Performing Arts
Please call the phone number listed with the venue for specific dates, times and ticket information. dance HOW AM I NOT MYSELF Miro Dance Theatre

Readings/Book Signings
ALLISON WHITTENBERG As a part of the Poetry Aloud and Alive series, Allison Whittenberg reads from her teen drama, "Sweet Thang." An open reading follows.


Movies


Movies :: Cheap ShotsCheap Shots
A new festival dedicated to honest-to-goodness indie films kicks off in Northern Liberties.
by Shaun Brady
Coming as it does in between the city's two flagship festivals, the Independent Film Fest has to be looked at as David next to a pair of well-established Goliaths.

Moving Pictures
Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg explores a world of surfaces beneath surfaces.
by Sam Adams
A cracked cine-memoir, My Winnipeg is Guy Maddin's farewell to his longtime hometown, part valedictory and part "so long, suckers!"

Web Exclusive
Repertory Film
Your weekly guide to local film events, festivals and under-the-radar screenings.
Send repertory film listings to tami.fertig@citypaper.net.


Music


Music :: Mission AccomplishedMission Accomplished
Burma takes its earliest successes on a victory lap.
by Sam Adams
Even a novice musician knows you don't open with your best song. But three minutes after they take the stage on Saturday night, Mission of


Suite Spot:
Listen with Care
Peter Burwasser on Classical
by Peter Burwasser
"Extremely quiet, all attacks at a minimum, with no feeling of a beat." If this performance instruction by composer Morton Feldman for his work The

Blistered in the Sun:
Pearl Jam with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
June 19, Susquehanna Bank Center
by Jesse Delaney
Opening with the slow-burning "Hard to Imagine," Vedder displayed all the wild-eyed intensity of his grungy heartthrob days.

One Track Mind:
Local H
Taxi-Cabs
Scott Lucas chips away at his ex's self-esteem, lashes out at her new man and considers crawling into the muck once more.

Soundadvice
Get Out!
Times New Viking | The Black Angels | The Brubeck Brothers Quartet | Jake LefcoHip-hop | Tristan Prettyman

Music Picks:
Burning Brides
Thu., June 26, 9 p.m., $10, with Year Long Disaster and Love City, Khyber, 56 S. Second St., 215-238-5888, thekhyber.com.
by Jesse Delaney
Expect the salty, dark tones and underpinnings in the songs to contrast perfectly with the giddy schoolyard crush looks Mr. and Mrs. Coats exchange onstage.

Silver Apples
Fri., June 27, 9 p.m., $12, with Asteroid #4 and Loto Ball Show, North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St., 866-468-7619, northstarbar.com.
by A.D. Amorosi
Silver Apples produces a pre-Krautrock, pre-Suicide burst of noise that still manages, 30-plus years later, to enthrall and disgust.


Food


Food :: Stopped ClockStopped Clock
There are some skillful strokes — but Time still needs more of it.
by Elisa Ludwig
With its gilt clocks and silk-screened images of timepieces affixed to the walls, the "concept" seems to be nostalgia itself — whether the longing is for an '03 vintage or for an era when drinking hallucinogenics and grooving to jazz were the habits of true bohemians, not Urban Outfitters-clad condo owners.

Feeding Frenzy
Restaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew Lazor
Ristorante Valentino | O'Neal's Pub | Wasabi House | The M-Room

Reincarnation
New Delhi looks great at 20.
by Trey Popp
The lunch buffet proved its worth. The dishes are familiar, but the colors shine and the flavors pop.

What's Cooking:
What's Cooking
Get Out!
by Claire Bullen
Frank Zappa Night at the Sidecar | Summer Dessert Cooking Class | Tavern 17 Yappy Hour | Hands-On Knife Skills Class | CARE's Annual Veggie Fest


Agenda


Agenda :: Yoga Sass
Agenda Lead:
Yoga Sass
Tripsichore bends the rules.
by Dana Henry
"Because so much yoga practice had been couched on becoming a better person or relieving personal stress, it's missed out on the upper limbs of asanas. In the seventh limb, your conscience can expand to fill a theater."

Shopping Spree
Fashion > Forward
by Monica Weymouth
Times New Viking Tee | Makeovers and Mimosas | Sandals, Sangria and Serasi | Swap-O-Rama-Rama

Agenda Picks:
In the Event That...
You Have an Extra Sunny Windowsill
by Rebecca Grites
According to the American Humane Association, cats do more than provide cute companionship — they've also been shown to lower blood pressure and help prevent heart disease.

Just Do It
Paine's Park Benefit
by Mark Maurer
The benefit will feature performances by Yah Mos Def, Rock Tits and Broadzilla, as well as an art show, skate demos, an open bar and the ultimate standby for sheer merriment — a boxing ring-style moon bounce.

Phillyanthropy
get up, get out, get involved
by Jennifer Portante
Neighborhood Bike Works Summer Camp | The Career Wardrobe | Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival | Uhuru Furniture & Collectibles | Camp Sojourner

What We Heart
Neptune's Kiss Natural Soaps
by Amy Strauss
Local crafter Devin Taylor mixes up delectable combinations in handmade soaps inspired by her cooking addiction.

Just Opened
Philadelphia School of Circus Arts
by Julia Terruso
5900A Greene St., 215-849-1991, phillycircus.com Shana Kennedy's husband gave her an unconventional wedding gift: He built her a 23-foot aluminum trapeze rig to practice and


 
 
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