As much as I've always loved superheroes, I've always felt there was something just a little off-putting about Marvel head honcho Stan Lee, the person. And it isn't a righteous indignation thing about not giving his collaborators their due credit; Stan has relented on that score in later years, and Jack Kirby's dead now.
No, there's just something about him that feels really cheeseball, from the way he tends to address audiences as "True Believers" and is prone to exclamations like "Excelsior!"
In my ongoing quest to let readers know about things at least 24 hours in advance, one of my favorite local bands is playing at DiPiazza's in Long Beach tomorrow night. They're called Ninja Academy and they fucking rule.Imagine if you will...two guys dressed as ninjas playing ferocious instrumental tunes with influences that range from the Minutemen to Coltrane to Slayer. Seriously.Now before you say, "Ryan, I'm not into costumed bands," remember: Ninja Academy are ninjas. They're stealth. On th
