Culture ATE MY WANT IT

...NO

I Don’t

...

No one can escape the inf luence of pop culture, it’s all around us, and its effect is outstanding, dumbfounding, and life-changing. Pop culture can result in love, hatred, or often obsession. In the visual world we live in to not be inf luenced by pop culture is to be a hermit. My life has been infected with pop culture since birth, and I often find myself coughing up movie quotes, song lyrics, and superhero aliases. Cartoons, albums, film, and comic books are the invisible gateways to my addiction.

BORN// 2/26/89 9:57 AM/ OVERLAKE HOSPITAL BELLEVIEW, WA 6 LB 12 OZ// 20 IN

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001

On December 10,1987 the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles first cartoon series began, starting as a 5-part miniseries and then becoming a regular Saturday morning syndicated series in 1988 because of its incredible popularity.

ReBoot aired from 1994 to 2001, pro-duced by Vancouver-based produc-tion company Mainframe Entertain-ment, the show was revolutionary in being the first full-length completely CGI television series.

Airing on Cartoon Network from 2001-2004, Samurai Jack was a four time Emmy award winning cartoon. Production on the show was halted in 2004, but Samurai Jack was never officially canceled. In return, creator Genndy Tartakovsky has announced plans to direct a theatrical film.

Batman Beyond, also known as Bat-man of the Future, premiered in 1999, and is an American animated televi-sion series created as a continua-tion of the Batman legacy. Batman Beyond is set in the chronological future of the animated DC universe, despite it being released before Justice League and Static Shock.

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THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ARE FOUR WISE-CRACKING, PIZZA-OBSESSED SUPERHEROES WHO FIGHT THE FORCES OF EVIL FROM THEIR SEWER HIDEOUT. THEY ARE TRAINED BY THEIR WISE SENSEI, THE RODENT MASTER SPLINTER, IN THE ART OF NINJUSTU. THE BATTLE PETTY CRIMINALS, EVIL MEGALOMANIACS, AND ALIEN INVADERS, MOST OFTEN CONTROLLED BY THEIR EVIL ARCH-NEMESIS SHREDDER. THE CHARACTERS FIRST APPEARED IN COMIC BOOKS AND PEAKED IN POPULARITY IN THE EIGHTIES THROUGH EARLY NINETIES BUT GAINED CONSIDERABLE WORLDWIDE FAME AND SUCCESS.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 1987-1996

**I slept on TMNT bed sheets for nearly seven years of my childhood...

1994-2001REBOOT

REBOOT TAKES PLACE INSIDE YOUR COMPUTER, IN THE FANTASY WORLD KNOWN AS MAINFRAME. MAINFRAME IS WATCHED OVER BY THE “GUARDIAN” AND CENTRAL CHARACTER BOB, WORKAHOLIC DOT MATRIX, AND HER HYPER-ACTIVE BROTHER ENZO, WHO HELP TO PROTECT THE MAINFRAME FROM VIRUSES. WHAT STARTS OFF AS CASUAL BATTLES AND TEAS-ING OF VIRUSES CHANGES INTO A SERIOUS THREAT THAT COULD COST BOB, DOT, ENZO, AND THEIR FRIENDS NOT ONLY THEIR LIVES, BUT THE MAINFRAME AS WELL.

**My first introduction to CN’s Toonami

1999-2001BATMAN BEYOND

ATLEAST 40 YEARS AFTER THE “CURRENT” ADVENTURES OF BATMAN AND 20 YEARS AF-TER BRUCE WAYNE RETIRED FROM THE ROLE, HIS SECRET IDENTITY IS DISCOVERED BY TROU-BLED TEEN TERRY MCGINNIS. AFTER MCGINNIS’ FATHER IS MURDERED BY THE MAN WHO TOOK OVER BRUCE WAYNE’S COMPANY, MCGINNIS DONS A HIGH-TECH BAT SUIT AND ENDURES TRAINING FROM THE FORMER BATMAN BRUCE WAYNE. TERRY MCGINNIS CREATES A NEW HERO FOR THE FUTURE OF GOTHAM.

IN THE DISTANT PAST, A JAPANESE SAMURAI EMBARKS ON A MISSION TO DEFEAT THE EVIL SHAPE-SHIFTING WIZARD AKU. BEFORE HE CAN COMPLETE HIS TASK HE IS CAPTURED AND CATAPULTED THOUSANDS OF YEARS INTO THE FUTURE. THE SAMURAI FINDS HIMSELF IN A WORLD WHERE AKU NOW ENJOYS COMPLETE POWER OVER EVERY LIVING THING. DUBBING HIMSELF “JACK”, HE SETS OUT ON A QUEST TO RIGHT THAT WRONGS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE BY HIS ENEMY AND TO FIND A WAY TO RETURN BACK HOME.

SAMURAI JACK 2001-2004

**I might possibly have the theme song on my iPod

**My Batman doodles date back to 1993

004003

Heart of Stone is the twentieth studio album by American singer-actress Cher, released on June 19,1989 by Geffen Records. The album went Double Platinum and was supported by her sold out Heart of Stone Tour in 1989.

Released internationally in 1997, the self-titled Backstreet Boys peaked at number four on the Billboard charts and has been certified Platinum fourteen times. The album is a collection of tracks from the Backstreets Boy’s first and second international albums.

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A Rush of Blood to the Head by English rock band Coldplay, was released in August 2002. The album was a commercial success, debut-ing at number one in the U.K. and later placing at number seven of the country’s 20 biggest-selling albums of the 21st century. It won the 2003 Grammy for Best Alternative Album.

2002

Released in 1998, Dizzy Up the Girl is the Goo Goo Doll’s most suc-cessful album to date, selling over 3 million copies and certified Platinum three times. The album was the sixth release for the Goo Goo Dolls.

1998

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1. IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME2. JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES3. YOU WOULDN’T KNOW LOVE4. HEART OF STONE5. STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU6. LOVE ON A ROOFTOP7. EMOTIONAL FIRE

CHER//HEART OF STONE

**”IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME, HEART OF STONE

8. ALL BECAUSE OF YOU9. DOES ANYBODY REALLY FALL IN LOVE ANYMORE?10. STARTING OVER11. KISS TO KISS12. AFTER ALL (W/ PETER CETERA)

POP ROCK, SOFT ROCK

1. DIZZY2. SLIDE3. BROADWAY4. JANUARY FRIEND5. BLACK BALLOON6. BULLET PROOF7. AMIGONE

THE GOO GOO DOLLS//DIZZY UP THE GIRL

**DIZZY, SLIDE, BLACK BALOON, ACOUSTIC #3

8. ALL EYES ON ME9. FULL FOREVER10. ACOUSTIC #311. IRIS12. EXTRA PALE13. HATE THIS PLACE

ROCK, POST-GRUNGE

1. WE’VE GOT IT GOIN’ ON2. QUIT PLAYING GAMES (WITH MY HEART)3. AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME4. EVERYBODY (BACKSTREET’S BACK)5. ALL I HAVE TO GIVE6. ANYWHERE FOR YOU

BACKSTREET BOYS//BACKSTREET BOYS

**IF YOU WANT IT TO BE GOOD GIRL

7. HEY MR. DJ8. I’LL NEVER BREAK YOUR HEART9. DARLIN10. GET DOWN11. SET ADRIFT ON MEMORY BLISS12. IF YOU WANT IT TO BE GOOD GIRL (GET YOURSELF A BAD BOY)

POP

1. POLITIK2. IN MY PLACE3. GOD PUT A SMILE UPON YOUR FACE4. THE SCIENTIST5. CLOCKS6. DAYLIGHT

COLDPLAY//A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD

7. GREEN EYES8. WARNING SIGN9. A WHISPER10. A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD11. AMSTERDAM

ALTERNATIVE ROCK

**THE SCIENTIST, WARNING SIGN, AMSTERDAM

005

The Goonies is a 1985 adventure-comedy film directed by Richard Donner. The screenplay was written by Chris Columbus from a story by executive producer Steven Spiel-berg. The Goonies become a cult classic in its later years.

Originally the first film of the fran-chise was simply called Star Wars, but later gained the subtitle Episode IV: A New Hope, to distinguish itself from sequels and prequels. Released in 1977, Star Wars became a worldwide pop culture phenom-enon and was re-released digitally re-mastered and with new special effects in 1997.

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Stuck in development hell for nearly 25 years, Spider-man was finally released in 2002 by Columbia Pictures. The film received good reviews and went on to break box office records, becoming the third highest grossing film of 2002, and the eighteenth most successful film of all time.

2002

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A 2005 romantic-drama film, Broke-back Mountain depicts the complex romantic and sexual relationship between two men in the American West from 1963 to 1981. The film was widely considered to be a front runner for the Academy Award for Best Picture but lost, nevertheless it garnered many other awards and honors.

007

STAR WARS

WHILE FARM BOY LUKE SKYWALKER IS DESPERATE TO ESCAPE HIS NOR-MAL LIFE ON TATOOINE, AN EVIL EMPEROR HAS TAKEN OVER THE GALAXY, AND HIS OMINOUS NEW WEAPON THE DEATH STAR IS PRE-PARING TO DESTROY ANY WORLDS THAT DARE STAND IN HIS WAY. PRINCESS LEIA, IN LEADER IN THE RESISTANCE MOVEMENT, ACQUIRES PLANS OF THE DEATH STAR, AND PLACES THEM IN R2-D2, A DROID, WHO GOES IN SEARCH OF OBI-WAN KENOBI. BEFORE R2-D2 IS ABLE TO FIND OBI-WAN HE ENDS UP ON THE SKYWALKER FARM, WHERE LUKE SKYWALKER IS THRUST INTO THE GALAXY’S SALVATION.

**My Mom snuck me into the show

1985THE GOONIES

THE GOONIES ARE A TIGHT-KNIT GROUP OF FRIENDS LED BY MIKEY WALSH, HIS OLDER BROTHER BRAND, ANDY, DATA, STEF, MOUTH, AND CHUNK. WHEN THE GOONIES FACE EVIC-TION THEY SET OUT TO FIND A WAY TO SAVE THEIR HOMES. FINDING AN OLD TREASURE MAP IN THE ATTIC OF THE WALSH HOME, THEY SET OFF IN SEARCH FOR THE TREASURE OF THE LEGENDARY PIRATE ONE-EYED WILLY. THE GOONIES EMBARK ON AN ADVENTURE IN AN UNDERGROUND MAZE FILLED WITH TRAPS, SKELETONS, SLOTH, WITH THE FRATELLI CRIME FAMILY ON THEIR TRAIL FOR THE GOLD.

1997

SET IN WYOMING DURING THE SUMMER OF 1963 TWO YOUNG MEN, ENNIS DEL MAR A RANCH HAND, AND JACK TWIST AN ASPIRING RODEO BULL RIDER, ARE SENT TO WORK TOGETHER HERDING SHEEP ON BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. WHAT HAD OTHERWISE BEEN ANTICIPATED TO BE A RATHER UNEVENTFUL VENTURE SOON TURNS TO AN AFFAIR OF LOVE, COMPLICATIONS, AND DISCOVERY THAT SPANS 19 YEARS OF THE TWO MEN’S LIVES. THROUGH MARRIAGE, CHILDREN, AND THE EXPECTATIONS OF WHAT IT IS TO BE A MAN, ENNIS AND JACK BATTLE THROUGH THE SOCIAL CONFINES OF THEIR LOVE.

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN 2005

**”HEY YOU GUYSSS!” was a popular childhood saying for many years

WHILE ON A SCHOOL FIELD TRIP PROTAGONIST PETER PARKER IS BITTEN BY A GENETICALLY MODIFIED SPIDER AND WAKES UP THE NEXT MORNING TO FIND THAT HE’S INQUIRED INCREDIBLE POWERS. AFTER WITNESSING THE DEATH OF HIS WISE UNCLE, PARKER DECIDES TO PUT HIS NEW SKILLS TO USE IN ORDER TO RID THE CITY OF EVIL. ELSEWHERE THE DIABOLICAL GREEN GOBLIN EMERGES AS THE MANIACAL ALTER-EGO OF BILLION-AIRE NORMAN OSBORN, WHO SEES SPIDER-MAN AS A THREAT TO HIS DOMINATION.

SPIDER-MAN 2002 **The first in a string of midnight screenings

**A movie that depressed me for days

A four-issue mini-series published in 1996 b DC Comics, Kingdom Come was written by Mark Waid and paint-ed and illustrated by Alex Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea. The books is loosely based on the Book of Revelation.

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X-Men ran for 10 years with various creative teams but in July 2001 it faced certainly its most title-chang-ing revamp. Written by Grant Morri-son and illustrated by Frank Quitely, Marvel execs wanted the X-Men to regain their former glory, as well as regain critical acclaim.

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An autobiographical graphic novel by Craig Thompson, Blankets was published in 2003 by independent Top Shelf Productions. Time Maga-zine named Blankets as on of the Top Ten Graphic Novels of All Time, the book also garnered numerous other awards.

2004

The Ultimates was created by Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch in March 2002, as part of Marvel Com-ics new Ultimate Marvel Imprint. The Ultimates team is a modern retelling of Marvel’s premiere super-hero team the Avengers.

2002

010009

SET SOME 20 YEARS IN THE FUTURE OF THE DC UNIVERSE, KINGDOM COME DEALS WITH A GROWING CONFLICT BETWEEN “TRADITIONAL” SUPERHEROES, SUCH AS SUPERMAN, WONDER WOMAN, AND THE JUSTICE LEAGUE, AND A GROWING POPULATION OF LARGELY AMORAL AND DANGEROUSLY IRRESPON-SIBLE NEW VIGILANTES. BETWEEN THESE TWO GROUPS IS BATMAN AND HIS ASSEMBLED TEAM OF SUPERHEROES, WHO ATTEMPT TO CONTAIN THE ESCALATING DISASTER AND PREVENT A WORLD-ENDING SUPERHUMAN WAR. THE SERIES DRAWS HEAVILY ON BIBLICAL APOCALYPTIC IMAGERY.

KINGDOM COME MARK WAID//ALEX ROSS

**This beautiful painted comic was an early inspiration for graphic design

FOCUSING ON CYCLOPS, WOLVERINE, JEAN GREY, BEAST, AND EMMA FROST, NEW X-MEN COMPLETELY REDESIGNED THE LOOK OF THE TEAM GIVING THEM A SLEEK LOOK COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM THEIR TRADITIONAL SUPERHERO UNIFORMS. MORRISON INTRODUCED BOTH LONG-LASTING AND UNFAMILIAR CHANGED TO THE ONCE STALE X-MEN, CHANGES LIKE SECOND-ARY MUTATIONS, THE DEATH OF JEAN GREY, THE INTRODUCTION OF THE ONCE EVIL EMMA FROST AS CYCLOPS’ NEW LOVE INTEREST, AND THE COM-PLETE DESTRUCTION OF THE MUTANT SAFE-HAVEN GENOSHA.

NEW X-MEN GRANT MORRISON//FRANK QUITELY

**Frank Quitely’s Pop-Art style makes him my favorite Illustrator

THE ULTIMATES

NICK FURY, HEAD OF THE ELITE ESPIONAGE AGENCY KNOWN AS S.H.I.E.L.D., KNOWS THE ONLY WAY TO COMBAT THE STRANGE NEW MUTANT THREAT IS WITH A TEAM OF HIS OWN SUPER HUMANS. BACKED BY A BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET FURY RECRUITS GIANT MAN, WASP, IRON MAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA, AND THOR. WHILE THE TEAM IS STRONG ENOUGH TO EN-GAGE IN FEROCIOUS BATTLE WITH THE HULK, THEY ARE FACED WITH POSSIBLY IMPLODING UNDER THE WEIGHT OF THEIR OWN INTERNAL CONFLICTS.

**My favorite costume re-designs

MARK MILLER//BRYAN HITCH

CRAIG THOMPSONBLANKETS

A SENSITIVE MEMOIR ABOUT THE EMOTIONAL PAIN, AND ISOLATION OF THE AUTHOR’S FUNDAMENTALIST CHRISTIAN UPBRINGING, BLANKETS SHOWS THE TREPIDATION WE ALL FEEL WHEN GROWING INTO MATURITY. CRAIG THOMPSON, THE PROTAGONIST AND THE AU-THOR, IS A LOST AND CONFUSED SOUL UNTIL HE MEETS RAINA AND HER CLIQUE OF MISFITS AT A RELIGIOUS CAMP. THOMPSON MANAGES TO EXPLORE ADOLESCENT SOCIAL YEARNINGS AND THE POWER OF LOVE WITH HIS EXPRES-SIVE WRITING AND POIGNANT IMAGERY.

**The first comic to make me cry