*
V. iti
Brian Priesman
I •
'Sin City’
crime comic
still on top
Ahh... Frank Miller, how do I love
you? Let me count the ways ...
1) “Daredevil,” for Marvel comics.
2) “Batman: The Dark Night Re
turns,” for DC Comics.
3) “Batman: Year One,” for DC
Comics.
4) “Ronin,” for DC Comics.
5) “Give Me Liberty,” for Dark
Horse Comics and Legend.
And last but not least:
6) “Sin City” for Dark Horse Com
ics and Legend.
He is so cool.
In the ’80s, Frank Miller redefined
the super-hero with his epic version
of the dark knight, Batman, and
Marvel’s own dark knight, Daredevil.
Now Miller is at it again, revitaliz
ing a genre that has been ignored for
too long— the pulpy world of P.I.’s,
prostitutes and gritty crime.
“Sin City” is a direct, albeit more
mature, throwback to the glory days
of comic books. Miller’s.“Jiiri£ity”
bears striking resemblance to the
“True Crime” comics of the late ’50s,
the same comics that prompted both
the congressional hearings on comics’
impact on youth and the creation of
the dreaded Comic Book Code.
Frank Miller also injects some
much-needed energy into the dying
field of black and white comics. He
proves with his gritty and stylistic de
signs that black and white paintings
can convey as much emotion and en
ergy as computerized hues on
Wolverine’s claws.
And Miller’s stories! None of his
characters have superpowers. None of
them are aliens raised as humans.
They’re all just normal humans who
can bleed, love and die like the rest of
us.
Millers Sin City’ stories don’t |
have a star. Every story deals with a
different person and a different aspect
of the city. The city is the real star.
Marv, Dwight and the other people
we’ve had the pleasure of meeting are
just supporting cast. And perhaps
that’s the beauty of “Sin City.”
By using this revolving cast of
characters, Miller can explore issues
and subjects as he wants to. He can
kill characters off, and it doesn’t even
matter. There is still a huge city to ex
plore.
The first “Sin City” tale — called
simply “Sin City”—tells the story of
Marv, an ex-con who likes to kill
people and has a slight problem with
reality.
Unfortunately, Marv dies at the end
of the story.
Another “Sin City” tale is “Sin
City: Silent Night,” a Christmas tale
starring Marv before his death. What’s
unique about this tale is that there are
only a dozen or so words in the entire
story. The rest is silent.
Frank Miller has created a master
piece with “Sin City.” He has single
handedly revitalized the crime comic
genre and the black and white comic
field.
If you haven’t read “Sin City,” you
should. And if you already are read
ing it, then keep it up — Frank Miller
needs your support.
Priesman is a freshman theater and
news-editorial major and a Daily Nebras
kan staff reporter.
Peking troupe
set to dazzle
lied audience
By Lane Hickenbottom
Staff Reporter
The Los Angeles Times called their perfor
mance “seemingly impossible” and “virtually
unbelievable”
Tonight you can decide for yourself when The
Peking Acrobats perform their superhuman act
at the Lied Center.
Straight from the People’s Republic of China,
the 22 gymnasts, tumblers, contortionists and
jugglers continue their world tour with a one-night
stop in Lincoln.
Expect nothing short of amazing. The Peking
Acrobats arc a highly acclaimed acrobatic troupe.
These young men and women, who have been
training from as early as five years of age, and
the 2,000-year-old tradition they practice have
continued to dazzle audiences dating back to the
dynamic Chi’in Dynasty.
Although they are known for many things, the
acrobats are famous for their Tower of Chairs.
Seemingly glued chairs arc stacked one atop an
other. Meanwhile, seven performers balance on
both the chairs and each other to create a leaning
tower of handstands.
The Lied Center’s program for tonight’s per
formance recommends “that you advise your
children that what they see on stage takes years
of practice and should not be tried at home.”
Separating intensive stunts, the Peking Acro
bats perform acts of comedy, giving the audience
members a chance to let their heart rates return
to near-normal.
The Seattle Times reported that nearly every
thing the Peking Acrobats did “was amazing —
and stunning audi)reathtaking and WOW!” "
Tonight’s performance takes place at 8. Two
pre-performance talks will be given by Francis
Allen, the Nebraska men’s gymnastics coach, at
55 minutes and 30 minutes before curtain.
Tickets for the performance are $20, $16 and
$ 12 at the Lied Center. Half-price tickets are avail
able to those 18 and under and to UNL, Wesleyan
and Doane students.
Photo courtesy of SRO Artists Incorporated
The Peking Acrobats will bring their world-famous feats of balance, dexterity and
courage to the Lied Center tonight.
New businesses popping up with success
By Gerry Beltz
Senior Reporter
Not unlike the flowers of springtime, new busi
nesses are blossoming in Lincoln.
Granted, not every single new business will
be listed here, but these are a few sighted around
Lincoln which may be of interest to the average
college student.
Sobik’s Subs (1401 N. 10th St.) just opened
up on Tuesday and features several kinds of hot
and cold subs, salads, and spaghetti. It’s also very
close to campus, located across the street from a
UNL Shuttle bus stop.
Marie Vanness, a manager at Sobik’s, said she
was pleasantly surprised by the amount of busi
ness the store had received so far.
“Business has been going pretty good, con
sidering we haven’t advertised,” she said, “The
f
surrounding community has been very support
ive of us”
Kenny Rogers Roasters (2900 Cornhuskcr
Highway) is part of a nationwide chain and the
first one in Nebraska. But this Lincoln restaurant
won’t be the only one.
“There are plans to open one in Grand Island
by mid-summer, and after that maybe one or two
more in Lincoln,” general manager Karen Myers
said.
Delicacies there include chicken and turkey
roasted over a wood-burning fire, with baby back,
ribs being added within two to three weeks, she
said.
“We’ve been open for just over one week now,”
Meyers said, “and it has been very busy, just as
we had hoped.”
A-Bloom (1140 South St.) is “run from inside
a house, but isn’t my home,” store owner Monica
McClenahan said.
A-Bloom carries all sorts of flowers and plants,
baskets and balloons, and delivers both in the city
and nationwide.
Although the business has been open for only
four weeks, McClenahan said she was pleased
with how things had gone so far.
“Business has been incredibly good,”
McClenahan said.
The Video Stop (5501 Holdrege) has moved
into the space formerly occupied by The Video
Zone. Inventory consists of the latest new releases
and a wide variety of older films, plus Sega Gen
esis and Super Nintendo cartridges to rent, and
Sony Playstation will be coming soon.
No membership fee is required; just a driver’s
license will do, manager Mike Malone said.
“We want to try to make things here as simple
as possible,” Malone said.
New Theatrix production
moves without dialogue
By Brian Priesman i_
Staff Reporter
Theatrix will continue its spring season this
weekend with a world premiere production.
“The Night We Moved,” a movement piece
without dialogue, was conceived by theater gradu
ate students Lisa Mercer and Amy Gaither-Hayes.
The project combines movement, dance, mu
sic and rhythm, and explores, in three parts, the
mysteries and phenomenon known as the human
experience.
The nine-member company has been work
ing on the production since late January under
the direction of Mercer, a senior music and fine
arts student and one of the creators of the piece.
" me first part of it explores different relation
ships and greetings,” said Amy Jirsa, a freshmen
theater major. Jirsa is one of nine company mem
bers in the production.
The second part explores how great works of
art come to life inside of people.
And the third part explores what happens when
people’s facades fall away in the presence of ani
mal magnetism.
“The Night We Moved” opens tonight and will
run through Sunday. All performances start at 8
p.m. at the Wagon Train Project, 512 S. Seventh
St:, on the third floor. Tickets are $4 at the door
with general admission.
Sinatra scores
one Grammy
Wednesday night’s Grammy Awards saw both
a twentysomething rock upstart from Canada and
an 80-year-old American icon in the spotlight,
among others.
Alanis Morissette won in both the Rock Song
and Rock Album categories for “You Oughta
Know” and “Jagged Little Pill,” respectively.
“Jagged Little Pill” also earned Album of the Year
honors. Crooner Frank Sinatra scored his first
competitive Grammy in 29 years for “Duets II,”
which won in the Traditional Pop Vocal Perfor
mance category.
Other highlights included Hootie and the
Blowfish’s win for Best New Artist and Seal’s
victory with “Kiss From A Rose” for both Song
of the Year and Record of the Year.
— Jeff Randall
The Associated Press contributed to this report
