Order of Protection

Jean-Luc Sala, a writer who lives in Bordeaux, originally created the story for a French audience through Soleil Productions in 2004. With art by Pierre-Mony Chan, Spin Angels told an action-filled story of a black-ops group of specialists and spies working for a Cardinal of the Catholic Church, although for French audiences, the comic was known as "Cross Fire." The comic was a huge success with French audiences, who were attracted to its unique combination of religion and action, carried along, perhaps, by another publication that could, in a way, also be summed up in like fashion--the huge international phenomenon by Dan Brown, released the year before. As part of Marvel's ongoing relationship with Soleil, the company decided to publish the comic for American audiences as a four-part limited series (not three as previously solicited) with the tag, "Mature Content" and here we are. Well worth the download. High quality Minutemen scans, too.

On their 5th studio album, Connection, Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog have pushed their long-brewing tension between traditional pop songcraft and avantgarde improvisational music to the breaking point, bridging their customary genre-agnostic approach with elements of glam boogie, minimalist disco, psychedelic boogaloo, garage-punk-against-the-machine agitprop, and so much more.

Men of faith find their pacifist beliefs put to the test in this drama from filmmaker Xavier Beauvois, inspired by a true story. Christian (Lambert Wilson) is the leader of an order of Trappist monks living in the hills outside Algiers. The community outside the monastery is almost exclusively Muslim, and the monks have worked to foster understanding between themselves and their neighbors; they observe Muslim traditions, are well versed in the Koran, and provide medical and charitable assistance to the townspeople. The monastery is an oasis of calm and peace as Algeria is caught up in a civil war, with forces led by Muslim extremists leading a bloody campaign against the nation's rulers.