I had always heard that women don’t go to comic book stores. If you’re very, very lucky, you might catch a glimpse of one out of the corner of your eye. But in a stroke of luck, not only did I catch a glimpse, but I met one.

Angie Mach, affectionately called Angie GoGo, is not only a comic book fan, nigh a geek, but she is also one of the most striking women I have ever met. She’s an avid reader, a deep-seated gamer, an aspiring actress, and now a good friend of mine. We sat down to talk about her love of comics. And remember you comic book geeks…I AM YOUR GOD!!


Percy Carey: Where are you from?

Angie GoGo: Toronto

Percy Carey: What Comics do you like?

Angie GoGo: I’m a fan of Vertigo and everything they do. I think all of the series that they do are really interesting. They’re comics that are on a different line of thinking than all the rest.

Percy Carey: Any favorite books?

Angie GoGo: I dig 100 Bullets. That’s a really great title. There’s more, I just have to think of them.

Percy Carey: Do you have a favorite store?

Angie GoGo: Meltdown or amazon.com, everything is available there.

Percy Carey: How did you get the name GoGo?

Angie GoGo: A friend gave me that name, because I’m always on the move.

Percy Carey: Is there a hero you’d like to be? Or a power you’d like to have?

Angie GoGo: Wow, that’s a tough choice. I think Superman’s powers, that would be fun. Maybe the ability to be invisible, or be like Peter Petrelli, absorb the powers of others.

Percy Carey: Who would you like as a hero for boyfriend?

Angie GoGo: Batman, because who wouldn’t like to date Bruce? Or maybe Gambit, he’s cute.

Angie GoGo: How do you feel about Villains? Think they’re hot?

Angie GoGo: Oh, definitely The Joker.

Percy Carey: Any favorite writers?

Angie GoGo: Steph Meyer'love Twilight. I also love Michael Crichton.

Percy Carey: So if you’re always on the go, when do you have time to read?

Angie GoGo: I have to read at night

Percy Carey: Which comic book movie did you like better: Ironman or Dark Knight?

Angie GoGo: Dark Knight. I’m such a big Batman fan, have to go with that one.

Percy Carey: Can you talk about any upcoming projects?

Angie GoGo: Currently, I’m working on a video game film project, but that one is still being written. I also have a friend who wants me to be in a movie, but that’s still coming together.

Percy Carey: What do you want to do in Hollywood?

Angie GoGo: Mostly I want to act, but right now hard to get in. The economy makes it tough, all the strikes, and the cutbacks the studios have been making as of late.

Percy Carey: What do you think of men in comics, or even those that read comics?

Angie GoGo: I personally like comic guys, I think they’re a little more intelligent. There’s so much reading that goes with comics. It takes a different mind set to read them than other stuff like watching films. Guys who write have to really craft a world more than other creators have to. I have a lot of friends who read, but they tend to get a little busy, so it becomes side thing. Personally I wish I had a lot more time to just read comics.

Percy Carey: Do you have a favorite character?

Angie GoGo: That’s a tough choice; hard to choose just one, I like a lot. Jean Grey/Phoenix, Batman, Joker, Ironman, Riddler.

Percy Carey: Who would win in a fight, Wolverine or Superman?



Angie GoGo: Again, tough call. But in the end, I think Wolverine, because he can regenerate, he can get back up.

Percy Carey: Would you like to be a hero yourself?

Angie GoGo: Sure, but no cheesy costumes, and definitely not too slutty. My costume would need boots, maybe knee highs, which would be sexy, practical and not too slutty. I’d also want shorts and not a body suit. A v-neck top to make fighting easier. I’d definitely need a mask, to protect my identity. For my colors…I’d say baby blue, white, and black. I’d really like to have my costume be clothes by bebe.

Percy Carey: Are there any characters you don’t like?

Angie GoGo: There’s not many, but the ones I don’t like, I really don’t like. I’d say the best examples are the original Green Lantern, the Fantastic 4, and maybe the Hulk.

Percy Carey: How do you feel about Frank Miller?

Angie GoGo: I Love Frank Miller, everything he does, you know, I really want to see Spirit when it comes out.

Percy Carey: Have you thought of anymore books, Vertigo or Dark Horse that you especially like?

Angie GoGo: Again, I wish I had more time to read all the books on my lists. There’s so many that I see at the shop that I want to read and just to have the time. I’d really love to read Fables, over at Vertigo, and I’d love to sit down and dig into Sandman there as well. I was a big fan of Preacher while it was going. That series was so deep, I’d love to see them turn it into a television show. I had heard that they were working on that, and I can’t wait to see it actually come through.

Percy Carey: Anything else?

Angie GoGo: Also, I like Wanted a lot. I know it’s from Top Cow, but it’s really good.

Percy Carey: Do you have any other geeky passions outside of comics?

Angie GoGo: My sister and I are really into video games. Kitty and I play all the time. Other than comics, game release dates are the things she and I look forward to the most. I’ve been looking for someone to play Halo with but haven’t found anyone yet. Right now there’s a whole bunch of games coming out that are really exciting. Fallout3, Resistance2, Mortal Kombat vs. DC, Gears of War 2. There’s a huge list, I can’t wait to play them all.

Percy Carey: Which system do you prefer?

Angie Go GO: Well currently the setup is, my sister has a PS3, and I have an Xbox 360. Don’t get overloaded having them all constantly in one place, but we cover everything.

Percy Carey: So, how do you feel about Spongebob?

Angie GoGo: No way, no Nickelodeon.

Percy Carey: Do you like Avatar?

Angie GoGo: You know, I haven’t heard that much about it, and I’ve never seen it.

Percy Carey: Is there a way that our readers can contact you if they have any questions or comments for you?

Angie GoGo: Oh yeah, of course. The best way would be my myspace page. I’d love to hear from people, and especially get some new reading suggestions if people have them.

Percy Carey: It was a pleasure talking with you. I think you’ve opened my eyes and hopefully the readers to just what type of fan is really out there reading comics.

Angie GoGo: It’s a pleasure. Love sitting down and talking with you, have to do it again. Maybe I’ll come back and talk about some of those projects when they get further along.

Percy Carey: I look forward to it.

As an update, I spoke to Angie , and we were both saddened by the loss of writer Michael Crichton. Angie was definitely sad to see one of her favorite authors of all time pass on. Our thoughts and prayers go to his family. Crichton had been battling cancer for several years, and died on Nov. 4, 2008. We will miss his amazing words and rich stories that have inspired other writers, filmmakers, and readers.

CLICK NEXT TO SEE PERCY’S NEW RELEASE PICKS OF THE WEEK!

This interview is special to me because I had the rare opportunity to interview the GZA, who’s co-founder of the multi platinum group Wu-Tang Clan and a dear friend of mine for the past 25 years. GZA and I kicked it for a while and talked about us growing up in the '80s, as well as our love for chess and mutual respect for Chess Grand Master Maurice Ashley (who’s also a friend of ours). But one other thing we have in common is our love for comics (GZA is currently working on his own book), so read on as two hip hop Grandmasters discuss comic books. M.I.C. & Wu-Tang is one family, one love. Enjoy…

Percy Carey: Some of the comics that I enjoyed growing up were Richie Rich and Archie; What about you or were you strictly into titles like DC Comics and Marvel?

GZA: Yeah, when I was younger, I remember reading Richie Rich and Archie, those were definitely some of my favorites growing up.

Percy Carey: Who was your favorite characters?

GZA: Favorite character was Archie, but I did like Jughead, because he was different. He wore a crown, and he reminded me a lot of Ralph Mouth from “Happy Days.” But gotta love the girls, Veronica and Betty.

Percy Carey: What else was it about reading comics you enjoyed outside of just the story itself?

GZA: Always used to love the ads that were run in comics. Seeing the skinny guy get buff, the sea monkeys you could send away for. Sometimes I’d read just for that stuff.

Percy Carey: What was it about about Richie Rich?

GZA: I love Richie Rich, because he was rich. You know, it was like watching the television show Diff’rent Strokes'I definitely wanted a room like that. You gotta love a kid with money, something to want, something to shoot for.

Percy Carey: Are fellow Wu-Tang Clan members like RZA and Method Man into comics as well?

GZA: Oh yeah. We used to sit around on tour buses discussing characters from Marvel, trying to remember how much people could lift, how far people could stretch their powers, and that was before they set up those power rating systems, put out those numbers. We were comparing what they wrote in the comics, and would get into arguments about what the real number was. Like how much weight Hulk could lift and stuff like that.

Percy Carey: If you could have one super power, what power would it be and why?

GZA: Telepath, to know what people were thinking. It would help me stay ten steps ahead, just like chess. Knowing what people are thinking and doing before they do it would help let me see what to do and where the world is gonna take me before it happens.

Percy Carey: I know you’re an avid chess player, because you and I discuss chess, but do you have any other passions?

GZA: Love science. Love getting into discussions about worm holes and time'that kind of stuff is fascinating to me. I’ve always loved science and math. Seeing the logic behind stuff, that’s one of the reasons I like chess so much. When I’m thinking about doing a new album, it kinda makes me think about the sciences, especially the science of breath. It’s amazing what the human body can do. You know, guys like David Blane who reset the world record for holding his breath, first he did for 7 minutes, and the record at the time was 8. That’s just crazy right there. He was living in water for like, two weeks. I mean, there’s parts of our body that don’t even get oxygen because we don’t breathe right. We can do exercises learning how to basically breathe correctly. When you sing, when you create, you have to know about breathing, because it helps with making the sounds, making the pitches. When you breathe right, you breathe into those dark places of your mind and your body, it opens up new pathways, and you feel like you can do anything.

Percy Carey: Any final thoughts about comics and the importance they hold?

GZA: Growing up, I read comics all the time. They’re great inspiration; they can show you the world is full of possibilities. Now, my son reads comics, and it’s something that we can share. It’s really a good feeling being able to share something like that with him, and now working on doing my own, it’s really cool to give back to that world.

Percy Carey: I know you recently came back from a tour in Europe. How many people were in attendance for your last show there?

GZA: Over 30,000 people who love the Wu showed up in support.

Percy Carey: Well it’s safe to say that you’ll have great sales when your comic book is in the stores, GZA, because you already have millions of fans worldwide and I’m sure John Mayo from comicbookpage.com would agree that your potential sales numbers as a comic book writer will compete with any of the biggest major comic book titles out right now. So that’s very impressive.

GZA: Thank you.

Percy Carey: How can the readers learn more about you and and also the Wu-Tang Clan?

GZA: If you want to reach me the quickest I strongly recommend you go to myspace.com/GZA It’s accessible to everyone that’s why I like it, other than that I would say www.wucorp.com for the Wu as a collective.

Percy Carey: GZA, as always, is was great building with you thank you for you time.

Click here to see Percy’s favorite new comic-related releases of the week!
———————————————————————————————————————
Native New Yorker Percy Carey is a hip hop recording artist (aka MF GRIMM), a journalist, and an award winning writer. His first comic book was a gritty and sensational story that retold his experiences growing up into a hard life, and turning it around. It was nominated for several Eisner awards, the highest achievement in the comic book/graphic novel world. That book, a graphic novel entitled Sentences: the Life of MF Grimm is published by Vertigo/DC Comics. Percy continues to write and produce music, always trying to push the envelope and break new boundaries in all his endeavors. www.percycarey.com (coming soon)