Seeing McCain pull ahead in popular and electoral votes is terrifying enough. But from the recent poll in Ohio, I see this:
"More respondents identify with Sarah Palin than with the other candidates. Asked which of the four candidates is "most like you," 31 percent said Palin, followed by Obama (22 percent), McCain (21 percent), and Biden (13 percent)."
So this country is... mostly like Sarah Palin? Crazy religious, gun-happy, willfully ignorant of history and politics but not smart enough to allow that ignorance to keep them *out* of those arenas?
Shit. That actually sounds about right.
Man, I thought I was getting pissed off during the 2004 elections. But seeing a Republican pull into the lead after two terms of Bush, and the shockingly low approval ratings, is maybe the most frustrating thing I've had to deal with for a while.
After Bush won in '04, I spent a week wanting to throw rocks through the windows of all those assholes driving around with Bush/Cheney '04 stickers in town. This time, I'm more likely to want to throw hand grenades.
Monday, September 15, 2008
My Many Accomplishments
Given the latest polls, it has become clear to me that the key to success in America is to lie as fast and as much as you can, because even if someone calls you out on some of them, you can probably just keep lying and nobody will really pay attention. So in the spirit of John "I really don't want to talk about my war record" McCain or Sarah "I told them I didn't want their bridge money" Palin, here's a list of a few of my accomplishments I thought you all might want to know about:
1. Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston both offered to leave Brad Pitt so that they could have a three-way with me, but I told them no, I felt they owed that poor guy another shot.
2. Not only did I buy a comic book store recently, I also bought the entire state of New Mexico. I'm planning on mostly using it as a place for my old exercise equipment and my vintage comics collection, which has 700 mint copies of Action Comics #1 in it.
3. I am gifted with the power of flight, but I drive my car to work instead because I don't like to show off.
4. The assassinations of Lincoln, Kennedy and Archduke Ferdinand? Same guy. Me. I just thought it'd be funny.
1. Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston both offered to leave Brad Pitt so that they could have a three-way with me, but I told them no, I felt they owed that poor guy another shot.
2. Not only did I buy a comic book store recently, I also bought the entire state of New Mexico. I'm planning on mostly using it as a place for my old exercise equipment and my vintage comics collection, which has 700 mint copies of Action Comics #1 in it.
3. I am gifted with the power of flight, but I drive my car to work instead because I don't like to show off.
4. The assassinations of Lincoln, Kennedy and Archduke Ferdinand? Same guy. Me. I just thought it'd be funny.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Weekly Comics to Come - September 10, 2008
This is late, because I was in Vegas with no Internet and a whole lot of work to do during the retailer conference. Some good info there, though. Anyway, what I've read this week:
TOP FIVE
BPRD The Warning #3 (Davis's artwork is just stunning... and the story continues to unfold in exciting directions. This is one of my absolute favorite titles)
Secret Invasion X-Men #2 (Shockingly good for a crossover tie-in, this is the new military style X-Men at their best, with plenty of action, character development and surprising attention to obscure continuity)
Dynamo 5 #16 (The new team is a lot of fun, the ongoing story of the team's disbanding is interesting and the art continues to shine... probably the best independent superhero book out there, and yes, I include Invincible in that list)
Warhammer Condemned By Fire #4 (This series started off strong and hasn't let up... nice reunion with some of the Forge of War characters)
Star Wars Clone Wars #1 (Fun, nice art, great action... as always, the comics kick the crap out of the actual movies they are based on)
THE REST
Big Hero 6 #1 (Love Nakayama's art, have a fondness for the team, disappointed that Claremont is writing it)
Blood Bowl #3 (Sort of a weird book, but fun)
Booster Gold #12 (Nice Bat-time travel interlude by Dixon)
Civil War House Of M #1 (Solid. Not as good as House of M Avengers yet, but a solid start)
Criminal 2 #5 (Hmm... noir-y. Digging this latest arc quite a bit)
Damned Prodigal Sons #3 (Long delay until we got to the end... and it's another cliffhanger ending. Love the book, would love it more if it were a monthly ongoing)
Dugout GN (Baseball and crime... what's not to love?)
Gen 13 #22 (Still digging the post-apocalyptic Wildstorm universe)
Invincible #52 (Boy, Kirkman loves those violent explodo guts, don't he?)
Prince Of Persia GN (First Second's graphic novel based on the videogame looks promising)
Stand Captain Trips #1 (Good opener... but this thing is going to move like molasses, given its format and the length of the original. Beautiful art by Perkins, though)
World of Warcraft Ashbringer #1 (A pleasant surprise, and one of my favorite reads of the week, a World of Warcraft comic that actually has the vibe of the original property)
TOP FIVE
BPRD The Warning #3 (Davis's artwork is just stunning... and the story continues to unfold in exciting directions. This is one of my absolute favorite titles)
Secret Invasion X-Men #2 (Shockingly good for a crossover tie-in, this is the new military style X-Men at their best, with plenty of action, character development and surprising attention to obscure continuity)
Dynamo 5 #16 (The new team is a lot of fun, the ongoing story of the team's disbanding is interesting and the art continues to shine... probably the best independent superhero book out there, and yes, I include Invincible in that list)
Warhammer Condemned By Fire #4 (This series started off strong and hasn't let up... nice reunion with some of the Forge of War characters)
Star Wars Clone Wars #1 (Fun, nice art, great action... as always, the comics kick the crap out of the actual movies they are based on)
THE REST
Big Hero 6 #1 (Love Nakayama's art, have a fondness for the team, disappointed that Claremont is writing it)
Blood Bowl #3 (Sort of a weird book, but fun)
Booster Gold #12 (Nice Bat-time travel interlude by Dixon)
Civil War House Of M #1 (Solid. Not as good as House of M Avengers yet, but a solid start)
Criminal 2 #5 (Hmm... noir-y. Digging this latest arc quite a bit)
Damned Prodigal Sons #3 (Long delay until we got to the end... and it's another cliffhanger ending. Love the book, would love it more if it were a monthly ongoing)
Dugout GN (Baseball and crime... what's not to love?)
Gen 13 #22 (Still digging the post-apocalyptic Wildstorm universe)
Invincible #52 (Boy, Kirkman loves those violent explodo guts, don't he?)
Prince Of Persia GN (First Second's graphic novel based on the videogame looks promising)
Stand Captain Trips #1 (Good opener... but this thing is going to move like molasses, given its format and the length of the original. Beautiful art by Perkins, though)
World of Warcraft Ashbringer #1 (A pleasant surprise, and one of my favorite reads of the week, a World of Warcraft comic that actually has the vibe of the original property)
Thursday, September 04, 2008
*That* Is My Candidate Right There
I haven't said much about Sarah Palin, the Republican National Convention, etc. Partly because there's been plenty of discussion about Palin, and I think the general narrative (It's a risky, balls-y, politically motivated, shamelessly transparent pick that I think is going to backfire) has been covered everywhere. Ad nauseum.
And the RNC? Well, the police are cracking down like they thought those National Guardsmen at Kent State were a bunch of coddling wusses, and the Republicans, no shocker, have nothing to offer beyond more attacks. Every solid idea they've offered on how to fix this country involves either delusion (Romney thinks we need to overthrow the liberals who have been running the country for the last eight years, but I don't know what country he's been in, since the Repubs had control of all three branches for four and spineless Democrat opposition for the last four) or terrifying ideas (seriously, Palin's vision of America is one that makes me want to move to Canada. Except then they'd probably invade from Alaska and the Northern United States in some kind of pincer movement, with Palin wielding an assault rifle and leading the charge). So I don't have much to say, except the expected "Fuck them."
But Obama? Well, he took questions today. And seriously, this is the kind of man I want answering questions. First of all, because we don't have a President (or Republican candidate) who can fucking stand in front of the media and look like he knows what he's talking about, much less provide intelligent, witty answers. Second, because he rightly points out all the smug bullshit that the Republicans want to become the accepted spin. Third, because I see this guy talk and I believe he has some good ideas to help fix this near-hopelessly-fucked country. Which is quite a contrast to how I see McCain, who usually comes off like someone looking off stage to make sure he's accurately conveying whatever his puppet master campaign organizers want him to say.
And the RNC? Well, the police are cracking down like they thought those National Guardsmen at Kent State were a bunch of coddling wusses, and the Republicans, no shocker, have nothing to offer beyond more attacks. Every solid idea they've offered on how to fix this country involves either delusion (Romney thinks we need to overthrow the liberals who have been running the country for the last eight years, but I don't know what country he's been in, since the Repubs had control of all three branches for four and spineless Democrat opposition for the last four) or terrifying ideas (seriously, Palin's vision of America is one that makes me want to move to Canada. Except then they'd probably invade from Alaska and the Northern United States in some kind of pincer movement, with Palin wielding an assault rifle and leading the charge). So I don't have much to say, except the expected "Fuck them."
But Obama? Well, he took questions today. And seriously, this is the kind of man I want answering questions. First of all, because we don't have a President (or Republican candidate) who can fucking stand in front of the media and look like he knows what he's talking about, much less provide intelligent, witty answers. Second, because he rightly points out all the smug bullshit that the Republicans want to become the accepted spin. Third, because I see this guy talk and I believe he has some good ideas to help fix this near-hopelessly-fucked country. Which is quite a contrast to how I see McCain, who usually comes off like someone looking off stage to make sure he's accurately conveying whatever his puppet master campaign organizers want him to say.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Blog Update for August 2008
This is the latest monthly update to the right column of the blog, updating my favorite comics and TV for the previous month. The listings are alphabetical, not by rank of how much I liked them in comparison. My criteria for what makes the list is when I read them, not necessarily when they were published. This is basically also my own records of what I read/liked for the inevitable "End of Year" lists I feel like making.
There were about a half-dozen Marvel books that I liked and almost made the cut, most of which were X-Men books (Wolverine First Class, X-Men First Class, X-Men Legacy, Thunderbolts, Secret Invasion X-Men), I liked all the new Wildstorm books (Wildcats, Stormwatch, Authority and Gen 13) but not quite enough to make the Top 20, and the same was true of Conan the Cimmerian #2, Atomic Robo Dogs of War #1 and Tiny Titans #7. In terms of the Top 20, it was 9 Marvel (almost half, although that included a couple MAX and one all-ages, and only two that were touched by Secret Invasion), 3 DC (Manhunter, plus Vertigo's DMZ and the all-ages Family Dynamic), 2 Boom! (both Warhammer 40K books) and then pretty much one per publisher from Dark Horse, Devil's Due, Archaia, Image and IDW. Kind of surprised by how much Marvel is dominating my comics issue reading right now, although I guess I shouldn't be, given how they're dominating the direct market in terms of sales and interest.
No novel read this month, and I barely got my 10 graphic novels out of the way. (Well, except that I read four Star Wars, but I'm counting those as one). Mostly I've been spending my time playing Soul Calibur IV and Too Human, and really enjoying both. I also got the Burnout Paradise City downloads and have been playing that a little bit again, and of course there's always a bit of Rock Band going on. Can't wait for Rock Band 2 and Star Wars: Force Unleashed in the middle of September.
Not a lot of TV for this month. In fact, the only thing I watched on regular TV was Burn Notice, and a couple episodes of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report here and there. But that's OK, as whenever I've got the free time, I've been watching The Wire. I'm now through season three, and plan to start season four whenever Netflix gets me the next disc, probably later this week. TV starts up again in earnest in September, though. Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles is back, The Shield is back, there's a new show on FX called Sons of Anarchy that looks interesting and I'm sure there's more. Dexter starts up again in late September, and I don't know if I can resist the show enough to avoid adding Showtime back into my cable line-up.
Only one new RSS feed this month, the political site Electoral-Vote.com, courtesy of a Twitter link by Ben Templesmith.
However, I did add some new podcasts. I've started listening to Dan Savage's sex advice podcast, Savage Lovecast, and it's *hysterical.* I started in after hearing Savage on This American Life talking about how his 6-year-old son DJ didn't want him to get married, and now I'm completely addicted to it. Honestly, it's not even the subject matter so much as Savage's sense of humor and style. He's a funny, smart guy. Also added the Escape Pod podcast, readings of sci-fi stories. And of course, I'm still listening to the Austin-based Dial A Stranger, NPR's This American Life, and, whenever they post a new one, the Lost Podcast. Anybody got any good podcast suggestions for me? I listen to them in the car, and I don't have a *ton* of time for more, but I'd love a good political podcast.
There were about a half-dozen Marvel books that I liked and almost made the cut, most of which were X-Men books (Wolverine First Class, X-Men First Class, X-Men Legacy, Thunderbolts, Secret Invasion X-Men), I liked all the new Wildstorm books (Wildcats, Stormwatch, Authority and Gen 13) but not quite enough to make the Top 20, and the same was true of Conan the Cimmerian #2, Atomic Robo Dogs of War #1 and Tiny Titans #7. In terms of the Top 20, it was 9 Marvel (almost half, although that included a couple MAX and one all-ages, and only two that were touched by Secret Invasion), 3 DC (Manhunter, plus Vertigo's DMZ and the all-ages Family Dynamic), 2 Boom! (both Warhammer 40K books) and then pretty much one per publisher from Dark Horse, Devil's Due, Archaia, Image and IDW. Kind of surprised by how much Marvel is dominating my comics issue reading right now, although I guess I shouldn't be, given how they're dominating the direct market in terms of sales and interest.
No novel read this month, and I barely got my 10 graphic novels out of the way. (Well, except that I read four Star Wars, but I'm counting those as one). Mostly I've been spending my time playing Soul Calibur IV and Too Human, and really enjoying both. I also got the Burnout Paradise City downloads and have been playing that a little bit again, and of course there's always a bit of Rock Band going on. Can't wait for Rock Band 2 and Star Wars: Force Unleashed in the middle of September.
Not a lot of TV for this month. In fact, the only thing I watched on regular TV was Burn Notice, and a couple episodes of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report here and there. But that's OK, as whenever I've got the free time, I've been watching The Wire. I'm now through season three, and plan to start season four whenever Netflix gets me the next disc, probably later this week. TV starts up again in earnest in September, though. Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles is back, The Shield is back, there's a new show on FX called Sons of Anarchy that looks interesting and I'm sure there's more. Dexter starts up again in late September, and I don't know if I can resist the show enough to avoid adding Showtime back into my cable line-up.
Only one new RSS feed this month, the political site Electoral-Vote.com, courtesy of a Twitter link by Ben Templesmith.
However, I did add some new podcasts. I've started listening to Dan Savage's sex advice podcast, Savage Lovecast, and it's *hysterical.* I started in after hearing Savage on This American Life talking about how his 6-year-old son DJ didn't want him to get married, and now I'm completely addicted to it. Honestly, it's not even the subject matter so much as Savage's sense of humor and style. He's a funny, smart guy. Also added the Escape Pod podcast, readings of sci-fi stories. And of course, I'm still listening to the Austin-based Dial A Stranger, NPR's This American Life, and, whenever they post a new one, the Lost Podcast. Anybody got any good podcast suggestions for me? I listen to them in the car, and I don't have a *ton* of time for more, but I'd love a good political podcast.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Weekly Comics to Come - September 4, 2008
Super-light looking week.
TOP FOUR
Authority #2 (Read #1 this week, and really liked it... Abnett/Lanning deliver again)
Fables #75 (Big changes promised for this issue)
Manhunter #34 (So glad to have this back, and especially with the extremely light week, I'd say it's definitely the book I'm most looking forward to this week)
Immortal Iron Fist Vol 2 Cities Of Heaven TP (I need to pick this and the first one up at some point, but I'm still holding out hope for a hardcover collecting all of it)
THE REST
Buffy The Vampire Slayer #18 (Whedon gets one more issue with me, but the last two have been... not good)
Challenger Deep #1 (Undersea suspense from Boom!)
Fringe #1 (Based on the new TV show, sounds interesting enough)
Invincible Iron Man #5 (I'm warming up to it, but I wish I loved it as much as I loved The Order and Iron Fist)
Secret Six #1 (I bailed on Secret Six during the last mini, but I like the characters, and I'll probably give it another shot)
TOP FOUR
Authority #2 (Read #1 this week, and really liked it... Abnett/Lanning deliver again)
Fables #75 (Big changes promised for this issue)
Manhunter #34 (So glad to have this back, and especially with the extremely light week, I'd say it's definitely the book I'm most looking forward to this week)
Immortal Iron Fist Vol 2 Cities Of Heaven TP (I need to pick this and the first one up at some point, but I'm still holding out hope for a hardcover collecting all of it)
THE REST
Buffy The Vampire Slayer #18 (Whedon gets one more issue with me, but the last two have been... not good)
Challenger Deep #1 (Undersea suspense from Boom!)
Fringe #1 (Based on the new TV show, sounds interesting enough)
Invincible Iron Man #5 (I'm warming up to it, but I wish I loved it as much as I loved The Order and Iron Fist)
Secret Six #1 (I bailed on Secret Six during the last mini, but I like the characters, and I'll probably give it another shot)
Chris Sims Wins At Comics Reviewing
I've been a fan of Chris Sims's blog for a while, but I'm also extremely jealous, because the guy writes some of the best, funniest comic book reviews on the Internet.
His take on Wolverine #68 may be the best Mark Millar review I've ever read, because it totally nails Millar's place in the comics writing pantheon.
His take on Wolverine #68 may be the best Mark Millar review I've ever read, because it totally nails Millar's place in the comics writing pantheon.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Don't Fuck With the Gamers
Michael Goldfarb, one of McCain's staffers/advisers/clueless idiots, made disparaging remarks comparing bloggers to "basement dwellers playing D&D." Now Wizards of the Coast, and more importantly, Hasbro, has responded by sending them a letter and posting about it on the Wizards site. And reminding them that the GIs that tend to vote Republican *also* play D&D.
Really, I'm more annoyed about any number of things McCain's collection of political hacks have said (like the "mental recession" of the "whiners" or the latest "how to fix healthcare, by not mentioning the un-insured" bullshit), but I am amused that these guys managed to tick off the VP of a major corporation for what amounts to no good reason.
Really, I'm more annoyed about any number of things McCain's collection of political hacks have said (like the "mental recession" of the "whiners" or the latest "how to fix healthcare, by not mentioning the un-insured" bullshit), but I am amused that these guys managed to tick off the VP of a major corporation for what amounts to no good reason.
Remembering Katrina
On the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's devastation of New Orleans (with the help of the bumbling Bush Administration), Josh Neufeld completes his online comic A.D.: After the Deluge.
It's an amazing read, and there's going to be an expanded edition available next year as a graphic novel. Personally, I can't wait to see it, and I really recommend folks go check it out on the Smith Magazine site.
It's an amazing read, and there's going to be an expanded edition available next year as a graphic novel. Personally, I can't wait to see it, and I really recommend folks go check it out on the Smith Magazine site.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
One more thing...
And then I'm done with politics for the night. I'm gonna watch Biden's speech, then sit back and watch The Wire, maybe play a little Soul Calibur. But here is John Kerry's speech from the convention, and it's thirteen minutes of awesome. Where was this guy in 2004? This guy I would have been excited to vote for, as opposed to just voting for him because he wasn't George W Bush.
Which brings me to the real point of this post. Bush's approval ratings are, as we all know, in the toilet. The majority of Americans have come around and realized that they made an enormous mistake re-electing him in 2004. Many of them want to be forgiven for this grievous error, let off the hook by those of us who have been speaking out against Bush and his policies since 2000, to be told "Hey, it's OK, you were tricked." Rather than being told "Hey, the writing was on the wall, what was wrong with you that you didn't see it?"
I'm willing to do that. But here's the thing... you need to admit that you were wrong then, and you're wrong now about McCain. Don't tell me in 2010 when our economy is further in decline, when we're in an ill-advised war with Iran, when our troops are being spread even more thin in Iraq and Afghanistan with no hope of accomplishing their mission because it doesn't even make any sense. Don't tell me then that you're sorry you voted for McCain. Tell me now, when those words still mean something.
If you voted for Bush/McCain in 2004, and you regret it... you owe it to this country to vote for Obama/Biden in 2008. You owe it to everyone who has died on the Bush/Cheney watch from 2004-2008, whether it's due to poverty at home, enemy bullets in our poorly-chosen war in Iraq or natural disasters in New Orleans that the federal government was ill-equipped to deal with due to rampant cronyism and corruption.
You. Owe. Us. And if you're not willing to own up to that, then I'm afraid I can't take your recognition of the failures of Bush/Cheney as anything but empty words that you don't mean. If you sincerely believe you did wrong in voting for Bush and Cheney, then you need to really do your homework and make sure you're not about to make the mistake with McCain.
Because here's the thing... you are.
Which brings me to the real point of this post. Bush's approval ratings are, as we all know, in the toilet. The majority of Americans have come around and realized that they made an enormous mistake re-electing him in 2004. Many of them want to be forgiven for this grievous error, let off the hook by those of us who have been speaking out against Bush and his policies since 2000, to be told "Hey, it's OK, you were tricked." Rather than being told "Hey, the writing was on the wall, what was wrong with you that you didn't see it?"
I'm willing to do that. But here's the thing... you need to admit that you were wrong then, and you're wrong now about McCain. Don't tell me in 2010 when our economy is further in decline, when we're in an ill-advised war with Iran, when our troops are being spread even more thin in Iraq and Afghanistan with no hope of accomplishing their mission because it doesn't even make any sense. Don't tell me then that you're sorry you voted for McCain. Tell me now, when those words still mean something.
If you voted for Bush/McCain in 2004, and you regret it... you owe it to this country to vote for Obama/Biden in 2008. You owe it to everyone who has died on the Bush/Cheney watch from 2004-2008, whether it's due to poverty at home, enemy bullets in our poorly-chosen war in Iraq or natural disasters in New Orleans that the federal government was ill-equipped to deal with due to rampant cronyism and corruption.
You. Owe. Us. And if you're not willing to own up to that, then I'm afraid I can't take your recognition of the failures of Bush/Cheney as anything but empty words that you don't mean. If you sincerely believe you did wrong in voting for Bush and Cheney, then you need to really do your homework and make sure you're not about to make the mistake with McCain.
Because here's the thing... you are.
Weekly Comics to Come - August 27, 2008
TOP FIVE
Avengers Initiative #16 (This has been getting better and better, and their take on the Skrull Kill Krew is a riot)
Family Dynamic #1 (Excellent J. Torres/Tim Levin superhero family story... shame it was cut from six to three issues)
Nova #16 (Great Secret Invasion tie-in, I've recently been re-reading all the Annihilation/Nova stuff and it really builds nicely)
Star Wars Knights O/t Old Republic Vol 4 TP (Star Wars fever has taken me over, and I'm catching up on KOTOR. Legacy is probably next)
Suicide Squad From The Ashes TP (I hated the Rick Flag stuff, but everything else was vintage Ostrander Squad)
THE REST
Blue Beetle #30 (Pretty solid, I miss Rogers but Sturges is doing good work here)
DMZ #34 (Damn! I forgot to read this before I left the shop!)
Immortal Iron Fist #18 (It's... OK. But it's lost that Fraction/Brubaker magic and I think I'm going to stop following it)
Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #2 (The first issue was hilarious fun)
Northlanders #9 (Forgot to read this one, too... starts a new story arc, with new characters, I think)
Thunderbolts #123 (Gage is writing some fun Thunderbolts, and with Diggle coming onboard next, I think I'm going to wind up picking these up)
Wildcats Worlds End #2 (Solid... not as great as Moore's stuff or especially Casey's, but the post-apocalyptic Wildstorm universe is intriguing)
Wolverine #68 (Three issues before I got kinda bored... that's not bad for a Millar project with me these days)
Wolverine First Class #6 (Hockey... robots... hilarity ensues)
X-men Legacy #215 (Surprisingly fun, despite positively wallowing in '90s continuity, and I like that it acknowledges the new SF status quo)
Avengers Initiative #16 (This has been getting better and better, and their take on the Skrull Kill Krew is a riot)
Family Dynamic #1 (Excellent J. Torres/Tim Levin superhero family story... shame it was cut from six to three issues)
Nova #16 (Great Secret Invasion tie-in, I've recently been re-reading all the Annihilation/Nova stuff and it really builds nicely)
Star Wars Knights O/t Old Republic Vol 4 TP (Star Wars fever has taken me over, and I'm catching up on KOTOR. Legacy is probably next)
Suicide Squad From The Ashes TP (I hated the Rick Flag stuff, but everything else was vintage Ostrander Squad)
THE REST
Blue Beetle #30 (Pretty solid, I miss Rogers but Sturges is doing good work here)
DMZ #34 (Damn! I forgot to read this before I left the shop!)
Immortal Iron Fist #18 (It's... OK. But it's lost that Fraction/Brubaker magic and I think I'm going to stop following it)
Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #2 (The first issue was hilarious fun)
Northlanders #9 (Forgot to read this one, too... starts a new story arc, with new characters, I think)
Thunderbolts #123 (Gage is writing some fun Thunderbolts, and with Diggle coming onboard next, I think I'm going to wind up picking these up)
Wildcats Worlds End #2 (Solid... not as great as Moore's stuff or especially Casey's, but the post-apocalyptic Wildstorm universe is intriguing)
Wolverine #68 (Three issues before I got kinda bored... that's not bad for a Millar project with me these days)
Wolverine First Class #6 (Hockey... robots... hilarity ensues)
X-men Legacy #215 (Surprisingly fun, despite positively wallowing in '90s continuity, and I like that it acknowledges the new SF status quo)
Again. Wow. Hillary Clinton.
I want to be a cynic, and I know this was all probably pre-arranged by the Clintons, the Obamas, the Democratic party, etc.
But I don't care. This is an inspiring moment.
But I don't care. This is an inspiring moment.
Hey Tom Brokaw... Fuck You
And that goes for pretty much anyone saying "Hey, if you weren't in the military, or if you dodged the draft to Vietnam, you can't criticize John McCain because he was a POW."
Maybe if he wasn't hitting it every five minutes in every speech and every press release, cheapening his very real experience for cheap political capital, it'd be off limits. But the honorable service John McCain has had, in the military and in the government, is on one side of the pendulum, and the dishonorable way in which he's running his campaign is on the other... and it's tipped over way too far for "He was a POW, leave him alone!" to work anymore.
Hillary Clinton's Speech
Wow. If she'd given more speeches like this when she was running, I probably would have liked her a lot more then. I mean, Obama was my candidate early on, and everything he did convinced me he was my candidate still. There were few candidates who could have turned me away to supporting them in the primaries (maybe Kucinich, if he'd had a shot in hell of getting the brass ring). But Clinton delivered an amazing speech at the DNC.
And she's got one thing incredibly right: "Nothing less than the fate of our nation and the future of our children hang in the balance.
I want you to think about your children and grandchildren come election day. And think about the choices your parents and grandparents made that had such a big impact on your life and on the life of our nation."
This is why I get so angry when I see that nearly half the country is supporting McCain. It's the same frustration and anger I had when Bush and Cheney got re-elected in 2004. I mean, I understand that there are folks out there who vote on whether their taxes will go up... that's about 5% of the country, the incredibly rich who *will* see their taxes increase under a Democratic regime. I understand that there are people who genuinely believe we need to bomb the fuck out of the Middle East, start up another Cold War with Russia. I understand that there are folks so scared about gay marriage, abortion and affirmative action that they won't ever vote Democrat, because they know that the Democrat position doesn't agree with theirs.
But 50% of the country? That many? That makes me sad. And the worst part for me is that I have family, I have friends (good friends, in many cases) who I know are conservatives. And I don't talk to them that much about this, because honestly, all it's going to lead to is not debate but argument, and I don't think either of us are going to change the others' minds. But I don't understand how people who I can otherwise relate to on so many levels are falling for the Rovian attack schemes and bullshit of the Republicans. I don't see how the realities that McCain will continue to give our country away to the rich while screwing the middle class (and God help the poor), that he'll engage us in more poorly-planned military actions that drain our treasury and kill our soldiers for *corporate gain* are escaping these people.
And it's hard not to take their votes personally, because I see them as potentially costing me and my family our future. The economy is in the shitter, and McCain does not have a plan to fix it for people like me. I don't want my son to wind up drafted in some foreign bullshit war because we spread our military too thin making sure that the oil companies and the infrastructure building companies and Blackwater were making larger and larger profits. I don't want to live in a country that I increasingly think is broken beyond repair.
I'm not, at heart, a Democrat. I've got my problems with politicians of every stripe, and I think both parties are far too much in the pocket of special interests and corporations. My dream world looks more like Fight Club than Wall Street, and that's no politician's idea of a good time. But it's clear to me that at this point, in our two-party system, it's one or the other. And I am 100% for sure choosing Democrat.
I'm pretty sure nobody reading my blog is going to be able to explain this to me... and maybe nobody can, maybe I'm just too arrogant and short-sighted to see it, but... what *exactly* does the Republican party have to offer to the people right now? Haven't they proven how *bad* they are at governing over the last eight years?
And she's got one thing incredibly right: "Nothing less than the fate of our nation and the future of our children hang in the balance.
I want you to think about your children and grandchildren come election day. And think about the choices your parents and grandparents made that had such a big impact on your life and on the life of our nation."
This is why I get so angry when I see that nearly half the country is supporting McCain. It's the same frustration and anger I had when Bush and Cheney got re-elected in 2004. I mean, I understand that there are folks out there who vote on whether their taxes will go up... that's about 5% of the country, the incredibly rich who *will* see their taxes increase under a Democratic regime. I understand that there are people who genuinely believe we need to bomb the fuck out of the Middle East, start up another Cold War with Russia. I understand that there are folks so scared about gay marriage, abortion and affirmative action that they won't ever vote Democrat, because they know that the Democrat position doesn't agree with theirs.
But 50% of the country? That many? That makes me sad. And the worst part for me is that I have family, I have friends (good friends, in many cases) who I know are conservatives. And I don't talk to them that much about this, because honestly, all it's going to lead to is not debate but argument, and I don't think either of us are going to change the others' minds. But I don't understand how people who I can otherwise relate to on so many levels are falling for the Rovian attack schemes and bullshit of the Republicans. I don't see how the realities that McCain will continue to give our country away to the rich while screwing the middle class (and God help the poor), that he'll engage us in more poorly-planned military actions that drain our treasury and kill our soldiers for *corporate gain* are escaping these people.
And it's hard not to take their votes personally, because I see them as potentially costing me and my family our future. The economy is in the shitter, and McCain does not have a plan to fix it for people like me. I don't want my son to wind up drafted in some foreign bullshit war because we spread our military too thin making sure that the oil companies and the infrastructure building companies and Blackwater were making larger and larger profits. I don't want to live in a country that I increasingly think is broken beyond repair.
I'm not, at heart, a Democrat. I've got my problems with politicians of every stripe, and I think both parties are far too much in the pocket of special interests and corporations. My dream world looks more like Fight Club than Wall Street, and that's no politician's idea of a good time. But it's clear to me that at this point, in our two-party system, it's one or the other. And I am 100% for sure choosing Democrat.
I'm pretty sure nobody reading my blog is going to be able to explain this to me... and maybe nobody can, maybe I'm just too arrogant and short-sighted to see it, but... what *exactly* does the Republican party have to offer to the people right now? Haven't they proven how *bad* they are at governing over the last eight years?
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Guitar Hero World Tour
I have to admit, I thought Guitar Hero was more or less dead. But being able to use Rock Band instruments, there's no reason not to buy this game. I'm not enough of a musician to really enjoy the creation tools, but I'll definitely enjoy messing around with them, and I'm betting the community will wind up recording not only original stuff but versions of favorite, more obscure band songs for download too. This looks pretty damn cool.
I'd embed the video, but the embedding code is giving Blogger fits. So instead, a link to 1Up.com's 9-minute video of a music creation demo for Guitar Hero. It's pretty cool that you can do drum loops, keyboards and just a ton of variety.
I'd embed the video, but the embedding code is giving Blogger fits. So instead, a link to 1Up.com's 9-minute video of a music creation demo for Guitar Hero. It's pretty cool that you can do drum loops, keyboards and just a ton of variety.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Idiocy
I continue to be amazed at the sheer number of stupid people there are. Not just garden variety, "that was something dumb you said" or "your thought processes are like that of an alien with shit instead of a brain" stupid... I mean, honestly, we've all been there at one point or another. No, I mean day-to-day "what the hell could this person be thinking?" stupid.
Example? OK. How about Clayton, California Mayor Gregg Manning sending police to shut down a card-table produce stand run by an 11-year-old and 3-year-old girl selling produce from their garden? I mean, the weak justifications of "it was causing a traffic hazard" (which at least one neighbor denies) don't make a lot of sense. But really, how did this even appear on the Mayor's radar? Did the one complaint mentioned in the article come from one of Manning's family members? How do you get the Mayor's ear so hard that you can get a little girl's produce stand shut down with a police raid?
Beyond the sheer amazement I have that this even happened, I have to marvel at the total lack of awareness and the huge balls it takes for the Mayor to defend himself in print. He worries that they could escalate to selling chickens and eggs... and that is the best he can come up with! Does this guy just not want to get re-elected? Maybe he's decided mayor-ing is really hard, and he should get another job where he gets to bully children a lot more. I mean, this is cartoonish level abuse of power. The *Mayor* of the city took it upon himself to shut down a fruit and vegetable stand... based out of a card table on someone's front lawn... run by two pre-teen girls.
My poor wife. Every time I see a story like this, I think about how I as a father would have reacted... and the usual commonality is "not well." She's either going to have to be calming me down (or bailing me out) a *lot* as my kids get older and run into this kind of idiocy.
Example? OK. How about Clayton, California Mayor Gregg Manning sending police to shut down a card-table produce stand run by an 11-year-old and 3-year-old girl selling produce from their garden? I mean, the weak justifications of "it was causing a traffic hazard" (which at least one neighbor denies) don't make a lot of sense. But really, how did this even appear on the Mayor's radar? Did the one complaint mentioned in the article come from one of Manning's family members? How do you get the Mayor's ear so hard that you can get a little girl's produce stand shut down with a police raid?
Beyond the sheer amazement I have that this even happened, I have to marvel at the total lack of awareness and the huge balls it takes for the Mayor to defend himself in print. He worries that they could escalate to selling chickens and eggs... and that is the best he can come up with! Does this guy just not want to get re-elected? Maybe he's decided mayor-ing is really hard, and he should get another job where he gets to bully children a lot more. I mean, this is cartoonish level abuse of power. The *Mayor* of the city took it upon himself to shut down a fruit and vegetable stand... based out of a card table on someone's front lawn... run by two pre-teen girls.
My poor wife. Every time I see a story like this, I think about how I as a father would have reacted... and the usual commonality is "not well." She's either going to have to be calming me down (or bailing me out) a *lot* as my kids get older and run into this kind of idiocy.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Weekly Comics to Come - August 20, 2008
TOP FIVE
Guardians Of Galaxy #4 (Secret Invasion tie-in, but it's the same great Guardians storytelling we've been getting)
Hack Slash Series #15 (Crossover with Re-Animator! Cassie's quest to find her father continues! Great issue)
Warhammer 40k Exterminatus #2 (Building on the first issue, with some nice intrigue, a big 'ol combat sequence and a great cliffhanger)
Warhammer 40k Fire & Honor #1 (Another promising series for Boom!'s Warhammer line, this one featuring Imperial Guard and the Tau)
Spider-man Loves Mary Jane Vol 2 HC (Collecting the rest of McKeever's run with Miyazawa and Hahn)
THE REST
Batman And The Outsiders #10 (Dixon's run ends... or rather, stops. Bummer that he didn't even get to give it a good wrap-up.)
Brave And The Bold #16 (Fun Catwoman/Superman team-up with Scott Kolins art)
Captain America #41 (A bit of a down issue, transitioning the story, but it's still as good as always)
Conan The Cimmerian #2 (Less Conan's grandpa, more Conan would have been better to start things off, but it's still good story and Corben art)
Incredible Hercules #120 (Strong finale to the Godwar story, looking forward to them getting back to Earth)
Killer #8 (Another tense, incredible issue. Love this book, will love it even more when it's finished and I can read it all at once)
Myspace Dark Horse Presents Vol 1 TP (Great selection of stories here)
Naoki Urasawas Monster Vol 16 (Closing in on the end of the best suspense manga I've read. But then we'll get Pluto and 20th Century Boys, so it's all good)
Punisher #61 (Surprisingly strong start from Hurwitz and Campbell)
Star Wars Force Unleashed TP (Been in kind of a Star Wars mood lately, and this story looks interesting. I'm curious to see if they'll try to justify Vader having an apprentice ten times more powerful than he is, or if that'll be quietly ignored)
Stormwatch PHD Worlds End #13 (Damn it. Good creative teams and an interesting premise (post-apocalypse superhero universe) have me checking out the Wildstorm universe. Again. Even though I know this relaunch will probably wind up scrapped with all the others)
Uncanny X-Men #501 (Fun. Readable. Not super-exciting or anything, but pretty good X-Men stuff)
X-Factor Special Layla Miller (Really good spotlight on a character I don't even like... impressive work by the creative team)
X-Men First Class Vol 2 #15 (Medusa vs. The X-Men! Plus the Wizard! Parker knows how to have fun with Marvel's universe)
Guardians Of Galaxy #4 (Secret Invasion tie-in, but it's the same great Guardians storytelling we've been getting)
Hack Slash Series #15 (Crossover with Re-Animator! Cassie's quest to find her father continues! Great issue)
Warhammer 40k Exterminatus #2 (Building on the first issue, with some nice intrigue, a big 'ol combat sequence and a great cliffhanger)
Warhammer 40k Fire & Honor #1 (Another promising series for Boom!'s Warhammer line, this one featuring Imperial Guard and the Tau)
Spider-man Loves Mary Jane Vol 2 HC (Collecting the rest of McKeever's run with Miyazawa and Hahn)
THE REST
Batman And The Outsiders #10 (Dixon's run ends... or rather, stops. Bummer that he didn't even get to give it a good wrap-up.)
Brave And The Bold #16 (Fun Catwoman/Superman team-up with Scott Kolins art)
Captain America #41 (A bit of a down issue, transitioning the story, but it's still as good as always)
Conan The Cimmerian #2 (Less Conan's grandpa, more Conan would have been better to start things off, but it's still good story and Corben art)
Incredible Hercules #120 (Strong finale to the Godwar story, looking forward to them getting back to Earth)
Killer #8 (Another tense, incredible issue. Love this book, will love it even more when it's finished and I can read it all at once)
Myspace Dark Horse Presents Vol 1 TP (Great selection of stories here)
Naoki Urasawas Monster Vol 16 (Closing in on the end of the best suspense manga I've read. But then we'll get Pluto and 20th Century Boys, so it's all good)
Punisher #61 (Surprisingly strong start from Hurwitz and Campbell)
Star Wars Force Unleashed TP (Been in kind of a Star Wars mood lately, and this story looks interesting. I'm curious to see if they'll try to justify Vader having an apprentice ten times more powerful than he is, or if that'll be quietly ignored)
Stormwatch PHD Worlds End #13 (Damn it. Good creative teams and an interesting premise (post-apocalypse superhero universe) have me checking out the Wildstorm universe. Again. Even though I know this relaunch will probably wind up scrapped with all the others)
Uncanny X-Men #501 (Fun. Readable. Not super-exciting or anything, but pretty good X-Men stuff)
X-Factor Special Layla Miller (Really good spotlight on a character I don't even like... impressive work by the creative team)
X-Men First Class Vol 2 #15 (Medusa vs. The X-Men! Plus the Wizard! Parker knows how to have fun with Marvel's universe)
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Orson Scott Card: Raving Lunatic
Courtesy of Chris Sims (via Tom the Dog), I see that Orson Scott Card's latest attempt at rationally explaining his completely nutbar ideas about homosexuality in general and gay marriage in particular are crazier than usual.
And here's the thing. As a responsible comic book store owner, I *have* to carry Ender's Game. A lot of my customers are excited about it, and honestly, I've bought stuff by writers who I know to have differing opinions from mine (pretty much anything by Chuck Dixon, at least). But... Card has reached a new level of crazy, a level I like to call Dave Sim crazy, where I feel dirty having even the barest association with him, even by selling his book.
So I think I've got a solution. I'm going to figure out what my profits are on the issues of Ender's Game, and when the miniseries is complete, I'm gonna write out a check to a Gay Rights charity here in Austin, and then I'm going to send a nice note to Mr. Card letting him know how much his work has helped to fund said charity. That seems a nice fuck you message that also happens to put some money in the hands of folks who need it.
And here's the thing. As a responsible comic book store owner, I *have* to carry Ender's Game. A lot of my customers are excited about it, and honestly, I've bought stuff by writers who I know to have differing opinions from mine (pretty much anything by Chuck Dixon, at least). But... Card has reached a new level of crazy, a level I like to call Dave Sim crazy, where I feel dirty having even the barest association with him, even by selling his book.
So I think I've got a solution. I'm going to figure out what my profits are on the issues of Ender's Game, and when the miniseries is complete, I'm gonna write out a check to a Gay Rights charity here in Austin, and then I'm going to send a nice note to Mr. Card letting him know how much his work has helped to fund said charity. That seems a nice fuck you message that also happens to put some money in the hands of folks who need it.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Why I Love (and Hate) The Internet
There's something kind of funny about the more off-the-cuff, slipshod nature of Internet reporting. You can always go in and change things, fix errors, etc., and so I think people aren't as attentive to the finished product as they used to be. It's not set in print, it's malleable, so the final product can be more of a rough draft.
Many would say this is true of bloggers, but not professional news organizations and such, which hold a higher standard. Many of those who would say that probably work for those news organizations, and don't want to admit that well-informed bloggers can often be more professional than the corporate-driven news machines. Because I was reading an article on Time online about four day school weeks, which I had an interest in (it caught my attention off my Google home page), and I came to the end, and following the final paragraph, which ended with this sentence: "Creal wouldn't think of going back to a five-day week. 'I'd be tarred and feathered for even suggesting it,' he says. Which also means it's unlikely summer vacation will get downsized anytime soon."
There was this:
"Goats are extremely cute and fairly intelligent (for livestock) and, importantly, delicious FOOD, PAGE 54
Source: National Center on Time and Learning"
And that just cracked me up. It was like the author just swerved there at the end. And the source page makes it look like the center for time and learning was studying the taste of smart goats.
Many would say this is true of bloggers, but not professional news organizations and such, which hold a higher standard. Many of those who would say that probably work for those news organizations, and don't want to admit that well-informed bloggers can often be more professional than the corporate-driven news machines. Because I was reading an article on Time online about four day school weeks, which I had an interest in (it caught my attention off my Google home page), and I came to the end, and following the final paragraph, which ended with this sentence: "Creal wouldn't think of going back to a five-day week. 'I'd be tarred and feathered for even suggesting it,' he says. Which also means it's unlikely summer vacation will get downsized anytime soon."
There was this:
"Goats are extremely cute and fairly intelligent (for livestock) and, importantly, delicious FOOD, PAGE 54
Source: National Center on Time and Learning"
And that just cracked me up. It was like the author just swerved there at the end. And the source page makes it look like the center for time and learning was studying the taste of smart goats.
Blog Update for July 2008
This is the latest monthly update to the right column of the blog, updating my favorite comics and TV for the previous month. The listings are alphabetical, not by rank of how much I liked them in comparison. My criteria for what makes the list is when I read them, not necessarily when they were published. This is basically also my own records of what I read/liked for the inevitable "End of Year" lists I feel like making.
This is extremely late going up. July was a busy month with San Diego, and August has been a busy month so far due to AC difficulties at the store and a variety of other stuff. But it seems to be calming down a tiny bit now, so maybe the August post won't be so late.
Despite it being a five week month, I really only had 20 comics that made my Top 20. But it was still a pretty good month. There were 4 Marvel and 4 DC (plus 3 Vertigo), 3 Boom!, 3 Dark Horse, 2 Image (both from Jay Faerber) and 1 Devil's Due. Actually, Vertigo and Image technically got 1 more each, because there were two issues in July of Northlanders and Dynamo 5. My favorite writers who had more than one book for me the month were Dan Abnett (with two Boom! and two Marvel, the former co-written with Ian Edginton and the latter with Andy Lanning), Jay Faerber (for his Image books), Brian Wood (DMZ and Northlanders) and Mike Mignola (BPRD and Hellboy). Tons of one book writers on that list, though, including Johanna Stokes, Mark Waid, Tim Truman, Tim Seeley, Bill Willingham, Paul Tobin, Marc Andreyko, Josh Elder, Chuck Dixon and even Jeph Loeb (with Tim Sale). All of these writers, of course, are people who I'd enjoy more than one book a month from. There were mostly familiar faces in the single issues, with the new books being "series of miniseries" like Hellboy, BPRD or Warhammer or relaunches like Conan, but there were a couple of genuine #1s, including Station and Marvel Adventures Super Heroes.
Due in large part to San Diego taking a week of my time, I actually only read 10 graphic novels this month. Well, sort of. I got in a Conan mood and read Volumes 0 (Born on the Battlefield) through 5 (Rogues in the House), but I'm counting those as one slot. My novel for the month, read on the plane to San Diego, was Darkly Dreaming Dexter, which I borrowed from my buddy Nick several months ago. It was a good read, but honestly? I prefer the TV show.
As usual in the summer, my TV watching is way down. I'm watching (and loving) Burn Notice, and also catching up on Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Spaced and The Wire on DVD. I've seen all the episodes of the former two already, but I'm watching the DVD sets and listening to commentary and special features and such as well.
I added six new RSS feeds this month, half of them for artists who I knew and liked but didn't know had webpages until San Diego made me decide to go ahead and look for them. So I've got feeds for David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Sean "Cheeks" Galloway (Spectacular Spider-Man, among others) and Nikki Cook (super-awesome indie cartoonist). I also added Pundit Kitchen (which can only be described as lolcats for politics) and two webcomics spinning off from videogames, the Penny-Arcade guys doing a Fallout 3 riff on Bethesda and an Andy Diggle/Colin Wilson webcomic for Bionic Commando.
This is extremely late going up. July was a busy month with San Diego, and August has been a busy month so far due to AC difficulties at the store and a variety of other stuff. But it seems to be calming down a tiny bit now, so maybe the August post won't be so late.
Despite it being a five week month, I really only had 20 comics that made my Top 20. But it was still a pretty good month. There were 4 Marvel and 4 DC (plus 3 Vertigo), 3 Boom!, 3 Dark Horse, 2 Image (both from Jay Faerber) and 1 Devil's Due. Actually, Vertigo and Image technically got 1 more each, because there were two issues in July of Northlanders and Dynamo 5. My favorite writers who had more than one book for me the month were Dan Abnett (with two Boom! and two Marvel, the former co-written with Ian Edginton and the latter with Andy Lanning), Jay Faerber (for his Image books), Brian Wood (DMZ and Northlanders) and Mike Mignola (BPRD and Hellboy). Tons of one book writers on that list, though, including Johanna Stokes, Mark Waid, Tim Truman, Tim Seeley, Bill Willingham, Paul Tobin, Marc Andreyko, Josh Elder, Chuck Dixon and even Jeph Loeb (with Tim Sale). All of these writers, of course, are people who I'd enjoy more than one book a month from. There were mostly familiar faces in the single issues, with the new books being "series of miniseries" like Hellboy, BPRD or Warhammer or relaunches like Conan, but there were a couple of genuine #1s, including Station and Marvel Adventures Super Heroes.
Due in large part to San Diego taking a week of my time, I actually only read 10 graphic novels this month. Well, sort of. I got in a Conan mood and read Volumes 0 (Born on the Battlefield) through 5 (Rogues in the House), but I'm counting those as one slot. My novel for the month, read on the plane to San Diego, was Darkly Dreaming Dexter, which I borrowed from my buddy Nick several months ago. It was a good read, but honestly? I prefer the TV show.
As usual in the summer, my TV watching is way down. I'm watching (and loving) Burn Notice, and also catching up on Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Spaced and The Wire on DVD. I've seen all the episodes of the former two already, but I'm watching the DVD sets and listening to commentary and special features and such as well.
I added six new RSS feeds this month, half of them for artists who I knew and liked but didn't know had webpages until San Diego made me decide to go ahead and look for them. So I've got feeds for David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Sean "Cheeks" Galloway (Spectacular Spider-Man, among others) and Nikki Cook (super-awesome indie cartoonist). I also added Pundit Kitchen (which can only be described as lolcats for politics) and two webcomics spinning off from videogames, the Penny-Arcade guys doing a Fallout 3 riff on Bethesda and an Andy Diggle/Colin Wilson webcomic for Bionic Commando.
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