Saturday, February 07, 2004

The story of this sketch is told in my con report from the day I got it.

AQUAMAN
by Paul Chadwick
16 November 2003
(permission to post given 16 November 2003 in person)
The Paul Chadwick Web Comicography

One thing that really impressed me about Paul Chadwick was how utterly approachable he is. He's easy to talk to, because he's one of those people who knows how to listen. While I stood at his table and he steadily signed books for everyone who'd asked, he discussed many subjects with the people there around the table. He seemed genuinely interested in everything anyone said, and was amzingly gratifying to simply be around. And he cares. While he sketched for me, a woman looking over my shoulder asked him if what he was doing at that point was called "inking". He replied that it was, and she said that she wanted to know because her son wanted to be an inker. Hearing that, he asked if the son was around, and offered to talk to him. The mother ran and got her son, who received a neat handout from Chadwick (I got one too, after asking... I will be an artist, darnit!) and some great tips. He then wrote down his e-mail address and told the kid that if he needed any advice or suggestions, to feel free to e-mail and ask. That's class.

To see all the sketches I have permission to post so far, check out my Sketchbook Page. If you have any contact information for any of the other artists I'm trying to contact, please e-mail me. Click for a random Aquaman sketch.

by Tegan at 8:36 PM Seattle time

Smallville: Hereafter [3-12]: Wow. There were a few seconds in this episode that just blew me away. Those would be the few seconds that Jordan looked into Clark's future. Wow. While this one had a "freak of the week" feel, there were lots of nice moments that built up. I love the game the writers are playing with "Adam Knight". You'll find as many people convinced that he's Bruce Wayne as you will people who are convinced he isn't. And the choice of opening song fit the episode perfectly.

Angel: You're Welcome: I've been watching Angel after Smallville for a few weeks, mostly out of laziness. I didn't feel like changing the channel or turning off the TV. Anyway, I never watched Buffy. I figured I'd like it, but I didn't want another addiction. Well, Angel has caught me just in time for the 100th episode. As a non-Buffy fan, who doesn't understand a lot of what's going on in the show, I found it very accessible. I knew that Angel is a vampire, the rest is explained quickly every episode. While some of the exposition is a bit much (last week's episode was odd that way) I'm still glad for it. And, if there is actually something I don't understand, I can generally visit Peter David's blog a couple of days later and get the full story. What really gets me is the humor. These immortal vampires who want to do good, but are snarky and obnoxious to each other... like Angel giving this impassioned speech that he doesn't want to put anyone he cares about in danger... finishing with Spike saying "I'll go" and Angel's quick response, "Ok." Anyway, the ending of this one actually hit me pretty hard, despite not having a clue who Cordelia was. It's simply a very well-crafted show. I wish more of television was like it... no, on second thought, I don't. Then I'd watch more TV. I'm happy with my current limited TV interests.

by Tegan at 1:01 PM Seattle time

Friday, February 06, 2004

I'd really like to pull together a nice random thoughts post with lots of cool links, but I hurt too much to stay in front of the computer working on it. I'm afraid I'll be just "calling in" until this pain finally goes away, so don't expect much from this blog (like you do anyway) for the next few days. I'll try to post every day, but the entries might be just this boring kind of apology, or some of my reviews. I'll post a sketch tomorrow night... keep up my Saturday Sketch program. It'll be Paul Chadwick's sketch, I think.

by Tegan at 3:10 PM Seattle time

Thursday, February 05, 2004

Plastic Man #3: Not quite as bad as the first issue, not quite as funny/good as the last issue. This book just isn't my cuppa.

Y The Last Man #19: Frankly, we got this for the cover. Hubby-Eric is a big Wizard of Oz fan, as you all know, so he couldn't resist the obvious homage. Since we haven't been buying the book, we're not sure what's happening, but it wasn't too hard to figure out. The first two pages are Oz-ifiric, then we get into a bondage comic book. That "Mature Readers" label is there for a reason. For the Oz bits, this gets a good grade. For the rest... um... it was ok.

JSA #58: The cliff-hanger makes this issue. If I say much more, I'll spoil it, but let's say I didn't care for all the endless fighting, but the last page turned a lot of my opinion around.

Still to review: Futurama, Justice League Adventures, Usagi Yojimbo, Birthright, and Supreme Power.

by Tegan at 7:28 PM Seattle time

Wednesday, February 04, 2004

Wow. Just took a look at my daily stats, and they've jumped a lot the last couple of days, apparently as soon as the search engines spidered my Super Bowl Ads post. Anyway, those of you looking for that, just click on the link in the last sentence.

From the looks of it, there are three topics that people are most searching for. Two are ads. The first is the Super Bowl streaker. The ads are the Donkey and seewhathappens.com. I don't have any pictures here, folks, so go search elsewhere if that's what you are looking for...

by Tegan at 10:57 PM Seattle time

It didn't take long for my doctor to diagnose the problem. Touching a couple of sensitive points on my body, then she prescribed. Let's see what happens next. She told me that she's had a lot of success treating fibromyalgia, so fingers-crossed, everyone.

In happier news, I got my mitts on a preview copy of Aquaman #15. Haven't read it yet, but I've got it. Once my brain clears up enough to get some reading in, I know what's on the top of my list.

by Tegan at 3:32 PM Seattle time

Tuesday, February 03, 2004

I slept for a couple of hours last night before I was woken by a pain in the side I was sleeping on. I turned over, and the pain switched to where the pressure was. I tried various poses, trying to get rid of the pain, but no matter how I tossed and turned, it hurt. Eventually it enveloped my whole body. Every muscle screaming, every joint protesting every move. I wondered if I was having a nightmare, if I maybe wasn't really awake. Maybe I was dreaming the pain. But it felt very real. I was too tired to get up and find some painkiller, and it hurt so much I didn't really want to move, anyway. I slept fitfully between bouts of pain.

And I still hurt. Every muscle feels like I just ran a long race. I can't sit, stand, or lie down without hurting more. It's enough to drive me bonkers. So I've scheduled with my doctor. But can I last long enough to go see her? And how am I going to drive when I hurt so bad I can hardly see?

by Tegan at 10:56 AM Seattle time

Monday, February 02, 2004

NOTE: If you aren't interested in my Previews overview (I know it's very long), you can skip to my Super Bowl Summary from this morning, or my Super Bowl Ads Blog from yesterday night. If you aren't interested in those, my last Random Thoughts post is just a little further down.

Yes, it's that time again... time for "Things in Previews That Look Interesting But I Can't Afford To Get (with a list of things I am getting just for contrast)". I'm going to start with the bulk of the book, and then come back and cover the "big four" at the end. Please remember, I'm listing what looks interesting. My actual purchase list is going to be much smaller. The numbers after each title are usually the page number in Previews, so you can follow along at home.

As usual, I'll start with the Splash Page (8-9). The only item of interest to me is Scott McCloud's 24 Hour Comics. Nine stories, each written and drawn in 24 hours. I've seen (and enjoyed) Phil Foglio's effort, I wouldn't mind seeing some more.

Jumping past all the "big four" have to offer, I start the bulk of the book by looking at the solicit for Wizard (180). It says that "Wizard #151 is our annual April Fool's Special!" Uh, ok. I suppose that means more lame Aquaman jokes starring Black Manta. I'll survive.

Getting into the bulk of the listings, the first thing that jumps out at me is the aforementioned 24 Hour Comics from About Comics (192). I really want this book, and at $12 for 240 pages, it might just make the purchase list. We'll have to see.

Airship Entertainment is offering Girl Genius #11 (195). Excuse me whilst I shout for joy! Ahem. This is definitely one of the more fun books available on the stands right now, and I urge folks to give it a try. C'mon, the first one is free...

AIT/Planet Lar has a couple of interesting offerings this month. The first is Planet of the Capes (196) which is about superheroes transported to a world where superheroes are only fiction. While it's not the single most original idea ever, it is a nice twist to the genre. Could be fun. The second is Demo #6 (196). As I said last month, the acclaim for this series of standalone stories has been positive, and I've been tempted a few times to get an issue. I just haven't yet.

Alternative Comics has an "experimental" comic up, called Rabbithead (198). It claims to be heavily influenced by spaghetti westerns and Polish literature. Your mileage may vary.

Amaze Ink/Slave Labor has its usual pile of intriguing books. First up is an "Offered Again" book that I missed on the first go-round, Halo & Sprocket: Welcome to Humanity (200). I've read a little of Halo & Sprocket in the Free Comic Book Day offering, and I would like to get more. This appears to be a good jumping on point. Another book that jumped out at me was Ghouly Boys #1 (200). I'm a sucker for books about kids that don't fit in.

And then we get to Antarctic Press. First up is Angels 750 #1 (204) about a female motorcycle gang in 1972 Nevada. I'm not entirely sure why, as the art sample doesn't do much for me, but the book does intrigue me. Next item of interest is Dictators: Hitler #1 (205) which is an attempt to chronicle Hitler's life. This first volume is called "The Artist", and the series will run four issues. I'm mildly interested. Next up is I Hunt Monsters #2 (205), which is worth mentioning because Rod Espinosa is working on it.

Antimatter/Hoffman International is putting out a space-age Western called Madame Tarantula #1 (206). While it looks kind of fun, for some reason it sets off negative warning bells in my head, so I won't be trying it.

Black Boar Press has Springheeled Jack #1 (215) which only caught my eye because I saw the Jackie Chan cartoon episode that featured a baddy named Springheeled Jack who was determined to take revenge on the descendents of the wizard who imprisoned him. To be honest, now I'm kind of curious to look up the original legend. And I'm wondering, wasn't Jack The Ripper referred to as Springheel Jack, too?

And suddenly we run headlong into CrossGen (229). Only nine books offered on their list this month, and we're getting a whole third of them. We'll be getting Abadazad #4, El Cazador #6, and Way of the Rat #24. And we'll keep hoping they can pay their creative teams and everybody else they owe.

I meant to just flip quickly through Devil's Due Publishing, but I got caught by Lovebunny & Mr. Hell (246,254). It brought to mind a very funny sketch on "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" in which the actors were singing about "Satan and the Schoolgirl", and so I had to read the solicit. And, when I stop to fully read a solicit, I mention it here. So consider it mentioned.

Eight Ball Graphics weighs in with Detached (267), a humor book about a guy who loses his head. Literally.

Gemstone (273) has the Disney books, and I will once again wistfully comment that I'd like to read these books. I have fond memories of sitting in the window of a friend's house on Hood Canal, while she went water-skiing I watched and waved... and read the stash of Disney comics they had left up in the attic. I think those were the first comics I ever really read, and I wouldn't mind getting some good ol' Uncle Scrooge comics to bring back those memories.

Obion Comics shows up with Along The Canadian (295). A Xeric award book, this appears to be a Western with supernatural elements. Looks intriguing.

Panini is putting out a book that will definitely be tempting hubby and I. Doctor Who: Iron Legion (300) is a reprint book of the old Marvel comics, digitally restored. Includes artwork by Dave Gibbons. Me want.

Sequent Media Publishing has an anthology called Prophecy (304) that has an impressive list of "various" writers and artists. Unfortunately, at $30, it's probably not going to make the list.

Silicon Times has a book called The Delicious Seasons (304) aimed at teen female readers. It's about a girl who loves to cook who goes to work as a chef for a picky eater. And you have to love the creator's name: Rainbow Buddy.

Sirius is putting out another non-Akiko Mark Crilley book: The Beast That Ate Morioka #1 (306). Yeah, we'll get it. It's Mark Crilley.

And that's it for the main comics section. On to books.

Science Fiction Poster Art (349) looks like a great review of SciFi movie posters, starting as far back, it claims, as 1902. With 192 pages, this could be a pretty cool book.

Straczynski Unplugged (351) is an anthology of JMS's short stories, including some of tales adapted from his writing for "The New Twilight Zone". Sounds fun.

JLA Young Readers: Aquaman's Guide To The Oceans (355). Stop laughing. I know, I know. I'm getting it anyway. It's a DK book, and DK is cool. I'm sorely tempted to get JLA Young Readers: Wonder Woman's Book of Myths too. And I wouldn't mind getting these for my nieces and nephews, too. They sound edumucational.

I don't usually mention trading cards, but the Complete Six Million Dollar Man Season 1 and 2 Cards just begs to be mentioned. Wow, I loved that show. But I don't want any trading cards about it. No, not even if I could get a Lee Majors autograph.

Just an interjection here. Every time I see "Hello Kitty" products now, I think of the Animaniacs comic book riff on Hello Kitty. At one point, the kitty holds up a sign that says "I have no mouth but must scream". I nearly passed out from laughing so hard at that, and it still gives me a chuckle *every* time I see any "Hello Kitty" products. Heh, kitty has no mouth. Heh.

Page 386, among the T-Shirts is one that claims to be for women that I would love to get for Hubby-Eric. It's a Goth Dorothy (with a flying monkey behind her) holding a bucket of water and saying "Here Witchie, Witchie, Witchie". If only it came in XL!

In the toys section, I couldn't help but enjoy the sight of Sea Monkeys Action Figures (400,401). I'd prefer getting these to getting the original Sea Monkeys.

Next toy that jumped out was the Minimates, in particular the Lord of the Rings Minimates (404,405) and the Star Trek Tribble Kirk 2003 Con Exclusive Minimate (406). I can't help it, they're just so cute.

On the list of "Things I Never Want To See In My House" is the Buffy The Vampire Slayer Gentlemen Statuette (415,416) from the memorable episode "Hush". *shudder* No Thanks!

One DVD set caught my eye this time. The Fleischer Studios Superman 2-Disc DVD Set (483) which features all 17 of the animated Superman series that set a new standard for amazing animation, and holds up remarkably well even today.

And now I'll jump back to the beginning of the book and cover the major publishers.

We start with Dark Horse, who has the primo spot at the beginning of Previews. El Zombo (20) is about the friendship between a 10-year-old girl from East L.A. and an undead wrestler. Ok, that'll make you pause. Not enough to buy it, but it got a second look.

Michael Chabon Presents The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist Volume 1 (23) is almost enough to make me quit buying Dark Horse books. It collects two books that I bought, and adds new material. Look, if you are going to collect only two books, just release it as one book in the first place! And don't solicit a collection before the first issue has even come out, darn it! Wait a few months, at least. I feel cheated. That's not something you want your customers to feel, Dark Horse.

Well, Conan #3 (24) will make the list despite Dark Horse cheating its customers. And I won't dump Usagi Yojimbo #75 (33) either.

Now that I've ranted about Dark Horse, I'll move on to DC Comics, where most of our purchases happen. Let's see, Jim Lee on Superman (52). Nope, no interest. Kid Amazo, a JLA story in a hardcover (62). Sorry, too expensive. Harly & Ivy... I think hubby will want this (76). To be honest, I do too, just not as much as I think he does. Enginehead looks mildly cool (78). I wonder if all the art is already done, or if it will eventually start coming out late. Right, enough dallying in the articles. Time for the list of books we are getting.

In the DC Listings: Batman Adventures #13 (94), Batman: Harley & Ivy #1, Birds of Prey #66 (95), Superman: Birthright #9 (98), Superman: Secret Identity #4, Aquaman #17, Fallen Angel #10 (99), Green Arrow #37 (100), Green Lantern #176, H-E-R-O #15, JLA #96 (101), JLA #97, JSA #60 (102), Justice League Adventures #30, Outsiders #11 (103), Plastic Man #5, Arrowsmith/Astro City (105).

Moving on to Image, I like the three page previews at the front of the listings. I'm not interested in any of the books, but it's a very good way to show them off. So, we're looking at Powers Vol 2 #2 (151) and Common Grounds #4 (161). Nope, nothing else.

And so, at last, we come to Marvel Comics. I refused the Marvel extra this month. It's just another piece of refuse that would get in the way. I can order just fine from the shipping list. With DC, I want to look for appearances of favorite characters in other books. With Marvel, we are buying one title based on the writer and one on the concept. We don't need no steenking preview, and I wish the price of Previews hadn't gone up to pay for it. Anyway, this month we'll be getting Supreme Power #9 and Amazing Spider-Man #507. My friend will be getting Thor #77, so I'll probably read that one, too.

So that's it for this month's "Things in Previews That Look Interesting But I Can't Afford To Get (with a list of things I am getting just for contrast)". Comments? Questions? Use the comments to tell me about a favorite book I didn't mention, or a book you are working on. I always like to hear about other projects. Also, if you know of a website for somebody up there that I don't have a link to, or notice that a link is incorrect, please let me know. It's really quite difficult to find information for some of these folks. But if I mention them, I want them to get as much attention as possible, and a web link will do that. And finally, if you actually read this far, thank you.

by Tegan at 12:31 PM Seattle time

I was paying very little attention to the halftime show, so I missed the most talked about bit, where Justin Timberlake accidently (according to him) exposed Janet to the crowd. I saw just enough of their performance to wonder why it was being shown during the Super Bowl, then I stopped paying attention.

The streaker, however, was not something I missed. Heh. Shows what great security the Super Bowl has.

Update: if you feel like seeing what the fuss is about, vividblurry has pictures of Janet in all her... um... glory, as well as the streaker showing off his assets (protected by a G-string, thankfully). Note: this is not work or kid friendly. I got the link from The Modulator.

by Tegan at 10:31 AM Seattle time

Sunday, February 01, 2004

Here it is, my opinion of the ads during the Super Bowl, the annual event of television. Anyone not interested in my thoughts on Super Ads should skip to my last Random Thoughts post.

I won't be blogging about CBS "in-house" ads, and if something is particularly boring I may not bother listing it. My goal with this blog entry is just to mention the best ads, and give thoughts on them as I watch them.

I turned on the game shortly before the kickoff, in time to catch a couple of good ads, so that's where I'll start.

Pre-Kickoff:

• Tostitos - Coat room. Guys in coat room at weeding, bride comes in and starts to watch the game with them. The groom is told he's a lucky man. Got a giggle from me. C+
• McDonalds - Dryer sheet. Guy distracted by game uses wrapper from burger as dryer sheet instead of fabric softener, then goes after wife because she smells good. First McD's commercial I've liked in ages. B-
• Cialis - What's with the outdoor bathtubs?
• Pizza Hut - Muppets. Nice combo of muppets and product placement. No difficulty in remembering that the product was 4 for all pizza, and loved the muppets. A-

During Game:

First Break (after missed field goal):

• Bud Light - Fetch. Typical beer commercial, with a bit of nastiness. Nice anti-yuppy attitude. C
• FedEx - Alien. "Why don't we use FedEx?" Funny. Heh. B+
• Dodge Magnum - Monkey on back. Guy living life with monkey hanging onto his back. Nice zinger at the end with the shot of the dealership infested with ex-on-back monkeys. B-

Second Break:

• Pepsi - Bears in cabin. They trash the cabin, then go buy Pepsi because the cabin doesn't have any. C+
• Schick Quattro - Boring. F
• AOL top speed - Motorcycle jump. Attached to a motorcycle, which then jumps trucks farther than intended. D

Third Break:

• Van Helsing - Nice trailer. I haven't been paying attention to this movie, but now I may just have to. Looks like a good one to watch late at night with lots of popcorn and somebody to cuddle with. B-
• Bud Light - Bikini wax. Another commercial that indicates that beer makes men stupid. D

Fourth Break:

• Troy - Nice Trailer. I'm interested, but again, it looks like a good late night movie. I wonder if it will inspire more interest in Age of Bronze? B-
• H&R Block - Willie Nelson doll. Heh. Not the kind of tax advice you want. B
• Chevy Aveo - Elephant/Basketball players. I like the ending shot of the players in the car. It makes the point, and was cute. C+

Fifth Break:

• 50 First Dates - Not so nice Trailer. Not interested. At all. D
• Budweiser - Training. That was a fairly insulting ad. Then again, comparing an NFL coach to a nagging wife might be contrued as insulting to the wife. D
• Monster - I Dig You. Cute ad comparing the no-so-completely different lives of an executive and the guy trying to get hired by him. C+

Sixth Break (end of First Quarter):

• Sierra Mist - Where's Wallace. Piper leaves place in parade to stand over an ice blower and enjoy cooling off. B
• Miracle - Trailer. I suppose it's about time that a movie was made about that hockey team. B-
• Levitra - Football versus Baseball. Boring talking commercial about a product whose use they can't explain on TV. D

Seventh Break:

• Budweiser - Donkey. Very cute. The donkey isn't impressive as a Clydesdale, but it's still cute. B-
• The Alamo - Trailer. There's a movie ad just about every break. This is another one I would want to wait and see at home. B-

Eighth Break:

• Pepsi - Free Downloads. That one I liked. A lot. It led up to a very nice conclusion. B+
• Levitra - Free Trial. Please, make these go away. F
• Mitsubishi - seewhathappens.com Ok, I'm intrigued. Two cars avoiding things being thrown out of a truck at them, the last item being cars. B+

Ninth Break:

• Bud Light - Farting Horse. Typical beer commercial. The zinger line at the end was mildly amusing ("Cool, a rocket sled.") B-
• Philip Morris - 1 out of 5. Another "teach your kids not to smoke, so they'll live long enough to give us money" ad from the tobacco company. C+
• Charmin Ultra - Switch. Heh. Funny. Stupid, but funny. I would have liked to see the bear actually go down. C+

Tenth Break:

• Starsky and Hutch - Trailer. Uh, what? I'm going to pretend I didn't see that.
• Pepsi - Break-up. Predictable from the first moment. C+
• LINUX - Shake Up The World. Muhammud Ali and little boy. I had no idea what the commercial was going to be for, but I enjoyed it overall. A-

Eleventh Break (after first touchdown):

• Visa - Beach volleyball in snow. Ouch. That's what I'm thinking. Ouch. B

Twelfth Break:

• Secret Window - Trailer. Somebody stop it with the trailers. C
• Chevy - Soap in Mouth. Not as good a payoff as I was hoping for. The various kids with soap in their mouths was funny, but the ending didn't live up to the build. C+
• Lay's Potato Chips - Old folks fighting. Cute. C+

Thirteenth Break:

• AOL Top Speed - Scooter. I was hoping for something more like a roadrunner cartoon. Oh well. C+

Fourteenth Break:

• NFL - Join the team. Nice little ad of a bunch of football players yelling at me. C

Fifteenth Break (Halftime):

• Not seeing much worth writing about. Lots of CBS ads, which I already decided not to blog. A boring car ad. The best thing before the halftime show started was a motorola ad for a camera phone.
• I like the "Choose to Vote" promo right before the halftime show started.
• NFL - Undefeated Again. Ok, seeing all the football players singing "The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow" was fun.
• An "omen of raw naked football" is seen on the field as the players want to kickoff to start the second half. The close-up on a player's face was all you needed to know that what you thought was happening was, indeed, happening. Has there ever been a Superbowl streaker before?

Sixteenth Break:

• Microsoft - Fiona. Another of their "drawing" commercials, where you see a kid with lots of drawing around them representing their possible future. C
• Sierra Mist - Dive from Balcony. Predictable. C-
• Expedia.Com - Magique. Follows the same pattern of recent Expedia ads. Nice "terror fantasy" this time. C+

Seventeenth Break:

• Bud Light - Talking Monkey. Again, another commercial that says beer makes guys stupid. C+
• Staples - Randy the supplyfather. Heh, cute. B

Eighteenth Break:

• Cialis - Ok, the warnings were priceless. "Erections lasting more than four hours, though rare, require immediate medical attention" Oh-Kay. C
• Monster - Old Donna Summers song, lots of rapid-fire images of happy people. Boring. C-

Nineteenth Break:

• Hidalgo - Trailer. Looks like another good late night movie. C+
• Gillette: Mach Turbo - Best. Black and White images, old and new, with a theme of being "at your best", as if a good shave will put you at your best. C+

Twentieth Break:

• McDonald's - Be On Your Game. Might be a rerun, the other two this break were, but I hadn't seen it. Guy getting to work early so he could use the company computers to play a video game. C+

Twenty-First Break:

• Cadillac - Water. Cool effects. Not much else, but the effects are cool. B-
• Budweiser - Forgot something. Yet another beer commercial that implies that beer makes you stupid. C+

Twenty-Second Break:

• Annheuser-Busch - Must Be Tough. Stars coming up the red carpet, it's the designated driver that has all the girls. C
• Honda Pilot - Raised By Wolves. I think I've seen this one before. Guy raised by wolves, but the SUV makes it easier on his family. D
• MasterCard - Simpson's. "Having more time to spend with your family: Priceless" A-

Twenty-Third Break:

• AOL Top Speed - Added to Car. Back to the Future homage, as car goes so fast it vanishes, then when it returns, the driver says he was in the Renaissance (and is dressed for the part). B+
• Nextel - Walkie-Talkies. Dale Earnhardt enters football game. In his car. C+
• Annheuser-Busch - Check IDs. Girls change from tame clothes to more adult clothing in their car, but decide to not get beer because of sign that says store checks IDs. C

Twenty-Fourth Break:

• Truth - shardsoglass.com. A company sells popcicles with shards of glass in them, and admits that the only way to be safe with their product is to not eat it. What if all companies advertised like tobacco? C+
• 7UP - Slam Dunk contest. Another dumb commercial with the dumb 7UP guy, this time driving a truck and announcing a million dollars to anyone who can dunk off the basket on the back of the truck. Whatever. C

Twenty-Fifth Break:

• Anti-Drug - Life Doesn't Rewind. Typical anti-drug ad. About standard. C
• Cadillac - Soundless. No, you didn't hit mute. The idea is that the sound has to catch up to the car. An effective use of sound. C

Twenty-Sixth Break:

• Cadillac - Soundless... repeat. Sigh.

Twenty-Seventh Break:

• The Ladykillers - Trailer. Tom Hanks? Funny. Might want to see it someday. C+
• AOL top speed - Motorcycle. Repeat.
• Pepsi - Jimmy Hendrix. Pepsi machine was near a guitar shop, the Coke machine near an accordian shop. Young Jimi chooses Pepsi, thus chooses guitar. Cute, even if it didn't look a thing like Seattle. B-

Twenty-Eighth Break:

• AIG - Game Plan. Boring. D

Twenty-Ninth Break (after end of game):

• Subway - Being Bad. I like the Wang Chung bit. C+

No more ads... The game is over. I don't even know which ones technically qualify as being SuperBowl ads.

Other thoughts:

The tribute to the Columbia astronauts made me cry. I had somehow buried the emotions, but the one picture of them on the ship in space brought back the many nights watching them do experiments and ham it up for the cameras. Seeing the new crew for the next shuttle mission also made me want to scream "when!? We can't let the deaths go in vain."

As for the game itself, Carolina definitely made it a game instead of the expected runaway. Tying the game with a minute left was rather unexpected. Too bad they couldn't hold the Patriots back and force OT. It would have been pretty cool.

Ok, best ads: The Muppets Pizza Hut (which was before the game), the Simpsons MasterCard, and the LINUX commercial with Muhammud Ali. Overall, it was a poor showing of ads. Maybe not as bad as last year's but definitely poor. Maybe one of these years we'll get a good showing of ads again.

by Tegan at 7:39 PM Seattle time

I'll be watching the Super Ad Bowl a little later, and I'll post my report of the ads afterwards for those who don't pay attention. I'm glad they put that "football game" thing in between the ads to allow for bathroom breaks and such.

Scott McCloud points us to this ad/coupon based on We Like The Moon! Is it a sellout, or just advertising saavy? You decide.

Johnny B is taking a blogging break. Drop him a kind note if you feel up to it.

If you have a "Yes or No" question that desperately needs an answer, go visit The Mysterious Orb to find the truth. Make sure you have your sound turned up so you can hear the demons shriek. Heh.

Neil Gaiman echoes my disbelief. In less serious news, he links to these animated snakes based on an Escher woodcut. As an Escher fan, I loved it. Wished there was more to it.

Mark Evanier is closing down the Julius Schwartz get well e-mail on Tuesday morning. Get your best wishes in before then.

Cool Pickled Dragon. Probably part of a 19th century hoax.

Tony wants to know if anyone is reading Mah Two Cents. If you've been checking him out, speak up.

Comic Book Resources has a big article on Mike Mignola and Hellboy. My good friend Carol, who just had appendicitis, is a big Hellboy fan. I need to tell her about this one. Heck, I need to get her e-mail addy.

Coming soon: Later today I'll try to cover the Superbowl ads. Tomorrow I intend to post my monthly Flipping Through Previews post. You've been warned.

by Tegan at 1:36 PM Seattle time

Hawkman #24: Another crossover issue in the Black Reign storyline. This is pretty much all one big running fight. I'm not that impressed. Especially since "substitution" seems to be the word of the issue.

Amazing Spider-Man #503 (#62): More cosmic stuff. And no Doctor Strange to be found. I'm not fond of Loki in the Marvel Universe, either. In short, not much story here for me. I'm enjoying the newspaper strip more this month.

WildGuard #5: Hey, it's issue five, and all the action has finally stopped... or has it? No, there's another twist. But is this latest what it appears to be? Again, chock full of action, to the point that you feel like you are getting more than your money's worth.

That's it for this week. Next week (if everything comes): Usagi Yojimbo, Futurama, Birthright, Justice League Adventures, Plastic Man, and Supreme Power.

by Tegan at 10:46 AM Seattle time