Saturday, June 05, 2004

It took all my powers of persuasion to get Clayholio to do an Aquaman sketch at the Emerald City Comicon 2004, but he gave in to my dubious charms, and produced this ever so slightly Elvis-y Aquaman learning the secret fish codes. For more on Clayholio and his rather unique style, check out his website (which even includes a little blog).

AQUAMAN
by Clayton Hollifield
29 Feb 2004
(permission to post given 29 Feb 2004 in person)
www.clayholio.com

by Tegan at 7:29 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Superman: Birthright #11: ARGH. But for the art, I could like this tale. Almost. I still don't buy Lex staging a full-scale invasion like that, even with the help of Kryptonite, but if the art was better I could at least figure out what was going on. No, sorry, Yu's art just isn't for me. Neutral.

Ant #2: A good editor would have made this a lot better. The dialogue doesn't read quite right, so the pacing is thrown off. The premise is strong, the story is moving along at a nice pace, but you can tell this is a small press book. I don't usually notice typos on a first read-through, but I did notice a couple in this book. And the art... well, I said it takes some getting used to. I'm not quite used to it yet. I still want to give it another issue, partly because I'm curious about what happens next, and partly because of the comments from the writer, Mario Gully, on how this story came to be. I can still only give this one a mild recommendation, but it's a very different sort of book in a very familiar sort of way.

Girl Genius #11: This is... um... bigger. It's larger than the rest of my comics. More like a Golden Age sized book than a modern book. I'm not entirely sure why, but it certainly makes it stand out. Anyway... Agatha is off on her own, sort of, and manages to run into a lot of trouble right away. In fact, I'm not sure how she's going to get out of that cliff-hanger, since ... well, you can read it. The puzzle in the back is great, I gotta get me an extra copy of this cover to slice and dice. As usual, this book is recommened.

Coming next week (according to the most up-to-date list I've got): Aquaman, Fallen Angel, Green Arrow, H-E-R-O, Identity Crisis, Phantom, Demo, and the Hedge Knight Trade.

by Tegan at 8:33 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Friday, June 04, 2004

If you want to send stuff to the troops, there's a list of specific requests from soldiers on AnySoldier.us. Via Unqualified Offerings.

Wildguard is back, and it's on-line? Todd Nauck is offering weekly strips in his forum to keep everyone up-to-date on the Wildguard crew while he works on getting a new project to the stores. Thanks, Near Mint Heroes for the heads up!

Kaja Foglio reassures us that there will be an issue #12 of Girl Genius. Everyone who has read issue #11 will know why this might be considered a concern.

Is it ok to review webcomics? 24 Hour Pixel People dissects a note that says people shouldn't review something they get for free. It's pretty clear that this particular debate goes back a ways, and I don't want to get into the middle of a fight like that, but the points that are raised on both sides of the issue are interesting enough that I felt like pointing this one out to my reader. Er, readers.

There's also a bit about the nature of reviews and reviewing. It's not rocket science, people. A review is a look back at something. If you want to be formal about it, a review involves analysis and backing up each point with examples, but an informal review can be as simple as a stated opinion. My "rapid reviews" aren't "real" reviews by the formal meaning of the term, but they are quick looks back at something I've read (usually after the first reading). One of the statements in the webcomics review debate seems to be that a reviewer should not express an opinion (I hope I'm reading that wrong), which seems to be idiotic. A good review will always include opinion. I refer you once again to Mike's Arrogant Guide to Reviewing.

Legomancer is disturbed by the new skin-tone Lego minifigs. I have to agree with him to some degree. On the other hand, there's a lot of possibilities opened up by having skin tones available, including an Aquaman custom minifig that really has properly yellow hair that looks right.

Polite Dissent lets us know that when all else fails, try Star Trek.

Kids like to play on playgrounds, right? And in some parts of the world, playgrounds don't exist. People also like to get clean water, right? And in some parts of the world, getting clean water is too expensive, as you have to run pipes and have energy to power a pump. So, what if someone designed a playground toy that doubles as a pump? Here's what happens. Call it genius, call it exploitation, at least people get clean water and kids get to have some fun on equipment that otherwise wouldn't be available to them. Via Boing Boing.

Cory Doctorow wants people to take pictures of the obnoxious anti-piracy warnings in theaters and post them.

by Tegan at 1:14 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Thor #80: Yes, the last issue just came out last week. This book has a different writer (Oeming) and might as well be a completely different series. I liked the prologue, though I kept saying to myself "that's wrong, that's not part of the Norse mythology, that's wrong" as if it actually matters! This is the Marvel U, after all... if it were striving for accuracy, Thor would be a redhead with a beard. Anyway, the rest of the issue did not read well on the first read, and until I get some time to sit and go through it again, I'm not terribly impressed. I'm neutral on this issue, which is about the only thing it has in common with the last.

Swamp Thing #4: So all the major parties are finally in the same place, but their knowledge isn't. In fact, Tefe has no idea what she's up against, while Abby doesn't realize what's about to happen. And then there's Constantine, who's role is still not clear, but probably has the best idea what's actually going on. We've got two more issues to go, but I can't see how this thing is going to be resolved. Mildly recommended.

Justice League Adventures #32: A fun little tale with The Flash and Martian Manhunter. Giffen does a decent job playing to both characters' strengths (and weaknesses). I like the reference to Chocos, too. Heh. A nice little one-off. Recommended.

Still to review: Superman: Birthright, Ant, and Girl Genius.

by Tegan at 12:16 PM Seattle time - Permalink

• Weight = no reading
  
• Change From Last Week = no reading
  
• Met Exercise Goal? Yes
  Goal was ten minutes a day (walk/bike/swim) at least six days.
  
• Current Exercise Goal = ten minutes a day (walk/bike/swim) at least six days.
  
• Kept food diary? Yes.

by Tegan at 9:37 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Thursday, June 03, 2004

Wow, Demo #6 is getting a lot of discussion in the comic blogosphere. The amazing Dave Fiore has a round-up of posts along with some thoughts of his own. I'm particularly amused by his "post in haste, repent at leisure!" remark. Heh. Don't I know it.

Anyway, my own take on this issue of Demo: the framing sequence was there to show us that the kid could grow up and be "normal". It adds to the utter horror of the whole issue, at least in my opinion. I noted in my rapid review that the real horror of this issue, to me, was how easily the kid and the gardener accepted the display of power. There is some kind of statement there. I'm not going to say it's a "Universal Truth", but there is a commentary in this issue about how we deal with terror.

By my standards, it was an excellent story. If the lack of information about how the boy grew up after he'd essentially committed mass murder bothered me, it was reflected in my giving it four starfish instead of four and a half. Yes, I wouldn't mind knowing the rest of the story, but this tale was only about this incident itself, not about the rest of his life. It didn't bother me nearly as much as it bothered some readers, I guess.

And I've got to completely agree with Dave's comment about the wife... how would she react if she knew what had happened? You would think, all things considered, that this is one aspect of this guy that he really should have told her about before she agreed to marry him. There are two possible scenarios: either he's so insane in that matter-of-fact way that he doesn't think of the event as really important enough to tell her, or he wants to come clean but doesn't think she'd accept him if she knew. I lean towards the latter, since he stops in that neighborhood and even notes that the dog is still with him. The event is still important to him. But if she doesn't know... that's one mighty large secret. And secrets can easily destroy a marriage. So, yeah, I wonder how she would react if she knew.

Er, moving on. I was tempted to send Larry a nice e-mail and try to score a free copy of Demo #7, but I already have it on order at my shop and Larry already sent me an extra copy of Demo #6 which I gave away to another customer (and no, I didn't hear back from him yet). So it seemed like a bit of overkill to me. Still, I like giving stuff away, so:

Although I sort of enjoyed (or at least didn't mind) the issues of AIT/Planet Lar's Scurvy Dogs that Larry Young kindly sent to me for review, I think it would be best for all concerned if I passed my issues on to someone who might appreciate them more than I. The only problem with that is actually finding a person to pass them on to. What I'd like is someone who is willing to comment on them, either on a blog or to send their thoughts to me to publish. I'll send them out free of charge. If you are interested, drop me an e-mail. I've got the first four issues (Larry sent the fourth issue with his happily redundant copy of Demo #6) and I'll send them out to the first person who responds (as long as that person promises to comment on the books publicly (and I'll nag if you don't)). So, anyone up for it?

Update: Someone has accepted the challenge... the books will go out as soon as I can send them.

by Tegan at 5:56 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Angel [1-15]: The Prodigal: Two contrasting stories. One with a wild son who balks against his disapproving father, and one with a father who tries to get the best for his daughter no matter the costs. It was interesting to see Angel become a vampire. I suspected he had some issues with his family, but pretty much all the flashbacks I'd seen up to this point involved Spike or another vampire Angel had turned. I gotta admit, Liam made one sexy vampire, didn't he? As for Kate... I wonder if she's going to stay as a part of the cast. I thought for sure she wouldn't come back after the first episode where she learns what Angel is, but she's shown up a couple times since then. Will she continue to appear? By the way, don't answer that. I intend to find out for myself.

Angel [1-16]: The Ring: So, is it a requirement that every hard-core fantasy show have at least one episode featuring a fighting ring of some kind? Is that in the rulebook? Rule 21: There must be an episode where there's a gladiator fight. Gah! I did like the ending, when the gang realizes that they've just freed a whole bunch of demon thugs... oops.

by Tegan at 3:29 PM Seattle time - Permalink

A UFO (unidentified falling object) lit up the skies over Western Washington this morning at about 2:30. The news stations are searching for good images of the mysterious object, which was described differently depending on where the viewers were. KOMO News has a good image of a surveillance camera which shows that the object made the skies quite bright when it burned up. It was most likely a meteor, news reports keep quoting the Naval Observatory, which thinks it was a bolide. The Seattle Times has some reader reactions. I think it woke me up, also, but I definitely didn't see it. I just assumed another truck had gone by. Awake observers note that it got so bright it made the full moon vanish.

Update: A nice round-up of on-line reaction to the "Washington Flash" can be found at The Irish Trojan's Blog. Thank you Technorati.

I (and probably half the rest of the comic book fans on the net) got a press release from ICAA announcing a giveaway contest of copies of Mortal Coils.

The ten finalists for Comic Book Idol 2 are up and listed.

Another excellent 404 error. This one is via Garrett Fitzgerald.

Say you want to read the Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci. And say you realize that there are 1565 pages, and that's an awful lot to tackle. But you know that Da Vinci generally completed a single idea or concept per page. What do you do? You set up a feed so you can read the whole thing one page per day. If you have an RSS reader, you can follow along. If you don't, the whole thing is nicely formatted for folks to read.

A nasty computer virus is pretending to be a Harry Potter game or video, fooling people into opening it. Remember, don't open it if you didn't know it was coming.

by Tegan at 10:32 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Wednesday, June 02, 2004

Common Grounds #5: Have I mentioned before that this book is really good? This is a must-read, on par with Astro City, for superhero fans. The first story in this issue was just a wonderful tribute to terrible monsters with funny names. And a guy getting love advice from a flaming dude is quite the fun tale, too. Recommended.

Ant #1: I gave in and ordered this on the reoffering. My shop tells me its a bit of a sleeper hit. The artwork is odd and takes a lot of getting used to, but I think it's worth a try. The main character, Hanna, is an imaginative fourth grader who is able to articulate her fantasies well enough to stun her new principal and amaze a classmate. Unfortunately, her dad is in trouble with the police, and she doesn't relate well to her classmates because of her fantasies. It's a strange little book, but until I read the next issue, I'm not sure I can recommend it anymore than mildly.

Firestorm #1: I read this at the house of a friend (Hi Carol) and although I enjoyed it, I didn't enjoy it enough to go out and get my own copy or to plan on buying any future issues. The issue was all set-up, and the situation was interesting, just not super-compelling. I'm sure a lot of folks are going to find it much more exciting than I did, but from me it's just mildly recommended.

Comics due out tomorrow, Thursday June 3rd: Justice League Adventures, Girl Genius, Swamp Thing, Thor, and Superman: Birthright.

by Tegan at 6:35 PM Seattle time - Permalink

In case you haven't noticed, the comic strip Betty is about comic books this week. Monday's strip was about comic book movies and the current price of comics. Tuesday's strip was about the selection. Wednesday's strip continues the myth that comics are for guys. Let's see if the rest of the week is any better.

Newsarama reports that comic book artist Bryan Hitch will be working on designs for the new Doctor Who TV series. Via Fanboy Rampage.

Comic book writers, and those interested in the process of writing comics, should visit Scryptic Studios, a new site launched by various folks including the Blogosphere's own Kevin Melrose.

An Alaskan earthquake affected Yellowstone geysers. Pretty cool cause and effect. I love geology.

A woman on the monorail describes the explosion and rescue to the Seattle Times. I'm particularly amazed by how calm everyone remained. A quote from the story: My daughter looked up at me from the two hospital beds that they had pushed together so that I would lay between the kids, and told me, "Mommy, there was a witch on the train." She remembered the black smoke she saw when the Wicked Witch of the West melted on "The Wizard of Oz."

Amy Langfield points out that George Washington wasn't the first President, just the first one under our current Constitution. Follow her links, there's some interesting history there.

Kevin Drum attempts to quell panic about the draft by pointing out the obvious. If you read the comments to the notes, some folks seem to disagree with him.

I got hubby-Eric a Politics Free Zone T-Shirt. It turned out quite nice, and hopefully will help him avoid political discussions he hates during this nasty election year.

It's reported that The Memory Hole is being banned by the military. From the message soldiers get, raw documents created by the government, military, and corporations... apparently amount to "political extremism." Nice. People have already come up with ways around the censorship.

by Tegan at 11:14 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Justice League: Starcrossed: Finally, we get to see it. And it's not at all what I was expecting. Ok, well, maybe just a little like I was expecting. It was a solid story. If there was any problem, it was the lack of other supers besides the Justice League being mentioned as opposing the invasion. The revelations about Hawkgirl were appropriately surprising, though her final fate wasn't. A solid story.

Shrek 2: I haven't seen a movie in a theater in a long time. I think it's been over a year. I still don't like theaters, but this was a fun one to see with other folks around to giggle with. Like the first movie, it's a light-hearted romp that deals with true love. The new characters worked well together, and the result was something that was both completely familiar and completely new. This isn't a movie to go into with critical blinders on, this is a movie to grab a bag of popcorn, sit back, and just enjoy. As that type of a movie, it succeeds very well. If you didn't like the first one, don't bother with this. But if you did enjoy the first, this one is highly recommended.

Still to review from the May 26th comics: Ant and Common Grounds. Comics due out Thursday June 3rd: Justice League Adventures, Girl Genius, Swamp Thing, Thor, and Superman: Birthright.

by Tegan at 1:21 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Tuesday, June 01, 2004

Batman: Harley & Ivy #2: ah, more super-villian fun. Harley & Ivy are fun to watch in action, and running around a rainforest making friends and influencing people is just the sort of thing they are great at. Lots of fun. Recommended.

DC: The New Frontier #4: I wonder where the Elseworlds logo is, because this is definitely not the regular DCU. This one is moving to the Silver Age, and the bit with Flash was probably the part that hit me hardest, although there were a number of really cool bits to this one. I'm looking forward to seeing this whole thing and reading it all in one sitting. There are still references I'm missing, but overall this one ties in very well. Recommended.

Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol 1: I'd never read all these stories before. Bits and pieces, yes, but never the entire thing. I like it... good artwork, strongly constructed stories. I can't imagine the impact these stories had when they were first published. I do know that the depiction of Northwestern Native Americans is ... well, flat-out wrong. Because of the era in which it was done, I can almost forgive the mistakes. But for a book that was trying to expose racial inequalities, the research could have been a little better. There's also a tendency to shove the moral down the readers' throats, which is the point. But it gets old the third or fourth time Hal recites his oath with the narration that he's now questioning it because he doesn't see the world in black and white anymore. Yeah, we got it already (this is a case in which the collection doesn't improve the material). Mildly recommended.

Still to review: Ant and Common Grounds

by Tegan at 7:30 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Leonardo Da Vinci invented plastic. Via the Girl Genius mailing list.

Over at Ninth Art, Greg McElhatton combs through Previews. Go, look. Good stuff mentioned there. Via Thought Balloons.

A new Smithsonian Comic Book book is coming out. Must... get... Many thanks to Flat Earth for pointing this out.

Comics writer has a close encounter with a small tornado. Ouch.

Everyone else is linking to it, so I'll give it a mention also. Comic Book Idol 2 is on at Comic Book Resources. They've narrowed it down to the top ten contestants from the open call that over 200 artists answered. It ought to start getting interesting now.

For an amazing look at modern reporting, read this article by Alexandra Polier, the woman who was falsely accused of having an affair with John Kerry. It's an amazing look at Alexandra's search for the source of the lie as well as her discovery of how such stories get started and spread. Very, very worth reading. Via Mark Evanier.

A pharmacist refused to fill a prescription for a birth control pill because of his religious beliefs. He then refused to transfer the prescription to another pharmacy, and refused again to fill the prescription when the woman returned with the police. In my opinion, the fellow should be fired. If you want to be a pharmacist, you accept the whole job. Firemen can't say, "I don't want to put out a fire at this place because it's a church I don't believe in." This woman was given no choice to go to another pharmacy. The guy should be fired and never allowed to work as a pharmacist again. What really burns me up about it, as if the sheer gall of refusing to do his job isn't enough, is that birth control pills are used for other conditions besides just birth control. How did the pharmacist know that it was only for birth control? Did he have her medical records there so he knew what was best for her? The self-important insistence that your beliefs override another person's health is morally wrong. This rant subject courtesy of Metafilter.

by Tegan at 5:23 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Way of the Rat #24: That was one long wish. But at least it seemed to have worked. It's a shame this ended on what is essentially a cliff-hanger, though. While the book doesn't say that it's the end, the chances of this series coming back seem pretty slim. If it does come back, I hope Jeff Johnson is the artist again. Mildly recommended.

Supreme Power #10: After Hyperion ended up at ground zero in the last issue, we find out in the first couple of pages whether or not he survived it. Then we get the full introduction to another character... Power Princess, I presume. Quite a bit different in this incarnation. We also learn a bit more about, um, Amphibian. Mildly recommended

Demo #6: This one is a bit more into the horror genre than the others so far. The main character is a misfit during a time when not fitting in was very important. The break-out of his power is frightening. I think more horrifying is the matter-of-fact way it's portrayed... both the gardener and the kid accept it, even if no one else can. A very powerful little story. I liked this one quite a bit. Recommended.

Still to review: New Frontier, Ant, Common Grounds, Harley & Ivy, and Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol 1.

by Tegan at 9:57 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Monday, May 31, 2004

Is it such a surprise that my first reaction upon hearing that news was "Oh crap, terrorists!" That was, until I learned it was a small explosion that started a fire and that no one was seriously injured (although it could have been very bad if the passengers hadn't managed to open the doors and vent the smoke). I'm sure we'll know the cause of the fire in a week or two. In the meantime, I'm just happy to hear that nobody died.

by Tegan at 6:42 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Today, spend time with your family. Remember that you are free to be with your family because of those who have laid down their lives for you. Let us not forget the sacrifice soldiers have paid over the years to keep America free, and let us never give up that freedom for temporary security.

Remember.

by Tegan at 8:23 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Sunday, May 30, 2004

Angel [1-13]: She: Fascinating. An episode that explores a current social issue in an almost too obvious way. Besides the reference to a barbaric practice, this was a decent little story. There was a nice bit of misdirection starting out, as the viewer was led to believe that the female demon was the bad guy, when... in fact, she was a bad guy. I think they mostly dealt ok with the whole "shades of grey" problem. It wasn't a great episode, but I find I enjoy even the mediocre episodes. Man, I really need to get my hands on Buffy DVDs so I can see this epic from the start.

Angel [1-14]: I've Got You Under My Skin: The title made lots of sense once it was revealed that Angel and crew were dealing with a demonic possession. But, once again, they twisted it. I find the twists in this show to be the best thing about it. First they keep you guessing about the person who is possessed, then they throw in another twist just to make it more interesting. I was a little surprised at the end. I would have expected the family to be a little more curious about why, and I would have expected them to ask Angel. Ah well, small problems.

by Tegan at 3:55 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Angel: The Hollower: Well, since I'm addicted to Angel, the TV show, and I'm watching it from the beginning on DVD, I figured that I ought to try the comic, too. After all, I'm a comic book fan, right? So sorting through the collections at the local shop, I figured out that the earliest one appeared to be this one. This story is set before Angel moves to LA, and it's got some of his personal history... well, maybe not wrong, but definitely odd. Except for that, it's a fun little romp. As often happens with TV tie-ins, the artwork doesn't bear much of a resemblance to the characters on the TV screen, and that detracts. But the story is ok, with a different sort of twist. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't a fan of Buffy/Angel, but to those who are, this is mildly recommended.

Futurama #17: This claims to be the first part of a multi-part arc. It's actually a decent set-up, and readable even if you aren't very familiar with Futurama. Lots of silliness (I particularly like the aliens). This isn't bad. Mildly recommended.

Conan #4: Be careful what you wish for, eh? Conan has always wanted to visit Hyperborea, but now that he's there, it's not exactly as he envisioned it, is it? This is a strong series. The art certainly takes quite a bit of getting used to, but it really is quite beautiful, despite the ugly things it's portraying. This issue seems to pick up the action, or at least the interest level, for me. Recommended.

Still to review: Demo, New Frontier, Ant, Supreme Power, Common Grounds, Harley & Ivy, Way of the Rat, and Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol 1.

by Tegan at 10:18 AM Seattle time - Permalink