Saturday, June 12, 2004

I couldn't find a website for Bill Morse, who I met at the 2nd Annual Emerald City Comicon, so I can't show you other examples of his work. I wish I could, because I suspect that the reaction to this piece will be a little mixed. I know I wasn't sure what to make of it when I first saw it. I do know that the more I look at the original, the more I like it, while the scan does absolutely nothing for me. I'll let you decide for yourself, but if you run into me at a con be sure to ask to see the original.

AQUAMAN
by Bill Morse
29 Feb 2004
(permission to post given 29 Feb 2004 in person)

by Tegan at 11:16 PM Seattle time - Permalink

You may note that all the images on my website aren't coming up. Same deal with the archives, and with my Aquaman page and my sketchbook. I suspect that this has something to do with a server upgrade I got an e-mail about a few days ago but deleted without paying too much attention. Ninety percent of my on-line stuff is at Eskimo.com, so when they are down, I'm mostly down. Be patient, they'll be back soon.

by Tegan at 12:57 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Angel [2-01]: Judgment: The opening shot, of Lorne singing, strikes a *ahem* chord in me since I know what Lorne eventually becomes. Gunn is now in the opening credits, after showing up in the last three episodes of the first season. And it's nice that their office didn't magically get better... the crew is working out of Cordelia's haunted apartment. This was a really basic plot, but I think that was intentional to allow for all the elements of the show to be pulled together. And there were a LOT of elementals that showed in this one. We've got the introduction of Gunn to the crew, the introduction of Lorne to the show, the nastiness of Wolfram & Hart's current plan (including an answer to my question about Darla), reintroduction of Cordelia's visions, more angst for Angel, and the ongoing efforts to save one soul. If it weren't so crowded, it might have been stronger, but it wouldn't have told everything that needed to be told. Oh yeah, and I really wish I hadn't seen Angel trying to sing "Mandy" *shudder*.

Angel [2-02]: Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been: In the last episode, Angel walked through the lobby of the hotel that is investigated in this episode. In this episode we learn the history of the hotel, including Angel's stay at the place in 1952. This episode built up nicely, creating a terrifying mystery. The flashbacks to an Angel unconnected to humanity are great... the whole construction of the episode is excellent. Like many episodes of Angel, the end of the story is a bit of a let-down. I think the tendency of this show to end on Angel beating up on a goofy looking demon is one of its greatest weaknesses as well as one of its greatest strengths. The horrors in this show are so often reduced... which makes them easier to deal with. A prevailing theme of this show is that horrors are much more scary when they aren't visible. Overall, I like that, but sometimes it seems like a failure in the story when the end is just the act of taking out a guy in a monster suit. Coming back to this episode, it all fits together nicely... the bits with Wesley and Cordelia learning the history of the hotel are great. The ending of the story, the final fight between Angel and demon - is foreshadowed nicely. It's a terribly creepy story, with a very sad ending. This episode also has writer commentary, which is fun to listen to. His comments on censors were choice, too.

by Tegan at 9:42 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Friday, June 11, 2004

World's Best Comics: The Silver Age DC Archives Sampler: I love the samplers. Ok, so two of the three stories I'd already read, but the Sgt Rock story was good (for a war tale) and the book was only 99 cents. Not bad, all told. I wish DC would do more reprints from the Golden and Silver Ages, particularly stuff that hasn't seen print before, but I'll support samplers like this.

H-E-R-O #17: Ok. I think I liked this series a lot better when it focused on the reactions of ordinary people to getting powers. I'm liking this arc, quite a bit, but it feels like it's gone on one issue too long or something. The cliffhangers aren't cliffy enough. And I'd much rather see the bad guy being fought than just about everyone else. I hope this arc ends in the next issue.

Demo #7: The iconic art on this one bothered me on the first read-through. Normally I try not to read the book a second time before I review it, but this time I couldn't avoid it. I just started to read, and suddenly had finished the book again, and on the second read I was able to tell the main character from the others easily. I don't know for sure what changed between readings, but there it was. The art is a big part of this one, making everyone look the same. There is also a dirty edge to it, including fingerprints and scuffs on the art itself.

As for the story itself... Let me digress for a moment, back to my college days. I was worried about money, and didn't want my parents to have to pay for my education. It was the Fall of 1990, and I actually went and talked with a recruiter about what was likely to happen if I joined the National Guard. It all seemed so remote. The coming war, the problems. The recruiter didn't help at all. What helped was later, when I chatted with a friend who looked me in the eye and said, "War is about killing. Are you willing to take that risk, to go out and kill if you are told to?" Even though I firmly believed that the US was in the right at that point, I realized I couldn't do it. I might be able to kill in self-defense, but I couldn't willingly put myself into that situation.

For me, the possibility that I might end up in a combat zone was so remote as to be nonexistant, but I didn't go. Compare that with the guy in the story. John never misses. If he's got a power, that's it. Someone with that ability is going to be sent to where the action is hottest, whether he likes it or not. And he apparently doesn't like it from the start. And yet, he still joins up, thinking he has no choice. I admit, I don't understand him. There are always choices. And yet the world is so young to you at that point, things that seem obvious aren't really. And there's a seductive allure to military service, especially with guys. So he has no choice, he says, and he goes.

Once he's in, he never thinks to aim off-target to hide his ability. He gets a reputation. He uses that rep, both ways, and it helps as well as hinders him. But there's always another way. He just doesn't see that until he faces killing someone. It's a story of failures. A failure to see the future that is facing you, a failure to understand what the military really is, a failure to treat soldiers as human beings, a failure of society itself in that those who are most desperate get recruited no matter the moral cost to them.

Well, I've written a lot of nothing on this one... but it doesn't change my initial impression, I guess. I can only mildly recommend it. There is too much in this issue that I can't connect with on a fundamental level. I don't disagree with it, there's just a disconnect there.

Still to review: Amazing Adventures From Zoom's Academy. I also just finished Green Mars. Next week's listed books: Amazing Spider-Man, Another Nail, JSA, Plastic Man, and Thor. As usual, it all depends on what actually arrives.

by Tegan at 8:15 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 6:29 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Make an Icon of Yourself. This is naturally a little odd, since you have to come up with something you think looks like you, but I had fun. And, no, it doesn't really look that much like me (those who have met me can agree or disagree as desired).

A solid and heartfelt "HEAR, HEAR!" to Steven's cry for page numbers in comic books. It's so much easier to say you liked the art on page seven if the pages are numbered so your readers can easily find what you are talking about. DC has recently stopped numbering pages, and that's really annoying. Give us page numbers!

A King County Superior Court judge has backed Tent City 4 against the City of Bothell lawsuit, which means it will stay in my neighborhood as long as planned. The city was arguing that the camp violates a provision of the municipal code, but Saint Brendan Church argued that they don't need a permit because of religious freedom. The city also claims that there have been five arrests and they've had to pay more than $21,000 in overtime because of the extra patrols. Seattle Time Article.

Farewell, Ray Charles.

by Tegan at 12:38 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Thursday, June 10, 2004

Lisa had to take one more trip up to Bellingham to visit Western and sort out some final bits of info for graduation. She invited me along so she'd have company for the drive. So after a night of watching Angel, we set out Monday morning.

When we got up there, it was literally a matter of five minutes for her to take care of all her required business at Fairhaven college. After that, we had only to wander around campus and enjoy it a bit before heading home. We started at the university bookstore, which had changed some since I was there. There was a sale on Beanie Babies, which normally wouldn't interest me at all, except there were a couple of penguins. For a buck a piece I couldn't quite resist. I also snagged a small notebook of the type I enjoy writing in.

After the bookstore, we checked out the student union which had changed dramatically. I mean it really had changed. I didn't recognize it at all. Since I used to spend quite a lot of time there, it was a bit of a shock.

Our next stop was the registrar's office. I've had a recurring nightmare for a couple of years now. It got so bad that it snuck into my waking thoughts. For a time in my worst depression, I managed to convince myself that I had never actually finished school and that I hadn't graduated. Because I never went in for the formal graduation, never did the whole cap and gown thing, this thought was more pervasive than it should have been. I couldn't find my diploma and the Alumni Association has never harrassed me, so there were moments that I managed to believe I never got my degree. So I told Lisa that I was going to settle it for once and for all, and we went to the registrar's office and I very embarrassingly asked if I ever graduated. To my immense surprise, I even remembered my student number correctly. The lady who helped us pulled up my record and turned the screen to me: I graduated June 10th 1994, ten years ago today. There's no doubt about it, I got a Bachelor of Arts in English.

With that very heavy load off my mind, Lisa and I wandered to the Humanities Building next door and walked up to the third floor to visit the English office. As I walked down the very narrow hallways, I looked at the Prof names on the doors and pointed out the ones I recognized. We popped into the English office, and said hi. They were amused when I said I used to work there. Then we wandered out again, not meeting any of my ex-profs on the way.

I enjoyed looking at the outdoor sculpture collection while we were there. I think Lisa was surprised at how many of them I could name by their correct titles. My favorite has always been the Skyviewing Sculpture, but I also remembered the names of India, which lies between Old Main and the Humanities building, and The Man Who Used To Hunt Cougars For Bounty, which has a different name to most students. Unfortunately, I misidentified For Handel as "The Giant Mosquito That Is Sucking The Life Out Of The Performing Arts Center" and thus lost all credibility.

We visited the library last. There was a major remodel done a few years back, and Haggard Hall was turned from a concrete monstrosity into a more normal brick-facaded building that matches the rest on that part of campus. It was also added to the library with a skybridge connecting them. So the old entrance to the library is completely gone. Lisa and I went into the library through Haggard, and left through a door that was never once opened the entire time I went to school at Western.

We walked up past Old Main so I could step on my graduation year on the memory walk, then we headed back for the car and for lunch at Boomer's drive-in. After a yummy but messy lunch (yum, butterscotch shakes), we stopped at the grocery store to get stuff to take to Tent City, including the disposable camera. The results of that trip can be read about and seen here.

Once we got home, I had a couple of important errands to run. The most important was to get those issues of Scurvy Dogs in the mail. The next one was to get the film developed from the disposable camera. I took the camera in first, was told to come back in two hours for my one-hour photos (the machine was being repaired when I dropped mine off) and then visited the post office. Two hours later I was back at the drugstore to pick up my pictures.

I gave my name to the slightly-hard-of-hearing teller at the photo section, and he looked and looked and looked... but couldn't find them. Eventually another teller came over and discovered my photos in the not-yet-developed section under GYOVAAG. Sometimes having a weird name is a little annoying. I must have said "Gee Jay" a dozen times, but the teller earlier still wrote it "GY". *sigh*

Since they weren't developed, I had the option of either waiting or coming back in an hour or so. I chose to wait, since the teller figured it would only take about 20 minutes, tops. However, she was sadly mistaken.

While I waited, a man came up and started to use the digital printer. But his prints were coming out really odd, with red lines down the center. The teller, a nice woman trying her best, did some magic with the machine and the guy started over again.

Then another guy came up. He was angry, and you could feel it coming off of him in waves. He pulled out his pictures and loudly proclaimed that half of his pictures were from somebody else's roll, and couldn't possibly be his pictures! Just look at them, he snarled, they aren't from the same roll at all. The teller looked at the pictures carefully, then pulled out the negatives to examine them, and told the man that they were definitely from the same roll. The man could barely control his anger as he defiantly told her that she'd somehow messed it up, and that he wasn't leaving until he got his pictures.

About this time a young woman came up to use the digital printer, and she listened with me to the man's rants as she waited for her turn. The angry man insisted that the teller look through every single set of pictures she had to find his missing half-roll. She patiently did it, because there was absolutely no chance of reasoning with the guy. She tried to point out the roll identification numbers on the negatives and the pictures, tried to even show him the process, but he was absolutely sure she'd lost half his roll and was really steamed about it.

In the meantime, the man printing out his digital prints finished, and the second try looked much much better. He got his prints and left and the woman started to work on her prints.

The hostility pouring off the angry man suddenly stopped, and his shoulders hunched over oddly. He muttered something, packed up his pictures, and left. The young woman and I looked at each other, then looked at the teller who was somewhere between completely exasperated and totally bemused. The young woman said, "He recognized the people in the half of the roll he claimed wasn't his. He was wrong all along." The teller said, "A half an hour. I just spent a half hour going through every single picture we have printed because of that guy." I said, "He looked really embarrassed." We all shook our heads, and the teller got my pictures printing.

The teller kept apologizing to me for taking so long, and I kept telling her not to worry, it wasn't her fault, and I wasn't in a hurry anyway. She insisted on giving me 10% off. I told her I didn't care about how long it took, just as long as I got a couple of good shots. The young woman, apologizing for prying, asked what I had taken pictures of. I explained that I'd been up visiting Tent City, and she was impressed. I showed her the camping lanterns I'd found and she asked what kind of things they needed. I repeated the water request, then got my pictures and left. I spent a little bit over an hour waiting, thanks to mister These's-aren't-my-pictures-oh-wait-yes-they-are.

Ah well. I got more than a couple of good shots, and got a story to tell out of it, too. So I guess in the end I came out ahead. And, hey, I know for sure that I graduated now. Heh.

by Tegan at 12:11 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Phantom #3: Surprisingly compelling story. It drew me in and made me actually care. I'm not a big fan of the Phantom, but this book could make me one. Definitely worth a look. Recommended.

Mark Crilley's The Beast That Ate Morioka #1: This is a cute little tale set in Japan and featuring a lovable little monster, a couple of kids, and a bad guy out for cash. The story is about what you'd expect from Crilley. And there's some nice material in the back, including a cool little travelogue. Nothing special, but fun.

The Originals Special Ashcan Edition: Yeah, I've heard of Dave Gibbons. The "Co-Creator of WATCHMEN" bit would've reminded me if I hadn't remembered. This is a thirteen page intro to a hardcover graphic novel coming out in October. I might be interested in getting this in softcover, but it didn't grab me enough to buy a hardcover. Nice and moody.

Still to review: Silver Age DC Sampler, H-E-R-O, Demo, and Amazing Adventures From Zoom's Academy.

by Tegan at 10:17 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Wednesday, June 09, 2004

Identity Crisis #1: If this is "the comics event of the year", as the cover proclaims, then this is a pathetic year for comics. Oh, it's not horrible, but it's hardly a super-duper amazing event like it's been hyped up to be. The art isn't bad, the story is so-so. Nice set-up, but the follow-through is mildly ... I don't know, anti-climatic. We were led to expect earth-shattering, this is just standard fare for modern comics. Unless the remainder of the series is much better, this is just going to be another average DC event.

Fallen Angel #12: The whole issue is a flashback. It's not bad, just typical for this book. Which is to say, I'm not sure why I like it, but I'm too curious to drop it. This one delves a little more into the mystery of Juris... but not much. This book is pure ambiguity.

Green Arrow #39: The final issue of the arc, and it's got an ending that I was really expecting, but was sure wouldn't happen. But it's been telegraphed for awhile, so I wasn't really all that surprised to see it. All-in-all a decent conclusion to a decent little story.

Still to review: Beast That Ate Morioka, Phantom, Silver Age DC Sampler, H-E-R-O, Demo, and Amazing Adventures From Zoom's Academy.

by Tegan at 6:31 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Another trip to visit Tent City. Yeah, I got my comics, too. But the visit to Tent City was fun.

As I mentioned, I got a couple of battery-powered lanterns to donate, and I had grandma's money to buy some more supplies. Since they'd mentioned on Monday that they needed water, I stopped at the grocery store on the way and got three big flats of 24 bottles and 2 one gallon jugs of drinking water. I also bought a couple of packages of Oreos (they were on sale) and some donuts.

I was able to carry everything but the flats up to the camp on my first trip. They were delighted to see the water, and one woman loudly announced "We have drinking water again!" to a few scattered cheers. They said that they had been going down to the local McDonalds and getting ice, which McD's gives for free, and drinking the melted ice.

The donuts and Oreos vanished quickly, and the lanterns were put aside for "tonight's drawing". Any camper who wanted them would get a chance to have them in their tents. One of the campers, Jim, came down to help me with the remaining water, and asked where I'd gotten the lanterns. He said he would get some more himself, and tell the church so they could get some. He was on security detail, and he pointed at his chair by the camp's entrance... he was in the middle of a novel, and it is really hard to read at night by flashlight.

Jim also mentioned how dark it got on the lot at night. The church on one side has lights in its parking lot, but they don't reach under the trees. With the ground as bumpy as it is, they had a few accidents when people tripped. Especially recently with the rains which turned everything slick. He said that people with glasses were afraid to walk around at night for any reason. That made the lanterns I got, which had both wide and narrow beam settings, that much more appealing.

I said farewell and promised to visit some more. I'll be going home from my stint house-sitting very soon, probably this weekend. It'll be easier to take things over there then.

For my previous posts on the subject: first reaction, letter to the Seattle Times (they did not publish it), attack of the killer newsvans (ok, just a mention that hubby-Eric was nearly run down by some), my first visit to the tent city, another Bothell resident responds, tent city in the news, my second visit to the tent city, more tent city in the news, and my third visit to tent city (with pictures!).

by Tegan at 3:17 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Aquaman #19: Um. That wasn't what I was expecting. In fact, generally speaking, I don't think I've ever seen this* in a comic book before. Talk about your decompression blues. I'm a bit let down, to be honest. After the last issue, I thought this book had been turned up a notch, but it seems to have gone back down again. Oh, it's not bad... I still love the book, but I was hoping for a bit more action, I guess. Still, it's Aquaman, and it's good Aquaman, and the final issue of the arc is the next one, so this gets a Recommended rating from me.

by Tegan at 9:42 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Tuesday, June 08, 2004

Digging into the AIT/Planet Lar box, since it's been awhile, I pulled out a couple of books to review. Here's my thoughts on Abel and Electric Girl Vol 2.

Abel by William Harms and Mark Bloodworth.

Have I mentioned before that I really prefer coming into reading a book, any book, without knowing anything about it ahead of time? I hate spoilers, and I prefer reading something "cold". So if you hand me a stack of books and say, "These are good." I'm likely to enjoy the experience of reading them far more than if I have to pick out the books from Previews. The only saving grace of Previews is that it takes two months for the books to arrive, so I've generally forgotten what the books are about before they get to me. Anyway, with that in mind, I picked up abel.

The cover doesn't tell me anything... except that it's maybe set in the midwest. I don't read back cover blurbs before reading the book, so the first impression I got of this one is the sepia tones and the opening panel of a boy looking horrified down at a dead dog. The story doesn't really rise much from there, although it gives the reader hope. The thing about comic books, something that noticed before but didn't appreciate until reading this, is that because a fantasy genre like superheroes dominates the market there is an expectation when reading a comic book that good will always win. When it doesn't, like in this book, you get a shock. I'm not sure whether it's a let-down, or something more profound. A smashing of my preconceived notions, perhaps. Whatever it is, I thought I saw where the book was going, and was both surprised and satisfied when it turned out I was wrong. This is not a pleasant book. It doesn't make me happy. But it is a good book, and it's worth reading.

And I'm just going to note now that I don't intend to go into the significance of the title. That's for better reviewers than me to explain and discuss. I will say that I think I "get" it, but I'm not confident enough in my reading of it to share. Go read it for yourself.

Electric Girl Vol 2, and issue 10 by Mike Brennan. As you may have been able to tell from my review of the first volume, I already like the character and especially Blammo (who sits on my printer and stares happily at me while I work, now). I loved the first story of a cousin's harmless prank gone wrong. It sure seems that anything Virginia gets involved in is bound to go wrong at some point. There was a great bit with a comic convention, and another great "silent" story with Blammo the wonder pup. This is a generally fun book, so go out and get yourself a copy or two. I know I'll be loaning mine out to folks.

I also read the single issue of Electric Girl that managed to get into the box:

Electric Girl #10: This one was entirely a flashback, and set at Halloween. We've already seen Virginia's cousin, who likes picking on the Electric Girl, but the fight that Virginia walks in on was a little beyond the pale. It's a good thing Heather made it up to her. The costume was great, and the explanation of the magic being cast was also quite enjoyable. In short, this was a fun book. Now, I need to get any that I've missed...

I'll also note that I loaned the first volume of Electric Girl to my sister Lisa, who also enjoyed it. Now that I've reviewed the second volume, I need to loan it to her. Lisa also has done something that I haven't... she's loaned my comic books to various people who happened to be around. When I went up to Western with her a week or so ago, she introduced me as "the owner of the comic books" to a number of people. I've been thanked by a complete stranger (to me) for letting him read my comics. That's pretty cool, all things considered.

Wow... I think I'm nearly through the box...

I've also sent out my four issues of Scurvy Dogs to their new owner, who has promised some words about them once he's had time to sit and read them. Again, thank you Larry, for sending me these books. I've had fun reading and reviewing them, and the way the comics blogosphere has been pumped up by reading the books and sharing opinions on them has also been great fun to see. More publishers ought to follow your lead. And I'm not just saying that to get free comics, though that would certainly be a nice side effect.

by Tegan at 8:47 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Sidekicks: Attack of the Mole Master (hardcover) by Dan Danko and Tom Mason: Another fun little book. While this is recommended for young readers, I think fans of superheroes ought to enjoy it quite a bit for its ability to point out the silliness inherent in being a super-hero. I particularly enjoy the rants about Spandex. In this one, our hero goes to a superpowered picnic with his family, who have to remain anonymous as to keep his secret identity secret... which leads to some fun. He also has to rescue people, including the girl of his dreams, from the not-so-evil Mole Master who wants to conquer the neighborhood. And there is some more foreshadowing on two different fronts. Again, this is a fun series. Worth a read. If you feel like a light and easy book after reading all your comics and blogs, check out this series.

by Tegan at 4:04 PM Seattle time - Permalink

D.C.Dill displays a collection of his favorite character. Aquaman.

I'll just note that CrossGen still seems to be around. Remember that rumors are just rumors. I'll still be ordering a bunch of copies of Abadazad on my next order form.

The first art assignment for Comic Book Idol is in, and the judges have been called in. Follow the action at Comic Book Resources.

Jim Henley asks why not many women have reviewed "Filth". I don't recall ever hearing about it. I don't generally pay much attention to Vertigo books unless I get one suggested to me. So it slipped beneath my radar. My library claims to have the trade on order, I've put in a hold for it and I'll review it when it arrives. (By the way, if anyone wants me to review a particular comic, and you can find it in the King County Library System catalog, feel free to let me know about it so I can check it out)

ICv2 reports that the Fantagraphics Peanuts collection has gone to a second printing. Thanks for the heads up, Shane.

24 Hour Pixel People Needs a New Blogger. Won't be me.

Have I mentioned that Polite Dissent is one of my favorite new blogs? Not only does he like comics, not only does he have great stories of medical school, not only does he critique medicine as portrayed in comics, but he also likes Starblazers. If I weren't happily married, I'd be all over this guy. And I haven't even mentioned his hilarious Society for the Preservation of Large Aquatic Super-Heroes.

Journalista says Goodbye. The comics blogosphere mourns collectively. Dirk declares Kevin Melrose to be a worthy successor.

Yet another claim that Atlantis has been found. This one seems more plausible to me than most, but that's not saying much, really.

RetroCRUSH tells us what the 50 Greatest Song Parts are. I like number one, also, but I don't think I'd put it that high...

One of the Iraqi bloggers had a close call when he was mistaken for a terrorist.

The latest photoshop contest is animals in classic art. I think my favorite might be "Gnu Descending a Staircase." Via Boing Boing.

The Venus Transit is finished, and there are various websites you can hit to see images of a dark dot on a light dot.

Grandma handed me some money this morning and asked that I get something for Tent City when I go out there tomorrow. She was the first person to see the pictures when I brought them back. If anyone wants to contribute to Tent City through me, I'll take any donations I get from Amazon.com honor (ignore what it says, I'll apply it to tent city only) or through Paypal up to August 10th and buy supplies for Tent City. The city is supposed to move mid-August, so I'll use the 10th as a cut-off date. If you have something specific in mind that you want me to get for them, please e-mail me and let me know. However, I strongly recommend going through the church instead of me, since I can't give you any tax info. All I can do is make sure the stuff gets to the folks there.

Update (3:10pm): Because of the wonder that is the internet, you can see the winners of the Seattle Times third annual Three-Minute Masterpiece digital movie contest.

by Tegan at 12:41 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Monday, June 07, 2004

Well, today turned out to be far more interesting than I had originally planned. My sister Lisa and I went up to Western to run some final errands for her graduation (CONGRATS LISA!) and we wandered around campus a bit. Then, on the way back to Seattle we stopped at my home in Bothell and visited Tent City 4. We weren't sure what to get, so we picked up some fruit roll-ups and granola bars for a small donation. Lisa also bought me a disposable camera so I could take those pictures I've been promising. I got them developed (after another adventure entirely, more later) and so here's a very short walk-through of the camp-ground.

I took a picture from close to my driveway, but the blue of the tents didn't really show up well through the trees. This picture is from about halfway to the tent city from our house. You can see the police car sitting in front, and the blue tents showing through the foliage.

by Tegan at 8:42 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Angel [1-21]: Blind Date: A little bit of the drama of this episode was lost on me, as I knew a bit of Lindsey's future, and so I know he wouldn't die. I also wasn't too thrilled by the blind assassin. We got pretty much nothing on her since she didn't speak more than a couple of lines. There was the whole prophecy thing, but that wasn't really enough to pull this one out. It was only slightly good.

Angel [1-22]: To Shanshu In L.A.: Building go "boom!" Even though I think it was mentioned in the commentary on the first episode, I really didn't see that coming. The set up on this episode was extremely good. Cordelia psychotic, Wesley injured... even the Oracles... but the remainder of the episode didn't live up to the promise of the start. I'm not sure anything could. The cliff-hanger at the end is impressive... except that I'm not sure why she was "raised" that way. Did Darla get staked at some point, and is that why she had to be brought back? (note: don't answer that, I'll find out for myself) In any case, it was a fairly strong season closer, but not as exciting as could be hoped for.

Lastly, I guess I should comment on the Season One DVD package as a whole. Let's see... not many extras, just a few commentaries and scripts. I didn't find any easter eggs, but I wasn't looking very hard, either. There is an odd choice of special features on the third and sixth discs. They should have been switched, as the featurette on the third disc contained spoilers for the final episode, while the stuff on the sixth disc was harmless as far as spoilers go. I guess whoever put the package together wasn't thinking of the folks who might be watching the show for the first time. All told, it's a good package. Thank you, Lisa, for letting me borrow it. I'll get through the second season faster, I promise.

by Tegan at 4:56 PM Seattle time - Permalink

The Magic Shop edited by Denise Little. This is a very lightweight anthology, built on a simple premise: What if Magic Shops were real? The result is fifteen stories about events around magic shops. Like most anthologies, there are some winners and some not-so-winners... my favorite story in the book is "The Assassin's Dagger" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, about a troubleshooter for a line of magic stores. There were several more that I enjoyed a lot too, and none that were bad. Even the misses were worth reading. This one is good light reading. Recommended.

by Tegan at 8:51 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Sunday, June 06, 2004

Angel [1-19]: Sanctuary: Wow. I thought the last episode was intense. Angel is a show that, at its heart, is about redemption. And it's not just about the redemption of Angel. So far, every regular cast member has something to redeem. And in this episode the soul being saved is Faith. Again, I think this would have hit harder if I'd seen whatever it was she did in Buffy, but it hits pretty hard without the background. It's been provided enough. I didn't expect the end... I guess I was sure Faith would run away. As Angel said, it's not easy to change. There were a LOT of nice touches in this episode, from the W&H lawyer's addled "assassination" speech, to Lindsey visiting Kate. Speaking of Kate, the "gone all Scully" bit was hilarious. I liked the way Cordelia escaped, also. I wish I knew a little more about the watcher council, so I could figure out what the deal is with Wesley. I have the gist of it, but it seems like there must be more to it. Anyway, this episode feels like a pinnacle, like everything about the show came together to tell a smooth story. It wasn't perfect, but it was close. And this episode also has a script on the DVD to read. That's a nicer bonus than I realized.

Angel [1-20]: War Zone: Ah, there's another character I know well from watching season five. It's Gunn. So, those are his lowly roots which he was so desperate to avoid returning to... I kept expecting Angel to give the gang all the money they got from the billionaire for getting rid of his blackmailer. A decent little episode, but nothing brilliant, and a bit of a let-down after the last two.

by Tegan at 10:43 PM Seattle time - Permalink

For some memories of D-Day, check out newseum.org. There's a flash app that lets you look at a number of newspaper front pages from 60 years ago, and a few audio files.

How many Petals Around The Roses are there? via Metafilter.

The Lemony Snickets movie trailer is on-line. I really have to get around to reading those books one of these days. Link via Boing Boing.

by Tegan at 7:00 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Angel [1-17]: Eternity: Wahoo! Another episode in which Angel gets tied to a bed! *ahem* In this episode, Angel gets a job guarding a Hollywood star who figures out what he is. It's a bit of a story about the nature of evil, as well as the nature of good. Cordelia makes a good point about honesty at the end of the episode. And I get to see "modern" Angelus for the first time.

Angel [1-18]: Five By Five: This one would no doubt have made much more sense if I knew who Faith was. Yeah, I picked up enough to get the idea that she was a slayer, that Wesley was her Watcher, and that something horrible happened to her that involved both Angel and Wesley, but I'm betting it would have helped a lot if I'd seen the Buffy episodes where all that happened. Besides that, this is an intense episode. What Faith does to Wesley alone pushes this one up over the edge, but the bit with Angelus and the gypsy was a little overmuch, also. The DVD also has the script for this episode, and I wasted a good bit of time flipping through it.

by Tegan at 9:22 AM Seattle time - Permalink