by Tegan at 2:37 PM Seattle time - Permalink

• Weight = X-4
  
• Change From Last Week = +1
  
• 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? No.

Oh, I've been bad. I haven't been recording my meals the last few days. The food diary is an important part of my diet structure, because recording what I eat makes me think about what I eat. When I fail to record it for ... three days in a row, I tend to stop thinking about it, then I start snacking without guilt.

Well, that's a bad thing... but there's some good news too. I am definitely feeling healthier, and noticing my muscles becoming more defined. While I won't try to delude myself into thinking my very tiny weight gain is just muscle growing, I don't feel bad about the weight gain because I feel like I'm making progress anyway. There's no way I could have run around Seattle for three hours with my sister on Tuesday if I wasn't a bit healthier than I was when I started.

So now I just need to get serious about my food diary again.

by Tegan at 10:28 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Thursday, July 01, 2004

Scott at Polite Dissent also likes filker Tom Smith, one of my personal guilty pleasures. Tom Smith also sings the Transpoly U fight song from Girl Genius.

I'm still not entirely sure about this one, but it's TARDIS Tennis. I couldn't get the ball to serve for the longest time, and once I did, I was quickly beaten. Anyway, this one is courtesy Elayne.

Elayne also points us to more about the young Iraqi blogger in love. Or rather, the reason that Raed loves her...

And if that wasn't enough, Elayne sends us to the site of Time Traveler John Titor, a fun little story that some people are reading entirely too much into.

Oooh, this came out... I want it.

Gotta thank TangognaT for this nifty review of Street Angel complete with what I really needed, a link to an 8-page preview of issue one. While I'm not completely convinced, the bit with the megaphone was enough to make me giggle, which might be enough to get me to try the book if I can scrape up enough money to order it. Street Angel also made a very short appearance in Slave Labor's Free Comic Book Day edition, but it's two pages and not enough by itself to get me to seek it out.

Really odd site with micro-heroes... including plenty of Aquaman. This one is also from TangognaT.

A surprise upset in Comic Book Idol, if you expected people to only be voting based on what they saw in the last round. Carlos Rodriguez and Jason Masters moved on, while John Rubio and Larry Chy were left behind. Somewhat amazing and somewhat sad, as Larry had the hands down best cover of the bunch. The next art assignment has been posted, and the deadline is Monday at noon Eastern time.

Jeff Parker has finally posted his picture of the mysterious "NASA Ghost". Here is where he describes when/how the picture was taken, and here is the picture. Read the explanation first, then you'll understand why it's a bit of a mystery.

For all you folks with new cars, here's one heckuva story for you. It's all about where you park. Via Metafilter

Boing Boing says that Windows users should disable autorun. Well duh. One of the first things I do when I get a new computer is disable the stupid "feature".

by Tegan at 8:32 PM Seattle time - Permalink

PLEASE NOTE: Copies of these comic books will be available in participating comic shops on Saturday July 3rd 2004.

Reggie-12: A young but powerful robot running around saving the city, a smart-mouthed cat, and the other robots and creator they live with. There is some mild scatalogical humor, lots of cartoon violence, and not a lot to make me want to seek out more of this character. This is a little anthology of the character, so as a sampler I guess it's ok. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is All-Ages.

Dungeons & Dragons: Crisis in Raimiton: Barely passable art which isn't complimented by absolutely worthless lettering. The intent of this book is apparently to show people how to run a D&D campaign, starting with the DM regurgitating the guide at a poor new player while he tries to make a character. If it were a little worse, it would be funny. As it is, it's just a book to avoid unless you are really curious about D&D and want to see how it is supposed to happen (but never does). This book is for Older Readers (13+).

Slave Labor Stories: a sampler of various characters from Slave Labor, including Street Angel, in two to four pages each. As a sampler it's quite nice, giving a good feel for each property in the space allowed. I'm not keen on most of the stories, myself. They were a bit off my usual type. However, the book was very readable and nicely designed. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Adults (18+).

Not available to me for review: A Bunch of Baboons. Apparently Cancelled: Delicious Seasons.

Already reviewed: Alternative Comics, The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, Archie, IDW Sampler, Dr Chaos' Comic Cornucopia, Teen Titans Go, Marvel Age Spider-Man, and Image Comics Summer Special, Duel Masters, Adhouse Books Free Comic Book Day Comic, Astonish Comics, Best of Dork Storm Press, Del Rey Manga Sampler, Keenspot Spotlight 2004, Wild About Comics, Johnny Raygun Classics, Sore Thumbs Election Special, Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, Arcana Studio Presents, and From Pixels to Paper 2004, Amelia Rules!, Top Shelf Tales, Adventures of Barry Ween, NBM Sampler, Love Fights/Everest, and Back in Black: Brian Pulido Unleashed at Avatar.

Coming tomorrow: A summary of all the Free Comics I was able to get.

by Tegan at 3:26 PM Seattle time - Permalink

PLEASE NOTE: Copies of these comic books will be available in participating comic shops on Saturday July 3rd 2004.

The NBM Sampler: Boneyard, Silk Tapestry, Dungeon: Boneyard and Dungeon didn't impress me much, although they were both appealing in their own ways, but Silk Tapestry was excellent, and I could definitely see getting the book that story shows up in. For a sampler, this one was very strong, giving three stories with enough pages each to get a good idea of what the style and story are like. Another strong sampler book. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Older Readers (13+).

Back in Black: Brian Pulido Unleashed at Avatar: All of these are written by Brian Pulido, but while you will no doubt get a good sense of the art from the previews, you are unlikely to get any sense of the stories. The design and layout of the book is very well done, but the samples themselves are not self-contained and aren't really enough to judge the works by. It's ok for a free sampler, but not as good as many of the other offerings. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Adults (18+).

Love Fights #1/Everest: Facing the Goddess Preview: Love Fights is an example of a comic that I would not have liked even given a short sample. It took a fairly long sample to get me to warm up to it, which I did by the time I finished reading the piece. FCBD was made for comics like that. The Everest preview was also interesting, plain pencils with ragged lettering... but you still get an idea of what kind of book it will be. This is another good sampler. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Older Readers (13+).

Still to review: Reggie-12, Slave Labor Stories, and Dungeons & Dragons: Crisis in Raimiton.

Not available to me for review: A Bunch of Baboons. Apparently Cancelled: Delicious Seasons.

Already reviewed: Alternative Comics, The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, Archie, IDW Sampler, Dr Chaos' Comic Cornucopia, Teen Titans Go, Marvel Age Spider-Man, and Image Comics Summer Special, Duel Masters, Adhouse Books Free Comic Book Day Comic, Astonish Comics, Best of Dork Storm Press, Del Rey Manga Sampler, Keenspot Spotlight 2004, Wild About Comics, Johnny Raygun Classics, Sore Thumbs Election Special, Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, Arcana Studio Presents, and From Pixels to Paper 2004, Amelia Rules!, Top Shelf Tales, and the Adventures of Barry Ween.

July 3rd is the third annual Free Comic Book Day. Visit your local comic shop and ask (politely) for a free comic book.

Check with your local shop to see if there is any special event happening. The shop I buy my comics at is going to have a drawing for a $100 gift certificate. You have to physically go to Corner Comics on July 3rd to enter the contest, although you don't have to be present during the drawing to win. No purchases are necessary to enter the drawing, but you can get an extra entry for every $50 you spend!

by Tegan at 11:33 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Wednesday, June 30, 2004

PLEASE NOTE: Copies of these comic books will be available in participating comic shops on Saturday July 3rd 2004.

Amelia Rules! Special Edition: This is a "best of" sampler with Amelia narrating the bits between. There are some really fun bits in here, since it's all Amelia except for the little bit at the end, it holds together well. If you're curious about Amelia, this is definitely a good one to get. In the back there's a short story featuring Bloop, a green monkey-like thing. It's a good little tale, too. All in all, a nice package. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is All-Ages.

Top Shelf Tales: What can I say about this one? Really... this is just a nice little collection of short stories. Some of them good, some of them not as good. I don't really know if the stories are representative of Top Shelf. For a sampler it's ok, but for something that would make me want to pick up more of their stuff, it's not as strong. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Older Readers (13+).

The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius: Secret Crisis Origin Files: This is another one that you don't want to give to kids. It may look innocent... Anyway, a nice full story, complete with cliffhanger (I didn't see any indication of where to get the whole story, though) and Wizard of Oz reference. It's certainly enough to give you a good idea of what Barry Ween is about, and that's the point of this exercise. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Adults (18+).

Still to review: NBM Sampler, Love Fights/Everest, Reggie-12, Slave Labor Stories, Back in Black: Brian Pulido Unleashed at Avatar, and Dungeons & Dragons: Crisis in Raimiton.

Not available for review: A Bunch of Baboons. Apparently Cancelled: Delicious Seasons.

Already reviewed: Alternative Comics, The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, Archie, IDW Sampler, Dr Chaos' Comic Cornucopia, Teen Titans Go, Marvel Age Spider-Man, and Image Comics Summer Special, Duel Masters, Adhouse Books Free Comic Book Day Comic, Astonish Comics, Best of Dork Storm Press, Del Rey Manga Sampler, Keenspot Spotlight 2004, Wild About Comics, Johnny Raygun Classics, Sore Thumbs Election Special, Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, Arcana Studio Presents, and From Pixels to Paper 2004.

Note: reviews for this week's regular books will be delayed until after I finish my FCBD reviews. Those reviews are: JLA, Green Lantern, Kindergoth, Harley & Ivy, Emily and the Intergalactic Lemonade Stand, Days of the Dragon, and Colonia.

by Tegan at 8:09 PM Seattle time - Permalink

The Mariners are now undefeated in games that I've attended this year.

In stark contrast to the first game I attended, absolutely nothing went wrong this time, and my sister Lisa and I had a GREAT time.

We had already decided to make a day of it, so we left early and took a bus to downtown Seattle. We visited Westlake Center first, then walked down to Pike Place Market. Neither of us had been out wandering Seattle in a long time, so it was great fun to see all the touristy places. It was also very hot, and it quickly became apparent that wearing my M's jersey over a t-shirt was just fine when I wasn't hiking, but was a real pain when I was walking around Seattle on a warm day.

Pike Place Market was crowded like tourist season ought to be in the upper level, but the lower levels weren't too busy. Unfortunately it was HOT. The building is not really designed for comfort. We were looking for a quilt store, but we stopped in at the cool bookstores, the magic shop, the coin shop and at Golden Age Collectables. We never found the quilt store. Nothing new and exciting, but we enjoyed the visit. We exited out the back, down behind the Market and wandered down to the waterfront, hoping it would be cooler down closer to the water.

No such luck. It was every bit as hot as the streets above. We walked along until we found some shade, then noticed a whole bunch of people eating ice cream. We quickly located the source and got our own. I forget what Lisa got, but I got a flavor called "Otter Paws". It was excellent, except for the HUGE chocolate-covered pecans mixed in... I wish they'd been smaller.

After we'd eaten and cooled down a bit, Lisa suggested we start to make our way to the stadium itself. We came out of the shop and right across the street was The Harbor Steps, so we headed up the steps to the art museum. Then Lisa said we could probably visit my sister, who works at a law firm in one of the downtown buildings. So we made our way upwards until we found the correct building, then rode up a super-fast elevator to her office.

Security procedures had been put in place since the last time Lisa had visited, so we were unable to waltz in an surprise her. Instead, we used the directory to call her desk. She wasn't there. We didn't want to leave too quickly, since the building was cool and we were beginning to feel human again instead of like molten lumps, so we stood outside to see if she would return to her desk soon enough for us to make a quick visit. However, in a building like that, everyone wants to help, and a couple of folks came by and asked who we were looking for. Eventually one of them found her in a meeting and dragged her out to visit... we were more than a little embarrassed when she said, "You got the associate partner's secretary to find me!" We said hello, and beat a hasty retreat.

Luckily for us, the building my sister works at was very close to an entrance to the bus tunnel, so we retreated underground again where it was much cooler and leaned up against cold stone waiting for a bus to come along. When one arrived, we rode it two stops to the International District, which has very easy access to the stadiums. The walk from that bus stop to The Safe isn't bad, but it was in bright sunlight. I couldn't decide which was more painful: the heat of my sunglasses against my face or the glare of the light from all the cement.

Once we got to The Safe, we headed for the Team Store. I had An Errand. Lisa, hubby, and I had decided once we learned that nephew Jordan is a baseball fan to take him to a game. I bought the tickets right when they became available for a date near his birthday. My errand was to purchase the birthday package for him so his name will go up on the main screen. When we walked into the Team Store, we both decided it would be awhile before we left. It was the only place we'd visited yet that was air conditioned! I took my own sweet time getting the birthday package for Jordan, and then we walked around the Team Store for awhile getting happily cooler. Finally we decided to go get in line at a gate.

I can't remember the timing exactly, but this was about two hours before the gates opened, and four hours before the game. There were already lines forming, because everybody and their brother wanted the day's giveaway: an Edgar Martinez nesting doll. Lisa and I originally planned on attending this game just to get the premium. If we hadn't gotten the bright idea to wander Seattle, we might have arrived much later, just as the gates were opening. It's just as well we got there so early.

Since our seats were in the centerfield bleachers, we went out to the centerfield gate. It was in the shade, glory be! We were surprised at the length of the line, but we got into it and were able to rest in the shade and watch the traffic on Royal Brougham Way and the trains passing just east of the stadium. We also noted that baseball parking in the Seahawks parking garage was $15 for the game. Ouch. Lisa was still hot and decided to visit the Ben & Jerry's store that was near the Team Store and see if she could get a milkshake. I played around with my cell phone, calling Eric's mom at the pug house and trying to call Eric. Lisa came back with a milkshake for each of us and that cooled me down enough to put my jersey back on. Lisa called our mom to warn her not to believe anything my law firm sister said about us harrassing her at work.

Lisa bought a scorecard from a persistent hawker walking up and down Royal Brougham Way. I'm still amazed that the woman had any voice at all after yelling "Scorecards! Program Books! Three dollars!" for two hours. As we got closer to the gate opening time, the line doubled back on itself and passed us on the outside of the sidewalk. Before the gates were open, the lines were all the way around the stadium. Edgar Martinez is VERY popular in Seattle.

Because of our early arrival, Lisa and I had no problem getting our Edgar dolls (which are very cute, by the way, even if mine doesn't nest well). Up next was trying to figure out what we would do for the two hours before the game started. We found our seats right off, but they were in the sun and we didn't want to sit in them. We'd had enough sun. So we went to find dinner, instead. I was thinking I wanted Kid Valley, which has nice burgers, but Lisa wanted to get a "fish dog" at Ivars. So we walked around the stadium to the Ivars and while Lisa got her meal I entered a contest and got a "free" bag. Yeah, I know we'll be contacted by these people. We'll deal. I like the bag.

After Lisa got her meal, we walked back around to the Kid Valley (which was closer to our seats) and I got my burger. Since KV was right next to the garlic fries stand, Lisa got some garlic fries, too. Then we wandered until we found a bench and sat and ate. The Rangers were taking batting practice by then, and the outfielders were throwing balls up into the stands. It was fun to watch what little we could see from the bench (no view of the field). After we finished eating, we went to the ledge and watched BP for awhile and tried to get the outfielders to throw a ball to us. No luck.

As game time approached, we noticed that our seats were getting a little shade, so we headed up to them. Our seats were in the centerfield bleachers, right on the edge in the third row, so we were right next to the fountain in centerfield, not to mention the large flag. During the national anthem, we were turned away from the field to face the flag. When the anthem finished, the fountain, which trickles throughout the game, did a wonderful burst into the sky. I was right next to the thing! A breeze brought a little water our way, which was much appreciated.

Lisa decided to score the game, so we paid close attention. The seats around us never filled, we figured that people had bought the bleacher seats, which are the cheapest, just to get the Edgar dolls. There was a group in the front row and two guys right behind us, but nobody else nearby. As the game progressed, one of the guys behind me started asking questions that the guy with him couldn't answer, but I could, so I turned around and chatted with him. He was really nice, and seemed to appreciate the information. From his comments I gathered that he'd never seen an American League game before, because he didn't understand the DH rule at all.

Except for a couple of trips to get water, we stayed in our seats the entire game. There were a couple of annoying innings when a drunken guy sat in front of us and started talking loudly on his cell phone. The irritating thing about him was that he apparently knew only one adjective, which started with "F" and ended in "ing", so we had to listen to obscenity-boy for a couple of innings. Lisa wanted to ask him to be quiet, but he was drunk enough that I suggested we leave him alone. He left after awhile, but it was annoying to have to listen to his boorish talk while he was there.

The game itself was exciting and close. The M's got behind early, and didn't get a run until the fourth inning. I didn't really expect the M's to win, as the Rangers are playing well this year and lead the division, but I was sure hoping for a win. In the bottom of the sixth, Cabrera, who has been playing well, doubled then Edgar hit a single. Bret Boone came up to bat and I said, "one swing of the bat, and we could have the lead." Unfortunately, he didn't give us the lead, but he did drive in a run on a sacrifice fly. After John Olerud flied out, I saw Rich Aurilia come up to bat and said, "Aurilia is due for a homer, Lisa, just watch. He's gonna hit it out." I was, as usual, making it up as I went along. No one was more surprised, or happy, than I was when he DID hit it out giving the M's the lead!

I didn't know that the fountain, which as you'll recall was right next to me, did its burst thing when there was a home run. So I was a little startled when it did so, but not nearly as much as the kid who was down standing next to the fountain and had no idea that a home run had just been hit, nor that the breeze was headed his way so that lots of water, when the fountain burst, went on top of him directly. He didn't look upset at all, just amazed. One moment he's staring at a trickle of water, the next moment a burst of water is coming down on top of him. Good thing it was a warm evening.

The rest of the game was pleasant. A lot of people left during the eighth inning, as usual, but it was a close enough game that most people stayed. There were a few really close fly balls in the ninth inning that looked like they might tie the game, but the M's came away with the win. The fountain did not do a burst to mark the win.

I wasn't in any big rush to get away after the game, but because our seats were already so empty and more people had left in the eighth, it was easy for us to get out of the stadium and head for the bus. When we got there, our bus was at the stop and we ran to catch it, knowing that the next one wouldn't be along for another half-hour. The bus was crowded, and got more crowded as we went through Seattle, but all the folks coming from the baseball game were cheerful and the folks coming home from work picked up on the general happiness, so the ride was remarkably pleasant. The driver wanted to know what the score was, and when Lisa shouted that the M's had won 4-3 there was a small cheer.

It was an excellent day, with excellent company. I really like going to the games and sitting in the cheap seats. It helps that the weather was so beautiful, too. There's nothing quite like watching baseball in the sunshine.

by Tegan at 3:00 PM Seattle time - Permalink

PLEASE NOTE: Copies of these comic books will be available in participating comic shops on Saturday July 3rd 2004.

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: Well, hey, it's Mickey Mouse and Uncle Scrooge, how bad can it be? And, as if that wasn't enough, both stories have artwork by Carl Barks. Yup, a Mickey Mouse story with Carl Barks artwork. The stories themselves are both quite cool, including a key Uncle Scrooge story that introduces a recurring character. This is one definitely worth checking out. Gold Sponsor Book/This book is All-Ages.

Arcana Studio Presents #1: Another sampler. This one has short stories featuring Kade, Ant, and Ezra, along with a short description of what each character is and how the company was formed. It's a nice package. The only book I've actually read from Arcana is Ant, and the sampler captured the feel of the book nicely. Definitely worth a look if you are at all curious about Arcana. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Older Readers (13+).

From Pixels to Paper 2004: Keenspot, which released three comics for FCBD this year, runs a website called Keenspace in which anyone can join and create their own webcomic. This book is a sampler of Keenspace's comics, self-promoted by their creators. And the quality is ... um ... generally not as high as you would hope for in a sampler. A lot of the people who contribute seem to think that people will visit their website simply because it's free. While some people will, most people have to actually be interested in the work. And a lot of the samples don't do much to grab attention. Overall, this one is a miss, unless you like seeing tons of different styles and levels of proficiency thrown together. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Adults (18+).

Already reviewed: Alternative Comics, The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, Archie, IDW Sampler, Dr Chaos' Comic Cornucopia, Teen Titans Go, Marvel Age Spider-Man, and Image Comics Summer Special, Duel Masters, Adhouse Books Free Comic Book Day Comic, Astonish Comics, Best of Dork Storm Press, Del Rey Manga Sampler, Keenspot Spotlight 2004, Wild About Comics, Johnny Raygun Classics, and Sore Thumbs Election Special.

Still to review: NBM Sampler, Adventures of Barry Ween, Love Fights/Everest, Amelia Rules!, and Top Shelf Tales.

Not available to me for review (yet): Back in Black: Brian Pulido Unleashed at Avatar, A Bunch of Baboons, Reggie-12, and Slave Labor Stories #2. Apparently Cancelled: Delicious Seasons.

July 3rd is the third annual Free Comic Book Day. Visit your local comic shop and ask (politely) for a free comic book.

Check with your local shop to see if there is any special event happening. The shop I buy my comics at is going to have a drawing for a $100 gift certificate. You have to physically go to Corner Comics on July 3rd to enter the contest, although you don't have to be present during the drawing to win. No purchases are necessary to enter the drawing, but you can get an extra entry for every $50 you spend!

by Tegan at 10:47 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

PLEASE NOTE: Copies of these comic books will be available in participating comic shops on Saturday July 3rd 2004.

Wild About Comics #1: Another day, another sampler. This one is quite nice, with Licensable Bear lending his features to the framing sequence. In addition, there are a few complete short stories, and a fake ad. This one is fun. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is All-Ages.

Johnny Raygun Classics #1: Goofy psuedo-SciFi hero with a strange hairdo... funny universe with its own fast food joint (It Might Be Chicken)... mostly good artwork... I can't say I loved it, but it's a fun little book worth a flip through. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Older Readers (13+).

Sore Thumbs Election Special: um. It's funny, I'll grant it that. And it leans a bit liberal, despite the prominant "Bush/Cheney" sign on the front cover. But both the sides, liberals represented by the sister and conservatives represented by the brother, are shown as less than sane. I admit I was engrossed, but mostly to see what strange thing would happen next. Um... this book is also manga-sized, and contains one complete story with a moral. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Adults (18+).

A note on my ratings: these may not match up to what the publishers put on their covers. I'm basing my ratings entirely on how comfortable I would be handing each comic to someone of each age. I confess I'm a bit of a prude, but better to be prudish and safe than to hand an inappropriate comic book to a kid who has an ultra-prude parent itching for a lawsuit.

Still to review: Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, Arcana Studio Presents, From Pixels to Paper 2004, NBM Sampler, Adventures of Barry Ween, Love Fights/Everest, Amelia Rules!, and Top Shelf Tales.

Already reviewed: Alternative Comics, The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, Archie, IDW Sampler, Dr Chaos' Comic Cornucopia, Teen Titans Go, Marvel Age Spider-Man, and Image Comics Summer Special, Duel Masters, Adhouse Books Free Comic Book Day Comic, Astonish Comics, Best of Dork Storm Press, Del Rey Manga Sampler, and Keenspot Spotlight 2004.

Not available to me for review: Back in Black: Brian Pulido Unleashed at Avatar, A Bunch of Baboons, Reggie-12, and Slave Labor Stories #2. Apparently Cancelled: Delicious Seasons.

by Tegan at 11:25 PM Seattle time - Permalink

PLEASE NOTE: Copies of these comic books will be available in participating comic shops on Saturday July 3rd 2004.

Best of Dork Storm Press #2: It's not a secret that I'm a big fan of PS238 already, and the new story in here alone would have made me give this one a high rating. But there's also stories from Nodwick, Dork Tower, and Dr Blink Superhero Shrink. Definitely a must-get. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is All-Ages.

Del Rey Manga Sampler: Two stories in this one. It's small, manga-sized. The stories are ok, but do tend to be a little scattered, like most manga I've read. Reading right to left also takes some practice, so if you haven't ever done it before, you might find this a little difficult to follow. The two stories are in very different styles, so the result is a decent sample. Small but good. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Older Readers (13+).

Keenspot Spotlight 2004: A manga-sized digest (112 pages, stapled), the stories are all over the board in this one, as to be expected from an athology of internet cartoons, I suppose. There's a few really good ones, but most of them are just tolerable. And the organization is a little lacking. Unless you notice the *tiny* "By Order of Appearance" box on the inside front cover, some of the cartoons go nameless. Speaking of tiny, the reduction in size didn't help a few of the strips, and I thought I might need a magnifying glass to read them. Still, there were a handful of good ones, and you can't really argue too much with the price. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Adults (18+).

A note on my ratings: these may not match up to what the publishers put on their covers. I'm basing my ratings entirely on how comfortable I would be handing each comic to someone of each age. I confess I'm a bit of a prude, but better to be prudish and safe than to hand an inappropriate comic book to a kid who has an ultra-prude parent itching for a lawsuit.

Still to review: Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, Wild About Comics, Arcana Studio Presents, Johnny Raygun Classics, Sore Thumbs Election Special, From Pixels to Paper 2004, NBM Sampler, Adventures of Barry Ween, Love Fights/Everest, Amelia Rules!, and Top Shelf Tales.

Already reviewed: Alternative Comics, The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, Archie, IDW Sampler, Dr Chaos' Comic Cornucopia, Teen Titans Go, Marvel Age Spider-Man, and Image Comics Summer Special, Duel Masters, Adhouse Books Free Comic Book Day Comic, and Astonish Comics.

Not available to me for review: Back in Black: Brian Pulido Unleashed at Avatar, A Bunch of Baboons, Reggie-12, and Slave Labor Stories #2. Apparently Cancelled: Delicious Seasons.

July 3rd is the third annual Free Comic Book Day. Visit your local comic shop and ask (politely) for a free comic book.

Check with your local shop to see if there is any special event happening. The shop I buy my comics at is going to have a drawing for a $100 gift certificate. You have to physically go to Corner Comics on July 3rd to enter the contest, although you don't have to be present during the drawing to win. No purchases are necessary to enter the drawing, but you can get an extra entry for every $50 you spend!

by Tegan at 9:06 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Monday, June 28, 2004

PLEASE NOTE: Copies of these comic books will be available in participating comic shops on Saturday July 3rd 2004.

Duel Masters #1: This one, based on a CCG I presume, has a young man attempting to master the game. He's being taught by someone who is already a master. The art is a strange mix of cartoony sometimes on top of amazing paintings. The story itself is mildly compelling, but not so much that I'd be inclined to seek it out. Gamers might enjoy it. Gold Sponsor Book/This book is All-Ages.

The Adhouse Books Free Comic Book Day Comic: Hmmm. It was a nice idea, using 24-hour comics as their offering for FCBD. Unfortunately, I'm not sure it works. I don't know for sure if this actually represents the normal book from this company, or... what. Add in the fact that there are only two real stories, and I've got to wonder what this company is trying to say to me. I'm neutral on this one. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Older Readers (13+).

Astonish Comics #1: Oh wow! I knew Astonish put out some good books, but I'd never had a chance to try any of them before. Now... now I want to get the lot of them! In particular, Herobear and the Kid looks good, but I'm also very intrigued by The Dreamland Chronicles. This is another sampler, and has good descriptions of each story/character on the pages before. If you can lay your hands on this one, do so. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is All-Ages.

A note on my ratings: these may not match up to what the publishers put on their covers. I'm basing my ratings entirely on how comfortable I would be handing each comic to someone of each age. I confess I'm a bit of a prude, but better to be prudish and safe than to hand an inappropriate comic book to a kid who has an ultra-prude parent itching for a lawsuit.

Still to review: Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, Wild About Comics, Arcana Studio Presents, Del Rey Manga Sampler, Best of Dork Storm Press, Johnny Raygun Classics, Keenspot Spotlight 2004, Sore Thumbs Election Special, From Pixels to Paper 2004, NBM Sampler, Adventures of Barry Ween, Love Fights/Everest, Amelia Rules!, and Top Shelf Tales.

Already reviewed: Alternative Comics, The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, Archie, IDW Sampler, Dr Chaos' Comic Cornucopia, Teen Titans Go, Marvel Age Spider-Man, and Image Comics Summer Special.

Not available to me for review (yet): Back in Black: Brian Pulido Unleashed at Avatar, A Bunch of Baboons, Reggie-12, and Slave Labor Stories #2. Apparently Cancelled: Delicious Seasons (which is the one book I was actually looking forward to reading out of all the free comics... grrr).

by Tegan at 9:56 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Taking a break from reading all the free comics... here's some random thoughts.

Going back to Comic Book Idol, the round four images have been posted on the forum, and you can check them out here:

John Rubio: completely colored, and featuring the "drugged" scene from the story. I've got mixed feelings on this one. On the one hand, it's a very striking cover, and he's done a great job putting the color on it and mocking it up to look like the real thing. On the other hand, the main character of the book doesn't appear on the cover, which is a general no-no (one that is often ignored, true), and Fatality is really extremely ugly in the scene depicted.

Larry Chy: also colored, but no logo, just the scene. I like this one a lot. Green Lantern in the corner, with Fatality front and center. There's a strange sense of a lack of movement in Fatality's figure, but the image as a whole has a nice sense of movement to it. I like the color choice for the background. Very nice.

Jason Masters: colored with logo. This one features Green Lantern being choked by Fatality's robo-hand. I can't really decide on this one. It's good, but I think I like Chy's effort more. I still haven't seen the last one, though, so I don't know which cover I'll be voting for.

Carlos Rodriguez: colored, but no logo. I've got very mixed feelings about this one. While I loved Carlos' work on the interiors, this cover really doesn't do much for me at all. It seems like he put in a lightning bolt just to give the scene some action, because the figures don't have any movement to them.

Conclusion: They are all so good it feels like I'm nit-picking. When the voting starts, I'll probably go with Chy's (what irony, he's one I thought would be voted out last round!), but Masters' piece also has a chance. I'll probably be looking at both of them a bit more over the next day or so to try to decide. This could be another very close vote, but if people go by what's there on the cover, I predict Chy and Masters to move on.

And now for something completely different...

The official John Cleese website announces that the kettle is mended, and don't forget your hat. Um. Ignore me, just go to the site and see for yourself (people with small monitors will want to scroll down). Link via Mark Evanier.

There was this contest, based on Street Angel, something about a squid. I still don't quite get it myself, but the results are out, and everybody's favorite new medical/comic book blogger Scott at Polite Dissent got an award. Go read. He includes Topo...

Another episode of WildGuard has been posted.

My thanks to Elayne for saying hello to Eric Shanower for me! If you haven't tried Age of Bronze, and you have any interest at all in the Trojan War, go get yourself the first trade now! The second collection is coming out in Hardcover any day now. I ordered it direct from Shanower, so I'm not sure when I'll get my copy, but everyone else should check their stores for it in early July. And don't forget to read the cool interview with Eric Shanower on Archaeology Magazine's website, which features samples from Age of Bronze.

I went to the website of the anti-Tent City people I mentioned in my last Tent City post. I was surprised at the level of pure hatred there. These people, many of whom proudly proclaim themselves Christian, are condemning Tent City without any real idea of what it does or how it works. I wonder if any of them have actually gone up to Tent City and talked with the residents? While I have some mild issues with Tent City, I've actually talked with them about it, not just ranted to the world about how evil they are just because they are homeless. I guess actually trying to solve problems is too difficult for those so-called Christians. They'd rather drive people away than resolve differences and make life easier for everyone. I wonder what would happen to them if they became homeless?

While I still think the handover is a joke since the Iraqis will be getting very little real power, I think the timing of it was excellent. Reading some Iraqi blogs the last few days, it was clear that many people thought the insurgents/rebels/thugs were going to try to make Baghdad a bloodbath on June 30th to mark the handover. By doing it two days early, the interim government of Iraq stole the thunder of the thugs and hopefully made mass violence less likely. Of all the hideous mistakes the US has made in Iraq... I don't think this is one of them.

The Electoral Vote Map based on polls continues to fascinate me. As of today, Red and Blue are tied with 269 votes each. The "New from the Votemaster" section of June 26th explains what would happen if a tie occurred in the actual vote.

Ok, back to the comics and to Previews. I still need to finish my Flipping Through Previews post, which I started then realized I was comic'ed out so I stopped... yeah, me, comic'ed out. It happens. I got better.

by Tegan at 3:14 PM Seattle time - Permalink

PLEASE NOTE: Copies of these comic books will be available in participating comic shops on Saturday July 3rd 2004.

Teen Titans Go! #1: There's a reason I don't watch the Teen Titans cartoon much, and the same aspects of the cartoon I dislike are also here in this comic. The comic itself isn't bad, the artwork fits right in with the program and there is even the annoying little extra "super-d" Titans hanging out (annoying, but cute). It isn't the kind of book I like much. So, while this isn't bad for kids who like the show, I wouldn't recommend it to old fogeys like myself. Gold Sponsor Book/This book is All-Ages.

Marvel Age: Spider-Man #1: Is it the end of the world if I liked the Marvel offering for FCBD more than DC's comic? This is a really nice book, aimed at a younger audience than modern comics. It's fun, moves along, and it's done in one. It even has a back-up story. Makes me want to pick up more issues. This is a good one for the kids. Gold Sponsor Book/This book is All-Ages.

Image Comics Summer Special: Another sampler, this one has four characters on the cover and four samples inside. The Spawn sample is mostly text and gives the whole backstory to the character. It doesn't make me any more inclined to pick up the book. Another story apparently involves Witchblade, Tomb Raider, and something else. It doesn't make much sense. The best of the bunch is Invincible, which is actually a story that makes you interested in finding out what will happen to this character. The last story is Savage Dragon, and whether or not you like it depends on whether or not you like hokey dialogue. But for the Invincible story, I'd be neutral on this one. Instead, it's mildly recommended. Gold Sponsor Book/This book is for Older Readers (13+).

Still to review: Duel Masters, Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, Wild About Comics, Adhouse Books Free Comic Book Day Comic, Arcana Studio Presents, Astonish Comics, Del Rey Manga Sampler, Best of Dork Storm Press, Johnny Raygun Classics, Keenspot Spotlight 2004, Sore Thumbs Election Special, From Pixels to Paper 2004, NBM Sampler, Adventures of Barry Ween, Love Fights/Everest, Amelia Rules!, and Top Shelf Tales.

Already reviewed: Alternative Comics, The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, Archie, IDW Sampler, and Dr Chaos' Comic Cornucopia.

Not available to me for review: Back in Black: Brian Pulido Unleashed at Avatar, A Bunch of Baboons, Reggie-12, and Slave Labor Stories #2. Apparently Cancelled: Delicious Seasons.

July 3rd is the third annual Free Comic Book Day. Visit your local comic shop and ask (politely) for a free comic book.

Check with your local shop to see if there is any special event happening. The shop I buy my comics at is going to have a drawing for a $100 gift certificate. You have to physically go to Corner Comics on July 3rd to enter the contest, although you don't have to be present during the drawing to win. No purchases are necessary to enter the drawing, but you can get an extra entry for every $50 you spend!

by Tegan at 12:37 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Sunday, June 27, 2004

PLEASE NOTE: Copies of these comic books will be available in participating comic shops on Saturday July 3rd 2004.

Archie: I was a Teenage Comic Book Character: Oh, I liked this one. Archie's friend Chuck Clayton is an artist who gets roped into drawing a comic book, but Archie insists on being the writer. The results are funny and effective at showing off what makes Archie comics cool. Another strong entry to free comic book day from one of the strongest publishers of comic books around. Gold Sponsor Book/This book is All-Ages.

IDW Sampler: This one comes with four different covers, but the interiors are all the same. The covers are "CSI", "The Shield", "30 Days of Night", and "24". There are samples of all four inside. And the samples are set up properly, too. Each one is only a few pages long, but they each start with a paragraph explaining the concept of the series. The samples give enough to get an idea of the art style as well as the plot, and each one leaves you hanging in a way that, if you like what you see, will make you want to purchase the book. After each story there is an ad for the books in the series so far, and at the end of the book is an order form. All-told, a very slick package. Gold Sponsor Book/This book is for Older Readers (13+).

Dr Chaos' Comic Cornucopia: I tried. I read as much of it as I could stand, then finally gave up. Not my type of book at all. But then, what do you expect from a book with a group called B.A.B.E. Force in it? Funny cover, but otherwise not a lot to recommend this one. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Adults (18+).

Still to review: Teen Titans Go, Duel Masters, Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, Image Comics Summer Special, Marvel Age Spider-Man, Wild About Comics, Adhouse Books Free Comic Book Day Comic, Arcana Studio Presents, Astonish Comics, Del Rey Manga Sampler, Best of Dork Storm Press, Johnny Raygun Classics, Keenspot Spotlight 2004, Sore Thumbs Election Special, From Pixels to Paper 2004, NBM Sampler, Adventures of Barry Ween, Love Fights/Everest, Amelia Rules!, and Top Shelf Tales.

Already reviewed: Alternative Comics, The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty, and Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures.

Not available to me for review: Back in Black: Brian Pulido Unleashed at Avatar, A Bunch of Baboons, Reggie-12, and Slave Labor Stories #2. Apparently Cancelled: Delicious Seasons.

July 3rd is the third annual Free Comic Book Day. Visit your local comic shop and ask (politely) for a free comic book.

Check with your local shop to see if there is any special event happening. The shop I buy my comics at is going to have a drawing for a $100 gift certificate. You have to physically go to Corner Comics on July 3rd to enter the contest, although you don't have to be present during the drawing to win. No purchases are necessary to enter the drawing, but you can get an extra entry for every $50 you spend!

by Tegan at 11:34 PM Seattle time - Permalink

PLEASE NOTE: Copies of these comic books will be available in participating comic shops on Saturday July 3rd 2004.

Alternative Comics #2: Warning to comic shop owners: This book has full frontal male nudity. Yes, it is "arty", but make sure you don't hand this one to a kid. There are some really good stories in this one, and some that aren't so good. While some of the samples are too short, some are just enough to get a good feel for the style of the strip. A decent collection. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Adults (18+).

The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty #1: Imagine the old tale of Sleeping Beauty set in the old West. Now imagine that the story is being told from the point of view of the Prince who heard the legend and is looking for the sleeping lady and her town. The art is stylish and different, but the story is enough to make me want to hunt down the second issue. Gold Sponsor Book/This book is for Older Readers (13+).

Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures: Oh very good! I liked the cartoons, and this keeps up the quality, telling a nice little tale of a couple of Jedi fighting against overwhelming odds. I have to admit though that I'm still not used to the idea of cheering for the stormtroopers. Very nicely done. Gold Sponsor Book/This book is All-Ages.

Still to review: Archie, Teen Titans Go, Duel Masters, Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, IDW Sampler, Image Comics Summer Special, Marvel Age Spider-Man, Wild About Comics, Adhouse Books Free Comic Book Day Comic, Arcana Studio Presents, Astonish Comics, Del Rey Manga Sampler, Best of Dork Storm Press, Dr Chaos' Comic Cornucopia, Johnny Raygun Classics, Keenspot Spotlight 2004, Sore Thumbs Election Special, From Pixels to Paper 2004, NBM Sampler, Adventures of Barry Ween, Love Fights/Everest, Amelia Rules!, and Top Shelf Tales.

Not available to me for review: Back in Black: Brian Pulido Unleashed at Avatar, A Bunch of Baboons, Reggie-12, and Slave Labor Stories #2. Apparently Cancelled: Delicious Seasons.

July 3rd is the third annual Free Comic Book Day. Visit your local comic shop and ask (politely) for a free comic book.

Check with your local shop to see if there is any special event happening. The shop I buy my comics at is going to have a drawing for a $100 gift certificate. You have to physically go to Corner Comics on July 3rd to enter the contest, although you don't have to be present during the drawing to win. No purchases are necessary to enter the drawing, but you can get an extra entry for every $50 you spend!

by Tegan at 8:28 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Eric and I visited Tent City today. We brought up some water and some apples, which we got at Costco. When we walked up, a man immediately came up to me and took the case of water that I was struggling with, and a kid tried to take the case that hubby-Eric was having no problem with. The boy, maybe 7 or 8 years old, insisted he could carry it, but as Eric handed it over it was clear he wasn't going to be able to support the weight. Another guy took the case, and the kid looked mildly upset. Eric went to go get some more cases, and I suggested to the kid that he go help Eric as I was sure he could carry the apples. The boy happily took off after Eric with his father trailing. The three of them managed the rest of our contributions while I filled out the donation form.

The Tent City is under siege by some folks in the neighborhood who are very upset at its proximity to schools. There is a movement to try to ban it from returning to the neighborhood, and we got a flyer that asked for support in the movement by coming to the city council meeting to complain. I am inclined to go to the meeting and point out that well before Tent City moved in, the same neighborhood had a nutcase in a house across the street from one of the schools who was stockpiling weapons. Just because somebody has a house doesn't mean they are safe, and just because somebody is homeless doesn't mean they aren't. The organization calls itself "Care4Schools"... apparently caring for schools doesn't involve caring about people.

For more information about the organization of Tent City, check out Saint Brendan Parish's Info Site, donations can also be made there. If you prefer to send me on errands, you can send money to me through Amazon Honor System or Paypal. I strongly recommend going through the church instead, as the only advantage to having me do it is that I'll blog about it. It seems that any of you inclined to donate have followed my advice, since I haven't got anything from Amazon Honor or Paypal.

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 ciy, more tent city in the news, my third visit to tent city (with pictures!), and my fourth visit to tent city.

by Tegan at 11:36 AM Seattle time - Permalink