Saturday, July 17, 2004

Yes, I'm fully aware that this is not Aquaman. In fact, this one was not done in my sketchbook at all. As you can see from the lines, this one was drawn in my autograph book, and is in fact an autograph. Kaja, as you all know, is co-creator of the simply marvelous book Girl Genius, the wife of goofy artist from last week Phil Foglio, and a guest at the upcoming Anglicon XVII. You can also read her blog. In short, she's cool, and this is a cool sketch even if it isn't Aquaman...

AUTOGRAPH
by Kaja Foglio
(permission to post given 29 Feb 2004 in person)
Diary of a Cartoon Girl

by Tegan at 8:53 PM Seattle time - Permalink

WOW! I didn't realize Mike Wieringo was blogging again... nor that he'd posted a link to my blog complete with a really cool Aquaman sketch! No permalinks, but if you scroll down to July 15th you'll see it. *UPDATE* Yes, he does have permalinks, just not visible... here's the Aquaman post. I don't know how long the link will be good, so check it out soon.

Speaking of Aquaman, Polite Dissent medically reviews Aquaman #19, and Aquaman #19 doesn't fare too well.

And in some more Aquaman news, I've updated the Aquaman Chronicles page on my website with information about the latest issue. If you have any interest in getting one of the coolest fanzines around, check it out. John Schwirian puts an amazing amount of work into this fanzine, and it shows.

In non-Aquaman news:

Slashdot covers Olympic coverage in the US.

Amazon.com reviewers review My Pet Goat. Via Metafilter.

At first I hated the new blogger changes, but then I discovered that a) if I set it to "Edit HTML" it works just like the old interface and b) it publishes even though it doesn't ever say it is published. I can live with it.

by Tegan at 4:31 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Identity Crisis #2: There's apparently a lot of debate about this issue on the 'net. I'm not surprised. Although it wasn't stated outright, the implied rape of a major DC character is something a lot of people aren't going to ignore. I'm not really enjoying this series, and this issue doesn't give me any more inclination to enjoy it. I'll still get it and read it, but again, this doesn't seem to be the event it was hyped to be.

JLA #101: The first of a series of almost stand-alone issues all about how members of the Justice League fail. I can't really say I'm impressed. It's an ok story, but nothing special. I'm not sure I want to read about all the failures of the members of the Justice League.

JSA #63: Once again this book suffers from the huge cast. I just get lost when I try to follow this book. Ah well... nice little homage to Wizard of Oz, at least.

Still to review: Aquaman.

by Tegan at 11:24 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Friday, July 16, 2004

The second on-line letter column at DC. It's a little better than the first one. At least in my opinion.

Larry Young talks about upcoming books. Wander the comic blogoverse for some exclusive pictures, too. Also, good news, the issues of Scurvy Dogs finally made it to my volunteer after an annoying adventure with postal workers who don't know how to deliver a package to an apartment. He's promised to review them as quickly as possible, and I'll start nagging after an appropriate period of time if he doesn't get back to me. And Ursula should arrive next week, hopefully, so I can read it on the road trip.

Four Color Meat and Fish has Fresh, On Time Reviews, featuring a review of Aquaman #20.

Why Mozilla is better than Microsoft: 31 hours. That's how long it took to patch the bug OFFICIALLY. It only took 4 1/2 hours for a Mozilla developer to put up a patch (from the moment the bug was reported).

You have a question about soccer (better known around the world as "football") in the United States? No need to search desperately for an answer anymore, the American Soccer History Archive is here. Via the LII.

Here's a very disturbing report of events on a flight. It's long, but worth reading. Via Hit & Run (and no, I don't read Instapundit).

by Tegan at 10:22 PM Seattle time - Permalink

• Weight = X-2
  
• Change From Last Week = 0
  
• Met Exercise Goal? No
  Goal was fifteen minutes a day (walk/bike/swim) at least six days.
  
• Current Exercise Goal = fifteen minutes a day (walk/bike/swim) at least six days.
  
• Kept food diary? Yes.

Well, on the one hand I managed to keep up the food diary. But on the other hand, The Crud kept me from exercising the entire week. I tried... I got on the treadmill the first day and started walking, and nearly fell off because I was so dizzy. So I tried the exercise bike. Same problem. Luckily, it only lasted two days, so I only missed one day of exercise.

With another trip coming up, the Friday weigh-in will not be happening next week. I'll be somewhere between Seattle and Monterey California, on my way down to the Oz convention. I'll try to post a report, but who knows if I'll get near a wireless connection?

One last thing... I weighed myself again this morning after my round of exercise (twenty-four minutes on the exercise bike while watching Buffy) and discovered that I'd somehow lost two pounds. This is another reason not to take weigh-ins too seriously.

by Tegan at 4:43 PM Seattle time - Permalink

It doesn't seem like it's been ten years. I mean, some days it feels like we've only been married a month or two. Some days, I admit, it feels like forever, but those are pretty rare. No, it's been ten years. For better and for worse, I've been married for ten years.

Eric and I got an anniversary gift (mostly for me) yesterday afternoon. We went out to get comics on Wednesday a little early, so I suggested stopping by Kenmore Camera so I could pine over digital cameras a little. Eric agreed, and I talked with a salesperson who, after hearing my camera needs, pointed me to a little camera that had all the features I might need, and also happened to be a lot less expensive than I expected.

As we left to go get comics, I was pining severely, but I didn't really think it was going to happen. Then Eric surprised me as we were discussing it later by mentioning that he was thinking of getting me a camera for our anniversary. Then I would have one on the trip... and since we're taking our laptops with us down to California, we could possibly even post images live.

So yesterday we went back to Kenmore Camera and bought the camera, a Nikon Coolpix 2200. I spent the evening reading the instruction book (what can I say, it was compelling) and taking pictures to see how well the camera worked. It works really well. I wouldn't want to use it as a professional photographer, but I'll never be more than an amatuer anyway. It's got a lot of nice features, and even can take silent movies. And at some point I can buy an SD card, which is a memory card, and be able to take tons more pictures (with the in camera memory and the setting I put it on, I can "only" take about 60 pictures in a session).

Anyway, I know what you all want to see. Here's a picture I took yesterday using the new camera. I'm sure it will only be the first of many. This is from my front yard:

by Tegan at 10:27 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Thursday, July 15, 2004

So Tent City is going to be forced to move. Across the street. Onto the church playground. Because the biased so-called Christians that send their whelps to Heritage Christian School have pressured the city into forcing the move.

Let me tell you about my neighborhood: in June of 2000, Steven C. Ferguson pleaded guilty to three grand-jury indictments: manufacturing marijuana, possessing an unregistered firearm and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug manufacturing. Police found over 60 illegal guns (including a grenade launcher!), plenty of ammunition, marijuana, and Nazi memorabilia in Ferguson's rented home when Ferguson's roommate collapsed (he later died from "alcoholism-induced liver failure"). Some of the guns were fully loaded and aimed out of windows, including more than one aimed at the playground of St Brendan's Catholic School. Personally I think the homeless are an improvement.

These pathetic losers who practice NIMBYism and yet still claim to be Christian are insulting snobs. I don't want that kind of person for a neighbor. I'll take Tent City over them any day. At least the people in Tent City are trying to improve themselves!

I'm particularly annoyed at this bit in the article: "Heritage Christian School is next door to the current camp site. Despite fences intended to screen the camp, the camp is clearly visible from the school. School officials said the school has experienced a 20 percent drop in enrollment and plans to cut $260,000 from its budget, in part because of Tent City 4." OH NO!!!! MY CHILDREN CAN SEE HOMELESS PEOPLE!!! I'D BETTER PULL THEM FROM SCHOOL!!!!!!!

And don't even get me started on the police, who have an annoying tendency to block the roads with their patrol cars out of pure carelessness. They sit in the middle of the street, two patrol cars, talking to each other blocking the view of the street when you try to drive near them and causing a serious safety hazard. It wouldn't be so bad if it was just one patrol car pulled over, but there have been many incidents of multiple police, no doubt bored out of their skulls from watching the dangerous homeless, blocking the road. For this we're paying overtime?

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!), my fourth visit to tent city, and Eric and I visit.

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.

by Tegan at 9:21 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Batman: The Order of Beasts: Well, it's an Elseworld, and that alone makes it something interesting to me. The style is very Golden Age, both in artwork and in storytelling. Everything happens quickly, with each page being more focused on action than on dialogue. This is also set early in the Batman's career, while he is still developing techniques. This is a fun one, without much "else" to it. Recommended.

Green Arrow #40: I was going to write "nothing much happened in this issue", but that's not true. There was one single major development, and a couple of sub-plots. But it didn't really feel like much to me, so I was a little disappointed. Mildly recommended.

H-E-R-O #18: Bam. Pow. Biff. Whap. This one was a big fight scene. There were some clever bits on the parts of the combatants, and one thing that may have been an artwork error on the very last page. Overall, not a bad finish, but I liked this title more when it focused on a different person every arc.

Still to review: Aquaman, Identity Crisis, JLA, and JSA.

by Tegan at 8:27 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson: Well, I think the last book didn't quite live up to the promise of the first two. Which isn't really saying much. The series as a whole is remarkable. It's the kind of series you read once and then think about for the next ten years in fits and starts, with it sometimes influencing your thoughts on particular subjects. This book had a lot about aging in it, a lot about how the mind adapts to changes. It also had some amazing thoughts on how people who appear to be complete polar opposites might be far closer than they ever realized. This is not an easy series to read, and I found myself getting more and more annoyed at the deliberate pace of the final book as I got closer to the end. I was also disturbed, slightly, by the sheer lack of ending... until I realized that was part of the point. The books covered three revolutions on Mars, and not much beyond that. If you want to read this series, I recommend trying to read it section by section as quickly as possible, and don't slow down at the end or you'll end up disturbed by the finish as I was.

by Tegan at 12:27 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Wednesday, July 14, 2004

Bloodhound #1: Ok. Colored me intrigued. This isn't a hero, but he's not a flat-out villain, either. I only bought it because of Robin Riggs doing the inks, but the story is going to keep me reading, I can tell. A little violent, but if you want something set in the DCU that's not too superhero-y, give it a try. Recommended.

Fallen Angel #13: This is a done-in-one story, well worth a read if you want a sense of what this book is like but don't want to read a whole arc. Violent, icky, strong themes, and definitely something that is going to bring me back for more, even as I continue to wonder what it is that intrigues me about this book. Recommended.

DC Presents: Mystery in Space #1: Two violent adult books... time for something a little less intense. As with the Batman book, this one has two stories based on the cover, which is redone by Alex Ross. The first story is pretty good, featuring a couple of guest stars, but I want to know what happened to the boy and his donkey. Er, zebra. The second story attempted to be a tribute, and suffered from it. I didn't like it much. Mildly recommended.

Still to review: Batman Order of Beasts, Aquaman, Green Arrow, H-E-R-O, Identity Crisis, JLA, and JSA. Ursula will get to my shop next week. I hope.

by Tegan at 9:55 PM Seattle time - Permalink

So Lisa came over yesterday to watch the All-Star game with hubby-Eric and I, a yearly tradition for the lot of us, and I "taught" her how to blog. She discovered that to register for blogger she had to start a blog, so she did so. I doubt she'll be updating frequently since she's still on dial-up at home (not to mention sharing her connection with three other people), but while she's here she can have a lot of fun on our high-speed connection. Lisa is not only blog-sitting, she's house-sitting. We leave the 22nd for Monterey and the annual Winkie convention (that's right, while the rest of the comic book fans are in San Diego, I'll be in Oz).

If all goes well, by the way, I will have net access during my trip. I plan on trying to post a blog a day, but I'm not sure I'll be able to, which is why Lisa is guest blogging.

So, back to last night... we watched Ichiro get a hit to start the game, then pretty much ignored the rest of it. At 7:30 we turned over to Jeopardy to watch KenJen (comic book fan) top a million. It was a strangely pleasant evening, as the three of us sat in our living room with the TV on and a laptop in each lap...

Yesterday I also dissected my desktop to see if I could pinpoint the problem with it. Looks like the motherboard has gone out. It will start up, but after 20-30 minutes it freezes, and for several hours after that nothing I can do will get the computer to reboot. During that time I can't even access the BIOS, so I suspect it's the motherboard. I'm not sure why it's freezing, nor am I postive that I care. All I know is that I suddenly don't have access to my CD-burner. If hubby and I ever get enough cash to live on again I'll have to start hunting for components so I can revive my monster. That will have to wait, I'm afraid, and in the meantime I'd better stop downloading stuff.

The Usagi Yojimbo Dojo is doing a census to see if they can locate all the 2000 issues of Albedo #2 that contain the first appearance of Usagi. If you have a copy, let them know, and tell them where and when you got it and how much you paid. And feel free to spread the word. It will be interesting to see how many copies can be located.

Ian Spiers, whose story was mentioned on this blog a few days ago, made the front page of the local section of today's Seattle Times. I wish I had a camera and a tripod, as I would like to organize an outing with a whole bunch of people... everyone take cameras down to the locks and take pictures as a form of peaceful protest, while handing out flyers about Ian's experience with "Homeland Security" (which sounds more and more ominous to me every time I hear the name). If you go to Ian's Blog you'll find out that The Seattle P.I. also covered his story. In the comments on his blog, a reporter from local TV station Q13 asked for an interview. This story is getting the attention it deserves.

Oh hey, the idea of a protest is already out there and planned. Now I gotta get me a camera for that day (Sunday August 1st, 2004: 1PM-4PM). Hey Lisa, wanna lend me a camera? (via Boing Boing)

Found a "new" blog today... The Daily Burn has a nice little article on Aquaman and Namor's joint leadership of Atlantis. Comic book blogs are popping up all over the place lately. Ah well, I'm easy to get to link to them. All they have to do is write a funny joke about Aquaman...

I've also added Trash Heap and Brill Building to my bloglines subscriptions. Too many blogs to keep up with...

Hilarious scammer scam at the BBC site, complete with pictures of the scammed scammer. Via Washington Monthly.

Neil Gaiman's Fabulous assistant made the Onion.

Fanboy Rampage tells us some very good news: Kurt Busiek is going to be sticking with JLA. This could be very, very good news. I haven't enjoyed JLA in quite some time, though for some strange reason I keep buying it. Kurt can make it fun again. Btw: Kurt has already told me that he's not a huge Aquaman fan, so I don't mind if Aquaman doesn't even show (Aquaman had a surprisingly large part in JLA/Avengers, anyway!)... Just as long as he makes JLA good again.

Let's see, what else... hmmm. Go read Near Mint Heroes. Fun stuff there. He's done some more link-blogging.

Scott at Polite Dissent tells us of a lesson he learned in medical school: cheating doesn't pay.

Boing Boing reports that an on-line gamer has made a virtual Oz Themepark. This one is for hubby.

Today in alternate Bastille Days. I'm loving the alt history blog...

Yes, I've gone over to the dark side.

Comics are out today! I'm getting a big chunk of books today: Batman Order of Beasts, Aquaman, Bloodhound, DC Presents Mystery In Space, Fallen Angel, Green Arrow, H-E-R-O, Identity Crisis, JLA, JSA, and maybe even Ursula. Aquaman #20 is the final issue of "American Tidal", but not the final issue in the mystery of Sub Diego, if I'm reading the solicits right. Ah, decompression blues...

by Tegan at 11:47 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Tuesday, July 13, 2004

Hello, this is Lisa, Laura's younger sister. I am going to be guest blogging while Laura is on vacation. Laura says that I am exempt from the three a day rule, so I can post all I want. Of course I have to be near a computer that I can get on to post, this will not be a problem when they are on vacation, since I am house sitting. Hmm, this could be fun. Anyway, I have my own blog at blog spot, a grocery checker's blog at ladunham.blogspot.com.

by Lisa Ann Dunham at 4:00 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Usagi Yojimbo #76: I wondered if Stan Sakai would ever tackle this subject. I think he covered it from just the right angle. I remember being shocked when the subject came up in Lone Wolf and Cub, and even more shocked when I did a little research and learned more about it. Touching on this subject more deeply would not enhance Usagi's world, but I'm glad this story was written. Stan's gift is to educate as well as entertain.

Swamp Thing #5: All the players are finally in the same place, and the villain of the piece turns out to be slightly unexpected, unless you were paying close attention. I'm not sure the final battle is quite what I was expecting... but there were a few twists I didn't see coming, so I guess all in all I liked this one.

Age of Bronze: Sacrifice: I had to get the hardcover of the second collection to match the first collection. This book brings the story right up to date, collecting issues 10 through 19. I've said a great many things about this series, but the only way for anyone to know for sure if they will like it is to read it. So go read it.

Age of Bronze: A Thousand Ships (softcover or hardcover) and Age of Bronze: Sacrifice.

This week's books (coming tomorrow): Batman Order of Beasts, Aquaman, Bloodhound, DC Presents Mystery In Space, Fallen Angel, Green Arrow, H-E-R-O, Identity Crisis, JLA, JSA, and maybe even Ursula (if I'm lucky and Paige got the reorder in quickly enough).

by Tegan at 12:01 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Happy birthday, Kaylynn!

Today is also national "Computer Ate My Vote" Day. Remember, if there is no physical proof that you voted, no back-up paper trail, you might as well be throwing away your vote. Various voting machines have already been proven to be buggy, not to mention certain vendors of voting machines have agendas that may not line up with your political beliefs. So go check out Verified Voting, and the media coverage of today's rallies. And write to your legislators and demand that a paper trail be required for all e-vote systems. And this election, demand a paper ballot, whether you request to vote absentee or demand one at the polls. There are too many problems with computer voting at the moment, don't let a computer eat your vote.

by Tegan at 9:28 AM Seattle time - Permalink

Monday, July 12, 2004

Supreme Power #11: The "main" plot is getting a little old, so the switch to another storyline at the end of the book is a bit of a relief. All told, there were three plotlines covered in this issue, and while they are all interesting enough, the whole book does seem to be moving forward at a glacially slow pace.

Birds of Prey #69: Ok, spooky enough beginning *IF* you recognize the costume. If you don't, I'm sure it all becomes clear soon, but some of the impact would no doubt be lost. Anyway, it's a cruel thing Babs has done, sending Huntress to Oregon. After all, nobody lives in the northwest except crazy cultists! Besides which, Huntress just isn't dressed for our weather... mildly recommended.

DC Presents: Batman #1: I find that I want to read the original story, not just see the original cover (it was nice that the cover was included as the inside front cover). I like the "Bat Gulp" on the new cover, by the by. Two ok stories in this one, both with a very Silver Age feel to them. The second story plays up nicely to the "urban myth" aspect of Batman. Not bad, but nothing super special.

Still to Review: Usagi Yojimbo and Swamp Thing.

by Tegan at 11:29 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Well, I'm still not feeling right and I'm having a lot more trouble writing comments on the comics I've read recently. So instead I'll talk about the comics coming out in a couple of months. Yes, as many of you already know, DC Comics solicits for August/October have been posted around the 'net. As is usual, I prefer the Toon Zone listings, and I'll link to some of those as I go through the highlights...

As usual, the very first thing I looked for was the regular DC Universe section so I could see the cover to Aquaman.

by Tegan at 9:44 PM Seattle time - Permalink

The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 2) by Lemony Snicket: Ah, the second book! Again, this was a very fast read. I'm sure I read it in under two hours, maybe as little as an hour, though I'm not positive about that. Again, the writing style is a delight, and the horror of the events in the book is mitigated by the wry and sometimes even sarcastic style of the author. I particularly enjoy the moments when the author implores the readers to put down the book if they are expecting a happy ending. The characters are growing on me, particularly Sunny who didn't have much of a personality in the first book compared to her siblings. As with the first book, I can't really place this in any particular era or location, and that vagueness helps to keep the focus on the people. This book would make a great read aloud book. All in all, an excellent little lightweight series, worth a look if you need something simple to read.

by Tegan at 12:06 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Sunday, July 11, 2004

Via Warren Ellis: "I do believe the President of the U.S. just gave you boys the finger.".

What Happened the year You Were Born? It's worth a look, but I didn't feel the urge to cut/paste this one. Via Trash Heap.

The adventures of Jell-O Man and Wobbly. The real question is, can he change flavor???

by Tegan at 8:32 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Thor #82: Utterly incomprehensible. I didn't even want to read it.

Justice League Adventures #33: The cover is nicely misleading. It is good how Robin leads the Justice League through the a nice little mystery, even if there is a mnior plot point that is never adequately explained. A good little tale.

Powers v2 #1: I didn't know what I expected from the relaunch of this title, but I know it wasn't the death that happens almost right away. I suppose the rest of the book followed a more expected pattern, but the start? Yeah, it shocked me. That's what this book is really good at, anyway. So, if using powers is a crime, only criminals would use powers... Oops.

Still to Review: Usagi Yojimbo, Supreme Power, Birds of Prey, DC Presents Batman, and Swamp Thing.

by Tegan at 3:50 PM Seattle time - Permalink

Many thanks to Steve Lieber for sending me copies of these two books.

Family Reunion: When you get a copy of this, and I'm sure you will all get a copy, read the comic inside without reading any of the introductory text. I suspect that the whole story will be more intriguing that way. That's my sole piece of advice on reading the story, and in order to keep the story secret and intriguing, I can't give away any spoilers. So if you want to follow my advice, don't read any further in my review. This mini-comic is an excerpt from the novel Perfect Circle by Sean Stewart, which has quite a fascinating concept. Add in the artwork of the amazing Steve Lieber, and you get a really cool little slice of the story, enough to get me to pick up the book. I'm particularly taken by the final image, in which there are only two "solid" people. Very, very cool.

Me and Edith Head: This one is also "based" on a novel, except it's not an excerpt. This mini takes a supporting character from Empress of the World and shows us a slice of her life. Katrina is a computer nerd whose parents are constantly fighting. Again, writing more will give away the plot, but this is a coming of age story, and a good one. While I don't entirely identify with Katrina, I see echoes of myself in her, and that's the best kind of story to read. Give this one a chance.

by Tegan at 12:04 PM Seattle time - Permalink