Saturday, November 06, 2004

I got this sketch at the 2000 San Diego Comicon, and you can read about it here. I just want to pause a moment and once again thank my little sister for being in Paraguay that year so I was inspired to write her long letters about the con, which later became my con report. Without her, I probably would have nothing to say beyond where I got the sketch. Anyway, I was very stressed that day, and had decided to stop trying so hard to get sketches. I made a goal of five sketches for the day, and ended up getting sixteen. Philip's sketch was the third sketch of the day, and it's a beaut! And he added to my fish collection, too... I'm really going to have to count my fish one of these days.

AQUAMAN
by Philip Moy
22 July 2000
(permission to post given 31 October 2004 via e-mail)
www.philipmoy.com

by Tegan at 8:51 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

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

Let's start with the covers. Front cover is the Marvel MiniMates, featuring Wolvie, Punisher, and Cyclops. And yeah, they are pretty cute. I have the Spidey 2099 one. Back cover is from the official movie adaptation of Constantine. Fairly nice cover, with the slash of light effect, but I'm still not fond of the casting for that movie.

The first thing that hit me when I opened the book was on page 3... a full page ad for a half-sized "Angel as puppet" puppet. I was thinking about it until I noticed the fine print: "Sword not included". Oh, well, then what's the point?

Moving on, let's hit the Splash Page (8-9). Marvel's young blood interests me only very slightly, and most of the interest is on Araña, the spidey character from the new Amazing Fantasy. I'm not so interested that I'm likely to get it, but it does sound good. Tomb Raider, Sin City, Mech, and Kill Bill don't excite me, but I noticed the Courageous Princess trade in an article about Antarctic's 20th anniversary.

Page 10 has a list of titles to try in the new year. There's a lot of good stuff I already get on there, like Usagi Yojimbo. I notice that Dorothy is also on the list.

Time to skip over the Premier Comics section, all the way to page 188 and the Wizard Magazine bit. Wizard's December issue claims to have big DC news, we'll have to wait and see. There's also a Superhero Gaming Special, which includes information on the next DC Heroclix expansion (I'd given up hope of seeing another one).

I'll note that AIT/Planet Lar has a full-page ad at the end of the Wizard section, just before the Featured Items of the Comics & Graphic Novels.

Pages 196-199 are the Featured Items pages, and of note are The Courageous Princess trade I already mentioned once, and Simpsons/Futurama Crossover Crisis Part II. More on that later.

AIT/Planet Lar (215) has the third volume of Couriers, a shoot-em-up style book that I didn't enjoy much but lots of other folks have found to be a great deal of fun. And if you've enjoyed Demo, you can get the Demo Scriptbook, which includes early notes on each issue. From seeing other "process" books by AIT/Planet Lar, I can say this is probably going to be excellent.

Amazing Moon Factory, who brought us Amazing Adventures From Zoom's Academy TP, has The ABC's of Superpowers (216) by Jason Lethcoe. I enjoyed Zoom's, and I'm sure I would enjoy this one, too. I hope we can swing it when the time comes.

Antarctic Press (222) has the Courageous Princess trade. That's the third time I've mentioned it.

Banana Tale Press (238) has the fun-looking Banana Tail #1 by former Aquaman artist Mark McKenna. This one definitely looks like something worth a second look.

I've been enjoying The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty (239) from Beckett Comics, and issue six is solicited this month.

Bongo Comics (240) is taunting us with a return to the ultimate crossover, Simpsons/Futurama Crossover Crisis Part II #1. The apparent Carl Barks tribute in Simpsons Comics #102 is also worth mentioning. And we'll probably get Simpsons Classics #3, the oversized reprints of the original comic run.

While Cartoon Books doesn't have a proper solicit in this issue, they do have a full-page ad (246) for the Complete Bone, which hubby-Eric just got for me from Amazon.com using the credit from his Wizard of Oz store. If you haven't read this series, you can get this and read it in the original B&W, or you can get the Scholastic color reprints when they come out. Or both.

I'm really not sure what to think about this month's offering from Classics Illustrated Jr (248). The book is Classics Illustrated Jr #571: How Fire Came To The Indians. I'm just not sure what to think.

I couldn't find a website for Conspiracy Productions (250), but the idea of a "freakish-loooking bookworm" who takes out his rage on would-be rapists does seem to be an interesting concept when paired with the strange double-life the solicit indicates. I can't afford Creep #1, but I hope some other comic fans get it so I can hear if it's good as it sounds.

Dork Storm Press (268). PS238 #10. Of course I'm getting it. I wouldn't miss this book for ... well, for an awful lot. Indeed, my only problem with this book is that now I want to get Nodwick too...

Eureka Productions (284) continues their series of Graphic Classics with Volume 11 featuring stories by O Henry. It really does look pretty cool.

Illusive Productions (303) has the great Dorothy #1, already reviewed on this blog here. This is a recommended comic, particularly for open-minded Oz fans.

Saga of the Four Sons: The Perfect Cloth is described as "an ecliectic tale based on ancient mystic medrash stories". What are "mystic medrash stories"? The publisher is Mahrwood Press (306).

Meridian Arts (306) gives us another president in Masked Commander. Without some artwork it would be very difficult to determine whether or not to risk buying this one.

NBM Publishing (308) is putting out a book based on a webcomic called Cryptozoo Crew. I'll have to check out the webcomic to decide if this one is worth buying, but in general I like cryptozoology.

Rosen Publishing Group (312) has another set of biographies of famous folk, including Cleopatra, Hernan Cortes, Elizabeth I, Julius Caeser, Harriet Tubman, and Richard the Lionheart. I wish I could get these. They really look fascinating.

Starline Multimedia (316) has a book called Real Life: The Complete Year One Collection. Looks life something worth a read or two.

If you missed Daisy Kutter the first time, you can get the collection in January from Viper Comics (341). I've really enjoyed this book, and I can certainly recommend the collection.

Viz Comics is putting out the 19th volume of Vagabond (348) which I loved when I checked out all the volumes the library has. I hope I can someday afford all these.

Whew... all the way through the Comic Book section now, and moving on into the back of the book stuff.

So I have to decide if I'm going to get Comic Book Digest #4 (356). I thought the first issue definitely gave value for money.

In the book section, I noticed Broadway Musicals: A History In Posters (369). I can just imagine the cool artwork that would be in that one. There is a stack of Doctor Who related books, including Doctor Who: Dalek Empire: The Scripts (372) and a number of the Short Trips books (373). There's a new Myth Adventures book, Myth-Taken Identity (374) with the standard artwork by Phil Foglio.

Seeing the "Gotham City Police Department" T-shirt (399) made me want a "New Venice Diving Squad" shirt, even though nobody but fanatical Aquaman fans would get it. Maybe "Sub Diego Swim Team" instead...

So there's a Justice League Chess set (484)... but it's based on the Animated series so I can't tell if Aquaman is in it. And it's really expensive. Hrm.

Everything old is new again on DVD, including Fat Albert (504). I'm not really sure I'd want that one.

And it's time to go back and hit the big four.

Let's start with Image Comics this month. I'm pretty sure we ordered the first issue of Battle Hymn (130), so we'll probably get the second issue too. Beyond Avalon (131) also looks interesting. I'm not sure if I want to start another ongoing series, but it might make the list.

I'm told that I must flog Four-Letter Worlds (139) or I'll be off the happy-lists of some people. To flog it, I'll just give you the names of some of the people who are contributing: Joe Casey, Kieron Dwyer, Jay Faerber, Matt Fraction, Phil Hester, Steve Lieber, Jim Mahfood, Scott Morse, Jeff Parker, and Andi Watson. And that's not even half of them. Sixteen short stories in a big anthology. I want.

Lions, Tigers & Bears (142) looks like a winner, and it'll make our pull list for sure. Noble Causes #7 (145) is a no-brainer. I'm loving the book, and I liked Firebirds too. I loved the short story "The Seventh Shrine" by Robert Silverberg, but the price of the comic book adaptation (150) is off-putting. I may put it on the list, but it probably won't make the cut. Two-Bits (154) is one of those books that I would like to support just on principle, as it's a sampler at a price of 25 cents. I'm not entirely sure about it, though, as I've already seen a sampler of "The Imaginaries" from Comic Book Digest. Then again, it's only a quarter. Rising Stars #24 (162) finally finishes off the epic.

Scooting back to Dark Horse, we've got Conan #12 (18) along with the first of the collections of the new Conan series. I think I'll wait and see if they put out a trade, because the hardcover price is a bit steep for me. We'll be getting Usagi Yojimbo #81 (25) despite the recent worrying absence of Usagi from the book. I ordered the first issue of Samurai: Heaven and Earth (29) so I'll probably get the second. And, speaking of Japanese warriors, we'll also get Samurai Executioner Volume 4 (33). We might also get Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Volume 3 (37).

Almost done... next up is Marvel Comics who would get a lot more attention from me if they actually bothered to put their previews in Previews. I know I'll be ordering: Captain America & The Falcon #11, Marvel Age Fantastic Four #11, Marvel Age Fantastic Four #12, Amazing Spider-Man #75/516, Spider-Man: India #3, and Powers #8. No certainty on any other books. Araña is a possibility, but I'm not sure.

And finally, it's time for DC Comics. Once again, I'll cover these by section.

Batman (55-61): Nothing. Not a thing. Our one Bat-book has been moved to the regular DCU.

Superman (62-69): I'm slightly wanting Superman: Strength #1 as I like Scott McCloud in general. I'm just not sure with it at $5.95. The three page preview makes me want it more... but I'm still wavering.

DC Universe (70-90): Aquaman #26, the second issue by Arcudi, and a cover without Aquaman on it that echoes the cover of #23. I'm not sure I like where the preview is leading me, but I'll wait and see. Also up for grabs: Bloodhound #7, Bizarro World, Birds of Prey #78, Green Arrow #46, Green Lantern: Rebirth #4, JLA #110, JLA: Classified #3, JSA: Strange Adventures #6, JSA #69, Plastic Man #14, and Outsiders #20. I'd love to get the Seven Soldiers of Victory Archives, but the price is too high and there are too many ones I'd like to get in front of it on my wantlist. Wonder Woman #212 features the Justice League, but unless I know for sure that Aquaman is in it, I'm not interested. Yes yes, one-track mind and all that.

Johnny DC (91-92): That is one creepy looking Scarface in The Batman Strikes #5. I'm not sure I want to read about him. Justice League Unlimited #5 focuses on Blue Beetle. This oughta be a trip and a half.

Beyond The Universe (93-100): Nothing for us.

Wildstorm (101-108): So, should I get Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days trade? Anyone got an opinion on this one?

Vertigo (109-120): Wow, lots and lots of Hellblazer stuff. I wonder why. The only other thing of note is the Seaguy trade. Very very odd, but extremely nice artwork.

DC Direct (121-126): Nothing here for us, though the Composite Superman looks pretty funky.

So that's it for this month's "Things in Previews That Look Interesting But I Can't Afford To Get (with a list of things I am getting just for contrast)". Comments? Questions? Did I miss any really cool books that you know about and would like to point out? Do you disagree with something I wrote, and want to correct me? There's the comments, right below. Post something. And, yes, I accept review copies. I'm willing to give almost anything a try.

by Tegan at 11:12 AM Seattle time - Permalink   

Friday, November 05, 2004

Avengers #88/503: Um. Ok. I don't really get that last bit with the completely different artwork, but for a reboot I guess it wasn't entirely awful. I'm thinking that the opinions of actual Marvel fans ought to matter much more on this one, though. For me, it was just "eh."

Marvel Age Fantastic Four #8: Hey, that was pretty good! The introduction of a new villain and a new friend, the first time Ben gets sort of back to normal, and it all holds together well. The art is solid, the story is fun... this one is recommended.

Captain America & The Falcon #9: I wish I could follow this, but there's too much going on. I suspect part of it is the annoying crossover thing with the Avengers reboot, but there's also those missing three issues between the trade and the last issue, the three issues I couldn't find. Well, my friend David said that I couldn't understand how important this book was to him. It was, I think he said, like Batman without Robin or Superman without Lois Lane... to have Cap without the Falcon. Well, as long as David wants to read it, I'll get it for him and read it myself. Mildly recommended.

Thieves & Kings #45: Wow. The last issue came out in May. And I've completely forgotten what happened in it, except that I enjoyed it. This issue wasn't bad... there's a major revelation for a major character. I think I need to dig out all the issues of this and try reading it from the start. In the meantime, this issue gets a mild recommendation.

Ant #4: Huh. That's not the ending I was expecting, but it does explain the language Hanna uses earlier in the story. She isn't what she seems. Overall, not bad. Again, the art is too bad-girl for my tastes, and is weak in spots. But the story is fairly compelling, and it was a decent little mini-series.

Still to review: Rising Stars, JLA: Classified, Fallen Angel, Firebirds, and Justice League Unlimited.

And as an extra public service announcement... there's only 50 days until Christmas.

by Tegan at 7:29 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

Many thanks to Thought Ballons for his link to the preview of the Hardy Boys comic. It looks like we might have to get it after all:

The always cool Postmodern Barney is doing a bit of linkblogging. Check him out.

I love Scott's Medical review of Strange #2. Oh heck, I generally love reading Scott's blog anyway, but if you read Strange, check out the review.

Marc Singer has a fascinating look at an old Justice League story, including some bits that I find as striking as Marc did: "If there's anything that we in the League should understand... it's that no culture or tradition is any more fitting than any other. We're fighting for truth and justice, my friends... not necessarily our way...!"

Kaja Foglio reports on Girl Genius #13. I'm still really excited about the GURPS book, since it will have a bunch of stuff that isn't very relevant to the story, but is nonetheless fun for the fans.

Voting Machines are still not trustworthy. There's one obvious example of a miscount, how many not-so-obvious examples were missed? Down with electronic voting!

As per hubby-Eric's wishes, I'm not going to mention that we watched the first couple of episodes of "Drawn Together". Heh.

by Tegan at 2:04 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

• Weight = X-2
  
• Change From Last Week = -1
  
• Met Exercise Goal? No.
  Goal was twenty minutes a day (walk/bike/swim) at least four days.
  
• Current Exercise Goal = twenty minutes a day (walk/bike/swim) at least four days.
  
• Kept food diary? No.

As I suspected, without exercise my weight just hovers. That should be taken care of soon as I start training for the Breast Cancer 3-Day here in Seattle. I don't expect to lose a lot of weight, but I suspect it will help overall.

Which reminds me, if you want to give me a little donation inspiration, click on the logo to go to my donation page. With 37 weeks to go until the walk I've raised... nothing yet. But then, I only announced my intention to walk two days ago, so I'll forgive anyone who didn't notice yet.

In any case, I do have one pledge, even if I don't have any actual money from it yet. My little sister Lisa has pledged one percent of all the sales from her Usborne book store to the walk, and three percent of the sales that originate from this page. So if you're thinking of getting someone a cool book for Christmas... I highly recommend their reference books for kids. They also have cool "Kid Kits" on various topics that are neat gifts.

Right, but this is about my training, yes? So, I've started to keep track of my training on Gjoblaag. Here's Training Walk Report #1 and some Training Schedule Thoughts. There's also a counter on Globlaag that indicates that The Walk starts in 259 days. I didn't do any training yesterday, I wimped out, but today I intend to go on another long walk. Maybe I can get a shot of the famous Sammamish River Park Wild Chickens for Globlaag.

So if you would like to donate or learn more about the 3-Day, please click here. And if you can't afford to help out with the financial side, a situation I understand completely, please please please feel free to give me encouragement in the Friday Fitness comments. I'll need all the inspiration I can get. Thanks!

by Tegan at 12:25 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

Thursday, November 04, 2004

Tomb of Dracula #2: Um. Ug. Not completely horrible, but nothing really to excite the imagination. It's just... blah.

The Golden Plates #1: I must admit that I was hoping that this book would be excellent. I was raised on these stories. So it is with disappointment that I have to admit that this book did not meet my expectations. It was far from being bad, but the choices made by Allred in adapting the stories didn't really work for me. See, the Book of Mormon is written in a very beautiful, but very stilted by our standards, older English. This is due both to the time it was produced in and the education of Smith. The result was that I, who was raised on the BoM and the King James version of the Bible, never had any trouble understanding Shakespeare... but people who come to the book cold find it very hard to read. And I think that Allred, in an effort to stay true to the original, stayed a little too true to the language. Simply put, this is not an easy book to read. He's also limited by the story itself. The books of Nephi don't really lend themselves well to visuals due to the subject matter. And with Allred's determination to stay true to the book, that means it doesn't flow as well as I'd want it to. There are a lot of much more ... um... comic-y stories later on in the book, I hope that Allred continues with this project until he reaches those. But on this one, I'm afraid I can only offer a mild recommendation based mostly on the very cool art.

Dorothy of Oz II: Another interesting addition to this series. It's not following the book, obviously, but it's going on a different path in a lot of ways. There is going to be a quest, but it isn't your old "off to see the Wizard" stuff. I'm intrigued. The artwork is nicely done, obviously with great care. We'll stick with this series.

Concrete: Short Stories 1990-1995: Another good set of shorts, and it definitely makes me want to read more of this character. As I think I mentioned, Concrete works really well in the short story format. Chadwick likes exploring different concepts, and the format allows just enough time to really explore an idea without going overboard. These are excellent tales, but the real treasure for me was a timeline of Concrete's adventures in the back, including the first real coverage of his origin that I'd read. While there is nothing wrong with a lack of an origin, it is nice to have that background.

Vagabond Vol 7: Musashi has a rematch, and begins to learn what the way of the sword actually means. This volume was mostly two characters standing firm against each other, not moving, while flashbacks to unrelated characters explain to the reader (and to two other characters) what lesson Musashi has learned from his first defeat. I began to get antsy as the book continued on with no action, and it was what I feared most: a cliffhanger at the end. I really would like to collect this series. At the very least I wish the library had more of the volumes.

The Batman [1-05]: The Man Who Would Be Bat: This is definitely not on my short list of favorite versions of Batman. There are plenty of ok bits and it's certainly watchable, but it's not fantastic. On the plus side, Manbat was particularly scary looking in this version.

Still to review: Thieves & Kings, Ant, Rising Stars, Avengers, JLA: Classified, Fallen Angel, Firebirds, Captain America & The Falcon, Marvel Age Fantastic Four, and Justice League Unlimited.

by Tegan at 1:05 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

Yeah yeah, I need to finish off last week's books before I start reviewing this week's books. Here ya go, lots of rapid reviewing:

PS238 #8: Oh yes. We finally get some background into the Rainmaker Project. The story is wonderful. The art is wonderful. I shouldn't have to say anymore, since you are all getting this already, right? Strongly recommended.

Aquaman #23: This is a problem. I was expecting part 3 of 3... and writer Will Pfeifer's last issue. Besides being two weeks late, this is not the solicited story, writer, or artist. The good news is that it's not bad at all. But there are a lot of questions that have been left unanswered, both on the story side of things and on what the heck is happening behind the scenes. In any case, Ostrander manages to turn in a good part one of what may have originally been meant as a one part story. Solid. And recommended.

Smallville [4-06]: Transference: I fully expected to hate this episode. I don't like body swap stories. I'm sick of them. It's one of the most annoying cliches in science fiction. So when I saw that this was going to be a body swap episode, it became the first ever Smallville episode that I just wasn't looking forward to watching at all. Well, I'm happy to report that I was wrong. Or at least not disappointed. The acting alone made this one work. It was impressive how John Glover and Tom Welling managed each other's character mannerisms. And at least it wasn't a "meteor rock" that caused the transfer. All in all, very nice.

Birds of Prey #75: Uh. Ok. I suppose this ties into the annoying Batman crossover somehow. Whatever, it didn't do much for me. I'll be happy if this book ever finds its footing again.

Usagi Yojimbo #79: Another Usagi-less story, but with the return of a number of characters, and a little bit on the nature of one of the spookier characters in the world of Usagi. Nice little one-page back-up, too. Excellent book, recommended.

This week's books to review: Thieves & Kings, Ant, Rising Stars, Avengers, The Golden Plates, JLA: Classified, Fallen Angel, Justice League Unlimited, Firebirds, Captain America & The Falcon, Marvel Age Fantastic Four, and Tomb of Dracula.

by Tegan at 8:54 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

I'm going to start ruthlessly cutting down my sidebar in the hopes that I can make this blog load faster for the folks who are using IE or other inferior browsers. It really does load quite fast on Firefox, so I'm not certain what the problem is on the other browsers except that the other browsers are much more poorly designed.

Anyway, if you can't find your blog on my sidebar and think that, by rights, you ought to be there, please drop me a nice comment. If I agree, I'll add your blog.

This update might take me awhile, so feel free to comment here until you see massive changes. Like the useless Google Ads go away.

by Tegan at 6:40 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

I've taken the plunge. I'm going to do the Seattle 3-Day walk in 2005. Here's my donation page, if you want to give me a little support in this. I have to raise at least $2100 by the walk to qualify, but I set my goal a little higher at the fannish significant $4200.

Starting with this Friday's fitness report, I'm going to be including my latest training information and anything else that seems important about The Walk (as it will henceforth be called). I expect to start off a bit slow, and my orientation meeting isn't until the 13th so I'll be a little aimless until then. But my husband already did this walk once, and I'm determined to manage it myself.

So... if you have a little spare cash that needs to go to a good cause, please donate. If not, I'll gladly accept words of encouragement here and in my Friday posts.

Update: My little sister Lisa has pledged to donate one percent of all sales through her Usborne Book Store and three percent of any sales that come from my page. If you want to get some good books for kids for Christmas, you can order now. Usborne is a pretty good company, and the sales would be going to a good cause. (Note that this is a percentage of the total sale, not just her commission, and this is her minimum pledge: she hopes to pledge more).

by Tegan at 11:28 AM Seattle time - Permalink   

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

No more posts tonight. I'm watching the results come in on the most important election of my life so far.

by Tegan at 6:36 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

What if you show up to vote and election workers say you are not registered?

1. Make sure you are the correct voting precinct. You can check at My Polling Place or call 1-866-OUR-VOTE for assistance.

2. If you are at the correct polling place and officials claim you are not registered, request a provisional ballot. It's your right under the law.

There are a lot of other resources to help you, so don't be shy, get out and vote. Every vote counts (despite what you might hear on the news).

by Tegan at 8:08 AM Seattle time - Permalink   

Monday, November 01, 2004

Is tomorrow over yet? No? I'm going to hide under the bed until it's gone. But before I go, here's some thought-like things.

Garrett reports on Hallowe'en at our house from the other side. He took a picture of our welcome sign.

Near Mint Heroes links to Train of Thought, yet another another another another *click-bzzzzz-reset* comic book blog.

The Comic Treadmill points out that Dorothy of Oz #2 is out. Eric and I just got our copy, and I'll be reviewing it once I sit down and review some comics again. Soon. Really.

Rick Geerling tackles the blogosphere. The comments are fun too, especially Rick's responses.

The Great Pumpkin meets the Old Ones. You really have to read this one to get it. Via Boing Boing.

Boing Boing notes that Nintendo admits when they make a mistake. And fixes it. Good PR move, there.

Library Stuff directs us to Building With Books, in which students use books to... um... build.

No picture, in honor of Rick's request.

by Tegan at 10:42 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

So I promised myself that I would read one item from the Banned/Challenged books list during Banned Books Week. Ok, so I started reading, sort of, by checking it out during BBW, but I only finished it... well, a month later. There's a reason for it, though.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. It didn't take all that long to figure out why this book has been challenged, but I was a bit into the book before I had to set it down for awhile. See, the subject matter is ... hard. Really hard. I would absolutely not allow a young child to read this book. I would suggest to teens that they wait until they are ready to tackle something difficult and painful before reading it. That doesn't mean I'm in favor of banning it. I expect parents to make that decision themselves and enforce it, too. After all, that's what parenting is all about. Back to the book... it was painful enough of a subject matter that I found myself wanting to jump back in time to smack some sense into some of my fellow humans. What makes this harder is that it's autobiographical. The knowledge that these events really happened was almost too much to just casually read about. And yet, after finishing it, I wanted to read more. Recommended, but not for kids.

by Tegan at 11:58 AM Seattle time - Permalink   

Sunday, October 31, 2004

I have spoken of #1 and #2, who arrived before dark in princess costumes. Number 3 came at 5:55pm, wearing a heavy blanket and a wooden sword. Like one of the princesses, he seemed to have forgotten his Hallowe'en protocol, saying, "Got candy?" instead of the implied threat of "Trick or Treat!" We gave him a bag once he said the magic words. It occurs to me that it is a school night, and so we should expect our visitors early.

The next two, #4 and #5 were a cheerleader and a princess... excuse me, a royal princess, who were startled by the large bags. These two remembered their Hallowe'en manners and immediately threatened us with "Trick or Treat!" upon my opening the door. They arrived at 6:20pm. Shortly thereafter, we got Belle from Beauty and the Beast, who also remembered the proper words.

Four girls came a half-hour later as I was beginning to get antsy (and hubby-Eric and I were finishing dinner). Yes, Hallowe'en is just about my favorite holiday because I get to see kids being creative. These four were dressed as an Angel, a Devil, a Punk rocker, and a Goth punk zombie girl. The Punk rocker delivered the words, and they each got bags. That makes 10 total so far...

Seven more, almost all at once. First group was a pirate, a devil, and an athlete in a letter jacket. Before we finished giving them their bags, up came four older kids. Two were "gangstas", one was a zombie, and one was an army of one, in full camo makeup. That makes 17, and it's not even 7:30 yet...

We had to wait another half hour for the next three costumed adventurers. We had a taekwondo expert, a sumo wrestler, and another princess. Lots and lots of princesses, aren't there? In any case, that makes 20, which means we only have three pre-made bags left. It's also our all-time high at this house, beating out last year's 19. Should we make up more bags of treats? Should we hold off until we know if we'll get more kids? What will we decide to do?

An hour later... more... a lack of further Tricksters takes care of the issue for us. Nobody else came, so no other bags go out... three left over. Plus lots of Sky Captain comics and poster books for future years.

by Tegan at 9:06 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

At 3:30 pm, long before dark, our first two Trick or Treaters showed up for the loot. They were the two Fitzgerald kids, who were forewarned about the loot... or at least daddy was... The older girl forgot her Hallowe'en protocol, but did ok after a moment. So. Two down. Will we have to frantically make up more packages of loot? You'll find out later...

Kaja Foglio reports on Hallowe'en. I particularly like the tale of experiment #2 growling right back at the grim reaper. There's a picture of experiment #2 with Kaja and #1 on Torvald's page.

Polite Dissent tells us his favorite Treehouse of Horror shorts. Hubby-Eric agreed with these as I read them out, but I'm sure he could think of many more, as well.

Scary stories on The Moonlit Road.

The Dionaea House... is it fact or is it fiction?

Have a pleasantly creepy night.

by Tegan at 3:35 PM Seattle time - Permalink