Saturday, January 15, 2005

I met Jamal Igle on the first day of San Diego 2000 when Leah and I were wandering through the DC booth drooling over the Aquaman and Aqualad action figures. I believe Leah introduced Jamal as "a really great artist that you are going to HAVE to get an Aquaman sketch from." I was able to accomplish that task the next day in the Friends of Lulu booth. Jamal has worked on Green Lantern, New Warriors, Shi, and recently Firestorm. For more on this guy, check out Jen Contino's Sequential Tart interview with him. Jamal produced a nice perspective of Aquaman for me, which I'm now sharing with you...

AQUAMAN
by Jamal Igle
21 July 2000
(permission to post given 1 December 2004 via e-mail)

As a reminder: Almost every sketch in my sketchbook was non-commissioned and done on the floor of a con. These are not the best works of the artists. These are only representative of what the artist can do under pressure in a loud, crowded, and often stressed-out environment. Most of them were done as quickly as possible, to prevent huge lines from forming. Don't judge any of these artists negatively by the artwork you see, instead be as impressed as I am by what they accomplished in far-from-ideal conditions.

The Saturday Sketch ™ is brought to you by the letters "J", "I" and the number "81", and also courtesy the fine artists who pour their lives into producing wonderful comic books, then come to conventions only to get asked by geeky fangirls for a sketch of Aquaman. Support an artist, buy a comic book.

If you have any contact information for any of the other artists I'm trying to contact, please e-mail me. I only have permission to post one more piece, so next week is IT unless I get more sketches or reach some of the artists on my list.

by Tegan at 8:54 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

After reading my thoughts on Aquaman, Ezrael takes a shot at listing the interesting bits of Aquaman's narrative.

Jeff Lester does a handful of reviews, including the latest issue of Aquaman.

Jeff Parker covers Day of the Dude at Mercury Studio. Fun read.

Johnny B discusses trade paperbacks and the drawbacks for a fan of the single issues of switching to waiting for the trade. Personally, until DC regularly collects Aquaman, there would be no point to switching to trades for me.

Will Eisner documentary, ten minute teaser.

Eric noticed a book at Amazon.com that he's sure I'm going to want to get. And he's right, I want it:

Yes, it's the next True Story, Swear to God collection: "This one goes to 11". It'll be out in May from guess who and I hope to get it soon after. Depends on the money situation.

And lastly, I know you are all fascinated by the weather out here, since my last weather post garnered a good number of comments for this blog. So here's the current situation.

As I was helping load the truck at work today, we walked outside and saw what appeared to be rain. After a moment, though, we could hear it skittering and bouncing. It seemed far too generous to call the tiny pellets "hail", so we decided that it was just "bouncy rain" and I should go home before it got dark and froze. By the time I got home, it was beginning to stick to dry areas. When I was at work it was pretty much melting as soon as it touched the ground. After a few hours at home, these pictures are what we were seeing.

Hardly enough to be called a snowfall, even by Seattle standards. It appears now, as I write this, that it's turned into a proper rain and what little stuck to the ground is melting. The key to travel over the next day and a half will be whether or not it manages to melt completely before it freezes, and if it will get warm enough tomorrow to thaw what does freeze tonight. Not that I care. I fully intend to remain home all day tomorrow.

by Tegan at 5:09 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

Friday, January 14, 2005

Please feel free to enter my Bloggity Contest #1.

The first prize is a copy of Colonia: Islands and Anomolies by Jeff Nicholson.

The second offered prize, contributed by Larry Young specifically for this contest is a page of original artwork from Colonia. I'm not sure which issue this page is from, but I'm pretty sure it's from one of the issues after the collection. It's a bit of a key page, as it shows Jack figuring out some of the anomolies of the world he's been thrust into.

If you want a copy of Colonia: Islands and Anomolies by Jeff Nicholson OR if you want a shot at the original artwork please enter the contest! Deadline is 9 pm Pacific, January 20th.

All you have to do is write a micro-essay (no more than 50 words) on why/how comic books are good as educational materials.

Send your entries to emeraldtegan@comcast.net with a subject line of Bloggity Contest #1. Include your name and your entry.

And please feel free to spread the news of this contest to anyone you think might be interested.

by Tegan at 10:03 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

Trying to get errands done today before going into work. So not much blogging until this evening, and there might not be much this evening because I'm going to a going-away party for some friends after work. I was going to try to pull together a random thought or two, but I can't even manage that much.

So, just a few things I noticed while out and about today:

• It's very cold, and the ponds next to the Sammamish River up near Monroe are frozen. The river itself isn't, but the ponds were.
  
• Lots of lawns around the area still have bits of snow on them. I saw a lot of lonely snowmen sitting on otherwise completely green lawns.
  
• The house across the street got TP'ed right before Christmas, and lots of the toilet paper is still in the tree. It's beginning to look fluttery again, so it must be drying out.
  
• The windshield of my van is really, really dirty. But it's only obvious when I'm driving into sunlight, so I didn't notice until today.
  

Ok, more when I have time. Enjoy the day.

by Tegan at 1:09 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

Thursday, January 13, 2005

Curses! Bloodhound has been cancelled. At least we get three more issues of it. Fallen Angel has not yet been cancelled, but it may take a miracle to keep it going.

Mike Sterling reports that pal Dorian is cut off from home and thus cannot blog. We hope for his safe return to blogging soon. And it's strange, but I have trouble thinking of him as just "Dorian" anymore. That "pal" always sneaks in. update: wow, before I even managed to post this, Pal Dorian "drove seven hours through insane traffic" just to update his blog. What dedication.

Four Color Meat & Fish has a very short review of Aquaman #26.

Speaking of Aquaman, there's one other problem with the character that I didn't mention in my post the other day. And it's a biggie, so I'm not sure how I forgot to include it. A hero is usually defined by his villains. Really nasty, convincingly horrible villains make for a better hero. Aquaman has... Ocean Master and Black Manta. Yawn. No one has yet made either one threatening enough to be considered a top tier villain. The only thing interesting about Manta on Super Friends was the voice modulation. Wearing a big clamshell on your head just doesn't make you a threat.

Polite Dissent gives us a handy guide to medical studies, namely when you can believe or trust a study reported in the news.

This is Johnny B's fault:

Please remember to enter my Bloggity Contest if you'd like a copy of Colonia: Islands and Anomolies by Jeff Nicholson OR a page of original artwork from the series. Just write a micro-essay (not as easy as it sounds!) of no more than 50 words on why/how comic books are good as educational materials and send it to emeraldtegan@comcast.net with a subject line of Bloggity Contest #1. The usage of "Biff!", "Pow!", "Bam!", or other sound effects will likely disqualify you from winning a prize.

by Tegan at 9:01 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

Aquaman #26: "Retroverse One": I was expecting to be disappointed. Completely disappointed, in fact. And as I started to read, and got through the first page, I thought my worries were justified. I was ready to chuck the book right then, but as usual I kept reading. And was surprised. The set-up is actually interesting! The usage of Geist is well-done! Lorena is referred to as "Aquagirl" for the first time in the book, and actually seems threatening! My hopes kept lifting right up until the last pages, when I came crashing back down to earth again. Of course. How obvious. I get what's happened now. Right. Same old, same old. The final page confirmed it. Even as I started to feel disappointed again, I felt a bit of guilt that I am disappointed. After all, Arcudi did a much better job with this than I expected. He pulled a fast one on me, and it worked. I enjoyed the book. I shouldn't criticize because I don't like the identity of the villain.

Ok, a few more thoughts before I figure out how to rate this one. First off, notice the artwork. There are several places where the plot is given a little boost by the art. Two in particular spring to mind. The first is where Lorena bursts in on the council meeting. Note the glowing shapes circling the head of the thing she's riding. Hmm, what does that remind me of? (spoilers)In this case, they remind me of the Craig Hamilton mini, and the magic that Orm used in that series. They also just reek of magic in general, don't they? Gee, I wonder what power Orm used to take over Sub-Diego with?(end spoilers) The other bit is on the cover. Look to the left, near Lorena's wrist.

Looks like a skull to me. An indication, perhaps, that Lorena in this issue is leaving death in her wake. I didn't notice that in the preview image, although it's definitely there. I need to study the covers more closely while Gleason is doing them. Heck, I plan on going back over all the artwork a bit more closely. Gleason's work is full of surprises.

Ok, ok. I've got to rate this. I'm still not pleased with the villain, but to be honest, Arcudi hasn't given me any reason to not like this issue beyond that. I felt that joy while reading this issue that I haven't felt for a few months. I have to give this one four starfish... and hope that the next issue is as good or better.

by Tegan at 11:56 AM Seattle time - Permalink   

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Please remember to enter my Bloggity Contest if you'd like a copy of Colonia: Islands and Anomolies by Jeff Nicholson OR a page of original artwork from the series. Just write a micro-essay (not as easy as it sounds!) of no more than 50 words on why/how comic books are good as educational materials and send it to emeraldtegan@comcast.net with a subject line of Bloggity Contest #1. The usage of "Biff!", "Pow!", "Bam!", or other sound effects will likely disqualify you from winning a prize.

Via Franklin's Findings, Ferret Press is also giving away comics. Hrmmm... I think their rules apply to my contest as well. Especially the "no whining" bit.

X-Ray Spex checks out novelty items, and it's fun.

Neil Gaiman puts up an Everything you wanted to know about literary agents post that is well worth reading for anyone who ever hopes to get a book published.

Really really big slow motion collision. Check out the graphic comparing the iceberg to Long Island.

Garrett Firzgerald links to an elaborate theory about the Harry Potter books. I'm skeptical, but it's a fun one to read anyway.

Lost information of the ancients found in a statue

Train hits pick-up sized rock, no one dies.

The snow is pretty much gone, but it lasted a couple of days longer than expected. The forecasts last night claimed it would snow today, but when I work up I listened and could tell it hadn't. Yes, just by listening. We live close to a couple of schools, and there tends to be traffic on our street first thing in the morning. I could hear cars driving by, and they were going a normal speed, so that was the first clue. Second clue was the lack of dripping sounds. Unless we get a blizzard, there is always running water around the house during a snowfall. In a blizzard, there are thumps of snow hitting the roof from the trees. No sounds, no snow. After I got up and checked, I could see I was right... and what little snow had remained from before was also gone. Checking the forecast, all I see for the next week is rain, rain, and more rain. Ah, back to normal.

And lastly, here's a picture from my front yard. Yes, it's a front-yard forest. I think the full picture is more enchanting, but this cut down version isn't too bad, either.

by Tegan at 11:23 AM Seattle time - Permalink   

Via the Girl Genius mailing list:

Thoroughly clean the toilet.

Add the required amount of shampoo to the toilet, and have both lids up. Find the cat, and soothe him while you carry him toward the bathroom. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet, and close both lids. The cat will self-agitate to make ample suds. (You may need to stand on the lid so that he cannot escape.) Never mind the noises that come from your toilet; the cat is actually enjoying this.

CAUTION:
Do not get any part of your body too close to the edge, as his paws will be reaching out for anything that they can find. Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a "Power Wash & Rinse", which I have found to be quite effective.

Have someone open the door to the outside, and ensure that there are no people between the toilet and the outside door. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids. The now-clean cat will rocket out of the toilet and run outside, where he will dry himself.

Sincerely,
THE DOG!

by Tegan at 8:47 AM Seattle time - Permalink   

Tuesday, January 11, 2005

If you aren't reading the comments on my blog, in the last entry Bill brought up some good points related to Aquaman. What it all comes down to is the problem with Aquaman, as it's been bandied about in Aquaman fan circles.

Aquaman has a decent core of fans. He's got visibility in the DC Universe, and a lot of people who aren't comic book fans recognize him. The problem is that most people recognize him because of the Super Friends cartoon, in which Aquaman was poorly utilized. His real abilities never came through, because the writers had to shoehorn him in. So he's recognizable, but too many people think he's a lame character.

I don't think he's lame, obviously. He's the monarch of an undersea culture, can live equally well under water and above it ("...let's see you get by under water as well as I do on the ground..."), on dry land he's faster and stronger than any human, he's one of the first superheroes to have been married and had a son, and he has a fascinating history in the culture of comic books outside of the storyline. And, oh yeah, he can talk to fish.

It's that last, and somewhat insignificant ability that people peg as Aquaman's only talent. As if that was the whole character. And it's pretty much the fault of Super Friends, which treated him as though talking to fish was it for his abilities. Never mind that he's been shown to have detective skills nearly as strong as Batman. Never mind that his domain covers the majority of the Earth's surface. Never mind that, due to being used to the pressure underwater, he's fast on land. He can talk to fish *snicker* so he must be lame.

Sadly, when you combine talking to fish with the ill-conceived "one-hour limit", which was a testament to writers' lack of originality, you've got a character that people glance at and fail to understand. The one hour limit was apparently created when a writer decided to use a space story, in which the protagonist only had one hour's worth of air, as a quick rewrite into an Aquaman story. I'm still hunting down the origins of the concept. A writer's shortcut devolved into an unrealistic limitation, which comic book fans later use to call the character lame. *sigh*

As Bill points out, lots of writers and artists at DC would love to get a shot at Aquaman. Virtually every writer I've talked with likes the character and thinks he would be fun to write. And yet the series, even when a fantastic writer like Pfeifer is on it, fails to sell. And so we get a writer like Arcudi, who seems to be hitting the old standards rather than looking for a new angle. Gleason is a great, if unconventional, artist who's work deserves more attention. But sales continue to fall and we're headed once again for cancellation if DC doesn't find a way to boost it.

I don't know of any solution. All I ask from DC is a good book with strong stories. Pfeifer delivered on that... I'm not sure of Arcudi yet. I've only read one issue by him and was not impressed. Aquaman's currency with the current generation of TV viewers is being much better served by Justice League, which has a stronger Aquaman than Super Friends ever dreamed of. But that won't bear fruit for a long time, I suspect. Is there any way to save Aquaman? Should the character have an ongoing book? Why in heck hasn't DC collected Pfeifer's run yet? I don't know the answers. I just have more questions.

by Tegan at 11:50 AM Seattle time - Permalink   

Monday, January 10, 2005

The Invisible Library is a list of books that only appear in other books.

Way cool Online Etymology Dictionary. Look up a word whose origins you are unsure of...

Build your own LEGO computer cases. I think I know what my next computer case ought to be made out of... Via /.

Workplace Fairness has an article on the woman forced to wear makeup by her employer. It's absolutely ridiculous. Not only was she fired, she's been blackballed from the industry so she can't find a similar job. There's no permalink, so scroll to Jan 3rd's entry. Via MeFi.

CleanSoftware.org hunts down freeware that is also clean of ads or spies. Worth a look if your machine is really slow from massive infections of spyware.

Seatbelts.

While doing a test to see if dogs could tell the difference between a real dog and a robot dog, the robot dog is attacked. Via Boing Boing.

I saw it first on Boing Boing and decided not to link to it, but good ol' Neil Gaiman puts the firing of a long-time employee of a bookstore into a sharp focus. The guy was fired for blogging, and it sounds to me from Neil's description that the bookstore made a BIG mistake.

Here's a legal opinion worth reading.

Via MeFi: someone has taken the time to synch up before and after images of the Tsunami. These images give a much better idea of the devastation, this one in particular.

Lastly, I pulled out my list of comics shipping this week from Diamond, and here's what I should be reviewing in the next week and a half: Aquaman #26, Bloodhound #7, Batman Strikes! #5, Captain America & The Falcon #11, Marvel Age Fantastic Four #11, and The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty #6. JLA, JSA, and Green Arrow are also shipping, but I snagged them from the Preview package last week. Other items of interest that I spot on the shipping list include: Two Bits, the 25 cent book from Image; and Hero Squared X-Tra Sized Special #1 from Atomeka, written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, which I reviewed late last year.

by Tegan at 4:52 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

Originally announced on January 3rd, here's a nice little update to my first ever Bloggity contest.

There are two prizes. The original prize is a copy of Colonia: Islands and Anomolies by Jeff Nicholson.

The second offered prize, contributed by Larry Young specifically for this contest is a page of original artwork from Colonia. I'm not sure which issue this page is from, but I'm pretty sure it's from one of the issues after the collection. It's a bit of a key page, as it shows Jack figuring out some of the anomolies of the world he's been thrust into.

If you want a copy of Colonia: Islands and Anomolies by Jeff Nicholson OR if you want a shot at the original artwork please enter the contest! Deadline is 9 pm Pacific, January 20th.

All you have to do is write a micro-essay (no more than 50 words) on why/how comic books are good as educational materials.

Send your entries to emeraldtegan@comcast.net with a subject line of Bloggity Contest #1. Include your name and your entry.

And please feel free to spread the news of this contest to anyone you think might be interested.

by Tegan at 9:13 AM Seattle time - Permalink   

Sunday, January 09, 2005

Snow is a special thing in Seattle. It's not like other areas, where snow is more common. We get real snow maybe twice a year, if we are unlucky.

People in other areas, where snow is more common, laugh at our panic when it snows. However, people who move here from other areas, where snow is more common, tend to agree with Seattle's reaction once they've experienced just one snowfall and the headaches involved.

First off, most places that have more snow than Seattle are much more flat than Seattle. Elevation changes are extremely common around here. When I've visited other places, they didn't even have proper hills. And what we call "hills" around here, people on the East Coast call "mountains". As far as we're concerned, if it doesn't have snow on it year-round, it isn't a mountain. So any discussion of snow in Seattle has to take into account the fact that you literally cannot go more than a couple of miles without experiencing a fairly steep hill, and in most places you can't go more than a couple of blocks without running into a hill.

Second is the reaction of the infrastructure to snow. I've heard people in British Colombia express shock at Seattle's reaction, until I explain to them that Seattle never salts the roads. We sand the roads. And sand doesn't really do a whole lotta good when the roads are ice. This is apparently changing a bit, but you won't see any salt on Seattle's roads, and you are unlikely to see a lot of snowplows. After all, when it snows only once or twice a year, if that, snowplows are a bit expensive to justify in a city's budget.

Third is the fact that most people in Seattle don't have any experience driving in the snow. Again, when it snows so rarely, the opportunities for practice don't come up often. And people who complain about driving in Seattle snow usually aren't as annoyed at the streets themselves as the other insane drivers on them. Inexperienced drivers combined with poor clearing of streets and lots of hills is a lethal combination, or at least leads to rich tow truck drivers.

And so the entire region pretty much comes to a screeching halt when the snow starts sticking to the roads. The prudent don't go out at all when snow is on the streets, as they know it won't last long and usually their destination isn't worth whatever they might pay in car repairs if they run across a classic Seattle driver. They instead put the heater on, or throw a couple of logs on the fire, grab a cup of hot cocoa and watch the snow flit down and start to melt.

by Tegan at 1:12 PM Seattle time - Permalink