Kryptonsite has a little rumor of Arthur Curry. Namely that a spin-off pilot is in the works. I personally am not at all surprised at the news, but I will be surprised if it gets past "the works" stage, as the vast majority of TV pilots never get made, and those that do rarely go to series. More here. You want this Aquaman fan's opinion? I hope it doesn't happen. I really doubt an Aquaman series would have wide appeal, and if the dialogue is even half as cheesy as in the Smallville episode I'd be embarrassed to watch it.
Remember, Remember, the 5th of November, gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.
The Flu Pandemic of 1918 as told by survivors.
The Museum of Hoaxes reports on a theory about sea serpents.
Military applications for silly string.
Whoa. Vindication for the protesters during the Battle in Seattle.
Oh, the irony! So Washington State ReThuglican chairman, Chris Vance, who made it absolutely clear during the hotly disputed election for the governor that mistakes regarding voting rights are not acceptable, has made some very serious mistakes regarding voting rights and as a result may well deprive some voters, in largely democratic areas (strangely enough), of their right to vote. I thought Vance was an idiot when he made some really stupid comments during the disputed election, now I think he's a scumbag and a liar, and perhaps should go to jail for his "mistakes" since he sure seemed to think that state election officials should go to jail for their mistakes. Only the mistakes the election officials made were accidental. His are intentional attempts to keep democrats from voting, as the challenges appeared RIGHT BEFORE THE ELECTION. If he'd wanted to fix problems, he should have made sure the challenges were made with enough time for people to respond. Scummy tactics from a scummy person. Are there any honest people in the Republican party? I sure know that no honest person can possibly vote Republican in Washington state as long as hypocrite and liar Chris Vance and his ilk are in charge of the Washington Republican party.
And let me make one more thing very clear. I don't think that filing the challenges alone was wrong. I think that filing the challenges as late as they did, making sure that the voters only have a couple of days to fix the problems was a seriously nasty partisan tactic for which there is no excuse.
Speaking of Republicans, if you follow this link (pdf) you'll see the evidence put in against these lobbyists in a money laundering scheme. If you don't feel like going through all 318 pages, go to page 119 under "Mobilization": Simply put we want to bring out the wackos to vote against something and make sure the rest of the public lets the whole thing slip past them. The wackos get their information through the Christian right, Christian radio, mail, the internet and telephone trees. In short, these Republican lobbyists believe that Christians are wackos to be used. This is the Republican method. Use Christians to influence the vote, but don't give them anything they really want. If you are Christian and vote Republican, you are a moron. The Republican party doesn't share your values, they just manipulate you to make you think they do. The only people who vote Republican right now, with the current "leadership" of the Republican party, are either complete idiots or folks who are morally bankrupt. There's a good summary of the lobbyist money laundering case here.
-by Tegan at 10:14 AM Seattle time - Permalink
I was just about ready to stop moderating comments, as I hadn't got a bit of comment spam in weeks, when yesterday I suddenly started getting tons of poker site spam again. I have to wonder how these guys/bots/idiots work. But, needless to say, I'm going to keep comments on moderation a bit longer. Anyone else getting hit hard by comment spam right now?
-by Tegan at 8:04 AM Seattle time - Permalink
Wallace and Gromit are too violent.
Kevin Melrose's strawberry cows.
Trash Heaps brother has a Wikipedia entry.
You can buy Dorothy on Amazon.
Hmmm... Marches and death threats in Denmark as cartoonists intentionally provoke Muslims. Now, don't get me wrong. I believe in freedom of speech. But these cartoonists went out of their way to insult Muslims... in a way they already knew would be offensive they added further insults ("...he is depicted as a sabre-wielding terrorist accompanied by women in burqas, in another his turban appears to be a bomb..."). And while that doesn't justify death threats, I certainly don't have a lot of sympathy for the cartoonists. Especially when their supporters say stupid things like this: "It's necessary to taunt Muslims on their relationship with Mohammed."
-by Tegan at 4:58 PM Seattle time - Permalink
Manga Online, for November 2005. Here's July, August, September and October. New Titles: Dramacon is the one that actually made me want to go and check the page out as soon as I knew the November previews were up. So I've read and enjoyed... do you have opinions on any of these? As for me, more next month.
I'm not going to review chapters that are continuations of ones I reviewed already and disliked, so if you see it on the page but not in my list, I probably didn't like it much. I'm also keeping new features separate from continuing features.
Previously Reviewed Titles:
-by Tegan at 10:47 PM Seattle time - Permalink
The Least Scary Swamp Thing Moment. Yet another reason to not use public toilets.
Write slogans for Dorothy bookmarks.
The Museum of Hoaxes tackles Chris Elliott's book and Boilerplate.
Roman soldiers vs Daleks.
Trash Heap's brother gets more vindication.
I will never laugh at the Batman: No Man's Land storyline again. Related: Brown's unfunny emails.
How to avoid being bashed in blogs, a guide for Corporations worried about the new paradigm.
Netflix "settlement" is another cheat.
It's a Puggle!
Hydrogen fueled cars on the road.
-by Tegan at 1:23 PM Seattle time - Permalink
JLA #121: "Call To Arms": Aquaman as a computer expert?? I suppose that maybe if the original Justice League computers used Atlantean tech, not too far out of the realm of possibility, then that might make sense. But it still was a jolting bit for me. I also found it odd that Aquaman would go along with Green Arrow in trying to get Nightwing to spy on Batman. In fact, I find it a little odd that Aquaman is on the side of the folks who did the mindwipes at all. He's a telepath, it seems to me that he'd have some strong opinions about it. Eh. I guess I'll just have to see where this one is going. Wiki. 
Legion of Super-Heroes #11: The rest of the Legion attempts to pull themselves together from the chaos caused by the attack on headquarters while Brainy simply tries to logic a way out of reality. The main story was very strong, with a good amount of movement in the overall storyarc without rushing things... but the backup story was amazing. This one... this issue was just good. Wiki. 
Noble Causes #14: It's fun to see someone trying to set up a secret identity after having lived a sheltered life of luxury. And it's especially fun when you consider that it's Zephyr Noble, who's had some pretty nasty things happen to her recently. And, as usual, the book leaves us with a number of cliffhanger plot threads, none so urgent that I want to go to Jay Faerber's house and steal his scripts, but enough to keep me coming back for more. Wiki.
Marvel Team-Up #14: "Spider-Man Meets Invincible": I didn't mean to get this. But it was sitting there looking at me from the Preview shelf and I just thought... well, man. I liked the Invincible trades I've read. I think the character is great. And everyone likes Spider-Man, sort of. It's probably really good. What the heck, I'll get it! And it was good. A nice solid issue with a fun team-up story in the tradition of the best of the old crossovers (and this is a REAL crossover, from one universe to another). There's also a Franklin Richards backup story that was ok. Definitely worth a look if you like Spider-Man, Invincible, or both. 
Angel: The Curse #5: Angel uses his detective skills to see the real threat, and as a result does not get his wish. It seemed pretty much predetermined that he wouldn't get what he wanted, but it was somewhat sad to see how his last hope ended. I like Angel, and I've really enjoyed this mini. The text stories in the back have been good, if overly horrific, as well. Overall, a nice solid book, and I'm glad we got it. Wiki.
Age of Bronze #22: "Betrayal 2": What Eric Shanower has done with the Trojan War is nothing short of fantastic. He's brought the dusty old characters to life as real people with real problems. In this issue he moves the focus away from Achilles and back to the fleet as a whole. I was a little confused as to who is who, but that's to be expected with so many kings and princes and whatnot all gathered together. Wiki.
Usagi Yojimbo #88: "The Treasure of the Mother of Mountains chapter six": Is this the end? As usual, a strong tale from the rabbit master Sakai, and a deeply felt conclusion. Of course, it's not quite the end, but it's good enough to feel like one. As usual, recommended. Wiki.
Stardust Kid #3: "Book 3: Another World": I want to like this book, but I just don't. The art bothers me for some reason even though I generally enjoy Ploog's style. The story is moving way too slow for me. I keep thinking that all the story we've had so far would've worked just fine as a single issue. I was hoping this would be as good as Abadazad, but it doesn't even come close. This one is still a disappointment. Wiki. 
All caught up with last week's comics. Of course, now there's a big pile of this week's comics to read, plus a couple of nice review copies I've gotten in the last couple of days. A comic blogger's job is never done...
-by Tegan at 2:53 PM Seattle time - Permalink
Rachel Hartman's Trick or Treat adventure.
Happy Hallowe'en from the Mystery House.
A Martian Hallowe'en.
The Badger Badger Badger page appears to have been taken over by zombies for Hallowe'en. I don't know how long this will last now that the holiday is over, so head on over and feel you brain melt.
Johnny B predicted the NFL games, but I didn't link to them until now.
The Dorothy folks are having a November promotion.
You can Buy Babylon 5 Scripts. Via Garrett.
Want to change the world? Microloans help people out of the dirt, and are inexpensive enough to make them well worth the risk. And you will usually get your money back, as well.
The number "2" appeared in the eye of Hurricane Wilma. Yes, but what does it mean?
Gef the Talking Mongoose.
Earthquake clouds! Hey, if it might possibly even slightly work... eh, who am I kidding?
Trash Heap's brother didn't do anything wrong to get himself deported.
The Ten Most Sensible Arguments Against Gay Marriage. Yup. This about sums it up.
-by Tegan at 5:32 PM Seattle time - Permalink
-by Tegan at 11:00 PM Seattle time - Permalink
Here's where I will be posting the official Bloggity Trick or Treat report for 2005. Last year we had 20 kids who got the amazing loot bag. In 2003, we had 19 costumed visitors. In 2002 we gave out candy at a different house.
This year's treats: Either one or two full sized candy bars, two Hallowe'en ashcans, and a regular comic book. I'm afraid we don't have any hats or trading cards to give out this year. Maybe next year.
I've put up the signs that welcome Trick or Treaters to the house, but no other decorations have gone up yet (as of 1 pm). My plan for tonight is that I'll update this entry as we get guests.
6 pm: First three Toters. As their father spent seven months in Kuwait recently, the two older kids were decked out in his uniform. The youngest was... er... she had a green bag and a purple glow stick.
6:15 pm: Next three Toters. My brother's kids. All pirates. All ARRRR! And fascinated by our brand spankin' new woodpile.
7 pm: Four more! Three somewhat generic spookies (one in a vampire cape but "not a vampire") and a "jailbird" complete with pink stripes. It was, admittedly, a good costume. The comment I was waiting for: "This house always has the best candy!" Ah! Success!
Eric was commenting on his desire to get some cheap versions of the Wizard of Oz, like the Dover thift editions, and give those out with the candy and comics. I think that's a great idea, especially if we get a few different books, including the scary tales books and stuff.
7:15 pm: Two more. Garrett's kids. A Jaguar and an Angel, both exhausted from walking around town (they walked to one of the "safe Halloween" parties and then back). That makes a dozen.
7:30 pm: Two more. Two witches, one with a ... something... that said "trickortreattrickortreattrickortreat" for her. We could see the parents (and possibly a dog) waiting on the street. Comment of note: "Cool! Comics!"
9:30 pm: Wow! A latecomer. We got a French Maid. She was about 11 or 12, and her father got a candy bar for his troubles as well. We were literally about to shut off the music and "close up shop" for the night when they walked up.
Closed up the house at 10 pm so I could watch the new Ghost Hunters. So the final total is a slightly disappointing 15 Trick or Treaters, but we did get multiple compliments and the highest praise I hope to get for my Hallowe'en efforts: "This house always has the best candy!"
Not a bad Hallowe'en.
-by Tegan at 1:00 PM Seattle time - Permalink
...I don't feel like pulling together a review of either comics or Wicked today, but I like to have an entry a day on the blog if at all possible, so here's some odd non-linked thoughts for today...
Ah... can't think of anything else at the moment. I'm sure I'll think of tons of great things to add in about 20 minutes, but I won't add any of them. Eh. Such is life. See you tomorrow.
-by Tegan at 7:32 PM Seattle time - Permalink
