"My daughter lives in Cardiff and her best friend invited both of us to visit on February 7th - the day they were filming episode 7 'The Devil's Lantern' in her street."...

Go read the whole thing. Many thanks to Carolyn Ibis, who provided the picture and the hosting space for the story, and has promised to get the recipe for little chocolate daleks that you can make wander around your own house.

Mercury Studios witnesses a shooting. Sort of.

Ghost Hunters, one of my favorite programs recently, went to the Willard Library to hunt for ghosts. I've linked to their ghost cams before.

Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #47. Hmmm.

Aaron Williams once again has a great entry... I want to read PS238 #17 NOW.

Elayne suggests entering the Ben and Jerry's Do Us A Flavor contest, which has nifty prizes. For added ease, use the Flavor Generator to make your ice cream design.

Colleen Doran reports on what I, too, thought was a joke. An Arab airline has adopted what appear to be the South Park kids for their mascot.

Making Light has more about the Writer's Beware 20 Worst Agents List and in particular the scam agent who is threatening legal action and trying to get Teresa fired from her job for exposing scam artist lies.

A book about Manga has been banned from libraries, despite being shelved correctly in the general reading section (not in the children's section).

OH WHO WILL SAVE THE CHILDREN FROM THE DEPRAVED MANGA PERVERTS!??!?? OH PROTECT MY POOR BABIES (read: 16 year old boy) FROM THE EVILS OF SOCIETY!!!! GET THIS SMUT OUT OF THE LIBRARY!!! (nevermind that the Bible contains rape and incest, and the library contains tons of other books inappropriate for children, gotta get rid of this because cartoons are for kiddies).

What I find particularly annoying about this story is that it starts with a case of good parenting: the boy saw material he knew was inappropriate for his beliefs and told his mother so she could counsel him. Excellent! That's exactly what should happen in this case.

But then the mother, instead of being a rational being, decides to ask the library to remove the book (BAN IT! IT DOESN'T FIT MY WORLDVIEW! BAN IT!) instead of reasonably asking it to be labeled or reshelved (to be fair, after asking for it to be removed, she did ask for it to be "restricted", which I consider a slightly less hysterical reaction. But it should have been her first reaction, not sloppy seconds).

Then some uppity-up idiot who hates freedom and America decided to ban the book completely. Censoring scumbags. So, it started with a tiny gleam of good parenting, and ended with a horrible farce of fascism. All we need now is the County Board of Supervisors Chairman, the distraught mother, and the now apparently permanently damaged son to hold a book burning in the library parking lot.

Very, very annoying.

And, yes, for the record, I just put a hold on the book at my library system. They have twelve copies, and it appears to be a moderately popular book, shelved in the NonFiction section (741.5952).

Ah yes... another attempt to catch up on my review writing, not to mention my reading. Starting with the next week after these, I haven't read any of my comics except Aquaman #41. Ouch...


Oz: The Manga #8: "In the Country of the Quadlings": The final part of the book, the one that most people don't seem to know. Dorothy and her friends meet the other good witch of Oz and everyone gets their final wishes. This has been a consistent and great adaptation, and I've enjoyed it from the beginning.

Usagi Yojimbo #91: "The Ghost In The Well" part two: Nicely done and nicely creepy. I like the way the final bad guy is captured though I didn't expect it. The cliff-hanger ending was a major surprise. Another excellent issue of an excellent book.

Batman #650: "All They Do Is Watch Us Kill Part 3": Very dark, very depressing, very much an ending and yet perfect for this sort of a cliffhanger. I really don't know how this one will turn out, and I'm not really sure I care.

Green Lantern #9: "Branded": Batman and Green Lantern team up to fight the Tattooed Man. I'm still not 100% satisfied with this book. It's ok, but I want more than "ok" from Green Lantern. At least the design of the new Tattooed Man was pretty cool.

JLA: Classified #17: "Blood is Not Enough": Not getting into this story, either. The idea of a former tyrant striking back at the Justice League through all the other rogue nations that hate them is good, and the methods seem vaguely interesting, but my attention just hasn't been caught by this book.

Wonder Woman #226: "Cover Date": The final issue of this run of Wonder Woman. We get a series of flashbacks in the form of reaction to a gossip magazine. It's not bad for a final issue. Except for the "one year later" multiple earths ending it's actually pretty good.

Legion of Super-Heroes #15: This was the final issue we planned to get of this book, as it's the last issue before the one year later jump. And it's a good one. Some really fun flashback stories to what I presume are other versions of the Legion, and fun retro art. And, as usual, the letter column is one of the best parts of the book, bar none. So ... yeah, it's worth buying. Especially if you've bought the rest of this series so far.

Solo #9: "Scott Hampton": I wasn't familiar with Hampton's work before reading this, but I definitely enjoyed it after finishing the book. Another great issue of Solo, even down to the silly "Monsters" story in the center of the book. The final story is remarkably creepy. All-in-all, a solid issue.

Mouse Guard #1: Unusual format and size, but the art is magnificent, the story is intriguing, and the characters are excellent. I want more of this series.


Infinite Crisis #5: "Faith": Ok, not too hard to follow. I like how Alex describes other earths as ones that would have existed if not for the Crisis. As for Superboy... how many are there? Seriously, is there just the two, or was Luthor making a third one somehow? Or was he just healing Superboy after the fight? And if so, why? I really want this series to end so I can reread it and maybe figure it out.

Detective #817: "Face the Face": Another one year later book... and Bullock is back on the force... Jim is commish again... and Batman and Robin are back on the job and ready to tackle Poison Ivy. But who is Robin? And what happened during that year? We get lots of hints, but no certainties. A solid issue to start the OYL.

Green Lantern Corps: Recharge #5: "Stardeath": I'm reminded again of how much I don't like DC cosmic stories, and how little interest I have in such tales. This just wasn't my cup of tea.

JSA #83: "Who's Afraid of Ghosts?": I loved the backstory on Jim Craddock. When a writer does that for a character I'm always interested. And this was a good one. I'd like to know how he became the Gentleman Ghost from those origins, but the origins alone were great. And the ghosts haunting each member of the team... it reminded me of the summer annuals from a few years back, in which the Justice League got haunted, only much much scarier. Good stuff here. Go check it out.

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #40: "Once and Future": Everyone seems to want to know what I think of this issue. I'm much more interested in seeing how everyone else likes it, as I'm not the one who can bring the sales up and keep the book from being cancelled. But I'll indulge, since this is a review section...

I knew about the prophecy before I read the book, as Kurt told me about that much in our phone call. I had no idea who the Dweller was, though (my suspicions were completely and utterly wrong). As for Arthur, the new Arthur, himself... well, I'm going to have to reserve judgement. I love the idea of a fresh new character who is taking over the mantle... it's not so far-fetched in the realm of superheroes. I'm really glad the new guy is also named "Arthur Curry" (because he wasn't originally), I like the continuity even though it has caused some confusion and consternation among readers who prefer to have their stories spoonfed to them. I also like all the nods to previous runs and previous continuity. Geist being a part of the project is a nice touch. The mysteries set up in this issue, followed by the surprise reveal in the last panel (The Dweller is Orin (and I don't feel bad about spoiling it since #41 has already come out)), made for a great read. I put the book down wanting more right away. That's the kind of feeling I want from a comic.


Justice League Unlimited #19: "The Justice Rangers Ride Again!": I like the fleshing out of Vigilante's character in this one, as well as the "Never Mind. It's Time Travel. It's Complicated." Heh. Definitely a high point of this series, which has had a lot of excellent issues.

Fallen Angel #3: "Day & Night": We get a lot more of the angel's history in this issue than previously, although we've had hints. We also learn a bit about what happened to Jude's wings. It's funny, when this series first started at DC I wasn't sure I liked it, but I kept buying it because it fascinated me. And now... I keep buying it because it fascinates me. I'm still not sure I like it.

Local #4: "Two Brothers": This one hits the "ouch" criteria. Megan's got some rotten luck, running into those two. I don't really have a lot more to say about this one, except it's typical solid writing from Brian Wood, and decent artwork from Ryan Kelly. Go check this series out. Each story stands alone, so don't worry about what issue you get. Just go read.

Star Wars: Empire #40: "The Wrong Side of the War": I like the conflict that Luke caused with Tank Sunber, which really is the main focus of the story. And, of course, while the series ends, the problem of who is really on the wrong side of the war continues. I believe Sunber is supposed to show up in the next version of this book. All told, not a bad little story.

PS238 #15: A rip-roaring adventure featuring poor Tyler figuring things out and we also get to see The Revenant in action. But the cliffhanger makes me want to cry. I really want to see what's going to happen with Ambriel. This is, quite possibly, the best book on the market right now. Go get this book and read it.


Powers #17: While Christian gets powers again, Deena starts to use her powers. I really wish this book would speed up just a little. Not a lot, but the long delays between issues combined with the pace of the book is beginning to drive me bonkers. Not that I can really talk... I'm still six weeks behind in my reviews. But I like this book a lot (even if I feel like I have to take a shower every time I read the letter column). I just want to read it more often.

Dorothy #5: "Echoes of a Road": The last issue ended with Dorothy dying from the wounds given her by the giant snake, while the Scarecrow tried to find help. This issue starts with a side trip to the wicked side of things before returning to let us know that Dorothy survived. This is another great issue of a great series. I'll understand if some Oz fans find it a bit much... but I have just been finding it great. If you haven't read this book yet, check it out. The trade is now available, and definitely worth reading.

Polite Scott has yet another fascinating PSA and information about HIV and AIDS that I didn't know anything about. If you aren't reading Polite Dissent regularly, you are missing out.

P'la's post Emerald City Comicon Report.

Pal Dorian on Doctor Who and other stuff. The Doctor Who Sudoku is annoying.

When Fangirls Attack has been following a great deal of stories much better than I can, but just in case you missed it, check out What Makes A Real Man? and How to Guide for Women in Social Situations from Comics Fairplay. Heidi gets to the point.

And finally: one last peep.

Hi, Hubby-Eric here, providing a special guest entry. This is a video from a radio show (?) in the UK. John Culshaw is part of the cast of "Dead Ringers," and he does a bit where he calls celebrities and, using his spot-on Tom Baker impression, pretends to be the Doctor. So what happens when he calls Tom Baker himself...?

Last night my sister Lisa and I got together to exchange various stuff (she needed the new Who) and while we were together we formed a team for the Puget Sound Race for the Cure. I don't particularly need individual donations, but if you'd like to support our team, we're the Browncoats. If you live in the area and want to join us, please register for the Family Co-Ed 5K Walk, and feel free to join our team.

Any more training or update information will be posted only over on Gjoblaag, so no one will feel pressured (although I reserve the right to mention it here every once in awhile). After the 3-Day, I never want to deal with fundraising like that EVER again.

Happy Blogiversary to Garrett.

How to spot a Crumbling Comet.

Nasa sells soft drinks with coca. Yeah, it's a trick, go read it anyway.

Dave has some Doctor Who music for all you new Who fans.

Polite Scott learns something new every day. Friday's made me cringe badly.

Colleen Doran reports on yet another idiot who wants to ban Harry Potter books, but can't be bothered to actually read them.

Making Light tells us about the twenty worst literary agents, and one in particular that is remarkably stupid.

I want one. Of course, that doesn't stop unwanted visitors from just knocking on the door...

At DC Comics, Comic Book Resources, Newsarama, and Comics Continuum.

The Comic Queen, Eric Schadt's Emerald City Comicon report. And if that wasn't enough, Kirk Jarvinen's Con Report.

Jeff Parker is doing an Alex Toth book. The description is enough to make comic fans drool: "twenty years worth of doodles and sketches that Alex would send to friend John Hitchcock". Looking forward to seeing this one.

Folks who've been following my insanity for a few years know that I'm really interested in Sales Data, and I've been charting Aquaman sales data for years. Now Comic Buyer's Guide has posted sales data going back to April 1997. I'm working on comparing it to the data I already have from other sources for Aquaman, but so far it's mostly matching up pretty well.

Who is the next Stan Lee? AiT/Planet Lar reports that Graeme McMillan thinks it's Larry Young. I actually agree with this to a large extent. One thing that Larry has been doing ever since he appeared on the scene has been making comics better. The books he's been putting out have pushed the boundaries and increased the profile of really worthwhile writers and artists. I can't help but be impressed with the way he's reached out to a new generation of fans using the internet, especially since I'm one of those fans he's reached out to. I'm a person who is watching the changes in the industry with fascination, even while being a vehement fan of the old school stories. I think Larry Young is blazing a trail and showing others how it's done. You want to see where comics are going, keep an eye on Larry.

Right, moving on from the praise... Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #46.

Lady Blackhawk goes bad. Another great spotlight from Silver Age Comics.

Polite Dissent on Superman giving blood... without ripping open his own arm. Hmmmmm....

And finally, this video is truly awful, but the ending really makes up for a lot of it.

When I dumped MS Outlook for Thunderbird, I only had one regret. The calendar program in Outlook was pretty good, and I used it quite a bit to keep myself on track. The replacement suggested for Mozilla was... let's just say it was lacking. The recurring events were poorly implemented, it was a big memory hog, and it just wasn't suited to what I needed it for. Rather than return to Outlook just for the calendar, I struggled along. Then I found Stickies, and that completely solved my need for recurring event reminders. But I still didn't have a good calendar program, and while I don't need one badly, I would still like to have one...

And along came Google with their brand new offering: Google Calendar!

It's not perfect, of course, but it offers all the bits I want from a calendar program. It's quick, it allows me to import ical formatted calendars, and it's simple to use. Added bonus: it's really easy to share calendars with other people, which is often the main point of having a program like this.

My first thought after playing with it for awhile... it's time to put the 1976 DC Calendar into a ical format and share it with the world. While I haven't finished editing it yet, the entire calendar is now available in ical format (and RSS feed, too, apparently) for everyone to enjoy.

I don't like peeps. Apparently, some people do.

Update: Elayne has more links, including one to Lord of the Peeps.

Update: Polite Scott has Avenger Peeps.