Monday, April 30, 2007
Monday Night Links
Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed Addendum.
I hate to admit that my first thought was about how much that gasoline cost, and not the damage to the road. Of course, that's a bit of road that hubby-Eric and I intend to go through this summer, so this could have a direct impact on us. I wonder if we can bypass the whole area on our way to Monterey without going too far Via Querldox
Querldox also tells us about a free Christine Lavin song about... well, break ups. Called "Stop Your Sobbing S/He's An Idiot (Happy Dance)". Two downloads available depending on whether the break up is from the male or female point of view.
Happy birthday to Nat Gertler! Check out the new Licensable BearTM video on YouTube.
Wil Wheaton likes the "number" 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0. Since I don't crack DVDs, I'm less interested in it, but it is a fascinating example of why DRM will never work.
The last line of this entry really made me smile.
The mysterious safe was opened and... the contents were a bit disappointing.
Pal Dorian tells us Lessons the Internet Has Taught Me.
I hate to admit that my first thought was about how much that gasoline cost, and not the damage to the road. Of course, that's a bit of road that hubby-Eric and I intend to go through this summer, so this could have a direct impact on us. I wonder if we can bypass the whole area on our way to Monterey without going too far Via Querldox
Querldox also tells us about a free Christine Lavin song about... well, break ups. Called "Stop Your Sobbing S/He's An Idiot (Happy Dance)". Two downloads available depending on whether the break up is from the male or female point of view.
Happy birthday to Nat Gertler! Check out the new Licensable BearTM video on YouTube.
Wil Wheaton likes the "number" 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0. Since I don't crack DVDs, I'm less interested in it, but it is a fascinating example of why DRM will never work.
The last line of this entry really made me smile.
The mysterious safe was opened and... the contents were a bit disappointing.
Pal Dorian tells us Lessons the Internet Has Taught Me.
Labels: Comic Book Urban Legends, DRM, Links
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Sunday Night Links
Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #100!!!
Todd Goldman Meme.
Doctor Who: Daleks are scariest, but I think that number 2 on the list was scarier.
Doctor Who: Trekkie.
Doctor Who: The Joker and Doctor Who.
Mike Daisy confronts the man who assaulted him by pouring water on his work in the middle of a performance.
Comparing Calorie Restriction to Anorexia. Hrm. Definitely something to think about.
Tired Kitten.
Todd Goldman Meme.
Doctor Who: Daleks are scariest, but I think that number 2 on the list was scarier.
Doctor Who: Trekkie.
Doctor Who: The Joker and Doctor Who.
Mike Daisy confronts the man who assaulted him by pouring water on his work in the middle of a performance.
He has three kids--one is 21, and two are 17--and he's terrified of the world. Terrified by violence, and sex, and he sees it all linked together--a horrifying world filled with darkness, pornography and filth that threatens his children, has threatened them all his life. They're older now, but he says he still sees things the same way--and that the only way to protect his children and himself is to lock it all out of his life.Mercury Dime.
He also said he's had anger-control issues for years, and sometimes acts of rage come over him--he explodes, and then has to apologize, and doesn't know why it happens. He tries to lock it down, but it happens, and he's ashamed of it. I told him that regardless of where we both stand, I felt very strongly that the repression of walling off everything in the world and viewing it all as filth is connecting with these outbursts, and that it isn't going to work--until you deal with the root causes, and deal with the world, his anger and rage would keep using him.
Comparing Calorie Restriction to Anorexia. Hrm. Definitely something to think about.
Tired Kitten.
Labels: Cats, Comic Book Urban Legends, Doctor Who, Links
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Sketchbook - Mike Grell
I got this Green Arrow sketch from Mike Grell at Emerald City Comicon 2007. He knew I was an Aquaman fan before he started the sketch, but went into automatic as he sketched, only realizing halfway through that I probably wanted Aquaman. So he drew Green Arrow underwater. Nice save!
GREEN ARROW
by Mike Grell
31 March 2007
(permission to post given 31 March 2007 in person)
mikegrell.com
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.
To see all the sketches I have permission to post so far, check out my Sketchbook Page. Click for a random Aquaman sketch. Also check for a history of Saturday Sketches.
The Saturday Sketch ™ is brought to you by the letters "M", "G" and the number "267", 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.
GREEN ARROW
by Mike Grell
31 March 2007
(permission to post given 31 March 2007 in person)
mikegrell.com
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.
To see all the sketches I have permission to post so far, check out my Sketchbook Page. Click for a random Aquaman sketch. Also check for a history of Saturday Sketches.
The Saturday Sketch ™ is brought to you by the letters "M", "G" and the number "267", 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.
Labels: Saturday Sketch
Friday, April 27, 2007
More Overdue Reviews
The Next by Tad Williams. I decided to hunt down this mini when I learned that Tad Williams was taking over Aquaman. Unfortunately, I had some difficulty finding it... and e-mailed Tad to find out if there was a collection. He offered to send me the series, and I accepted.
The story is about a group of other-dimensional teenagers trying to escape their authoritarian home and see the sites of the universe. During their trip, their "dog" escapes and interacts with human Monikka Wong, inadvertantly causing her death. And that's when the fun starts. Monikka, four other-dimensional teenagers, and Superman join up to fight the threats of time, space, and culture clash. And it's a RIDE.
The artwork is great throughout the six-issue mini with Dietrich Smith and Waldon Wong turning in a solid look for all the characters. The writing never gets confusing... if anything, we are reminded maybe once too often what's happening. But, as a monthly book, that's forgivable. The main characters are likeable. Particularly Monikka and Tweet. Monikka, for being dead, does a good job for a teenager having to deal with both the end of the world and introducing four strange people into a culture they know nothing about. By the end of the series I found myself wanting to see more of these folks. Either that, or see Tad Williams writing Teen Titans (as long as Offspring was on the team).
In short, a very good mini. Definitely worth a look.
Moving onward, here's two reviews for books I got at the Emerald City Comicon:
Gone South 1-3 by Mike Wellman and various. The first issue helpfully defines the five classes of vampires, and which classes the main characters fit into. This gives the story a needed framework, as it's not hard to figure out that this is a sort of vampiric coming-of-age tale. A "young" vampire has caused some trouble back home in New York, and is hiding out with friends in the deep South. Only she can't really control herself yet, and starts to cause trouble in her hideaway. These three issues cover the initial problems she makes in town, and the resulting chaos that the three vampires have to clean up.
While I like the art in the first issue a lot, and prefer it to the art in the second and third issue, I think the second artist's style fits the story better. The writing is solid throughout, with enough twists and turns to satisfy. This isn't a horror book, but there are a few horrific elements that tend to be both subtle and striking. This one's a keeper... if you can lay your hands on it, worth reading.
Unshelved Volume One by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum. Hubby-Eric wanted to buy the whole set of these at Emerald City Comicon. I really should have let him. I'd already read all the strips on-line, but re-reading them in this volume had me laughing out loud in spots, and giggling to myself in others. My sister was affected the same way by the book, but it was her first read through. If you don't have this book, get it. If you don't read the on-line comic, start reading it. That's all I need to say on this subject.
The story is about a group of other-dimensional teenagers trying to escape their authoritarian home and see the sites of the universe. During their trip, their "dog" escapes and interacts with human Monikka Wong, inadvertantly causing her death. And that's when the fun starts. Monikka, four other-dimensional teenagers, and Superman join up to fight the threats of time, space, and culture clash. And it's a RIDE.
The artwork is great throughout the six-issue mini with Dietrich Smith and Waldon Wong turning in a solid look for all the characters. The writing never gets confusing... if anything, we are reminded maybe once too often what's happening. But, as a monthly book, that's forgivable. The main characters are likeable. Particularly Monikka and Tweet. Monikka, for being dead, does a good job for a teenager having to deal with both the end of the world and introducing four strange people into a culture they know nothing about. By the end of the series I found myself wanting to see more of these folks. Either that, or see Tad Williams writing Teen Titans (as long as Offspring was on the team).
In short, a very good mini. Definitely worth a look.
Moving onward, here's two reviews for books I got at the Emerald City Comicon:
Gone South 1-3 by Mike Wellman and various. The first issue helpfully defines the five classes of vampires, and which classes the main characters fit into. This gives the story a needed framework, as it's not hard to figure out that this is a sort of vampiric coming-of-age tale. A "young" vampire has caused some trouble back home in New York, and is hiding out with friends in the deep South. Only she can't really control herself yet, and starts to cause trouble in her hideaway. These three issues cover the initial problems she makes in town, and the resulting chaos that the three vampires have to clean up.
While I like the art in the first issue a lot, and prefer it to the art in the second and third issue, I think the second artist's style fits the story better. The writing is solid throughout, with enough twists and turns to satisfy. This isn't a horror book, but there are a few horrific elements that tend to be both subtle and striking. This one's a keeper... if you can lay your hands on it, worth reading.
Unshelved Volume One by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum. Hubby-Eric wanted to buy the whole set of these at Emerald City Comicon. I really should have let him. I'd already read all the strips on-line, but re-reading them in this volume had me laughing out loud in spots, and giggling to myself in others. My sister was affected the same way by the book, but it was her first read through. If you don't have this book, get it. If you don't read the on-line comic, start reading it. That's all I need to say on this subject.
Labels: Reviews
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Happy Birthday Paul Norris!
Today is the 93rd Birthday of Paul Norris, the creator of Aquaman.
Labels: Paul Norris
Overdue Reviews
Dorothy #7: "Red In Tooth and Claw": It's no secret that I've been enjoying this darker take on Oz since the first issue. But I confess that this issue is possibly my favorite because of several interesting factors. We'd already been introduced to the Scarecrow and the Tin Man, and you all know who comes next! As with the alternate versions of the others, the alternate version of the Lion is both considerably different, and wonderfully the same as in the original tale. Pulling in more Oz mythos, he's found in China Country, the land of the living porcelain. And oh, how that little fact is revealed! Add in very impressive visuals of a very impressive storm, and this one is definitely right up there at the top. I can understand why some people wouldn't want to read another version of the ol' Wizard of Oz story (trust me, I of ALL people understand that!)... but this is the most original take on the tale that I've seen in all of my husband's collection. It owes much to the source material, but goes its own way. I recommend it to anyone willing to try something a bit different. Go on, give it a shot!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
What, it's Wednesday Already?!??
So I planned on writing a bunch of reviews, particularly my "long review" of Tony Loco #2, and a bunch of linkblogs and stuff... and my goal was to have it all done and posted by Wednesday morning.
Ooops.
Ok, no reviews done. Rats and swimming and work got in the way. But I have a few little links for you. And maybe I'll get those reviews done soon. Buy Tony Loco.
Illusive Arts Interview at Broken Frontier.
RSS in Plain English.
Two boys "accidently" run across a lesbian sex guide while looking for military books (??!??) at the library. They suffer so much from the horrible book that their father demands the book be removed from the library and each of the boys paid $10,000 for their emotional scarring. Hmm. I have to wonder, where was daddy while the boys were browsing the sex section for books on military academies? Perhaps the library should sue the father for bad parenting.
Ooops.
Ok, no reviews done. Rats and swimming and work got in the way. But I have a few little links for you. And maybe I'll get those reviews done soon. Buy Tony Loco.
Illusive Arts Interview at Broken Frontier.
RSS in Plain English.
Two boys "accidently" run across a lesbian sex guide while looking for military books (??!??) at the library. They suffer so much from the horrible book that their father demands the book be removed from the library and each of the boys paid $10,000 for their emotional scarring. Hmm. I have to wonder, where was daddy while the boys were browsing the sex section for books on military academies? Perhaps the library should sue the father for bad parenting.
Labels: Links
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Oh Rats! part two
The Pest Control guy arrived today. I don't know what I was expecting, but a very small sturdy-looking older guy was not it. I showed him the evidence of our critter and the ways to get into the attic and crawl space, and left him to it. Every once in awhile he tromped through the living room with a bag of extremely large traps.
When he finished in the crawl space, I asked if it was as bad down there as everyone tells me it is. He said, "I've been going down into houses for 20 years, and that is the WEIRDEST crawl space I've ever seen." Ah, the joys of Frankenhaus!
After awhile he asked me to come out to the garage, and pointed out where he'd laid the traps (after he first made sure there are no pets or small children in the house). Five traps in the attic, five in the crawl space, and three in the garage. He's coming back in a week to check them, part of the initial service.
He then surveyed the routes that animals may use to get into the house, and after all was said and done called me in for a consultation. The news is bad. As I expected, there is no way to keep animals out of the house. The garage door doesn't fit, and there are large gaps around it. But that's not the worst of it, oh no. The worst? This house doesn't really have a foundation. He showed me several places where the animals could easily burrow into the house if they wanted to. No evidence that they have, because there are easier ways for them to get in, but he told me that there was just no point in fixing all the other spots. The house is too open. Short of a complete remodel that involves jacking the house up and putting in a new foundation, nothing is going to make this house secure. Frankenhaus strikes again!
This was pretty much expected. We already had decided that we were going to need the bi-monthly visits. Now we know for sure that we do.
In any case, there was one hole he decided he should patch (no point making it too easy for the rodents), and we were also entitled to another service if we wanted him to protect against something else. SPIDERS. Oh yes, please reduce the number of spiders. I don't expect them to ever go away, but if he could make a dent in their population, I'd be happy. He said it might be possible to reduce them by as much as 50% if we went whole hog (which includes a "no one in the house" spray). I'm thinking of going whole hog, since it's included in the price we'll be paying anyway.
So now we wait for a week, and see if the traps caught anything when he comes back. And hopefully I'll rest a little easier knowing that we're doing something about it.
When he finished in the crawl space, I asked if it was as bad down there as everyone tells me it is. He said, "I've been going down into houses for 20 years, and that is the WEIRDEST crawl space I've ever seen." Ah, the joys of Frankenhaus!
After awhile he asked me to come out to the garage, and pointed out where he'd laid the traps (after he first made sure there are no pets or small children in the house). Five traps in the attic, five in the crawl space, and three in the garage. He's coming back in a week to check them, part of the initial service.
He then surveyed the routes that animals may use to get into the house, and after all was said and done called me in for a consultation. The news is bad. As I expected, there is no way to keep animals out of the house. The garage door doesn't fit, and there are large gaps around it. But that's not the worst of it, oh no. The worst? This house doesn't really have a foundation. He showed me several places where the animals could easily burrow into the house if they wanted to. No evidence that they have, because there are easier ways for them to get in, but he told me that there was just no point in fixing all the other spots. The house is too open. Short of a complete remodel that involves jacking the house up and putting in a new foundation, nothing is going to make this house secure. Frankenhaus strikes again!
This was pretty much expected. We already had decided that we were going to need the bi-monthly visits. Now we know for sure that we do.
In any case, there was one hole he decided he should patch (no point making it too easy for the rodents), and we were also entitled to another service if we wanted him to protect against something else. SPIDERS. Oh yes, please reduce the number of spiders. I don't expect them to ever go away, but if he could make a dent in their population, I'd be happy. He said it might be possible to reduce them by as much as 50% if we went whole hog (which includes a "no one in the house" spray). I'm thinking of going whole hog, since it's included in the price we'll be paying anyway.
So now we wait for a week, and see if the traps caught anything when he comes back. And hopefully I'll rest a little easier knowing that we're doing something about it.
Labels: Frankenhaus
Monday, April 23, 2007
Some Links
The dates of the 2008 Emerald City Comicon has been adjusted to May 10th and 11th.
DON'T MESS WITH OUR CHOCOLATE! Replacing cocoa butter with other vegetable fat makes it NOT CHOCOLATE.
Daisy gets watered. Apparently, some 87 members of his audience objected to his use of a swear word and got up and left during his performance. One of the "protesters" poured water over Mike Daisy's original hand-written notes. After seeing Daisy's graceful response to the disruptive idiots on the video, I wish I was in Cambridge so I could see his show. Check out Daisy's own report. Via Boing Boing.
Is it worth it to pick up that dime?
Note to self, if Warren Ellis warns you about a link he's made, DON'T GO TO IT. Just saying, he's a good judge of what you don't want to see.
Dieting doesn't work. Which is why I'm not dieting. The changes I've made to my life are intended to be permanent. I don't intend to "end" my diet someday. It's funny, fad diets DO take off pounds. But they don't keep them off, so they are pointless unless you take other measures.
The best health care in the world.
DON'T MESS WITH OUR CHOCOLATE! Replacing cocoa butter with other vegetable fat makes it NOT CHOCOLATE.
Daisy gets watered. Apparently, some 87 members of his audience objected to his use of a swear word and got up and left during his performance. One of the "protesters" poured water over Mike Daisy's original hand-written notes. After seeing Daisy's graceful response to the disruptive idiots on the video, I wish I was in Cambridge so I could see his show. Check out Daisy's own report. Via Boing Boing.
Is it worth it to pick up that dime?
Note to self, if Warren Ellis warns you about a link he's made, DON'T GO TO IT. Just saying, he's a good judge of what you don't want to see.
Dieting doesn't work. Which is why I'm not dieting. The changes I've made to my life are intended to be permanent. I don't intend to "end" my diet someday. It's funny, fad diets DO take off pounds. But they don't keep them off, so they are pointless unless you take other measures.
The best health care in the world.
Labels: Links
Sunday, April 22, 2007
No Blog Kinda Day
It's been a calm but busy day, and I've mostly been ignoring the 'net, so no blog today. I promise to try to do a good link blog tomorrow.
Labels: No Blog Kinda Day
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Sketchbook - Scott Mills
I met Scott Mills at the Emerald City Comicon 2006, and I trolled him before showing off my sketchbook. He's one of those artists that I didn't have to ask for a sketch, he looked through the book and added a sketch without a word between us. Many other artists have noted his use of Zip-A-Tone. He had a sheet of it and a knife, and cut out the pieces to add to the sketch when he finished the drawing.
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.
To see all the sketches I have permission to post so far, check out my Sketchbook Page. Click for a random Aquaman sketch. Also check for a history of Saturday Sketches.
The Saturday Sketch ™ is brought to you by the letters "S", "M" and the number "56", 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.
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.
To see all the sketches I have permission to post so far, check out my Sketchbook Page. Click for a random Aquaman sketch. Also check for a history of Saturday Sketches.
The Saturday Sketch ™ is brought to you by the letters "S", "M" and the number "56", 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.
Labels: Aquaman, Saturday Sketch
"My Humps" by...Alanis Morissette?
"Weir Al" Yankovic isn't the only singer who can make fun of other people's videos. Check this out. A few months ago, the Black Eyed Peas came out with this somewhat naughty but popular song, called "My Humps." Here's the video:
Recently, Alanis Morissette came out with her own slowed-down acoustic piano version. Here's her video for it:
From what I hear, Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas sent Alanis Morissette a cake, in congratulations for the brilliant parody. (I always thought Fergie had a good sense of humor.) And the cake was shaped like...well, a pair of humps, if you catch my drift.
Recently, Alanis Morissette came out with her own slowed-down acoustic piano version. Here's her video for it:
From what I hear, Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas sent Alanis Morissette a cake, in congratulations for the brilliant parody. (I always thought Fergie had a good sense of humor.) And the cake was shaped like...well, a pair of humps, if you catch my drift.
Labels: Popular Culture, Post By Eric, Video, YouTube
Friday, April 20, 2007
Ripples Through Time - 120
I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order. After I read each story I will post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.
Want to read these stories yourself? Write to DC: Dan Didio, Executive Editor, DC Comics, 1700 Broadway, New York NY 10019 and ask for a reprint of Aquaman's Golden Age tales.
Adventure #196 (January 1954) - The Topsy-Turvy World!
Aquaman is sent to a planet where the oceans are made of earth, and the land is made of water.
Finny Friends Report: Aquaman is riding his sea cow at the start of the story. Aquaman has the whales on Sea break up a tidal wave that threatens the city.
Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is captured and forced into a stolen Navy rocket, which is then launched. Aquaman blacks out during the launch.
Quotefile: Alien, "You're on the planet called "Sea!" We saw you being shot into space with our Super-Telescope, and attracted you her with our Super-Magnet!" Aquaman, thinking, "*Whew* I must be having a nightmare!"
Yay, Aquaman goes to outer-space! For the first time! But not the last! While Aquaman says he thinks the whole adventure is a dream, he has the gun the people of Sea give him, which he uses at the end of the tale. Which implies that the story actually happened.
While on Sea, Aquaman must wear chains to hold him down and a helmet so he can breathe. But at least he's able to talk with the local... um... earth life. While look identical to Earth sea life. Right down to the whales.
Have you read this story? What do you think?
Want to read these stories yourself? Write to DC: Dan Didio, Executive Editor, DC Comics, 1700 Broadway, New York NY 10019 and ask for a reprint of Aquaman's Golden Age tales.
Aquaman is sent to a planet where the oceans are made of earth, and the land is made of water.
Finny Friends Report: Aquaman is riding his sea cow at the start of the story. Aquaman has the whales on Sea break up a tidal wave that threatens the city.
Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is captured and forced into a stolen Navy rocket, which is then launched. Aquaman blacks out during the launch.
Quotefile: Alien, "You're on the planet called "Sea!" We saw you being shot into space with our Super-Telescope, and attracted you her with our Super-Magnet!" Aquaman, thinking, "*Whew* I must be having a nightmare!"
Yay, Aquaman goes to outer-space! For the first time! But not the last! While Aquaman says he thinks the whole adventure is a dream, he has the gun the people of Sea give him, which he uses at the end of the tale. Which implies that the story actually happened.
While on Sea, Aquaman must wear chains to hold him down and a helmet so he can breathe. But at least he's able to talk with the local... um... earth life. While look identical to Earth sea life. Right down to the whales.
Have you read this story? What do you think?
Labels: Aquaman, Ripples Through Time
Dinklump
Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #99.
Wang Watch continues as Christopher Butcher covers the issue in depth with PICTURES! I'm not sure this is really safe for work, but I'm giggling non-stop at it. More links here.
Comic Books are Evil! or "Why you shouldn't use old encyclopedias".
International Pixel-Stained Technopeasants are now a LiveJournal community.
Twitter? Probably not for me. I'm boring enough as it is.
Mystery of the Deserted Catamaran. I hope they find the three sailors.
Elayne Riggs is headed out of town for a few days, and while she's away, I'm going to try to re-introduce the Silly Site o' the Day to her blog. Please drop in over the next few days and tell me if I'm silly enough.
Wang Watch continues as Christopher Butcher covers the issue in depth with PICTURES! I'm not sure this is really safe for work, but I'm giggling non-stop at it. More links here.
Comic Books are Evil! or "Why you shouldn't use old encyclopedias".
International Pixel-Stained Technopeasants are now a LiveJournal community.
Twitter? Probably not for me. I'm boring enough as it is.
Mystery of the Deserted Catamaran. I hope they find the three sailors.
Elayne Riggs is headed out of town for a few days, and while she's away, I'm going to try to re-introduce the Silly Site o' the Day to her blog. Please drop in over the next few days and tell me if I'm silly enough.
Labels: Comic Book Urban Legends, Links
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Ripples Through Time - 119
I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order. After I read each story I will post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.
Adventure #195 (December 1953) - The River Gang!
Joe Moxie moves his crime operation to the water, including a protection racket, but didn't count on Aquaman.
Quotefile: Bix, "For a guy that's supposed to have brains, Joe, you surprise me! Our last 30 grand, and you spend it on a boat! What are we gonna do, go fishing?" Joe Moxie, "Could be! Got any better ideas on how to stay out of jail, Bix, with all the cops looking for you? C'mon down, before I shove off without you!"
Finny Friends Report: A swordfish tells Aquaman, riding his usual sea cow, that Yegar's tug is in trouble. Aquaman gets a cuttlefish to repair the cable while whales hold the barge steady. A hammernosed shark rivets plates while giant sea molluscs plug other holes. Going after Moxie, electric eels electrify the boat while dolphins leap across the boat until the crooks give up. A whale finishes the story by pushing the iceberg where Aquaman wants it to go.
Captured/Knocked Out report: When the crooks give up, they are actually luring Aquaman in to capture him with a net. They tie an anchor around his legs and dump him overboard.
Aquaman doesn't show up in the story until the third page, after the Moxie gang have already started their protection racket. Aquaman gets involved when he goes to rescue a ship in distress that also happens to be a target of the Moxie gang. He first saves Yegar's ship, then goes to find the gang. He's drawn to the sound of dynamite exploding, but then gets captured. Through a series of remarkable coincidences, Aquaman is saved and the bad guys are caught.
Have you read this story? What do you think?
Joe Moxie moves his crime operation to the water, including a protection racket, but didn't count on Aquaman.
Quotefile: Bix, "For a guy that's supposed to have brains, Joe, you surprise me! Our last 30 grand, and you spend it on a boat! What are we gonna do, go fishing?" Joe Moxie, "Could be! Got any better ideas on how to stay out of jail, Bix, with all the cops looking for you? C'mon down, before I shove off without you!"
Finny Friends Report: A swordfish tells Aquaman, riding his usual sea cow, that Yegar's tug is in trouble. Aquaman gets a cuttlefish to repair the cable while whales hold the barge steady. A hammernosed shark rivets plates while giant sea molluscs plug other holes. Going after Moxie, electric eels electrify the boat while dolphins leap across the boat until the crooks give up. A whale finishes the story by pushing the iceberg where Aquaman wants it to go.
Captured/Knocked Out report: When the crooks give up, they are actually luring Aquaman in to capture him with a net. They tie an anchor around his legs and dump him overboard.
Aquaman doesn't show up in the story until the third page, after the Moxie gang have already started their protection racket. Aquaman gets involved when he goes to rescue a ship in distress that also happens to be a target of the Moxie gang. He first saves Yegar's ship, then goes to find the gang. He's drawn to the sound of dynamite exploding, but then gets captured. Through a series of remarkable coincidences, Aquaman is saved and the bad guys are caught.
Have you read this story? What do you think?
Labels: Aquaman, Ripples Through Time
Just A Linkdump
The 2007 Eisner Nominations.
Lea Hernandez makes sense. Listen to her.
April 23rd is International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day, in honor of people who cannot adjust to the new paradigm of the web. More information here.
Countdown free on-line... well, the first two issues. It'll be at MySpace/Comicbooks.
Girl's Turn: Wang Watch 2007. That last one is, indeed, impressive.
Bully's Book Club tackles Billie Piper's Bio.
Torchwood Season 2 announced.
Dancing in the Streets Japanese Style.
Happy Birthday to The Simpsons (or as grandma Katy says, The Swensons).
Geyser on the Highway. What a bad storm can do to a road. Via Aaron Williams.
Ladies Home Journal 1900 predictions for the year 2000. Well, some of them came true.
Hmmm, aren't judges supposed to read the cases brought before them?
100 Calorie Packs are a crucial part of my new eating habits, and Mark Evanier keeps finding new ones for me to try. For the record, I think my favorite so far at the Lorna Doone ones, though that'll change as my tastes change (which they seem to do every month or so).
Fast Food in ad versus real life. Photos comparing the two.
Just for the one or two people out there who don't know already: Thunderbird 2 is out as well as the latest Ubuntu Linux, Feisty Fawn. Must... get... both...
A Puglet for the in-laws.
Lea Hernandez makes sense. Listen to her.
April 23rd is International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day, in honor of people who cannot adjust to the new paradigm of the web. More information here.
Countdown free on-line... well, the first two issues. It'll be at MySpace/Comicbooks.
Girl's Turn: Wang Watch 2007. That last one is, indeed, impressive.
Bully's Book Club tackles Billie Piper's Bio.
Torchwood Season 2 announced.
Dancing in the Streets Japanese Style.
Happy Birthday to The Simpsons (or as grandma Katy says, The Swensons).
Geyser on the Highway. What a bad storm can do to a road. Via Aaron Williams.
Ladies Home Journal 1900 predictions for the year 2000. Well, some of them came true.
Hmmm, aren't judges supposed to read the cases brought before them?
100 Calorie Packs are a crucial part of my new eating habits, and Mark Evanier keeps finding new ones for me to try. For the record, I think my favorite so far at the Lorna Doone ones, though that'll change as my tastes change (which they seem to do every month or so).
Fast Food in ad versus real life. Photos comparing the two.
Just for the one or two people out there who don't know already: Thunderbird 2 is out as well as the latest Ubuntu Linux, Feisty Fawn. Must... get... both...
A Puglet for the in-laws.
Labels: Bully, Eisner Awards, Lea Hernandez, Pug, Video, Webcomics, Weight Loss
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Ripples Through Time - 118
I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order. After I read each story I will post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.
Adventure #194 (November 1953) - The Outlaw Navy!
"Admiral" Duko gathers a fleet of surplus war vessels and commits piracy on the high seas in force, until he meets with Aquaman.
The villains have an interesting slant in this story. I can think of a lot of reasons it wouldn't work in the real world... including the pain that would be inflicted on them by regular navies once word of their exploits spread. But in the DCU Aquaman takes care of it really quick.
Lots of downsides to bad guys creating a navy. They have to get the ships, outfit them properly, train men, then drill discipline into thugs. The costs far outweigh the benefits, especially once they are split between the entire fleet.
Finny Friends Report: Aquaman rides his sea cow to the action. An octopus snags a member of the outlaw fleet for Aquaman to question. Aquaman gathers his finny friends into a navy. Whales form the ships of the fleet. Eels send messages. Octopi spread ink which the whales spout into the air to form a smoke screen. Pilot fish re-aim torpedoes back at the outlaw navy. Eels guide sea turtles painted as mines near the outlaws to scare them into giving up.
Quotefile: Ship captain, "Great scott, Aquaman... you can't fight a whole naval force by yourself! What are you going to do?" Aquaman, "I... er... was just asking myself that same question!"
Have you read this story? What do you think?
"Admiral" Duko gathers a fleet of surplus war vessels and commits piracy on the high seas in force, until he meets with Aquaman.
The villains have an interesting slant in this story. I can think of a lot of reasons it wouldn't work in the real world... including the pain that would be inflicted on them by regular navies once word of their exploits spread. But in the DCU Aquaman takes care of it really quick.
Lots of downsides to bad guys creating a navy. They have to get the ships, outfit them properly, train men, then drill discipline into thugs. The costs far outweigh the benefits, especially once they are split between the entire fleet.
Finny Friends Report: Aquaman rides his sea cow to the action. An octopus snags a member of the outlaw fleet for Aquaman to question. Aquaman gathers his finny friends into a navy. Whales form the ships of the fleet. Eels send messages. Octopi spread ink which the whales spout into the air to form a smoke screen. Pilot fish re-aim torpedoes back at the outlaw navy. Eels guide sea turtles painted as mines near the outlaws to scare them into giving up.
Quotefile: Ship captain, "Great scott, Aquaman... you can't fight a whole naval force by yourself! What are you going to do?" Aquaman, "I... er... was just asking myself that same question!"
Have you read this story? What do you think?
Labels: Aquaman, Ripples Through Time
Lunk... I'm just a Lunk. Or a Dimp
Ten of the Kind: This Comic Is No Longer Mint.
Mad Bun is updating on Thursdays. Update your weekly bookmarks.
Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed Addendum.
This is just cool. I really like Colleen Doran's artwork.
Top 25 Songs With a Secret.
Happy Birthday Doctor Who.
Ronald McDonald's Arrest.
If you have a comment troll that's annoying you, but you don't feel like deleting it's words, you can disemvowel them instead. Satisfying, and amusing.
Oooh, Blank Russian Nesting Dolls. So you can paint 'em yourself! I wanna make a Doctor Who set someday.
More on The Fine Art Thief.
We are all good at math. But Who Can Blame Them when people think they aren't?
Vault found in middle of street. A big black safe. In the middle of the street. Cool!
Wikipedia doing what it does best: Virginia Tech Massacre timeline and information.
Afghanistan Garden of Eden.
E-Voting continues to be fraud, and all elections decided with e-voting machines need to be redone. If you vote on one of these "voting" machines, you might as well not vote at all.
Another pug for the in-laws. This reminds me of when one of their pugs managed to fall into their fish pond. Heh.
Mad Bun is updating on Thursdays. Update your weekly bookmarks.
Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed Addendum.
This is just cool. I really like Colleen Doran's artwork.
Top 25 Songs With a Secret.
Happy Birthday Doctor Who.
Ronald McDonald's Arrest.
If you have a comment troll that's annoying you, but you don't feel like deleting it's words, you can disemvowel them instead. Satisfying, and amusing.
Oooh, Blank Russian Nesting Dolls. So you can paint 'em yourself! I wanna make a Doctor Who set someday.
More on The Fine Art Thief.
We are all good at math. But Who Can Blame Them when people think they aren't?
Vault found in middle of street. A big black safe. In the middle of the street. Cool!
Wikipedia doing what it does best: Virginia Tech Massacre timeline and information.
Afghanistan Garden of Eden.
E-Voting continues to be fraud, and all elections decided with e-voting machines need to be redone. If you vote on one of these "voting" machines, you might as well not vote at all.
Another pug for the in-laws. This reminds me of when one of their pugs managed to fall into their fish pond. Heh.
Labels: Bully, Comic Book Urban Legends, Doctor Who, Math, Voting Machines
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Oh, RATS!
Frankenhaus strikes again.
First, let's revisit an older problem that I told you about back in March. So the letter that said a package of parts was on the way arrived in good time, but the package of parts itself never did. I got fed up almost immediately after I made that post, and I've been washing dishes carefully in the dishwasher, turning the power off to the machine between washes and making sure I was monitoring the thing while it washed just in case it burst into flames or something. But I got sick of waiting for my parts, so I called them again to complain. A nice young man ran me through the whole process again, looked up my parts, and attempted to tell his computer to send them again. But the computer refused. After a few minutes confusion, I was rechecking the machine and talking to another person who asked me if the inside of my machine was metal.
HUH?
Um, yes, it's metal. "Oh good, you aren't part of the recall!" she announced. I wasn't sure whether to be incredibly peeved or relieved. I'm not part of the recall? But why did the other gal tell me I was? We went over my information ONCE MORE, and for once and for all it was clear, I was not part of the recall. The fact that my machine is metal inside and not plastic made all the difference.
So the dishwasher is safe. Yay.
But Frankenhaus does not let us rest easy. I told you about the mouse way back last Spring? Well, hubby-Eric spotted something in the garage, and it was a bit larger than that mouse. In fact, he's fairly certain it was a rat. It was feasting on some slug bait that had been sitting on a shelf for years. And apparently feeling no ill effects from it, either. Hubby-Eric caught it in action again a few days later, and finally I saw it just the other day when I heard something in the garage fall over and went to investigate. DEFINITELY A RAT. And, boy, that sucker can MOVE. I've only ever seen tame rats in cages before... this rat shook me because of where he was (in my garage climbing the window sill) and how fast he was going.
Ya'know, I can almost live with mice. But not wild rats. Something must be done!
We noticed a flier in the mail the other day advertising Cascade Pest Control. So I gave them a call today to find out how much Frankenhaus is going to cost us this time. The first visit, to check the property, start setting traps, and a couple of other services, was quoted to me as about $300 before any taxes (or extra complications, I'm sure). They would provide us with a list of places where the animals are getting in, and we can either have them block them, or do it ourselves. The price for blocking the holes couldn't be quoted, as they have no idea how many holes there are. If we want to set up a bi-monthly visit to keep pests away, it's a bit over $100 a visit. *sigh*
This house is not a money pit. It needs a little more TLC than Eric and I can manage, but it's a good house. It has a strong positive feeling to it. I liked it from the first day I set foot in it. But man, I have no idea how we're going to pay for this. Every time we think we're beginning to get on top of bills, BOOM! There's another unexpected one. Possums I can live with. Raccoons in the yard I can deal with. The spiders no longer bother me. Heck, I have survived even mice. But I can't handle rats. Tame rats are one thing, wild rats are another thing altogether.
I think I need to get some more eBay auctions going in the hopes that I can make enough to cover some of this new expense. Or maybe the house fairy will come along and give us a home makeover.
First, let's revisit an older problem that I told you about back in March. So the letter that said a package of parts was on the way arrived in good time, but the package of parts itself never did. I got fed up almost immediately after I made that post, and I've been washing dishes carefully in the dishwasher, turning the power off to the machine between washes and making sure I was monitoring the thing while it washed just in case it burst into flames or something. But I got sick of waiting for my parts, so I called them again to complain. A nice young man ran me through the whole process again, looked up my parts, and attempted to tell his computer to send them again. But the computer refused. After a few minutes confusion, I was rechecking the machine and talking to another person who asked me if the inside of my machine was metal.
HUH?
Um, yes, it's metal. "Oh good, you aren't part of the recall!" she announced. I wasn't sure whether to be incredibly peeved or relieved. I'm not part of the recall? But why did the other gal tell me I was? We went over my information ONCE MORE, and for once and for all it was clear, I was not part of the recall. The fact that my machine is metal inside and not plastic made all the difference.
So the dishwasher is safe. Yay.
But Frankenhaus does not let us rest easy. I told you about the mouse way back last Spring? Well, hubby-Eric spotted something in the garage, and it was a bit larger than that mouse. In fact, he's fairly certain it was a rat. It was feasting on some slug bait that had been sitting on a shelf for years. And apparently feeling no ill effects from it, either. Hubby-Eric caught it in action again a few days later, and finally I saw it just the other day when I heard something in the garage fall over and went to investigate. DEFINITELY A RAT. And, boy, that sucker can MOVE. I've only ever seen tame rats in cages before... this rat shook me because of where he was (in my garage climbing the window sill) and how fast he was going.
Ya'know, I can almost live with mice. But not wild rats. Something must be done!
We noticed a flier in the mail the other day advertising Cascade Pest Control. So I gave them a call today to find out how much Frankenhaus is going to cost us this time. The first visit, to check the property, start setting traps, and a couple of other services, was quoted to me as about $300 before any taxes (or extra complications, I'm sure). They would provide us with a list of places where the animals are getting in, and we can either have them block them, or do it ourselves. The price for blocking the holes couldn't be quoted, as they have no idea how many holes there are. If we want to set up a bi-monthly visit to keep pests away, it's a bit over $100 a visit. *sigh*
This house is not a money pit. It needs a little more TLC than Eric and I can manage, but it's a good house. It has a strong positive feeling to it. I liked it from the first day I set foot in it. But man, I have no idea how we're going to pay for this. Every time we think we're beginning to get on top of bills, BOOM! There's another unexpected one. Possums I can live with. Raccoons in the yard I can deal with. The spiders no longer bother me. Heck, I have survived even mice. But I can't handle rats. Tame rats are one thing, wild rats are another thing altogether.
I think I need to get some more eBay auctions going in the hopes that I can make enough to cover some of this new expense. Or maybe the house fairy will come along and give us a home makeover.
Labels: Frankenhaus
Coming Soon (DC Solicits for July)
Solicits for DC Comics due to ship in July 2007 have been posted on various websites: Comic Book Resources, Newsarama, Comics Continuum, IGN, ComicList, and The Official DC Site. Here's the Aquaman stuff I spotted:
The Human Flying Fish?!???
Anyone spot any other Aquaman-related books?
The Human Flying Fish?!???
Anyone spot any other Aquaman-related books?
Monday, April 16, 2007
Ripples Through Time - 117
I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order. After I read each story I will post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.
Adventure #193 (October 1953) - Secret of the Sea Monster!
While freeing a ship from a field of icebergs, Aquaman discovers a giant sea monster and revives it, only to have it attack passing ships.
Ah, one of my all-time favorite splash pages. Who doesn't love a giant sea monster hand attacking the confident hero from behind?
Finny Friends Report: Whales pull the icebergs away from the stranded ship. Aquaman rides his usual sea cow during the story. A dozen octopi and 20 whales restrain the sea monster for a short time. Electric eels supply power so Aquaman can repair the break in the hull the sea monster caused. Whales pull a ship the sea monster has damaged.
Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is "captured" by the sea monster after it breaks free from the whales and octopi, but it only wants to be friends.
Quotefile: Aquaman, on spotting the sea monster in the iceberg, "WOW! This is a new one... Even on me! I---I wonder if it's alive? I'll try feeding it some seaweed!"
This is a fairly cute little tale with a happy ending for everyone involved. Modern Age Aquaman also runs up against sea monsters who bear a resemblance to this guy, so it's just not unusual for Aquaman to meet strange giant beasts in the sea. Even so, this story is slightly more fantastical than the ones that came before.
Have you read this story? What do you think?
While freeing a ship from a field of icebergs, Aquaman discovers a giant sea monster and revives it, only to have it attack passing ships.
Ah, one of my all-time favorite splash pages. Who doesn't love a giant sea monster hand attacking the confident hero from behind?
Finny Friends Report: Whales pull the icebergs away from the stranded ship. Aquaman rides his usual sea cow during the story. A dozen octopi and 20 whales restrain the sea monster for a short time. Electric eels supply power so Aquaman can repair the break in the hull the sea monster caused. Whales pull a ship the sea monster has damaged.
Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is "captured" by the sea monster after it breaks free from the whales and octopi, but it only wants to be friends.
Quotefile: Aquaman, on spotting the sea monster in the iceberg, "WOW! This is a new one... Even on me! I---I wonder if it's alive? I'll try feeding it some seaweed!"
This is a fairly cute little tale with a happy ending for everyone involved. Modern Age Aquaman also runs up against sea monsters who bear a resemblance to this guy, so it's just not unusual for Aquaman to meet strange giant beasts in the sea. Even so, this story is slightly more fantastical than the ones that came before.
Have you read this story? What do you think?
Labels: Aquaman, Ripples Through Time
Lunkadimpalunkadimp
Namor's First Story.
Interesting review of Age of Bronze #20-25.
Save Chocolate!
Saying Yes.
Space Needle Designs. Cool.
I want one of these. When I'm rich and have a mansion.
Apple Crate Art.
Doctor Who fans need to check out the Vote Saxon campaign site. "Mister Saxon". Hmmm.
This is what Seattle needs.
Vonnegut's Rules For Short Stories.
Ribbons of Ice.
Recommending Thunderbird as a Mail Client. I'm intrigued by the promise of sync with GMail.
More Messin' With Sasquatch.
Is it the cellphones? Cryptomundo, Hit and Run, Slashdot, Boing Boing, MetaFilter. HANG UP! Do it for the BEES!
Is corn food or fuel? Hopefully, it can be both.
A home monitor that lets you know how much energy you are using. I want.
Dancing Horse.
Another reason to abolish Daylight Savings Time.
Good-bye Internet Radio?
Nine Inch Nails grim future and anti-piracy labels.
Why Wear Seatbelts?
Destroying the Justice Department, an interview with someone who was there when it happened.
A Pug for the In-Laws
Interesting review of Age of Bronze #20-25.
Save Chocolate!
Saying Yes.
Space Needle Designs. Cool.
I want one of these. When I'm rich and have a mansion.
Apple Crate Art.
Doctor Who fans need to check out the Vote Saxon campaign site. "Mister Saxon". Hmmm.
This is what Seattle needs.
Vonnegut's Rules For Short Stories.
Ribbons of Ice.
Recommending Thunderbird as a Mail Client. I'm intrigued by the promise of sync with GMail.
More Messin' With Sasquatch.
Is it the cellphones? Cryptomundo, Hit and Run, Slashdot, Boing Boing, MetaFilter. HANG UP! Do it for the BEES!
Is corn food or fuel? Hopefully, it can be both.
A home monitor that lets you know how much energy you are using. I want.
Dancing Horse.
Another reason to abolish Daylight Savings Time.
Good-bye Internet Radio?
Nine Inch Nails grim future and anti-piracy labels.
Why Wear Seatbelts?
Destroying the Justice Department, an interview with someone who was there when it happened.
A Pug for the In-Laws
Labels: Chocolate, Cryptozoology, Doctor Who, Links, Science, Seattle
School Shooting
Boing Boing has links to first-hand reports on the Virginia Tech massacre.
Labels: Boing Boing, News
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Aquaman Student Film
Hey everybody! I've got a digital copy of the Farr-Klein Aquaman Student film from 1985, available through torrent on the Aquaman website. I'm hoping a handful of people who know their way around torrents will go try to download it just to make sure I've done the torrent correctly... please...
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Sketchbook - Erik Larsen
I got this sketch from Larsen at Emerald City Comicon 2006 on Sunday. Erik asked for some input on this sketch, but in the end gave Aquaman an unexpected and hilarious buddy.
AQUAMAN AND FRIEND
by Erik Larsen
02 April 2006
(permission to post given 02 April 2006 in person)
savagedragon.com
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.
To see all the sketches I have permission to post so far, check out my Sketchbook Page. Click for a random Aquaman sketch. Also check for a history of Saturday Sketches.
The Saturday Sketch ™ is brought to you by the letters "L", "E" and the number "57", 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.
AQUAMAN AND FRIEND
by Erik Larsen
02 April 2006
(permission to post given 02 April 2006 in person)
savagedragon.com
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.
To see all the sketches I have permission to post so far, check out my Sketchbook Page. Click for a random Aquaman sketch. Also check for a history of Saturday Sketches.
The Saturday Sketch ™ is brought to you by the letters "L", "E" and the number "57", 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.
Labels: Aquaman, Saturday Sketch
Doctor Who
So today's Doctor Who stands a tiny chance of being canceled thanks to a football (soccer) game that's being shown live on BBC1. Amusingly, Gallifrey One directs us to this radio show in which comedian Mitch Benn laments the possibility and roots for the hated Manchester United team:
Update: Man U won 4-1. Still waiting to hear if there was too much penalty time, but it looks like Doctor Who is probably airing as I type this.
As a lifelong if rather half-hearted Liverpool supporter, I get as big a viseral kick as anyone when Manchester United lose. Um, so I find myself in an uncomfortable situation this week, you see United are playing Watford in the FAA semi-final on Saturday and I really want them to win, and win decisively. Not because I've had a change of heart, rather because the game is live on BBC1, and if it overruns there will be dire consequences schedulewise.It's also fun to listen to the audience laughing in anticipation. Doctor Who is definitely big again in England.
[singing]
Something I thought I'd never say:
I hope United have an easy win on Saturday!
May sound peculiar but it's true
'cuz if they go to extra time or penalties they'll cancel Doctor Who!
[listen to the rest at the link]
Update: Man U won 4-1. Still waiting to hear if there was too much penalty time, but it looks like Doctor Who is probably airing as I type this.
Labels: Doctor Who
Friday, April 13, 2007
Ripples Through Time - 116
I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order. After I read each story I will post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.
Adventure #192 (September 1953) - Murder in the Fish Preserve!
Aquaman puts off finding the Wheeler gang when a series of fish murders happens in Aquaman's Fish Preserve.
Remember how I was complaining about Aquaman's odd view of the world of fish? Here it is right from Aquaman's own mouth: "I want people to learn about all the wonderful things in the sea... and the realize that fish, like animals in the forests, are out friends, who should only be killed for food --- not just for sport!"
Finny Friends Report: Aquaman rides a whale at the beginning of the story, when the first group of tourists arrive at the Preserve. A giant Leatherback Turtle swims by for the tourists. An oarfish is seen "tugging" a sea cow to the infirmary. Lantern fish and electric eels provide lighting as the tour finishes up. The murdered fish are a sergeant fish, a tarpon, a rare angler fish, and a rose fish. The final victim is an opah fish, but Aquaman rescues it in time. At the end of the story, Aquaman rides off on his sea cow.
Aquaman figures out that the fish being murdered spell out the name of an island in the fish preserve, but the tricky bit is that opah fish, which has an alternate name. The Coast Guard folks with Aquaman point out that the fish names spell out STARO, but Aquaman says an alternate name for the opah is kingfish. I think STARO is more interesting, personally. Another name for opah fish is moonfish. Maybe STARM?
Quotefile: Opening text box,
Aquaman puts off finding the Wheeler gang when a series of fish murders happens in Aquaman's Fish Preserve.
Remember how I was complaining about Aquaman's odd view of the world of fish? Here it is right from Aquaman's own mouth: "I want people to learn about all the wonderful things in the sea... and the realize that fish, like animals in the forests, are out friends, who should only be killed for food --- not just for sport!"
Finny Friends Report: Aquaman rides a whale at the beginning of the story, when the first group of tourists arrive at the Preserve. A giant Leatherback Turtle swims by for the tourists. An oarfish is seen "tugging" a sea cow to the infirmary. Lantern fish and electric eels provide lighting as the tour finishes up. The murdered fish are a sergeant fish, a tarpon, a rare angler fish, and a rose fish. The final victim is an opah fish, but Aquaman rescues it in time. At the end of the story, Aquaman rides off on his sea cow.
Aquaman figures out that the fish being murdered spell out the name of an island in the fish preserve, but the tricky bit is that opah fish, which has an alternate name. The Coast Guard folks with Aquaman point out that the fish names spell out STARO, but Aquaman says an alternate name for the opah is kingfish. I think STARO is more interesting, personally. Another name for opah fish is moonfish. Maybe STARM?
Quotefile: Opening text box,
You've all heard of Yellowstone National Park, where animals may roam freely for all to admire, safe from the menace of hunters' guns! Now you're about to see a similar haven for fish on the high seas, run by Aquaman, monarch of the deep!Have you read this story? What do you think?
Labels: Aquaman, Ripples Through Time
Dimps of Lunk
Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #98.
The DC Alphabet - Complete.
Grumpy Old Fan pinpoints all my complaints about the first Justice League arc.
Hmmm, maybe I'm going to have to pick up Wonder Woman.
Heidi rants about cell phones at cons. And I agree with her. 100%. Why go to a con if you're gonna spend the entire time talking on the phone? You can do that at home.
Elayne talks about Press Releases and what they are good for.
Stealing other people's work is NOT FINE ART. The Goldman Scandal continues: The Beat 1, The Beat 2, The Beat 3, Colleen Doran, and Comics Reporter.
Chris Ecclston to be in The Dark Is Rising? Hmmmm. I read the books recently and enjoyed them, and he'd be perfect for the part.
Lucid Dreams.
Girls Outnumber Guys on the 'net.
Free Audio Books.
Crytomundo links to Messin' With Sasquatch: Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.
Top 6 PCs of 1982. Via Boing Boing.
Cops don't want to follow the law. If you read the article, it notes that the tickets only apply if the cop was NOT on an emergency run.
Obesity: the genetic link. When I started my weight loss, I feared that I might have some genetic issue that would make losing weight much harder. As it turned out, once I adjusted mentally, losing the pounds wasn't difficult. But then, I'm still nowhere near my ideal weight.
The DC Alphabet - Complete.
Grumpy Old Fan pinpoints all my complaints about the first Justice League arc.
Hmmm, maybe I'm going to have to pick up Wonder Woman.
Heidi rants about cell phones at cons. And I agree with her. 100%. Why go to a con if you're gonna spend the entire time talking on the phone? You can do that at home.
Elayne talks about Press Releases and what they are good for.
Stealing other people's work is NOT FINE ART. The Goldman Scandal continues: The Beat 1, The Beat 2, The Beat 3, Colleen Doran, and Comics Reporter.
Chris Ecclston to be in The Dark Is Rising? Hmmmm. I read the books recently and enjoyed them, and he'd be perfect for the part.
Lucid Dreams.
Girls Outnumber Guys on the 'net.
Free Audio Books.
Crytomundo links to Messin' With Sasquatch: Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.
Top 6 PCs of 1982. Via Boing Boing.
Cops don't want to follow the law. If you read the article, it notes that the tickets only apply if the cop was NOT on an emergency run.
Obesity: the genetic link. When I started my weight loss, I feared that I might have some genetic issue that would make losing weight much harder. As it turned out, once I adjusted mentally, losing the pounds wasn't difficult. But then, I'm still nowhere near my ideal weight.
Labels: Comic Book Urban Legends, Cryptozoology, Weight Loss
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Ripples Through Time - 115
I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order. After I read each story I will post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.
Adventure #191 (August 1953) - The Aqua-Cop of the Sea!
Aquaman makes a lot of people unhappy when he becomes a sea cop and starts handing out tickets for minor infractions.
Aquaman is originally called in after Sunday boaters start getting into accidents. But he's there for more than just the traffic problems, as we eventually learn. This is a case of Aquaman willing to destroy his public reputation to capture criminals, which becomes a bit of a habit with him. All the more reason to not worry about what folks think of Aquaman, as he never did. Well... ok, he did a little at the end of this tale: "I'm sure glad it's all over! I've made more enemies handing out phoney tickets than there are fishes in the sea!"
Finny Friends Report: On the splash page, Aquaman is riding what looks like a dolphin with teeth. Once Aquaman is called in, sea cows carry traffic signs and Aquaman rides a sea cow to write tickets. Mollusks attached to boat railings indicate the owners of the boats. To catch a speeder at the end of the story, he has a swordfish puncture the gas tank.
Quotefile: Female boater, "I think it's a shame, Aquaman! There've been 20 boat thefts this week, and all you're interested in is in issuing summonses for minor traffic violations!"
Have you read this story? What do you think?
Aquaman makes a lot of people unhappy when he becomes a sea cop and starts handing out tickets for minor infractions.
Aquaman is originally called in after Sunday boaters start getting into accidents. But he's there for more than just the traffic problems, as we eventually learn. This is a case of Aquaman willing to destroy his public reputation to capture criminals, which becomes a bit of a habit with him. All the more reason to not worry about what folks think of Aquaman, as he never did. Well... ok, he did a little at the end of this tale: "I'm sure glad it's all over! I've made more enemies handing out phoney tickets than there are fishes in the sea!"
Finny Friends Report: On the splash page, Aquaman is riding what looks like a dolphin with teeth. Once Aquaman is called in, sea cows carry traffic signs and Aquaman rides a sea cow to write tickets. Mollusks attached to boat railings indicate the owners of the boats. To catch a speeder at the end of the story, he has a swordfish puncture the gas tank.
Quotefile: Female boater, "I think it's a shame, Aquaman! There've been 20 boat thefts this week, and all you're interested in is in issuing summonses for minor traffic violations!"
Have you read this story? What do you think?
Labels: Aquaman, Ripples Through Time
Lunk... no, Dimp...
Massive preview of Sasquatch Comic. I do mean massive. It's 106 pages long.
More Superheroes... based on Islamic Culture.
The Animated Bayeux Tapestry. Must-see YouTube.
Shadows.
Tim O'Reilly responds to the negative criticism of the proposed Blogger Code of Conduct.
That chicken was once a T-Rex!
A potential cure for type 1 diabetes.
Florida Kindergartener Charged With Felony Tantrum. And two misdemeanors. A 6-year-old.
Blogger lawsuit.
Lots of memories of Kurt Vonnegut: Mark Evanier, Boing Boing (links), The Beat, ComicMix, Phil Plait, and Michael Sensei.
More Superheroes... based on Islamic Culture.
The Animated Bayeux Tapestry. Must-see YouTube.
Shadows.
Tim O'Reilly responds to the negative criticism of the proposed Blogger Code of Conduct.
That chicken was once a T-Rex!
A potential cure for type 1 diabetes.
Florida Kindergartener Charged With Felony Tantrum. And two misdemeanors. A 6-year-old.
Blogger lawsuit.
Lots of memories of Kurt Vonnegut: Mark Evanier, Boing Boing (links), The Beat, ComicMix, Phil Plait, and Michael Sensei.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
A Day In The Life
I TiVo both "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" because I like to watch them, but don't like staying up late or relying on repeats. Plus, being able to skip through commercials or the unfunny bits is nice. So yesterday afternoon I was watching the first "Colbert Report" back from the break, and Stephen Colbert was happily eating his ice cream. And I wondered why I still haven't found the flavor at any of my local grocery stores. So I went to Ben & Jerry's website, clicked on "New Flavors" and found "Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream". I love the description:
I stood in the garage in shock for a moment, never having thought he would take my joke even slightly seriously. I slowly went back to my computer, wondering if he was upset at me. When he got back a few minutes later, triumphantly brandishing the ice cream, I was grateful and a bit meek. We ended up having the ice cream for dessert last night. It was REALLY good. Nasty calorie level, but I planned for it, so it worked out.
...
This morning I got up at my usual time and jumped in the shower. I was rinsing my hair when it happened. I cleared the water from my eyes after the rinse and realized I couldn't see anything. Well, not clearly. The power went out while I was in the shower. I finished my shower, thankful that the water heater doesn't instantly cool the water when power outages happen, and went about my normal morning business as well as I could manage. No power means cold breakfast, which wasn't too difficult. No power means no internet, so I couldn't check my e-mail/blogs/comments. Annoying, but I could survive. No power means no heat, and that was a mild problem. The house was already chill because I hadn't turned on the heat yet, and work wasn't for another couple of hours. Light wasn't an issue, I opened the front windowshade and was able to read just fine. But I got more and more cold as I did so.
I considered driving to work early, but the van still has no heat (every time I get it fixed it breaks again) and if there was no one there I'd be no better. So I wrapped myself in a blanket and read "A Distant Soil", "Gone South", and "Unshelved Vol 1". Reviews coming. Along with a bunch of overdue reviews for Illusive Arts that I really ought to do soon before they think I don't love them anymore.
But this morning... no computer, no reviews. Just reading in the cold house. I finally left when I realized I could see my breath. The drive was uncomfortable because I started out cold and the van didn't heat up at all inside. I got to work a little early, but there were a couple of people already there. I stood in front of the heater until I'd thawed enough to start working while my co-workers expressed sympathy for my frozen state.
...
On the way home from work, I visited the comic shop as normal on Wednesdays. When I saw the stuff in my pull box I realized the shop had been shorted. Once again, a box "went astray" at UPS, and so over half the books hadn't arrived, including three of the four books I was in to get. However, the Doctor Who TARDIS 4 port USB hub had arrived! So at least the trip wasn't a complete waste (I can't get the freakin' twist ties out of the bottom of the hub, otherwise it ROCKS). I also turned in the Apr/Jun order form.
I intended to stop by McD's for lunch and get another Happy Meal toy for hubby-Eric, but once I was on my way to McD's I realized I couldn't stomach the thought, and headed home to make lunch instead. But I was still in a junk food mood to some extent, so I talked poor hubby-Eric into ordering out a pizza for dinner. Papa John's has a tax day deal, large pizza for $10.40, so we pre-ordered one for the time Eric gets home from his night job (which is why he's only sort of on Spring Break). All of which takes us full circle from yesterday's ice cream run.
Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream is a decadent melting pot of vanilla ice cream with fudge-covered waffle cone pieces and a caramel swirl. It's the sweet taste of liberty in your mouth.Down at the bottom of the info page is a "Store Locator" and I put in our zip code to see if anyone local is carrying it at all yet. To my surprise, the only local grocery that is carrying it so far is the one grocery I never go to (because it's a little out of the way, not because I don't like them). I told hubby-Eric about my find (he's on Spring Break, sort of), and we went about our business until a few minutes later when hubby-Eric was at a loss for what he needed to get done. "What am I doing?" he asked rhetorically, and I responded, "Running down to the store to get me some AmeriCone Dream!" He immediately launched himself to the garage, and while I stumbled up from my chair to go after him, I heard the car pulling out and the garage closing. He was gone.
I stood in the garage in shock for a moment, never having thought he would take my joke even slightly seriously. I slowly went back to my computer, wondering if he was upset at me. When he got back a few minutes later, triumphantly brandishing the ice cream, I was grateful and a bit meek. We ended up having the ice cream for dessert last night. It was REALLY good. Nasty calorie level, but I planned for it, so it worked out.
...
This morning I got up at my usual time and jumped in the shower. I was rinsing my hair when it happened. I cleared the water from my eyes after the rinse and realized I couldn't see anything. Well, not clearly. The power went out while I was in the shower. I finished my shower, thankful that the water heater doesn't instantly cool the water when power outages happen, and went about my normal morning business as well as I could manage. No power means cold breakfast, which wasn't too difficult. No power means no internet, so I couldn't check my e-mail/blogs/comments. Annoying, but I could survive. No power means no heat, and that was a mild problem. The house was already chill because I hadn't turned on the heat yet, and work wasn't for another couple of hours. Light wasn't an issue, I opened the front windowshade and was able to read just fine. But I got more and more cold as I did so.
I considered driving to work early, but the van still has no heat (every time I get it fixed it breaks again) and if there was no one there I'd be no better. So I wrapped myself in a blanket and read "A Distant Soil", "Gone South", and "Unshelved Vol 1". Reviews coming. Along with a bunch of overdue reviews for Illusive Arts that I really ought to do soon before they think I don't love them anymore.
But this morning... no computer, no reviews. Just reading in the cold house. I finally left when I realized I could see my breath. The drive was uncomfortable because I started out cold and the van didn't heat up at all inside. I got to work a little early, but there were a couple of people already there. I stood in front of the heater until I'd thawed enough to start working while my co-workers expressed sympathy for my frozen state.
...
On the way home from work, I visited the comic shop as normal on Wednesdays. When I saw the stuff in my pull box I realized the shop had been shorted. Once again, a box "went astray" at UPS, and so over half the books hadn't arrived, including three of the four books I was in to get. However, the Doctor Who TARDIS 4 port USB hub had arrived! So at least the trip wasn't a complete waste (I can't get the freakin' twist ties out of the bottom of the hub, otherwise it ROCKS). I also turned in the Apr/Jun order form.
I intended to stop by McD's for lunch and get another Happy Meal toy for hubby-Eric, but once I was on my way to McD's I realized I couldn't stomach the thought, and headed home to make lunch instead. But I was still in a junk food mood to some extent, so I talked poor hubby-Eric into ordering out a pizza for dinner. Papa John's has a tax day deal, large pizza for $10.40, so we pre-ordered one for the time Eric gets home from his night job (which is why he's only sort of on Spring Break). All of which takes us full circle from yesterday's ice cream run.
Labels: Comic Shop, Doctor Who, Power Outage
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Ripples Through Time - 114
I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order. After I read each story I will post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.
Adventure #190 (July 1953) - The Hunter of the Seven Seas!
Joseph Lundgren, a famous big-game hunter, has tired of the same old prey and decides to go bag some monsters of the deep.
Finny Friends Report: A whale is caught and shocked by Lundgren. A giant octopus is caught in a net. Aquaman is alerted by other finny friends, and approaches the ship on dolphin steeds. He has a turtle free itself by biting through a rope, then it smashes a tank with a sawfish in it who frees the whale by cutting through the electric cable. Aquaman asks the whale to not destroy the hunter's ship. When the typhoon hits, Aquaman's fish cut loose a lifeboat. Flying fish locate the crew members washed overboard. The whale frees Lundgren and his friend from their diving sphere tomb, and shelters them as they get into the lifeboat. A group of dolphins pulls the lifeboat to shore, while Aquaman and Lundgren ride on the whale.
Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is captured in a net with his dolphins as he approaches Lundgren's ship. He frees the dolphins easily, but chooses to stay captured to find out what's going on.
Quotefile: Aquaman, "Now-- Since the lives of these creatures are more important than any fun you get from catching them... you can let them go!" Lundgren, "Are you crazy? This voyage has cost me a fortune! If I return empty-handed, my reputation as a sportsman will be ruined!"
This is another story that illustrates Aquaman's fatal flaw in the Golden Age. He's a human. But he's friends with the fish. And he doesn't let people capture fish... except for aquariums and the like, which he supports. Oh, and he supported a whaler earlier, too. And obviously lets fishermen do fishing. So how does he justify stopping Lundgren and not stopping a fisherman? Are some fish his friends and other fish not? Does the Golden Age Aquaman have a double-standard?s
Have you read this story? What do you think?
Joseph Lundgren, a famous big-game hunter, has tired of the same old prey and decides to go bag some monsters of the deep.
Finny Friends Report: A whale is caught and shocked by Lundgren. A giant octopus is caught in a net. Aquaman is alerted by other finny friends, and approaches the ship on dolphin steeds. He has a turtle free itself by biting through a rope, then it smashes a tank with a sawfish in it who frees the whale by cutting through the electric cable. Aquaman asks the whale to not destroy the hunter's ship. When the typhoon hits, Aquaman's fish cut loose a lifeboat. Flying fish locate the crew members washed overboard. The whale frees Lundgren and his friend from their diving sphere tomb, and shelters them as they get into the lifeboat. A group of dolphins pulls the lifeboat to shore, while Aquaman and Lundgren ride on the whale.
Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is captured in a net with his dolphins as he approaches Lundgren's ship. He frees the dolphins easily, but chooses to stay captured to find out what's going on.
Quotefile: Aquaman, "Now-- Since the lives of these creatures are more important than any fun you get from catching them... you can let them go!" Lundgren, "Are you crazy? This voyage has cost me a fortune! If I return empty-handed, my reputation as a sportsman will be ruined!"
This is another story that illustrates Aquaman's fatal flaw in the Golden Age. He's a human. But he's friends with the fish. And he doesn't let people capture fish... except for aquariums and the like, which he supports. Oh, and he supported a whaler earlier, too. And obviously lets fishermen do fishing. So how does he justify stopping Lundgren and not stopping a fisherman? Are some fish his friends and other fish not? Does the Golden Age Aquaman have a double-standard?s
Have you read this story? What do you think?
Labels: Aquaman, Ripples Through Time
Bonus Lunkdimp
Unshelved looks at Global Frequency.
Leonard Kirk Cartoons Again. He's got a sick sense of humor.
FilkerTom directs us to an on-line jukebox.
Safe for work Porn For Women. This one is for all the husbands out there. Be sure to follow the second set of links that disagree with the first.
Ah, the latest flap is the Bloggers Code of Conduct proposed by Tim O'Reilly. Scoble talks about it, and Boing Boing points to a response to the initial proposal. I have no problem with following a code of conduct, but I have issues with other folks telling me what that code ought to be.
Seattle Police found a recycler who was taking stolen copper to recycle. I think I mentioned the copper thieves before, well, hopefully this raid will stop some of it.
The theft of a webcomic. Stealing other people's work is NOT FINE ART.
Planet Karen reacts to the theft of a webcomic.
Are you on the list? Believe me, you really don't want to be. Speaking of lists, Korean War hero branded a terrorist for a speech critical of Bush.
Top 10 Firefox Extensions to Avoid. I figured I wouldn't have any, but they included a couple of very useful ones on the list. *sigh*
Michael Sensei posts a very informative report on the Yamato. I was a huge Starblazers fan as a kid, getting up early every morning to watch it.
Cute Link: The Bucket Saga. To really understand it, start at the end and work your way back to the most recent post.
Leonard Kirk Cartoons Again. He's got a sick sense of humor.
FilkerTom directs us to an on-line jukebox.
Safe for work Porn For Women. This one is for all the husbands out there. Be sure to follow the second set of links that disagree with the first.
Ah, the latest flap is the Bloggers Code of Conduct proposed by Tim O'Reilly. Scoble talks about it, and Boing Boing points to a response to the initial proposal. I have no problem with following a code of conduct, but I have issues with other folks telling me what that code ought to be.
Seattle Police found a recycler who was taking stolen copper to recycle. I think I mentioned the copper thieves before, well, hopefully this raid will stop some of it.
The theft of a webcomic. Stealing other people's work is NOT FINE ART.
Planet Karen reacts to the theft of a webcomic.
Are you on the list? Believe me, you really don't want to be. Speaking of lists, Korean War hero branded a terrorist for a speech critical of Bush.
Top 10 Firefox Extensions to Avoid. I figured I wouldn't have any, but they included a couple of very useful ones on the list. *sigh*
Michael Sensei posts a very informative report on the Yamato. I was a huge Starblazers fan as a kid, getting up early every morning to watch it.
Cute Link: The Bucket Saga. To really understand it, start at the end and work your way back to the most recent post.
Labels: FilkerTom, Firefox, Leonard Kirk, Links, Politics, Unshelved, Webcomics
Lunks and Dimps
I gotta get this.
I've always liked Vikings (I married a nice Norwegian-named boy, even), so I gotta get this.
Waiting Room. I've often thought that a good way to build audiences for comic books would be to get comics into waiting rooms, where people would certainly like something other than a typical magazine to look at. If I were rich, I'd start a waiting room project in a test market, just to see if it really does help sales/readership. But then, I'm nutso like that.
Death Note inspires kids to write names in their own Notebooks. In Death Note, the hero/villian of the story writes names in a notebook and the people whose names he writes die. I could see how kids copying that would be disturbing.
Wil Wheaton in Dork Tower #36.
Breakfast of the Gods. A webcomic with a familiar cast.
I stopped reading B.C. when it stopped being funny many years ago, but I loved the strip as a kid. Rest in Peace, Johnny Hart.
Seattle Weekly on Ellison/Fantagraphics. *sigh*. I just want it to end.
Hrm. No Carl's Jr around here, but I want the card game. Hrm.
Virginia Hey has a new acting role. She retired when she came to the United States... but... go read her entry about it.
Hubby-Eric and I watched "Thank God You're Here" and I found the improv to be non-improv-y... and Wil Wheaton explains exactly what the problem was. Thank you, Wil, for putting it into words.
I love this, three Washington state towns on the top 10 list of towns that pre-ordered Harry Potter.
Figuring out why dogs vary in size. The genetic studies could help humans some day, too.
Stanford Copyright Renewal Database project makes it easier to discover if a book is under copyright. Go Check It Out!
Saturn is turning.
Sitemeter has gone spyware. A lot of folks use Sitemeter for counting hits on their websites... but apparently it's started doing more than just counting hits.
Don't Fly Without A Copy of Rule 240.
Don't Hotlink, follow Wil's advice and use ImgRed.com instead!
Laptop Battery Hack.
Cute Link: When out of tissues, a cat is fine too.
I've always liked Vikings (I married a nice Norwegian-named boy, even), so I gotta get this.
Waiting Room. I've often thought that a good way to build audiences for comic books would be to get comics into waiting rooms, where people would certainly like something other than a typical magazine to look at. If I were rich, I'd start a waiting room project in a test market, just to see if it really does help sales/readership. But then, I'm nutso like that.
Death Note inspires kids to write names in their own Notebooks. In Death Note, the hero/villian of the story writes names in a notebook and the people whose names he writes die. I could see how kids copying that would be disturbing.
Wil Wheaton in Dork Tower #36.
Breakfast of the Gods. A webcomic with a familiar cast.
I stopped reading B.C. when it stopped being funny many years ago, but I loved the strip as a kid. Rest in Peace, Johnny Hart.
Seattle Weekly on Ellison/Fantagraphics. *sigh*. I just want it to end.
Hrm. No Carl's Jr around here, but I want the card game. Hrm.
Virginia Hey has a new acting role. She retired when she came to the United States... but... go read her entry about it.
Hubby-Eric and I watched "Thank God You're Here" and I found the improv to be non-improv-y... and Wil Wheaton explains exactly what the problem was. Thank you, Wil, for putting it into words.
I love this, three Washington state towns on the top 10 list of towns that pre-ordered Harry Potter.
Figuring out why dogs vary in size. The genetic studies could help humans some day, too.
Stanford Copyright Renewal Database project makes it easier to discover if a book is under copyright. Go Check It Out!
Saturn is turning.
Sitemeter has gone spyware. A lot of folks use Sitemeter for counting hits on their websites... but apparently it's started doing more than just counting hits.
Don't Fly Without A Copy of Rule 240.
Don't Hotlink, follow Wil's advice and use ImgRed.com instead!
Laptop Battery Hack.
Cute Link: When out of tissues, a cat is fine too.
Labels: Astronomy, Cats, Copyfight, Fantagraphics, Harlan Ellison, Harry Potter, Manga, Science, Webcomics, Wil Wheaton
Monday, April 09, 2007
Lunkdimples
The Disappearing Superboy.
Commentary on Late Comics.
Colleen says to go visit this online exposition on the origins of comics.
PS238 is going to have a cool guest appearance. Also check out the cool links.
Leonard Kirk's Balls Part X
If the Globe Theater had a message board in the time of Shakespeare.
EX-TER-MI-NATE! CROCHET! BAKE! EX-TER-MI-NATE!
Happy Birthday Tom Lehrer.
I love the Parenting Handbook. Heh.
What happens when a well-known classical violin player takes his Strad down to the metro station in Washington and plays like any other street performer?
Pack your bagel in a CD spindle. Finally, a use for old CD spindles!!!
How did David Copperfield make the Statue of Liberty vanish?
The downside of sports photography.
Danger, DANGER! I sense years of construction happening here soon. Oh man, maybe hubby-Eric and I should move.
Hatfield/McCoy feud helped by rare genetic condition?
CAPTCHAs to stop people who ought to NOT be on the internet.
The 12th Carnival of Feminist Science Fiction and Fantasy Fans.
Scoble on Internet Attacks.
FDA knew about tainted wheat gluten for three weeks before issuing a recall. How many pets died because of that three week delay? How can we believe the FDA when they say the stuff didn't get into the human food supply?
Driving in Afghanistan (watch the video).
A cat with thumbs doesn't really need humans, does it?
And more cute: Zoo Babies!
Commentary on Late Comics.
Colleen says to go visit this online exposition on the origins of comics.
PS238 is going to have a cool guest appearance. Also check out the cool links.
Leonard Kirk's Balls Part X
If the Globe Theater had a message board in the time of Shakespeare.
EX-TER-MI-NATE! CROCHET! BAKE! EX-TER-MI-NATE!
Happy Birthday Tom Lehrer.
I love the Parenting Handbook. Heh.
What happens when a well-known classical violin player takes his Strad down to the metro station in Washington and plays like any other street performer?
Pack your bagel in a CD spindle. Finally, a use for old CD spindles!!!
How did David Copperfield make the Statue of Liberty vanish?
The downside of sports photography.
Danger, DANGER! I sense years of construction happening here soon. Oh man, maybe hubby-Eric and I should move.
Hatfield/McCoy feud helped by rare genetic condition?
CAPTCHAs to stop people who ought to NOT be on the internet.
The 12th Carnival of Feminist Science Fiction and Fantasy Fans.
Scoble on Internet Attacks.
FDA knew about tainted wheat gluten for three weeks before issuing a recall. How many pets died because of that three week delay? How can we believe the FDA when they say the stuff didn't get into the human food supply?
Driving in Afghanistan (watch the video).
A cat with thumbs doesn't really need humans, does it?
And more cute: Zoo Babies!
Labels: Doctor Who, Links, PS238
Emerald City Comicon Links 2007
If you wrote up a report on the Emerald City Comicon, be sure to tell The Comics Reporter for the collective memory link post.
Here's my collection of ECCC 2007 Reports:
Here's my collection of ECCC 2007 Reports:
- Greg Hatcher.
- Kirk Jarvinen: ECCC was a BLAST!
- Heidi Meeley:
- Eric Gjovaag: Oz in ECCC 2007.
- Gail Simone arm wrestles Mike Oeming (YouTube).
- Clayton Hollifield.
- Scott Kurtz.
- Scott Kurtz Photo Set.
- Brad Guigar:
- All The Rage.
- Comic Book Resources.
- CBR's Photo Parade.
- ComicMix
- Penny Arcade in art and in words
- Jeff Parker:
- Dorothy's Journal:
- Laura Gjovaag:
- The Seattle Times Reports:
- The insider scoop on the ever-expanding Emerald City Comicon
- Q&A with Posehn
- Q&A with Tom Peyer
- A slightly related article about Fantagraphics versus Harlan Ellison.
- Jim's Post Con De-Stressing.
Labels: Emerald City Comicon, Links
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Late Breaking Limpdunk
One more entry in the parade of Peeps: The Seattle Times presents its annual parade of Peeps creations!
Labels: Easter, Post By Eric
Late Easter Lunkdimp
Peep Shows.
Easter Videos.
Happy Easter from The Beat.
Giant Rabbit Sighting.
Bully's Easter Story in Comic Book Covers.
Leonard Kirk's Bunny.
State Easter Eggs.
Savage Easter Bunny.
Easter Videos.
Happy Easter from The Beat.
Giant Rabbit Sighting.
Bully's Easter Story in Comic Book Covers.
Leonard Kirk's Bunny.
State Easter Eggs.
Savage Easter Bunny.
Labels: Easter
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Sketchbook - Peter Gross
Rather than restart my Saturday Sketches exactly where I left off, I've decided to jump around a bit and post whatever I feel like whenever the Saturday Sketch mood hits me. Thus I'm starting today with a sketch from this year's Emerald City Comicon. The tale of getting this sketch is in ECCC2007 Report Part I. I'll note that as other artists looked through the book, this was one that people paused on to comment about. Without further ado, Peter Gross:
AQUAMAN
by Peter Gross
31 March 2007
(permission to post given 31 March 2007 in person)
petergrossart.com
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.
To see all the sketches I have permission to post so far, check out my Sketchbook Page. Click for a random Aquaman sketch.
The Saturday Sketch ™ is brought to you by the letters "A", "Q" and the number "65", 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.
AQUAMAN
by Peter Gross
31 March 2007
(permission to post given 31 March 2007 in person)
petergrossart.com
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.
To see all the sketches I have permission to post so far, check out my Sketchbook Page. Click for a random Aquaman sketch.
The Saturday Sketch ™ is brought to you by the letters "A", "Q" and the number "65", 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.
Labels: Aquaman, Emerald City Comicon, Saturday Sketch
Friday, April 06, 2007
Post Con Report Lunkdimp
All of my Con Reports on one handy page.
Brad Guigar on Emerald City Comicon.
All The Rage on Emerald City Comicon (including a picture of me almost at the very bottom of the page). And Steve directs us to a bunch of photos.
Dorothy Temporary Tattoo status: after several days, it finally started to dry out and I washed it off with ease this afternoon. Before it got to that point, it looked pretty cool when it cracked and started to show the texture of my skin.
Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #97. Just how many urban legends are there in the world of comic books?
My efforts to get Wizard of Oz dolls for my husband were noticed.
Mark Evanier on DVD commentary tracks.
I do not understand this joke, but I certainly admire the effort into trying to explain it.
BEES! Pay attention, darn it! This is important. BEES!
More on Miracle Fruit.
Paul Cornell's ongoing Dictionary of the Modern Cliche.
Rejected RIAA Mascot.
Is it just me, or is there an Amelia Earhart story about once a year? Here's the latest.
Over the last weekend, Google updated their Google Earth with some high res images, including higher res images of New Orleans... that were pre-Katrina. Oops. They quickly restored post-Katrina images, but not current ones.
Geological debate: Is it a crater or a natural valley?
X Prize for Super efficient cars. Ooooh. This oughta be fun.
Compromise is not acceptable.
Brad Guigar on Emerald City Comicon.
All The Rage on Emerald City Comicon (including a picture of me almost at the very bottom of the page). And Steve directs us to a bunch of photos.
Dorothy Temporary Tattoo status: after several days, it finally started to dry out and I washed it off with ease this afternoon. Before it got to that point, it looked pretty cool when it cracked and started to show the texture of my skin.
Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #97. Just how many urban legends are there in the world of comic books?
My efforts to get Wizard of Oz dolls for my husband were noticed.
Mark Evanier on DVD commentary tracks.
I do not understand this joke, but I certainly admire the effort into trying to explain it.
BEES! Pay attention, darn it! This is important. BEES!
More on Miracle Fruit.
Paul Cornell's ongoing Dictionary of the Modern Cliche.
Rejected RIAA Mascot.
Is it just me, or is there an Amelia Earhart story about once a year? Here's the latest.
Over the last weekend, Google updated their Google Earth with some high res images, including higher res images of New Orleans... that were pre-Katrina. Oops. They quickly restored post-Katrina images, but not current ones.
Geological debate: Is it a crater or a natural valley?
X Prize for Super efficient cars. Ooooh. This oughta be fun.
Compromise is not acceptable.
Labels: Comic Book Urban Legends, Emerald City Comicon, Links
Emerald City Comicon Report 2007 - Part IV
I mentioned in the last part that we dropped off our brand-new Doctor Who sketchbook with Kirk Jarvinen. We kept stopping back to visit him, only to find him hiding the work-in-progress from us. I noticed that he had a book on Doctor Who with him, but I wasn't sure what he was up to.
When I left off, I'd just gotten a sketch from Dave McCaig, who filled in the page that Rafael skipped in my sketchbook. While he sketched, I trolled a group of folks in the Alley, including Clayton Hollifield:
About this time we headed back to the Illusive Arts booth, and Rafael started on a sketch for Eric. I spent a little time working the booth this year, not as much as I intended to, for which I apologize to Anna and the gang. I did, however, apparently make a sale for Atomic Basement, the folks sharing the Illusive Booth. Mike Wellman's "Gone South" was purchased after I started chatting with someone looking at the books. Mike then gave me a set of the first three issues, which I intend to read and review.
Also while I was in the Illusive Booth on the second day, Steven G Saunders of All the Rage came by and did an interview with the gang. Then he asked to get a picture of me, which I allowed with a bit of trepidation. I may have lost weight, but I'm still not skinny. Still, his photographer did a good job of making me look like I'm not too "caught in the headlights" and accepted my request to get the Tony Loco and Dorothy signs in the picture. And so I'll shamelessly steal my picture from All The Rage and, in something of a first for me, post it here in my report. Please don't scream:
Back to the narrative, such as it is. For a time Eric and I stayed near the booth, with me going out on little forays to visit people. During this time, I trolled Mike Wellman and Mark Masterson, both in the Illusive booth.
I also trolled Brian Pulido and Ben Hansen. Ben was in the QEW booth and did a sketch for me there. I told him about Eric's sketchbook, which was at that moment rather occupied with Rafael's efforts, and he was eager to add to it. I also trolled the QEW booth babe, Jolene, who may have taken exception to being called a booth babe, but was very good-natured about it.
Wandering over to the Image booth, which was very close to Illusive, I met Rick Remender and Ed Brubaker. I trolled Rick, then showed off my sketchbook. He asked me to leave it with him for a bit, so I attempted to troll Brubaker, who was chatting with Jay Faerber. Just before he took off for a signing, I managed to get him to pose with the troll (and Jay, who is now double-trolled).
Rick finished his sketch for me, and I then trolled the Unshelved guys Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum. Then I got George Demonakos. Dave McCaig tapped me on the shoulder and asked for directions to see Rafael, and I pointed out Illusive's booth to him. I trolled Terry Moore, who was only sketching for a $50 donation to CBLDF, but was willing to be trolled. Jim Lawson was trolled, and looked at my sketchbook... after which he added an Aquaman sketch to my book.
When Rafael had finished his incredible version of the original Green Lantern for Eric, I took Eric over to the Unshelved booth and we bought the first volume and a t-shirt for Lisa. Eric got a sketch from Bill Barnes of Dewey as Green Lantern. Then we wandered over to Comics Fairplay as Joe St Pierre was stopping by, and he was talked into doing a sketch for Eric's book too. Then Eric went to QEW and Ben Hansen, who drew Dorothy as Green Lantern.
I trolled Brad Guigar, and showed off the sketchbook to him. Then we headed back to Artist Alley. I trolled David Mack and showed off my sketchbook. He told me he liked Karin Yamagiwa Madan's sketch the best. Which she didn't believe when I repeated it to her. I think because of all the attention her Aquaman sketch has gotten in the past, she was a little nervous about adding to Eric's sketchbook. We left his book with her, and showed off my book to Shane White, who agreed to add a sketch to it, thus leaving all three of our sketchbooks with people while we continued to troll. Speaking of, we wandered down to see if Kirk had finished the Doctor Who sketch yet.
NOPE! He again hid the book from us as we approached. So we continued down the row and Torvald was attacked by Domo-kun (got picture), then we trolled the Denny/Madison Middle School kids:
I also managed to troll Poison Ivy. Back down the row, I trolled Shane White when he finished my sketch, then visited Ron Randall. I showed off my sketchbook, then trolled him. Kirk was still working on the Doctor Who sketch, so we checked in on Karin, who handed the book back to Eric and apologized for ruining his sketchbook.
On the contrary, she turned in a GREAT Cowardly Lion sketch, which amuses me every time I look at it:
Around this time, Michael Avon Oeming started his arm wrestling contest. I had told Heidi that she could take him, because I was pretty sure she could. We could hear the crowd cheering and shouting as the matches got underway. As I'm a wimp and couldn't beat a three-year-old at arm wrestling, I just listened and was amused.
With two of our sketchbooks back in our hands, we wandered up to Clayton Hollifield's table to await Kirk finishing the Doctor Who sketch. Since Clayton hadn't seen Eric's sketchbook yet, we handed it over for him to look at. His neighbor Diane Moore looked at mine. When she reached the end, she asked if she could add a sketch. I said sure, and she got the honor of the final sketch in my book this con. Clayton drew a sketch for Eric's book, then looked through my book to see what had been added since his contribution. Diane asked to see Eric's book as well, and contributed a sketch to his book, and got to be the last sketch this con in his book as well. When we explained that we were waiting for Kirk Jarvinen to finish the first sketch in our Doctor Who sketchbook, she asked if she could be the second sketch. We agreed, but first we had to get the sketchbook back...
I looked over to see that Kirk had closed the book, he was done! We hurried over and took a peek inside the book:
WOW!
If this is what a bag of jelly babies will get me, Kirk's getting jelly babies from me every year! After a time of awed silence followed by profuse thanks, we made our way back to Diane, who drew the second sketch in the Doctor Who sketchbook, and again, the last sketch of the con. I then trolled her, and we went back to the Illusive booth.
I was beginning to get a little woozy from the crowds, but I managed to troll a borg. Then Eric and I wandered around and said good-bye to various folks. I trolled the final victim of the day, Jen Van Meter, as she sat next to Greg Rucka. We ran into Heidi, who had been close to beating Oeming when her elbow slipped a little. I still think she could've taken him. If nothing else, she surprised him with her strength. HA! Eric finally dragged my tired body out of the door just as the fibro pain and the crowd phobia really started to set in. He got me out of there just in time.
It was a spectacular con, with an amazingly relaxed atmosphere that was still somehow charged with excitement. I loved every minute, and I'm looking forward to next year's con, March 29th & 30th, 2008 at the Washington State Convention Center. Plan for it, because I should be there.
And now, notes of bits I saw but forgot to mention in their place:
For the entire convention, there was a music group in the booth across from Illusive playing wonderful low-key live music. It was really neat... When Lisa and I left the first day, we saw a stormtrooper who was leaving but intended to come back trying to figure out where to get a hand stamp, since he couldn't take his glove off... Eric and David and Eric discovered an Oz poster at an animation booth, and got the information so they could get the product when it's released... When Lisa and I stopped at the Unshelved booth the first time, Bill Barnes quickly figured out that I was a fan as I started naming off all the characters and their quirks and told Lisa that Dewey was my hero... Fantagraphics had a very minimal presence at the con, with a small booth next to Terry Moore and across from CBLDF... At some point on Sunday I heard someone say that the cash machine in front of the Event Center was out of money. I recall that also happened last year... Rafael Navarro showed me some storyboard scenes of an upcoming episode of The Batman. They didn't give a thing away about the plot, but were fun to look at just for the process they show... On the first day of the con I wore my new Alex Ross Aquaman t-shirt. For Sunday I wore my t-shirt with the best Aquaman panel ever on it... On one day, when I needed to get through the crowd quickly, I put the troll on my head and walked forward determinedly, people got out of my way... At some point during the first day, and announcement came over the intercom, "Captain America is still dead."
Labels: Con Report, Emerald City Comicon, Torvald
Thursday, April 05, 2007
McDonald's of Oz, Part 6
Late this afternoon, a car pulled into my driveway and a good friend whom I haven't seen for several months came up to my door with a large plastic bag. J explained that his sister works at McD's, and had told him about the Wizard of Oz toys. J had immediately thought of Eric, and so his sister had pulled together a complete set of the toys for him. Just like that. As a gift to us.
Seriously, we have the BEST friends in the world.
Seriously, we have the BEST friends in the world.
Labels: McDonalds, Wizard of Oz
Emerald City Comicon Report 2007 - Part III
Stepping back in time a little from the last report, to when Rafael did Lisa's sketch, it became apparent that she was completely exhausted from working a late shift the night before and stressed from having to work another late shift after the con. So she made me promise to get her sketchbook from Rafe, then went up to the car to take a nap. It was after that when I started to wander the con again, I think.
Again, I'm always amazed at how quickly I forget the order of events if I don't write them down soon after the con. I remember almost nothing of the 2001 San Diego Comicon because I didn't write a report, but in 2000 my sister Lisa was in Paraguay and I wrote her an extensive con report in a series of letters, which I then edited and posted online, and I remember that con like it was yesterday. If you want to remember a fun event, write about it afterwards. Half the reason to have a blog is to write about the fun times.
Back to the report, I trolled Brian Michael Bendis, who did a lovely pose for me, thanks, and then stopped to talk with Mark Bagley, who was sitting next to him. Although his sketch list was completely filled, I did get to troll him, which really is the next best thing for me now.
After trolling Bagley, I trolled Taki Soma. Then I decided I was just about done so I decided to say farewell to folks. I stopped by Karin Yamagiwa Madan, who appeared to be exploding when I stopped. She had just had some very hot jalapeño chips and was suffering from mouth-afire. I offered her some Swedish Fish to offset the pain. I visited Kirk and P'la again, and Jeff Parker (whose wonderful artwork adorns my business card), and Greg Hatcher, and then tried to say farewell to Kurt Busiek, but he wasn't there. His girls were, however, and we posed the troll with some of their friends, making for a pretty cute shot.
I also managed to troll Rucka, as he was right there next to the Busiek girls. Then I headed back towards Illusive Arts, stopping for a bit to say hello to my retailer Paige, who reported great sales. I visited Hungry Tiger Press to say hello, then stopped by a couple more people who I remember vaguely talking with but don't remember what was said. Back at Illusive Arts booth, I rested a bit, then went out to say farewell to Heidi at Comics Fairplay. I also noticed Quenton Shaw, who always remembers me at every con, and said hello. When I said I was on my way out, he urged me to come back on Sunday and meet his artist Ben Hansen, who would no doubt do a wonderful Aquaman for me.
I went back to Illusive, gathered my stuff, and amid hearty farewells from the whole gang I headed up the stairs to the balcony and the back door, where I'd entered this morning. The costume contest was starting. It was a bit after 4:30 and the crowds had gathered. I continued past, toward the doors. As I got near, I spotted Lisa walking back in looking remarkably refreshed. She saw me as I trudged. I offered to stay a bit longer so she could enjoy the last hour or so of the con, but she liked the idea of heading home early and having some time to decompress before going to work. It would also give us a little more time for dinner and possibly even the ability to watch the new Doctor Who that had just aired. So we left the con and headed home.
Hubby-Eric awaited us at home, having hopefully had a relaxing day alone. He made dinner while I puttered with the computer, figuring out if we could watch Doctor Who. Then I made a couple of CDs for people (one for Lisa) and uploaded Doctor Who to the TiVo. We had spaghetti and new Who, and Lisa left happy and ready for work.
Lisa's sketchbook had four sketches added: Spider-Man by Stefano Gaudiano, Dewey by Bill Barnes, Doctor Who by Kirk Jarvinen, and a color sketch from Rafael Navarro. My sketch total was eight: Michael Avon Oeming, Phil Hester, Ande Parks, Peter Gross, Bill Barnes, Mike Grell (Green Arrow), Taki Soma, and Rafael Navarro. I also got 30 Troll Pictures. I saw almost everyone I'd hoped to see, and managed to get the one sketch I really wanted (Oeming). It was an amazingly good day, with a wonderful atmosphere, and I really was looking forward to Sunday at the con with hubby-Eric. And so to bed...
Zzzzzzzz... Beep! Beep! Beep!
It was hard not to rush Sunday morning. I was well-rested and had plenty of time to get ready. As it was, we left for the con a little early anyway, and ended up waiting outside for about 15 minutes. The upper entrance near the parking garage wasn't open on Sunday, they made us head down to the front doors. It was COLD, about 40 degrees, with a strong breeze ruffling through making it just that much colder. Every minute outside was torture, even with my jacket. I hadn't expected it to be quite that cold, or I would have brought a coat. Other folks in line were also suffering, but we all managed to joke about it anyway. When the line finally started moving, we were too cold to cheer.
Once inside, Eric and I headed right to Illusive, and then I made a mad dash to the restroom as I started to thaw out. Ahem. When I came back, Eric was cheerfully chatting with the gang. After a few minutes with them, we popped over to Hungry Tiger Press and saw Eric Shanower and David Maxine, and Eric bought the book he'd been planning on buying from them, and took out the book he wanted personalized. While they talked and Shanower personalized, I went over to Matthew "Feedback" Atherton's booth and talked with Matt Haley, who is the artist on the "Who Wants to be a Superhero" book. Matt remembered the troll, and promised me he would get Feedback to pose with Torvald. In fact, he posed again, becoming the first double-trolled person! Sure enough, Matt had no trouble convincing Matthew to pose, and Feedback got trolled:
After this success, I returned to hubby-Eric and we went to see Kirk Jarvinen and drop off his CD. We also asked him to inaugurate our first joint sketchbook: The Doctor Who sketchbook. With the pressure of being first on him, he asked if we could leave the sketchbook with him, and we agreed and moved onward.
Margot Kidder, who was only supposed to be at the con on Saturday, had set up again on Sunday in the same spot, so Eric went and said hello to her.
Taki Soma did a sketch for Eric's themed sketchbook (Wizard of Oz OR anyone at all as Green Lantern). Her contribution was Santa Claus as Green Lantern. As she said, it explained a lot about Santa Claus! Next up, we walked around Artist Alley, and Eric got a sketch from Paul Chadwick... Concrete as Green Lantern. Mike Grell, sitting next to Paul, wasn't too busy so he drew the Tin Man. I'm still amazed at how it came out of his pen. Like Ramona Fradon and Nick Cardy, he drew the eyes first, then outlined the head.
Moving onward, I decided to troll Aaron Lopresti, who did an Aquaman sketch for me in 1999. After trolling him, Eric asked for a sketch and got a very cool Scarecrow as Green Lantern. I then went on a troll rampage, trolling Greg Hatcher and wife, Michael Golden, Joseph Michael Lisner (pictured below), and Randy Emberlin.
Still in the Alley, I talked with Dave McCaig, who worked on The Batman cartoon, and he decided to do a sketch for me. When I mentioned the amazing Rafael Navarro because of his sketch in my book I said that he was working on The Batman as well, so suddenly Dave wanted to meet him. I gave him Illusive's booth number. I then went on another trolling spree, and trolled Dave McCaig, Steve Rolston, Clayton Hollifield, and James Dean Smith. About this time we headed back to the Illusive booth, and so I'll stop the narrative here for a rest.
Labels: Con Report, Emerald City Comicon, Torvald
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Ripples Through Time - 113
I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order. After I read each story I will post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.
Want to read these stories yourself? Write to DC: Dan Didio, Executive Editor, DC Comics, 1700 Broadway, New York NY 10019 and ask for a reprint of Aquaman's Golden Age tales.
Adventure #189 (June 1953) - The Nautical Treasure Hunt!
A plane having engine trouble dumps all cargo, including a chest of diamonds, setting off a massive treasure hunt.
Finny Friends Report: Excellent splash page of Aquaman riding a swordfish. Aquaman rides his usual sea cow out to the location of the cargo dump. A dolphin helps him carry a diver to the surface. Three swordfish help him refill the chest.
Quotefile: Newsreporter, "...and the insurance company has offered exactly half the value of the diamonds to anyone who succeeds in salvaging the chest! Here's a chance for all you folks to go on a genuine treasure hunt!"
This is not a very intelligent plot on the part of the bad guys. They sabotage a plane while one of them is ON the plane, all in order to collect some insurance money? The treasure hunt, nicknamed "The Great Diamond Rush of '53", is a giant run of ill-equipped people that make the extremely nervous Coast Guard call in Aquaman to help monitor the crowd. Aquaman is badly needed, as people use homemade diving suits that get tangled in anchor lines, overbalance them out of control, and cause them to black out from going too deep without protection. He finally decides to stop the rush by offering to find the chest himself and split the proceeds with everyone in the crowd. And as it turns out, finding the chest isn't the problem. Finding the diamonds is.
Have you read this story? What do you think?
Want to read these stories yourself? Write to DC: Dan Didio, Executive Editor, DC Comics, 1700 Broadway, New York NY 10019 and ask for a reprint of Aquaman's Golden Age tales.
A plane having engine trouble dumps all cargo, including a chest of diamonds, setting off a massive treasure hunt.
Finny Friends Report: Excellent splash page of Aquaman riding a swordfish. Aquaman rides his usual sea cow out to the location of the cargo dump. A dolphin helps him carry a diver to the surface. Three swordfish help him refill the chest.
Quotefile: Newsreporter, "...and the insurance company has offered exactly half the value of the diamonds to anyone who succeeds in salvaging the chest! Here's a chance for all you folks to go on a genuine treasure hunt!"
This is not a very intelligent plot on the part of the bad guys. They sabotage a plane while one of them is ON the plane, all in order to collect some insurance money? The treasure hunt, nicknamed "The Great Diamond Rush of '53", is a giant run of ill-equipped people that make the extremely nervous Coast Guard call in Aquaman to help monitor the crowd. Aquaman is badly needed, as people use homemade diving suits that get tangled in anchor lines, overbalance them out of control, and cause them to black out from going too deep without protection. He finally decides to stop the rush by offering to find the chest himself and split the proceeds with everyone in the crowd. And as it turns out, finding the chest isn't the problem. Finding the diamonds is.
Have you read this story? What do you think?
Labels: Aquaman, Ripples Through Time
Random Lunks of Dimp
Heh. I just found a post from 2002 in which I predict the success of Emerald City Comicon (as well as describe my problems with a Savage Dragon fan).
Illusive Arts' Emerald City Comicon Photo Parade. You can see me trolling a Borg in this image, while Heidi and I meet a Furry in this image (I'm the fat gal in the blue shirt dead-center). I also adore this image of Rafael Navarro and Chewie.
I found the reason a road was closed when Lisa and I arrived at the con on Saturday morning. They were finishing this installation.
Agatha Heterodyne and the Difficulty of Titling Books.
How did this get past the censors?
More Unscrewed Auctions, which benefit freelancers who can't pay their bills because they've been screwed by publishers not paying debts owed to freelancers.
Colleen Doran lets us know that April is National Financial Literacy Month, and will be posting about financial issues, especially as they affect freelancers, on her blog this month. Check it out.
There's No Such Website! Hubby-Eric got it on the first guess, I got it on the second.
Papercraft R2-D2 Mailboxen.
The War on Science continues.
I'm told that this post at Photographica, a community photojournal, is by my uncle. Go take a look.
Dorothy Temporary Tattoo status: More cracks, more bits missing, still mostly intact.
Illusive Arts' Emerald City Comicon Photo Parade. You can see me trolling a Borg in this image, while Heidi and I meet a Furry in this image (I'm the fat gal in the blue shirt dead-center). I also adore this image of Rafael Navarro and Chewie.
I found the reason a road was closed when Lisa and I arrived at the con on Saturday morning. They were finishing this installation.
Agatha Heterodyne and the Difficulty of Titling Books.
How did this get past the censors?
More Unscrewed Auctions, which benefit freelancers who can't pay their bills because they've been screwed by publishers not paying debts owed to freelancers.
Colleen Doran lets us know that April is National Financial Literacy Month, and will be posting about financial issues, especially as they affect freelancers, on her blog this month. Check it out.
There's No Such Website! Hubby-Eric got it on the first guess, I got it on the second.
Papercraft R2-D2 Mailboxen.
The War on Science continues.
I'm told that this post at Photographica, a community photojournal, is by my uncle. Go take a look.
Dorothy Temporary Tattoo status: More cracks, more bits missing, still mostly intact.
Labels: Emerald City Comicon, Girl Genius, Unscrewed, War on Science
McDonald's of Oz, Part 5
It started with Dorothy. Then we got Glinda and a bad bruise. Next came Witches and Lions. And finally a frantic hunt that led to one complete set, and another set almost complete.
Over the weekend, while my sister and I were at the Comicon, hubby-Eric went out for a McDonald's lunch and got himself another Glinda. He was hoping to find Toy #5, "Wicked Witch of the East", and complete the second full set. No such luck. I decided when I heard about his meal when I got home Saturday night that I would go to McDonald's once more sometime this week and find the final figure. It was my quest!
Monday morning, poor hubby-Eric was really sick. I spent some time during the day taking care of him, and decided not to go out for lunch for a variety of reasons. On Tuesday he was recovering, and although I ran a bunch of errands and such, an opportunity to go out to McD's didn't come up. Besides, I felt a bit woozy on Tuesday myself, and spent much of the day hoping I didn't have what Eric had.
I was beginning to think I did have it this morning, but a couple of hours of sleeping in banished the illness and I felt almost normal by midday. Good thing, too, as I had a number of errands I really needed to get done TODAY, including stuff for work and stuff for hobby. One of the things I didn't need to get done was a trip to the comic shop for new comics day, but I was feeling well enough that I headed out there anyway. Heck, I get to show off the sketchbooks on the Wednesday after a con at the comic shop, so it was fun. There were a couple of folks in the shop that had been at the con, and they both agreed that this year was a good one, with a very relaxed atmosphere. But I digress.
After visiting the comic shop, I decided to try the McDonald's near the shop where I had so much luck last time. I decided that if I found ol' East Witch, I would buy a Happy Meal to go with her... and EAT IT, too!
Again, the store was pretty much deserted when I entered, though the drive-through was insanely busy. No line, so I asked the cashier which Oz dolls they had. She had to get me to clarify which toys, as she was once again a person who had more Spanish than English. I followed her over to the toy bin and watched as she pulled out a Tin Man and something that had a flash of red. She held them out to me, and I grinned happily as I took La Bruja Mala Del Este, Toy #5, from her and said, "This is the one I wanted!"
I think my enthusiasm was a little catching, as she smiled back and it didn't look forced at all. I said I would buy a Happy Meal to go with the toy, which made her laugh, and got a burger, apple dippers, and a diet coke. She had no problem taking my order, and even remembered that I asked for no caramel for the dippers and no ice in my drink. Yes, I ate it (285 calories, 9 grams of fat).
Note to self: Whenever you need to go to McDonald's for a promotion, go to the Kenmore one FIRST. They seem to be the best in the area.
After returning home, I completed my work stuff and got a package ready for my hobby stuff. Then I walked down to the post office (165 calories spent) to mail it. Not quite enough exercise to offset the Happy Meal, but enough for the day, I think. I then sat down to write this and delay working on my next con report. Current tally: Two complete sets, plus an extra Glinda.
And hey, I don't care what hubby-Eric's April Fool's Day Joke says, this is it. We're done.
Over the weekend, while my sister and I were at the Comicon, hubby-Eric went out for a McDonald's lunch and got himself another Glinda. He was hoping to find Toy #5, "Wicked Witch of the East", and complete the second full set. No such luck. I decided when I heard about his meal when I got home Saturday night that I would go to McDonald's once more sometime this week and find the final figure. It was my quest!
Monday morning, poor hubby-Eric was really sick. I spent some time during the day taking care of him, and decided not to go out for lunch for a variety of reasons. On Tuesday he was recovering, and although I ran a bunch of errands and such, an opportunity to go out to McD's didn't come up. Besides, I felt a bit woozy on Tuesday myself, and spent much of the day hoping I didn't have what Eric had.
I was beginning to think I did have it this morning, but a couple of hours of sleeping in banished the illness and I felt almost normal by midday. Good thing, too, as I had a number of errands I really needed to get done TODAY, including stuff for work and stuff for hobby. One of the things I didn't need to get done was a trip to the comic shop for new comics day, but I was feeling well enough that I headed out there anyway. Heck, I get to show off the sketchbooks on the Wednesday after a con at the comic shop, so it was fun. There were a couple of folks in the shop that had been at the con, and they both agreed that this year was a good one, with a very relaxed atmosphere. But I digress.
After visiting the comic shop, I decided to try the McDonald's near the shop where I had so much luck last time. I decided that if I found ol' East Witch, I would buy a Happy Meal to go with her... and EAT IT, too!
Again, the store was pretty much deserted when I entered, though the drive-through was insanely busy. No line, so I asked the cashier which Oz dolls they had. She had to get me to clarify which toys, as she was once again a person who had more Spanish than English. I followed her over to the toy bin and watched as she pulled out a Tin Man and something that had a flash of red. She held them out to me, and I grinned happily as I took La Bruja Mala Del Este, Toy #5, from her and said, "This is the one I wanted!"
I think my enthusiasm was a little catching, as she smiled back and it didn't look forced at all. I said I would buy a Happy Meal to go with the toy, which made her laugh, and got a burger, apple dippers, and a diet coke. She had no problem taking my order, and even remembered that I asked for no caramel for the dippers and no ice in my drink. Yes, I ate it (285 calories, 9 grams of fat).
Note to self: Whenever you need to go to McDonald's for a promotion, go to the Kenmore one FIRST. They seem to be the best in the area.
After returning home, I completed my work stuff and got a package ready for my hobby stuff. Then I walked down to the post office (165 calories spent) to mail it. Not quite enough exercise to offset the Happy Meal, but enough for the day, I think. I then sat down to write this and delay working on my next con report. Current tally: Two complete sets, plus an extra Glinda.
And hey, I don't care what hubby-Eric's April Fool's Day Joke says, this is it. We're done.
Labels: Food, McDonalds, Walking, Wizard of Oz
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Emeralds and Fools Lunkdimp
While I've finished my reading of blogs and such that I missed over the weekend while at the con, I'm going to dribble out the links a bit so I don't overwhelm either myself or my readers. Hey, don't laugh. For me this is a small linkdump.
My Reports so far: Pre-Con, No Foolin', Part I, and Part II.
The Survey is Up for Emerald City Comicon 2007, along with the dates of next year's con. Please, if you went to the con and fill out the survey, request Aaron Williams (PS238, Nodwick) and Linda Medley (Castle Waiting) as guests. And whomever else you want, but request them for me, ok?
Next year's Emerald City Comicon will be March 29th & 30th, 2008 at the Washington State Convention Center. I plan to attend unless something major happens that prevents it.
And, still speaking of the Con:
April Fools Jokes I mostly missed:
Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #96.
Eagle Award Noms are Up.
Scipio needs your cartography skills.
Net Neutrality and Music.
Kid kicked off airplane for coughing.
Updated: Space Junk and planes.
Kid blinded while making a bomb, media blames internet (although kids were making bombs LONG before the internet, yes, including me).
Star Wars Stamps. Yes, I plan on getting a sheet of them.
"He has insurance." Brought home to me yet again today as I needed to visit the doctor and get a refill on a prescription, and had to pay for it all out of pocket.
Right, that's more than enough for today. Dorothy Temporary Tattoo status: Mostly intact, small bits missing, cracks appearing. Not quite as vivid.
My Reports so far: Pre-Con, No Foolin', Part I, and Part II.
The Survey is Up for Emerald City Comicon 2007, along with the dates of next year's con. Please, if you went to the con and fill out the survey, request Aaron Williams (PS238, Nodwick) and Linda Medley (Castle Waiting) as guests. And whomever else you want, but request them for me, ok?
Next year's Emerald City Comicon will be March 29th & 30th, 2008 at the Washington State Convention Center. I plan to attend unless something major happens that prevents it.
And, still speaking of the Con:
- CBR's Report and CBR's photo parade (what, no Illusive?).
- The Seattle Times Reports:
- The insider scoop on the ever-expanding Emerald City Comicon
- Q&A with Posehn
- Q&A with Tom Peyer
- A slightly related article about Fantagraphics versus Harlan Ellison.
- Other reports:
- Jeff Parker reports on Saturday and also on the rest of the con
- Penny Arcade in art and in words
- Greg posts a pre-con readiness report with pictures.
- Dorothy's Journal Pre-Con, Post-Con with video, and Suggestion for the Survey.
- Comics Fairplay.
- The Beat announces the afterparty.
- ComicMix links to me and my Troll! Thanks Elayne!
- The Comics Reporter Collects Links to reports, and solicits any more that you have.
April Fools Jokes I mostly missed:
- The Aquaman Shrine went Namor for a day, something I have often considered doing with my Aquaman page.
- Elayne spots some jokes.
- Nancy & David give us Seattle Viaduct Condos which should be amusing to anyone living in Seattle at the moment.
- Chief Seattle talks to a reporter.
- Americans Defeat Russians in First Space Quidditch Match.
- Three Bits of Trivia is naughty. (And here's some synchronicity).
- Today in Alternate History turns over the blog to novelist wannabes.
- The Pirate Bay finds a new home.
- Diane Duane reacts to being married to Peter David (ok, not technically April Fools, but it works)
- ComicMix went nuts:
- Glenn Rounds up the Pranks and is disappointed.
- Museum of Hoaxes on Google's Pranks.
Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #96.
Eagle Award Noms are Up.
Scipio needs your cartography skills.
Net Neutrality and Music.
Kid kicked off airplane for coughing.
Updated: Space Junk and planes.
Kid blinded while making a bomb, media blames internet (although kids were making bombs LONG before the internet, yes, including me).
Star Wars Stamps. Yes, I plan on getting a sheet of them.
"He has insurance." Brought home to me yet again today as I needed to visit the doctor and get a refill on a prescription, and had to pay for it all out of pocket.
Right, that's more than enough for today. Dorothy Temporary Tattoo status: Mostly intact, small bits missing, cracks appearing. Not quite as vivid.
Labels: April Fool, Comic Book Urban Legends, Emerald City Comicon, Net Neutrality, Torvald
Emerald City Comicon Report 2007 - Part II
After visiting with Paul Chadwick and Mike Grell, Lisa and I headed back to base camp, the Illusive Arts booth. Before we reached it, we passed by the Unshelved booth, and I started to tell Lisa about what a great comic it is. Originally she was simply stopped short by the t-shirts, but she quickly picked up on my enthusiasm for the strip. Bill Barnes was in the booth, and willing to do a couple of very quick sketches. The one he did for me is great, and he did a good one for Lisa too. Lisa bought Volume One of their book, and considered a t-shirt, and we continued back to base camp.
When we got there, Anna Boersig told me that I'd made a sale for them with my pre-con report, as someone came by to ask after me and bought Tony Loco. We established that it was "my fanboy". I must confess, that tickled me even more than someone wanting to have his picture taken with me!
At this point, I think, Anna "branded" me with one of the new Dorothy temporary tattoos. It's still on my left hand, days later.
As it was lunchtime, Lisa pulled out the trail mix and water, and we ate a bit. I then stood up and "helped" with the booth while Lisa dug into the Unshelved book she'd bought. She kept giggling as she read, so I think she was really enjoying it. After spending some time in the booth, I walked around the immediate area, including back over to Comics Fairplay, and chatted with some folks.
We finally decided to brave the crowds again, and off we went into the wilds of the con floor. We headed back to Artist Alley and found Alex Maleev, who did an Aquaman sketch for me last year, and trolled him.
Next up I trolled Stephen Sadowski, who has done multiple sketches for me, then we visited Mike Grell again. This time I got a sketch from him. He realized after he'd started that I was an Aquaman fan, so he drew Green Arrow underwater. He is also the person who best managed to duplicate the look of the troll in his troll picture:
We went back to the other end of Artist Alley and I asked Taki Soma for a sketch, and got a great one. We also stopped and chatted with P'la Jarvinen for a time. Lisa got a sketch from Kirk, with a Doctor Who theme.
At some point in there, we decided that I needed to continue the Farscape tradition, as Virginia Hey was the first person to get her picture taken with Torvald. So we went and trolled Wayne Pygram, who played Scorpius on Farscape.
NOTE: In case you didn't notice, clicking on any Troll picture will take you to the full page of Travels With The Troll - Emerald City Comicon 2007.
About this time we headed back to Illusive, and I trolled Kieron Dwyer and Frank Cho. Trolling Cho was interesting. We got in line because the line was short. It was short because Cho wasn't actually there at the moment, but was rumored to be "headed back". Just about the moment I decided that it was going to take too long, Cho arrived back... then walked away again. Still, I chose to stay, just in case he was sketching. As it turns out, he wasn't. But that's fine, because the troll turns out to be a wonderful back-up plan if somebody turns me down for a sketch.
At the Illusive Arts booth, Rafael Navarro decided it was time to do my sketch. Again we rested in the booth and helped out a little while. I also trolled Power Girl as she walked by, Mark Masterson of Dorothy (whose picture didn't quite turn out), Scott Kurtz and his wife, and eventually Rafael Navarro. Anna and I also had a confirmed Furry sighting. I believe Heidi even got a posed shot of him, later. Anna and I took pictures of him while he stopped at the booth across from Illusive.
After Rafe finished my sketch, he started working on one for Lisa, who wandered on her own for a bit. I also wandered alone for awhile, and went over to say hi again to Gail Simone and Taki Soma. I noticed as I approached that there were only a couple of people in line for Brian Michael Bendis, a first for the con! I ran over and got in line, and when I turned around, there were about fifty people behind me. But I got there in time, and I trolled Brian Michael Bendis!
I think that's enough for the moment, although I'm getting near the end of day one. So I'll stop off for now and write more tomorrow...
Labels: Con Report, Emerald City Comicon, Torvald
Monday, April 02, 2007
Ripples Through Time - 112
I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order. After I read each story I will post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.
Adventure #188 (May 1953) - Calling Dr. Aquaman!
Aquaman has to capture bad guys without violating a quarantine.
Finny Friends Report: A whale is hit by a ship, and Aquaman is summoned. He arrives on an ambulance pulled by swordfish, and tows the whale to his clinic. A finger-squid cares for the whale. When a swordfish has an anchor dropped on his sword, Aquaman gets an octopus to sharpen the sword. A sea-lion is ailing, and Aquaman is called in and arrives on his sea cow. The sea-lion is contagious, and so goes into quarantine at the clinic. Also at the clinic is a turtle with a patched shell. A carrier fish brings news of the gold smuggler. Two whales launch Aquaman onto the bad guys' boat. He reveals that a lantern fish lured the smuggler into the quarantine zone while cuttlefish and blowfish created a black spray that hid the real lantern.
Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is limited by the quarantine zone.
Speaking of the quarantine zone, Aquaman keeps it even after he's captured the smugglers... which means the prisoners are tied up for several days before they can be turned in to the Coast Guard at the end of the tale.
Quotefile: Ship captain, "I sent for you as soon as I spotted this ailing sea-lion, Aquaman! Is he badly hurt?" Aquaman, "From the glassy look of his eyes, I'd say he's contracted fish-scurvy! It's a disease that's contagious to other fish, so I'll have to keep him isolated!" Um, "fish-scurvy"?
Have you read this story? What do you think?
Aquaman has to capture bad guys without violating a quarantine.
Finny Friends Report: A whale is hit by a ship, and Aquaman is summoned. He arrives on an ambulance pulled by swordfish, and tows the whale to his clinic. A finger-squid cares for the whale. When a swordfish has an anchor dropped on his sword, Aquaman gets an octopus to sharpen the sword. A sea-lion is ailing, and Aquaman is called in and arrives on his sea cow. The sea-lion is contagious, and so goes into quarantine at the clinic. Also at the clinic is a turtle with a patched shell. A carrier fish brings news of the gold smuggler. Two whales launch Aquaman onto the bad guys' boat. He reveals that a lantern fish lured the smuggler into the quarantine zone while cuttlefish and blowfish created a black spray that hid the real lantern.
Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is limited by the quarantine zone.
Speaking of the quarantine zone, Aquaman keeps it even after he's captured the smugglers... which means the prisoners are tied up for several days before they can be turned in to the Coast Guard at the end of the tale.
Quotefile: Ship captain, "I sent for you as soon as I spotted this ailing sea-lion, Aquaman! Is he badly hurt?" Aquaman, "From the glassy look of his eyes, I'd say he's contracted fish-scurvy! It's a disease that's contagious to other fish, so I'll have to keep him isolated!" Um, "fish-scurvy"?
Have you read this story? What do you think?
Labels: Aquaman, Ripples Through Time
Catching Up Lunk Dimp
Still trying to get through all the usual 'netting that I missed during the convention. Poor hubby-Eric is very sick, as well. I've thrown together a handful of links, and if I've got the energy I'll do a real Ripples Through Time tonight as well. I'm also working on my con reports.
Dorothy Temporary Tattoo status: Still mostly intact after two full days.
CBR reports on Emerald City Comicon.
Chris Diverts Us.
On Harassment.
I wouldn't mind this fate.
Dell offering LINUX. I still keep meaning to move over to LINUX, or at least dual-boot for a while to try it.
Hugo Nominees. I've actually seen four of the five "Dramatic Presentation, Short Form" noms. I'm rooting for "Girl in the Fireplace".
Aaron Williams has some good links, especially the How To Make A Simple Motor one. I also like the fish in the Deep Fryer, as also seen on Boing Boing, with more explanation.
Don't be a Chump. Don't give in to the RIAA.
April Fool: Gmail Paper.
Dorothy Temporary Tattoo status: Still mostly intact after two full days.
CBR reports on Emerald City Comicon.
Chris Diverts Us.
On Harassment.
I wouldn't mind this fate.
Dell offering LINUX. I still keep meaning to move over to LINUX, or at least dual-boot for a while to try it.
Hugo Nominees. I've actually seen four of the five "Dramatic Presentation, Short Form" noms. I'm rooting for "Girl in the Fireplace".
Aaron Williams has some good links, especially the How To Make A Simple Motor one. I also like the fish in the Deep Fryer, as also seen on Boing Boing, with more explanation.
Don't be a Chump. Don't give in to the RIAA.
April Fool: Gmail Paper.
Labels: Dorothy, Emerald City Comicon, Links
Emerald City Comicon Report 2007 - Part I
Lisa and I headed down to the con nice and early. We got a little messed up when the road we expected to take was closed for some kind of repair, but after a short detour we got to the right spot and parked in the event parking garage. It was $10, but I'd expected it. Lisa was a bit shocked, but dealt with it. We parked on the third floor, then headed down the stairs and noticed that a line was forming at the entrance to the balcony. We walked over and asked if the line was for the Comicon, and when we were told it was, we joined in.
It was cold, we had about a half hour wait, and we were in line with a large group of fellow nerds. We talked, laughed, and generally had a good time. The pros and dealers were walking past us into the con from the parking garage. Lisa found the rules about drinks and decided to run back to the car to grab bottles of water for us. Just after she left, I spotted a couple of old friends walking by, and said "HI!" to Eric Shanower and David Maxine. Shortly after Lisa returned, Kurt Busiek and family walked by and we got to say hello to them.
When they finally let us into the con, the front doors had already been open for a couple of minutes, so we ended up being late to the freebie table and anything else that had a line. Lisa and I headed down to the freebie table first just to see what it was like, but the line was all the way to the front door, so we just headed off to the Illusive Arts table. We ran across Heidi Meeley at the Comics Fairplay booth first, though, and said hello. Heidi delightfully claimed she didn't recognize either of us due to the weight loss (I've lost 70 pounds, my sister Lisa has lost 60).
Then we got to Illusive Arts, and they happily took my jacket that I didn't want to lug around the con floor to hold in their booth for me. They also introduced me to Atomic Basement's Mike Wellman and Rafael Navarro. We didn't stay long, as I wanted to get the lay of the land, and so we wandered off to see who we could see.
One of the first targets of interest was Kirk Jarvinen, as I had a little gift for him. I checked the program guide and figured out his location, and we headed over there. We handed over the Jelly Babies, and said hello to both Kirk and P'la, then wandered down to see Gail Simone. After saying hi to Gail, we noticed that there was no line for Margot Kidder. We headed over there, and I TROLLED MARGOT KIDDER!!! YAY!
She was the first trolling of the day, but far from the last! After Margot came Peter Mayhew, who was sitting next to her. Yup, I trolled Chewbacca. I attempted to troll Feedback, but he really wasn't having any of it, so instead Lisa and I headed over to Hungry Tiger Press and officially met Eric Shanower and David Maxine. Lisa hadn't actually met them before, though she felt like she had (maybe because I talked about them too much?).
We wandered back into Artists' Alley, and headed over towards Brian Michael Bendis' table. The line was longer than the line to the freebie table. However, there were only a couple of people in line for Michael Avon Oeming, and HE was the one sketch I hoped to get at this particular con. So we waited in line, trolled Oeming, then I asked for a sketch and was granted one.
An aside here. I promised last year to post my sketches. I never got around to scanning them. I hereby promise this year that I will scan and post ALL my new sketches. I just won't say when.
Ahem. Back to the con. Again we wandered, until we found Phil Hester and Ande Parks sketching. Naturally, I asked for an Aquaman from each of them. Happily I got Aquaman, and I trolled them both, and Ron Marz, who was sitting next to them.
As we wandered past Tim Sale's line, a person called my name, and asked if I was Laura. I confirmed it, with confusion. I was then told by said person (Jason, I think) that he reads my blog, and that he'd asked after me at the Illusive booth, as I suggested in my pre-con post. To my surprise, he was a fan and wanted a picture of me. YIKES! I agreed, even though I dislike having my picture taken... but then, I've lost 70 pounds for a reason. Maybe I'll like my picture now that I've lost some weight. For the rest of the day, I proudly told everyone about "my fanboy". Lisa was much amused.
I then went to say hello to the Busiek family, and spotted Mark Waid next to them. I trolled Waid. I would've trolled Rucka at the same time, but he had quite a line. So instead I moved on.
I visited the Denny/Madison Middle School Students, and trolled the two representatives present at the time of my visit. Greg wasn't around, but I was told he was off in the distance, so I started off to the distance, thinking I might run into him. I went to visit Brian Wood and Peter Gross. I complimented Brian on his works again, and told Lisa about them all. I also recommended Demo, Local, and DMZ to a fellow fan, who recommended Supermarket in return to me.
Peter Gross... I needed permission to post a sketch he did in 2002, so I showed him the sketch and asked permission. He granted it, then decided he'd better do a new one, as the first sketch was definitely an "early in the day" sketch. His second sketch is very different, and I look forward to sharing them with you. While Peter was sketching, I trolled a Darth Vader who was walking around. Then, when Peter was through, I trolled HIM as well. BWAH-HA-HA-hA-Ha!
Around the corner was Stefano Gaudiano, who looked at my face as I walked up, and said, "You're the Aquaman fan I did a sketch for a few years ago!" Yup, at the same con as Peter Gross' first sketch, in fact. I asked him to pose with the troll, then he noticed Lisa and asked if she wanted a sketch. She was thrilled, as she'd been holding back. I think that Spider-Man sketch is going to forever have a special place in her heart, because of the way it was offered. After trolling Stefano, I trolled Brandon Jerwa. While Lisa got her sketch from Stefano, I went over to troll Paul Chadwick, and chatted a bit with Mike Grell.
At this point we decided it was time to rest and write down names. We headed back to Illusive and relaxed for a time. Lisa pulled out the trail mix and water, and we chowed down for a bit while watching the crowds go by. And that's where I leave off for the moment...
Labels: Con Report, Emerald City Comicon, Torvald
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Happy birthday, Spaghetti Harvest!
Today is the fiftieth anniversary of one of the greatest April Fool's pranks of all time: The BBC's report on the Swiss spaghetti harvest. Back in 1957, of course, spaghetti was still thought of as an exotic foreign food, and most Brits didn't know much about it, like how it was made. And I suspect our collective baloney detectors are a lot more finely honed in this day and age than they were then. So this little gem fooled a lot more people than it would today. So, in honor of today's important anniversary, here's the video (and I'm sorry about the poor quality, but that's the best I could find on any copy):
Labels: April Fool, BBC, Post By Eric
Back From The Con, No Foolin'!
I'm back! I'm gathering my notes around me and trying to reconstruct my con experience into a few pithy entries for your reading pleasure. Ha. In the meantime, I trolled an awful lot of people in the last two days. I promised there would be a nice entry up here leading to the troll pictures, so here it is! Of course, this year's images aren't quite up yet, I'm still working on them...
Of special note: Matthew "Feedback" Atherton suggested I should make a button or something that says "I've Been Trolled!" with a link to Torvald's website. In the future, I will definitely do that so folks will have an easy way to see their troll image. Also amusing was Ron Randall, who asked me if I was patrolling. No, Ron, you were the first to come up with that, but I'm going to use that in the future... Tegan and Torvald are out patrolling the con.
One last thing, if you've been trolled, either at this con or in the past, and want me to put a link to your website with your picture, please either e-mail me (link in the sidebar) or drop a comment here on or on the troll page. I'm glad to link to anyone who's lucky enough to have been trolled!
Of special note: Matthew "Feedback" Atherton suggested I should make a button or something that says "I've Been Trolled!" with a link to Torvald's website. In the future, I will definitely do that so folks will have an easy way to see their troll image. Also amusing was Ron Randall, who asked me if I was patrolling. No, Ron, you were the first to come up with that, but I'm going to use that in the future... Tegan and Torvald are out patrolling the con.
One last thing, if you've been trolled, either at this con or in the past, and want me to put a link to your website with your picture, please either e-mail me (link in the sidebar) or drop a comment here on or on the troll page. I'm glad to link to anyone who's lucky enough to have been trolled!
Labels: Emerald City Comicon, Torvald
Today
Ripples Through Time
I'm reading every Aquaman solo adventure in publication order. After I read each story I will post the cover/splash page and a few thoughts on the story.
Adventure Comics (April 1, 1953) - Terror Valley of the Depths!
Aquaman battles a variety of sea monsters while exploring a remote part of the ocean.
This one is a bit of an unusual tale, featuring some fantastic artwork by Fradon. The monsters are particularly creative. This one is also unusual in that Aquaman is the only human character to show up in the story. Aquaman's normal fishy friends seem much better at handling the valley than Aquaman himself, right up to the end of the story, in which the sea monsters seem to acknowledge that he's king of the sea, including the giant monster squid apparently bowing to him.
Finny Friends Report: Aquaman follows a fish that he doesn't recognize into the valley. He attempts to communicate with the sea monsters, but fails. He has an octopus create an ink-screen to avoid the giant eel/turtle monster. He shocks the whale/clam monster with a group of electric eels. A porpoise pulls him away when he gets hit. The manta ray gives him the clue he needs to finally understand the sea monsters.
Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is hit by the tail of the whale/clam monster and knocked out for a few minutes.
Quotefile: Aquaman, "In all my time in the seven seas, I've never seen a more grotesque creature! I-I don't know if I can escape this time!" Giant Monster Squid, "UUUURRRRGGGG!"
Have you read this story? What do you think?
Aquaman battles a variety of sea monsters while exploring a remote part of the ocean.
This one is a bit of an unusual tale, featuring some fantastic artwork by Fradon. The monsters are particularly creative. This one is also unusual in that Aquaman is the only human character to show up in the story. Aquaman's normal fishy friends seem much better at handling the valley than Aquaman himself, right up to the end of the story, in which the sea monsters seem to acknowledge that he's king of the sea, including the giant monster squid apparently bowing to him.
Finny Friends Report: Aquaman follows a fish that he doesn't recognize into the valley. He attempts to communicate with the sea monsters, but fails. He has an octopus create an ink-screen to avoid the giant eel/turtle monster. He shocks the whale/clam monster with a group of electric eels. A porpoise pulls him away when he gets hit. The manta ray gives him the clue he needs to finally understand the sea monsters.
Captured/Knocked Out report: Aquaman is hit by the tail of the whale/clam monster and knocked out for a few minutes.
Quotefile: Aquaman, "In all my time in the seven seas, I've never seen a more grotesque creature! I-I don't know if I can escape this time!" Giant Monster Squid, "UUUURRRRGGGG!"
Have you read this story? What do you think?
Labels: April Fool
