October 2004

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Saturday October 30, 2004 1:02pm #

Random Non-Sequiters

» Hang on, it's gonna be a long post....

» We are allowed to dress-up for Halloween where I work. Here's a picture of me in my Cookie Monster costume with a couple of co-workers. Also here's some video of me miming to an interet song "I did it all for the cookie" a parody of Limp Biskit.

For the blog readers out there who read primarily for the comics stuff, here's another picture of my co-worker Jeff as Doctor Bruce Banner.

» Picked Up these New Metal Collection Justice League miniatures at Target Thursday. I don't recall seeing mention of them on any of the internet sites I visit. Here's an assortment of pictures.

The figures in Justice League Unlimited Packaging

The Green Lantern Figure with a couple older metal figures from other lines.

Shown here with a Justice League Action figure for scale.

The back of the package showing the other figures in the line.

Comments on Comics

Green Lantern Rebirth #1 - Johns, Sciver
I'm not going to gush over why you should pick up this series because if you are a DC fan or fan of the DCU in general, you know about this book and are already getting it. Mike Sterling, who commented overall positively on the book, at Progressive Ruin touched lightly on the fact that this shouldn't be anyone's first comic and that it is continuity heavy and I say YES! and add in a double fist pump in *support* of that concept. I think DC needs to put out continuity heavy dependent titles such as Rebirth and Identity Crisis, to add another example. The comunity of readers that have been reading this line of books for 10, 20 or even more years is vast, therefore I think they should occasionally pander to us with tales that take advantage of the richness of that history. Should all books be this way? No of course not. But it's books like Rebirth that give a comics geeks the chance to revel in the hobby. Great Stuff.

Pictured below an abreviated version of an exchange between Jon and Bats, the full two pages of which were worth the issue price alone:

The Flash #215 - Johns, Porter
Geoff Johns how do I love thee comic writings, let me count the ways... Part Two of the Flash: Identiy Crisis Tie-in. Heavy on naration, but really good stuff. You shouldn't read IC without also picking up this run. I'm giddily awaiting the next issue.

Superman #210 - Azzarello, Jim Lee
Still don't have any idea (okay maybe I have a little idea... but that wouldn't be as charged a statement) what this book is about. But Jim Lee draws really nice DC characters so I continue to get it. Jim doesn't disapoint with the art this issue, which features a Batman/Superman rooftop conversation which starts with Bats calling Supes: "Clark" after which Supes corrects him "Kal. My name is Kal-El..." What's that all about? Bats always calls him Clark. Then there's some oddness where Supes says his life is "motivated by what I believe is Love." I always thought it was 'Truth, Justice and the American Way circa 1940s Kansas farmland values'. When did love get added in? Overall a weirdly and IMHO baddly written exchange between the two characters. Bad book, Pretty but bad.

Let's Go Surfing

» The tiny human species discovery is facinating. Another article with picture

» A Very Amusing Sign. $200 fine? I ain't touching that, no siree.
via Boing Boing

» Great Stuff.
via Boing Boing

» Great Penny Arcade on the Nintendo Suicide Girls Cease and desist order.

» Celebrity Halloween Masks
via Boing Boing

» David Hasselhoff ordered to attend Alcohol Rehab in Drunk Driving case ruling. Friends would have taken away his keys, but they thought his car drove itself.
via FARK

» Spidey has Organic Web Shooters in the Comics Now. I prefer the mechanical shooters. I like that science aspect of Peter Parker, that he invented such a thing. Is it unrealistic that he did so? Well sure but so is Iron Man's armor or even Spidey sticking to walls in the first place.
via Newsaramma

» Slashdot crowd discusses Wiki's My own experience: I installed a wiki at work but it hasn't been used as of yet as anything other than an easier way for me to occasionally edit web content used in a more traditional broadcast sense. My particular environment allows and management prefers face to face and verbal collaboration. So as of yet my work attempts at Wiki haven't taken hold I think primarily because it's dismembodied and written nature is at odds with that status quo where I am, and that status quo isn't perceived as a problem that needs solving.

Thursday October 28, 2004 6:45am #

» Green Lantern Rebirth, really really good. More Later.

» Drawn Together on Comedy Central, not very good. (Although this site has gotten many Google hits from people looking for Drawn Together Torrents, don't bother people)

Let's Go Surfing

» Microsoft Photo Story 3 Quickly turn your Digital pictures into a slick WMV slideshow with music or commentary. FREE Download.
via Digital Media Thoughts

» New Batman Movie Costume
via The Beat

Tuesday October 26, 2004 8:32pm #

Random Non-Sequiters

» I was in the JoAnne Fabrics store (On official Halloween Business :) and saw this bolt of Spidey Fabric. Cool.

Let's Go Surfing

» There are a whole slew of great looking new DC Bobbleheads over at Action-Figure.com. the Darkside one in particular is very cool looking. There are also nice sculpts of Supergirl, Batgirl, bowler hat Riddler, Harlequinn and more!

» Thought the New iPod Photo sounded cool when I saw the headline. I thought it would be an iPod with a camera built in. Turns out that it's an overpriced iPod with a ridiculously oversized harddrive that just *shows* pictures in addition to music. I'm not a music guy so I haven't been blown away by the iPod yet. I'd love to see what Apple could do with a true full featured handheld though.
via Slashdot

Tuesday October 26, 2004 1:03am #

» Real Video of John stewart on C-Span's American Perspective. One Hour (Hey Dave... Arnold is on the back half of the same link.).

Monday October 25, 2004 11:35pm #

Random Non-Sequiters

» Green Lantern Rebirth #1 this Wednesday!

» Got the Marvel Legends Series VII Silver Centurion Iron Man Today at KayBee Toys. It comes with his space rocket booster and Issue #200 of the comic (which was a fun nostalgic read) No Hawkeye to be found though, word is that they Hawkeye is only packed 1 per case. :(

» I have a Live Journal. At the moment I don't plan on posting much in it, but I do plan on posting a Link each month to the new page on this site, so if you're a Live Journal user and you want to add me to your friends list so that you get a once a month reminder to view my site, you can do that there. (This link has also been added to right column links)

Let's Go Surfing

» Forbes releases Top-Earning Fictional Characters list.
via The Beat

» Marvel Legends IV 6" figure four pack for $9.98 Includes: Beast, Punisher, Electra and Gambit. That's $2 a figure, not bad.
via Amazon.com

Sunday October 24, 2004 1:16pm #

Random Non-Sequiters

» Saw the Ashlee Simpson, Milli Vanilli caught lipsyncing thing when they mistakenly started replaying the first song during the second performance segment, on SNL last night. She more or less called it a Band Malfunction. Say goodbye to whatever career you almost had Ashlee, It's the lie that gets you.

My question is, if they are going to lipsync, why even do the segment live. Why not show it from tape so that something like this doesn't happen?

Ashlee sulked off stage but the look on the band's faces were priceless as they smiled with glee while play-strumming to the song.

» I would generally not post anything like this without asking first but with the name removed it's annonymous and innocuous enough so hopefully my aquaintance that owns this box is ok with me using it to illustrate a point. I think this IM away box is a great unintended example of what group will be responsible if Bush wins. The Orange is the away message, the Blue is the signature. Combined on the topic of Bush's faith and who supports his reelection it's a very succinct message isn't it?

CNN is doing a special on the subject tonight as well.

Let's Go Surfing

» Sinfest Cartoon

» Canadian Interview of Bill Marr.
via FARK

Saturday October 23, 2004 11:10pm #

Random Non-Sequiters

» Saw these in the grocery store today. Unfit to Command and Unfit Commander. Buy em both! (No Not Really.)

At the Movies

The Grudge
Horror [R] 96min
In Theatres: 10/22/04 Date I saw it: 10/23/04 at MovieTheatre

See this one at a matinee. I saw it in the evening and I'm probably going to have nightmares tonight. Sarah Michelle Geller Stars. I don't want to give anything away. Intense film.

Overall [great] Story [good] Special Effects [good]
key: [awful] [poor] [ok] [good] [great]

Saturday October 23, 2004 4:32pm #

Teen Titans #17 - Johns, McKone
Very good story, very good art. The Teen Titans traveling back from the Legion's 31st century end up not quite traveling back in time far enough and run into their future selves in a world where Tim Drake is now Batman and Superboy is now Superman.

It would be nice if this was not a time travel or ultimately "imaginary tale". It would be nice if DC created an Ultimate type line where instead of rebooting the characters, the characters are either aged or their mantles are taken up by their apprentices or sidekicks in an ongoing fashion with the characters aging roughly in realtime.

This Titans' issue has a similiar feel to it as the Spider-Girl series that exists in it's own pocket universe does for Marvel. This issue's a good get and I bet it will eventually be a very good tradepaperback for those who don't follow the Titans to get later. I'm looking forward to seeing where this story goes.

Firestorm #6 - Jolley, Batista
An Identity Crisis tie-in, The question of where did Ronnie Raymon's Firestorm go is sortof answered (although that story which was also detailed in Identiy Crisis isn't much elaborated on here.)

I picked up the first couple issues of this series and haven't gotten any more since. This issue number six would have probably been a great launch to the series and I bet it will pull in more people to the series for awhile because it's a good introductory tale. Fans of the greater DCU should pick this one up because like Identity Crisis it's one of those issues that really feels like it is part of a greater shared universe. A Good Get.

Identity Crisis #5 - Brad Meltzer, Rags Morales
Man I love this title. I won't completely spoil it but if you've seen the cover, you've got a pretty good idea who they killed off this issue. For once they've killed off a character that makes sense and opens up alot story of possibillies. I'm sure that the events of this book will likely tie in to the Teen Titans story above. (although the art is slightly different I'd like to think that the item that Tim Drake Batman has on page six of Titans #17 comes from storypage 19 of this Crisis issue.)

This book also ties-in strongly with Firestorm #6, since they share several pages of story on what happened to Ronnnie Raymond Firestorm.

As you can tell from the above three books which really tie tightly together, it's a good time to be a fan of the shared DC Universe!

Beyond the tie-ins, with the ending of this one, the writing and tension of the main scene is as good as anything you're going to read anywhere. Great Stuff.

Saturday October 23, 2004 3:10pm #

Comments on TV

» Finished up The Office Special just now. Really good. A much gentler ending than the last episode of the second season. I don't want to give anything away though so I'll leave it at that. It repeats tonight at 9pm and Sunday at 9pm as well. If you work in an office and like subtle humor and relistic yet absurd characters go thee to Amazon and order the Complete Office DVD Collection. Available 11/16/04.

Saturday October 23, 2004 12:10pm #

Comments on Comics

Ultimate Spider-man #66 and #67 - Bendis, Bagley
I don't collect Ultimate Spidey. Not that I don't think it's a good title, mind you, mostly because, it's Peter Parker in High School with High School problems etc. There are so many tv shows and movies out there that revolve around the High School set that, at my age, I generally get my quota of that story experience without picking up this book irregardless of the fact that it's above average series on whole in writing and art.

A couple guys I know were talking up 66 and 67, the Wolverine/Spidey switch bodies story and one loaned me the issues. So I read it. It was fun. It was funny. It was self contained, It didn't stretch on for 6 issues. A pair of books that anyone with a passing familiarity of these characters could pick-up read and enjoy. Silly but Good Stuff.

Friday October 22, 2004 11:11pm #

Friday October 22, 2004 9:23pm #

Random Non-Sequiters

» Cheney got a flu shot Bush isn't going to get a flushot. I know he's making a point, but I would be completely fine with the President, who is currently in a different state every day and surrounded every day by thousands of people, getting a flushot. Dumb not to. I don't want to see him reelected, but we should not have the President possibly out for a week with a bad flu. I think he has a busier and more important schedule than most and given the current travel itinerary should get himself a flushot.

However, I don't think the flushot issue is a Presidential problem per se. The more important concept (which should be at a Presidential level) raised is that we will only make a vaccine in this country "if there is a profit in it?". Should healthcare in a civilized society really be driven by profit motive, and free market conditions? If you are not a profitable patient, should you not receive care? Very few would argue giving health care for all. "How much to give and how much to spend on it" I suppose is where the main disagreement lies in getting anything done about it.

» Marvel Comic Previews Solicitations are out for January 2005 also Tradepaperbacks too. I'm not a big Marvel Fan so here's my short list: Ultimates 2 #2, Ultimate Secret #2 (Cool Mar-vell cover), Doctor Spectrum #5 (Just because it's sorta a Green Lantern thing) and that's about it for me. Go look at the covers though. Marvel always has great cover art.

» Jon Stewart will be on 60 minutes this Sunday (CBS at 7pm)

Let's Go Surfing

» Newsarama Interview with the people behind the DK DC Comics Encyclopedia

» I'm thinking that Alex Ross is not voting for Bush this year. Click to view the painting.

Thursday October 21, 2004 10:10pm #

Random Non-Sequiters

» I actually forgot to catch The Office special today. (It's on right now) I have set the VCR to tape the replay at Midnight tonight, to watch it tomorrow.

Let's Go Surfing

» Power Pack is Back! This was a very good concept/series back in the 80s. Premise: Four elementary age siblings are granted superpowers by a dying alien. They then use their powers to fight bad guys and such as the Superhero team: Power Pack, all while keeping their secret identities from their parents. This looks like a very good fit for the Marvel Age imprint.
via Yet Another Comics Blog

» Jay and Silent Bob to do Degrassi High? never watched the show myself.

» Clinton wants to be the next Secretary General of the United Nations Two Words: "International Interns". Seriously though... can you imagine how much Nightly News time the UN will start to get if Clinton gets elected to that post? Plus an even bigger excuse for Darrel Hammond to stick around Saturday Night Live.

Wednesday October 20, 2004 6:18am #

Random Non-Sequiters

» Programing Reminder: The Office Special on BBC America tomorrow at 9pm.

Let's Go Surfing

» I haven't shilled for my favorite online comic: ToothpasteforDinner.com in a while. Today's cartoon is a good one.

» Apparently unhappy just offending Hispanic Women with blonde hair, John Byrne has set his sights on a larger demographic: "The Disabled" via a Christopher Reeve comment.

» Britney's "My Perogative" is a Bad enough 80s cover but today I just saw Korn do a very creepy video, featuring human faced dogs, for Word Up. (Tell me what's the word, no matter where you say it you know that you'll be heard.) That's going to be in my head for the rest of the day.

» Lindsay Lohan also has a "spankin new" video, where she does her own, why don't people leave me alone rif. Not an 80s remake, I don't think so anyway. Just as bad as the other two though :)

» Toppless group shot of Blondes and Brunettes on Bikes NSFW.

Monday October 18, 2004 11:38pm #

Random Non-Sequiters

» Jon Stewart did a recap of the Crossfire episode on his show tonight. Crossfire also made the Daily Show's moment of Zen.

» Reading an article speculating about the possibillities of Google doing an IM client I came across this quote:

Right or wrong, the guesswork is a seemingly irresistible sport among technology buffs and investors, driving endless speculation about Google's next steps and perpetuating a Wonka-like mystique about the company.

"Wonka-like" mystique. That's a very cool phrase to refer to Google I think.

» Today's buzz on the Jon Stewart Crossfire appearance seems to be centering around the point that it is estimated that the internet audience for the exchange has proven to be larger than the television audience. (pointed out by Boing Boing and FARK) The internet, the likely future of tv?

» DC Solicitations are up. DC Direct for May 2005 has some more Action Figures, all billed under the "First Appearances" banner. '84 Nightwing, '99 Batgirl, Leotard Riddler, and Composite Superman (First Appearance Composite Superman? Odd to put it under the First Appearance banner me thinks) Composite Superman and the Riddler are the only two that I *might* get, as I prefer the upcoming Hush Nightwing version of that costume and frankly I have too many "Robins" already.

DC also announced but has not solicited Crisis Wave Two: Anti-Monitor, Battle Armor Lex Luthor, Robot Brainiac, Barry Allen Flash & Earth 2 Superman. Sight unseen Anti-Monitor seems a definite get for me, Likely Lex Luthor and Robot Braniac as well. Not sure about the Barry Allen Flash (Already have one, and plan to get the Alex Ross one as well), this one I'll need to see. And Earth 2 Superman is up in the air as well since Kingdom Come Superman tends to fill the "older Superman" need on the shelf. But pictures can sway all choices. We shall see.

» DC Comics for January 2005. • SUPERMAN #213 and ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #636 seem to have conflicting stories involving Lois at the same time and Adventures' description seems to be a Spoiler for Indentity Crisis that I'd rather not have heard about. • SUPERMAN: STRENGTH #1 peaked my interest when I noticed it was written by Scott McCloud. • Oooh another BIZARRO WORLD HC. The last one was much fun. • THE FLASH #218 is a Rouge profile issue on Heat Wave. • GREEN ARROW #46 has a nice Teen Titan's guest staring cover. • The blurb to GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH #4 confuses this Green Lantern fan who now must confess that he hasn't paid much attention to the last three issue blurbs (oh and Kyle fan's are going to want to look at that cover.) • Another Archive edition in GREEN LANTERN ARCHIVES VOL. 5 HC to lighten my wallet. • JLA #110 continuse to have Crime Syndicate and now Weaponers of Qward. • Alex Ross Cover on JSA #69. • Starfire on the cover of OUTSIDERS #20 (you would not believe how many issues of this title I have in a stack that I haven't opened yet.) • TEEN TITANS #20 has the kids battling Luthor's Super Powers armor. This seems like another Identity Crisis Spoiler. Does DC not care about driving wild speculation and tipping their hat on this title now that they know we're all going to get it anyway. • Not sure the previews I've seen have interested me in this book but Alex Ross' SPACE GHOST #3 cover is cool. • DC's also got 3 Manga titles on the docket but let's not go there ok? • EX MACHINA: THE FIRST HUNDRED DAYS TP oooo I'll be trying foist the lending of this one onto unsuspecting non-comics folk in an effort to turn them to the Comics Reading Dark Side!

Let's Go Surfing

» Is this the new Movie Superman? the Beat tends to think so. I'm not sure I'm ready for a Superman younger than me at the movies. I'm a big DC fan but the supes movie hasn't got me very excited yet. Maybe it's because Smallville is so well done (as series go) and that fills my live action Superman jones well enough.

» Doom Actor pic. Don't get excited though, they don't show any Doom costume.

In the film version of Fantastic Four, Doom is a billionaire industrialist and old college rival of Reed Richards. In addition to funding Richards' trip to space, he also accompanies the future Fantastic Four on the ship.

I can't imagine them not doing Doom in the metal mask and the green robe at some point. I'd be incredibly lame if they didn't.
via Comics Continuum

Sunday October 17, 2004 9:41pm #

At the Movies

Team America: World Police
Action/Puppet/Musical [R] 1hr 45min
In Theatres: 10/16/04
Date I saw it: 10/17/04 at Rivertown Cinemark

You'll notice at the bottom of the review I'm giving this a pretty bad review. It's not the worst movie ever, but it is really really stupid. The main problem I think is that it is a bad take of bad movies. It's faithful enough to the Bruckheimer format that it really doesn't reach high parody (beyond the fact that there are puppets instead of people) and there is no self awareness at anypoint that the characters are in a satire, so you don't even get that SNL feel to it (where the audience gets involved in the hijinks) that you would expect from this sort of send up.

I did laugh a couple times, once lol involved cats, and another was at the much talked about sex scene which was silly enough to spark absurd giggles (I can only imagine how they managed to originally get an NC-17 because of that segment.) The puppetry was fairly amusing, and suprisingly the performances of the puppets were better than some live action movies I've seen, but for those looking for the South Park level humor of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, stay home. Most episodes of Cartman and Crew are much more fun than this. This is just a dumb movie.

Overall [poor] Story [awful] Special Effects [good]
key: [awful] [poor] [ok] [good] [great] Let's Go Surfing

» Tinyapps blog featured a nice program for Windows: rcFTP that makes putting files on your web server as easy as right clicking and choosing "Send To". It's good, if you need, Go Get.

Sunday October 17, 2004 4:02pm #

Random Non-Sequiters

» Here's a picture of me sitting in Traffic last Friday after work. I have know Idea what the problem was but cars were completely stopped still for about 15 minutes (yeah I know cry me a river right? In Grand Rapids that's a big traffic stall :)

» Was down on 28th street Saturday. There is a Hostess Outlet store that recently opened up there (in the plaza where the Village Inn Pizza used to be/is.). I got a great deal on some Carmel Ho Hos and mini-pecan pies! Good Times.

» Cold and Damp outside, but the Autumn afternoon light in Michigan this time of year is fantastic. There's a calmness to it and a warmness to its yellow amber tinge that fills my apartment belying the actual general ickiness out there. Good Glow.

Sunday October 17, 2004 2:11pm #

Random Non-Sequiters

» Continuing my Jon Stewart post-fest for this weekend. There's a good interview in this month's October GQ (with Lindsay Lohan on the cover.) Again the interviewer trys to set Stewart up to make funnies, but mostly he makes straight answers with the occasional dry but witty retort thrown in as to not completly piss off the questioner. There's a apropos Stewart photoshop illios to start off the article (shown right)

» Also stated reading the Daily Show Book: America a Citizens Guide to Inaction last night. I'm through the first Chapter and it's pretty good so far. Not Great, but for Hardcore Daily Show fans, Pretty Good.

Sunday October 17, 2004 12:16pm #

» CNN's Reliable Sources, a show that claims to take "A Critical Look at the Media" glossed over the Jon Stewart Crossfire incident with four short 5 second clips of Stewart, no clips of the "bowtied dick" and no discussion or comentary on the issues of the appearance from their round table. But perhaps they didn't have time since they did need to get to important issues and spend considerable time and discussion on the media's handling of the O'Reiley Phone Sex/Salacious Talk scandal instead.

Except for Lou Dobb's, who can veer off as a nut on some issues (Immigration, HELLO, Does this have to be featured EVERY day?), but is still a generally an intelligent jounalist, CNN you suck. (Fox sucks harder, but suck is still suck.)

» No new Saturday Night Live last night, Best of Jimmy Fallon episode instead. Many funny things. Jimmy as Jagger, Jimmy as Robin Williams, Jimmy interviewing Paris Hilton. Good Stuff.

Comments on Comics

Teen Titans #15 - Johns, Grummett
This is a good superhero team book. Probably the best DC is putting out at the moment. This issue Beast Boy gets a Purple Shapeshifteing nemisis. Good Stuff.

Teen Titans #16 - Johns, McKone
Mostly set-up. Not as found of McKone's art as I am Grummett's but it's still pretty good. The Legion of Superheroes join the Titan's for this arc. We'll see how it pans out but it may just be too many teen characters in one story by the end of it.

Teen Titans Legion Special - Waid/Johns, Reis/Prado
Lots and lots of characters on the pages.

Ex Machina #4 and 5 - Vaughan, Harris
If you have been reading my blog comic reviews, you know how much I like this series. Good stuff, Good general audience title. Would make a great movie.

Green Arrow #43 - Winick, Hester and Parks
Fairly Good Issue, but still going downhill. Then of course there is the "very special story" which begins on the last two pages. Hester and Parks will be bailing from the book soon. I'll probably do the same.

How to Draw Comics from Script to Print - DVD (Buy on Amazon)
Watched this DVD last week. It moves a little slow. Too much time is spent on one page and there is a problem with the fact that the page they are drawing is in no way like the layouts and thumbnails they earlier discussed in their process, even though they vaguely insist it is. The layout change is a realistic senerio but for the purposes of the DVD How To, it doesn't hang together well. Lettering and Coloring is sped through, but there isn't alot of this material out there. If you enjoy How To's on how comics creative types work, you'll find something of interest in this (for me it was the "Little Miss Muffet story".) You'll also find some weird asides on the importance of air conditioning. It's Not Great, but It's Not Bad either.

Sunday October 17, 2004 10:21am #

Random Non-Sequiters

» It's amusing to note after reading around the internet reactions to Jon Stewart's appearance on Crossfire that the lasting legacy of the episode may be Tucker Carlson now being known to the internet public as "the bowtied dick"

Let's Go Surfing

» Salon review of the Jon Stewart Crossfire appearance.
via Boing Boing

» Coke (the Cola) takes over your brain
via FARK

» I looked at this cover quickly and thought they teamed up Namor with Aquaman.

Friday October 15, 2004 10:41pm #

Random Non-Sequiters

» I so wish I could have seen the video and audio of this transcript of Jon Stewart on Crossfire today Click on the link and scroll about halfway down. It's really great. If it shows up on bittorrent or Kazza or something please post the file name below (Bittorrent here), I'd really like to see this.

At some point Jon Stewart needs to do more than fake news or one of the real anchors and networks need to realize that there is an audience for his type of straight talk and honesty. So many of them right now (Anderson Cooper, Keith Oberman etc.) are trying to copy the lighter hearted features of the Daily Show but they are completely missing the point of why it works. Our media in this country is so f---ed up that the best news on television is on Comedy Central right now.

It's not fair reporting to allow candidates and their mouthpieces of either side to directly misrepresent and blatantly spin freely on television. It's not enough to just take the opposite side or give equal time to the other side to equally spread falsehoods. These news organizations need to pull the plug on the mindless partisan chatter. They need to have honest moderators who enforce a level of truthfulness on their guests and interview subjects.

The politicians would have to comply if the media made them do so. The politicians need the media, not the other way around. This can be done, I know there are many systemic reasons why this is not likely to happen anytime soon (Corporate run media, A need to sell advertising and the market effects of appealling to the lowest common denominator) but the News Personalities and the Producers that are contributing to this problem need to stop. Jon Stewart put it well in the transcript. They are hurting this country.

» As long as I'm ranting, here's my thoughts on Nader. At this point, I think he wants the nation to break, he wants the process to break, bad. The only logical reason for him to stay in the race at this point is to help break the system so that he can then help put it back together in a fashion that better fits with his ideals. But it's not rational to break something in order to fix it.

Nader deserves to be President less than Bush or Kerry, because he's more foolhardy and idealistic than either of them and that makes him more reckless. A year ago, I fully supported his RIGHT to RUN for President, I don't agree with him, but he has the right to run. At this point, given the current polling however, there is no way he can win. Mind you he still should have the right to run but there is no reasonable expectation on his part that he can win.

His not being able to win however, is not the reason why I think he should drop out. The reason he should drop out is that, given the current polling, he can actually throw the election to the candidate, Bush, that he would least like to see elected. Nader might not like Kerry but Bush is the antithesis of everything Nader stands for.

Nader is willing to cut his nose off to spite his face in this. The most optimistic result of his continued participation in the process at this stage in the game would be a further breakdown of the process and a backend hope of it being put back together better as a result. The process needs alot of fixing, but there is nothing noble in intentionally contributing to breaking it, on the hope that you'll have an opportunity to then put it back together better.

There are better ways to fix what's wrong in America. I feel Nader's approach is like saying "you have to break a few eggs to make an omlette."

This is a Nation not an Omlette. Nader needs to drop out. If he stays in he's far more likely to end up helping America on the path to Humpty Dumpty than he is to our Nation as a Grand Slam Breakfast.

» On a completely different thought. Has anyone else noticed that "ideal" has started to be pronounced as "idear" lately? What's Up with that?

Let's Go Surfing

» Pretty Iron Man #1 Art. Slow looking story. But still pretty.

» Penny Arcade Comic Strip that parodies MP3 sharing to Deli Meat

» From the man that brought you the exciting Terry Stories that for a time took over Green Lantern-- Judd Winick presents: HIV Speedy a very special subplot that will likely dominate not one but two books in both Green Arrow AND Teen Titans.

Comics, don't read 'em for the fantastic stories of adventure folks, get 'em for the exciting serious exploration of social issues by characters in spandex underwear and masks.
Picture via The Beat

» Heroclix Legacy News Kingdom Come Green Lantern! DC™ HeroClix™ Legacy Booster Box Product Information Stock Number: WZK4208 Title: DC HeroClix Legacy Booster Box MSRP: $7.99 Expected Release: March 2005 DC HeroClix: Legacy mixes heroes and villains from different times, dimensions, and worlds across the DC Universe. With 97 different figures to play, trade, and collect – including the giant Steel figure, and several new figures from the bestselling Alex Ross miniseries Kingdom Come – Legacy introduces many of the characters that DC HeroClix fans have been clamoring for. Plus, Legacy marks the debut of the tremendously popular feat, battlefield condition, and bystander tokens that have added untold strategic depth to the HeroClix game. Legacy features favorites like Batman, Wonder Woman, Ra’s Al-Ghul, and a giant Steel figure. Kingdom Come figures in this set like Green Lantern will surly attract all comic fans. The set introduces Feat, Battlefield Condition, and Bystander Token cards into the DC HeroClix game, and features a prized, super rare Master Piece figure: Batman! Contents * 4 randomly inserted DC HeroClix Legacy miniatures. * One Feat, Battlefield Condition, or Bystander Token
via HCRealms

» Heads-up $400
via Gizmodo

» Ninth Art article on Comic Fans

But they would also find a hell of a lot of complaining, grumbling, general discontent, cynicism and so forth. Far from discussing their love of comics, the fans seem to spend more time debating the precise reasons why they suck, with particular reference to why things aren't as good as they used to be - whether 'used to be' goes back two years, five, ten or twenty. This, of course, is the basic joke of THE SIMPSONS' Comic Shop Guy. For a man who's devoted his life to comics, he doesn't actually seem to like any of them very much.

Friday October 15, 2004 12:46am #

» Watched the last presidential debate yesterday. I thought the first two were better. Bush finally got his personal presentation together this time. Here's the one thing that bugged me by each candidate:

Bush: Spent too much time telling the voters how good they have it, how much his tax relief has helped them, and how great of an economic job he's doing for them. Seems to me that you don't have to tell people this, if it's true they know that, if it's not, he's going to seem very out of touch.

Kerry: Seems like he's going to do a whole lot with that over 200K tax roll back. I half expected him to offer everyone in America a pony too.

Still, it's an easy enough call, if you like the way the last 4 years have gone, Vote for Bush. If you want a change in direction somewhat, Vote for Kerry. I don't get the whole Undecided thing. It's a binary choice America. A or B. (Tops it's A, B, C, D, E, or F if you want to consider the handful of independents that get on the ballot. That's still not alot of choices. Pick one.)

If you live in Michigan, go to http://www.michigan.gov/vote to check your polling location and view your ballot.

» I just installed the Google Desktop Browser on one of my computers. It works disturbingly well. So well that it gives me pause as to whether or not I really want information on my computer to be found this effortlessly.

You really have to trust Google to run something like this. Their motto is "Do No Evil" now, but if they change that motto after they have an installed base of this program, they will have the world's largest mine of personal data on the planet. This would be a very bad thing to get hacked too.

Here's an O'Riley review of this latest Google goodness. This was on Slashdot today.

» The Suncoast in the mall by me had the 2 pack Marvel Heroclix booster packs Clearanced for $2.99 and the Starter Set for $9.79.

Let's Go Surfing

» Alex Ross has a nice full picture of the DK DC Comics Encyclopedia

Tuesday October 12, 2004 9:28pm #

Random Non-Sequiters

» I've got nothin' today, so here's a picture from this morning of Al Roker and some Cheerleaders.

Monday October 11, 2004 6:20am #

1952-2004

Monday October 11, 2004 6:15am #

Let's Go Surfing

» Noticed on Marv Wolfman's Site that he has a Hard Cover Novelization/Update?/Special Edition? or something or other of Crisis on Infinite Earth's coming out. See it on Amazon here.

» Take a look at this printer approx $125-$138 that allows you to print directly on CDs/DVDs
via Digital Media Thoughts

» Before and After the Colorist on some recent Ultimate Fantastic Four Covers.

Sunday October 10, 2004 11:10am #

Sometimes I doodle

Comments on Comics

DC New Frontier #6 - Darwyn Cooke
Ended a little odd with the JLA vs the bizarre flying island. But great art, I'll most definitely get the trade when it comes out. Good Stuff.

Comments on TV

» Wasn't blown away by SNL's debate parodies yesterday. Even though they did two of them.

Saturday October 9, 2004 4:57pm #

» "But I can't take what is an article of faith for me and legislate it for someone who doesn't share that article of faith..." John Kerry in 10/8/04 Presidential debate.

I thought the above quote was very well worded and goes beyond the issue it addressed.

Overall I thought the 2nd debate was more a draw than the clear Kerry win that the first one was. Although I feel Kerry is functionally better at the activity, Bush was coherent to a level that I imagine his base will be satisfied with.

On the catchphrase front, I'm not sure about the President's "He can run but he cannot hide" quote. Is Kerry a terrorist now?

The quote I most want to see on Monday's Daily Show:

BUSH: "You tell Tony Blair we're going alone. Tell Tony Blair we're going alone. Tell Silvio Berlusconi we're going alone. Tell Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland we're going alone."

Poland? Poland? That's your number 3?

» New Saturday Night Live tonight, with most likely another great debate parody. Also Queen Latifa is the host promoting her movie with Jimmy Fallon, so I would imagine there is a good chance he'll show up on the show as well.

Comments on Comics

Green Arrow #42 - Winick, Hester, Parks
This book doesn't seem as hot as it was a year ago. I'm not that fond of the Brick villain in this arc either. I would prefer this book to get back into the mainstream DCU and include offbeat super villians etc. Hester's art lends itself really well to that and I'm not sure that Winick's focus on Demons and now intercity mob's plays to Hester's strengths. Still a good get though.

Doctor Spectrum #2 - Barnes, Foreman, Dell
If you like Supreme Power, your enjoying this book. If your not getting Supreme Power. Don't bother.

Batman/Superman #12 - Loeb, Turner, Steigerwald
Story isn't ending as strong as it started. Great art, but I don't care for the Supergirl costume update. When will the half shirt trend in superhero costumes end? I prefer the costume that Alex Ross drew on the back of the recent DK DC Universe Encyclopedia. Love the way Loeb interjected a creepy sort of repect of Batman from Darkseid. And Turner is probably the best Darkseid artist I've seen, He makes a somewhat hokey looking character look terrifyingly strong.

Adam Strange #1 - Diggle, Ferry
Great start so far. Great Art. I do hope that as the story moves out of Gotham that we get some bright colored sequences and that it doesn't stay quite this gritty looking. But I'm onboard for the rest of the series.

Superman #209 - Azzarello, Lee
WTF? Superman fighting Mount Rushmore? I have know idea what this story is about and do not do the drugs required for this to make sense.

Let's Go Surfing

» Lengthy Interview with Joe Quesada EIC of Marvel Comics. DC you must use this quote from Quesada on the back of the Identity Crisis Trade Paperback:
"Identity Crisis is a great book, one of my favorite reads of the year."
- Joe Quesada Editor and Chief, Marvel Comics.
via Newsarama

Thursday October 7, 2004 10:46pm #

» Absolutely nothing today. So in a shameless attempt at generating Google hits, here are two Britney Spears Perfume Commercial Screen Captures for: Curious. At least the commercial didn't end with: Buy Curious! That would have sent a different message wouldn't it?

Tuesday October 5, 2004 11:48pm #

» Tonight's debate between Cheney and Edwards was like a battle between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker in Empire Strikes Back. The force was not strong with Edwards. I don't agree with Cheney in general and it's a terrifying concept that he could be President, should anything happen to Bush, but he is much much better at politics than Edwards.

Tuesday October 5, 2004 7:52am #

Let's Go Surfing

» Make Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Text!
via a 2 link trip from tinyapps.org/blog

» Interesting article on echo boomers
via Dani

Sunday October 3, 2004 10:25pm #

Random Non-Sequiters

» Had 1,534 "unique" visitors last month to this blog. (1,004 in August, 506 in July, 333 in June)

» Saw the opening of Saturday Night Live last night. Thought that the guy playing Kerry was pretty good. The new Bush guy, not as good as Wil Farrel unfortunately. Anybody have a strong opinion of the Tina Fey/Amy Poeler team-up? I'm going to watch a couple more weeks yet before making up my mind on it, because I'm still missing the Tina/Jimmy team-up.

» I don't know much about these Bush and Kerry Debate puppets that I saw on CNN, something to do with some broadway show. They are very Sesame Streetish. Anyone seen an internet video of this?

» Made and ate too many cookies tonight. Dough!

Comments on Comics- Quick Reviews:

» Legion #35 - Picked this up because when I was flipping through it I saw this character who was refered to as Lantern. Is this character in any way related to the Green Lantern Mythos? If anyone has any information on this character pictured at right, please respond below or by email.

» DC Comics Presents Hawkman, DC Comics Presents The Flash, DC Comics Presents The Atom - I think I've read all of the Julie Schwartz tribute issues now. My take: There were too many of them.

Sunday October 3, 2004 2:41pm #

Random Non-Sequiters

» I have a stuffed animal based on something I created! Actually I saw protypes of these several months ago... so my excitement has died down a little bit. Still it's fun to have a character I created/directed mass marketed in plush form. So run out to your local Meijer and pick up an Igor today!

Below is a page from the graphics usage guide I did for the campaign:

Let's Go Surfing

» Yeah this might look like some sort of weird Star Wars Porn, but it's actually a woman that is really into Star Wars who goes to conventions dressed as a female Storm Trooper. Here's the homepage for her site too.
via The Beat

Saturday October 2, 2004 9:06pm #

Comments on TV

» New Teen Titan's Episode tonight. This one was played fairly straight except for Beast Boy's cold which caused uncontrollable shapeshifting when he sneezed. Robin continues to get darker on this show. Lately he makes Batman look light-hearted.

» No matter what your views, the commercial at the left seems a little inappropriate to run in the middle of Teen Titans on Cartoon Network don't you think? I thought so anyway.

» There was no new Justice League tonight. They replayed the "For the Man Who has Everything" episode.

Saturday October 2, 2004 4:32pm #

Random Non-Sequiters

» Here's a few more flag football pics from the other day of the Red and Yellow teams. I'm on the end of the red team.

» Bush's strategy for the last debate becomes fairly apparent over the last two days of coverage. Ever looking for a soundbite, the news shows are putting out the exact message in their clips that he wants. The benefit to being repetitive (and also stating quotes from Kerry that occurred outside the debate) is that it limits the choices of the news shows in what they can feature. How many more people will see the clips than watch the debate? How many of those people will be so called swing or undecided voters?

I really don't like people who "game" systems. It may work but it's not a noble act.

» New Justice League Unlimited and Teen Titan's on tonight. I'll probably have screen caps tonight or tomorrow morning.

» Tonight's also the premiere of Saturday Night Live's new season. Can we hope that Wil Farrel will guest star as Bush in the inevitable Presidential Debate parody?

Let's Go Surfing

» Massive New Posting (10-1) by Julius Marx Extensive Marvel Legends VII pictures, a Wizard Exclusive Green transparent Hal Jordan and more (like this great YMCA Iron Man Line-up pic)

» Interesting Bed duvets for anyone who likes restroom door style graphics.

» Toys R Us Christmas 2004 Picks

» Fossil has a very slick Imperial Watch.

» Preview of an 82pt Heroclix Hulk and Wonderman Heroclix too

» Check out the Dilbert Ultimate House Site.
via Slashdot

I don't spell check! Most of the time the Quotes of the Day are by someone else, and sometimes I misremember them abit... and they are taken out of context. I often state my opinions as facts. I'm aware that can be annoying? Occasionally I edit content on these pages after initially posting them. Sometimes I type the word "Fnck". Flip the "n" over... I don't have a problem with the word myself, I just type it that way to slip it past overzealous work censorship programs. I'm also aware that I spend too much time on the internet and that it's nice outside and I really should go out and play.