Ah...a Saturday to myself. Endless possibilities. Limitless freedom.
Video game marathons.
All-day anime.
Writing without deadlines.
Catching a movie matinee.
Taking a walk with your Special Someone.
Sleeping in.
Waking up early to get all the housework out of the way.
Driving around town just to get out of the house.
Recording videos at your own pace.
An excursion with friends.
Finally finishing off that forgotten side project.
Finally starting that forgotten side project.
Building something.
Cooking something.
A leisurely shopping trip.
Visiting family.
Catching up on your reading.
Falling out of touch with the world for a few hours.
Napping.
Drawing.
Taking down the chintzy blue Christmas tree that's been up since December.
Endless possibilities. Limitless freedom. Good morning, Saturday.
Showing posts with label Random Saturday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Random Saturday. Show all posts
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Weekend Doings (Or, There is No Try)
I'm writing this post up late Friday afternoon (evening, really), and while I crawl to the finish line of the race that has been this past week, I figured I'd mention a few things that I'm looking forward to attempting to do this weekend.
I say "attempting" because, you see, I am a bad geek. I still haven't seen Thor, and despite the fact that I really don't love the whole movie theater experience, I do want to see this flick in theaters.
I didn't go the first week, mostly because I wasn't anywhere near a movie theater, but also because I typically avoid opening nights like the plague.
But there's an X-Men movie that opens tonight, and I'm willing to bet the theater will be pretty crowded. So I'm not going to do that. Oh. Also, I'm still at work, and I plan to be here for quite some time.
So there's that whole problem.
I'm thinking about seeing Thor on Saturday (today, in your fancy future time), but I hear there's supposed to be some kind of apocalypse, though there's a bit of confusion as to what will cause said apocalypse.
Either way, maybe I'll just stay home and read.
Ah. But in order to be able to stay home and read, I need to actually be home. And I won't be, because I'll be out in a mall (hmmm...maybe I should learn something from George Romero), shopping for new clothes for an upcoming (and insanely expensive) trip.
And that should take up most of my day, as I also have to bomb into the office for some overtime reading/editing/teeth gnashing.
So that leaves Sunday. But I have a philosophy about Sundays, you see, and I have a thing about not doing anything on Sundays, other than lie down and watch things move on a screen in my living room.
Preferably baseball.
So Sunday's out, too.
Luckily, I have (half of a) blog, and I can live vicariously through all of our readers. Or the ones who comment on this (ridiculous excuse for a) post. So, please. Comment away, and tell me why you're (way) cooler than me.
And enjoy your apocalypse.
We'll be back tomorrow (or will we?) with more nonsense.
(Also, I totally spelled "apocalypse" right every time in this post without using the spell check. So at least I have that going for me.)
I say "attempting" because, you see, I am a bad geek. I still haven't seen Thor, and despite the fact that I really don't love the whole movie theater experience, I do want to see this flick in theaters.
I didn't go the first week, mostly because I wasn't anywhere near a movie theater, but also because I typically avoid opening nights like the plague.
But there's an X-Men movie that opens tonight, and I'm willing to bet the theater will be pretty crowded. So I'm not going to do that. Oh. Also, I'm still at work, and I plan to be here for quite some time.
So there's that whole problem.
I'm thinking about seeing Thor on Saturday (today, in your fancy future time), but I hear there's supposed to be some kind of apocalypse, though there's a bit of confusion as to what will cause said apocalypse.
Either way, maybe I'll just stay home and read.
Ah. But in order to be able to stay home and read, I need to actually be home. And I won't be, because I'll be out in a mall (hmmm...maybe I should learn something from George Romero), shopping for new clothes for an upcoming (and insanely expensive) trip.
And that should take up most of my day, as I also have to bomb into the office for some overtime reading/editing/teeth gnashing.
So that leaves Sunday. But I have a philosophy about Sundays, you see, and I have a thing about not doing anything on Sundays, other than lie down and watch things move on a screen in my living room.
Preferably baseball.
So Sunday's out, too.
Luckily, I have (half of a) blog, and I can live vicariously through all of our readers. Or the ones who comment on this (ridiculous excuse for a) post. So, please. Comment away, and tell me why you're (way) cooler than me.
And enjoy your apocalypse.
We'll be back tomorrow (or will we?) with more nonsense.
(Also, I totally spelled "apocalypse" right every time in this post without using the spell check. So at least I have that going for me.)
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Free Comic Book Day 2011!
Your public service announcement for today is brought to you by the letter A. And it's a very simple one, actually, shouted maniacally by one non-bearded and insane comics fan and by one very-much-bearded friend of said insane comics fan.
And it goes something like this:
GO TO THE COMICS SHOP TODAY! RIGHT NOW!! GO!!! YOU GET THINGS FOR FREE THERE!!!!
*Ahem*
Right. Well.
Today, as some of you have by now figured out, is Free Comic Book Day. Which is exactly what it sounds like. Walk into a participating comics shop in the next few hours, and there will be a handful of new books that you won't have to pay for.
Because they're free.
And they're comics.
And you should go get them, while supplies last. And, while you're at the store, pick up a trade, or a single issue of a series you've never read before. Or buy a comic for your son or daughter, or niece or nephew.
Comics needs you. You need comics.
So go. And have fun. And enjoy your Saturday.
-- -- -- --
Oh, and please do leave comments about your FCBD experiences today. We'd love to hear what your local shop is doing!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Coffee Shop Novelist
I've been doing something lately that I haven't done in quite some time. Every day for the past week or so, I've left the office at lunchtime and I've ventured down the road a bit to a tiny coffee shop tucked away off of a main street.
Though to call it a "main" street wouldn't exactly be true. It's one of those one traffic light streets, with a little diner, and an honest-to-goodness general store.
To say it's quiet down that way is an understatement; not many cars roll past, even during the day.
By the time I get to taking my lunch break (usually around 2:00 or so), the four- or five-table cafe has one or two other people sitting down, enjoying a cup of coffee and/or staring out a window at the river that flows not 50 feet from the dining room.
Me, though? I'm writing.
I'm writing whatever I want to write; I'm writing nothing that has to do with anything, and I'm writing for no one else in the world.
And I'm loving it.
I used to write so often that I'd take for granted how much fun it is to do. How relaxing it is to shut the door, and to punch away at those keys. Or, as I like to do, to scribble some barely legible notes down in one of the many black leather notebooks I've collected over the years.
I never really understood that, actually. Why I bother to write notes at all. I have, I've been told, the worst handwriting that near anyone's ever seen. My fifth grade teacher once told me I should become a doctor. Not because she thought I'd work well with people, or that I'd be good at helping them, but because my handwriting was so awful.
Ever see a doctor fill out a prescription? Yeah, it's like hieroglyphics.
When I do a cold read on a book at work--basically just a big copy edit of a book that I didn't work on, and so go into the read "cold"--I make my red pen edits directly on blown-up pages of the text. I then hand those edited pages over to the Production department, where they institute the edits and get the book over to the printer.
That is, once they've managed to figure out just what in the heck I was trying to convey with my chicken scratch.
Still, I'm a romantic, I guess, because I find something very cool in scribbling notes down in a notebook, my hand trying to keep up with the ideas in my head.
A line of dialogue here. A name of a character there. An idea for a blog post, squeezed tightly in the margin of a random page in the middle of a random notebook, long since tossed under a desk, or on top of a stack of books on the floor.
I like flipping through those notebooks every now and then. And, by now and then, I mean whenever I come across one, randomly poking out of a pile of comics next to the bed.
It's funny what I find in them. The notebooks, I mean.
There's an idea for a company that I've carried around with me since college. And a Batman story that I still think would work, on some level. There are names of streets and apartment complexes I never moved in to. And there are lecture notes from a course I took over five years ago.
I found one notebook filled with names of companies I wanted to work for. And I came across one that had the name of the company I now work for.
I also found notes from a lawsuit that never happened; lines and lines of dates and events to document every step of a long ago project.
There are song lyrics and poems, a phone number to a Chinese restaurant followed by the sushi special I must have ordered that day. There's a notebook that's more like a playbook, really, with bunt defenses and sign sequences for a baseball team I coach after college.
There are dozens of notebooks, and at some point, I'll even manage to track them all down.
I also have two flash drives filled with stuff, though they haven't had anything new added to them for at least a year. Actually, I'd all but given up hope on finding the second of those two flash drives--I have a black one and a grey one, and I'd thought for sure that the grey one was lost forever.
Until I found it, where else, but in my bag.
I popped it into my laptop, and I looked through all of the stuff I had written--and all of the finished comic book pages that were there, all colored and lettered and, actually, pretty cool. They were frozen in time, just like my writing.
Getting a new job often brings with it lots of new things to figure out, and to deal with.
Getting a new job in publishing these days often means that you'll be joining an under-staffed department, and that your work load is going to be heavy, and steady, and your hours are going to be long. And so I fell out of my writing habit. I stopped closing the door and punching the keys, and in doing so, I stopped doing something that I loved.
Used to be that, wherever I went--school, work, a day trip to a bookstore--I took my bag. My bag that was filled with notebooks, and my laptop was always by my side. I stopped doing that over the past year or so. Very rarely would I ever bother taking my bag with me to work, because it wasn't like I'd have time to use the things inside it.
Recently, though.
Recently, I've made it a point to carry my bag and my two flash drives--one black, and one grey--around with me wherever I go. And yes, there's still one black leather notebook in my bag at all times, but I only break that open if my laptop is low on battery, or if I'm in a place that's too crowded to set up a computer.
My days are actually much brighter now that I'm making a point to get away from the office and to sit down with a cup of decaf and write. Sure, there's plenty of work to be done in the office, but it'll still be there when I get back. Heck, it'll still be there when I leave to drive home at 7:00.
So, for now and for however long I can afford to get away for a half-hour, I'll drive down to my little coffee shop, and I'll write.
Though to call it a "main" street wouldn't exactly be true. It's one of those one traffic light streets, with a little diner, and an honest-to-goodness general store.
To say it's quiet down that way is an understatement; not many cars roll past, even during the day.
By the time I get to taking my lunch break (usually around 2:00 or so), the four- or five-table cafe has one or two other people sitting down, enjoying a cup of coffee and/or staring out a window at the river that flows not 50 feet from the dining room.
Me, though? I'm writing.
I'm writing whatever I want to write; I'm writing nothing that has to do with anything, and I'm writing for no one else in the world.
And I'm loving it.
I used to write so often that I'd take for granted how much fun it is to do. How relaxing it is to shut the door, and to punch away at those keys. Or, as I like to do, to scribble some barely legible notes down in one of the many black leather notebooks I've collected over the years.
I never really understood that, actually. Why I bother to write notes at all. I have, I've been told, the worst handwriting that near anyone's ever seen. My fifth grade teacher once told me I should become a doctor. Not because she thought I'd work well with people, or that I'd be good at helping them, but because my handwriting was so awful.
Ever see a doctor fill out a prescription? Yeah, it's like hieroglyphics.
When I do a cold read on a book at work--basically just a big copy edit of a book that I didn't work on, and so go into the read "cold"--I make my red pen edits directly on blown-up pages of the text. I then hand those edited pages over to the Production department, where they institute the edits and get the book over to the printer.
That is, once they've managed to figure out just what in the heck I was trying to convey with my chicken scratch.
Still, I'm a romantic, I guess, because I find something very cool in scribbling notes down in a notebook, my hand trying to keep up with the ideas in my head.
A line of dialogue here. A name of a character there. An idea for a blog post, squeezed tightly in the margin of a random page in the middle of a random notebook, long since tossed under a desk, or on top of a stack of books on the floor.
I like flipping through those notebooks every now and then. And, by now and then, I mean whenever I come across one, randomly poking out of a pile of comics next to the bed.
It's funny what I find in them. The notebooks, I mean.
There's an idea for a company that I've carried around with me since college. And a Batman story that I still think would work, on some level. There are names of streets and apartment complexes I never moved in to. And there are lecture notes from a course I took over five years ago.
I found one notebook filled with names of companies I wanted to work for. And I came across one that had the name of the company I now work for.
I also found notes from a lawsuit that never happened; lines and lines of dates and events to document every step of a long ago project.
There are song lyrics and poems, a phone number to a Chinese restaurant followed by the sushi special I must have ordered that day. There's a notebook that's more like a playbook, really, with bunt defenses and sign sequences for a baseball team I coach after college.
There are dozens of notebooks, and at some point, I'll even manage to track them all down.
I also have two flash drives filled with stuff, though they haven't had anything new added to them for at least a year. Actually, I'd all but given up hope on finding the second of those two flash drives--I have a black one and a grey one, and I'd thought for sure that the grey one was lost forever.
Until I found it, where else, but in my bag.
I popped it into my laptop, and I looked through all of the stuff I had written--and all of the finished comic book pages that were there, all colored and lettered and, actually, pretty cool. They were frozen in time, just like my writing.
Getting a new job often brings with it lots of new things to figure out, and to deal with.
Getting a new job in publishing these days often means that you'll be joining an under-staffed department, and that your work load is going to be heavy, and steady, and your hours are going to be long. And so I fell out of my writing habit. I stopped closing the door and punching the keys, and in doing so, I stopped doing something that I loved.
Used to be that, wherever I went--school, work, a day trip to a bookstore--I took my bag. My bag that was filled with notebooks, and my laptop was always by my side. I stopped doing that over the past year or so. Very rarely would I ever bother taking my bag with me to work, because it wasn't like I'd have time to use the things inside it.
Recently, though.
Recently, I've made it a point to carry my bag and my two flash drives--one black, and one grey--around with me wherever I go. And yes, there's still one black leather notebook in my bag at all times, but I only break that open if my laptop is low on battery, or if I'm in a place that's too crowded to set up a computer.
My days are actually much brighter now that I'm making a point to get away from the office and to sit down with a cup of decaf and write. Sure, there's plenty of work to be done in the office, but it'll still be there when I get back. Heck, it'll still be there when I leave to drive home at 7:00.
So, for now and for however long I can afford to get away for a half-hour, I'll drive down to my little coffee shop, and I'll write.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Why We Love Stan Lee
Everybody knows Stan Lee. Your mom, your little sister, your grandfather. Everybody knows Stan Lee. It's just a fact of life. And, even though there are those with differing opinions about The Man, everyone reserves a special place for Stan in their hearts.
Why?
Well, that's easy. It's because he still puts up with stuff like this:
Do yourself a favor and head on over to Comics Alliance for the full photo rundown of Stan posing with cosplayers at Dragon Con. I promise it'll be worth your time. As usual, this ridiculous links post is brought to you by Exfanding reader Dr. Nick Riviera.
At some point, I will get him to write an actual post, but for now Dr. Nick, keep sending the funny.
Happy Saturday, everyone!
Why?
Well, that's easy. It's because he still puts up with stuff like this:
Do yourself a favor and head on over to Comics Alliance for the full photo rundown of Stan posing with cosplayers at Dragon Con. I promise it'll be worth your time. As usual, this ridiculous links post is brought to you by Exfanding reader Dr. Nick Riviera.At some point, I will get him to write an actual post, but for now Dr. Nick, keep sending the funny.
Happy Saturday, everyone!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Lazy Onion Saturday
Perhaps you've read The Onion, or at least recall me talking about it from way long ago. Well, it's Lazy Random Link Saturday, and I've decided to share with you a few of my favorite food-related Onion articles. Sadly, there are no onion-related food articles. Nonetheless, enjoy!- Wendy's To Phase Out Unpopular Hamburger Sandwich
- Pudding-Factory Disaster Brings Slow, Creamy Death To Town Below
- Man At Very Top Of Food Chain Chooses Bugles
Saturday, May 29, 2010
John Hughes, the X-Men, and Awesome Saturday Linking
I've got a good link/photo post for this first day of the long holiday weekend. Which, by the way, I hope you're all enjoying thoroughly. Hopefully the weather's nice, the BBQ is hot, the company is interesting, and the drinks are cold.
And if not...well, then I hope at least the drinks are cold.
And if even that's not the case today, then I hope you'll find some pleasure in this post, featuring some great imagery from comics artist Cliff Chiang. I have to give credit to one of our readers--he goes by that pesky "anonymous" moniker in the comments sometimes--for bringing this link to my attention.
If you're like me, then you have a soft spot for 80s films--especially those films directed by the late, great John Hughes. The link highlights Chiang's latest piece, below, which rules.
My favorite Hughes movie, The Breakfast Club, gets the treatment, as well.
These pieces, including the Pretty in Pink riff above, are all part of Chiang's own "12-inch Remix" project, wherein the artist redesigns 80s album covers to star our favorite comics characters. You can check out more of Chiang's 80s-inspired comics art right here, on his blog.
Aside from the Hughes movie art, this is probably my favorite of the pieces.
Yeah, like I said, this stuff rules.
On that note, my food's ready, so go enjoy your weekend, everyone!
And if not...well, then I hope at least the drinks are cold.
And if even that's not the case today, then I hope you'll find some pleasure in this post, featuring some great imagery from comics artist Cliff Chiang. I have to give credit to one of our readers--he goes by that pesky "anonymous" moniker in the comments sometimes--for bringing this link to my attention.
If you're like me, then you have a soft spot for 80s films--especially those films directed by the late, great John Hughes. The link highlights Chiang's latest piece, below, which rules.
My favorite Hughes movie, The Breakfast Club, gets the treatment, as well.
These pieces, including the Pretty in Pink riff above, are all part of Chiang's own "12-inch Remix" project, wherein the artist redesigns 80s album covers to star our favorite comics characters. You can check out more of Chiang's 80s-inspired comics art right here, on his blog.Aside from the Hughes movie art, this is probably my favorite of the pieces.
Yeah, like I said, this stuff rules.On that note, my food's ready, so go enjoy your weekend, everyone!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Alex Unplugged
So, after a week without electricity, Exfanding HQ is finally back up and running again and ready to thwart off all super villain attacks. Unless, of course, they use a wind attack. Because then, we’d be in some trouble.
I would so not be able to defeat the Weather Wizard.
Anyroguesgallery, cleanup begins this weekend, and so, too, does the whole catching up on a week’s worth of news online. I’ve been pretty much unplugged from the Internet since Saturday, which, in Internet Years, is like a decade.
I mean, sure, I’ll pop on every now and then at the office to make sure the world is still here--and, for the most part, it is--but it’s been a pretty busy week and time hasn’t allowed for nearly enough Web surfing.
Especially for a comics dork.
So I honestly have no idea how the Internet has reacted to this past week’s big, event-y comics. Like Marvel’s Siege, issue four, and DC’s Return of Bruce Wayne, issue one.
I’m willing to bet that it’s been a mixed bag, though. I plan on reading both titles later today, so I’ll probably post a little review in the coming week. Today, though, I plan on a mash-up of a post with some quick review-ish thingies of books, Web sites, and other ephemera that I’ve read while without power. (Is “other ephemera” redundant?)
We’ll call this brand new (and, hopefully, one time) segment, Alex Unplugged: Reviews in the Dark. Which sounds dirty. But whatever. You go a week without electricity then come up with something better. Like Alex Unplugged: Books to Read in the Dark.
Nah. Still doesn’t work. And it’s still dirty.
Alex Unplugged:
Not-so-Boring Books for the Very Bored Fanboy.
Electric Boogaloo.
Wherein Our Hero Reviews Several Comic Books.
Die Harder.
Reviews from (the Opposite of) Electric Ladyland.
When Harry Met Sally.
Okay. It’s official. We’re going with Alex Unplugged: Books to Read in the Dark. Now that that nonsense is behind us, let’s get to the reviews!
First up, we have volume one of Grant Morrison’s excellent, trippy, fun, and disturbing love letter to Bruce Wayne, Batman and Robin. Featuring art by Frank Quietly and, in the second story arc, Phillip Tan, this collection is worth checking out, even if you’re a Bruce Wayne diehard.
Starring the new Batman and Robin (or, if you’d prefer, “Batman” and “Robin”), Morrison’s latest foray into the world of the Dark Knight is everything you’d expect from the writer. Somehow, Morrison makes postmodern storytelling seem…classical in nature. Dick Grayson and Damian (Bruce Wayne's son) reluctantly team up to become the new Dynamic Duo of Gotham.
And the Frank Quietly art in the first arc (sadly, only three issues) is…hmm. What’s the word? Fantastic. No. Amazing. Nah. Un-flippin’-believable. Getting warmer. Stunning. Yeah, that’s the one. We’ll go with stunning.
Postmodern stories told with a Silver Age twist. Or is that, Silver Age stories told with a postmodern twist? Either way, this collection does right by comics, let me tell you. If you've been to a Borders or Barnes & Noble in the last month or so, you probably noticed this hardcover collection on one of those front tables. Morrison's name attracts mainstream fans, and this is certainly a good book for DC to lead with in bookshops.
And, like most of Morrison's work (I think, anyway) Batman and Robin reads better in trade. Give it a flip through the next time you come across it.
Next up, we have Ray Bradbury's The October Country. I broke out this classic collection of short stories this week, and read through a couple favorites. Among them, the haunting Scythe, a story that stays with you long after you've finished reading.
If you've never before tried Bradbury's work, I'd suggest starting here. Personally, I love short stories, and I love it even more when a favorite author releases a collection of them. I'm fairly new to Bradbury's work, and October Country and The Halloween Tree have recently become favorites of mine.
I never realized how revolutionary Bradbury's style is, and I just never appreciated how influential his works are to so many writers of the past several decades. In these shorts, I see the impact Bradbury had on so many of my favorite writers, and for me to have gone so long without reading the bulk of his work was a crime.
Consider it rectified, though.
And finally, I wanted to mention that I came across one of the absolute best blogs about writing that I've ever seen. Patrick Rothfuss, author of the new fantasy classic, The Name of the Wind (buy it, read it, love it) has a blog. And in the blog, he writes about writing. And being a struggling author. And being a published author. And being a New York Times bestselling author.
If you're at all interested in the mechanics of the craft, in the behind the scene meetings with agents and the relationship with editors, then do yourself a favor and read through Pat's blog from start to finish. There are only a couple years' worth of posts, and the whole thing reads like an incredibly personal, emotional, hilarious autobiography.
From living off whatever he could afford to being the guest of honor at conventions around the globe, from being a fanboy to meeting and speaking with Neil Gaiman, Pat's blog is a fascinating look at the life of a prominent author. Access like this is only possible because of the Internet, and man, am I glad I came across the site.
-- -- -- --
Okay, folks. That's enough for today. Enjoy the weekend, everyone!
I would so not be able to defeat the Weather Wizard.
Anyroguesgallery, cleanup begins this weekend, and so, too, does the whole catching up on a week’s worth of news online. I’ve been pretty much unplugged from the Internet since Saturday, which, in Internet Years, is like a decade.
I mean, sure, I’ll pop on every now and then at the office to make sure the world is still here--and, for the most part, it is--but it’s been a pretty busy week and time hasn’t allowed for nearly enough Web surfing.
Especially for a comics dork.
So I honestly have no idea how the Internet has reacted to this past week’s big, event-y comics. Like Marvel’s Siege, issue four, and DC’s Return of Bruce Wayne, issue one.
I’m willing to bet that it’s been a mixed bag, though. I plan on reading both titles later today, so I’ll probably post a little review in the coming week. Today, though, I plan on a mash-up of a post with some quick review-ish thingies of books, Web sites, and other ephemera that I’ve read while without power. (Is “other ephemera” redundant?)
We’ll call this brand new (and, hopefully, one time) segment, Alex Unplugged: Reviews in the Dark. Which sounds dirty. But whatever. You go a week without electricity then come up with something better. Like Alex Unplugged: Books to Read in the Dark.
Nah. Still doesn’t work. And it’s still dirty.
Alex Unplugged:
Not-so-Boring Books for the Very Bored Fanboy.
Electric Boogaloo.
Wherein Our Hero Reviews Several Comic Books.
Die Harder.
Reviews from (the Opposite of) Electric Ladyland.
When Harry Met Sally.
Okay. It’s official. We’re going with Alex Unplugged: Books to Read in the Dark. Now that that nonsense is behind us, let’s get to the reviews!
First up, we have volume one of Grant Morrison’s excellent, trippy, fun, and disturbing love letter to Bruce Wayne, Batman and Robin. Featuring art by Frank Quietly and, in the second story arc, Phillip Tan, this collection is worth checking out, even if you’re a Bruce Wayne diehard.
Starring the new Batman and Robin (or, if you’d prefer, “Batman” and “Robin”), Morrison’s latest foray into the world of the Dark Knight is everything you’d expect from the writer. Somehow, Morrison makes postmodern storytelling seem…classical in nature. Dick Grayson and Damian (Bruce Wayne's son) reluctantly team up to become the new Dynamic Duo of Gotham.
And the Frank Quietly art in the first arc (sadly, only three issues) is…hmm. What’s the word? Fantastic. No. Amazing. Nah. Un-flippin’-believable. Getting warmer. Stunning. Yeah, that’s the one. We’ll go with stunning.Postmodern stories told with a Silver Age twist. Or is that, Silver Age stories told with a postmodern twist? Either way, this collection does right by comics, let me tell you. If you've been to a Borders or Barnes & Noble in the last month or so, you probably noticed this hardcover collection on one of those front tables. Morrison's name attracts mainstream fans, and this is certainly a good book for DC to lead with in bookshops.
And, like most of Morrison's work (I think, anyway) Batman and Robin reads better in trade. Give it a flip through the next time you come across it.
Next up, we have Ray Bradbury's The October Country. I broke out this classic collection of short stories this week, and read through a couple favorites. Among them, the haunting Scythe, a story that stays with you long after you've finished reading.
If you've never before tried Bradbury's work, I'd suggest starting here. Personally, I love short stories, and I love it even more when a favorite author releases a collection of them. I'm fairly new to Bradbury's work, and October Country and The Halloween Tree have recently become favorites of mine.I never realized how revolutionary Bradbury's style is, and I just never appreciated how influential his works are to so many writers of the past several decades. In these shorts, I see the impact Bradbury had on so many of my favorite writers, and for me to have gone so long without reading the bulk of his work was a crime.
Consider it rectified, though.
And finally, I wanted to mention that I came across one of the absolute best blogs about writing that I've ever seen. Patrick Rothfuss, author of the new fantasy classic, The Name of the Wind (buy it, read it, love it) has a blog. And in the blog, he writes about writing. And being a struggling author. And being a published author. And being a New York Times bestselling author.
If you're at all interested in the mechanics of the craft, in the behind the scene meetings with agents and the relationship with editors, then do yourself a favor and read through Pat's blog from start to finish. There are only a couple years' worth of posts, and the whole thing reads like an incredibly personal, emotional, hilarious autobiography.
From living off whatever he could afford to being the guest of honor at conventions around the globe, from being a fanboy to meeting and speaking with Neil Gaiman, Pat's blog is a fascinating look at the life of a prominent author. Access like this is only possible because of the Internet, and man, am I glad I came across the site.
-- -- -- --
Okay, folks. That's enough for today. Enjoy the weekend, everyone!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Random Link Saturday: Retro Console Pics
Retro video game systems have never looked so pretty:Retro Console Pics
You'll either think this is super-cool or super-weird.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Saturday Linking (And Some Thoughts)
A quick post today about a major shake-up in DC Comics' editorial offices. It happened earlier this week, but I honestly didn't hear about the news until yesterday, mostly because I've been sequestered in an office with a pretty strict, no Internet policy.
Which is fine, because there's a ton of work that needs to be done (and not to mention, there's a ton of things I need to learn how to do), and the days manage to fly by on their own.
But, when one has a comics- and geek-related blog that needs to be updated on a daily basis...well, not going on the Internet much during the week works in opposition to said blog and all the necessary updating.
And that's my way of "apologizing" (Tiger Woods-style) for missing the news this week that DC has named Jim Lee and Dan DiDio Co-Publishers of DC Comics and writer Geoff Johns is now the comics division's Chief Creative Officer.
You can read all about it on DC's blog, where they issued the following press release. There are also follow-up posts by Diane Nelson (head of DC Entertainment), Jim Lee and Dan DiDio, and Geoff Johns.
But by far the coolest link today is from the New York Times , and their story from yesterday about the shift at the company.
So, what's my take on the matter? (Because, really, we're way more important than the Times!) Well, my initial reaction brought to mind an old baseball saying--a "bullpen by committee" is a euphemism for "you have a bad bullpen."
So the whole, "Co-Publisher" thing rubbed me the wrong way. I took it as DC higher-ups basically saying to Dan DiDio, "listen, we appreciate your services here, and we acknowledge some of your more successful ideas, but, really, we think you need help."
Fans have grown increasingly tired of DiDio recently, and as comics fans tend to do, some have gone overboard--online and even at conventions--in expressing their displeasure.
I'm the first to admit that there's a huge amount of DC stuff over the past five years that I have either no zero interest in, or I tried and flat-out hated. But there are certainly things that worked, and generated huge sums of money for the company.
I think the best way to summarize DiDio's years as Executive Editor is to bring up his proposal for the All Star line, which resulted in what can basically be seen as a microcosm of DC's efforts over the past half-decade or so.
When the All Star line was announced by DiDio, fans were promised fresh takes on major characters by the very best creators in the business, without the chains of continuity to bond their stories. And what did it quickly turn in to?
All-Star Batman and Robin.
Which, while it sold incredibly well, and generated tons of heat early on in its run--thanks a great deal to Frank Miller's insane take on Batman--the book has completely fallen off the tracks, and we haven't seen a new issue in well over a year. I think it's actually closer to two years, now.
And, unfortunately for everyone involved, it's become a running joke in the comics industry.
On the other hand, the All-Star line spawned arguably the best Superman story of the past couple of decades in Grant Morrison's brilliant and thoughtful All-Star Superman . That book won Eisner Awards, thrilled fans old and new, and sold by the boatload.
As with most things at DC over DiDio's time in charge, the All-Star line was hit-or-miss--literally--and, while it brought great acclaim, it also brought unending mockery from fans.
Only DC can live within such a strange dichotomy.
But, after reading up on this whole restructuring thing, it appears that DiDio will remain in charge of print media, while Jim Lee will be at the helm of DC's digital future. And that makes sense, since Lee is the chief player involved in DC's huge online role-playing game, which is highly anticipated in the comics and gaming communities.
Of course, that game seems to be in perpetual delay mode, but hey, that's DC for ya.
The biggest and most comforting move in this whole thing is the bump-up given to Geoff Johns--the man who has steered the DC ship recently and elevated the publisher in the eyes of many to an actual competitor of Marvel's (you know, one capable of fighting back), and not just the "number two" entity in the industry.
Many fans online (and in stores) have made the comment that they wish Johns was bumped up to Editor in Chief, and put in charge of all the books.
And my answer to that has been, if he does that, he won't be able to write as many books. And that would be a crime, because, man, does this guy know how to do super hero comics.
Also, I think that, if Johns wants the Big Chair some time down the road, it's his. It'll be a matter of whether he wants to deal with everything that comes along with the title, though. After a career of writing comics and dealing with fans and the weirdness of a weird industry, who knows if he'll want that.
For now, I think this is all very positive stuff for DC. I feel bad for Paul Levitz (the former publisher), because he seems like a genuinely good guy who just loves the medium, but I'm glad that DC realized a change was in order.
Comics are moving forward on a daily basis--both in content and in distribution--and DC has lagged behind Marvel when it comes to change in their line on both fronts. Keeping DiDio is a sign that DC likes what's come before, but bumping Johns up and handing over the digital reins to Jim Lee show that the company is now looking to the future.
And that's a good thing.
Which is fine, because there's a ton of work that needs to be done (and not to mention, there's a ton of things I need to learn how to do), and the days manage to fly by on their own.
But, when one has a comics- and geek-related blog that needs to be updated on a daily basis...well, not going on the Internet much during the week works in opposition to said blog and all the necessary updating.
And that's my way of "apologizing" (Tiger Woods-style) for missing the news this week that DC has named Jim Lee and Dan DiDio Co-Publishers of DC Comics and writer Geoff Johns is now the comics division's Chief Creative Officer.
You can read all about it on DC's blog, where they issued the following press release. There are also follow-up posts by Diane Nelson (head of DC Entertainment), Jim Lee and Dan DiDio, and Geoff Johns.
But by far the coolest link today is from the New York Times , and their story from yesterday about the shift at the company.
So, what's my take on the matter? (Because, really, we're way more important than the Times!) Well, my initial reaction brought to mind an old baseball saying--a "bullpen by committee" is a euphemism for "you have a bad bullpen."
So the whole, "Co-Publisher" thing rubbed me the wrong way. I took it as DC higher-ups basically saying to Dan DiDio, "listen, we appreciate your services here, and we acknowledge some of your more successful ideas, but, really, we think you need help."
Fans have grown increasingly tired of DiDio recently, and as comics fans tend to do, some have gone overboard--online and even at conventions--in expressing their displeasure.
I'm the first to admit that there's a huge amount of DC stuff over the past five years that I have either no zero interest in, or I tried and flat-out hated. But there are certainly things that worked, and generated huge sums of money for the company.
I think the best way to summarize DiDio's years as Executive Editor is to bring up his proposal for the All Star line, which resulted in what can basically be seen as a microcosm of DC's efforts over the past half-decade or so.
When the All Star line was announced by DiDio, fans were promised fresh takes on major characters by the very best creators in the business, without the chains of continuity to bond their stories. And what did it quickly turn in to?
All-Star Batman and Robin.
Which, while it sold incredibly well, and generated tons of heat early on in its run--thanks a great deal to Frank Miller's insane take on Batman--the book has completely fallen off the tracks, and we haven't seen a new issue in well over a year. I think it's actually closer to two years, now.
And, unfortunately for everyone involved, it's become a running joke in the comics industry.
On the other hand, the All-Star line spawned arguably the best Superman story of the past couple of decades in Grant Morrison's brilliant and thoughtful All-Star Superman . That book won Eisner Awards, thrilled fans old and new, and sold by the boatload.
As with most things at DC over DiDio's time in charge, the All-Star line was hit-or-miss--literally--and, while it brought great acclaim, it also brought unending mockery from fans.
Only DC can live within such a strange dichotomy.
But, after reading up on this whole restructuring thing, it appears that DiDio will remain in charge of print media, while Jim Lee will be at the helm of DC's digital future. And that makes sense, since Lee is the chief player involved in DC's huge online role-playing game, which is highly anticipated in the comics and gaming communities.
Of course, that game seems to be in perpetual delay mode, but hey, that's DC for ya.
The biggest and most comforting move in this whole thing is the bump-up given to Geoff Johns--the man who has steered the DC ship recently and elevated the publisher in the eyes of many to an actual competitor of Marvel's (you know, one capable of fighting back), and not just the "number two" entity in the industry.
Many fans online (and in stores) have made the comment that they wish Johns was bumped up to Editor in Chief, and put in charge of all the books.
And my answer to that has been, if he does that, he won't be able to write as many books. And that would be a crime, because, man, does this guy know how to do super hero comics.
Also, I think that, if Johns wants the Big Chair some time down the road, it's his. It'll be a matter of whether he wants to deal with everything that comes along with the title, though. After a career of writing comics and dealing with fans and the weirdness of a weird industry, who knows if he'll want that.
For now, I think this is all very positive stuff for DC. I feel bad for Paul Levitz (the former publisher), because he seems like a genuinely good guy who just loves the medium, but I'm glad that DC realized a change was in order.
Comics are moving forward on a daily basis--both in content and in distribution--and DC has lagged behind Marvel when it comes to change in their line on both fronts. Keeping DiDio is a sign that DC likes what's come before, but bumping Johns up and handing over the digital reins to Jim Lee show that the company is now looking to the future.
And that's a good thing.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Some Saturday Randomness
Just a quick link today to a podcast that is certainly worth the time of any mainstream comic book fan.From the excellent Word Balloon: The Comic Book Interview podcast, host John Siuntres (who is the Charlie Rose of the comics world) interviews DC artist Ethan Van Sciver.
Van Sciver, who is currently drawing the Geoff Johns-penned Flash: Rebirth, and was the artist on the mega hit, Green Lantern: Rebirth, is known as one of the finest craftsmen in the business. His attention to detail in every panel has made his work popular with fans from every generation, and he's one of my favorite artists of the past decade.
The Word Balloon interview is in-depth and even delves into some personal issues, and it provides a great peek into the life of a top tier comics creator.
If you're reading Flash: Rebirth, then you know that the book has suffered some (massive) delays this past year, and Ethan talks openly and honestly about the reasons behind those delays with Siuntres, and apologizes to and thanks his fans.
Van Sciver is known for being very opinionated and incredibly passionate about the comic book business and the characters that he draws, and for me, the most interesting part of the interview comes when Ethan talks about the uneven--and, in his mind, unfair--balance between writers and artists in today's comics landscape.
A stark difference from the artist-heavy 1990s when the focus of each story centered on big splash pages that showed off an artist's talent, the 2000s have been dominated by writers. In the interview, we get to hear why this shift has maybe gone too far to one side of the aisle.
There's some really great "inside baseball" talk about the comics industry, and I highly recommend giving it a listen, if you can.
You can check out the full interview right here, and it's also available on iTunes. Just search for Word Balloon, and you'll find the entire archive of the show.
Siuntres is the best interviewer in comics today, and I really hope you guys check out his show.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Sidetracked Saturday
Here's the short version: I had one big post planned for this weekend, and if that fell through, a backup post that was worthy of being up for two days in a row. Due to timing issues, both my primary and secondary plans fell apart, and now it's a little after 3 AM and I have nothing to give you before I leave for the weekend, and it's probably best not to wake Alex at this hour and ask him to write up a quick post.
Still, we've made a commitment to post on every day except Sunday, and I'd like to at least have something here that might be worth your time, especially considering we have this super-easy contest going on and we should really be writing our best stuff to attract people and encourage them to participate.
Well, this won't be my best stuff, and I apologize for that. In fact, it won't even be my stuff.
If you've been reading GameCola (which I hope you are, if you like my writing at all), you may know we have a YouTube channel that we add too rather frequently, and it's not all video games. However, a lot of good stuff goes unnoticed.
Below is a selection of some of the more recent things we've put up. Take a gander:
- Clips from the TV cartoon show Doug [Removed! Nevermind!]
- A humorous run of the Super Famicom game Super Back to the Future Part II
- A helpful video walkthrough for the first episode of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney for the GBA
- Clips from various Shirley Temple films [Totally not there! Fughgeddaboudit!]
- A complete video walkthrough of the PC adventure game Day of the Tentacle
- The first portion of a blind run of Final Fantasy VI Advance for the GBA
- A complete video walkthrough of Mega Man X for the SNES
[Editor's note: These videos were originally embedded, but when the blog slowed to a crawl, we transformed them into links. We hope you understand.]
Still, we've made a commitment to post on every day except Sunday, and I'd like to at least have something here that might be worth your time, especially considering we have this super-easy contest going on and we should really be writing our best stuff to attract people and encourage them to participate.
Well, this won't be my best stuff, and I apologize for that. In fact, it won't even be my stuff.
If you've been reading GameCola (which I hope you are, if you like my writing at all), you may know we have a YouTube channel that we add too rather frequently, and it's not all video games. However, a lot of good stuff goes unnoticed.
Below is a selection of some of the more recent things we've put up. Take a gander:- Clips from the TV cartoon show Doug [Removed! Nevermind!]
- A humorous run of the Super Famicom game Super Back to the Future Part II
- A helpful video walkthrough for the first episode of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney for the GBA
- Clips from various Shirley Temple films [Totally not there! Fughgeddaboudit!]
- A complete video walkthrough of the PC adventure game Day of the Tentacle
- The first portion of a blind run of Final Fantasy VI Advance for the GBA
- A complete video walkthrough of Mega Man X for the SNES
[Editor's note: These videos were originally embedded, but when the blog slowed to a crawl, we transformed them into links. We hope you understand.]
Saturday, April 11, 2009
50 Things to Do This Weekend
Bored? Burned out? Sick of your routine? Here's a list of 50 things you might do this weekend to shake things up. Don't blame us if you don't like the consequences; it's your choice to do any of these things, and we take no responsibility for the consequences (unless they're happy consequences that garner us fame and fortune). Brace yourself, 'cuz here they are:
1. Go back to playing a video game you never managed to finish.
2. Buy and read the most obscure-looking comic you can find at your LCS.
3. Cook dinner. Like, with real ingredients. I.e. not Easy Mac.
4. Call up one of your relatives just for the heck of it.
5. Invent a theme song for yourself and hum it every time you go outside.
6. Draw a picture of the most awesome weapon you can think of. Bonus points for ASCII art.
7. Teach yourself a totally pointless party trick.
8. Imagine that somebody is going to make a movie about your life and write up a list of which actors you would want them to cast for all the most important roles.
9. Shave.
10. Start with reading one random Wikipedia article and keep following links until you end up at the article about Kevin Bacon. In theory, this should take no more than six clicks, but some people may never get there.
11. Pick out three words from the dictionary and find every excuse to use them as often as possible this weekend.
12. Write a computer program that tells you you're awesome.
13. Peruse our sidebar and click on one of the links you've never visited before. This includes checking out the profile of any one of our Loyal Minions (thank you, Loyal Minions, for being loyal and miniony).
14. Become one of our loyal minions and join our Facebook group.
15. Give a dollar to the first person you see after reading this post. Or a quarter, if you're cheap.
16. Read The Time Traveler's Wife. Alternately, buy a box of tissues and then read The Time Traveler's Wife.
18. Watch a movie you know and love in a different language than usual.
19. Create blueprints for your ideal home/villain's lair.
20. Listen to all the tracks of a CD you like in reverse order.
21. Check the oil and other important fluid levels in your car. If you don't have a car, check someone else's. With permission, of course.
22. Start up a blog.
23. Leave a coherent and relevant comment on any of the posts we've ever done. Coherent is key, as is relevant.
24. Spend your entire day impersonating other people when you speak, changing voices whenever you get tired of the one you're using.
25. Arrange all the silverware you own to spell out a message--but you have to use everything.
26. Attend some event happening in your community, such as a school play or a local band's performance at a nearby coffee house.
27. Using nametag stickers or whatever else strikes your fancy, create medals of achievement for yourself every time you do something remotely productive ("I took a shower!") and wear them proudly around the house.
28. Write the ugliest poem you can possibly come up with.
29. Hold a staring contest with an object of your choice.
30. Gather a group of friends for a big lightsaber battle.
31. Do a marathon of some kind--watch an entire movie trilogy back-to-back; try to play through a whole video game series in a day; read every book an author of your choice has ever written, in sequential order; etc.
32. Enter a submission for a contest or two. Or three!
33. Create something with the sole purpose of destroying it. Lego kits and SimCities come recommended. Romantic relationships are discouraged here.
34. Try out a new hobby or learn a new skill, such as gardening, sewing, or responding to e-mails in a timely fashion.
35. Whether it's from a religious service, a podcast, a news article, a conversation, or other source, pick out one meaningful message you hear this weekend and find a way to apply it to your life this week. We're not picky--"Be excellent to each other" is just fine, as is "For the love of Wesley Snipes, do your taxes already!"
36. Spend at least 15 minutes listening to a genre of music that you never listen to. Don't hesitate to do something else while you're listening.
37. Invent a joke, and tell it to somebody.
38. Keep a tally of how many times you hear anybody say the word "um," including yourself.
39. The next time you need to go somewhere, take a totally different route. (Note: Getting to the bathroom by breaking down the wall doesn't count, Hulk.)
40. Find any sort of "100 Things To Do Before You Die" list and do one that you've never done before.
41. Go online and discover the price of the single most expensive piece of geek memorabilia you can find. Calculate how long it would take you to save up enough money to buy it. Cry.
42. Figure out what happened to #17.
43. Strike up a conversation with a waitress, bus driver, cashier, bank teller, or anybody else with whom you aren't obligated to converse.
44. Without the aid of any outside help, complete a crossword puzzle/beat an adventure game/solve a Rubik's Cube/etc.
45. Make a video recording of something and put it online. Adding audio commentary couldn't hurt; all the cool people are doing it.
46. Write a letter expressing some kind of appreciation to a person or organization you appreciate. Seriously, it's amazing how much of an impact a kind letter can make, and who knows? Maybe a company will send you free stuff for being an appreciative consumer.
47. Read Watchmen. Or reread Watchmen. Or rereread Watchmen.
48. Recreate a notable historical event using a creative medium: an origami Battle of Gettysburg, or the Apollo 11 moon landing made out of pancakes and maple syrup. Okay, so maybe origami is a stretch.
49. Catch up on all of our blog posts that you've missed.
50. Accept that it's 2:52 AM and realize that you should stop blogging and go to sleep.
1. Go back to playing a video game you never managed to finish.
2. Buy and read the most obscure-looking comic you can find at your LCS.
3. Cook dinner. Like, with real ingredients. I.e. not Easy Mac.
4. Call up one of your relatives just for the heck of it.
5. Invent a theme song for yourself and hum it every time you go outside.
6. Draw a picture of the most awesome weapon you can think of. Bonus points for ASCII art.
7. Teach yourself a totally pointless party trick.
8. Imagine that somebody is going to make a movie about your life and write up a list of which actors you would want them to cast for all the most important roles.
9. Shave.
10. Start with reading one random Wikipedia article and keep following links until you end up at the article about Kevin Bacon. In theory, this should take no more than six clicks, but some people may never get there.
11. Pick out three words from the dictionary and find every excuse to use them as often as possible this weekend.
12. Write a computer program that tells you you're awesome.
13. Peruse our sidebar and click on one of the links you've never visited before. This includes checking out the profile of any one of our Loyal Minions (thank you, Loyal Minions, for being loyal and miniony).
14. Become one of our loyal minions and join our Facebook group.
15. Give a dollar to the first person you see after reading this post. Or a quarter, if you're cheap.
16. Read The Time Traveler's Wife. Alternately, buy a box of tissues and then read The Time Traveler's Wife.
18. Watch a movie you know and love in a different language than usual.
19. Create blueprints for your ideal home/villain's lair.
20. Listen to all the tracks of a CD you like in reverse order.
21. Check the oil and other important fluid levels in your car. If you don't have a car, check someone else's. With permission, of course.
22. Start up a blog.
23. Leave a coherent and relevant comment on any of the posts we've ever done. Coherent is key, as is relevant.
24. Spend your entire day impersonating other people when you speak, changing voices whenever you get tired of the one you're using.
25. Arrange all the silverware you own to spell out a message--but you have to use everything.
26. Attend some event happening in your community, such as a school play or a local band's performance at a nearby coffee house.
27. Using nametag stickers or whatever else strikes your fancy, create medals of achievement for yourself every time you do something remotely productive ("I took a shower!") and wear them proudly around the house.
28. Write the ugliest poem you can possibly come up with.
29. Hold a staring contest with an object of your choice.
30. Gather a group of friends for a big lightsaber battle.
31. Do a marathon of some kind--watch an entire movie trilogy back-to-back; try to play through a whole video game series in a day; read every book an author of your choice has ever written, in sequential order; etc.
32. Enter a submission for a contest or two. Or three!
33. Create something with the sole purpose of destroying it. Lego kits and SimCities come recommended. Romantic relationships are discouraged here.
34. Try out a new hobby or learn a new skill, such as gardening, sewing, or responding to e-mails in a timely fashion.
35. Whether it's from a religious service, a podcast, a news article, a conversation, or other source, pick out one meaningful message you hear this weekend and find a way to apply it to your life this week. We're not picky--"Be excellent to each other" is just fine, as is "For the love of Wesley Snipes, do your taxes already!"
36. Spend at least 15 minutes listening to a genre of music that you never listen to. Don't hesitate to do something else while you're listening.
37. Invent a joke, and tell it to somebody.
38. Keep a tally of how many times you hear anybody say the word "um," including yourself.
39. The next time you need to go somewhere, take a totally different route. (Note: Getting to the bathroom by breaking down the wall doesn't count, Hulk.)
40. Find any sort of "100 Things To Do Before You Die" list and do one that you've never done before.
41. Go online and discover the price of the single most expensive piece of geek memorabilia you can find. Calculate how long it would take you to save up enough money to buy it. Cry.
42. Figure out what happened to #17.
43. Strike up a conversation with a waitress, bus driver, cashier, bank teller, or anybody else with whom you aren't obligated to converse.
44. Without the aid of any outside help, complete a crossword puzzle/beat an adventure game/solve a Rubik's Cube/etc.
45. Make a video recording of something and put it online. Adding audio commentary couldn't hurt; all the cool people are doing it.
46. Write a letter expressing some kind of appreciation to a person or organization you appreciate. Seriously, it's amazing how much of an impact a kind letter can make, and who knows? Maybe a company will send you free stuff for being an appreciative consumer.
47. Read Watchmen. Or reread Watchmen. Or rereread Watchmen.
48. Recreate a notable historical event using a creative medium: an origami Battle of Gettysburg, or the Apollo 11 moon landing made out of pancakes and maple syrup. Okay, so maybe origami is a stretch.
49. Catch up on all of our blog posts that you've missed.
50. Accept that it's 2:52 AM and realize that you should stop blogging and go to sleep.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Saturday Links and Things
It was a busy week in comics and the overreaching geek universe, so a link post is in order for this weekend.
--First, an interesting announcement from comics company BOOM! Studios that they have made a distribution deal with newsstands to sell their upcoming Disney/Pixar-related comics releases, including a series of Incredibles comics. Check out the announcement here.
This is a pretty big deal, as comics just don't show up on newsstands anymore. And who knows? Maybe this will lead to wider distribution, larger audiences, and maybe even younger readers, that ever-elusive comics demographic.
--As happy as that first item makes me, this one, unfortunately...not so much. While I am pretty uninitiated when it comes to anime, this bit still comes as a downer. As yet another sign of trouble over at Wizard Entertainment, Newsarama is reporting that Wizard's Anime Insider magazine will be going under.
As the death knell of paper publishing continues to toll, publication of AI will end with the upcoming issue number 67. Here's the story.
--As Nathaniel reported on yesterday, the great Occasional Superheroine blog, written by Valerie D'Orazio, will soon be closing shop. This is sad news for all of us who have read that blog on a daily basis over the years, and we wish Valerie the very best.
Now, on a somewhat personal note, about a month after Nathaniel and I launched our own little blog, Valerie had a call out for sites to be listed on her blog roll. We sent in our info, crossed our fingers, and waited. When we received word back that she would, in fact, add Exfanding to her list, we were both overjoyed, and we took it as a big vote of confidence from someone for whom we have great respect. So, thanks OC!
Oh, and just a reminder, if you're interested in purchasing a PDF of Valerie's "Memoirs of an Occasional Superheroine," you can do so by clicking here.
--And, finally, an awesome Watchmen-themed installment from the Web comic VG Cats. Check it, here. Thanks for the heads-up, Shannon!
Well, that's all the geeky goodness I've got in me for today. Happy weekend, everyone!
--First, an interesting announcement from comics company BOOM! Studios that they have made a distribution deal with newsstands to sell their upcoming Disney/Pixar-related comics releases, including a series of Incredibles comics. Check out the announcement here.
This is a pretty big deal, as comics just don't show up on newsstands anymore. And who knows? Maybe this will lead to wider distribution, larger audiences, and maybe even younger readers, that ever-elusive comics demographic.
--As happy as that first item makes me, this one, unfortunately...not so much. While I am pretty uninitiated when it comes to anime, this bit still comes as a downer. As yet another sign of trouble over at Wizard Entertainment, Newsarama is reporting that Wizard's Anime Insider magazine will be going under.
As the death knell of paper publishing continues to toll, publication of AI will end with the upcoming issue number 67. Here's the story.
--As Nathaniel reported on yesterday, the great Occasional Superheroine blog, written by Valerie D'Orazio, will soon be closing shop. This is sad news for all of us who have read that blog on a daily basis over the years, and we wish Valerie the very best.
Now, on a somewhat personal note, about a month after Nathaniel and I launched our own little blog, Valerie had a call out for sites to be listed on her blog roll. We sent in our info, crossed our fingers, and waited. When we received word back that she would, in fact, add Exfanding to her list, we were both overjoyed, and we took it as a big vote of confidence from someone for whom we have great respect. So, thanks OC!
Oh, and just a reminder, if you're interested in purchasing a PDF of Valerie's "Memoirs of an Occasional Superheroine," you can do so by clicking here.
--And, finally, an awesome Watchmen-themed installment from the Web comic VG Cats. Check it, here. Thanks for the heads-up, Shannon!
Well, that's all the geeky goodness I've got in me for today. Happy weekend, everyone!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Post? What post?
Oh, right. A post for the weekend. Sure thing. On it.
Actually, I was hoping to have my run of Mega Man 2 on YouTube by now so that I could post about it, but it's still in the process of being put together. It is my hope that it will be ready before the end of the day, but you never can tell with technology I don't exactly comprehend.
Stay tuned.
Actually, I was hoping to have my run of Mega Man 2 on YouTube by now so that I could post about it, but it's still in the process of being put together. It is my hope that it will be ready before the end of the day, but you never can tell with technology I don't exactly comprehend.
Stay tuned.
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