Video Business Online - 10/21/2005 - Retailers rail over studio date switches - CA6276901: "Last week, Buena Vista Home Entertainment indefinitely benched expected Jan. 10 TV releases of Once and Again, Beggars and Choosers and Boy Meets World."

And we were so close to the complete series of Once and Again on DVD... Disney bastards!

Okay, as seems to now be the norm, this post is the result of some slight intoxication on my part. (Although the photo of traffic posted earlier this evening was done stone cold sober. This would be traffic at 9:30 at night caused by a SUV-involved accident. Bastards. Because, of course, it's all meant to personally inconvenience me. Anyway, the picture was taken and emailed to the blog as I was stopped completely, so no driving hazards there. Lets you know how traffic was flowing, doesn't it?)

So, aside from the car-repair/insurance frustration that is ongoing (still don't have my freaking car back), today was irritating for a couple of reasons. For one, I still don't have this week's 2000AD. Thank you, US Postal Service, where getting mail actually fucking delivered is apparently just a bonus. And normally, I would have had the Judge Dredd Megazine to hold me over, just in case. But this month's Meg had the second half of a story that started in last week's 2000 AD, so I've already read through it. Bastards. (Of course, I'm about four issues behind on the 2000 AD Extreme Edition, but that's old stuff, so it doesn't exactly count.)

More directly the cause of tonight's drinking safari (more like a drive-by, really; two beers and a raspberry kamikaze) would be the sudden appearance at the library of The Girl in the Cafe. Because I had actually deliberately avoided going to see her at the Cafe for going on two weeks now, and then, a block away from the library, I received a text message from a coworker that she and her son were at the library.

Some background: while we had talked about going out, and exchanged phone numbers and the like, it hadn't actually happened yet, because she's all busy being a full-time mom, full-time student, and full-time cafe manager or owner or whatever. So I was continuing to talk to her every Tuesday and Wednesday morning, like I always had been doing. But the weekend before last, we had some editors and artists from Tokyopop visit our libraries. Including a particularly cool female editor, who I found myself developing a crush on. If that's the right phrase. (Not enough alcohol to put this out of my mind, but enough that I don't care about my writing.) Then Monday, I managed to find myself encountering just about every woman in the library district that I had an unrequited crush on, none of which could be acted upon for a variety of reasons (married, doesn't date people, etc.). That, plus my crush on the editor, pretty much made me feel like there wasn't much different from my interaction with the Girl in the Cafe. Yes, we had acknowledged that we wanted to spend time together, but beyond that, I felt like I was trying to contrive to see her just the same way I contrived to see these other women. And I was getting as far with her as I was the others.

So, something had to change, I decided. And since I wasn't going to insist that she carve time out of her schedule for me, the only thing I could do was back off. So I did. I started getting my breakfast from Bob's East Side Deli, and figured I'd give her a chance to miss me.

So today, she turns up at the library to work on her homework while her son plays on the computer. And it's just weird, because it's almost never that she tries to get in touch with me (doesn't call, nothing). And we talk like we always have, and don't mention how I've been not seeing her. But it's weird, because for the first time, she's on my turf. And the control that I had taken, by deciding to step away, has been somewhat taken away by her coming into my arena, if that makes any sense. And part of me wants to think that she showed up in my place of work because I stopped showing up in hers, but that way lies madness, so I'm trying not to think about that.

But, the really frustrating bit, out of the many frustrating bits, is that I had pretty much resigned myself to the idea that I wouldn't be seeing her for a while. And I was okay with that, and not actually missing her, and then I saw her again.

And I think I need more to drink, but that's not an option, unless I go back to Timbers, which just seems lame at this point. So I'm going to stop writing now.

Sci Fi Wire -- The News Service of the Sci Fi Channel: "Kong Gets Supersized
Less than two months before the Dec. 14 release of Universal's remake of King Kong, the studio has agreed to release director Peter Jackson's three-hour cut, which will push the budget to $207 million, Variety reported."

Okay, I was actually starting to kind of get excited about the King Kong movie, but... three hours? It's a movie about a giant gorilla! (Not to mention the last Peter Jackson three-hour epic I saw felt so overlong, it's why I hardly ever go to movies any more...)

Okay, here's a bit of Internet cuteness:

Go to Google.com and type in "failure," then hit the "I feel lucky" button.

calendarlive.com: Animated Characters Switch From Snapshots to Mugshots

Penelope hiding from the storm.

Got a phone call today from the car rental place. Apparently, the insurance company (Titan, representing the woman who hit me, not my company) let them know that they were going to stop paying for my rental car as of 10/16. As this is the first I'm hearing about this, on 10/24, I'm a bit upset.

The Muppet Newsflash: Henson takes Puppetry To The Next Level with "Francis"

Another childhood favorite brought to life by the Jim Henson Company... Must check out.

Adventures of Pete & Pete, The - The Boys are Back for Season 3

Thought these daisies were dead for sure.

Okay, some comics stuff...

I read the first issue of Infinite Crisis, the big DC Comics event series of the year, the one that will change everything about the DC Universe that we know, just like Crisis on Infinite Earths did 20 years ago (to which this is a sequel). And I enjoyed it okay, but also have some pretty fundamental problems with it. Once again, it's a comic that seems completely dependent on what has come before; the cliffhanger ending really only has any meaning for those who read the first story twenty years ago. And while I'm happy to read the ongoing adventures of characters I love, like Doctor Who or James Bond or whoever, there's a world of difference between reading stories about the same characters for twenty years, and reading the same story for twenty years.

On the plus side, it's pretty, and it's not nearly as bad as the four miniseries leading up to it. The unfortunately-titled OMAC Project and Rann-Thanagar War books were really four issues of story crammed into six issues of comics... Day of Vengeance, despite featuring some of my favorite characters, never really became anything more than a superhero story, only with the word "superpowers" whited out and "magic" written in. And the best of the bunch, Villains United, completely fell apart for me at the end with a final issue that just made no sense.

eBay: DKNY Men's Leather Pants I Unfortunately Own (item 8335653541 end time Sep-23-05 12:50:38 PDT)

Putfile - End of the Smurfs

Here's a clip from a UNICEF Belgium promo commercial for their Leave the Children in Peace campaign.

If only I could muster this much enthusiasm ...

WARNING: MATURE(ish) CONTENT

AVN :: Articles - Doc Johnson Introduces Kochi

So wrong. So very wrong. But seeing this sort of thing makes me feel like I lead a normal life.

CBS scares up ratings with 'Ghost Whisperer' - Yahoo! News: "LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The new Jennifer Love Hewitt drama 'Ghost Whisperer' is settling into its own Friday
night groove and proving to be a self-starter for CBS so far
this season."

Evidence, then, that what America wants on a Friday night is feel good and large breasts.

And, to be honest, that's pretty much why I've been watching it.

And I finally gave up on Medium. I just turned on the DVR one day, saw how many recorded programs I had to watch, started watching that week's Medium, and realized that I really don't care much about these people or what happens to them. And just like that, I erased it, and took it off the list of programs to record.

The Seattle Times: Comics

Have I linked to this before? 'Tis the only place I've found Berke Breathed's Opus online...

This next post is all about comics. Just so you know. It's also written on the heels of several pints of beer, so bear with me. (Beer with me? This is what you're in for...)

Okay, so here's what I seem to be ordering from the new Previews, although it's not due until next week, so there may be changes...

Concrete Vol. 3: Fragile Creature from Dark Horse Comics
Do I love Concrete (the series)? Oh, yes, I do. So I'm happy to buy this new "complete Concrete" reprint series. (And, quite honestly, anyone who isn't all about loving Concrete doesn't deserve to be reading comics.)

Serenity from Dark Horse Comics
To be honest, this almost didn't make the cut. And then I saw Serenity, the movie, and loved it. And since this is actually cowritten by series creator Joss Whedon, I decided to stick it on the list. And it puts me over my monthly limit of graphic novels, but I was under last month, so that's okay. Basically, I'm not willing to say goodbye to these characters yet.

Jingle Belle: The Fight Before Christmas from Dark Horse Comics
I love Paul Dini's Jingle Belle character, Santa's rebellious teenage daughter. So any new appearance is a must-have. Funny, biting, sarcastic, and yet somehow still sweet and Christmasy...

Star Wars: Purge One Shot from Dark Horse Comics
I love Star Wars, and it's been ages since I've actually bought a Star Wars comic. But this one picks up after the last movie, and it's only one issue (and if it had been more, I probably wouldn't have ordered it).

Hard Time Season Two from DC Comics
The sole survivor from last year's ill-fated "Focus" line. The problem with starting up a new imprint of comics is that it just confuses the audience. Particularly something like the Focus line; were they all a shared universe, did you have to read them all, were they superherores, were they Vertigo, were they something else? Fortunately, Steve Gerber's Hard Time, easily the best of the bunch, survived in this "season two" form. This weird teenager-in-prison-with-superpowers comic defies easy classification (although I obviously just tried) and just manages to be good. And, all things being equal, there ought to always be comics written by folks like Steve Gerber, Marv Wolfman, and Len Wein, whenever they want, because the mature comics market in the US probably wouldn't exist without them.

Showcase Presents Justice League from DC Comics
I just got the Green Lantern and Metamorpho Showcase books, and I'm all excited about 500 pages of great Silver Age comics for relatively cheap. If I haven't made it clear, my current attitude is that I don't want to read stuff that's like the stuff I used to love. No, I'd rather just reread the stuff I used to love. And my earliest exposure to the JLA was black and white reprints of the silver age stuff. Well, here's 500 more pages...

Tom Strong #36 from DC Comics
I had dropped the Tom Strong series, but this is the last issue, done by creators Alan Moore and Chris Sprouse. So I'll get this last one.

Blood River from Image
This is on the list, I must admit, because it's under ten dollars, and a one-shot, and co-written by Mike Oeming. I don't actually know what it's about, but it sounds dark slice-of-life-ish, and I end to like the projects he works on as a writer, as well as an artist. And the cover looks nice, sort of a woodcut-looking thing.

Coyote, Vol 2 from Image Comics
What I said about Gerber, Wolfman, and Wein above? That probably goes for Steve Englehart, too. And while his recent Batman: Dark Detective series was a bit disappointing, that doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to these reprints of what is probably his best work.

Image Comics Holiday Special 2005 from Image Comics
I like the idea of holiday comics, but this had better have all the stories it says it does (including a Liberty Meadows one) or I'm going to take someone out for a meal with Mr and Mrs. Pain, I am.
(Actually just reread the catalog entry, and it doesn't say anything about a Liberty Meadows story, but it does have work by a lot of people I like.)

Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane from Marvel Comics
I know what I've been saying lately: just because I like a particular creator, I'm not going to buy their second-rate superhero crap. (Yes, Greg Rucka and Judd Winick, I'm talking to you.) But those rules go out the window when it comes to Sean McKeever's Mary Jane stories. McKeever first came to my attention though his high school series, The Waiting Place. And while that was his baby and Mary Jane ought to be nothing more than company-owned crap, he and Takishi Miyazaki (probably getting that name wrong) have turned this book into something special.

Demo Collection Trade Paperback from AiT/PlanetLar
This is the only book I'm getting that reprints stuff I already have. But, as mentioned last month, I think, I've been rereading a lot of my Brian Wood books, and I want to have this all in one volume, for ease of rereading. (And that's why I'm going one book over my graphic novel limit this month.)

Mlinki Robot Bicycle from Slave Labor
Nothing really to say here, except that I liked the story he did in the second Flight book, so I want to read more. And it's cheap.

Red Sonja vs. Thulsa Doom from DE Press
Given their track record on the regular Red Sonja series, this will probably never even come out. But I like Red Sonja just fine, this is co-written by Peter David, who I generally like, and the art previewed in Red Sonja #2 looked nice. So I'm ordering it.

Fallen Angel from IDW
When I said directly above that I generally like Peter David, DC's Fallen Angel is the perfect example of why I like his comics... when they're his babies, and not corporate symbols. Well, DC's loss-through-cancellation is IDW's gain. The art looks absolutely gorgeous, and we already know that the story is fantastic. (Not going to elaborate on it here because, well, slightly drunk and tired.)

Living in Infamy from a new press whose name I can't recall...
This one, co-written by Ben Raab about supervillains in the witness protection program, almost didn't make the cut. I mean, I didn't feel like I really needed another superhero/supervillain book, even if it was creator owned. But here's the thing: I like Ben Raab's Phantom stories for Moonstone. And I like the Hawkman miniseries he did several years ago, illustrated by Michael Lark. But I hated his writing on Green Lantern, which I read when the book crossed over with Green Arrow, back when I was getting that. But in the back of my head, I could hear, "Jay Faerber," the writer who completely failed to impress me with his work on DC superheroes, but who completely won me over with his creator-owned stuff, including Noble Causes. So I'm giving Raab the same chance.

Scott Pilgrim Vol 3 Infinite Sadness from Oni Press
Not just a new book by Bryan Lee O'Malley, but the next Scott Pilgrim book. I'm not even sure how to describe it, sort of a mix between twentysomething slacker romance and Dragonball Z. Well deserving of all the acclaim it's been getting.

Judge Dredd: Complete Case Files Vol 1 from Rebellion
Okay, remember my griping about DC Comics when they dropped their line of 2000 AD reprint books, because I love those comics so much? (Especially the ones from the early years?) So you think I'm going to pass up the first-ever reprinting of Judge Dredd in chronological order from the very first strip?

Robo-Hunter: Play it Again, Sam from Rebellion
In recent issues of 2000 AD, they've been running a sequel/revival strip called Samantha Slade: Robo-Hunter. It's written by one of the original creators, Alan Grant, and drawn by original artist and personal fave, Ian Gibson. And I want to like it better, but it's not written all that well, and the art is lazy (Gibson, apparently feeling uninspired by the script, can't be bothered to draw backgrounds). But these original Robo-Hunter strips are the ones that made me look forward to the revival so much, and want to like it so much. And what have I been saying lately? I don't want to read something like something I used to love; I'd rather just read the original version again. (Although, in this case, I haven't read these specific stories.)

Oh, and there's a third Rebellion graphic novel this month, reprinting the recent John Wagner/Frazer Irving Judge Death stories. If I wasn't already over my limit, I'd be ordering that. But I am over the limit, and those are all stories I've read recently. (For similar reasons, I'm not ordering Grant Morrison's Vimanarama collection, either...)

Aaaaannnnndddd.... that's it, for now. But there are actually more comics ending this month than I'm adding, so it's possible I may end up adding the new Planet of the Apes miniseries that I'm sort of on the fence about.

The latest rental. I'm going to try to cram 50 clowns into it this weekend. (It's that small.)

Saturday nite @ Timbers. Where I gave my cute if bitchy waitress a big tip just to notice me. (Don't tell the Girl in the Cafe.)

Hill Street Blues - DVDs On-The-Way For Steven Bochco's Trailblazing Drama

BBC NEWS | Americas | Bush picks aide for Supreme Court: "US President George Bush has chosen a close aide, White House counsel Harriet Miers, for a key Supreme Court vacancy.
If approved by the Senate, Ms Miers - who has never sat as a judge - will take up the place left by Sandra Day O'Connor, who stepped down in July."

Hey, if I knew no experience was required, I would have applied...

As can be seen in the previous post, I am driving a rental car while the damage from last month's accident is finally repaired. Unfortunately, instead of my little Honda Civic Hybrid, I'm driving something called a Grand Marquis, made by Lincoln-Mercury. And it's big. Maybe twice the size of my car. And I'm probably going to have to fill it up with gas every couple of hours, as opposed to every two weeks with my own car. Not only am I terrified driving it--feels like I'm driving a slab of concrete, really--but I just feel... wrong inside of it. It's just so not me.

On the other hand, if that hadn't been returned while I was at the rental place, all they would have had for me would have been an SUV. So... bird in the hand...

The rental that barely fits in the garage.

So I went and saw Serenity today, the theatrical feature film continuation of the TV series Firefly, and the feature film directorial debut of series creator Joss Whedon. Among telefantasy fans, Joss Whedon seems to be regarded as a saint who can do no wrong, and the premature cancellation of Firefly must be nothing short of a criminal act. (It was a shame, certainly, though, as I wrote at the time, a series that was really a post-Civil War Western dressed up as science fiction was going to be a tough sell in any case.) So when it was announced that he would have the chance to continue the story as a film, the telefantasy geek community seemed to rejoice at the thought of what would almost certainly be a piece of celluloid perfection.

Then people started actually seeing the movie, and the reviews were... well, mixed. The prevailing attitude (as represented by the review in Shiny Shelf) seemed to be that the movie was okay, but not as brilliant as it should have been. But then, these are the reviews from the people who canonized Whedon in the first place, and maybe had higher expectations than are realistic. So I went into the film with an open mind, and I enjoyed it.

Like with Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, reviewers familiar with the show seem to be concerned with how the movie will play to brand-new audiences. As if they're in a position to know. Me, I know the characters and the setup from the TV series, so I can't judge how well the movie (re)explains everything. Any plot recaps didn't feel immediately obvious, but I don't know if that makes them incomprehensible for the newcomer. I'd like to think it's similar to the case of the new Doctor Who: you get what you need to know, but not all the information from the previous series.

Anyway, I really liked it. These were the characters I'd come to know and love from the TV series, and it was nice to see them again. Unsurprisingly, there weren't quite as many little character moments as there were in the 13 episodes of the TV series, but... well, it's a movie. It's not Firefly Season 2. As a movie, it tells the story it has to tell very well, but allows that these people have had lives and stories before this one, and will do so afterwards.

And what a story it is! Scary, funny, sad, thrilling, and compelling, it doesn't let up. And it doesn't play it safe, either. It does deal with one of the main ongoing stories from the TV series (the mystery of River Tam), but uses that as a springboard to introduce new elements that I hadn't been expecting, but make perfect sense. It's a story in its own right, not just a postscript to the series DVDs.

Reportedly, it looks like Serenity will be the number two movie this weekend (I'm guessing the Jodie Foster airplane thing is number one...). That's good news, considering that the theater was actually not that full, and I figured that was a sign of failure. Here's hoping that this isn't the last time we'll see these characters together, even though I can always watch the stories that exist. And now, I can watch them with a sense of closure. The TV series ended at a very transitional point, and it really felt left unfinished. While this movie certainly leaves room for further adventures, it also feels like an ending, and that makes the memories of Firefly a little less bittersweet, and just a little more sweet.

news from me - ARCHIVES: "Jerry Juhl, who was one of the main creative forces behind The Muppets died Monday from complications relating to cancer. Jerry and his wife Susan worked for years for the Jim Henson Organization -- 37 years in Jerry's case. He wrote for Sesame Street, served as head writer for The Muppet Show, and was a writer and/or producer on most of Henson's TV projects and films, including The Muppet Movie."

Adventures of Pete & Pete, The - Cool Details & Supplements Disclosed For 2nd Season Set!

Great to see that the final pre-series special, "Space, Geeks, and Johnny Unitas" will be on this set (the other four were on the first season set). And it's nice to see a broader range of participants for the commentaries. Hopefully, the third season set--if there is one--will include the remainder of the shorts, because, really, what's the point of putting out most of The Adventures of Pete & Pete on DVD?

SPOILER: 'Royale' Plot Element Revealed - James Bond 007 - CommanderBond.net - James Bond At Its Best: "CBn has learned that the centerpiece card game in Casino Royale -- the 21st James Bond film due to start production in January -- will not be Baccarat as in the Ian Fleming novel, but will instead be poker. In particular, no-limit Texas Hold'em poker, also known as the 'Cadillac of Poker.'"

It's a little thing, and it really shouldn't matter whether James Bond plays Baccarat or Texas Hold 'em Poker, but this just feels wrong.

news from me - ARCHIVES: "To the surprise of no one who'd seen him the last few years, Don Adams has passed away. "

Fond memories of watching reruns of Get Smart, so very sorry to hear this. Even if it was a long time in coming.

Just a couple of quick notes:

Thanks to NBC owning Bravo and Sci-Fi, it looks like there are a couple of chances to catch Surface and My Name is Earl later in the week. (It means not seeing the Earl show in HD, but it's a sitcom, and one of the few new ones I wanted to watch, so I'll take what I can get.) Also, Supernatural appears to be part of the WB's easyview Sunday night repeat lineup, so I can still watch that, even though it's up against House and The Amazing Race in its regular timeslot.

And Everybody Hates Chris, the comedy about Chris Rock's childhood is pretty good, too.

Recommended comics: G0dland by Joe Casey and Tom Scioli, from Image Comics. It looks like a late 60s/early 70s jack Kirby cosmic adventure comic, and on the surface, that's what it is. (Only not by Jack Kirby, of course.) But there's an undercurrent of the Joe Casey weirdness that has made me a fan of his other work, like Wildcats and Automatic Kafka, and that's what sets this book apart from a mere homage/recreation. If comics were good, they'd be like this.

And Fell, by Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith, from Image Comics. This is Ellis's latest format experiment: selling a comic for less than two bucks by telling a dense, packed 16 page story with four pages of text in the back. And he succeeds: there feels like there's more story here than most 22-page comic books. It's the story of detective Richard Fell, transfered to an oddball precinct where he's the most normal cop there. It's a nice twist on the familiar Ellis theme of an oddball or extreme character in a relatively normal or stable world. The solution to the crime in the first issue is both suitably weird and delightfully mundane at the same time. Considering how so many comics have trouble filling their pages, and then spill over into other comics besides (OMAC Project, I'm talking to you), the idea of a really satisfying, complete story every month for less than two dollars really appeals.

Thanks to Matt, I was able to see the premiere episode of Threshold on videotape. (And what does it say about my life that the one thing I can successfully do is whistle up episodes of TV shows from across the country at the drop of a hat?) A lot of the action stuff was just okay, but a lot of the creepy stuff was really creepy (like an alien object that screws you up from just looking at it). So far, the DVR hasn't erased the second episode all on its own, so I should be able to get caught up in the next day or so. Invasion may have been a little spookier overall, but this one has the edge with a quirky cast. Plus, lots of scenes with Carla Gugino running around in her nightgown, taking a page from Ghost Whisperer. (Clearly, they understand at least the segment of the audience that includes me.)

Went out to the Valley of Fire state park earlier today, as evidenced by the pictures I posted earlier. Since I did not get the job in Oregon, and will be staying in Vegas for the forseeable future, I figured I should get out more and see some of the pretty things this neck of the woods (or, you know, scrubby desert) has to offer.

Let's see, what else... Planning on finishing one of the new Doctor Who books, Only Human, by fan favorite writer Gareth Roberts, tonight. It's been a particularly good one, and the books help fill in some of the waiting until the Christmas Invasion. But even more exciting would be the books on the on-deck circle: new Neil Gaiman novel, Anansi Boys, the new Molly Moon book by Georgia Byng (my personal favorite post-Harry Potter fantasy series for kids), and a book called The Pirates! In an exciting adventure with the Scientists by Gideon Defoe. The second book in this series (because nothing ever stands alone; even Anansi Boys is connected to American Gods) got a great review on Shiny Shelf, and I generally agree with their reviews, so I decided to check it out from the library. We'll see...

Oh, and two new shows of note on BBC America this week: Bodies on Thursday (a medical drama that also attracted raves on Shiny Shelf) and the TV series of The Mighty Boosh, the radio series of which I loved on CD. So check them out.

Greetings from the Valley of Fire

Prosecutors see 'CSI effect' in white-collar cases - Yahoo! News: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Jurors schooled in crime
investigations through watching TV dramas expect prosecutors to
show them sophisticated forensic evidence -- even in
white-collar trials -- making it tough for the government to
prove cases, two federal prosecutors said on Friday.

Alice Martin, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District
of Alabama, said that the so-called 'CSI effect' -- a reference
to the hit CBS television show about gruesome crime scene
investigations -- hurt her case against HealthSouth Corp.
founder Richard Scrushy."

And, once again, I'm just so sad for America...

Leaving Rita

Okay, this would be the blog by my friend Shelly, formerly of Houston. So she's apparently okay.

Again, fuck you, God and Mother Nature and everyone else conspiring to hurt those I care about. I spit in your eye and refuse to cower, you bastards.

Still drunk. However, I should point out that in the latest issue of Y: The Last Man (possibly #37, though I leave it to more clear-headed folk to make that determination), there's a preview of the new Brian Wood series, DMZ. And, to be blunt, if you're not reading Brian Wood's comics, you're just stupid. (Still drunk, so don't get uppity.)

Okay, more than a bit intoxicated right now. So you all get the "benefit" of my unfiltered id.

First of all: I have a friend in Houston, who is apparently still there. And I had cousins living across the street from the Kings Cross bomb blasts in London, and I knew a woman in New Orleans, although that was pretty casual (I stayed at her bed & breakfast on a trip). So I now announce, here and now, that I am sick and fucking tired of tragedies and disasters and acts of terrorism happening near to folks that I care about, and I now insist that this nonsense stop. I will brook no discussion on this point. It just has to end. Period.

Oh, look. Still not going out with The Girl in the Cafe. Quelle suprise...

Okay, now on to TV. Watched the premieres of Head Cases, Invasion, Kitchen Confidential, and probably some other Gruddamned TV shows between the last time I posted and now. But not Threshold, the one show I was looking forward to, thanks to my freaking DVR erasing the pilot before I watched it. (That may have been me by mistake, credit where credit is due.) Oh, and I watched Ghost Whisperer. And the season premieres of Lost, ER, Law & Order, Medium, and... can't remember what else offhand. (Again, been drinking.)

Anyway: Invasion and Surface both make me want to come back for more. Not so much, Head Cases since it's just a lawyer show, and I don't really care. It's already off the DVR. Ghost Whisperer, I was primed to hate, but I kind of enjoyed. Part of the enjoyment came from the "what large lady-bumps Jennifer Love Hewitt seems to have" factor. Clearly, the producers--of which Ms. Hewitt is one--understand this, because many of her encounters with the undead occur with her wearing her nighties. But part of it comes from the sheer feel-good nature of the show, which nothing else I'mw watching this season provides. And Kitchen Confidential was just funny.

And being all drunk and stuff, I don't actually feel like typing any more tonight, so I shall stop. Right now.

USATODAY.com - Bush pushes Rita readiness, local evacuation efforts: "He promised a big role for the federal government but, with conservatives' alarm growing at the fast pace of disaster spending, promised to 'make sure your money is spent wisely.' In his speech to the Republican Jews, Bush also pledged to keep focused on fighting terrorists.
'They're the kind of people that look at Katrina and wish they had caused it,' Bush said."

Boy, you read this, and you almost forget that the money wisely being spent on disaster recovery is going to Haliburton, the company being investigated for overcharging the government for services in Iraq (and who Dick Cheney works for...). And if the terrorists wish they had caused the damage that Katrina did, how does the Bush administration feel, considering that it was diverting funds away from levy repair and maintenance helped cause the disaster in the first place. Not to mention the pretty pathetic emergency response to the disaster.

Ass.

KIdVidLit%u2122 - Home Page

Check it out! A Bone cartoon (sort of)!

Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers - Cool art for volume 1!

I'll confess to having a bit of a soft spot for this show. (The day I found plush toys of the chipmonks in their Rescue Rangers costumes at Disneyland was an exciting day indeed... Okay, I'm a total puss.) But for a collection of TV cartoons, this DVD cover is actually pretty classy looking.

Due South - Artwork for final season

And so completes another collection of another favorite show. (And this time, with commentary tracks... Too bad they couldn't have managed that for any of the first three seasons...)

Britney Spears guide to Semiconductor Physics: semiconductor physics, Edge
Emitting Lasers and VCSELs

Preview of Brian Wood's Local #1

Last week, when I was talking about ordering new Brian Wood comics without hesitation? Here's an example of the sort of thing I was talking about.

ICv2 Talk Back - Confessions of a Comic Book Guy--Giving People What They Don't Want: "What I propose here is that we may finally have to accept the notion the super-hero comic book is a 'niche' genre; not because this vast mass audience rejects as silly our cherished adolescent power/revenge fantasies. From the way Hollywood has steadily been 'borrowing' from us over the last few years its clear America has developed a taste for the fantastic.

But as currently written and drawn, the super-hero comic book is just too overwhelmingly dark to appeal to them."

Leave it to my friend Steve to say what I was thinking better than I could myself...

National Park Foundation: "The Flight 93 National Memorial, located in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, will be a place to learn about the events of September 11 and find meaning and inspiration in the experience of the passengers and crew."

So I wrote this earlier tonight, just for myself. Didn't intend to post it, since it more than slightly touches on one of those things I haven't been wanting to talk about here. But I wrote it while watching The Flight That Fought Back on Dicsovery, and the more I watched the movie, the more I thought I ought to post something here remembering the victims of September 11, 2001. And I was afraid that if I tried to come up with something else, it would descend into some sort of political finger-pointing rant. And that's not right. That's for tomorrow, maybe, but today is for the victims.

So, here's what I wrote:

So there’s this woman at a local cafe whose company I enjoy, and the feeling seems to be mutual, only she’s incredibly busy: works full time, goes to school full time, and has a four year old son. So we haven’t gone out, and we can’t go out, because she’s too busy with everything else, and all we do is have these quick conversations on the phone when we can. And on the one hand, it’s frustrating, but on the other, it’s fine, because before I met her, I wasn’t looking for anything else anyway. So if all we can do is talk when we can, then that’s what we’ll do, until things change one way or the other.

But I’m in the middle of a TV show about the passengers of United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, and I’m watching them all calling their families to say goodbye. And I can’t imagine ever making a phone call like that, knowing that this is the last time I’d ever speak to my parents, my children, my wife, my husband, any of that. Knowing that this person that I’m talking to right now could very well be the last person that I ever speak to, ever. And I’m watching this, and I as much as I can’t imagine making that call in the first place, I absolutely cannot having to end that call, having to say goodbye.

When I talk to the Girl in the Cafe, it’s too often when we’re at work, or I’m on my way, or whatever, and the conversation could end at any second, without warning. And even though I know that moment will come, I want to put it off as long as possible. Because while I’m not trying to force my way into her life beyond what she has room for, I know that every time we say goodbye, it makes room for something to happen that might end the tenuous relationship we have. And that’s nowhere near the same thing as the people on flight 93, but it brought things home for me in a completely new way.

And if I can’t easily say goodbye to her, I can’t even conceive of how the folks on that flight were able to do it that day.

Unquestionably, what they did to stop that plane from reaching its target was an act of incredible bravery. But so was just saying goodbye and hanging up those phones.

UltimateDisney.com Forum :: View topic - Sin City: Recut, Unrated and Expanded 2-Disc Set News

And this would be why I haven't bought Sin City on DVD yet. (And apparently it comes out the same day as the Fantastic Four DVD, so that'll be twice as Jessica-Albatastic...)

THE ENGINE

Warren Ellis (about whom I've written many times before) has started a new comics discussion forum specifically focused on non-superhero comics. Mostly to promote his own non-superhero work (which is the only stuff he does these days that interests me much anyway), but there are plenty of other favorite creators on the board also.

Got back from Oregon last night. Actually a pretty good trip, considering the business-not-pleasure circumstances. Will write more about it later.

Appointment with the Car Smasher's (she chose the nickname) insurance adjuster tomorrow morning. Hopefully, this won't be a long, drawn-out process... but I'll bet it will be. We'll see.

Arrived home to find the three new Doctor Who books based on the new series, just in time for me to not bring on the trip, of course. Haven't had much interest in the books or CDs based on the original series since the new one started up, but I'm a sucker for stuff about the current show. That's me, slave to the current fashion. Not much of a true fan, I guess.

And I also received the DVD sets of the first season of Lost and the long-awaited second season of Once & Again. So here's my open letter to TV-on-DVD producers:

Obviously, extra features are a selling point for DVD sets of TV shows. Otherwise, why do them? After all, they cost money, and if they didn't reward the companies with increased sales, they probably wouldn't bother. Same goes for those little booklets that list all the episodes and credits and plot summaries and so forth. So why, oh, why must it be such a secret how to find the special features, particularly commentary tracks? Lost apparently has a whole bunch of episodes with commentaries, and I guess I'm just supposed to hunt through the disks until I find them. (Yes, I know I could just watch all the episodes in order, and listen to the commentaries as I get there. I saw the show as it originally aired, though, so that's of slightly less interest than checking out the extra features first.)

Oh, and I watched the first episode of Fox's new show, Reunion. That's the one that follows a group of friends over a period of 20 years, one year per episode, with the whole thing framed by a murder investigation in the present day. I've read some online criticism of it, but I liked it. Enough to want to see how it progresses, anyway. And TV Guide liked it, too, for what that's worth (which, to be honest, isn't much).

NEWSARAMA.COM: TALKING IRON MAN: INEVTIABLE WITH JOE CASEY: "Marvel is looking to reward the patience of those fans in December with the debut of Iron Man: The Inevitable, a new six-issue monthly limited series by writer Joe Casey and artist Frazer Irving that will not only help fill the need for contemporary Iron Man solo adventures, but offer a different sort of Iron Man story than is going on in the Ellis-Granov arc."

And now we know how not interested in reading Iron Man I am: Warren Ellis is one of my favorite writers, Joe Casey is another, and I love Frazer Irving's art. And I can't imagine what could possibly make me pick up an issue of Iron Man, even by these people.

Parsley on the cole slaw: the mark of class.

How bored am I? I'm taking pics of the airport deli...

Redmond airport, T-minus 2 hours. Just busy enough to be annoying...

One last look (note the change in weather). Farewell, Bend!

Can you tell this is the OC's Peter Gallagher?

Oh, can I just mention that my cat caretaker called tonight and let Penelope meow to me on the phone? Easily the best thing that has happened so far.

FYI: Pictures from Oregon may be sparse tomorrow. It's the day of the actual interview, followed by a tour of the places the job is actually at, so it would probably be unprofessional for me to be taking all sorts of pictures and stuff with the cell phone.

OK, found it.

The only part of LaPine I could find.

On the road to LaPine

Sunriver Village shopping. Can't find the library.

So I don't forget what car I'm driving. Again.

Could be anywhere, really

This, I guess, is where at least some people live...

The march of progress

Downtown Bend, right now.

And here's the first good look at why this isn't Vegas

A quick glance at downtown Bend

Meanwhile, @ home...

Oregon at last!

And here I am, trapped in Salt Lake City for the next 2 hours.

This is why I have to bring a roll of tape with me when I travel.

Salt Lake Tribune - Utah: "Not long after some 1,000 firefighters sat down for eight hours of training, the whispering began: 'What are we doing here?'
As New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin pleaded on national television for firefighters - his own are exhausted after working around the clock for a week - a battalion of highly trained men and women sat idle Sunday in a muggy Sheraton Hotel conference room in Atlanta. "

Okay, I can talk a little about one of the things going on in my life right now: I have a job interview in Bend, Oregon this Friday. I'll talk more about it when I get back (don't want to jinx things, plus one of the people interviewing me has the address of this web site). But, starting tomorrow, stay tuned for pictures from the trip, thanks to the miracles of cell phone technology...

Supernatural on Yahoo! TV

Apparently, the whole first episode of this new WB series is available to view on Yahoo, but I can't get the stupid thing to play...

Barbara Bush: Things Working Out 'Very Well' for Poor Evacuees from New Orleans: "Accompanying her husband, former President GeorgeH.W.Bush, on a tour of hurricane relief centers inHouston, Barbara Bush said today, referring to thepoor who had lost everything back home and evacuated, 'This is working very well for them.' "

Okay, this one is about comics.

It's time, once again, for the monthly "New stuff I'm planning to get from Previews this month" post.

Perhapanauts #1 from Dark Horse
Written by Tellos co-creator Todd DeZago and drawn by sometimes-Tellos contributor (and good penciller) Craig Rousseau, I'm hoping for a lighter take on the sort of stuff Hellboy and BPRD usually cover. And I'm totally willing to support any new creator-owned venture from DeZago after Tellos, because it was great, and because I'd rather see him doing stuff like this instead of more superheroes.

Conan and the Jewels of Gwahlur Hardcover from Dark Horse
Loving Dark Horse's Conan comic, but I made the decision that the miniseries spin-offs could wait until they're collected. Even if they're adapted and drawn by the great P. Craig Russell. (I think there's one by Joe Lansdale and Tim Truman in the works, too.) I mean, three issues, that's waiting a quarter of a year to read one story that will actually take less than an hour to read...

Batman and the Monster Men #1 from DC
A retelling of an early Batman story by Matt Wagner. Almost a sure thing, really.

All Star Superman #1 from DC
Superman told the way Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely want to tell him. Almost a sure thing, really...

Jonah Hex #1 from DC
When I was a kid, I was too young to read Jonah Hex and really appreciate it. And now I'm older, and it's written by generally-reliable Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, and drawn by Luke Ross.

Showcase Presents Jonah Hex Vol 1 Trade Paperback from DC
And even if the new series blows, there's always these reprints of the original...

Seven Soldiers: The Bulleteer and Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein from DC
Have the Seven Soldiers series let me down yet? Oh, no, they have not. And these are the last two.

Danger Girl: Back in Black #1 from DC
Shut up. I like Danger Girl.

DMZ #1 from DC
A new creator-owned series by Brian Wood? Sold. And this one's all political, just like Channel Zero, the book that made me a fan. (So unless you're buying this one, too, then shut up about Danger Girl.)

Body Bags 3 The Hard Way One-Shot from Image
New Jason Pearson Body Bags story? About time! (Realistic? Thought provoking? Well, probably not, but that's what stuff like DMZ is for. Fun eye-candy? Yeah. Like a good summer movie, really. Which is pretty much the same behind liking Danger Girl.)
(Shut up.)

Industry of War One Shot from Image
I want to say I'm a big fan of Jordan Raskin, but really, it's not like he's done all that much. But I like what he's done, and it's only a one-shot, and it's not another superhero revival. Bet there's nary a yellow fear-alien in sight.

Down #1 from Image
I'm almost ashamed to admit that this is on the edge, since it's a new miniseries from Warren Ellis and Tony Harris. But there's plenty of Ellis on the market right now, and Harris every month in Ex Machina. And it's another loner-in-a-crappy-world type book. Not that Ellis should be faulted for exploring particular themes, but I'm just not as excited by this as I am, say, Fell... But I'll still get it, because it's only four issues.

Amazing Fantasy #15 from Marvel
No interest in this book generally, but this one has some decent names working on it, and the concepts (plural, part of the appeal) sound a bit more off the wall than usual...

Five Fists of Science graphic novel from AiT/PlanetLar
Never actually read anything by Matt Fraction before, and I can't think of the artists name. But I'm a sucker for turn-of-the-century(?) adventure stories, anything that recasts famous inventors as two-fisted action heroes sounds cool, and the art in Previews looks nice. And it's only one book, and I'm out.

Chrono Mechanics Vol 2 Silver graphic novel
The price is low enough, and I liked the first book. But I feel kind of dirty buying a comic from Alias, the publisher that will publish anything.

Red Sonja Goes East One Shot
At the rate the regular Red Sonja book is coming out, I'll be surprised if this actually sees the light of day. But I liked the preview and first issue of the regular series, and this is written by Ron Marz and drawn by the folks at Udon, so if it does come out, it should be nice.

Angel: Old Friends from IDW
I shouldn't be enjoying the current Angel miniseries as much as I am. But I am, so I'll get this follow-up. And this one brings in some of the rest of the cast, which should be nice.

Maze Agency Trade Paperback and #1 from IDW
In the 80s, I thought Maze Agency was one of the best series ever. A straight crime series, beautifully drawn by--at first--Adam Hughes, and wonderfully written by my favorite Batman writer ever, Mike W. Barr. And now it's back.

Local #1 from Oni
This would be the other new creator-owned series by Brian Wood. I can't not buy it. It's that simple.
(Okay, maybe not quite that simple. Normally, I'd wait for the collection for any Oni miniseries. But this is twelve self-contained issues, so I'd rather get them separately than wait for a bunch of little collections, or whatever they end up doing.)

Off Road graphic novel from Oni
Comic Book Resources published the first 50 pages, and I was sold. What more can I say?

Strangetown #1 from Oni
A new series from Chynna Clugston that's not Blue Monday, and won't be collected particularly quickly, so I'll get the individual issues.

Doctor Who: Endgame trade paperback from Panini (not the little Italian sandwich)
Collecting the first bunch of eighth Doctor strips, plus extra stuff, and those were really good.

Nicolai Dante: Courtship of Jena Makarov trade paperback from Rebellion
I like Robbie Morrison's Nicolai Dante stories enough I'm buying a freakin' Wildcats miniseries written by him. You'd better believe I'll get this.

Red Seas: Twilight of the Idols Trade Paperback from Rebellion
Loved the original, so I thought I'd get this. (However, I'm not getting this month's Judge Dredd reprint, Total War, since I just read those stories in 2000 AD earlier this year...)

And, that would be it.

Meet the damage caused by Thursday's accident...

Not actually planning on writing anything for a few days. Things here suck--got in an accident last night--but things are so much worse elsewhere that I don't feel like it's worth saying anything.

Welcome to MichaelMoore.com!: "Dear Mr. Bush:
Any idea where all our helicopters are? It's Day 5 of Hurricane Katrina and thousands remain stranded in New Orleans and need to be airlifted. Where on earth could you have misplaced all our military choppers? Do you need help finding them? I once lost my car in a Sears parking lot. Man, was that a drag.
Also, any idea where all our national guard soldiers are? We could really use them right now for the type of thing they signed up to do like helping with national disasters. How come they weren't there to begin with?"

(Thanks to Nainsi)

Sara Ryan: Coffee and chicory, regular

So I was coping okay with the New Orleans tragedy, the way you do when you're at a distance and don't know anyone there. And then I read this post from Sara Ryan, and I thought, "I know that place. I've been to Cafe du Monde." And that suddenly just made it personal.

Six, seven years ago, I stayed at a bed & breakfast at New Orleans, run by a young woman who had raised the money to buy the place by working as a sailor. And, sometime in the past six years, I lost her card with her address and phone number and everything, and I find myself hoping that she's okay.

NBC sends armed guards to lawless Gulf Coast - Yahoo! News: "NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - NBC News has sent private
security personnel to the increasingly dicey Gulf Coast region
to help keep its employees safe while covering the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina.

The private security officers, usually former soldiers or
police, are licensed to carry firearms and are trained to keep
the situation under control so that journalists can do their
jobs safely. That's becoming increasingly difficult in New
Orleans and in Gulfport, Miss., where there aren't enough
police or National Guardsmen to keep the streets safe."

I can't even begin to list all the pieces of "the future is going to suck" fiction that I've read that include public service tasks like policing and medical care being taken over by the private sector...

Okay, this'll be about TV. And it won't be too long, because other stuff is actually grabbing my attention more right now. But I can't talk about the family pressures, because that's family, and nobody's business. Can't talk about the personal stuff, because it's personal, and doesn't need to be broadcast over the internet. And can't talk about the work stuff, or next week's trip to Oregon, because someone involved may be reading this. Or not. You never know.

So, that leaves TV, and the first new show of the fall season to get my attention: Prison Break, on Fox. Decided to check it out since the soon-to-be-former TV Guide gave it an okay review, making it sound like "the good show on Fox that isn't House." (An aside about TV Guide: do they really think that converting it to a magazine about TV with minimal listings is really what anybody wants? Please. It's like Playboy; nobody reads TV Guide for the articles.)

Anyway, after the first hour, I liked it just fine, enough to want to watch the second hour. (This was not a two-hour episode, but two one-hour episodes back to back.) The acting is solid, the writing has that "we're a really serious drama, so nobody crack a smile" feel that made the first season of 24 worth watching, before they realized that there really isn't a second story, and it doesn't make me squirm in my chair the way Oz did on HBO. The problem is, it's a show about people trying to break out of prison called Prison Break. So what is necessarily the one thing that will not happen, ever? That's right. It's like Gilligan's Island, really. Only this stars Dominic Purcell from Blade: Trinity, which I did see, and John Doe, which I did not. And it stars Sarah Wayne Callie, the good thing about WB's deservedly short-lived Tarzan series from, what, just last year, maybe? Or the year before that? So hard to remember the failures... Anyway, she's still all hot and stuff, in a more-mature-than-Jessica-Alba sort of way. And Robin Tunney is in it, too. So... Eye candy.

Time will tell.

Hooters serves up classic cheesecake: "Betty Boop, the saucy cartoon character who first appeared in 1930, is now making the rounds as the latest Hooters Girl.
"

For a variety of reasons, not able to write about the news right now. (What could I say that wouldn't just upset and depress me? Better to just donate money to help the folks in New Orleans, really.) But this one, I can't just let slide by.

James Bond 007 - CommanderBond.net - James Bond At Its Best - Latest News - Robert Wade Talks Haggis' 'Royale' Rewrite: "In an interview with James Bond screenwriter Robert Wade, screendaily.com today confirmed Oscar nominee Paul Haggis has joined Casino Royale's crew to rewrite the film's script. The trade revealed Haggis will do a three-week script polish on the second draft of the script before the January 2006 shoot."

Love James Bond, of course. Also love Paul Haggis' writing, ever since the first episode of Due South (the final season coming soon on DVD... can't actually be bothered to find a link right now, but feel free to Google it). They've got their peanut butter in my chocolate, they have.

Dutch authorities investigate "Big Brother" baby - Yahoo! News: "AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch authorities are investigating
plans by the producers of the 'Big Brother' reality television
show to include a pregnant contestant who will give birth on
the show."

EXCERPT FROM MY DOG'S DIARY

8:00 a.m. Oh, boy! Dog food! My favorite!
9:30 a.m. Oh, boy! A car ride! My favorite!
9:40 a.m. Oh, boy! A walk! My favorite!
10:30 a.m. Oh, boy! Getting rubbed and petted! My favorite!
11:30 a.m. Oh boy! Dog food! My favorite!
Noon - Oh, boy! The kids! My favorite!
1:00 p.m. Oh, boy! The yard! My favorite!
4:00 p.m. Oh, boy! To the park! My favorite!
5:00 p.m. Oh, boy! Dog food! My favorite!
5:30 p.m. Oh, boy! Pretty Mums! My favorite!
6:00 p.m. Oh, boy! Playing ball! My favorite!
6:30 p.m. Oh, boy! Watching TV with my master! My favorite!
8:30 p.m. Oh, boy! Sleeping in my master's bed! My favorite!


EXCERPTS FROM A CAT'S DAILY DIARY:

Day 183 of My Captivity: My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little
dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat
dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the
mild satisfaction I get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture.

Tomorrow I may eat another houseplant. Today my attempt to kill my captors by
weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded; must try
this at the top of the stairs.

In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again
induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair, must try this on their bed.

Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body, in an attempt to make
them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their
hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was.
(Hmmm, not working according to plan.)

There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in
solitary confinement throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell
the food. More importantly, I overheard that my confinement was due to my
power of "allergies." Must learn what this is and how to use it to my ad! vantage.

I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches.

The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is
obviously a half-wit. The bird, on the other hand, has got to be an informant, and
speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his
current placement in the metal room, his safety is assured. But I can wait;
it is only a matter of time.

San Diego Zoo Exhibit: Panda Cam at the Giant Panda Research Station

Just something I like to look at when I'm feeling like crap...

Okay, so, in mere minutes, Catwoman premieres on cable movie channel Cinemax (the only premium cable channel I get that shows softcore porn every single night! Not that I watch it...). By all accounts, Catwoman, starring Oscar-winner Halle Berry and based not even the slightest bit on the classic DC Comics character, is a truly abysmal movie. But now, without having to leave the comfort of my home, without having to rent a DVD or anything, I get to see for myself how true that is! And I can just watch a little bit of it, and then just give up, if I so desire! Such a deal!

In other news, I should probably warn anyone reading that there continues to be a fairly high probability of posts here about comics in the near future. The thing is, my life currently seems to be balanced between two high-stress points, and I'm not really willing to talk about either of them here. But they're the focus of what's going on around me right now, and reading comics has been my distraction. So that's what I can talk about. If you're a regular reader, and don't care to hear about 1970s Jim Aparo comics or why the first issue of the new Supergirl comic is pretty lame, probably a good idea to just skim the first sentence or two of each new post. I'll make it clear that early if it's just going to be about comics, or something else.

news from me - ARCHIVES: "The Blondie newspaper strip will be 75 years old on September 8. To celebrate, members of her clan are paying visits to other strips to invite their characters to a big party. "

Admittedly, many of the strips the Blondie characters will be appearing in are ones I don't read (Oh, look; Dick Tracy is on the list... and I read that one, so imagine the ones I don't... In fact, email me with your guesses of the ones I don't read) but it's a cute idea. And, unlike a current crossover that a particular comics company is running, I would imagine that not a single one of these is required reading to understand what's going on in Blondie...

In the current strip, Dick Tracy is fighting a DVD piracy ring.  Does anything scream "written by old people for old people" any more loudly?

lis.dom: books they don't want on display in Hillsborough County, FL: "t's not the job of librarians to highlight collections of books, argued Patrick McDowell, a Tampa resident who frequents the West Gate library branch, where one pride display was removed. 'I would defend their right to have the books in the library, but it's not their job to promote books.''"

(Seriously, it's complete coincidence that I've found all this anti-Florida stuff in the space of an hour, without even looking. Or maybe not so much coincidence as the fact that the loudest folks in Florida appear to be close-minded, redneck, booger-eatin' morons. Either way.)

My Way News: "Sex offenders tracked by the state are banned from public hurricane shelters in Florida under a new policy that allows them to weather the storms in prison instead."

Gainesville.com | The Gainesville Sun | Gainesville, Fla.
: "Valparaiso librarian suspended after patrons visit porno sites"

Fox hot for 2nd season of 'Hell's Kitchen' - Yahoo! News: "LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Fox Broadcasting Co. has
ordered a second course of its summer reality hit 'Hell's
Kitchen.' The culinary competition, which delivered solid
Nielsen numbers for the network this summer, has been renewed
for roughly 10 episodes, with Gordon Ramsay returning as the
highly opinionated judge."

So, the Batman post that's been up the last couple of days was only supposed to be a draft. I certainly didn't mean to include all my work contact info (plus my name). So that's been pulled until I finish it. But it's time for my monthly rundown of what I'm looking at ordering from Previews (the comics catalog) this month. These would be comics coming out in October, for those keeping track:

NEXUS ARCHIVES VOLUME 1 from Dark Horse Comics
Nexus was a favorite of mine as a kid. Mike Baron is a fantastic writer, Steve Rude is an even better artist, and the fact that they apparently can't sell new issues of this work of genius is a crying shame. (And says too much about the comic book marketplace these days.) This reprint is pricy, but it's one of those series I don't mind paying for a really nice edition. And if the people who want more don't buy this one, there won't be more.

13TH SON: WORSE THING WAITING from Dark Horse Comics
Only one thing better than a horror comic drawn by Kelley Jones, and that's one that's also written by Kelley Jones. Nice to see him finally back doing his own stories again. This looks very Lovecraftian (no surprise there), and ... well, I want to say it'll do nicely while waiting for the next Hellboy story, but really, I've been waiting for a new all-Jones story even longer. So there.

BATMAN: GOTHAM COUNTY LINE from DC Comics
DC may have driven me away from the monthly, ongoing Batman books by making them stupid, but that doesn't mean I don't want to read good, self-contained story-driven Batman tales. And while I don't buy everything he writes, I do enjoy every Steve Niles story that I read. And Scott Hampton is a longtime favorite, particularly the Batman graphic novel he did once upon a time with Archie Goodwin (whose title I forget...)

CATWOMAN: WHEN IN ROME HARDCOVER from DC
I love the stories Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale do, but they read so quick, I always wait until they're collected. And now this one is being collected. Case closed.

INFINITE CRISIS #1 from DC
I know what I said. But, the thing is, I really had been looking forward to this story. Plus, if I wait until it's collected, there's no way I'll be able to avoid online spoilers, or even spoilers in the comics I read. (Although, for what it's worth, Jeph Loeb will be off Superman/Batman by that point, so I'll be off it too, and DC has already said that Plastic Man and Legion of Super-Heroes won't be affected by the stuff in IC. But stuff will almost certainly come up in Gotham Central, since they've announced that it'll be crossing over into IC, and Birds of Prey exists pretty squarely in the center of DC continuity these days. And probably Jeph Loeb's Supergirl comic--which he'll be leaving soon enough anyway--will be the same...) So, I'm biting the bullet, but I refuse to buy any extra crossover comics just to be sure I get the complete story, and don't get hosed, a la OMAC Project. But I also go into this knowing I might well end up missing important parts of the story if I don't buy every single crossover, and I accept that, so I can't complain.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS METAMORPHO VOLUME 1 from DC
It's something like 200 pages of Silver Age Metamorpho stories in black and white. I'm so there. Although, having heard the price has been reduced from 14.99 to 9.99, I wonder if it'll be the bookstore-friendly manga size? If it is, that's okay. Ten bucks for about twenty old comics stories is fine by me.

ELFQUEST ARCHIVES VOLUME 3
What I said about loving Nexus enough to pay 50.00 for the fancy hardcover reprints? Same here.

LOVELESS #1 from DC/Vertigo
Brian Azzarello is a fantastic writer when he's doing his own stuff, and I love the idea of a dark Western series (and ongoing, not a miniseries). Sold.

FEAR AGENT #1 from Image
When I was a kid, reprints of the old EC sci-fi, horror, and war comics were the first non-superhero, non-funny comics I read. And here's a comic that promises to combine all three EC genres as influences. And they had the good sense to put preview pages in the catalog to show that they're doing just that.

SHE-HULK 2 #1 from Marvel
Had a soft spot for She-Hulk all the way back in the 80s, and then the first incarnation of this series turned out to be real good. I bought it and read it until it ended, and now it's back.

MARVEL MONSTERS (four one-shots) from Marvel
Four comics by folks like Steve Niles, Duncan Fegredo, Eric Powell, Peter David, Roger Langridge, plus reprints of 50s and 60s Jack Kirby monster stories. If Marvel Comics were good, they'd probably be like these.

BOOK OF LOST SOULS #1 from Marvel
J. Michael Straczynski's work for Top Cow, particularly the series he did with Gary Frank whose title I forget right now, were really pretty good. His work on Marvel superheroes hasn't really approached that level. This new series, with art by Colleen Doran, looks to be more of the former than the latter, so I'll try it.

STOKER'S DRACULA HARDCOVER from Marvel
I didn't buy the miniseries by Roy Thomas and Dick Giordano (childhood favorite creators) that adapts the original Dracula novel, because I wanted to wait for the collection. And here it is.

LIVEWIRES: CLOCKWORK THUGS, YO Digest from Marvel
Wasn't about to order the miniseries sight unseen, even if it is by Adam Warren and frequent collaborator Rick Mays. (See comments about JMS's company work, above.) But, by all accounts, this comic really does read like an Adam Warren comic, and this reprint is fairly cheap. (Cheaper than the original issues would have cost, anyway.)

HAUNTED MANSION #1 from Slave Labor
Using my favorite Disneyland ride as the basis for a ghost story anthology done by really cool creators? Yes, please.

MR NIGHT from Slave Labor
All's I know is it's a one-shot by Glen Dakin and Phil Elliott. And that's enough for me.

DOOMED MAGAZINE from IDW
Hopefully won't live up to its title. The idea of trying a Warren-style black and white horror magazine is just too keen for me to pass up.

LEGEND OF GRIMJACK VOLUME 4 Trade Paperback from IDW
See Nexus Archives and ElfQuest Archives comments above.

IMPORTANT LITERARY JOURNAL by Kyle Baker
I get Plastic Man because of Kyle Baker. I get Nat Turner because of Kyle Baker. I ordered The Bakers because of Kyle Baker, even though I'm still waiting for it. You'd better believe I'm not passing this up.

ROGUE TROOPER: EYE OF THE TRAITOR Trade Paperback from Rebellion
Yay! 2000AD reprints are back! And they're going to finish the Rogue Trooper story, thanks to there being a video game based on the character!

(For what it's worth, the other two Rebellion reprint graphic novels offered this month almost made the cut, as well. Both Family from the Megazine and Judge Dredd: Sin City were pretty good stories, but there were just too many new, original graphic novels for me to get ones reprinting stuff I read just a few years ago, and didn't feel excited about rereading so soon.)

LIVING AND THE DEAD Graphic Novel from Speakeasy
It's written by the guys who do the Black Forest and Wicked West graphic novels, and it's hard to pass up anything that they do. (This is the book that bumped Judge Dredd: Sin City off the list; Family was knocked off by the Metamorpho reprints. I liked both of those 2000AD stories, but they're still fresh in my mind. These other two books, I've never read.)

And there's a tribute book for Jim Aparo, planned and written before his passing, but sadly coming out too late for him to see it.