tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87965562024-03-23T13:55:22.549-04:00Tales to Mildly AstonishMusings about comics, nerdery, and other things essential to life.
Now with Riboflavin!Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.comBlogger804125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-4752533061759582002014-10-05T13:17:00.001-04:002014-10-06T09:20:20.937-04:00You Don't Have To Go To Wordpress, But You Can't Stay HereSo yeah, I'm closing this blog.<br />
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This has been a big year for me. I'm getting married next month, I'm focusing more on my writing, I just moved into a new place with my lovely bride-to-be... I'm swamped. My life is headed into a new phase, which means it's time to put some stuff from the old one away.<br />
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Ten years ago tomorrow, I moved to New York City. It hasn't worked out anything like I thought it would, but it has worked out. I'm happy with my life, and looking forward to what's to come. But this blog was a(n increasingly infrequent) chronicle of my twenties, my single years. I'm not the person I was then. I'm not even sure I'm the person I was five years ago, or two-and-a-half. But that person's story is pretty well told, so time to put a bow on in and leave it for the ages.<br />
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And really, blogging was never my calling. I want to write, not write about what others are writing. Odd little thoughts and other things can go on Twitter or Facebook. I may start a Tumblr someday, when I'm an established writer and people want to know stuff about my work. But I'm no Mighty God King or Bully the Little Stuffed Bull. And I'm OK with that.<br />
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This blog will remain up for as long as Blogger does, but this is the last entry. To everyone who's been a one-time, casual, or die-hard reader over the years, thanks a bunch for being interesting in my weird-ass ramblings. To my adoring fan club from You-Know-Where, thanks for reminding me why I keep going. To the rest of the global population, see you out there.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-9460698938681355632014-01-02T20:35:00.002-05:002014-01-02T20:35:54.532-05:00My Favorite Comics of 2013Right, you know what this is all about. Let's get to it with the obvious statement: 2013 was a damn good year for comics.<br />
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Between the New Image Explosion (more on that later), the continued effort to put every great thing ever back in print, and lots of independent and web-only creators being just generally awesome, it's pretty much guaranteed there was something for you in the comic store this year. There certainly was for me. All of my books fired on all cylinders all year long, and that's great, but I really have to give gigantic props to two comics that consistently blew me away in 2013: <b>Young Avengers</b> and <b>Hawkeye</b>.<br />
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The first collection of Young Avengers was titled "Style > Substance", and while it's a great title, it's also kind of a lie. Young Avengers was style as substance, a beautiful gestalt where the two elements consistently blended into one another, backing each other up, all in service of that all-too-rare thing, telling a superhero story with an ethos and a point. The point of this one, not surprisingly, was about being young, about making stupid mistakes and cleaning up the mess, about being stuck in a world that doesn't make sense and being expected to deal with it on your own, and about getting the hell away from your parents so you can find out who you are. (It's also about saving the world by punching a bunch of evil versions of yourself.) And it was gorgeously illustrated from top to bottom. Jamie McKelvie's dead-on instinct for design served him well, creating a distinct visual look that melded perfectly with the text and subtext of Kieron Gillen's story. And best of all, they said what they had to say, and now they're walking away, moving on to the next thing. I'm sure Young Avengers will be back, but the next iteration of the series has one hell of a tough act to follow.<br />
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Meanwhile, <b>Hawkguy</b>. You'll remember me gushing about this book last year, and pretty much nothing has changed. Except, oh yeah, it's EVEN BETTER. Fraction, Aja, and the rest of their merry band has taken this book to the next phase of their story, and to the next level of storytelling. And yeah, no issue exemplified this better than Issue 11, "Pizza Is My Business". It not only tied together the disparate threads of the second story arc (which was, in and of itself, a triumph), it did so while creating a whole new grammar for comics storytelling, all in service of giving us the point of view of a one-eyed dog trying to solve a murder. As I said on Twitter, beat THAT, reality. If Young Avengers was my favorite series this year, this was my favorite single issue. Maybe ever.<br />
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Moving on, let's talk about a writer who's maybe had the best year anyone's ever had in comics, Jonathan Hickman. Marvel tapped him for their big relaunch of the Avengers titles, and boy is he ever proving that decision right. His <b>Avengers </b>and<b> New Avengers</b>, telling different parts of a single story, were some of the biggest big idea comics of the year, coming together in <b>Infinity</b>. That's another rarity: A crossover that doesn't feel too big for its britches, or too much about updating everyone's Handbook entries. It was just a big damn space opera, and I enjoyed the hell out of it. Even the editorially-mandated content, which was thankfully little, was a part of the story. Everything fit together. Hickman's overall Avengers story seems to be about order and chaos, and the slide towards entropy, but from a craft level, he's proving that tight, carefully constructed, and beautifully organized storytelling is far from dead.<br />
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Hickman also launched approximately a billion new series at Image this year. This was part of a year-long initiative by Image to shake things up, both in their company and in comics at large. Dudes, mission accomplished. Go into the comics store and pick up a random Image book, and you'll find talented creators pushing themselves to their limits and beyond, and giving absolutely zero fucks about genre boundaries or conventions. I'm not a billionaire playboy and adventurer (yet), so the only one of these I was able to add to my list was Hickman and Nick Dragotta's <b>East of West</b>, but that's perfectly OK with me, because East of West is a damn fine comic. From the first issue, it's clear that it's nothing like anything you've seen before or will again, and it has to be seen to be believed. I've come to get a little chill when I read the words "This is the world. It's not the one we were supposed to have, but it's the one we made." I know that, once I turn that cover, I'm going to enter a bizarre, apocalyptic, broken America chock full of all seven deadly sins, a world so broken that the apocalypse looks like an improvement, where the only character worth rooting for is Death. I also know that I am not going to be able to put that fucker down, and that I'll be dying for the next issue once it's over.<br />
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<b>Astro City</b> came back. That was pretty killer. The city and its denizens may have changed a bit since we last saw them, but the quality is as great as ever. This is still a superhero world populated by real, three-dimensional people, who live in stories that mean something beyond the obvious and the literal. It's also gorgeous to look at; an Alex Ross design put through its paces by Brent Anderson is one of life's simple joys. As the year draws to a close, we've gotten the start of what's probably one of the most requested AC stories ever: A team-up between Samaritan, Confessor, and Winged Victory. But of course it's already about so much more than that simple hook. I really did not realize how much I missed this book now that it's back. Please, Astro City, never go away again.<br />
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What else is going on in my pull list? Well, <b>Deadpool</b> is finally good again, blending the funny with the heartbreaking in that way I do so love. The "fill-in" issues have been a treat, especially the recent Kirby homage. In an unexpected but welcome development, Paul Cornell and Alan Davis started rocking <b>Wolverine</b>, and it's reminded me that hey, he's actually a pretty well-rounded and interesting character when he's not just there to boost sales. <b>X-Factor</b> came to an end, sadly, but it was a beautiful sendoff, there's a new volume starting in a week, and we finally figured out what the heck the deal is with Longshot and Shatterstar, so that's all right. (Will Peter David be able to make me not hate Gambit? We'll see this time next year!) <b>Captain Marvel</b> didn't make girl power cool again, but that's only because girl power was always cool, and it was just reminding us. <b>Invincible</b> continues to surprise me at every turn, and <b>Invincible Universe</b> continues to be That Comic Where Best Tiger Is Awesome. And <b>Amazing X-Men</b> is bringing Nightcrawler back, and apparently fun, exciting X-Men comics are coming along with him. (I kid the biggest franchise in comics. Really, just because I don't give a rat's ass about the time-lost original X-Men, doesn't mean Bendis isn't doing some damn fine stuff with them.)<br />
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I'd also be remiss if I didn't give solid props to <b>Nemo: Heart of Ice</b>, this year's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen installment. Rarely have I had so much fun watching someone skewer the concept of American exceptionalism. Very much looking forward to the sequel (sequels?) this year, along with whatever else Alan and Kevin have in store for us.<br />
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Speaking of Alan Moore, this isn't really a comics thing, but nonetheless: I was utterly delighted when reports of a disturbing clown standing around and freaking out residents of Northampton prompted Moore to release a statement saying that he was not in any way involved or responsible.<br />
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That was it for me this year. Obviously, a lot of the utterly brilliant books that I don't happen to be reading (or just haven't picked up yet; whither the first Hellboy in Hell trade?) were left out of the list, but that's why you have a local comic shop, dammit! Go out there and find something wonderful to read in 2014. It's waiting for you.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-43591759593232609722013-12-08T15:52:00.001-05:002013-12-08T15:52:15.332-05:00The Line It Is Drawn is having an open call for artistsMy pal Brian Cronin, who runs the Comics Should Be Good blog over at Comic Book Resources, <a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2013/12/06/call-for-line-it-is-drawn-artists/">recently announced an open call for artists for the The Line It Is Drawn feature</a>:<br />
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<blockquote>I have been meaning to add a couple of new Line it is Drawn artists for a while now. So if you’re interested, e-mail me at bcronin@comicbookresources.com with two pin-ups attached (in jpeg format) by December 22nd. One pin-up should feature an inter-company crossover of your choosing (like Atomic Robo teaming up with Batman) and the other one should feature a comic book cover homage of your choosing (like Tony Chu holding his sister and crying a la the cover to Crisis on Infinite Earths #7).
I will pick two or three of my favorites and they’ll be the newest members of the Line it is Drawn gallery in the New Year. </blockquote>
So there's that. The feature is a lot of fun to read each week, and apparently a lot of fun for the artists too. If you're one of those drawin' types, give it a whirl.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-15222704416409796602013-11-05T15:29:00.001-05:002013-11-05T17:51:16.330-05:00Election Day 2013And so we come to the first Tuesday in November, aka Election Day, aka the most important day on the calendar that isn't a federal holiday. (I'd ditch Columbus Day in exchange for this one, just for the record.)<br />
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My feelings on the importance of voting have been summed up numerous times, so they don't need to be repeated here, except to say: Get out and vote, dummy.<br />
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This is one of those off-off-years for elections, where nothing much is happening federally and all the attention is focused on state and local races. Here in New York City, we're electing public officials, including a mayor to replace Michael Bloomberg. I think we've actually got more people running in this race than ran for President last year, which makes sense if you think about it. Gracie Mansion has a view of the city skyline and Long Island; the White House has a view of the Capitol Building. Which would you want to look at?<br />
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The top two candidates are Bill De Blasio and Joe Lhota. DiBlasio is the favored candidate going into Election Day, largely because Lhota seems to think he's campaigning to replace Bloomberg as Least Likable Person In New York City instead of mayor. Maybe someone should have told him. Regardless, my choice was easy to make, since Lhota's biggest accomplishment as head of the MTA was to jack up my cost of living every time he ran into a problem.<br />
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Also running as a lesser party candidate is John Catsimatides. He ran earlier in the Republican primary, which he lost because (a) his campaign lynchpin was putting his silly nickname ("Cats") on all his flyers and (b) he appears at all times to be melting. There's also the "Rent Is Too Damn High" guy, although at this point he's pretty much a tourist attraction, like a more civic-minded Naked Cowboy.<br />
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We're also electing a Comptroller, Public Advocate, and a new City Council. The biggest story in any of those races is that, during the primary season, former governor Eliot Spitzer actually thought New Yorkers would put a guy who spent 80 large on prostitutes in charge of the city's checkbook. We're crazy, but we're not stupid.<br />
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There are also some ballot initiatives. The big one is a constitutional amendment that would legalize casino gambling in a limited form. I voted against it because I smelled graft, and because the last thing I want is more shitty advertisements for casinos on my TV. I still haven't recovered from 2009's Mohegan Sun ads. I also voted against selling some public land in the Adirondacks to a mining company, because <i>duh</i>.<br />
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So that's how I participated in our democracy today. I hope you do the same.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-89555817881515297972013-09-08T13:06:00.000-04:002013-09-08T13:06:42.532-04:00Grandma LorayneMy grandma passed away on Friday morning. Writing about my grandfathers here seemed to help me process their deaths, so let's go ahead and do that again.<br />
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Grandma Lorayne (she went by her middle name; her first was Georgia) was my mother's mother. She was born in Oklahoma in 1922, and, like most Oklahomans of that time, grew up dirt poor but proud. It was probably her (and her husband, Grandpa Emil's) experiences that led me to my interest in John Steinbeck. Unlike the Joads, Grandma's family stuck it out through the Depression and the Dust Bowl. Long after more recent memories had faded, Grandma could still tell stories about the great black clouds of dust descending on a town, blotting out the sun and filling every imaginable space with grit.<br />
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Grit, of course, also means endurance, orneriness, and Grandma had that in spades. She endured the '30s, then endured the war of the early '40s, waiting for Grandpa to return home from Europe. She endured two difficult pregnancies in the ten years afterwards. She endured the tumult of the sixties, and raising a teenaged daughter in that time. She endured breast cancer, early retirement, and the coming of old age. She endured caring for her older sister, my mom's favorite aunt, when Fern's condition became too frail for her to manage herself (Fern was a fighter, too; she made it to the ripe old age of 100 in 1998). She endured having my brother and I as grandsons (just kidding, Matt. Mostly.). She even endured a great big balloon shaped like Mario slowly falling on her. Indeed, she was able to endure everything life threw at her, until the loss of Grandpa. That one, I think, was too much for even her. She was less vibrant, less engaged. Life had lost its attraction. These last few months, I think, she was looking forward to being with him again. And now, she is. It's small comfort for those of us left behind, but comfort nonetheless.<br />
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The things I'll remember about Grandma: Her smile and laughter. The smell of her French toast cooking. How I could brighten her day, just by being there really, but also by presenting her with some silly knick-knack shaped like a cat. Her running commentary during my favorite TV shows (or "programs", as she called them). The time she spent an entire episode of Walker: Texas Ranger counting how many people he beat up. What her face must have looked like when Mom and Dad took her to see The Forty Year-Old Virgin. Her hugs. Her kisses. How much she enjoyed being a grandma. How much I enjoyed having her as mine.<br />
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I'm gonna miss you, Grandma.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-86918721984994390652013-07-20T19:10:00.001-04:002013-07-20T19:10:37.203-04:00Some Ado About Much Ado About NothingThis thought has been swirling around in my mind since I saw Joss Whedon's new film version last month: The whole play really is about love, isn't it?<br />
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I know what you're thinking: "No shit, it's a romantic comedy." (Indeed, it may be THE romantic comedy, the archetypal form from which all others follow.) But really, most romantic comedies, and most of Shakespeare's comedies, are about relationships. This one is, too, with the delightful sparring of Beatrice and Benedick, and the milquetoast courtship of Claudio and Hero. (The subject of another essay entirely.) But when you think about it, or at least when I've thought about it over the last month, it's really about love. Love, and all the silly, wonderful, terrible things we do because of it.<br />
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The couples, of course, do what they do out of love. Beatrice, Benedick, Hero and Claudio all react in myriad ways as their love is tested, threatened, thwarted, and, at last, returned. But what about everyone else? There's Leonato, of course; could his outrage at Hero's supposed sins be as passionate, as painful, if he didn't love her so? Don Pedro facilitates Claudio and Hero's romance out of filial love for them both; something similar might be behind his plot to match up Beatrice and Benedick. And yet, he makes more than one pass at wooing Beatrice as well. What does he feel for her? And there's poor Margaret. We never get inside her head much, but she must feel something for Borachio, and she's used for it, used to harm her friend and mistress, whom she also loves dearly. And she is, in the end, forgiven. As must we all, for who hasn't done something incredibly stupid out of misplaced love. (See also Borachio himself, and, at least in Whedon's version, the poorly misused Conrade as well.)<br />
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There is one character who's an exception to all this, of course: Don John. Nothing he does could be construed as coming out of love, not even love of himself. When he tells his comrades, and us, that he is "a plain-dealing villain", what he's actually saying is that he's incapable of love. You can't help but pity him a little bit, and while I'm generally not a fan of "villain's point of view" rewrites of classics, there's something there to mine of how he got that way. I don't believe anyone's born evil, so what happened to him? And are there parallels between him and the bitter, broken-hearted Beatrice and Benedick of the play's beginning? What would they have become, if not for their friends? If not for love?<br />
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In another project, Whedon once wrote, "Love makes you do the wacky." Not exactly Shakespearean, but you get the idea. It's probably an idea as old as storytelling itself, or older. And like all good ideas, we keep coming back to it. The point of art, after all, is to explore what it means to be human. And you could come up with worse definitions of that than "To love."Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-84677650075596306852013-04-07T21:42:00.002-04:002013-04-07T21:45:09.626-04:00My ChildHood Heroes<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Warning: You are about to read
something very nerdy.</div>
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A couple of weeks ago, Greg Hatcher
over at Comics Should Be Good put up a column where he cherry-picked
some of his favorite childhood characters and threw them into a team
together. It all started with an idea from the CBR forums' resident
creative goofball, Pol Rua:</div>
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Since I'm me, I've been thinking about
who would be on my team ever since. Even with the “only
characters you loved before you were thirteen” rule, paring the
list down took quite a while. But I finally arrived at a lineup of
ten of my all-time favorites. Heroes one and all, these are the guys
I'd have at my back if I were ever facing down the unlimited hordes
of evil.
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I'm a big believer in the top-down
theory of management, so let's start with the <b>Team Leader:</b></div>
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<b>Optimus Prime.</b></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Transformers
is still one of the greatest ideas I've ever seen for a toy line:
Cool cars and planes that turn into even cooler giant talking robots.
You don't really need strong characterization to get me hooked at
that point, but ol' Bob Budiansky went ahead and did it anyway. Not
every Transformer was a winner, of course, but Optimus, the heroic
leader of the Autobots, hit everything out of the park. For a decent
portion of my life, before I got over my adolescent disdain for
Superman, Prime was my go-to exemplar of heroism. The Matrix of
Leadership chose him for a reason, and that choice has been borne out
in his actions: Here's a guy who's been fighting a civil
war for millions of years, across thousands of planets. Imagine what
he's seen: good beings slaughtered for an inch of ground, friends and
enemies broken and destroyed, the worst intelligent life has to
offer, over and over again. And since he's a robot, he's never
forgotten a minute of it. </span><b>But he hasn't broken.</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">
He's just as dedicated to the ideals of justice and freedom as he
always was. He doesn't want to be fighting this war, but as long as
he is, he'll win it. Not for himself, nor even for the Autobots, but
for all sentient beings. That's the kind of guy I want in charge of
my all-stars.</span></div>
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The next team
member was a no-brainer:</div>
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<b>Spider-Man.</b></div>
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I mean, duh. I've
written voluminously, here and anywhere else people would read it,
about my love for Spidey. I won't rehash all that here, but there's
still the question of what he brings to this team. Well, aside from
his impressive array of powers, Spidey is one hell of an inventive
guy. Not just content to be a prodigy in biochemistry, Peter Parker
is also a great engineer. I mean, he assembled his web-shooters out
of stuff he had in his closet when he was sixteen. You didn't do
that. Some of my favorite Spidey stories are the ones where he
displays his ingenuity, winning either through some clever gadget or
a split-second analysis of the situation that he turns to his
advantage. That, and his comic-book-standard cross-disciplinary
fluency, why he's our <b>Team Scientist</b>.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Going forward:
There's no doubt that, as a kid, my favorite movies were the original
Star Wars Trilogy. And my favorite guy from those movies just so
happens to fill a spot we need very nicely:</div>
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<b>Luke Skywalker.</b></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">I'm a
nerd, so of course I was very into the Expanded Universe books for a
while. I eventually got tired of them, though, and I've figured out
why: They went on for too long. Luke is most fascinating as a young,
unsure hero, fighting to retake the galaxy from the Empire. Once the
New Republic is set up, things are kind of done. You can have him go
on and become the Great Jedi Leader, but at that point he should
really step into Obi-Wan's role and let the spotlight shine on some
new heroes. They tried that for a while with the Solo and Skywalker
kids, but even that got cocked up. So the Luke I'm pulling is a Luke
from the immediately post-Return of the Jedi period. The Emperor and
Vader may be dead, but the Empire's still out there, and he's barely
a Jedi, with no idea of how to be one. He didn't even kill the
Emperor or blow up the second Death Star; Vader and Wedge did that.
Full of potential, but uncertain of which way to go. He needs a
mentor, and he needs direction, and he'll find both of them as
Optimus Prime's </span><b>Deputy Leader</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
Oh, he also has Force powers and a laser sword.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Now
we need some </span><b>specialists</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
Each of these guys brings a specific skill set or experience to the
team, and a personality that mixes interestingly with the others.
First up, a pair of </span><b>Weapons/Combat Masters:</b></div>
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<br />
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<b>Mega Man and Link.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I love sci-fi and
fantasy. You know that, right? Well, here's a cool hero from each of
those genres. They're video game heroes, too, and you'd better
believe those were a major part of my childhood. They're kind of
different sides of the same coin: they both have gear for every
situation imaginable, they both fight the same guy a lot, and their
adventures are both free-form in style. They come from big worlds,
and they protect those worlds with everything they've got. I picture
Mega Man as having a “seen-it-all” quality about him, since his
adventures follow a pretty set pattern, and he's run up against so
many different Robot Masters (and taken their stuff). Link,
meanwhile, is the host of the Triforce of Courage. So he's brave, but
also brash, and, at least the way I played, went into things kind of
gung-ho, and relied more on instinct instead of planning. Kind of a
version of the Super Show/Captain N portrayal, but actually
competent, and without the terrible catchphrase.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Next,
we have the </span><b>Paranormal Expert and Team Spokesman:</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/LcCBhMp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://i.imgur.com/LcCBhMp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Dr. Peter Venkman.</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The absolute best
line about Venkman, the line that sums him up perfectly, comes from
Sigourney Weaver's Dana in the first movie: “You don't act like a
scientist. You're more like a game show host.” It's probably that
quality, that always-on showmanship, that made me think he was the
leader the first time I saw the movie. He wasn't, but he was a damn
good public face. This team won't necessarily need that, but it will
need a schmoozer, a talker, a guy who will seriously walk up to the
monster, try to scam it out of its pants, and more than likely
succeed. Peter Venkman is that guy, with a small particle accelerator
strapped to his back. And while he may not be a walking Tobin's
Spirit Guide like Egon, he's fought probably every kind of groovy
ghoulie the world has to offer, and lived to tell about it.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Given how many
hours I spent in front of the TV watching them, I've got to have at
least one Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. My pick:</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/lFvKgeI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://i.imgur.com/lFvKgeI.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Michelangelo.</b></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Yeah,
I know, I went with “the other one.” Well, he was my favorite
turtle when I was a kid, and not just because his name is like my
name. The other turtles's things are pretty overt: Leonardo leads,
Donatello does machines, Raphael is cool but rude. “Is a party
dude” doesn't quite match up with those, but that's because they
couldn't fit his real role in the team into five syllables. Think of
the Turtles like a boy band for a second. (No, seriously, stay with
me here.) If Raph is the edgy one, the “Donnie” if you will, then
Mike's the sensitive one. He's good-hearted, compassionate, upbeat,
and cares about people. There's not quite someone like that on the
team yet. Spidey and Venkman are jokesters, but they're also angsty
and douchey, respectively. Mike is just a good guy, and that's
actually pretty important. The others all have their reasons for
being heroes, but Mike's reason is simply that helping people is the
right thing to do. The recent IDW comics have done a great job of
highlighting this, and they more than anything else are the reason
Michelangelo is the </span><b>Team Conscience</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
Also, he's a fucking ninja, so he's our official </span><b>Stealthy
Guy</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
You'll notice that
a lot of these guys so far are '80s heroes. Well, the next two are
solid '90s. 1890s.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/32CyN2S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i.imgur.com/32CyN2S.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Sherlock Holmes</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">The
(almost) original great detective, and one of my first literary
obsessions. Seriously, I went through all the Sherlock Holmes stories
when I was about nine or ten. And while I do love many of his adapted
brothers, Doyle's original is still my favorite. The peculiar genius,
who can tell you where you ate lunch last Thursday but not that the
earth revolves around the sun. Holmes is brilliant, but also cold and
not that great with people. And he solves crimes for the simple
reason that he's bored and it's fun. There's nobody else like that on
the team. There's almost nobody else like that in fiction. He's got
to be here, as our </span><b>Team Detective and Asshole</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Our final
specialist is a contemporary of Holmes's but from a different world
entirely:</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/BDtFxyE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="http://i.imgur.com/BDtFxyE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Brisco County, Jr.</b></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Oh,
Brisco. We barely knew ye. This show was one of my first favorite
“grown-up” shows, and my first favorite show that nobody watched.
Brisco has just got to be here, but I struggled for a bit to figure
out how he'd fit in the team. He can shoot a gun, but Mega Man can
shoot everybody's gun. He can ride a horse, but Optimus Prime is a
freaking truck. Then I remembered two things. First, Brisco is a
bounty hunter. He spent most of the series tracking the guys who
killed his dad across the Wild West. That's a skill none of these
guys have. Holmes can tell you who committed a murder, but he can't
stop him from running. So Brisco can be our </span><b>Team Hunter</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
And he's also an archetype we haven't hit yet: the cool, debonair
adventuring ladies' man. You know the type. Not egotistically
self-assured like Venkman, but comfortable in every situation because
he's constitutionally incapable of being flapped. Not a compulsive
quipper like Spidey, but a sniper of </span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">bon
</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">mots.
Just the coolest guy in the room. Brisco is James Bond with a cowboy
hat and a sense of ethics, so</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">
he's also our </span><b>Team Swashbuckler</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
(Good role for any character played by Bruce Campbell, really.)</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
That's a pretty
good line-up, but it feels like something's missing. After all, we've
got a very wide mix of characters here. Two are from the past, one's
from the future, three are from other worlds entirely, one's a giant,
talking turtle. They need something to bring them together, to give
them purpose, to start them on the road to legend. Something, or
someone:</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/cgPpC9u.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i.imgur.com/cgPpC9u.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Scrooge McDuck.</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="cite_ref-13"></a><span style="font-weight: normal;">You
knew this was coming. Carls Barks's Scrooge stories are what made me
fall in love with adventure fiction in the first place. And Scrooge
is one hell of an action hero. He's a “Good Parts Version” of the
American Story, a rough-and-tumble, rags-to-riches billionaire who
made it by (say it with me) being tougher than the toughies and
smarter than the smarties, and he made it square. He's seen it all,
done it all, bought it all, and kept the receipts. With his </span><span style="font-style: normal;">one
multiplujillion, nine obsquatumatillion, six hundred twenty-three
dollars and sixty-two cents, he'll have no trouble being the </span><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>Team
Financier</b></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
and if you can think of a better </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>Team
Scrappy Old Coot Who's Actually A Total Badass</b></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
I'd like to see him</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;">. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">So
that's my team. The only question now is, who would they fight?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">Well,
there's the Joker, Count Dracula, the Gmork, the Borg, the Four Elemental Fiends, an
army of superintelligent velociraptors...</span></div>
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-33999805345340892332013-02-19T14:55:00.003-05:002013-02-19T14:55:58.475-05:00Neil Gaiman Has Done Something WonderfulWhich is really nothing new, but, you know.<br />
<br />
It all started with Twitter and Blackberry. On February 4, Gaiman tweeted twelve questions, one per hour, to his followers, themed around the months of the year. Out of the many, many responses he got for each month, he chose a prompt for a quick short story, around 1000 words. Then, over the next three days, and with a camera crew hanging over his shoulder, he wrote the stories. 'Nuff said on that account.<br />
<br />
The stories are now available as a PDF download <a href="http://keepmoving.blackberry.com/desktop/en/us/ambassador/neil-gaiman.html?CPID=E70C215">here</a>. They're all quite wonderful, in that way Gaiman has. I've said for years that he's one of our best magical realists, and these stories prove it. They're all fantastic, but very grounded, very human, reminding me of what it's like, trying to get through this life. Some are sad, some are funny, some are scary, some are varying combinations of all three. I don't think I'll ever look at a calendar the same way again.<br />
<br />
Oh, and it's not over yet. They're looking for illustrations of the stories for an eventual digital showcase and print edition. Obviously, I won't be participating in that part, but there's no reason why you couldn't. At worst, you've lost a bit of time, and gained the experience of having read some really good stories.<br />
<br />
I am toying with the idea of doing something with my own answers. Maybe just an entry regarding where they came from. I don't know. Some of it might be a bit more personal than I'm willing to get into in my old age. (I really do look back at some of my old entries on this blog and cringe.) Or maybe I'll turn them into stories. One of them, January, was about something I've considered in story terms for quite a while now.<br />
<br />
But that's all for later. Right now, you should go download those stories. Then, get a cup of your favorite beverage, sit in your favorite chair, and do some reading. It's good for you.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-13119501055005881322013-02-14T12:43:00.000-05:002013-02-14T12:43:00.127-05:00What Day Is It? Oh, YeahI know from feedback that some of you are big fans of my yearly tongue-in-cheek posts about being lonely and bitter on Valentine's Day. Well, I'm sorry to report there won't be one of those this year.<br />
<br />
I've been seeing a wonderful girl since last June, it's going smashingly, and tonight we're doing fine Italian dining and champagne & snuggles at home. So not so much with the lonely, and as for bitter, I'm taking the day off from that.<br />
<br />
Hopefully, you've got something nice to do tonight as well, whether alone or with someone. And if not, well, there's always next year. Or even tomorrow.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-66368234835456372542013-01-04T21:03:00.000-05:002013-01-04T21:03:25.333-05:00How To Help Peter DavidAs reported below, Peter David's going through a bit of a rough patch right now. He's about to have a very expensive year, and <a href="http://www.peterdavid.net/2013/01/04/here-is-how-you-can-help-peter/">his wife has suggested</a> that those who want to help their family out buy some of his books:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The most direct way is to buy his books from <a href="http://www.crazy8press.com/">Crazy 8 Press</a> (via <a href="http://www.comicmix.com/news/2013/01/04/help-peter-david-by-buying-his-e-books-now/" target="_blank">ComicMix</a>) or from Amazon or Barnes and Noble websites. These are books that he gets the money from directly and the most per book.</blockquote>
Of the Crazy 8 releases, I can personally vouch for the Hidden Earth series and The Camelot Papers. And they're all available in print and ebook formats.<br />
<br />
Once again, best wishes to Peter and his family. <br />
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-56400553558895852702012-12-30T17:12:00.004-05:002012-12-30T17:12:54.368-05:00Best Wishes To Peter DavidThe acclaimed and awesome writer of, among other things, X-Factor, suffered a stroke two days ago. All my best wishes for a speedy recovery.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-34884041656172930082012-12-30T15:16:00.000-05:002012-12-30T15:26:01.584-05:00My Favorite Comics of 2012It's that time again, nerds. As always, this is a list of my favorites out of the comics I read this year, which is nowhere near the number of comics that were released. So don't take this as a comprehensive list of the <i>best</i> comics of the year. All the big comics websites are doing that anyway; Comic Book Resources' Top 100 list in particular has given me some food for thought for next year's reading.<br />
<br />
But enough of that, let's get to the important bit: Where I rave about <b>Hawkeye</b>.<br />
<a name='more'></a>When Marvel announced that Matt Fraction and David Aja, the guys who did a story about Iron Fist punching a goddamned train in the face, were doing a series about my favorite Avenger, my first thought was, "And I didn't get them anything." Then I actually read the thing, and holy crap, this is a great comic. There have been only six issues so far, but each one has been a gem. Like the preview page says, the series is about what Hawkeye does when he's not being an Avenger, that being fight tracksuited Russian mobsters, steal money from supercriminals, get into naked car chases, make himself a human target for the benefit of SHIELD, and watch something called "Dog Cops". I did not make any of that up. Aja (along with pinch hitter Javier Pulido, who did issues 4 & 5) draws it gorgeously, too, doing stuff with a comics page that I never thought was possible. Each issue is a thrill ride, an episode of the best crime drama not on television. Why you're reading my blog instead of this comic right now, I'll never know, but fix that.<br />
<br />
When you get down to it, this was really Marvel's year, as far as my reading list went. I didn't give a damn about Avengers Vs. X-Men (except to the extent that it derailed an otherwise stellar year of Rick Remender writing <b>Secret Avengers</b>), but the Marvel books I was reading were firing on all cylinders. Another new launch, <b>Captain Marvel</b>, elevated Carol Danvers to the star position she deserves, delving into what makes her tick while providing some sweet-ass grrl power stories and giving readers an image of the heroine punching a giant robot made of planes and battleships. <b>X-Factor, </b>a perennial favorite, started strange and got stranger, as the team overhauled itself in preparation for 2013's big "Hell on Earth War" story. We also saw the Reverend John Maddox again, in a story that kinda helped me keep my sanity together on one of the worst days I've had in a long time. And there was that Marvel Now! thing. It's a bit premature to make any long-term judgments, but the first issues of the new <b><b>Avengers</b> </b>and <b>Deadpool</b> series have been kind of awesome. The former features an expanded roster and threats of cosmic proportions, courtesy of Jonathan Hickman, who's surely got some kind of epic adventure boiling there. And the latter is sick, goofy fun of the type we haven't seen since Joe Kelly's famous run on Deadpool back in the day. There's also the ghost of Benjamin Franklin.<br />
<br />
DC didn't have as good a year, unfortunately. Two of my books there, <b>Resurrection Man</b> and <b>Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE</b>, are already on the cancellation pile. Mitch Shelley's adventures ended on a good point, though, that leaves the character out there for someone to pick up eventually, I hope. Frankenstein has one more issue to go, and it's been a wild ride, too. Jeff Lemire left mid-year, but Matt Kindt picked up the reins admirably, keeping the book's weird tone while delving a bit deeper into Frank's character. <b>Demon Knights</b> is still going, although writer Paul Cornell has left the building after delivering some top-notch, character-driven medieval adventure and intrigue, and proving that Vandal Savage is a badass no matter what century he's in. Here's hoping Robert Venditti can keep the torch going. But hey, at least Grant Morrison is writing <b>Batman, Incorporated</b> again.<br />
<br />
Speaking of British magicians moonlighting as comics writers, <b>League of Extraordinary Gentlemen</b> wrapped up its century-spanning third volume this year, and boy was it something. Much has been written about the story's use of one literary character in particular. Frankly, I enjoyed the story from beginning to end, unflattering pastiche of a book series I quite enjoued included. Moore's creepy, atmospheric version of the story, where everything went all wrong, was a pointed satire on the modern franchise-driven entertainment industry and what it means for literature and popular culture. If our bespectacled hero is an AntiChrist, he's ultimately a pathetic one, twisted by forces he can't comprehend into something he never asked or wanted to be. And, in a surprising but welcome twist, the story itself turns out to be Moore's own little Moonchild, an attempt to bring about a new vision of literature and culture for the 21st Century, while putting the 20th to rest with a mindful reverence. The League has been a story about the journey of the human imagination for quite some time, and in that respect, Century has reminded us that the next step in that journey can be whatever we want it to be. Also, Harry Potter kills Alan Quatermain with lightning from his dick. I don't think I'll ever not enjoy that.<br />
<br />
What else? Well, I got caught up on <b>Hellboy</b> and <b>BPRD</b>, probably the greatest ongoing comics saga not being strip-mined by Disney or Warner Bros. Fantagraphics released not one, but two<b> Carl Barks Duck Stories </b>and <b>Floyd Gottfredson Mickey Mouse</b> collections, featuring the classic material that got me into comics in the first place. Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan picked up the reins on Dark Horse's <b>Conan</b>, chronicling Conan's time as consort to the pirate queen, Belit, as portrayed in Howard's "Queen of the Black Coast." And hey, IDW teamed up <b>Star Trek: The Next Generation</b> and <b>Doctor Who</b>, so thanks for that particular nerdgasm, Chris Ryall.<br />
<br />
Digital also arrived, finally. I'm a print purist, myself, but anything that has more people reading more comics is a good thing, as far as I'm concerned. On the webcomics front, <b>The Abominable Charles Christopher</b> continued its sometimes silly, sometimes scary, always enjoyable adventure, and I started reading the absurd, wonderful magnum opus of Mike Norton, <b>Battlepug</b>. The world needs more comics with giant pugs in.<br />
<br />
Here's to 2013, then. May my favorite comics get even favorite-er, and may we all discover some truly awesome comics we never dreamed could exist.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-8235094045188336242012-12-22T09:15:00.000-05:002012-12-22T09:15:34.637-05:00I Aten't DeadJust a couple quick things before I start my holiday shenanigans.<br />
<br />
I wrote a post over on <a href="http://sequentialsalon.blogspot.com/">the Sequential Salon blog</a> about my reference shelf. There may be more posts there from me in the coming year.<br />
<br />
Favorite Comics of 2012 will be up sometime next week. Although it might just be me saying "Hawkeye Hawkeye Hawkeye" a couple thousand times.<br />
<br />
Finally, a quick "Happy Birthday" to <a href="http://tonyisabella.blogspot.com/">Tony Isabella</a>, one of the coolest and nicest guys in the comics industry (and the guy who pretty much invented comics blogging, back before "blogging" was a word).Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-22991826879052518542012-10-08T17:00:00.003-04:002012-10-08T17:00:49.984-04:00And So It Begins<i>Township</i> is finished, and has been submitted under its new title of <i>Greensparrow</i>.<br />
<br />
On to the next thing.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-29344454240897343072012-09-08T12:16:00.002-04:002012-09-08T12:16:19.659-04:00Never Forget<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/mnRjq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://i.imgur.com/mnRjq.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Unintended consequences. They're a bitch.<br />
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-64246547574077895672012-07-15T09:09:00.002-04:002012-07-15T09:09:32.922-04:00To My Nephew, Nearly Ten Hours OldHello, little one. I suspect you're rather confused right now, wondering what all of this is. It's called "the world". There's quite a lot to know about it, but don't worry, nobody expects you to learn it all at once. Your mom and dad will be there to help with a lot of the practical stuff: what to do when you're hungry or tired, where the important phone numbers are, what that big fuzzy yellow thing that lives in the house is, things like that. As for the rest, well, we're all sort of trying to figure that out ourselves. I'll be sure to let you know if I come up with any answers, though.<br />
<br />
I'm sorry, I should have introduced myself. I'm your Uncle Mike. I live some ways away, but I'll be dropping in to visit now and then. I'll always have a book for you when I do, I can promise you that. You won't get much use out of them right away, but I hope that, when you're able, you'll enjoy them very much. I did when I was young. Still do, really.<br />
<br />
Aside from that, I don't really have much in the way of official duties. I'll teach you some stupid jokes, give you great big hugs, and possibly pass along a little bit of wisdom. There might also be some cousins for you down the road, although I make no promises.<br />
<br />
For now, though I'm going to crib from one of my favorite writers, Kurt Vonnegut, whose books I will give you when you are much, much older. His advice to newborns was, in part, "You've got to be kind." (Again, you'll read the full quote when you're older.) I find it's good advice, even at what I'm sure to you is the ripe old age of thirty. Keep it close to your heart, and you'll do just fine.<br />
<br />
Hello, little one. We haven't met yet, but I love you. Welcome to the world.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-39797436265332723162012-06-25T15:05:00.003-04:002012-06-25T15:05:54.948-04:00An Open Letter To GoogleI am <i>never </i>going to give you my phone number. Stop asking for it.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-53048965667520703152012-06-07T18:16:00.000-04:002012-06-07T18:16:03.428-04:00RIP Ray BradburyEnjoy your endless summer.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-30133009893194015142012-05-26T14:44:00.001-04:002012-05-26T14:44:43.157-04:00And That Took About Exactly As Long As I ExpectedThe first <i>Township</i> revision is done. The new draft is 23 chapters, 95063 words, 265 pages. A bit longer than I expected it to be, actually, but the right length for now.<br />
<br />
Up next is the beta process. The road goes ever on and on...Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-9824467979272271112012-05-26T12:56:00.001-04:002012-05-26T12:56:05.570-04:00Against My Better JudgmentI now have a Twitter account. Blame Brian Cronin and The Line It Must Be Drawn.<br />
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Interested parties who know my email address can request my name.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-79048673655588201692012-05-02T15:01:00.001-04:002012-05-02T15:01:24.677-04:00An Open Letter To Dan SlottSPIDER-MAN DOES NOT FUCKING TORTURE PEOPLE.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-59364402540162537272012-03-24T17:47:00.001-04:002012-03-24T17:47:17.735-04:00Well, That Took Longer Than ExpectedThe first draft of <i>Township</i> is done. Twenty-five chapters, 101,163 words, 281 manuscript pages. This is the largest and longest anything I've ever done. Part of me is still surprised that I was able to do it.<br />
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I started writing this novel two years, two months, and twenty-three days ago. It shouldn't have taken this long. Why it did is a long, boring story that's been going on for thirty years or so. Suffice it to say that this wasn't just about learning how to develop characters and themes, pace scenes, and flesh out a plot; it was also about learning how to get out of my own way.<br />
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There's plenty more work to be done. There's heavy revision to be done on the first half or so, and no doubt plenty in the second as well. Then I've got to round up some beta readers. There'll be three drafts in all, although I'll probably keep only one on my computer when it's all over. And there's the whole process of getting it published, which will be an adventure in itself.<br />
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I also need to come up with a new title. My mother doesn't like this one, and while I don't often let her make these sorts of decisions, she's happens to be right this time.<br />
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All that can wait, though. I'm going to take Stephen King's advice and let it sit for a bit before I start the revisions. Not long, but enough to let my head clear. I've got another writing project to work on in the meantime (yes, Jeff and Alex, that one). <br />
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Right now, though, I'm going to bask in the new and heady sense of accomplishment. I rather enjoy the feeling so far.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-42524968955205987652012-03-22T19:41:00.001-04:002012-03-22T22:07:24.546-04:00Ding, Dong, The Witch Is DeadWhich old witch? The personification-of-the-parts-of-my-personality-I-don't-like witch!Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-34047380347233475812012-03-22T12:57:00.000-04:002012-03-22T12:57:00.686-04:00Kelly Thompson, I Take Issue With Your Review of Wonder Woman #7<a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=4568">You left out "slavers."</a>Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796556.post-38422140643370780052012-03-12T19:41:00.001-04:002012-03-12T19:41:06.182-04:00Thing #476 That Bugs Me About Geoff Johns's Rainbow Lantern "Mythos"The "Greed Lantern" is depicted as a comic figure.<br />
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The "Compassion Lanterns" are depicted as sinister.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14947233996077734991noreply@blogger.com0