Todd Klein's Blog, page 220

And Then I Read: AQUAMAN 40

Image © DC Comics.

One thing the recent changes to the DC line have caused is a reason for some titles to come to an end, and give readers a sense of closure. This works better for AQUAMAN than a few other titles I’ve read lately. While I’m sure there will be a new Aquaman comic in the future, this run ends here, and in a satisfying way.

Much of the issue is a battle between fire and water, something that has worked in comics since the golden age fights of The Human Torch and The Sub-mariner, and it makes for effective visuals and conflicts. The Maelstrom storyline comes to an end with Aquaman’s mother found, but not much personal resolution for Arthur Curry, though the very end of the book does offer him some comfort. Where things might go next for Arthur and Mera is anyone’s guess, but I’ve enjoyed this 40-issue run for the most part, and had a good time reading this issue.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: G.I. ZOMBIE 8

Image © DC Comics.

I’ll miss this, even though I’m not a fan of the whole zombie thing. Writers Justin Gray and Jimmie Palmiotti, and especially my old friend artist Scott Hampton made it compelling, exciting, and fun. Look, they finally let Scott do the cover on this one!

Not much point in promoting the plot or characters at this point, it’s the final issue “for now,” but I highly recommend getting the collected edition if one comes out, or pick up the back issues and enjoy them as I did.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: THE FABULOUS RIVERBOAT by Philip Jose Farmer

One type of meta-fiction that is considered a relatively new development by many readers puts a group of characters from many authors and stories together in a new book. In comics, this is epitomized by THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN by writer Alan Moore and artist Kevin O’Neill. The first example I can think of in science fiction or fantasy is the novel “Silverlock” by John Myers Myers, published in 1949. In it, the title character finds himself in a fantasy world inhabited by dozens, perhaps hundreds of characters from other literery and mythical works. That book may have inspired writer Philip Jose Farmer’s “Riverworld” novels, of which this is the second. I read the first, “To Your Scattered Bodies Go” not long after it came out in 1971, but I only remembered the broad concepts, not much of the plot.

Riverworld is a mysterious future world that has been terraformed to create one very long river valley that winds in spiral fashion from one pole to the next, or so I imagine from the descriptions. On it are reborn men and women from Earth, real people from all times and places, but also literary characters from myths, legends, and stories, as in the Myers book. The protagonist is Samuel Clemens, writer Mark Twain, and his dream is to reach the North Pole of Riverworld where the truth about its creation may lie. To do that, he is determined to build a huge riverboat that he can pilot through the thousands of miles of river to its source.

As one learns in this second book of the series, his problems are immense. For one, there is no technology, no metal, and no industry on Riverworld. Basic needs such as food, clothing and “recreational” supplements like alcohol and drugs are supplied by the unknown creators of the place through devices called “grails,” set at regular intervals along both river banks. War, fighting and death are common among the many people and cultures on Riverworld, but if one dies, one is simply resurrected again, though usually thousands of miles away from where one was, interrupting any ongoing schemes or plans.

Sam has some powerful allies in his quest to build a riverboat, and soon makes dire enemies as well, who want the resources he goes about gathering and uncovering. It’s a fascinating story with many ups and downs, and a cast of characters that are quite entertaining, even though the book does not delve deeply into any of them other than Sam. It’s more of a plot-driven adventure story, but one that’s hard to put down. I enjoyed it, and I think I will eventually locate and read the rest of the series.

Recommended.

Pulled From My Files #29: URBAN JUNGLE

Image © Marvel.

Before all comics news was readily available online, before Diamond Previews, before comic shops, one of the ways to market your comic to buyers was the “Next Issue” blurb at the end of each story or issue. Some of the best letterers like Gaspar Saladino made an art of it, creating intriguing graphics that urged readers to come back for more, and of course it was also the writer’s job to intrigue those readers with enticing “copy,” or promotional text and titles. By the time I was lettering KA-ZAR for Marvel Comics in 1997, next issue blurbs were no longer a very important selling tool, but writer Mark Waid still liked to write them, and I still liked lettering them, so we did. Here’s one I’d forgotten, I saved photocopies in my files so I could reuse the title. Not sure how many times I reused it, but probably at least once. It’s not the sort of thing I’d want to do on the computer, but drawing it by hand didn’t take too long. I imagine I pencilled it, inked the ivy first, then the letters. Even so, saving a little time by reusing it made sense.

And Then I Read: ASTRO CITY 21

Image © Juke Box Productions.

When you’ve been writing comics as long as Kurt Busiek, exploring the complete career arc of a super-hero is something that can be told with insight, wisdom and maturity. Quarrel and Crackerjack’s story comes to an end that has all those things, plus action, emotional resonance, and a villain with a cool name derived from a trilogy by Mervyn Peake I really should read again. Quarrel has a lot to deal with, including the capture and brutal exploitation of her life-partner Crackerjack that leaves him close to death. She’s already been questioning her own continued career as a super-hero, and a visit to her father helps put things in perspective. Fine art by Brent Anderson, an amazing cover by Alex Ross, and excellent work by Alex Sinclair and Comicraft on coloring and lettering. If this comic is not for you, wait a few years, it will be.

Highly recommended.

2015 World Series of Birding Report

Images © Todd Klein, except as noted.

Our long birding day began at 5 AM in predawn darkness in the parking lot of the Cape May Meadows, the Nature Conservancy preserve in Cape May where 19 participants, including team chief Mike Crewe and other leaders, loaded our gear on the small shuttle bus we used for the first time this year to get us around. The weather was cool but not cold, and foggy, so rather damp. Fog is not typical in our area, where the prevailing wind is from the west, but this week we’d had warm winds off the ocean from the southeast, creating fog off and on for several days in a row. The temperature was cool but comfortable, very light wind, and the promise of clearing later.

As we began birding with a walk through the Cape May Meadows preserve, it became clear that much of our checklist would come from birds heard and barely seen, if seen at all. This is fine of you know the songs, as heard counts the same as seen. There were no brand-new team members, everyone had been on at least one previous World Series with us, so we knew what to expect, and as songs were identified, we all ticked them off mentally. The beginning of the day is always the best for that, when everything counts from Starlings and House Sparrows to rarities, and our list grew quickly.

As it got lighter, we were able to see some birds, which made it more fun. Cape May has many kinds of ducks in the winter, but most of those had flown north already, so we didn’t see many.

I have few bird photos this year, as usual, because many of the birds we were counting were too far away for a good picture with my camera, but the always photogenic and cooperative Great Egret was an exception.

The wetlands were beautiful in the fog, but it made bird identification difficult, and we missed things we should have seen because of it. For instance, we never had a clear view of the ocean and the birds that stay out on it. This was true in other places through the day. Also, the weather had kept new migrating songbirds from arriving in our area, while most of the previous ones that don’t nest here had already moved on, thus our checklist had a low total this year. So it goes sometimes.

The checklist highlight of the day came at our next spot, where a male Painted Bunting had been hanging out for a few days. It’s a bird that shouldn’t be in New Jersey at all, a rare visitor who strayed north from his usual habitat further south, and we found him without too much searching, singing and in plain, though foggy, view.

Image © Jess Yarnell.

The male Painted Bunting is one of the most striking and colorful birds in North America, here’s how it looks under ideal conditions. We didn’t have those, but still enjoyed seeing it for several minutes. It’s a bird not on our printed checklist, so we wrote it in, always a fun thing to do. The two ticks I picked up on the day were probably from the tall grass we had to walk through to see it, but well worth it!

Our next stop was Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area, where it was less foggy. We found more birds for our list there, but not the large number of migrating songbirds that are present when conditions are right.

There was a Field Sparrow singing quite close to us at one point, as seen above. This is a bird whose song is described as a bouncing ping-pong ball, in that the notes get gradually shorter and faster. You can hear it on the video at the end of this report.

At 8:20 AM with 66 species on our checklist, we drove from Cape Island at the southern tip of New Jersey to Belleplain State Forest at the northwest corner of Cape May County to find more songbirds. Our team only birds in Cape May County, so this was as far as we’d drive in one go, about 40 minutes, but we crossed the county several times as the day progressed. There were many good birds in Belleplain, and we heard or saw nearly all of the nesting songbirds we expected there. Nearly all, but a few were silent and staying hidden and again very few migrants. After birding in several places in Belleplain, we headed south again to the Delaware Bayshore with 88 species on our list at 11:30 AM.

Our first stop was at Cooks Beach, were there were few birds…

…but I did get a good picture of Horseshoe Crabs laying eggs. This is a major source of food for migrating shorebirds, some rare or endangered, and crab numbers have dwindled alarmingly due to over-harvesting. But the harvesting has been banned for several years now, and the crabs are just starting to make a comeback. Whether it will be in time for some shorebirds like Red Knot remains to be seen.

Also at Cooks Beach were massive swarms of biting gnats, known locally as “no-see-ums.” We saw far too many of them, and unfortunately most bug repellents don’t work on them, so you just have to put up with their annoying bites. They get into your ears and eyes, too. Nasty creatures! We found a few species here, including a soaring Bald Eagle, then moved on.

Next was Reeds Beach, where there were lots more birds like this mass of gulls feeding on Horseshoe Crab Eggs. They’re mostly Laughing Gulls, the ones with the black heads, and their calls are deafening! You can hear them on the video.

Also there were lots of Double-crested Cormorants, many perched on this row of posts.

We made a few more stops, including the Cape May County Airport for Horned Lark. Our total reached 100 species at 1 PM, but all the easy ones were checked off now, and it would get much harder the rest of the day. Fortunately we were ready for a great lunch at the Cape May Point State Park, prepared and provided by Shari Rosenbloom, one of our team! It was incredibly good and wonderfully generous of her, much better than any WSB meal we’ve ever had! I made a large wrap with tuna, salad greens and grilled vegetables. Yum!

Then we got back on our bus, excellently driven all day by co-owner Chris, renewed and ready for more birding.

After our late lunch we went to The Beanery, a working farm in Cape May where New Jersey Audubon leases birding rights. There, in wet woods, some of us were able to see or hear a pair of nesting Prothonotary Warblers. Our team rule is that at least one participant has to see or hear any bird we count as well as the leaders, and most are seen and heard by many participants, but with 19 people, everyone is bound to miss things. We were working hard now on a warm and mostly sunny afternoon to get one new bird at a time.

We stopped for a scan of the Cape May Harbor as we headed north again, and found a Common Loon there, and a few other species.

In Avalon, on the ocean side of Cape May County, we were able to find Piping Plover, another endangered species that is getting harder to find every year. There the fog was beginning to roll in again.

Elsewhere in Avalon we found Yellow-Crowned Night-Herons, and I got a good photo of an Osprey, we’d seen plenty of those. We found more birds on Nummy Island, and other places at the shore, then headed west again with about 118 species on our list at about 6 PM. With about three hours of daylight left, we thought we’d add at least another 10 species, but it wasn’t to be. Cattle Egret was spotted in Swainton, then we headed back to Belleplain, hoping to find a few things we’d missed in the morning.

At the Boy Scout camp, we had great looks at a singing male Scarlet Tanager, but we’d already heard one earlier, so it wasn’t new for the list.

As the sun went down we searched Belleplain in vain for new things, and just as we were about to leave at about 8 PM, a Summer Tanager gave its distinctive call of “pitti-tuck,” so we were able to add it as species number 121.  A trip to Jake’s Landing is usually our final daylight stop, and one where we get at least a few more species, but there the fog had moved in, and we saw and heard nothing new. So, around 9 PM we headed south to our starting point to get our cars.

We said goodbye to Chris and his bus, and all drove to the Grand Hotel for the Finish Line, and more food as well as time to rehash our day and go over our checklist before turning it in. One change this year is that our team did not compete for the Level 1 awards, along with 40 or so other top teams, our leader Mike Crewe decided we should be a Level 2 or non-competing team this year. We were never in contention for the awards anyway, so I thought that was fine. The only drawback is our result doesn’t appear on this year’s OFFICIAL RESULTS. If it did, we’d be about in the middle of our Cape May County-only group, as usual. It’s tough to beat teams who spend nearly all of 24 hours at it, and many days beforehand scouting and preparing. Our team is more relaxed and fun, and we like it that way!

Here’s that video I put together, a few clips from various times during the day. Despite weather problems, we had a great time. 121 species seen this year, way down from last year’s 139, but we worked hard for it, and hopefully next year’s total will be higher. And once again I have to offer huge heartfelt thanks to my World Series supporters who this year have allowed me to raise nearly a thousand dollars for the excellent work the Cape May Bird Observatory does. You know who you are, huge applause!

 

 

WSB Tomorrow!

Tomorrow I’ll be doing the World Series of Birding with my team, the Cape May Century Run. The weather prediction is good for us participants, not so good for migrating songbirds: light southeast winds, fog in the morning, getting sunny later, temperatures from 55 early to the low 70s later. Could be worse!

Today I’m gathering my gear and snacks, going over the list of things to bring. Tomorrow morning I’ll get up at 3:15 AM, planning to leave the house at 4:15 to meet the team in Cape May before our start time of 5 AM. We’ll bird all day around Cape May County, getting back to the Finish Line in Cape May around 10 PM, and I should stagger in my own door around 11 PM. A long day, but usually a fun one, and raising money for a great cause: New Jersey Audubon’s Cape May Bird Observatory.

I have a great group of supporters again this year who have pledged $1 or more per species that our team sees. I’m thankful, but a little disappointed they’re all repeat pledgers, no new ones have come forward. It’s not too late if you’d like to pledge, drop me an EMAIL with a pledge of 10 cents per species or more, and I’ll be eternally grateful. Here’s an article from the local paper about the WSB you might enjoy.

I hope to be posting brief updates on my Facebook page tomorrow, that’s Todd Klein, artist, and a full report here on Sunday, hopefully, if I can manage to get it together by then. Wish us luck!

And Then I Read: THE AUTUMNLANDS 4

Image © Kurt Busiek and Benjamin Dewey.

What a fun book this is. The plot and characters continue to grow deeper and more complex, heading for “Game of Thrones” territory, but without the grimness and gore — at least so far. Dusty, the viewpoint character on the cover, is a charming starry-eyed kid, swept into the spell of heroic adventures accomplished so far by Learoyd, the “Champion” human called here from the distant past. Learoyd is battle-smart, and so far is keeping ahead of the broken city’s many opponents, but the latter are closing in. He has a “Mowgli” grown-up feel about him that I like, too. The various wizards and diplomats are entertaining in their own way, even if they’re all bumbling around in the dark of their new situation, and the foxy trader is playing everyone. In addition to all this, there are cool ideas like the walking chair and the mystery of the old-time pulp adventure spreads on the second and third pages of each issue. Are they just for flavor, or is that another part of the story? Great stuff by Busiek, Dewey and company.

Highly recommended.

Morning Walk

Images © Todd Klein, except as noted.

Six days from now I’ll be outside all day long for the World Series of Birding. This is prime birding time in southern New Jersey, but I’ve been so busy with work I’ve had hardly any time to get out and see birds (or post here!). This morning I was able to take the short drive to Belleplain State Forest for an hour’s walk on a lovely if chilly morning. I stopped first near the Boy Scout camp, where as expected, I heard Summer Tanagers singing, two of them competing for territory. I spent ten minutes looking for them, but couldn’t see them, or the other birds I was hearing. Such is often the case. I drove on to my favorite spot by the bridge on Sunset Road.

I walked about a half mile between the two bridges, one on Sunset, the other on New Bridge Road, hearing lots of great bird songs and seeing a few singers.

I had good binocular looks at a singing male Hooded Warbler like the one in this photo by Shaphan Shank ( © Kevin Shank Family), but not close enough to photograph myself. Other cool birds were singing, but not visible, like Acadian Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Warbler and Worm-eating Warbler.

The morning sun came and went through patchy clouds…

…and was soon warming the oak trees still just beginning to leaf out. It was quiet except for the songs of Ovenbirds, Tufted Titmice, White-eyed Vireos, and lots more. What a great start to my morning!

Now I have to get back to work, but my walk has satisfied my soul for the day’s enterprise. This time next week I will be putting together my report on my team’s big day in The World Series of Birding. It’s the one fundraiser I participate in each year, and if you’d be willing to help with a small pledge for our efforts, I’d be very grateful. Click on the link at the top of this article to learn more. Thanks.

And Then I Read: GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS 40

Image © DC Comics.

Looks like this GREEN LANTERN spinoff ends here, as it says above, though Kyle Rayner and Carol Ferris certainly will not, nor will the Corps itself. So, this issue is all about giving a sense of closure without much real closure. A big battle against an evil monster, teamwork overcoming great odds, some playful banter, and off into the sunset. Nothing unexpected. The art looks okay, though it’s a bit cartoony for my taste, at least on this title.

Mildly recommended.