Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 519

November 26, 2011: Bath time! Tara needs your help! Snow Monkeys need a win! And more comic book thoughts!

The gang cleans pretty nice.  They're all presentable now and ready to put in an appearance at your special occasion, be it a birthday party, anniversary, or wedding.  Book now to avoid disappointment.

Speaking of disappointment – tomorrow will be a HUGE day for my Snow Monkeys who are clinging to the last playoff spot in our Stargate fantasy football league.  This weekend, the second to last week of play, sees my 6-5 Monkeys playing the 5-6 Autodrafts.  Plenty of permutations to consider but, suffice it to say a win this weekend secures that playoff spot.  A loss puts me on very unsteady ground.  In an all-out bid to get that win, I traded injured star RB Adrian Peterson for RB Rashad Mendenhall (who has a nice match-up against the hapless KC Chiefs) and QB Cam Newton who I'll be starting ahead of Tony Romo (and good thing too given Romo's performance on Thursday).

Hanging on to that final playoff spot!

Hey, head on over to Tara Yelland's blog and check out THIS entry (Headshots! Survivor!) where she talks Survivor and asks her readers to weigh in on the dozen or so headshots she took the other day.  Help a gal out.

Continuing my quest to get back into comic books by reading every title out there…

GREEN LANTERN #1-3

I've always found the Green Lantern a hard character to like.  I mean, he's a character I really want to like.  I love the idea of a hero's powers being contained in a ring, a portable device capable of being taken, lost, or exploited. In this case, the ring's power manifests itself as "hard light constructs" originating from the wearer's imagination – anything from the good (cool alien weaponry), the bad (a giant boxing glove), to the inane (a giant baseball mitt for catching plummeting allies).  Oh, and all said manifestations are green.  So you can see the potential for cartoon silliness.  As a result, I approached this latest incarnation of Green Lantern as I approached past incarnations – with muted expectations and a certain sense of trepidation.  But again, like the new Green Lantern Corps series, I came away pleasantly impressed.  It's surprisingly dark in comparison to past GL stories I've read, with longtime arch-villain Sinestro joining the corps and enlisting a recently deactivated Hal Jordan to help him rescue his homeworld – by taking on his former allies, the Sinestro Corps.  The story moves at a rapid pace with plenty of action, but also offers up some terrific little character moments for not only Hal but Sinestro as well.  P.S. What happened to Kyle Rayner?

Verdict: Finally, a Green Lantern series with dark potential.  So far, so hooked.

FF #9-11

I always enjoyed reading the Fantastic Four for its mix of superheroics and super scifi.  Their origin and their powers have SF roots (their doomed spaceflight), they've battled cosmic entities (Galactus, Blastaar, Annihulus), and their leader is a brilliant scientist and inventor.  Of course, the mix of the more complex SF and superhero elements has its drawbacks for the casual reader as well as I soon discovered when I checked out #9 to #11 of FF.  Despite the handy paragraph-long intros that provide the backstory to the individual issues, I had no idea what was going on.  I mean, I sort of got the gist, but I didn't recognize quite a few of the characters, couldn't figure out their motivations, nor could I track the mythology-heavy backstory. Bentley, Alex Powers, Nathaniel Richards, Leech, the Supremor – all, no doubt, would make for a most intricate and satisfying narrative provided I'd been following the series and not hopping on its ninth issue.

Verdict: Unfortunately, way too confusing for me.  Will give the longer running Fantastic Four title a shot instead.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #1-3

When I first started reading comics, my titles of choice were the superteams: the Avengers, the X-Men and, occasionally, the Defenders and Champions.  I loved the team dynamics, the sometimes rocky but ever-supportive relations that typified these books.  Although I didn't grow up with the Justice League, it's a title I've checked out over the years.  And so, I was interested to see how this latest incarnation of the team would fare.  Alas, while I was expecting a new team and new team dynamics, I was not expecting a total reboot.  With Justice League #1, we are back at square #1 as we explore the very first meeting of the super-powered individuals who will subsequently form the JLA.  My reader response here was the exact opposite to my FF experience.  Whereas I found the latter too confusing, I found the former too straightforward, covering ground I was well familiar with. Not bad for those looking to get in on the ground floor, but a little slow for this reader.

Verdict: I fee like we're covering well-trodden ground.  I'll shift my focus to Justice League Dark.

CATWOMAN #1-3

Hmmm.  Mixed feelings on this one.  On the one hand, we've got a great character in Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman), a loner with a criminal bent, but possessed of a professionalism and allure that makes her altogether fascinating.  She's cool and collected under fire, yet there are moments in which we glimpse her vulnerabilities, the most interesting of which comes to fore in her surprisingly carnal relationship with Batman.  All great and there's even the bonus of a wonderful supporting player through whom we'll be able to gain a better understanding of our heroine.  On the other hand, there's a fairly straightforward story driving the narrative, the action feels at times gratuitously violent, and that supporting player with some much promise gets offed pretty early on in gruesome fashion.  This version of Selina Kyle is, for some reason, struggling to survive, a vagabond who must rely on the generosity of a friend to get by.  It's a far cry from past versions of Selina who've used the money they've made fleecing big targets to set themselves up quite nicely – living in penthouse suites, running in high society social circles, and demonstrating intelligence and resourcefulness in staying steps ahead of both her enemies and Batman.

Verdict: Alas, too far removed from the Catwoman I knew.  Not a title I'll continue with.

Hmmm.  Batting a little over 500 on the new comics – 6 yeas and 5 nays.  So what about all the other comic fans out there.  What are you reading and enjoying?

November 25, 2011: A Stargate Reunion! Plotting Dark Matter's course! Wading through what seems like every comic out there!

So, last night, I was online, finishing up a little historical research, when I happened across my old Stargate address.  Wonder what the old gang is doing?, I wondered.  Well, there was only one way to find out.  I sent out a bunch of emails before calling it a night.  This morning, I woke up to a couple of dozen replies.  Turns out I have a lot of catching up to do.  Making plans to do some coffees, lunches, and dinners – in addition to attending the Stargate Christmas reunion being organized by the lovely Tanja Balic.

Things are moving along nicely on the Dark Matter front.  As you know, the comic book launches on January 11, 2012 and the plan is to use it as a springboard to a television series.  Big conference call planned for next week to discuss strategy – and a brilliant suggestion by my Canadian agent that, if it pans out, should result in the rest of the pieces falling into place quite nicely.

Well, I'm back in the comic book swing of things and, in order to figure out which books I should be following, I've elected to go the "trial and error" route by buying three issues of every ongoing title out there and giving them a shot.  If they impress after three, I'll keep picking them up.  If not, I'll drop them.  Presumably, this method will allow me to whittle down my choices to the select few books I'll continue to follow to my dying days.

Anyhoo, kicked things off a couple of entries back with my thoughts of the new Batman & Robin relaunch.  Today, I've got some catching up to do…

BATMAN #1-3

I've always enjoyed the Batman line for its gritty, grounded stories and darker tone.  Even the most colorful members of the Dark Knight's rogue's gallery are more sinister than silly, less the over-the-top villains found in other titles and more of the believable threats one would expect from a more mature narrative (movies notwithstanding).  This new Batman title did not disappoint, weaving an engaging and eerily unnerving narrative involving a grisly murder, an attempt on the life of Bruce Wayne, and a secret society known as The Court of Owls.  Lots to like here.

Verdict: Scott Snyder's opening story is tightly written and well-paced. Definitely continuing with this series.

THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN ("SPIDER ISLAND STORYLINE") #666-673

Like Batman, Spiderman is a character I've always enjoyed reading although the tone of his books tend to contrast greatly with that of the Dark Knight's.  The Spiderman books have always been far more colorful with grand, over-the-top villains and stories.  Of course, that never made Spiderman less enjoyable.  Usually.  There were always certain storylines that felt more cartoonish and silly but, really, they could be excused as more a change of pace than the norm, narrative blips that never really marred the whole.  In the case of the big multi-issue/cross-over Spider Island event, it was a little harder to ignore. Even by Spidey's generally broader arcs, this one felt a little OTT.  The inclusion of other Marvel heavy-hitters seemed beside the point as they just seemed on hand to provide spectacular background combat while the true story moved along.  I quite liked the character moments – particularly Pete's moments with MJ in those final two issues – but thought that Peter's new girlfriend made a huge leap in logic in concluding he was Spiderman.  As far as major events go, the Spider Island arc paled in comparison to far more provocative events like Civil War.  P.S. Peter Parker has a long lost brother named Kaine?  Just like the Undertaker in WWE?  For real?

Verdict: Really liked the character moments but the whole Spider Island menace ultimately felt insubstantial to me, a less inspired threat than its premise.  Read the first issue of the following story-arc and that didn't really grab me either.  Sadly, I think I'm going to move on.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1-3

Now this title surprised me, setting up a nice mystery in its opening issue and introducing an interesting character in the affable Guy Gardner, a character I never really liked in the past who comes across as strangely endearing in GLC.  Love the art and the SF trappings and, while the story seems to slow down after the first issue, devolving into an extended fight sequence, it holds much promise.

Verdict: I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed it.  Hopefully, the pace will pick up in issue #4.  Will definitely be continuing with this one to see how things progress.

THE ULTIMATES #1-3

One of the drawbacks of reading an established title is you go in with the knowledge that, barring some pre-announced shake-up, there aren't going to be any big surprises.  Small surprises, sure, but not the shocking, earths-shattering developments whose ramifications resonate throughout the superheroic universe – like, say, the death of Spiderman, because you know Spiderman is a bread and butter character and there's no way Marvel would…oh, check that.  Marvel DID kill off Spiderman (R.I.P. Peter Parker), albeit in an alternate timeline. And this is why the Ultimates titles appeal to me.  I don't want to go in knowing that a book's writer has been given free reign to play in the sandbox so long as they remember to put all the toys back when they're done.   I like surprises.  And this new incarnation of the Ultimates delivers with a story at times more SF than superhero-inspired, with plenty of big concept twists, shocking turns, and a genuinely suspenseful build-up to what could well be a hopeless showdown with a seemingly superior foe.  Serious and smart.

Verdict: I'm on the edge of my seat.  Of course I'll be picking up the next issue!

DEATHSTROKE #1-3

Oof.  I like dark characters and villains in particular (loved Gail Simone's Secret Six), but only if I, as a reader, can connect with them on some level. They don't even have to be likable necessarily, simply engaging or worthy of respect.  Unfortunately, Deathstroke in this book is a far cry from Deadshot.  While both, for the most part, come across as assholes, Deadshot possesses a depth and humor that redeems him to a certain extent.  Deathstroke, on the other hand, is an incredibly unlikable character doing repugnant things.  There is one point in the opening arc in which he chases down a middle-man who helped set up a deal, leading to a major, messy, violent scenario – a scenario, Deathstroke later admits, that he merely set up to gain some cred. Seemingly lost in all the pyrotechnics is the innocent bystander, a woman in a car, who takes a headshot while it's all going down.  By the end of the third issue, when we find out who is coming after Deathstroke and why, I can actually empathize with their cause and wish they would actually succeed.

Verdict: An incredibly unlikable character in Slade Wilson makes for a difficult read.  Pass.

ULTIMATE SPIDERMAN #1-4

To be honest, I was very wary about this one going in.  Despite my respect for the talented Mr. Bendis, I was a little concerned about the decision to move so far away from the established mythology by passing the mantle from Peter Parker to an all-new Spiderman.  Who am I kidding?  I was a lot concerned – but the story and its characters thoroughly won me over.  Bendis strengths are in full display here, creating and developing grounded, believable, multi-layered characters as they relate to superhuman struggles.  A lot of nice, little touches in the book, humorous and poignant, especially when it comes to the supporting players.  Love Miles' awestruck sidekick, Ganke.

Verdict: Terrific.  Definitely on my to-read list.

November 24, 2011: Au Revoir! Auf Wiedersehen! And football!

Sadly, all good things come to an end, be it a great dinner, a favorite t.v. show or a cross-country visit from good friends.  Alexander and Sarah are (eventually) Paris-bound via Toronto via Los Angeles via Berlin via Toronto.  Their last day with us went like this…

Sarah makes pain perdu.

Et voila!

Maximus taking it easy after his big operation.

Alexander at work. He never stops!

The special message Akemi gave Alex (that roughly translates to "Don't work yourself to death"), forever tacked onto the back of his laptop.

Bubba kicks back.

Dim sum at Sun Sui Wah

Surprisingly, Alex wasn't a fan of the beef tendon.

Seeing Alexander and Sarah off.

Best of buddies!

Auf Wiedersehen! Au Revoir!

Jelly is bummed.

Happy Thanksgiving!  Here at Casa Mallozzi, we celebrated with food and football!

Rob presents...the meatpies in three delicious varieties: curry lamb, jerk beef, and chorizo and onions!

Ivon in football mode.

Maximus missing our guests.

November 23, 2011: Maximus lookin' good! My second Dark Matter interview! More Alexander and Sarah!

Maximus had his follow-up yesterday and the vet says he's recovering nicely from the surgery that removed 80% of his melanoma.  Look at the handsome fella.  He looks ten (dog) years younger!

Another Dark Matter interview is up, this one over at PopCultureZoo. In this one, I sit down with Joseph Dilworth Jr. and discuss similarities between the end of SGU and the beginning of Dark Matter, writing for comics, teams vs. single-hero stories, and plans for the series: http://popculturezoo.com/2011/11/joseph-mallozzi-discusses-dark-matter/.

The first issue hits the stands January 11, 2012.  Start getting the word out!

Well, it didn't take Alex long to hit the wall.  After only two days of eating Mallozzi-style, Alexander was feeling overwhelmed.  Amateur. Sure, he blames me – but I blame this:

P.S. Love the way the first five seconds of that video is frozen in time.

Bubba wishes to hazard a turkey sausage.

Since Alex was feeling a little under the weather, I decided to take it easy on his sad, fragile little stomach.  And so, for lunch, we ended up at Memphis Blues Barbecue for a nice, light salad.  And a side order of something called The Memphis Feast…

All settled in and ready to eat.

This guy.

The ladies.

The girls of Memphis Blues Barbecue. I've got a calendar idea. Miss July.

Miss August.

The Memphis Feast!

Sarah wonders what the hell the rest of us are going to eat!

Following lunch, we did a little shopping.  Alexander was on the hunt…

Looking for his favorite Stetson cologne. Sadly, it was only available in a three pack with two lesser (lesser) colognes.

I had to point out Tim McGraw collection. He informed me he already had it but didn't wear it because Sarah didn't like the smell (of what? Roadhouse and barn?). No kidding.

We returned home and, while they all relaxed, I seized the opportunity to do a little blogging.

With the help of my trusty assistant.

And then, it was off to dinner!  Because of Alex's delicate constitution, we elected to go for sushi instead of instead of Italian.  Our destination – Akemi's favorite Japanese restaurant in Vancouver (she loves the rice!): Miku.

All settled in and ready to eat. Again.

Showing off my chopstick kills. Look at how impressed Alex is.

The salmon sashimi. Gorgeous and delicious.

The tuna sashimi. See above.

The aburi salmon oshizushi. My favorite, with its smoky charcoal undertone and jalapeno and black pepper kick.

Alex seemed to have turned the corner by dinner's end, so we ended up making the short walk to Bella Gelateria for dessert.

Ice cream for everyone!

A rare shot of me in action.

And then, of course, it was back to HQ for some late night laptopping.

Sarah and Lulu take turns updating their facebook profiles.

November 22, 2011: Either a power line's down or someone's coming to kill you! A leisurely day with the Europeans!

"What was that?!"asked Akemi, suddenly sitting up.

"I think it was one of the dogs,"I suggested in my half-awake state.

"Not the dogs,"she said.  "I heard something.  Downstairs.  And the alarm went beereepee."

Heard something?  Downstairs?  Beereepee?  I crawled out of bed and hit the lights.  The room remained dark.  I glanced over at the nightstand.  My digital clock was dark as well.  The home alarm was lit up red.  The first thing that came to mind was those professional hits were they cut power to a place in order to disable the alarm before moving in to kill their intended target.  The second thing that came to mind was the storm raging outside and how it had, in all probability, caused a power outage.   Turned out the latter was correct.

Alexander told me about an incident in a house he once rented.  In the middle of the night, he heard a bump from the closet in the middle of the night.  He got up to investigate, didn't find anything inside the closet per se – but did find a trapdoor IN the closet that led up to, as he put it "a room like the one in The Grudge".  Fortunately, Alexander is still with us so I assume he didn't find anything hiding up there.  Could have been worse.  He could have discovered someone who had been hiding in his closet for over a year – like that guy in Japan.

Anyway, later today…

Akemi: "So what happened?  BC Hydro apologize to you?"

Joe: "No."

Akemi: "Rude."

Another late morning wake-up – which was fine as it allowed Akemi and I to put together a monster brunch…

Lulu, the first one up, waiting for the action to commence.

No, he didn't microwave a mouse. Alexander attempts to master the fine art of defrosting frozen raspberries. This was his first of two attempts - that ended with the exact same results.

Le Brunchez-Vous: various pates, terrine, a chanterelle and feta omelet, hard-boiled eggs, steelcut Irish oatmeal with brown sugar, crusty baguette, bagels, cheese, salamis, and a terrific breakfast juice (beets, carrot, apple, pear, and ginger).

We followed the leisurely brunch with a leisurely stroll downtown…

Jombies!!! What Akemi calls zombies after being inspired by recent episodes of The Walking Dead (or, as Lawren now refers to it: The Talking Dead).

Break time!

A rare photo of Alexander and me. I should post more of these as there's a chance I may want to sponsor him too some day.

We brave the cold to check out the art gallery! Well, not the actual art gallery but the adjoining gift shop. Close enough!

We dropped by Chapters where I picked up three volumes of the Herman collection. And forget my gloves. But find them when Akemi and I go back to look for them. She insists on my taking a pic of the forlorn gloves. A powerful lesson learned.

 We returned home for some late afternoon R&R.

The pugs also enjoy some late afternoon R&R.

For dinner, we headed to West Vancouver's best restaurant, La Regalade, where we met up with Robert Cooper and his wife Hillary, and Andy Mikita and his wife Candace.

Alex goes over the menu.

Terrific company.

The dish of the night was a dessert. And a dessert containing fruit no less! I avoided it just for that reason but ended up regretting it.

Akemi isn't big on French restaurants but loved La Regalade.  Guess there's another trip over the bridge in our near future.

We returned home and each to our laptops (in what is becoming a comfy little routine).  Alexander found the Country Music Channel, which turned out to be one of the high points of his day.  He lay, sprawled out on the comfy couch, listening to that Kenny Chechnya and surfing the net.

Sarah and Lulu unwind before bedtime by planning their Paris trip.

November 23, 2011: Either a power line's down or someone's coming to kill you! A leisurely day with the Europeans!

"What was that?!"asked Akemi, suddenly sitting up.

"I think it was one of the dogs,"I suggested in my half-awake state.

"Not the dogs,"she said.  "I heard something.  Downstairs.  And the alarm went beereepee."

Heard something?  Downstairs?  Beereepee?  I crawled out of bed and hit the lights.  The room remained dark.  I glanced over at the nightstand.  My digital clock was dark as well.  The home alarm was lit up red.  The first thing that came to mind was those professional hits were they cut power to a place in order to disable the alarm before moving in to kill their intended target.  The second thing that came to mind was the storm raging outside and how it had, in all probability, caused a power outage.   Turned out the latter was correct.

Alexander told me about an incident in a house he once rented.  In the middle of the night, he heard a bump from the closet in the middle of the night.  He got up to investigate, didn't find anything inside the closet per se – but did find a trapdoor IN the closet that led up to, as he put it "a room like the one in The Grudge".  Fortunately, Alexander is still with us so I assume he didn't find anything hiding up there.  Could have been worse.  He could have discovered someone who had been hiding in his closet for over a year – like that guy in Japan.

Anyway, later today…

Akemi: "So what happened?  BC Hydro apologize to you?"

Joe: "No."

Akemi: "Rude."

Another late morning wake-up – which was fine as it allowed Akemi and I to put together a monster brunch…

Lulu, the first one up, waiting for the action to commence.

No, he didn't microwave a mouse. Alexander attempts to master the fine art of defrosting frozen raspberries. This was his first of two attempts - that ended with the exact same results.

Le Brunchez-Vous: various pates, terrine, a chanterelle and feta omelet, hard-boiled eggs, steelcut Irish oatmeal with brown sugar, crusty baguette, bagels, cheese, salamis, and a terrific breakfast juice (beets, carrot, apple, pear, and ginger).

We followed the leisurely brunch with a leisurely stroll downtown…

Jombies!!! What Akemi calls zombies after being inspired by recent episodes of The Walking Dead (or, as Lawren now refers to it: The Talking Dead).

Break time!

A rare photo of Alexander and me. I should post more of these as there's a chance I may want to sponsor him too some day.

We brave the cold to check out the art gallery! Well, not the actual art gallery but the adjoining gift shop. Close enough!

We dropped by Chapters where I picked up three volumes of the Herman collection. And forget my gloves. But find them when Akemi and I go back to look for them. She insists on my taking a pic of the forlorn gloves. A powerful lesson learned.

 We returned home for some late afternoon R&R.

The pugs also enjoy some late afternoon R&R.

For dinner, we headed to West Vancouver's best restaurant, La Regalade, where we met up with Robert Cooper and his wife Hillary, and Andy Mikita and his wife Candace.

Alex goes over the menu.

Terrific company.

The dish of the night was a dessert. And a dessert containing fruit no less! I avoided it just for that reason but ended up regretting it.

Akemi isn't big on French restaurants but loved La Regalade.  Guess there's another trip over the bridge in our near future.

We returned home and each to our laptops (in what is becoming a comfy little routine).  Alexander found the Country Music Channel, which turned out to be one of the high points of his day.  He lay, sprawled out on the comfy couch, listening to that Kenny Chechnya and surfing the net.

Sarah and Lulu unwind before bedtime by planning their Paris trip.

 

November 21, 2011: A Dark Matter sneak peek! My first Dark Matter interview! The Europeans are coming! The Europeans are coming!

A derelict ship floating in space. Its troubled crew awakened from stasis with no memories of who they are or how they got onboard. Their search for answers triggering the vessel's deadly security system, awakening a relentless android bent on their destruction. Facing threats at every turn, they will have to work together to survive a dangerous voyage charged with vengeance, redemption, betrayals, and, ultimately, hidden secrets best left unknown.

My first interview for my upcoming comic SF book series, Dark Matter, is now up at Newsarama.  I discuss the characters, the ship, what led us to develop the concept as a comic book series, and why it's called Dark Matter.  Head on over here (http://www.newsarama.com/comics/dark-matter-dark-horse-interview-111121.html) and check it out.

After checking out this sneak peek at the fist issue…

The comic launches January 11, 2012.  If you don't have access to a local comic store, you can order it online here: http://www.tfaw.com/. They ship overseas!  Thanks to my editor at Dark Horse, Patrick Thorpe, for the heads up.

Finally, at long last, Akemi and I got to play host to Alexander and Sarah, our good friends from (Berlin and) Paris via Toronto.  Meeting them was the best thing about my time in Toronto.  Of course, given my time in Toronto, that aint' sayin' much – but suffice it to say these two never failed to lift my spirits (and, occasionally, stop me from throwing something through a window).

They arrived late, under cover of darkness, and quickly settled in…

I made the mistake of telling Lulu that Alex and Sarah live in Paris. Being a French bulldog, she naturally, jumped at the chance to butter them up and swing a Paris invite.

Photo op ruined by Lulu's well-placed, pointing hind paw supporting all twenty five pounds of her.

Take 2. Much better.

Alexander worships at the Shrine of Dionysius.

Since they were on east coast time, I figured they would be up at the crack of dawn the next morning.  And so, I woke up at the crack of dawn(ish) – 7:00 a.m. – headed downstairs and waited to greet them. Three hours later, they came downstairs, well-rested and rarin' to go.

Bubba makes himself at home - on Alex making himself at home.

Alexander enjoying doggy-time with Lulu.

Following a leisurely morning's lounging, we headed to Refuel for a leisurely lunch – and lounging.

Sarah and Alex - all smiles!

Aint they the cutest?

Alex marvels over the lemon herb risotto.

Following a great meal (I did the pulled pork sandwich!), we headed off to Granville Island to load up on supplies.

Doing the tourist thing.

Among the necessities we picked up were these marzipan animals. Cute. And tasty!

After that, it was back home for some R&R.  Hey, they're on vacation, right?

Lulu checks out Alexander's anti-Apple gadget.

Jelly and Maximus enjoying the company.

Lulu already looking forward to her new place in Paris.

Bubba sleeps through it all.

For dinner, we headed over to Tojo's…

Sarah demonstrates her exceptional chopstick skills.

Hiro!

Dragon!

Sushi!

A deceptively exhausting Day #1.

On tap for Day #2: A grand brunch!  Downtown and about!  Dinner with the rest of the gang!  Doggies!  Jombies!

November 20, 2011: Snow Monkeys on life support! Batman and Robin! A supernatural manifestation!

My Snow Monkeys were clobbered this weekend, going down to their third straight loss.  They're now a most mediocre 6-5 and sitting in sixth place,  barely holding onto the final playoff spot with only two weeks to go in the regular season.  Some terrible decisions by our General Manager (benching Romo for Sanchez, White and Bryant for Hakeem Nicks and that Titans wide receiver whose name I can't remember), and some plain bad luck (my best player, Adrian Peterson, was injured and could be out for the foreseeable future) sealed our fate.  However, in running the numbers, I discovered that, even had I played all my most productive players, I still wouldn't have won the week.  I don't know if I should be relieved or panicked.  A little of both I suppose.  Next week, we play the team nipping at our furry little pink monkey feet, the Autodrafts, who are an even more mediocre 5-6, then end the season against the (as of today) winless Reagan's Raiders.  I'm screwed on the tie-breaker scenarios, so it's imperative my Snow Monkeys win next week – and the final week, just to be on the safe side.  I'm thinking it may be time to start wheeling and dealing.

So, I've started all those new comic book series I've added to my to-read pile.  As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, the plan is to pick up EVERYTHING and read three issues.  If I'm interested, I keep buying.  If I lose interest, I drop the title.  Simple, no?  Last night, I started with the first three issues of…

BATMAN AND ROBIN #1-3

Okay, I've clearly been out of the comics loop way too long.  Batman has a son?  The result of a surprisingly out-of-character tryst with Talia al-Ghul (daughter of supervillain and long-time enemy Ra' al-ghul)? And he's apparently franchised the Bat-vigilante business as evidenced by the Moscow version of the Bat who is introduced in the opening pages of the first issue, only to get his pointy-eared cowl handed to him by some mystery (to me anyway) villain/vigilante.  Bruce Wayne has elected to take his son under his cape and train him as the new Robin.  While an admirable bit of parenting, one wonders whether he's made the correct choice.  The young Damian is certainly capable, but one hell of an annoying brat.  He's like an erudite Dennis the Menace in tights.

While I enjoyed the dynamics between Batman and Robin/Bruce and Damian, and butler Alfred's attempts to play mediator (actually, his moments were my favorite), I found Batman a little too verbally reflective at times, a little too conspicuously self-aware.  I liked the book's dark tone and liked the art, but found the pacing a little slow – especially the second issue which was cut short to give us a sneak peek at Batman Noel, a recent hardcover release.

Verdict: Undecided.  I find the premise intriguing enough that I'd like to see how things develop.  I'm going to give it a few more issues.

Holy crap!  I never thought it would happen to me but, today, I was witness to a miracle.  I used to make fun of people who saw Jesus in their taco or the Virgin Mary in the condensation that formed inside their shower stall.  Not anymore.  Not after this morning when, while making an omelet, I glanced down at the bowl containing the eggs and saw THIS -

Now is that or is that not the face of John the Baptist in my mixing bowl?

I swear, these yolks were NOT doctored or otherwise manipulated.  So what does this mean?  Is it a sign?  What is Egg Yolk Face trying to tell me?!!

November 19, 2011: The doggy update! Mailbag!

Looks like I won't be making an addition to the pack after all.  That dog in search of a good home apparently found one.  He (and his sister) will be moving in with what I heard is a very nice family.  I have mixed emotions.  On the one hand, I'm glad he's going somewhere where he'll be well taken care of but, on the other hand, it would've been nice…

Think I'll field some questions and comments…

Today's entry is dedicated to blog regular Paloosa.

Mailbag:

Shiny writes: "I really enjoyed the Capn' America movie."

Answer: Haven't seen it yet but heard mixed reviews.  Word of mouth was much better on the Thor movie.  I've been toying with the idea of watching every Marvel/DC superhero movie ever made, the good (Spiderman), the bad (Daredevil, Catwoman), and the ugly (the original Punisher movie with Dolph) and then having Cookie Monster and/or Baron Destructo rank and review.

Zed of Earth writes: "In its original form, Bill 101 banned languages other than French on commercial signs, said that Bills of Parliament be enacted only in French, made French the language of the workplace in companies with more than 50 people, and so on.
The Bill has been altered and challenged and changed since, but it's still quite draconian, and leads to such silliness as 15 000 Dunkin' Donuts bags being seized, Merry Christmas signs being ordered to be removed, and a delicatessen, Schwartz's, being told that the apostrophe in its sign was illegal."

Answer: Don't forget the Office's investigation into the unilingual English-speaking pet store parrot.

Keith Logan writes: "I am enjoying Justice League Dark, featuring many of DC's magic-related characters (Constantine, Zatanna, etc)."

Answer: Got it.  How does it compare to Shadowpact, another series that focused on magic-related characters?

Christoffer Grandin writes: "As for comic book recommendations, I have only one. The new Batwoman."

Answer: Picked it up as well.  Looking forward to checking it out.

dasndanger writes: "Joe, Marvel is cancelling a lot of titles right now – not sure if they're gearing up for a total revamp like DC just undertook, or what. In other words, don't get too attached to anything right now."

Answer: Any ideas which title are on the chopping block?

dasndanger also writes: "As far as comics are concerned, the only ones I'm reading regularly is Uncanny X-Force, and Elric."

Answer: No Wolverine/Jason Aaron?  Qu'est-ce qu'il ce pas?

dasndager also writes: "The Six Gun, Chew, Locke and Key."

Answer: Not familiar with The Six Gun.  Who's the publisher?  Tried both Chew and Locke and Key.  The latter wasn't for me but I'm really enjoying Chew.

vickietaylor writes: "How's that novel coming?"

Answer: Alas, it's not.  A couple of other projects have bumped it from the top of my to-do list.

Mike A. writes: "So, did you buy each of the "New 52″?"

Answer: Yep.  I'm going to wait until I have the first three issues of each before I sit down to read 'em.

Bloomgate writes: "Hey Joe! I saw this and immediately thought of you. It's the desert of choice of Billy and the Boingers…

http://gizmodo.com/5860835/how-to-make-alcoholic-ice-cream-the-greatest-dessert-of-all-time"

Answer: Thanks for this!  I'm going to test it out later this week, then start playing mix and match with the contents of my replete liquor cabinet!

Maggiemayday writes: "Have you never watched TV in Japan? That's where American celebs make their pocket cash."

Answer: Yes.  Last time I was in Tokyo, I watched Tommy Lee Jones sell iced coffee.

Airelle writes: "Is the back deck all done, ready for grill?"

Answer: Almost.  Just need to install the railing and then I'll be out there, in 3 degree weather, barbecuing!

Nola Shingledecker writes: "How could you NOT go with Romo???"

Answer: The Redskins' defense is actually very good, and the Broncos' defenses…isn't.  The only thing I hadn't banked on was Sanchez stinkin' up the joint.

for the love of Beckett writes: "Hurray, Maximus! How is he today, and the rest of the Frisky Four?"

Answer: All doing well, thanks for asking.

November 18, 2011: Somebody stop me! Riding the comic book wave!

Sigh.  Someone I know has decided they can't take care of their dog anymore and wants to find it a good home – which is a nice sentiment but, I think, easier said than done.  The fact is, you have no idea what kind of home a dog will end up in. Even with the best of intentions, the most stringent of screening processes, there is simply no way of knowing for sure.  Of course, I always imagine the worse case scenario – and that worst case scenario inevitably finds me assuming the dog's POV,   uprooted to a new home, confused, wondering when the hell he'll be going "home home", wondering what the hell happened to the good old days, wondering what the hell he'd done wrong.  There is no way to know for certain that that dog will go to a good home.  Well, no way but one – and that's to welcome it to the best possible home.  And that best possible home is, of course, my home.  Yes, even though I already have four fantastic furballs, I'm thinking about it…

I'm crazy, right?  Tell me I'm crazy.

So, I've been reading comic books, on and off, since I was a kid.  Over the years, my interest has waxed and waned, waxed and waned.  In the past couple of days, while I've been reorganizing my massive collection, that interest was piqued – and then peaked today when I hit my local comic shop and dropped a Tokyo sushi dinner size bill on a slew of titles.  This is the way it's going to work (based on past experience): I'll pick up almost every title out there.  Each will have three issues to hook me.  If a book fails to hook me, I'll drop it.  If it hooks me, then I'll pick up the fourth issue.  So long as the book continues to hold my interest, I'll continue to buy it.  If, at some point, it stops holding my interest, I'll stop buying it.  Simple, no?

A few of the titles I look forward to checking out:

Planet of the Apes

My love of all things Planet of the Apes dates back as far as my love of comic books!

Batman

In the past, it's always been the Bat books that have most impressed.  I've always loved the dark knight and his colorful rogue's gallery.

Spiderman

Another character that has always appealed.  I'm just afraid that, like Batman, my interest may collapse under the weight of the multitude of titles.

Captain America

As far as Marvel superheroes go, Cap was never at the top of my list of favorites.  But with Ed Brubaker at the helm, I'm cautiously optimistic.

Deadpool

Joe Kelly's run on the original title was one of my favorite's in comicdom.  I'm interested to see what Way does with the character.

Incredible Hulk

Like Cap, the Hulk was never a character I loved to read.  That said, I love Jason Aaron's work on Scalped, so I'm looking forward to being won over.

Punisher

I always felt Frank Castle was somewhat limited as a character.  There were only so many Punisher vs. the mob stories you could tell.  However, Rucka's work on the Bat titles mightily impressed, so I'm eager to see what he does here.

Any recommendations from the comic book aficionados out there?