Strange
Day

Nasty, nasty, cold, wet, gray day. Thankfully I worked too hard, and only went out long enough to pick up my comics in Georgetown.
Comics, comics, comics. I’m full of ’em lately — among other things. After months — possibly years — of procrastinating, I finally made a fairly complete shakeup of my regular comic pull-list*. Finally dumped every crappy Marvel title that I was buying out of habit or guilt. Yeah.. I’d been reading some of those titles forever. But enough repeat issues of terrible writing and mediocre art will cause you to do just about anything. Marvel’s books are stories where nothing is ever definitive, because the inevitable next writer will contradict everything their predecessor established. And no matter who’s writing, they haven’t had an original idea in 30 years. Artists will never last more than 5 issues, and have no motivation to do their best work.
So anyway… all gone.
I still buy too many comics. As I said before… pretty much anything Warren Ellis writes. Some Vertigo books, like The Losers, Hellblazer, and Y, the Last Man. I don’t know yet if Black Eyed Susan is a regular series, but I’ve got a call out for it. I know there’s more… but I’m too lazy to check. And I still haven’t finished everything I picked up at SPX.
*(For those non-geeks out there, when you regularly buy comics from the same shop, they will create a ‘pull-list’ of books you purchase on a regular basis, so that you don’t have to worry about them selling out before you can pick them up.)
I will in fact be undoubtedly writing more about comics in the future. So I want to get the disclosure out of the way now. (As if I had an audience… but hey…). Mad Yak Press, who had such beautiful stuff at the Expo, contacted me, asking if I was interested in complimentary copies of their books in exchange for writing reviews of them here. It’s a very common practice among publishers, and a simple google search led me to find at least one other person doing the same thing for the same publisher. And I’ve got no qualms, since I’m ‘working for my supper’. But if you have moral issues… well, then… fuck off. I say it now simply to avoid having to bring it up each time I mention their books. If you really think I’m going to be biased towards anyone just because they’ve shown me a kindness… you really don’t know me anyways.
And oh… by the way: Yay! Paul DiFilippo is going to be writing a comic book. Yet another seriously deranged author working in comics.
I repeat… comics, comics, comics.
I heard a great quote somewhere last week, comparing Regis And Kelly to Nerf Crossfire. Of course, that almost lends too much credence to Crossfire.

And while I’m trashing politics…

I watched the president’s little illegal speech on CNN the other day. (Illegal, unless CNN offers Kerry the same time to speak). As the recent debates and public speeches have driven home like a jackhammer to the skull, the Shrub is an awful public speaker. The whole ‘dear-in-the-headlights’ look is accentuated by a speaking rhythm reminiscent of a 6th grader in the school play. His speech-writers couldn’t get hired writing jingles for Denny’s. Every public address is a seemingly endless string of watered-down, overly-contemplated, and intellectually-neutral catch phrases and campaign slogans. His CNN appearance had God-knows-how-many contradictions and misleading statements. “My administration has seen a record number of student loans,” is supposed to show his dedication to education; but to me it shows only that schooling is getting more expensive and less people can afford it. “My opponent would create big government healthcare … Clinton-care”. You know… something like he did with the expanded Medicare plan. This man is a terrible Republican, has the leadership skills of a housecat, and has spent more time manipulating reality during his administration that living in it. How can anyone vote for him?

Speaking of things that make me sick…

I’ve come to my own little realization and self-awareness thingy. “Sugar is addictive”. I’m not just talking… “I have a chocolate craving”. I’m talking… I try to stop eating sweets, and I find myself constantly thinking about candy, and having to restrain myself (sometimes unsuccessfully) from going to the store every other day for a new package of snacks. I know I’ve heard the claim before. But it’s just now becoming extremely obvious to me.

Thought for the day:

Anyone who refers to themselves as ‘a player’ needs to be bitchslapped.