I really should get around to finishing that novel ...

Y’know, I hate it when other bloggers do this, but sometimes there’s just no help for it, is there?

I’ve been sitting on a half-finished novel for two years now, and I should seriously work on finishing it -- especially because it’s a sort-of sequel to my last novel, and readers keep pestering me for the next book. Truth is, I’ve been putting it off because once I sit down to write a story, it tends to become an obsession, and I hate that feeling of being obsessed (though it’s darn handy for finishing major projects). However, I’ve been putting it off long enough. Unfortunately, finding time to work on my book AND write blog entries at the same time is rather difficult for me.

So, as of today, my blog is on hiatus, at least for a while. I won’t be completely gone, though -- I’ll still visit other blogs, and maybe I’ll post an item here or there during the whole Green Lantern: Blackest Night fiasco.

Sorry about that, everyone!

Mighty Mite grooves to Hee-Haw

This kid'll dance to anything.

Justice League: Cry For Justice -- Promising indeed!

Originally, I was a little skeptical of the idea of a Justice League spinoff title, even as a mini-series. As I pointed out several times, the last time Hal (Green Lantern) Jordan led a Justice League team (Justice League Europe), it was a disaster. However, in the case of JLE, Hal didn't have a real motivation for leading the Justice League, other than just enjoying being in charge. That's not true in Cry for Justice #1. There IS motivation. REAL motivation. And it's a form of motivation that, so far, extends to all of the future members of the team. (Spoilers!)

The motivation is, in all honesty, the tried-and-true DC chestnut that I like to call "Batmanitis." That is, the hero has suffered a loss and/or witnessed someone else experiencing loss, and feels compelled to bring the person/people responsible to justice. But Batmanitis WORKS, and it's used in Cry for Justice #1 to great effect, to convince readers that these future Justice League members DO have a good reason for wanting the same thing Hal Jordan wants.

The story begins, of course, with the segment that was presented as a preview/teaser in DC comics a couple of weeks ago. Hal is tired of heroes and their friends and loved ones being picked off by bad guys. He wants justice, and as a space cop who's supposed to be in charge of Earth, he's going to make sure he pursues justice from now on. The other Justice Leaguers are uncomfortable about this, no doubt reminded of Hal's behavior when he was Parallax. But when Superman voices his concern ...

... Hal calls him on the carpet:

(OF COURSE Superman finds that more than a bit intimidating because, well ...

They sure do, Supes. They sure do.)

Ollie pledges his support for Hal, then Hal whips up a big green bubble and makes a dramatic exit for him and Ollie -- leading to THIS curious conversation:

Now, this conversation doesn't make sense to me. As Green Lantern, Hal can travel through space, and walk through walls -- and Ollie has traveled with him via Big Green Space Bubble dozens of times. So, why the heck would Hal even THINK about using a teleporter in the first place? He doesn't need it.

Oh, well. It's a minor quibble in an otherwise nice exchange between Hal and Ollie.

Next, readers are taken to Albuquerque, to the hideout of Killer Moth -- yes, Killer Moth. Two Atoms -- Ryan Choi and Ray Palmer -- are there beating up Killer Moth and his gang, and engaging in some rather entertaining double talk/double thought. Ray's friend Mike Dante is dead and Killer Moth is somehow connected. Ray uses a rather ruthless method to get Killer Moth to yell out a name ("--Prometheus!"), and then leaves Ryan in charge of Ivy Town while Ray goes in pursuit of justice.

Next stop for readers is a funeral parlor in Opal City. Mikaal (Starman) Tomas is there for a visitation of his friend Tony, who was beaten to death by villains at S.T.A.R. Labs in New York. (I'm not familiar with Tony as a character, so if there's more information about him out there, I'd love to hear about it!) Mikaal leaves the funeral parlor, determined to seek justice.

Next and final stop for readers (for this issue) is the Congo, in Africa, where we meet who I think is going to be my favorite character in this series. Congo Bill -- Congorilla -- is looking sadly over the remains of his band of gorillas, which have been horribly slaughtered by an unknown assailant. Not only are all of the gorillas dead, so is Bill's human body (which had been hosting the Congorilla's/Golden Ape's spirit), and so is FREEDOM BEAST.

Poor Freedom Beast! I don't know about the rest of you, but the last time I saw HIM was in the Green Lantern: Wanted: Hal Jordan storyline, kicking Hal Jordan in the head. Despite that (hey, Freedom Beast was possessed by aliens at the time), you can bet Hal is not going to be happy to hear about Freedom Beast's demise.

That aside, my heart really goes out to Congo Bill. Granted, prior to this comic, I didn't know a whole lot about Congo Bill. To me, he was just comic book trivia, a forgotten relic of the Golden Age. But writer James Robinson, with help from Len Wein, has done something great with this character. Comic book readers tend to have a soft spot for big monkeys in their stories, but I predict that the modern Congo Bill is going to turn out to be something very special indeed. I don't thinks he's going to end up being just another anthropomorphic ape character. There's some DEPTH here.

All in all, Justice League: Cry for Justice #1 is a setup issue, but that's okay, because James Robinson has presented something VERY promising here. It remains to be seen how all of these heroes are going to meet up (and, of course, we haven't yet seen the full team lineup), but Robinson has given them all a common purpose, one that's relatively simple yet powerful. I wish the current, main Justice League title had started off this strong.

I also love Robinson's notes at the end of the issue, which also contain Len Wein's retelling of Congo Bill's origin story. Robinson has obviously put a great deal of research and thought into this mini-series, and he brings to the table an obvious respect for the characters and their histories.

The issue isn't without its flaws. There is the strange Hal-and-Ollie exchange I mentioned earlier, which I don't quite buy. There's also the Supergirl costume controversy, which has been reported by other eagle-eyed bloggers. In the preview from two weeks ago, Supergirl was modestly covered:

In the actual issue #1, however, the artwork has obviously been "corrected."

It's a shame, really. The bare midriff look is becoming passe, anyway, so I think they should have just left Supergirl with a "whole" shirt.

I suspect, however, that the whole Supergirl kerfuffle is due to an honest error on the part of artist Mauro Cascioli as opposed to an attempt to change Supergirl's costume -- simply because Cascioli's pencils clearly show that he made a similar mistake on Hal Jordan's costume:

That's Hal's OLD costume, not his current one -- but it's been corrected in the final art.

Oh, well. Supergirl will get a whole shirt again, SOMEday. In the meantime, I'm really, really looking forward to seeing issue #2 of this series. What a nice feeling that is to have for a Justice League title.

OMG, Billy Mays just died!

I just found out from CNN that Orange Glo pitchman Billy Mays was found dead at his home in Tampa, Florida, this morning -- just a few days after I poked fun at him in a Green Lantern article.

Okay, now I feel really bad.

Now THIS is a thing of beauty

The new Museum Replicas Limited catalog showed up yesterday! I absolutely love getting this catalog -- it's so much more fun to go through than the Web site. Primarily, it contains quality, functional replicas of (mostly European) historic armaments -- and, oh, they are gorgeous. I took fencing in college, so I'm a total sucker for their replica rapiers, in particular, and also their Scottish Claymores. They also sell period costuming, though I question the authenticity a bit since my friend Georgette -- an expert on historic garments -- tends to get bent out of shape whenever I show her a Museum Replicas catalog ("That's NOT how a Surrey Chemise would have been constructed!").

In addition to period weapons and clothing, Museum Replicas tends to carry a lot of items from science fiction and fantasy films, comics, etc. Case in point: check out this life-sized, wearable, classic Thor's helmet:

As I say in my header, it is a thing of BEAUTY. Too bad it's so darned expensive. Museum replicas also carries an Iron Man helmet and a Magneto helmet (from the films), and Thor's hammer, amongst other things.

Then there's the stuff from Frank Miller's 300:

Leather briefs. Oh. My.

As I said, though, I like the rapiers. I want the Grantham Rapier REALLY BAD:

Pretty, pretty, pretty.

So, how good are the weapons? Well, I can't exactly use the rapiers for fencing -- they ARE real swords, well made, well balanced, and highly dangerous. I got my brother a Zatoichi (walking stick) sword for Christmas one year, and it was suprisingly well made -- there was no way the blade was separating from the wood any time soon.

We DO have a German battle mace, originally from the catalog, that's seen better days. In the midst of a bathroom remodel, we decided to use it during the demolition to see how would handle the punishment. It did just fine on the tile, drywall, and sheetrock -- that mace pounded them into powder without getting a chip or dent. THEN we made the mistake of hitting a wall stud. The mace handle actually BENT. I guess maces weren't meant for taking out wood beams. Oops.

Farewell to a talented and troubled native son

It’s like the death of Elvis all over again.

When Elvis died, it was rather significant to Hoosiers due to the fact that he performed his last concert in Indiana – in Market Square Arena, in downtown Indianapolis, June 26, 1977. Sadly, Market Square Arena no longer exists. The site where it stood is now a parking lot, though it contains a small memorial to Elvis in one corner.

Michael Jackson’s death is significant to Hoosiers because he was from Indiana, along with all of his brothers and sisters. Indiana has a long history of turning out popular singers, musicians, and songwriters, some controversial, ALL influential: The Hoosier Hot Shots; Hoagy Carmichael; Cole Porter; Crystal Gale; John Mellencamp; Ken “Babyface” Edmonds; David Lee Roth; Axyl Rose; John Hiatt; and, most recently, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band -- just to name a few. However, NO singer from Indiana has been more influential, or controversial, than Michael Jackson. Of all the other singer/musicians from Indiana, only his sister Janet comes close to approaching the impact he had, for good or ill, on popular culture.

Growing up in Indiana, I could never escape the Jacksons, or so it seemed. They always seemed to be everywhere in the local media. If they weren’t having a concert at the Pepsi Coliseum or Market Square Arena, they were on TV – variety shows, talk shows, even their own Saturday morning cartoon show. OR, they were on the radio. ALWAYS. They even had a hit song about Indiana –- “Going Back to Indiana.” I heard that song all the time while I was growing up.

I was never a fan of Michael Jackson. I liked him fine, but I was always more of a rock (and blues) listener than a pop listener. I also had a preference for bands as opposed to individual performers. During the 1980s, when Michael Jackson’s popularity was at its peak, I did my best to ignore the whole phenomenon and bury myself in the blues. Even so, I couldn’t quite escape Mr. Jackson. He was EVERYWHERE. For a brief time, there was even a rumor that the governor of Indiana was trying to get permission to produce state license plates with Jackson’s image on them.

Related to all this, there have, admittedly, been quite a few celebrity encounters during my life. I’ve had to work with a few famous people to shepherd their books through my companies’ publishing processes. For the most part, they don’t impress me, and I just try to maintain bland working relationships with them. To me, they’re only people who just happen to have jobs that put them in the public light. I also tend to have a very odd reaction when meeting famous people, one that I just can’t explain –- instinctively, I want to get as far away from them as humanly possible. Beats me why I have that reaction.

Before I worked in publishing, I met a few celebrities while working as an advertiser/promoter in Bloomington, Indiana, while I was in college at Indiana University. One of the most memorable encounters was with the late, great Vincent Price, in 1985. He was on a college tour at the time, giving lectures on the impact of villains in film. I was given the job of going over his itinerary with him while he was preparing for his lecture in Bloomington. Price was enjoying a surge in popularity at the time, thanks to his work on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album. I remember Price as a very polite and classy elderly gentleman, who was more than a little amused over all the attention he was receiving due to his association with Michael Jackson. Yes, even meeting legendary actor Vincent Price, I couldn’t get away from Michael Jackson.

Then there was my close encounter with Jackson himself. It was in 1987, in the middle of winter. Myself and a few buddies decided to spend a weekend in Chicago to get away from the college rut for a while. While there, we hit some shops around Water Tower Place, walking stubbornly through cold, howling winds and peeking in shop windows.

Suddenly, outside one shop, a bunch of minivans screeched into a nearby alleyway, and LARGE men wearing three-piece suits, sunglasses, and tennis shoes started piling out. We had no idea what was going on. For all we knew, it was the Chicago mob or something. We ducked into the shop to get away from them –- a shop that turned out to be a store devoted to very expensive and useless items, like gold-plated golf clubs and electronic toe massagers. There was no escaping the “mobsters,” however. They piled into the store after us, after which the store manager hurried to the front door and locked us all in.

Then, I turned around and found myself face-to-face with Michael Jackson, vintage 1987. He was wearing completely nondescript clothing topped with an ugly green parka. There I was, standing a mere foot away from the then-biggest superstar on the planet, and the only thing I could think was, “Damn, he’s SHORT.”

He also had a little blond boy with him. Read into that what you will.

My instinct to get away from the celebrity in question kicked in, and I nodded politely to Jackson and retreated to the back of the store, where my buddies were all standing and gaping at Jackson and his entourage. The shop window was filling with faces of people staring inside and pointing at Jackson. It was probably a good thing that the manager locked the front door, but how the heck were WE supposed to get out?

While Jackson looked around the store, I sidled up to the manager and asked if he could PLEASE let us out. He obliged us by shooing us out the back door, to a dirty alleyway. I felt greatly relieved to be out of there, but my friends were all shell shocked.

“We should have asked for his autograph,” said one. “No one will believe we ran into him.”

“Are you KIDDING?” said another, “or didn’t you notice all those THUGS with him?!”

Admittedly, for a while after that incident, I did kind of regret not asking Jackson for his autograph -– at least a little. That feeling of regret went away VERY quickly, though, as Jackson’s personal life -– along with its eccentricities and controversies -– started to overshadow his music. In addition to the controversies of his personal life, I remember feeling VERY angry at him, for various reasons, for acquiring the Beatles' song catalog.

Now Michael Jackson is gone, and just like when Elvis died, more controversies and more ugly rumors are erupting throughout the news. I can only hope that Jackson’s death also doesn’t spark the types of conspiracy theories that followed in the wake of Elvis’s death.

Perhaps now the Beatles' estates will be able to secure ownership of the Beatles song catalog. Who knows.

So far, here in Indiana, Hoosiers seem determined to remember Jackson a very specific way. Local radio stations are playing his music, but interestingly enough, it’s NOT his music from the 1980s but the music from his childhood, when he was a member of the Jackson 5 and electrifying crowds in performances at local arenas and county fairs. I heard the song “ABC” at least three times on my way to work this morning.

It remains to be seen how history will ultimately depict Michael Jackson. For now, in his home state, Hoosiers are conjuring the spirit of a very talented boy, one who influenced countless artists and musicians before being overwhelmed by the excesses and tragedies of celebrity adulthood. If history is kind to him, maybe in a few decades, the image of the talented little boy from Indiana is how Jackson will be remembered.

And the power behind the orange rings is ... BILLY MAYS!

And here I used to think the Blue Lanterns were hilarious.

Well, okay, they're STILL hilarious, but thanks to Green Lantern #42, now I think the Orange Lantern(s) is MORE hilarious. Spoilers ahoy!

In the previous issue, Larfleeze chopped off Hal's hand in order to get the blue ring. In THIS issue, upon donning the blue ring, Larfleeze all of a sudden doesn't feel hungry anymore! However, that nice feeling proves to be fleeting, as the blue ring decides it likes Hal better and swiftly makes its way back to Hal -- and reattaches his hand, blue ring and all. Then Hal and Larfleeze get in a big ol' fight, and Hal decides, hey, maybe Larfleeze will lose his power if Hal can get his orange power battery away from him. Hal succeeds in getting ahold of the orange power battery -- and lo and behold, it starts talking to him like Billy Mays from an Orange Glo infomercial (click on the image to enlarge it for reading):

"Call today and you'll receive a 32-ounce bottle of original Orange Glo for the low, low price of $19.99! Plus we'll include this handy cleaning bucket ABSOLUTELY FREE! You get it all! Here's how to order!"

It's Billy Mays, I tell ya! The Green Lanterns have Ion, the Sinestro Corps have Parallax, and for the Orange Lantern(s) it's Billy Mays. (Either that, or the orange power battery is channeling classic game show host Bob Barker.)

As if that isn't funny enough ... I've been saying all along that the only thing Hal has to do to get rid of the blue ring once and for all is hope for something simple, like getting laid or just wishing for the blue ring to shut up and go away. Well, wouldn't you know it--!

"--I hope you stop asking me that question!"

And the blue ring says, essentially, "OKEE DOKEE!"

Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee, hee, hee! Stupid Blue Lanterns. Power rings have always accepted orders very literally, but this really takes the cake.

John Stewart isn't exempt from the fun. There's nothing like getting a big ol' smooth from an extremely dangerous arch enemy, even if she IS a cute girl:

Man, Fatality has DEFINITELY been brainwashed by the Star Sapphires. DEFINITELY. Still, John's experience with getting a little super-villain love is so far better than what Hal usually goes through.

And then there's THIS:

I could be wrong, but I do believe that's the first time in Green Lantern history that Hal's actually been whacked in the head with a power battery.

Okay, I'm gonna go back to my comics now, and continue chuckling gleefully. I LOVE it when super-hero comics are funny.