Hoosier journal of inanity

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-29T11:30:00.005-04:00

Before anyone asks, the costumes were strictly Mighty Mite's idea. That's m'girl!

Hope everyone is well! Everything is fine here -- and I'm still working my tail off. Have a great Halloween, everyone!

Mighty Mite, the Pop-Culture Nightmare

2011-06-24T16:07:00.006-04:00

THIS is what Mighty Mite decided she wanted to wear to school this morning:

Beatles Yellow Submarine t-shirt, Captain America mask, Batman cape, Hulk hands. She was a walking pop-culture nightmare. OF COURSE, I had to take a picture. I asked her who she was dressed as, and she said, very proudly, "I'm Captain Cha-Cha!"

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Captain Cha-Cha.

*Sigh.*

The Green Lantern video game: God of War, Green Lantern style!

2011-06-22T19:19:00.012-04:00

Let's face it – video games that are movie tie-ins usually stink. They almost always have poor graphics and they have gameplay that's either way too easy or impossibly hard, but never anything in between – AND they can generally be counted on to be hopelessly bound, creatively, by the movie they're based on. It also doesn't seem to matter if the original movie was a good one or a bad one – the game can generally be counted on to be bad. (Though Pixar films are visually state-of-the-art, there's yet to be a Pixar video game tie-in that looks [or plays] even half as good. The Harry Potter games started off promising and then became progressively worse in quality as the movie series grew and matured. And the James Bond video games, much like the James Bond movies, are hit-and-miss quality-wise.)

In spite of this woefully poor record, I actually picked up a copy of the new game, Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters. I expected it to stink as much as any other movie tie-in. To my great surprise, though, this game is actually FUN. LOTS of FUN.

Maybe it helps that the game's only obvious ties to the Green Lantern movie are skin deep. It DOES use Ryan Reynolds' voice and likeness for Hal, and there are a few design elements from the movie – but all similarities to the movie end there. If you're at all familiar with the popular video game God of War, that's what this game is – it's God of War, Green Lantern-style, and it's AWESOME.

In the game, of course, as Green Lantern, you can generate constructs – some of which, like the maces-and-chains, are incredibly cool and do a great deal of damage. (My personal favorite construct is the giant baseball bat – and Hal has surprisingly good form swinging that thing.) The graphics are even rather good quality, especially for a movie tie-in. Everything is all nice and glowy and pretty, as you would expect the Green Lantern universe to be.

It's not a perfect game, by any means, but it's very fun to play – I found it neither too easy nor too hard, and just challenging enough. There are three levels of play: Emerald Knight, Enforcer, and Poozer(!). You begin with a few basic constructs and then can form much more elaborate constructs as you gain experience. The game also follows a plot that's very faithful to the Green Lantern universe: Hal, Sinestro, and Kilowog are on Oa. Hal has been a Green Lantern only for a little while, and the three Lanterns are making funeral preparations for Abin Sur. Suddenly, the Manhunter robots attack. The Guardians tell the Lanterns to (more or less), “GO GET 'EM, BOYS,” and the game is on!

The battle begins on Oa, moves to Zamaron, and then movies to Biot (the Manhunter homeworld) before moving back to Oa. The main protagonist is Hal, and in one-player mode you're stuck with being Hal. In 2-player mode, though, the second player gets to be Sinestro, and there are some very nifty attacks that Hal and Sinestro can orchestrate together. (I'm very fond of the Baseball maneuver, shown in the following image.) And while you don't get to play as Kilowog, you do get to fight alongside him a bit – and rescue him from the Manhunters. The other Lanterns really don't put in an appearance, but the Zamarons certainly do!

The main villain isn't one that's a huge surprise for regular GL readers, but the game creators did a good job of setting up the main bad guy – and the final battle. Along the way, there are plenty of bad guys, and plenty of big (Boss) battles. The way to get through the really tough battles is to come up with the right combination of constructs (Sword? Turret gun? Battle armor? Giant hammer...?) that's the most effective against specific foes. I'm not used to having to use shields when playing first-person fighting games, but I definitely had to use them in a couple of battles here.

And, believe it or not, the Zamarons are a pain in the #%$# to fight.

A few minor gripes:

- I think I'm too used to playing DC Universe Online, because I kind of resented the fact that my freedom of movement was restricted to what this game wanted me to do – but I guess that's normal for a game like this.

- The cut scenes are rather good, but there doesn't seem to be any way to skip past them. That became very annoying whenever I ran into a Boss that kept "killing" me, and I ended up having to re-watch the same friggin' cut scene over and over and over …

- Ryan Reynolds is GOOD as Hal, but I got kind of tired of him saying “What the hell” all the time. I blame the script.

- There are some flying missions, and the controls for those are a WEE bit too sensitive. It helps a lot, though, to build up Hal's ring power so that it surges. This encases Hal in a fighter jet, complete with heat-seeking missiles!

All in all, though – FUN game! Better than a movie tie-in game deserves to be, really.

There's one small, inspired detail in the game that I absolutely love. It's a precious, precious detail that's NOT in the movie. I'm not even sure it's ever, even been explored in the comics: In the game, Hal's ring talks – just like it does in the comics. The VOICE of Hal's ring is a WOMAN's voice. A very NICE and SEXY-sounding woman's voice. I LOVE that detail. It's so perfect, and goes a long way toward explaining a LOT about Hal's relationship with his ring.

A LOT!

Green Lantern movie review: By GL fans for certain GL fans

2011-06-18T18:19:00.022-04:00

SPOILERS ahead: This movie was definitely influenced by a very specific GL fan – namely, longtime GL writer Geoff Johns, who is listed as a co-producer. The movie has his fingerprints all over it. Heck, even most of Kilowog's lines are straight out of Johns' Secret Origin story.

That said – I loved the movie. I really didn't expect to love it, but I was pleasantly surprised. So (I think) was most of the audience I was sitting with. I only read Roger Ebert's review prior to going to see the movie, because he and I agree more often than not on movies. He thought the movie was reasonably entertaining, so I figured it was worth my time and money. Hey, it's the Green Lantern universe, which is one of the most interesting universes in super-hero comics. That alone makes the movie worth at least a look-see.

Mr. Sea and I saw the movie Friday night at Trader's Point here in Indy. We sat in on the 2D version, and the theater was PACKED. Best of all, it was packed with people who were mostly wearing GL t-shirts, so I know we were in gloriously geeky company. As a whole, the audience seemed to really enjoy the movie. They laughed, and they CHEERED and CLAPPED. It's been a while since I sat in a theater with an audience that was having so much fun.

I also thought the movie was surprisingly kid-friendly, for a PG-13 film. There are some very slight hints at sexuality that would go over most kids' heads, and the villains can be a little scary, but I wouldn't hesitate to let Mighty Mite watch this movie. She loves action movies and super-heroes, and I think this would be a fun movie for her. GL fans expecting the blood and gore of the GL Corps comic would be VERY disappointed, though. GL fans expecting to see Secret Origin word for word are also going to be disappointed.

MANY longtime GL plot details and traditions have been changed for the movie, but they didn't bother me in the slightest – and I've been a Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) fan for 40 years. It's a MOVIE, not the comics. Quality-wise, it's not Dark Knight or Spider-Man 2 (it does drag in a couple of spots, and some of the editing is choppy), but I thought it was at least as good as the very first X-men movie.

Ryan Reynolds is FUN as Hal and gets some good lines ("By the power of Greyskull!"), and Blake Lively is a much better Carol Ferris than I thought she'd be. Bless her heart, she actually gets to do the ONE THING that I always wanted to see in the comics, because it's something I've always suspected of Carol (though for YEARS in the comics, Carol didn't let on about this AT ALL): In the movie, she recognizes Hal as Green Lantern ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. Best of all, she gives him HELL about his lame attempts to hide his identity (“I've seen you NAKED!”). It's beautiful – and very funny.

Actually, I thought it was a very funny film in general, especially for Hal Jordan fans. Let's face it -- Hal Jordan, the comic book character, is rather dull, and though Hal IS very heroic, he's also an arrogant jerk. Half the fun of being a Hal Jordan comic book fan is watching how his much-more-interesting supporting cast REACTS to the fact that he's such an arrogant, yet heroic, jerk. The movie is no different -- the other characters, including Hal's friends and family, give him hell every chance they get, and Ryan Reynolds does a good job of playing straight man to all of the verbal AND physical abuse hurled his way. It's hilarious, and very much in the spirit of the comics. I can understand how it would be off-putting to casual or more high-minded fans, though. (Just WHY is this a-hole a super-hero? Because the ring chose him. Sorry -- yer stuck with him.)

Tomar-Re and Sinestro are PERFECT, though this Sinestro comes across as so professional and noble, it's hard to picture him as the ruthless dictator that he becomes in the comics. A small scene halfway through the end credits, though, does point to impending corruption – and a good reason WHY Sinestro would become a villain.

There are LOTS of details that probably don't need to be in the movie -- except that they're there for certain GL fans. For example, Hal's brothers and nephew are in the film, in one scene. They don't need to be in the film -- it's a wasted scene. It's there only for people like ME -- "OMG, it's Jack and Jim! And Jack is giving Hal hell, as usual -- COOL!" The movie is FULL of throwaway stuff like that -- stuff that's probably completely lost on average viewers.

A few gripes: I've already mentioned that some of the scenes drag a bit, and some of the editing – especially when the movie switches back and forth between what's going on with Hal and Hector – is a bit choppy. AND it's yet another FRICKIN' super-hero origin story – I am SICK to DEATH of origin stories – but, oh well. There's also the obligatory hero-training scene – which really doesn't accomplish much in the way of training, but it's there to give Kilowog and Sinestro something to do. Also, some changes have been made to the villains Hector Hammond and Parallax that I don't really care for, but they make good sense for the movie. There is also a great deal of romance in the film (not sex, but ROMANCE) -- which viewers are either going to love or hate, depending on their level of interest in Hal's love life. All in all, though, I loved the movie, and it made for a good, entertaining night out.

The Captain America movie is next! Can't wait!

I just can't seem to get out of this business!

2011-06-18T15:53:00.006-04:00

One of these days, I'm going to learn to never say “never.” Years ago, I said I was never gonna get married. I didn't WANT to be married, or so I thought. Then I met Mr. Sea, and … well, so much for the “never gonna get married” idea.

I once said I never wanted to be an editor – and then, for the next 20+ years, I ended up working as a book editor for various publishing companies. So much for my original plan of working in advertising.

I once said I never wanted to have kids. I was ADAMANT about it – I was never gonna have kids – and then Mighty Mite came into my life. I wouldn't trade the little bugger for ANYTHING.

I once said I never wanted to be an author – and then I ended up writing and publishing a novel.

THEN, last July (geez, has it really been almost a year?) I left my publishing job and told myself I was never going back into publishing. NEVER.

Once again, the gods looked down, pointed at me, and said, “Yeah, that's what YOU think! HaHAhahahahaHAhahahahaaaaaaa!” Sigh.

Believe it or not, Indianapolis is a big publishing town. True, it's mostly nonfiction publishing, which isn't terribly glamorous – but it can still make for a fun work environment, if you get to work with the right people. The really cool thing is, with the exception of a handful of editors who are isolationists, most Indy book editors know each other and have worked with each other at one time or another (leading editors to joke about what an incestuous business publishing is). I've found that staying in touch with fellow editors I've enjoyed working with definitely pays off.

At the end of February, an old boss of mine – one of the best bosses I've ever had – contacted me out of the blue and offered me a job at one of the biggest publishing companies in the world. Years ago, I told myself that if I EVER had a chance to work with this particular boss again, I would go for it. Figures she would do this to me, darn it. So, once again, I'm working in publishing, despite my best attempt to escape the industry. The twist is, though I do now have an office at one of the most prestigious locations in Indianapolis, I can make my own hours and do most of my work from home. I've NEVER had that kind of freedom before. It's NICE – and I recognize that I'm extraordinarily lucky to be in this position. I'm not gonna waste it.

So, that' s why I haven't been blogging – I'm working again, and when I'm not doing my paying job, I'm working on my house. One of the drawbacks of working from home is, while I'm busy doing my job, I'm also looking around my house and thinking things like, “DAMN, that wall needs repainting.” In other words, I've been working like a mad fiend of late. I'll probably continue working like a mad fiend, so blogging will continue to be sporadic at best.

In other news:

-- Mighty Mite is now THREE years old. THREE! Can you believe it? She's also a massive Beatles fan. Her favorite Beatle changes from day to day. It's always either John, George, or Ringo – but NEVER Paul. When naming off the Beatles, she always adds Paul to the lineup as an afterthought. Too funny.

-- Yes, yes -- I heard about DC's latest reboot, and I pretty much reacted to the whole thing with one big yawn. I mean, it's not like DC hasn't done this a zillion times before -- starting WAY back during the mid-1950s. (Yes, Barry Allen's original debut as the Flash was a REBOOT, folks.) Some of the changes will suck, and some won't. As long as they aren't messing with the main Green Lantern title, I really don't give a flying flip what DC does this time.

-- Like many DC Universe Online fans, I was kicked out of the environment when the PlayStation Network went down a couple of months ago thanks to those hackers. Yeah, well, whatever. It didn't stop me from using the PlayStation for its basic functions (music, Netflix, DVD and Blu-Ray viewing, DVD-ROM gameplay, Web surfing), and I'm finally caught up on some of the hardcopy games I've had sitting around. Everything's back online now, though, and I've been having a HECK of a great time playing the new Green Lantern video game. More on that in another post.

-- YES, I've seen the Green Lantern movie. It's not in the same class as The Dark Night or Spider-Man 2, but I LOVED it – and I've been a Green Lantern (and Hal Jordan) fan most of my life. Again, more on that in a later post.

Glad to see so many other comic book fans are still bloggin' right along!

A wish list for the DC Universe Online

2011-02-25T09:33:00.011-05:00

Okay, I admit it -- I've been spending WAY too much of my free time in the DC Universe Online. I can't help it -- it's FUN. Besides, I have the Green Lama at the highest level (level 30), and he's now an official member of the Justice League! Woo hoo!

But, OH, the things the Green Lama had to get through to reach this level! Some of the missions are FUN, and some AREN't fun. (I now HATE Aquaman. I HATE him. HATE HIM! HATE HIM!) My favorite mission so far -- I got to help Hal and Ollie fight the Spectre! (Oracle: "Green Lantern has a ... HISTORY with the Spectre." Hee, hee!) Oh, MAN, that was fun. In all honesty, though, Ollie was pretty useless during that fight -- except he DID help keep me from getting knocked unconscious a few times. I guess that's a good thing.

In honor of Valentine's Day this month, the programmers created an "Aphrodite's Realm" scenario, which is darned funny. You enter the realm and automatically get turned into either a cherub or an imp, depending on whether or not you're a hero or villain. THEN you go on missions for either Aphrodite's or Circe's forces. It's a hoot.

Yes, I've been having fun, but I do have a bit of a wish list for the DCU Online:

1. The background music is good for the most part, but I would LOVE to be able to shut it off and/or substitute my own background music as a part of the game. Many PlayStation 3 games have a function that allows players to replace the background music with their own music, based on the MP3 files they have pre-loaded on their machines. I'd love to be able to do that with the DCU. Hey, some battles DEMAND to have Led Zeppelin playing in the background.

2. I would like to be able to delete missions out of my missions journal. If I can add missions, I should be able to remove them as well.

3. Player-to-player communication is still rather glitchy, and a pain in the neck to set up/navigate even when it isn't glitchy. I'm not sure what needs to be done, but I'd like the game to have a much more user-friendly chat interface and better Bluetooth functionality.

4. The DCU needs more one-player-only scenarios for Level 30 players. Yes, the team scenarios can be fun, but this is the DCU, not World of Warcraft. Most super-heroes and villains do NOT spend most of their time working with teams -- they usually work solo, and that's what the average DC player (and probably Marvel player as well) expects to be able to do. Besides, until the player-to-player communication functions improve, the team-ups aren't really as much fun as they could be: They're too difficult and frustrating to set up and maintain.

5. More environments! Running around Gotham and Metropolis is fun, but I want more places to go. How about some outer space missions on the moon, or something to that effect? How about a scenario set in the future with the Legion of Super-Heroes? I have heard a rumor that Coast City is going to be added, once the new Green Lantern movie is released. I HOPE that rumor is true.

6. I'd like to be able to forward images of my characters from my PS3 to my email address, so I can use them as icons, etc.

That's all!

Smooch of the Day

2011-02-14T13:00:00.004-05:00

Snow White and Bigby Wolf, from Fables #50, 2006:

Smooch of the Day

2011-02-13T21:26:00.003-05:00

Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris, from Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, 1998:

"Aw, geez, Carol -- you made me spill my coffee!"

Smooch of the Day

2011-02-12T18:13:00.002-05:00

Peter Parker and Betty Brant, from Amazing Spider-Man #189, 1979:

Poor ol' Betty Brant. Hardly anyone ever seems to remember that she and Peter/Spider-Man were once an item. She tends to get overshadowed by Mary Jane, Gwen, and Black Cat.

Smooch of the Day

2011-02-11T13:19:00.002-05:00

Nightcrawler and Princess Anjulie, from Excalibur 16, 1989:

Smooch of the Day

2011-02-10T12:03:00.003-05:00

Reed Richards and Susan Storm (Richards), from Marvels, 1994:

Smooch(es) of the Day

2011-02-09T19:16:00.003-05:00

Whole lotta smoochin' goin' on! From Justice League of America #65, 1968:

Smooch of the Day

2011-02-08T19:19:00.002-05:00

Tristan and Isolde, from Camelot 3000, 1982-1985:

Smooch of the Day

2011-02-07T13:00:00.004-05:00

Black Canary and Etrigan the Demon, from Green Arrow: Quiver, 2002. In all fairness, though -- Etrigan here is possessed by Deadman.

Smooch of the Day

2011-02-06T12:38:00.002-05:00

Superman and Lori Lemaris, from Superman #129, 1959:

So, is it wrong that I always liked Lori Lemaris better than Lois Lane? I mean -- a MERMAID. How cool is that?

Smooch of the Day

2011-02-05T15:33:00.003-05:00

Kyle Rayner and Jade, from Blackest Night, 2010:

AWKWARD.

Smooch of the Day

2011-02-04T09:52:00.004-05:00

Lois Lane and Bizarro -- well, a version of him, anyway. From Man of Steel, Book Five, 1986:

"Me have great breath! Just like open sewer!"

Smooch of the Day

2011-02-03T14:07:00.004-05:00

Rogue and Northstar, from X-Men/Alpha Flight: The Gift, 1985: "Ah'm touching him--"

Heh, heh, heh. ;-)

Smooch of the Day

2011-02-02T12:44:00.004-05:00

Batman and Talia, from Batman #244, 1972:

Weather-wise: Yeah, we've received more ice, and some snow, but so far it looks like we've dodged a bit of a bullet in that we still have power!

Smooch of the Day

2011-02-01T13:55:00.005-05:00

Green Lantern and Star Sapphire, from The Nail (1999).

First wave of the ice storm hit last night. Second wave is due within a matter of minutes. We're all stuck at home, safe and sound, but kinda bored -- and if that's the WORST that happens to us, we're darned lucky.

Hunkering down for the "storm of the decade"

2011-01-31T12:52:00.003-05:00

Indianapolis has been a pretty darned lucky city this winter, so far. We've had more snow than we usually get, but we haven't been socked with truly horrible winter, like other parts of the USA. However, it appears that our luck is about to change. There's a massive ice storm headed our way, and everyone is calling it the "storm of the decade." SO, I've been stacking firewood in the house, making sure plenty water, milk, bread, batteries, icemelt, candles, and flashlights are available, etc., etc. Our house doesn't usually lose power during storms, but I'm trying to be ready for anything.

Everyone stay safe out there!

DC Universe Online IS pretty darned addictive

2011-01-21T10:28:00.008-05:00

I repeat -- I really didn't expect to like this game as much as I do. Yes, I did pick up the full PS3 version once the game was released -- and I think I've mostly been "living" in the DC Universe since then. It doesn't help that my brother and several friends ALSO have the game and we've been getting together online to go beat up bad guys -- or beat up good guys. Gosh darn it, I am HOOKED.

The game is still kinda glitchey and has been experiencing a few "growing pains," resulting in some downtime. So far, these are merely minor annoyances, and the game environment has been sailing right along without too much trouble, at least from a player perspective. I have to say, design-wise, this is one of the better MMOs (Massively Multiplayer Online game) that I've seen. I recognize a lot of functional elements from other EA games, like the James Bond and Harry Potter games. Flying is still my favorite thing to do -- but, oh, the powers you can assign your characters are FUN.

Take Alligator, for example. Alligator is a lovely thing -- a villain I created. She's essentially a big female version of Killer Croc -- except she can turn into a pterodactyl. Now THAT's fun.

My favorite character so far, however, is a hero. I couldn't resist recreating my favorite public domain character from the Golden Age -- the Green Lama. He's been running around the DCUO Countdown world, and I've gotten him up to level 22 so far. My version looks a bit more blantantly superhero-ish than other versions (including even Alex Ross's interpretation), but I think he's still recognizable as the Green Lama.

Actually, for an obscure public domain character, the Green Lama has been a busy boy of late -- what with being an active superhero in Dynamite Comics' lineup , and starring in a pulp novel by Adam Lance Garcia. I haven't read that novel yet -- I really need to pick it up. For now, though, I'm gonna continue to have fun putting Jet through his paces in the DCU.

Superman's wardrobe is going up for auction

2011-01-14T09:22:00.007-05:00

Here in the Indianapolis area is a man who owns a great deal of Superman live-action film memomorabilia. After trying unsuccessfully to showcase his collection in a local "superhero museum," Dane Nash has run into a bit of misfortune. Financial problems have forced him to liquidate his collection in a court-ordered auction, to be held January 22.

There are some impressive items in this collection, especially if you're a Superman fan. In particular, it includes Superman costumes going all the way back to George Reeves.

It's sad that the guy has to give these things up -- but if he's in financial dire straits, it's probably a good thing that he DOES have these items available, to help bail him out!

I wonder if this is the same man who used to own the Batboat from the old 1960s Batman TV show? It did used to be here in Indy.

Oh, I DO love to fly!

2011-01-07T14:28:00.016-05:00

I really didn't intend to get hooked on this game. I curse my brother every day, because if not for him, I wouldn't even OWN a PlayStation 3 (PS3). But, darn it, over the holidays, he downloaded the Beta version of DC Universe Online -- and I got hopelessly hooked. The Beta is down now -- it was pulled off the network the other night in preparation for the official finished game release, which is next Tuesday. YES, I went out and reserved a copy, so I can pick it up and install it on Tuesday. I miss the Beta, and must have the game -- which is probably EXACTLY what Sony, Warner Brothers, and DC hoped would happen to a great many gamers. CURSE THEM!

Oh, but it's FUN. The premise is this, and it's an old JLA chestnut with a twist: Lex Luthor drops in from the future to inform Supes, Bats, and Wondy that Brainiac took over the earth because all of the heroes and villains were too busy wiping each other out to stop him. SO, Luthor came to the past to warn everyone -- and also to infect the earth with Brainiac-created nano technology that enables ordinary folks from earth to become super-powered, so they can join in the fight. THAT's where the players come in.

As a player, I got to create my own character, with my own powers, choose a mentor (Supes, Bats, or Wondy for heroes; Luthor, Joker, or Circe for villains), and go kick butt. I chose the hero side and Wonder Woman as my mentor -- and created a character based on my favorite ol' public domain GREEN hero (more on that some other time). THEN I got to run around. OH, it was fun. My character can fly, and flying is wonderful. I hadn't expected it to be as much fun as it is. I could have been a speedster, or an acrobat -- but, really, nothing beats flying.

Game environments so far are split between fully-realized versions of Gotham and Metropolis. It's downright surreal to be able to run around these two cities and go pretty much wherever I want. My character was based in Metropolis, so that's where I did the most exploring. Some details still need to be hammered out by the game creators, but I had a heck of a lot of fun running around the city. Nabbed a few muggers, too!

There's too much to explain about this game, so I'm just going to touch on a few things I did and/or noticed. (Anyone who wants to know more can visit the game's official site at http://www.dcuniverseonline.com/) -->

- The JLA satellite is HUGE, but well worth exploring. The funniest thing I encountered early in the Beta launch was Supergirl hanging around in the Meta wing, dressed in a skankier-than-usual version of her costume, with bikini briefs in place of her skirt, and no cape. I went up to her to talk to her and she said, "Cool costume! Wonder if I should change mine? Maybe later." Several days later, I met up with her in the same place, and she was back to wearing her skirt and cape -- and looking a LOT less skanky. Too funny.

- The villains do have a Hall of Doom, but I didn't explore it too much.

- Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill DO voice Batman and the Joker. Hooray!

- Oracle provides remote assistance to hero players, and Calculator assists villain players. It's a really nice setup.

- Players can choose to engage in PVP (player-vs-player) mode or not. You don't HAVE to interact with other players, though it is encouraged. You can also form teams and what not. Teams can pool their resources and create their own online virtual group bank accounts and make group equipment purchases. (They can also host dance parties.)

- I got to team up with Zatanna to fight Felix Faust. It was FUN. I also got to take on ALL of the Titans at the same time, who had been possessed by Trigon. That WASN'T so fun. I got my butt kicked several times before I figured out how to stop 'em all.

- Players start off at level 1 and can progress all the way to level 30. I got up to Level 15 -- and STILL managed to get my butt kicked by Bane, who was a measely Level 10. Grrrrrr.

- Did I mention that I love flying? I love being able to fly away from a battle when I'm getting too close to getting knocked out, and then just hovering somewhere until I regain enough health to rejoin the battle. It's also so PEACEFUL to be able to fly high above the city, or the water, and just -- fly. There's something very, well, ZEN about it for lack of a better word. I just love it.

- The cities are full of kiosks containing tour information by Booster Gold, in the best Booster Gold fashion. The recordings are a hoot.

- Every player starts off in a Brainiac ship, where Brainiac is supposedly keeping captured humans to try to remove his nano technology from them. Every player "wakes up" on the ship and has to escape -- every single time a new character is created. It's kinda monotonous if you want to create a bunch of different characters (a hero AND a villain, say). EXCEPT, one time I was shocked to encounter Ambush Bug up there! Yes, Ambush Bug is present in the game, and he seems to pop up wherever and whenever he pleases.

- I DID encounter several Green Lanterns, including Hal. Actually, my encounter with Hal was kinda weird. I was exploring Metropolis and found the Daily Planet building, which had been "bottled" by Brainiac. Hal was there standing on the sidewalk and apparently just looking at the building. I walked up to him -- and if it's possible for a virtual gaming character to look startled, he came awfully darned close. He responded with a sort-of "welcome-aboard-and-thanks-for-fighting-the-good-fight" and then flew away. It was WEIRD.

- While exploring the Metropolis energy plant, I ran into a full-blown Sinestro Corps War. There were Green Lantern and Sinestro Corp members all over the place, beating the tar out of each other. They were all Level 22, so there was no WAY I was wading into THAT battle. However, a Sinestro Corps member came after me and I had no choice but to fight him off. I actually beat him! And then I immediately got the paint kicked out of me by a whole bunch of Sinestro Corps members who jumped me in retaliation. When I came to, there was a Green Lantern chick standing over me, offering to buy or sell equipment or fix anything of mine that was broken. I just took the opportunity to get outta Dodge, so to speak.

- I wasn't TOO surprised to see a LOT of Marvel fans running around, with Marvel-based creations. One player I talked to said, yes, he WAS a Marvel fan, but the game looked so cool that he just HAD to try it. He loved it and said he wished Marvel had something like it. I had to explain to him who Booster Gold and Oracle were. He was a bit shocked by the whole Barbara Gordon tale.

So, that's it. I'm HOOKED. I'm DOOMED. Soooooo DOOMED.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

2010-12-20T10:39:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays, and WILL continue to enjoy the holidays! Yes, I've been back for a while -- Florida was FABULOUS, and Mighty Mite had a great time discovering sand and beaches for the first time in her life. We came home to snow and freezing temperatures. That's okay -- it's just a different kind of fun. Best of all, we had four new windows installed on the house last week, and the difference they make is impressive. The house seems SO much warmer now. Plus, the window installers deserve a round of applause for actually coming out in really lousy weather to get the windows done -- and all without complaining about it. What a great bunch of guys!

It does seem like we hit the ground running when we stepped off the plane, though. I don't know why this holiday season seems busier than in years past, but somehow it is! I've hardly had time to get online let alone address my blog, so my blog is officially on hiatus until at least after the holidays. So, everyone take care and be good, and Happy New Year to all!

Well, darn it ...

2010-11-26T11:34:00.003-05:00

I had the PERFECT comic book selected for today's coverage. It was WONDERFUL. It was BEAUTIFUL -- and darned if I can remember where I put the dratted thing! Sorry about that, folks. I suppose it'll keep until NEXT Thanksgiving. DRAT!

In addition, I'm outta here for the next two weeks -- goin' to Florida to visit family. The visit will also include Mighty Mite's first trip to the beach. She's very excited about it! We should be back by Dec. 10.

May the next two weeks be good for everyone!

Thoughts on the new Green Lantern movie trailer

2010-11-19T21:12:00.014-05:00

YES, I have seen the new trailer for the Green Lantern movie (linked at the end of this article). NO, I don't have an opinion as to whether I think the movie will be good or bad. It's only ONE trailer, plus I learned a long time ago that trailers are downright useless tools for predicting how good or bad a movie will be.

Take Pixar films, for example. With one or two exceptions (one being a particularly funny teaser trailer for The Incredibles), in my opinion, most trailers for Pixar movies are pretty lousy. They almost NEVER tell you ANYTHING about the movie in question -- they're very pretty, but very, VERY vague. RIDICULOUSLY vague, and also BORING. Nine times out of ten, whenever I see a new Pixar trailer, I think to myself, "Okay, now, other than the fact that the movie is a PIXAR movie, why the hell would I want to see it?" I mean, for a movie studio that has a reputation for being the most critically and financially successful studio in world cinema history, Pixar does produce some pretty lousy movie trailers. But that's just MY opinion.

Ahem. Okay. Back to Green Lantern. Based on the trailer, as I already stated, the movie could be good, or could be bad (never mind that it's yet another frickin' origin story). I'd rather have a really good movie or a really bad movie as opposed to a mediocre one. Bad movies DO have some redeeming qualities, after all -- some make for great viewing BECAUSE they're so bad (the movie Surf Ninjas comes to mind). PLEASE-oh-please let the Green Lantern movie be really good or really bad -- but not boring! PLEASE!

I am happy, though, that Ryan Reynolds is Hal Jordan. I wasn't sure about him at first, but I've grown rather fond of him since seeing him in The Proposal. It helps that People Magazine recently called him the Sexiest Man Alive. As one of the sexiest super-heroes in comics, Hal Jordan SHOULD be played by an actor with that title. Hal Jordan himself would probably expect nothing less. Based on the trailer, Reynolds also seems to be channeling the Geoff Johns version of Hal, which is appropriate given Johns' involvement with the film.

The only thing in the trailer that made me wince was when Reynolds said, "One thing a Green Lantern is supposed to be is fearless -- that isn't me." Maybe it's just the way the trailer is edited, but the statement struck me as rather odd. Hal has indicated often enough in the comics (particularly in Sinestro Corps War and in Secret Origin) that he ISN'T fearless -- rather, he has the ability to overcome fear. Still, Hal has also stated that when people ask him if he's afraid of anything, he tends to answer NO because that's what people expect him to say. Based on that, the blurb in the trailer seems out of character. But, as I already stated, maybe it's just the way the trailer is edited.

Still, it was fun to see Sinestro (as a GL!), and Tomar-Re, and Kilowog in the trailer. I'm also assuming that the man Hal is talking to near the end is Tom Kalmaku -- I'm GLAD to see Tom wasn't left out of the movie. As to the rest, well, I'm gonna wait and see how it all comes together. Fingers are crossed.

Even on a beer glass, Batman gets no respect

2010-11-12T08:48:00.009-05:00

Catalogs have been showing up in the mail with alarming frequency of late, filled with goodies and potential presents for the holiday season. So far, I haven't found too many things in the catalogs that have caught my attention -- EXCEPT for a set of DC heroes beer glasses. There are four glasses in the set, each featuring a super-hero portrait on one side and a saying, of sorts, on the other side. First, of course, there is the Superman glass:

The back of his glass says:

Man of Steel. Nothing terribly pithy or witty -- just Man of Steel. Well, that's okay. We all know Superman is the Man of Steel (really, though, with what we know about metals and alloys these days, shouldn't he have been upgraded to at least the Man of Lutetium by now?).

Next is the Wonder Woman glass:

The back of the Wonder Woman glass says:

Well, of course!

Glass #3 of the set depicts Hal Jordan/Green Lantern. I'm pretty happy about that, actually. In the past, we were most likely to see Aquaman or the Flash. It's nice to see that Hal is currently in the "top four" for the general public:

On the back of Hal's glass is part of the Green Lantern oath, naturally:

Last, but certainly not least, is Batman's glass. HERE is the front:

Not bad, not bad. Now, what do you suppose the back of HIS glass says? Does it say, "Criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot," or something to that effect? NOPE. The back of Batman's glass says?

Bam, pow, bang. That's it. BAM, POW, BANG. It seems that after all this time, and after all of the movies, animated series, graphic novels, etc., etc., Batman STILL hasn't shaken off the spectre of the 1960s. *Sigh.*

Lion around

2010-11-03T20:55:00.003-04:00

This Halloween, Mighty Mite wanted to be a lion. So, this is what we came up with for her:

Personally, I think she looks more like a teddy bear. Even so ... awwwww. :-)

The pink thing is her trick-or-treat bucket -- a pink jack-o-lantern. She had a pretty good haul this year!

How 'bout some Halloween weekend romance?

2010-10-30T21:59:00.013-04:00

... or at least what PASSES for romance between the two star-crossed lovers in question: Batman and Catwoman. But, it's a lovely Saturday night before Halloween, so there's no harm in them having a little fun, right?

Not to belittle Catwoman's talents or anything, but I believe Batman LET her catch him.
From "Date Knight," written by Darwyn Cooke and drawn by Tim Sale, from Solo #1 (2005).

On a completely unrelated note: Have I stated before that I hate finishing drywall? I HATE finishing drywall.

Mighty Mite's idea of warm clothing

2010-10-22T11:48:00.004-04:00

Mr. Sea's surgery is done, and he's now home and feeling MUCH better. Hooray!

On a different note: Lately, Mighty Mite has been VERY keen on picking out her own clothes and dressing herself. For the most part, she's pretty good at it -- she's been picking out jeans and sweaters for the nice fall weather we've been having. However, this morning, it was 30 degrees F outside -- FREEZING COLD. I told Mighty Mite, "You'd better make sure to dress in really warm clothes because it's very cold outside." She said, "OKAY, Mommy!" THIS is what she decided was appropriate:

Well, at least her FEET will be warm. Just goes to show that two-year-olds shouldn't be allowed to dress themselves.

Kidney stones!

2010-10-18T11:41:00.005-04:00

Kidney stones occur with varying intensities, from minuscule stones that pass unnoticed to excruciatingly painful stones that require surgery for removal. Well, guess which type Mr. Sea currently has? Poor guy was hit VERY hard over the weekend and is in the hospital awaiting surgery. Not to worry -- the kidney stones are painful, but it's minor surgery. Mr. Sea will be home soon, along with a LOT of cranberry juice.

The mystery of Batwoman's costume

2010-10-11T09:45:00.007-04:00

This is something that's always bugged me about the original Batwoman's costume: WHY the HECK is it yellow and red? It's primarily yellow with red accents. WHY, WHY, WHY? The design itself is batlike enough, but the colors certainly don't say Creature of the Night. If idea was that Kathy (Batwoman) Kane was trying to emulate Batman's look, why on earth did she have costume colors (not to mention the elf boots and gloves) more in line with Robin's original look than with Batman's?

The costume for Batwoman's sidekick/niece, the original Batgirl (Betty Kane), wasn't any better. Not only did Batgirl wear a skirt (Wonder Woman discovered a LONG time ago that skirts just aren't practical for bashing in badguys' heads), the primary color of HER costume was red with green accents. Again, more in line with Robin's look than with Batman's.

I don't get it. I just don't get it.

Mothra vs. Bat-chicks!

2010-10-06T20:40:00.012-04:00

Over the decades, there have been quite a few Batman villains that are just ... well ... pathetic. Take Killer Moth, for example. Killer Moth really doesn't do much -- he has a gun that shoots goo that can form into coccoons. Big deal. And why Killer Moth chose to team up regularly with the equally-pathetic Cavalier is anyone's guess.

However, Killer Moth once, ALMOST became somewhat geekily cool, when he secured a couple of giant mechanical flying moths, just like Mothra from the Godzilla movies. To the Bat-folks, though, the giant moths were just another obstacle on the way toward socking Killer Moth in the teeth:

Never fear, folks! For on that ship is none other than the original Batwoman (Kathy Kane):

Look, everyone! Not only is Batwoman an impressive acrobat, she can make her cape magically disappear!

AND reapppear!

Killer Moth may be down, but the Cavalier is still flying around on another Mothra. Now it's Batgirl's (Barbara Gordon's) turn to fight -- even though the Cavalier's code (whatever that is) doesn't permit him to "fight females."

From Batman Family #10 (1977).

It's October! WoooooOOOOOOOoooo!

2010-10-04T20:06:00.006-04:00

It's October! I love October. It's one of my favorite months, especially for the weather. Indiana always looks gorgeous in October, what with the changing leaves and all -- assuming it doesn't get TOO cold outside. And what comic book hero represents Halloween better than THIS guy?

Well, okay, I guess you could make an argument for the Spectre or one of the other supernatural heroes -- but, really, Batman is the quintessential Halloween hero. So, I think I'm gonna devote most of this month to picking on Batman and his "relatives."

Hey, is it just me, or in the above drawing, does Batman look like he's doin' the Time Warp from Rocky Horror Picture Show? Kind of appropriate given his current circumstances in the comics. Hmmmmmmm ...

If nothing else, that picture of Batman practically begs for a caption content -- ANY caption besides the obvious, "ALFRED! I told you to stop putting starch in my shorts!"

Hal Jordan's Greatest Plane Crashes/Wrecks/Explosions #11

2010-09-30T20:38:00.006-04:00

Here is an eleventh -- and my last -- example that Hal Jordan's general presence is absolutely dangerous to planes. Really, with no less than eleven examples (and, believe me, I could have kept going) of planes suffering just because Hal Jordan is in the general vicinity, why would ANYONE want him even TOUCHING one of their planes? I think a man with such a destructive aviation record (short of the Red Baron and his like, of course) should be banned from airfields for life. To give Hal some credit, though -- in THIS example, he actually does save the plane from crashing, though it still gets damaged. From Green Lantern: No Fear:

Without a scratch, he sez?!? HAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA!!

Sure enough -- once Hal gets the plane airborne, it's not long before he gets into an altercation with a Manhunter robot:

Yeah, I'd say so.

Like I said earlier, though, once Hal takes care of the robot, he actually saves the plane. Lucky, lucky plane!

Hal Jordan's Greatest Plane Crashes/Wrecks/Explosions #10

2010-09-27T21:53:00.006-04:00

From Green Lantern: Fear Itself:

!

(

Oh, maybe 'cause YOU were flying it, Hal? Really, what other explanation does Carol need?

Hal Jordan's Greatest Plane Crashes/Wrecks #9

2010-09-23T13:24:00.006-04:00

Do you suppose that, prior to the following actions, Hal fantasized about doing these sorts of things to planes? From Green Lantern #130 (1980):

In particular, I like Hal punching the plane in the nose.

Hal Jordan's Greatest Plane Crashes/Wrecks #8

2010-09-21T20:28:00.003-04:00

After plowing through all of my Green Lantern stories, I've come to the conclusion that Hal Jordan is very, very good at just finding ways to wreck planes. He doesn't necessarily have to be flying and/or crashing them (or INTO them). If Hal's around a plane -- ANY plane -- that plane is in big, big trouble. Odd, isn't it? For a character who supposedly loves planes and loves flying planes, Hal doesn't seem to mind destroying them. Heck, he's destroyed more planes, single handedly, than the X-men have as a group -- and, believe me, that's sayin' something. With that in mind, I'm going to proceed with displaying Hal wrecking planes any way he can, starting with perhaps the most famous example of all, from Green Lantern-Green Arrow #89 (1972):

So ... TIRED ...!

2010-09-17T16:08:00.003-04:00

Our 16-year-old niece, Georgette, has gone back home to Washington after spending Labor Day and beyond with us, and ... MAN, I'm tired! I mean, having a toddler around is tiring enough, but I had no idea that also having a teenager around would be so tiring -- and Georgette is a great kid to have around. At any rate, sorry about having not posted for a while. I'm gonna go get some sleep -- and next week I'll get back to having Hal Jordan engage in property damage. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Hal Jordan's Greatest Plane Crashes #7

2010-09-03T21:48:00.006-04:00

From Green Lantern: Secret Origin:

You know, I'm starting to think that, it isn't so much that Hal is good at crashing planes as he is at just finding ways to blow them up. Crashing just happens to be ONE way of doing it.

It's the Labor Day holiday weekend here in the USA (which also means that the pools close after Monday here in Indiana -- waaah!), and I have family plans all next week. SO, I probably won't be around until after September 12 or so. Everyone be good and have a great weekend!

Hal Jordan's Greatest Plane Crashes #6

2010-08-31T08:58:00.004-04:00

From Green Lantern: Traitor:

Hal Jordan's Greatest Plane Crashes #5

2010-08-27T10:05:00.009-04:00

First, a personal note: I've been "at liberty" from my job for a month now, and I can't believe how BUSY I am! I used to hear people say that all the time, upon their becoming stay-at-home parents, or unemployed, or retired. I guess I had to experience it for myself before I truly understood what these people were talking about. It's a good thing Mighty Mite is still in preschool for the time being, because I can't believe how much cleaning, and painting, and repairing I've been doing around the house. Heck, just this week, despite having a cold, I repainted the entire main hallway of the house, including the ceiling. Believe me, the hallway needed it. Makes me wonder what would have happened to the house if I'd put off this stuff much longer! I shudder to think ...! So, when do I get to start sitting on my butt, watching soap operas, and eating bon-bons? Yeah, so much for THAT stereotype.

Yeah, I have another friggin' cold. The only nice thing about it is, I don't have to worry about calling in sick anymore. Problem is, I keep looking around the house and seeing things that need to be done, so making myself rest has been a bit of a problem. Oh, well.

Anywho, here's another Hal Jordan plane crash, from Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn:

Hal Jordan's Greatest Plane Crashes #4

2010-08-23T22:17:00.005-04:00

So, does Hal crashing INTO a plane count? In Hal's case, OH HECK YEAH, it counts! Hal vs. Kalibak, from Green Lantern: Emerald Knights:

Hal Jordan's Greatest Plane Crashes #3

2010-08-19T15:48:00.005-04:00

From Green Lantern #35 (1965). Hal is SUCH a weasel:

Hal Jordan's Greatest Plane Crashes #2

2010-08-18T09:29:00.004-04:00

From Green Lantern: Willworld:

Hal Jordan's Greatest Plane Crashes #1

2010-08-17T09:17:00.006-04:00

From JLA Year One:

An alternate Green Lantern page?

2010-08-12T09:13:00.006-04:00

I love finding stuff like this. Back when Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis & company were working on the original issues of Green Lantern: Secret Origins, Ivan Reis drew the following iconic image of Sinestro and Hal Jordan recharging their power rings. The finished illustration was published on page 4 of Green Lantern #34:

However, apparently that wasn't the ORIGINAL drawing for page 4. The original drawing, replaced by the above drawing, was THIS:

Interesting. I actually like the original page better -- Hal and Sinestro united! I wonder why it was changed? Maybe someone wanted Sinestro featured more prominantly.

History of the Predator, the "male Star Sapphire"

2010-08-06T15:01:00.027-04:00

So, in current Green Lantern lore, the Predator is actually, supposedly the Star Sapphire “entity,” huh? Or, at the very least, the Predator is a “male Star Sapphire.” That’s interesting, especially given the history of Predator, and of Carol Ferris as Star Sapphire. Originally, Predator was presented as the “male side” of Carol Ferris’s psyche – a male side that liked nothing better than to love and protect poor, sweet Carol, and to beat the hell out of Hal Jordan every chance it got. And, make no mistake about it, Hal was equally intent on beating the hell out of Predator.

Predator first appeared on the very last page of Green Lantern #178 (1984), arriving just in time to keep Ferris Aircraft from being completely trashed by a group of bad guys called the Demolition Team. Hal was elsewhere at the time, trying to save the planet Omicron Ceti IV, at the behest of the Guardians.

Though he doesn’t completely stop the Demolition Team from damaging Ferris Aircraft, Predator certainly makes his presence felt. He doesn’t seem to have much in the way of super-powers (except maybe the ability to fly or glide a bit), but he’s very agile, tough, and good with weapons. He also has a VERY macho attitude toward bad guys …

… and toward a certain dark-haired businesswoman:

After Predator takes off, and Carol is left to mop up, Hal returns from space and is more than a little shocked by what happened while he was gone. After saying he wished he could have been there to help, especially since his friend Clay Kendall was seriously injured in the attack, Carol goes off on Hal:
Yep, Carol is MAD. So mad, in fact, that she claims that she’s sick and tired of Hal being a Green Lantern (“Don’t I matter as much as those blue-skinned old bastards?”) and gives him an ultimatum: “It’s that lousy power ring or me, Hal! The choice is yours!”

Hal IS a bit taken aback, and a bit confused over the whole thing. SO confused, in fact, that he actually visits several other heroes for advice on what to do (Green Arrow, Flash, Superman). Then, he makes a decision:

Yep, that’s right Carol. Believe it or not, Hal has decided to quit the Green Lantern Corps. QUIT!

SO, after an emotional and heartwarming sendoff by his friends in the Green Lantern Corps …

… Hal turns in his ring, and John Stewart is made the official Green Lantern of sector 2814. Carol thinks this is GREAT. Hal, on the other hand, isn’t sure it’s so great. He misses being a super-hero – especially since Predator is still hanging around Ferris Aircraft, and Predator and John Stewart are taking care of all the problems Hal USED to handle.

Not only that, Predator has started sending Carol love notes.

Hal finally gets to meet Predator when Predator decides to drop in on Carol for a little romance – and, ooooh, Hal isn’t happy about that AT ALL. After Hal and Predator snarl at each other a bit, Predator quite literally mops the floor with Hal.

NOW Hal is REALLY mad, and he starts obsessing about Predator. In fact, he becomes something of a Predator stalker. He arms himself to the teeth and starts hanging around the rooftops at Ferris to try to catch Predator. Carol tries to talk him into behaving normally, but Hal really isn’t having any of it.

Here, Carol -- maybe this kiss will shut you up.

Eventually, Hal tracks Predator to an old, abandoned theater and doesn’t hesitate to pull out the firearms.

(That’s right, kiddees. He’s no Punisher, but unlike most other super-heroes, Hal Jordan doesn’t hesitate to use a gun if that’s the only weapon at his disposal. Heck, even being turned into a bird didn’t stop him from using a gun on at last one occasion:

(Hal Jordan: The Pistol-Packin’ Pigeon. But, I digress …)

Getting shot in the face doesn’t hurt Predator one bit, and he escapes Hal. Hal returns to Carol, who tries ONE MORE TIME to get Hal to pay more attention to HER:

Here, Carol -- maybe THIS kiss will shut you up.

Predator then shows up AGAIN, and this time, after beating up Hal, he kidnaps Carol. Hal follows them to the old theater. Hal and Predator get into yet another fight, and the whole while Predator is claiming that he loves Carol. To everyone’s surprise, Carol then claims she loves Predator -- and then something really weird happens:

Predator and Carol merge and become Star Sapphire -- a rather angry Star Sapphire, who proceeds to beat the tar out of Hal and EXPLAIN things to him.

Apparently, Carol’s on-and-off-again relationship with Hal took its toll on her, and Star Sapphire (influencing Carol through the old gemstone that used to possess her) took matters into her own hands. Star Sapphire possessed Carol and then split in two, so her feminine (Carol) and masculine (Predator) sides were separated. Predator went about taking care of all Carol’s business issues while Carol was free to pursue Hal. Hal screwed things up, though, by … well … being Hal.

Star Sapphire then adandons Hal and goes on her merry way, completely taking over Carol, killing Katma Tui, and doing all sorts of other, nasty things.

Carol remained this nasty incarnation of Star Sapphire for a VERY long time, but Predator seemed a thing of the past – until almost ten years later.

Fast forward to Green Lantern #41 (1993), in which Predator reappears – and here’s where Predator history gets REALLY weird. For various reasons, Carol (no longer Star Sapphire) is being hunted down by Deathstroke the Terminator AND Predator, who succeeds in possessing Arisia. Of course, in trying to protect Carol, Hal gets caught in the middle of the fray – but ends up sitting quite a bit of it out while Arisia and Deathstroke do a good job of clobbering each other:

(That’s right, fanboys – it’s Terminator vs. Predator! Yeah, good luck getting THAT movie made.)

While she’s possessed by Predator, Arisia learns that Predator is actually, supposedly a demon from Maltus who’s out to destroy the Guardians AND the Zamarons.

Originally, there were three demons (Krotazodarikik, Archorivvon, Guarradachach), but Predator is the only one left, having defeated the other two because Predator DOES have a thing against killing “innocents.” Supposedly, Predator is interested in Carol due to her close ties with the Zamarons -- and, BOY, is he interested in Carol. After Carol (with Hal’s help) becomes Star Sapphire and succeeds in separating Predator from Arisia, all of the weirdness reaches a crescendo:

Yeah, that’s right – Star Sapphire (but NOT Carol) is pregnant by Predator. Carol ISN’T pregnant because she and Star Sapphire are actually two separate beings. Right. Gotcha. Hal doesn’t seem to care too much, though. Hey, as long as it’s not HIS kid, right? Not that it matters a whole lot, because it’s not long after this that Hal becomes Parallax, and all this becomes a bit superfluous.

Not that Carol’s predicament became COMPLETELY forgotten. While Hal was out trying to tear up the cosmos, Carol became the administrator of Extreme Justice's Mount Thunder facility. Not long afterward, both Predator and Star Sapphire were separated from Carol, and Star Sapphire gave birth. Predator and Star Sapphire didn’t last long, though. The demon Neron showed up, killed both of them, and ran off with the baby – which seems to have been completely forgotten, just like the baby Power Girl supposedly had during this time.

Got all that? Yeah, there have been a lot of weird things in Green Lantern history, but not much is weirder than this.

Hal Jordan needs his own motorcycle

2010-07-30T10:57:00.007-04:00

Here I thought being intentionally unemployed meant having more free time. Silly me. I can't believe how busy I've been this week. HOWEVER, I finally had a chance to start getting caught up on my comics, including picking up the last two Green Lantern issues. Many people had told me about issue #55 and how much I'd love it, and Hal vs. Lobo. Well ... Holy cow ...

Oh, Hal. Still defying your momma's attempts to keep you safe.

I admit, I still very, very much miss Ivan Reis on Green Lantern, but Doug Mahnke is growing on me. This helps CONSIDERABLY.

To heck with planes. Hal needs his own motorcycle. He needs one NOW.

Blackest Night trade books -- Could have been better?

2010-07-23T21:12:00.005-04:00

I picked up the first three Blackest Night trade books: Blackest Night, Green Lantern: Blackest Night, and Green Lantern Corps: Blackest Night. Of course, I love 'em, as I love Green Lantern comics in general, but I do have a bit of a quibble.

I had really hoped that DC would combine the Green Lantern and main Blackest Night title issues into one trade, intersplicing them so they appeared in proper story order. It would have made sense, given how the two titles were completely reliant upon each other when the individual issues were first published. Sure, certain parts of the main Blackest Night issues were carried over into non-Green Lantern-related titles, but the ties weren't as blatant as those to Green Lantern.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, DC published the Green Lantern issues in one trade and main Blackest Night issues in another trade. This makes for a pair of VERY confusing books that don't make much sense unless you constantly flip back and forth between the two. Poor Mr. Sea tried reading them the other night (he hadn't read the comics when they were first published) and found the constant shifts between the two titles highly annoying. Maybe in the future DC will publish the two titles together in a way that makes sense. For now, though, they serve more as collections than as books with any sort of coherent flow.

No such problem for Green Lantern Corps trade, though. The GLC title wasn't heavily reliant on any other Blackest Night stories, so the trade is a nice read with good flow. Well, as nice a read as a good ol' gory GLC story CAN be, that is. Ya gotta love the GLC, but it ain't for the weak of heart!

Geez loweez ...!

2010-07-19T10:16:00.010-04:00

So, I put in my two-week notice last Monday, and the situation hasn't been quite what I expected. My boss not only expressed regret at my leaving (I kinda expected her to be relieved -- she and I get along fine personally, but we never quite see eye-to-eye professionally), she also asked me if I'd be willing to do some freelance work for the department ...! I've also received freelance offers from two other departments in my company, from two authors, and from some artists who work outside of the company. Well, well! So, I may not have much to worry about if I need cash in the future.

Of course, publishing companies love freelance editors. After all, companies don't have to pay benefits for freelancers; so, they're cheaper to hire.

I've also been unbelievably busy! My company's doing its best to get as much as it can out of me before I leave Friday. However, I am NOT putting in a full day on Friday, no matter what. I don't care if I get paid for the full day or not. I'm going to bring Mighty Mite with me Friday morning so we can say our goodbyes; and then we're OUTTA THERE!

I quit.

2010-07-09T15:13:00.011-04:00

I am an incredibly lucky person. I don’t make this statement to brag. I make it because to claim otherwise would smack of ignorance. No, I don’t have a lot of money -- I don’t measure luck that way. Rather, I have a good family, I’ve had a good education, I’ve never gone hungry, I’ve never gone without a roof over my head, and I’ve had steady employment since I was old enough to legally enter the job market. I know I’ve been lucky in that regard, and that a great many people in the world haven’t been so lucky.

Mr. Sea is also a lucky person. In spite of the lousy economy, he’s been able to find a career that he very much enjoys, with an employer that offers fair pay and benefits. My employer also offers fair pay and benefits, but nearly half of my paycheck currently goes toward what I need to do in order to EARN that paycheck. In other words, the amount of money I spend on things that enable me to have a job in the first place -- fuel, breakfasts and lunches at the office, Mighty Mite’s full-time preschool, etc. -- takes up nearly half of my annual earnings. That’s ridiculous.

Another problem: I’ve been a book editor for twenty years. Seven years ago, I climbed as far as I want to climb professionally. As a result, there’s a sense of stagnation that I just haven’t been able to shake in the past few years. It’s been driving me crazy.

Plus, I remember what the job market was like when I first graduated from college. I was armed with a double B.A. in Journalism and English, ready to tackle any career path that was open to me. I initially thought I wanted to work in advertising, but there were too many things about the field that struck me as downright dishonest. Being a reporter was also out of the question -- I just don’t have the temperament for that sort of thing. So, I turned my attention to publishing. However, the economy being what it was at the time (lousy), in order to get a job in publishing, I literally had to wait for someone to quit, retire, or DIE before a position opened. I ended up working in retail for three years -- until finally, one day, someone DID retire from a publishing position. I succeeded in sticking my foot in the door, and the publishing industry became my professional home for the next twenty years. I know there are a lot of fresh college grads out there in the same boat I was in twenty years ago.

So, I quit. I don’t want and don’t need my job anymore, so someone else -- someone who very much needs a job -- can have the position that opens due to me leaving the industry. I don’t know who that someone will be, but I wish him or her all the best in the crazy, volatile, wacky world of publishing.

As for me, I plan to stay home, perform all the maintenance on the house and yard that I just haven’t had time to do (especially painting -- ugh), and spend LOTS of quality one-on-one time with Mighty Mite. I’m not going to pull her completely out of preschool, because she does have friends there, and she’s been learning a lot of good things -- but she will going part-time rather than full-time from now on.

I’ll also get to finally finish writing the sequel to Herald! Wow, the mind boggles at the thought of actually having time to finish writing this half-done novel I’ve been sitting on for the last couple of years. I admit, I’ve been more than a little hesitant to sit down and work on it. When I write something, it tends to completely consume me, often to the detriment of other, similar (i.e., job-related) tasks. I was worried that if I concentrated too much on my novel, my career would suffer. Well, no more career, no more writing worries.

I’m 45 years old, and for the first time in my life, I’m going to be a house wife. Holy cow. Well, Mr. Sea spent time as a house husband before finding his new career. I guess it’s my turn now.

My two-week notice will be presented on Monday. I hope my boss doesn’t have a heart attack.

The lost "art" of anvil blasting

2010-07-06T09:44:00.010-04:00

This past weekend was 4th of July weekend here in the states -- in which Americans celebrate their independence and their God-given right to host barbecues and blow the smithereens out of their own yards and neighborhoods. Hey, what do you expect from a country that has the lyrics, "And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air," in its national anthem?

And, BOY, do we love fireworks. Never mind that fireworks were invented in China. Never mind that, every year, some American SOMEwhere finds a way to lose a limb and/or set a building on fire by doing something STOOpid with fireworks. We've always been more than happy to make fireworks a big part of 4th of July celebrations -- or ANY celebration, for that matter. I can't tell you how many times well-meaning folks in my home town (Indianapolis) have tried to get fireworks banned because, well, they ARE dangerous. The bans never work, though, and Indianapolis neighborhoods still, always end up looking and sounding like war zones on July 4th.

I guess the people who always try to ban fireworks should be grateful that most Americans no longer celebrate the 4th of July via anvil blasting. In fact, most Americans don't even know what anvil blasting IS anymore, mostly due to the fact that there aren't many blacksmiths around these days.

What's anvil blasting, you say? Oh, it's how Americans USED to celebrate their independence, approximately 100+ years or so ago. Anvil blasting is very simple. Here's what you do: You go to the village blacksmith, get an anvil (which usually weighs a ton or so), have a bunch of guys hoist it up and rest it on top of a big keg of gunpowder, light a fuse leading to the keg, and then RUN LIKE HELL. The goal is to blast the anvil as high up in the air as possible.

Of course, the problem is, anvils don't always cooperate. They may go sideways instead of straight up. Or, they may blast into pieces and send shrapnel flying every which way. And, of course, no one wants to have a flying anvil LAND on them. It's not hard to imagine why several states made anvil blasting illegal 100 or so years ago. Even so, some historical societies still hold anvil-blasting events across the country every July 4th, in an attempt to "recreate history." Uh, HUH.

I must admit, watching a huge anvil fly across the sky WOULD be pretty damn cool, in a MythBusters "we like to blow stuff up" sort-of way. Personally, though, I'm glad there are no blacksmiths anywhere near MY neighborhood.

Superman thinks Marvel toys are COOL

2010-06-28T18:59:00.002-04:00

Well ... they ARE cool. Who wouldn't want Thor's hammer?

Green Hornet -- The Movie

2010-06-24T14:02:00.009-04:00

Wow, it's gonna be really green at the cinema next year! Of course, the new Green Lantern movie is supposed to be released next year, and I am pretty excited about that. However, kicking off 2011 is the new GREEN HORNET movie. Now, the Green Hornet and Kato, as characters, have gone through a lot of changes and suffered a lot of indignities over the years, in every type of media you can imagine. But I'm hopeful about this movie.

One thing that I find very intriguing is the fact that (based on what's in the trailer) some deliberate humor has been injected into the Green Hornet universe. That's actually rare for Green Hornet -- and I don't think it's a bad thing AT ALL. Quite the contrary. Despite supposedly being a descendant of the Lone Ranger, which IS pretty darned exciting, Britt Reid has always been a very bland and (let's face it) BORING character. Kato was always the interesting one, not Britt. (In all fairness, though, Britt does have a huge problem in that, it's hard to appear interesting when you have Kato as a sidekick -- who is just about the COOLEST sidekick in existence.) Actor/comedian/writer Seth Rogan may seem like an awkward choice for portraying Mr. Reid, but I think he'll lend some much-needed personality to the character, in addition to the humor.

It's also interesting that Britt Reid's history appears to have been rewritten a bit to make him seem like a pre-Green Arrow spoiled-brat rich-kid Oliver Queen. INTERESTING.

Besides, Green Hornet has one of the COOLEST cars in all of super-hero lore: Black Beauty. I LOVE Black Beauty, in all of its incarnations. It's not gaudy like the Batmobile -- it's merely, functionally ALL CAR. And, oh, what a car! Heck, my own, current car is nicknamed Black Beauty, in homage to the Green Hornet.

SO, in a nutshell, I'm very much looking forward to seeing Seth Rogan, Jay Chou, and Cameron Diaz in The Green Hornet this January. Bring on the big-screen comic book fun!

Come to the JLA-Avengers LUAU!

2010-06-22T14:45:00.007-04:00

Now, THIS is something I want to see more of in my comics -- DC-Marvel crossover LUAUS. Seriously, these guys need more opportunities to have fun together. Click on the following image to see a bigger version. It's worth it!

I don't know about you, but I personally find the idea of Rick Jones and Snapper Carr hanging out together downright scary.

From JLA-Avengers, 2004, by Kurt Busiek and George Perez.

Eek!

2010-06-17T14:05:00.004-04:00

Should I be worried about the fact that, upon my Googling about some general information regarding my publishing company, one of the first articles to pop up was called, "Can You Survive a Benevolent Dictatorship?"

Egad!

The end of the comics blogosphere approaches ...?

2010-06-16T08:43:00.013-04:00

DC Universe Online actually, finally looks set to be released soon -- November, in fact, or at least that's the OFFICIAL release month. I'm still skeptical since the release of this project has been delayed before, but it's looking a little more hopeful this time.

So, what's DCU Online? For those of you who don't know, it's an online gaming environment, similar to World of Warcraft, that consists of the DC Universe and all of its characters. The idea is, you can create your own hero or villain and roam freely around the DCU, battling villains or heroes, interacting with DC characters, etc. Here's the official short description, followed by the most recent trailer:

"DC Universe™ Online is the only next-generation massively multiplayer online action game that delivers unparalleled physics-powered combat set in the DC Universe™. This genre-defining game puts the power of the DC Super Heroes and villains into the palm of your hands… The next legend is YOU!"

I think the only DC cities that will be available, to start, are Gotham and Metropolis, but others are planned for the future. They'd better be planning on allowing players to go into SPACE, because you KNOW all of the Green Lantern fans are going to be expecting and demanding it.

There IS supposed to be a Marvel version in the works as well, but its release seems to be delayed at the moment. The DCU one is scheduled to be released first.

So, does this spell the end of the comics blogosphere? I wonder. Probably not, because people who love to write are going to feel compelled to write, no matter how seductive a gaming environment might be. However, I can picture myself becoming a Green Lantern and running around in this environment QUITE easily. It could potentially be a huge success and very addictive -- in which case, traffic around the blogosphere could drop dramatically as bloggers instead head out to beat up virtual opponents or try to strike up romances with various DC characters. OR, the game environment could turn out to be a huge disappointment and the bloggers will stay put. We'll see!

In the meantime, if you want to know more about DC Universe Online, here's the official link:

http://dcuo.station.sony.com/index.vm

Here's some concept art, too, with more available at THIS link: http://dcuo.station.sony.com/featured-art.vm. Click on images to see larger versions. Of course, most of the available artwork is devoted to Batman's universe, but what there is looks VERY interesting. Have fun!

Hal Jordan vs. Sinestro's ... backside?

2010-06-11T14:08:00.011-04:00

These Studio Sakka Green Lantern "coloring book" drawings are STILL popping out of the woodwork and onto eBay, nearly two years after I first posted about them. My favorite is still the one in which Star Sapphire (Carol) is planning to whack Hal over the head with a mallet, but the following one is a close contender:

Based on this drawing, is it reasonable to suspect that perhaps Hal IS a bit proud of his backside -- and he wants to eliminate any chances of Sinestro competing with him ...?

'Course, in this drawing, Sinestro still looks a little too much like The Leader (from Marvel Comics). So, maybe Hal just has a thing against The Leader's butt. Who knows?

I'm back -- and I want CHILI!

2010-06-09T14:27:00.005-04:00

Seriously, you know how it is: You're away for a while, eating weird things that you normally would never eat and will probably never eat again. But once you're home, you find yourself craving other weird things that are common to your home environment but you usually never eat them. Maybe it's just the tastebuds' way of hitting the reset button after a vacation, but it happens to me a LOT.

Take chili, for example. I'm really not a huge fan of chili, but right now, I just GOTTA have it. Dunno why. I just DO. And I like a particular type of chili -- reasonably spicy, but not too hot, with plenty of ground beef and beans ... and MAYBE some noodles or spaghetti. Seriously. When I was growing up, Mom often made what's known as "Hoosier chili." Hoosier chili consists of tomatoes, ground beef, kidney beans -- and either spaghetti or macaroni noodles, depending on what's on hand. Doesn't seem too bad, right? Except the only spices my mom ever used were salt and pepper. That's it. Blandest chili on earth. I don't think I had "real" chili until I got to college.

And right now I want REAL chili. I want it bad! And not the way Green Arrow makes it, either!

Here's a recipe for REAL Hoosier chili:

Ingredients
2 pounds extra-lean ground beef
2 cups chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 (16 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
1 (46 ounce) can tomato juice
1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Directions
In a large Dutch oven or soup kettle, brown beef until no longer pink. Add onion, celery, green pepper and garlic. Continue cooking until vegetables are tender. Add all remaining ingredients except last two; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours, adding macaroni for last half hour of cooking time. Stir in the beans and heat through.

ON VACATION

2010-05-25T15:13:00.003-04:00

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I'm currently on vacation -- I'll be back in a week or so. Besides, it's time for the INDIANAPOLIS 500! Woo hoo!

Green Lantern: Legacy, The Last Will and Testament of Hal Jordan

2010-05-14T09:45:00.011-04:00

From Hal Jordan's time as the Spectre comes the story Legacy: The Last Will and Testament of Hal Jordan. Written by Joe Kelly and beautifully illustrated by Brent Anderson and Bill Sienkiewicz, it was first released in trade form in 2002 and has remained in print ever since. Most Hal Jordan/Spectre stories are unusual, but this one is probably the most unusual in that it's a very emotional tale (for a Green Lantern story), and it focuses on one of the most controversial figures in Green Lantern history.

Despite its title, Legacy: The Last Will and Testament of Hal Jordan isn’t really about Hal Jordan. Rather, it’s about Hal’s long-suffering friend, mechanic, and almost-sidekick, Tom Kalmaku.

Through no fault of his own, Tom Kalmaku is one of the most controversial characters in Green Lantern lore, primarily because he has the misfortune of being a member of that large crowd of “ethnic sidekicks" oft assigned to white male heroes during the Golden and Silver ages of comic books. Though the treatment of Tom in the old Green Lantern stories is downright respectful compared to other ethnic sidekicks of the time, there were still some racial slurs and stereotypes associated with the character. Tom being Eskimo, he was subjected to the nickname “Pieface” (a take on “Eskimo Pie”) and was given dialog punctuated with exclamations like, “Great fishhooks!” It doesn’t exactly make for comfortable reading these days. (Note: Some people have stated Tom is Inuit, but this is only half correct -- "Eskimo" is "Inuit", but "Inuit" isn't necessarily "Eskimo".)

In addition to being Hal's almost-sidekick, for a long time, Tom was the only person in the comics who knew that Hal Jordan and Green Lantern were the same person (though Dorine Clay/Onu Murtu figured it out without any trouble, and Carol Ferris has long been suspected of knowing all along that Hal was Green Lantern). Tom also hero-worshipped Hal, and for a time he kept a journal in which he documented all of Hal's adventures (or at least the ones he knew about). Tom's journal figures prominently in the tale discussed here.

The story opens with a bit of a montage showing Hal’s origin story, the destruction of Coast City, and Hal’s transformation into the villain Parallax. Then the scene shifts to Hal’s funeral, where Tom Kalmaku stands at the podium to deliver a eulogy. He begs the congregation to remember Hal as a hero rather than as a villain …

… and then he abruptly changes his tone:

As it turns out, Tom is actually in a bar (the “Roarin’ Borealis”) and telling his drinking buddies about the funeral. His buddies, however, don’t quite believe that he really said bad things about Hal at the funeral. (Tom's actual eulogy was actually quite nice, according to Kyle Rayner.) Tom (who is VERY drunk) insists that he DID slam Hal at the funeral, and he continues to say even worse things about Hal. Unfortunately for Tom, Hal has a fan in the bar who doesn’t much appreciate Tom’s behavior -- and lets Tom know it.

Tom wakes up in a taxi cab that's driving him back to his apartment -- not really back home. It seems that, due to his recent bouts of alcoholism and self-destructive behavior, Tom is estranged from his wife, Terga, and is living away from her and their two children. The cab driver asks Tom, “Did you really know him? Green Lantern?” Tom claims that if he really knew Green Lantern, he never would have believed in him. Tom falls asleep in the cab, and readers are then shown the cab driver’s true identity:

Ah-HA! The cab driver is really Hal Jordan as the Spectre! Uh, oh …

While passed out, Tom has a dream about a time when he rescued Hal from one of Hal’s more bone-headed incidents, when he was caught by a big, yellow Qwardian spider -- an event that Tom recorded in his Green Lantern journal. In the dream, Hal thanks Tom profusely for saving him and refers to Tom as his best friend.

Later, after losing his job, Tom's alone in his apartment AND he’s even MORE ticked off than usual because it just happens to be Hal’s birthday. To celebrate, Tom decides to set his journal about Hal on fire:

Before the entire stack of journals can go up in smoke, someone knocks on the front door.

(You readers DID spot the Spectre image in the smoke, right?)

At the door is a gentlemen who looks remarkably like Michael Caine with a mustache. “What are YOU supposed to be?” Tom snarls at him.

Tom slams the door in the man’s face, but the man is undeterred. Announcing himself as the executor of Hal Jordan’s will, he forces his way into Tom’s apartment and presents the reluctant Tom with paperwork that names him Hal’s inheritor.

Just at that moment, a little boy shows up in the doorway and says, “I don’t think I want to stay here … It’s cold.” The executor then informs Tom that the little boy is Hal’s son, Martin Jordan (named after Hal’s father), and that, per Hal’s will, Tom is now in charge of him: “Congratulations. You’re a foster father, Mister Kalmaku.”

The executor then leaves Marty with Tom, along with a stack of paper and a note from Hal that says, “Tom -- Fix it. -- Hal.”

Little Marty Jordan does look remarkably like Hal, complete with a curly lock of hair on his forehead and one “Parallax” streak of white hair along the left side of his head. While Tom goes through the paperwork, at a loss over what to do, Marty innocently asks him, “Do I call you ‘Pieface’ or ‘Uncle Tom’? ‘Uncle Pieface’?”

(Oooooooh, OUCH.)

The scene shifts to Carol Ferris’s mansion, where Carol is feeling depressed over Hal’s birthday and trying to keep herself from “impulse buying small companies to keep from crying.” To her surprise, Tom Kalmaku shows up on her doorstep with little Marty in tow. While Marty explores Carol’s mansion, Tom tries to foist the poor kid onto Carol -- while Carol tries to figure out when (and probably to whom) Marty was born: “Seven years ago, we were just getting back together after he left Ferris …”

Carol then expresses concern over Tom’s self-destructiveness and abandonment of his family. She asks, “What happened to you, Tom?”

“Hal Jordan happened!” Tom replies. As he walks away and helps himself to Carol’s liquor cabinet, Marty approaches Carol.

“Are you mad at me?” Marty asks her nervously.

“Me?” says Carol, kneeling down so she’s eye-to-eye with Marty. “No … I … I don’t even know you. How could I be mad?”

Relieved by her answer, Marty grins and extends a hand to Carol:

Awwwww, the cute little kid is as charming as his old man.

Suddenly, Carol's mansion is under attack: "CHOOM!" A mysterious figure drops down from the sky ...

... and it seems intent on killing Marty. He may be drunk, but Tom reacts VERY quickly. He grabs Marty and pulls Carol further into the house to get both of them away from the monster. As the monster chases after them, Marty holds out something to Tom and asks, "Will this help?"

Suddenly, Tom is seemingly plunged into a memory, but it's not his. It's a memory of Hal's fight with the villain Mongul, right after the destruction of Coast City and just prior to Hal becoming Parallax.

In the original fight, Hal was pretty badly beaten up by Mongul, but Hal managed to generate some armor and subdue Mongul with Steel's hammer. In Tom's "memory," though, Hal doesn't stop there. He continues to pound Mongul with his armored fists until Mongul is reduced to a bloody pulp.

Tom then "wakes up" from the memory. The monster is gone, half of Carol's mansion is completely destroyed, and Tom, Marty, and Carol are all perfectly fine. Marty tells Tom that Tom scared the monster away.

Tom grabs Marty and yells, "What did you do to me?!"

"I didn't do nothing!" Marty replies. "It was THIS."

Marty holds out a Green Lantern power ring. "Did I do something bad?" he asks.

The scene shifts to the Justice League watchtower on the moon. Tom and Marty are there, being grilled by Justice League members -- especially by a VERY worried Superman:

Both Tom and Marty refuse to allow the Justice League to take Marty's ring. When Superman and Batman try to play "good cop/bad cop," Tom hurls accusations at them: "It's about YOU people -- YOUR kind -- and one of YOUR mistakes. Funny how you didn't show until the ring popped up, isn't it?" He stomps out of the room, leaving Marty behind.

In the next room is a trophy case containing one of Hal's old uniforms. Tom stares at it and remembers another incident recorded in his journal:

"Hal," Tom asks him, "Will I ever be a Green Lantern? Could I ever join the Corps?"

Tom's thoughts are interrupted by Kyle Rayner, who's followed him. "You have one hell of a nerve!" Kyle yells at him:

"-- Like his therapy bills aren't going to be high enough."

Tom and Kyle then get in an argument about Tom's behavior. "He [Hal] didn't even LOOK for me!" Tom yells. "With that ring, he could have--!"

"What?" Kyle asks, completely confused, "What did you want him to do?"

Meanwhile, poor little Marty is still with the other Justice Leaguers. He looks up at them and says, "I just want to get away from you people." Then, abruptly, both Marty and Tom are teleported to a different part of the base, away from everyone else.

"Jeez--what'd you DO?" Tom yells at him. "Gonna be SICK -- Should WARN a guy before you teleport his hung-over butt across -- Hey, where are your other 'uncles'?"

Marty informs Tom that he's leaving, but before he can go, Tom shows him Hal's "fix it" note. Tom then makes a promise to Marty to figure out what Hal meant by "fix it." They both teleport away from the Justice League watchtower -- just in time to avoid the Justice League rushing in on them, AND just in time to avoid the reappearance of the monster that confronted them earlier.

Next stop for Tom and Marty: Warrior's Bar, where they meet up with those old Green Lantern veterans Alan Scott, John Stewart and, of course, Guy Gardner. Guy is just a little flabbergasted to find out about little Marty: "You ... This ... Jordan, you never stop ..."

Tom asks the guys what he should do about Marty, and what they think Hal's note means. Alan and John are both of the opinion that Hal just wanted Tom to make sure Marty grows up to be a good man. Tom thinks there's more to it than that, but Guy doesn't agree:

"Hell," Guy continues, "I forgot you even existed until you walked in the door!" Guy then tells Tom to leave Marty with the Justice League before anyone gets hurt. Right when Guy says this, however, the scythe-wielding monster bursts into Warriors and starts trashing the place. As Guy (as Warrior) and Alan fight the monster (John isn't yet a Green Lantern again), Tom grabs Marty and makes a run for it -- and blacks out into another memory recorded in his journal.

This time, the memory involves a trip to Oa, where Hal has brought Tom to witness a training session with Kilowog. After the session, Hal removes his ring and hands it to Tom. "Want to take it for a spin?" Hal asks him.

Well, OF COURSE Tom wants to use Hal's power ring! He wants to very much! But for some reason, he chickens out. He hands the ring back to Hal, and also hands Hal an unintentional insult:

Tom then wakes up from the memory to find that he and Marty have teleported away from Warriors. Marty is yelling at him that they shouldn't have left the guys at Warriors in a bind, that they should have tried to help. "My father wouldn't have run!" Marty yells. "He'd be ashamed of you!"

Tom yells right back: "Let me tell you about your 'brave and brilliant' father ... the TRAITOR, the MURDERER." Tom then tells Marty EVERYTHING about Hal. EVERYTHING -- much to Marty's shock.

When Tom finishes, Marty doesn't say a word. He just kneels on the ground, looking subdued. It's only then that Tom notices their surroundings. It's night, and they're in front of a house. Standing outside of the house, staring at them, are two little kids. TOM's kids. Tom grabs Marty and asks him to use the power ring to teleport them away. Marty does so, just as Tom's daughter recognizes him: "Daddy?"

Tom is then plunged into yet another memory:

Coast City is on fire due to inner-city rioting that's gotten out of hand. Hal is working on rescuing the city's inhabitants, but he's angry because the rioters are apparently less than grateful for his help. He ends up getting in a fight with Ollie (Green Arrow), who's accusing him of trying to save only the "nice section" of town.

Hal pauses at Tom's words, and then he sets about putting out all the fires in Coast City. "Coast City WILL be saved today," he vows. "ALL of it."

When Tom wakes up, he and Marty are sitting on a hill overlooking the valley that used to be Coast City. Tom says they'll need to move again soon, before the monster that's been chasing them finds them again. He has an idea of what Hal's "fix it" note means. "It's possible that we're supposed to fix something OUT THERE," he says -- meaning something that isn't on Earth. So, using the ring, Tom and Marty head off into space.

First stop: Xudar, home planet of Tomar Re and Tomar Tu. There, Tom and Marty find a monument devoted to Tomar Tu, who is presumed dead because of Hal. The monument has the inscription, "Tomar Tu: GL2813 -- Killed by Universal Scourge Hal Jordan." Standing around the moment is a group of former members of the Green Lantern Corps, calling themselves the Brotherhood of the Flame. Among the group members (surprise, surprise) is none other than Boodika.

(Yes, yes -- we all know Boodika was scooped up by Hank Henshaw and the Manhunter robots and held captive with the other Green Lanterns Hal directly attacked. Hey, who's to say they didn't catch Boodikka until AFTER this story?)

Boodikka, of course, is VERY angry that Hal chopped off her hand and destroyed the Corps, and she's even less happy to find out Hal has a son. She completely rebuffs Marty's offer to help her.

Other members of the Brotherhood, though, aren't as dismissive. They insist on letting Marty try to help the people of Xudar. However, there's something suspicious about their intentions, as Boodikka accuses them of doing something she didn't agree to. She issues a stern warning to Tom to abandon Marty, and then she stalks off.

Determined to take their chances, Tom and Marty set about using the ring to "fix things" on Xudar. They're so focused on their task that they notice too late that the monster that was chasing them on Earth has arrived. Before Tom can do anything, the monster hits Marty with its scythe -- a fatal blow.

The monster, as it turns out, is none other than a mindless, undead Kilowog, transformed via black magic into a tool of vengeance for the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood want all traces of Hal Jordan eliminated from the universe -- and they also want Marty's ring. The ring, however, doesn't cooperate. It blasts Kilowog and the Brotherhood away from Marty's body, allowing Tom to gather Marty in his arms. Then Tom, Marty, and the ring all fade away.

The rings transports Tom back to Earth, back to the spot where he and Marty had been looking over the former location of Coast City. Grief-stricken, Tom lays Marty's body on the ground and then starts screaming and crying: "Damn you, Hal ... your son. Your own son. You knew I couldn't do this! You knew I couldn't!"

Suddenly, behind him, Marty starts to sit up, very shakily. "They hate me so much," he says. "Even you ... I remember now. I remember all the pain I caused. I know why all of you hate me ..."

"Pain YOU caused?" Tom gasps. "Oh, my God. H-Hal?"

Noooo, it's not HAL ...

He's not Hal, and not even Hal's son, at least in the literal sense. Marty is actually the ring -- or, rather, ring power that was left behind when Hal died reigniting the sun. Lacking direction, the power reformed as a semi-sentient being based on information and images in Hal's mind. (If Hal were to actually have a son, OF COURSE he'd name him Martin Jordan, after his father.) It then went seeking Tom Kalmaku for help -- but Tom doesn't exactly know why it singled him out. At least, not yet.

At that moment, the Justice League shows up, trying to get Marty away from Tom. Tom isn't having any of it, and he deliberately works on remembering a conversation he once had with Hal. The conversation topic: COULD Hal beat the JLA, ALONE?

In a remarkable series of panels displaying the parallels between Hal's and Tom's conversation, and Tom's confrontation with the Justice League, readers are shown just how one power ring can take out the entire Justice League, including Superman. (Whole pages from the sequence can be seen here and here.)

After the Justice League is defeated, Tom remembers one more, important thing from his conversation with Hal: Hal telling Tom that he hoped someone would stop Hal "by any means necessary" before Hal "ever went down a dark road."

Tom grabs Marty and orders Marty to take them into space -- to a certain TIME in space, so Tom can do "What I should have done from the beginning ..."

When Tom and Marty reach their destination, Tom finds himself face-to-face with Parallax.

"Pieface," Parallax sneers. "Right."

Tom HADN'T been looking for Parallax. He'd been looking for Hal, just after the destruction of Coast City, hoping to intercept him at the beginning of his rampage, before he could destroy the Green Lantern Corps and become Parallax.

Parallax yells at Tom, pointing out all of his failings, and then offers a deal -- Tom can hand over Marty/the ring power in exchange for Tom's life. All the while, Marty is protesting: "No ... he chose YOU, Tom ... he chose ... YOU ..."

Tom is just about to hand Marty over to Parallax when he suddenly asks, "Why didn't you come looking for me after Coast City? Before all of THIS?"

Parallax stops and gives Tom a very odd look. Just at that moment, Parallax comes under attack:

Kilowog has caught up with them. While Parallax and Kilowog engage in battle, Marty uses his power to show Tom exactly what happened when Hal began his rampage:

"And it was decided we would go to Oa. We would MAKE the Guardians listen to us. We would MAKE THEM resurrect Coast City and bring back the dead. And if they would not, we would take the power to do something about ut. It was decided ..."

"... TOM. I wonder if TOM is still alive."

Hal, as it turns out, HAD gone to see Tom before starting his rampage. He found Tom and his family huddled around their TV, watching the news coverage about Coast City. Hal, though, hid behind them and didn't let them know he was there.

"We were there," says Marty. "We were there, but we didn't speak."

"Say something!" Tom yells at Marty's image of Hal. "Tell me you're there! Talk to me!"

"He can't ..." says Marty.

"You were supposed to be the next, you know," Marty tells Tom. "The next Green Lantern. The Guardians chose Guy ... I chose John. But Hal ... Hal was going to choose YOU."

Ah-HA. Now we know why "Marty" went looking for Tom.

Meanwhile, the battle between Parallax and Kilowog rages on. Tom uses Marty's power to put the fight to a halt -- by causing Kilowog to remember who he is, and by forcing Parallax to transform into Hal as a Green Lantern. Tom then confronts Hal, confessing that no matter how much he hates Hal for what he did, he still honors the dream. He says good-bye to Hal and says he's going to "fix things" the way Hal (and Marty) wanted.

Parallax/Hal is taken aback for a moment, then he yells, "You'll fail! You can't change what happened!"

"I know ..." Tom replies, "so I'm not going to try ..." Tom, Kilowog, and Marty all vanish.

They reappear at the center of the universe, filled with the bits and pieces that were once the planet Oa. Oa had been destroyed not long after Hal became Parallax, in a huge fight between Hal and Kyle Rayner.

Kilowog is still a bit unbalanced. "I ... I'm supposed to ... KILL you ..." he says.

"Tell you what, Kilowog," says Tom. "Let me do this one thing, and if it doesn't work, shishkebab the both of us."

"There's nothing you can do, kid ..." Kilowog replies. "The power, it's corrupted ... it's -- What ARE you going to do ...?"

"I'm just going to try not to mess this up," says Tom.

Marty hands Tom a power ring ...

... and Tom recites the Green Lantern oath: "In brightest day, in blackest night ...!"

Ta-da! Oa is reformed -- complete with buildings and a big, new power battery held aloft by a giant statue of Hal standing on a base that says, "Light Never Dies."

Kilowog is THRILLED: "HA! HA! Bring it on, ya poozers! BRING IT ON!"

Marty tells Tom that Tom did "real good," and then Tom vanishes. He reappears on Earth, standing just outside his family's house.

"And I thought I was scared of the BATMAN ..." Tom mutters. He then turns and says to someone behind him, "You sure there's not a planet you want me to reconstruct? You know ... something a little easier?"

The person standing behind Tom turns out to be HAL.

Tom and Hal say good-bye to each other, then Hal transforms into the Spectre and disappears.

Tom then enters his house to join his family. "Don't worry ..." one of his kids yells, "DADDY can fix that."

Hal Jordan and ... SHE-HULK?

2010-05-12T08:41:00.005-04:00

Ya never know what you're gonna find on eBay. I like to look through the "Original Comic Art" section sometimes, just to see what's out there (even though I'm not in the market for anything at the moment). Yesterday, while sifting through the current postings, I ran across THIS pencil drawing:

Oh ... my! The description of the drawing is, UZOMI STUDIO: SHE HULK, GREEN LANTERN BY EVERTON COSTA. I admit I have some issues with the drawing in general; but when I first saw it, my jaw literally dropped -- and then I LAUGHED, and LAUGHED, and LAUGHED ...! Wow. The very idea of She-Hulk and Hal--! Hal probably wouldn't know what hit him. I must admit, this is a pairing I never would have considered. I always thought a logical Marvel/DC pairing would consist of Hal and Jean Gray. She-Hulk, though ...! Ooooh, the possibilities!

Hey, Sally! I'm guessing She-Hulk is one Marvel who's a big fan of Green Lantern Butts Forever! ;-)

Toddler fashion sense

2010-05-11T10:33:00.003-04:00

In the wake of Mother's Day, I just gotta post this very recent photo of Mighty Mite, looking very much like a Hoosier toddler, with the overalls. However, the purple flip-flops were totally her idea. Mighty Mite LOVES her flip-flops -- they're currently her favorite footwear. She calls 'em "FLOPS!!" Yes, exactly like that -- all caps and exclamation points: "FLOPS!!"

Ryan Reynolds really, REALLY wants to be a super-hero

2010-05-06T13:44:00.013-04:00

FIRST, he was Deadpool in the movie X-men Origins: Wolverine.

CURRENTLY, he is being filmed in the role of Hal Jordan for the Green Lantern movie.

THIS SUMMER, he’s appearing as the hero Captain Excellent.

You know … Captain Excellent. In the movie Paper Man.

Paper Man?

Yes, Paper Man. Don’t worry -- it’s a comedy. I’ll go ahead and post the plot description and official trailer. First, I gotta say -- at this point, actor Ryan Reynolds might as well have "I WANNA BE A SUPER-HERO" tattooed across his forehead.

Here is the official film description: “Paper Man is an inspirational comedic drama about an unlikely friendship between Richard (Jeff Daniels), a failed middle—aged novelist who has never quite grown up and Abby (Emma Stone), a 17—year—old girl whose role in a family tragedy years earlier has stolen away her youth. Both are unsure, both are afraid to take firm steps forward, and both are looking for that special friend—that connection—to help guide them into the future. Since his childhood, Richard has mostly relied on the imaginary one that resides in his head—a costumed superhero known as Captain Excellent (Ryan Reynolds). At the urging of his wife Claire (Lisa Kudrow), Richard has moved to a Long Island beach community for the winter season in order to overcome his writer’s block. There, Richard meets Abby and hires her as a weekly babysitter, even though he has no children. Their tenuous, new friendship is sparked by Richard’s awe over Abby’s homemade soup and Abby’s enjoyment of Richard’s writing and his attempts at Origami. As the season progresses and the warm, quirky friendship between Richard and Abby grows, the two begin to share with each other their dreams and life hardships. With the coming of spring, Richard and Abby discover there comes a time to let go of the imaginary friends of the past and to embrace the future as a new beginning—just as one would embrace a new and unique friendship.”

Good thing this is a comedy because, in my humble opinion, the normally brown-haired Ryan Reynolds (though cute, though funny, and though in great physical shape for playing super-hero) looks LOUSY as a blond. Heck, even the official movie poster has his hair cut off!

The Sea-of-Palookas music festival!

2010-05-05T09:16:00.016-04:00

Y’know, there have been entirely too many articles about death posted on this blog lately, which is downright depressing. To lighten things up a bit, I’m gonna throw my own music festival here -- Sea-of-Palookas! And the palookas in question make up some of the quirkiest -- and fun -- musical acts you’ll ever see. Let the festival begin!

On STAGE #1: That 1 Guy

Alias Mike Silverman, That 1 Guy is currently the world’s most amazing one man band. Formerly a bass player for Tom Waits, That 1 Guy created his own musical instrument -- a high-tech aluminum harp-like contraption called the Magic Pipe -- and started touring and recording his own tunes. People fortunate enough to see him live get treated to magic tricks, more unique high-tech instruments (like the Magic Boot and the Magic Saw), and That 1 Guy’s amazing performances of humorous (and cleaner than their titles) songs like “The Moon is Disgusting” and “Buttmachine.”

On STAGE #2: The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band

I have a soft spot for the Rev and his Big Damn Band -- and not just because they’re Hoosiers. The Reverend Peyton is the most amazing country/delta blues guitarist I’ve ever heard, and the band (consisting of the Rev’s wife, Washboard Breezy, on [er] washboard, and the Rev’s brother, Jayme -- later cousin Aaron -- on drums) is one of the most enthusiastic you’ll ever see on stage. This band defies categorization. They used to be the opening act for Clutch; so, despite their “rural blues” sound, most of their audience consists of Alternative Rock fans. But what’s not to like about songs devoted to fried potatoes, or to the time Breezy’s cousin ended up on the TV show COPS when it was filming in Indianapolis?

On STAGE #3: Rummelsnuff

Don’t let the long, semi-dramatic video intros fool you. Germany’s punk/industrial band Rummelsnuff is quirky and fun -- and the lead singer ("Rummelsnuff" himself) definitely knows hats!

On STAGE #4: Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears

This lineup needs more blues and funk -- and no one fits the bill better than Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears. These guys are more cool than quirky, but you gotta love their song, "I'm Broke." I'm definitely broke. Aren't we all?

On STAGE #4-1/2: The Heroes

Er ... yeah. Think these guys never recorded a song? Think again! Who else would record a song about Metamorpho? Who else would have lyrics like, "Strong as iron, homely as sin/He'll change into copper, cobalt or tin"?

Lynn Redgrave vs. The Great Gonzo

2010-05-03T13:37:00.007-04:00

Actress Lynn Redgrave has passed away. She was a wonderful and highly respected actress -- I loved her in Shine and Gods and Monsters, amongst other films. She was in SO MANY great movies -- so why does my brain keep singling out the time she got the better of Gonzo on The Muppet Show? I gotta admit, it is a memorable moment -- and one that Gonzo seemed to enjoy a little too much. Lynn Redgrave was obviously a very good sport.

Guardian angels in strange places

2010-04-28T15:24:00.007-04:00

I love my husband's company. Not only do his bosses sometimes make tickets to sporting events available to him, some of his co-workers have taken it upon themselves to look after ME as well. Case in point: Yesterday, Mr. Sea was sent home with a permissions form that reads, verbatim:

NFL Ticket Purchase Permission Form

I (wife of Purchaser) do hereby authorize my stupid husband to purchase NFL tickets for the November 28th, 2010 game between the Indianapolis Colts and the San Diego Chargers.

This permission form serves as notice that this does not interfere with our 2010 holiday plans and will not be grounds for divorce, although he may sleep in the garage if it turns out to be a really good game and he takes anyone other than me.

Date: __________________________

Printed Name:
________________________________

Signature :
________________________________

Truly, I have guardian angels in strange places, for strange things.

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the Earth ...

2010-04-22T12:07:00.011-04:00

... though it certainly seems that way lately! Every time I think I've managed to make my life less complicated, it gets BUSIER. Anyhoo, I'm up to my ears in books once again. (Math and music books. Think there are no similarities between the two? Think again!) As a result, I may not be able to submit any new blog entries for at least another week. Bah, humbug! At least I'm going to finally get to see Avatar for the first time tonight. It's gonna be a LONG night.

'Til next time, here's a clip from one of the craziest Muppet Show episodes of all time -- the cast of "Pigs in Space" meets (part of) the cast of Star Wars (around the time Empire Strikes Back was first released).

"You were in the driver's chair -- you forgot to push the stoppy thing!" Geez, I still miss Jim Henson very, very much. TELL me Zapp Brannigan on Futurama wasn't based (at least in part) on Link Hogthrob.

Speaking of Muppets and Star Wars, everyone seen the Muppets "screen test" for the role of Yoda? Of course, we all know which Muppet finally got the job.

Do ads in comic books still work?

2010-04-12T13:46:00.031-04:00

How many of you longtime comic book readers have ever, actually owned Sea-Monkeys? Sea-Monkeys, for those who aren't familiar with them, are tiny little "instant" water "pets" that, all through the 1970s and 1980s (and perhaps beyond), were regularly advertised in comic books with big, bright, colorful ads like this one:

Aww, aren't they so cute and funny? Don't you want some? Of course you do! MANY people did. That's why many people who saw this ad in their comics clipped out the little order form and mailed it in, along with a check for $1.25. What Sea-Monkeys turned out to be, though, were tiny, swimming shrimp that looked like THIS:

Ahhhhh! Monster!

The photo shows a greatly magnified "Sea-Monkey," of course. Still, it doesn't exactly look like the cute little ad from the comic books, right?

I actually had Sea-Monkeys once. They were interesting for about three days, swimming around their fishbowl and doing the kinds of fancy underwater acrobatics that you'd expect tiny, swimming shrimp to perform. Then, very quickly, they just got -- well -- disgusting. Sea-Monkeys/shrimp are not the most hygienic of critters, and it was hard to keep their fishbowls clean without crushing or just LOSING the little critters. They also DIED very easily, littering the bottom of their bowls with their little shrimp bodies -- which were then eaten by the OTHER, still-living Sea-Monkeys, no matter how much food I gave them. Disgusting.

Still, Sea-Monkeys were proof that advertising in comic books WORKED, at least for a while. These days, you aren't likely to see an ad for something like Sea-Monkeys in comics -- mainly because advertising in comics has become VERY expensive. Comic book advertising is currently on par, price wise, with that of other four-color print magazines -- i.e., in the thousands of dollars. That's why ads for things like Sea-Monkeys have been replaced with Got Milk? or automotive ads. But, do the ads still WORK? Granted, the average comic book reader is older and more affluent now than in the past, but do readers actually buy the mostly high-ticket items currently advertised in comics books?

I think they might, just based on my own experience.

Late last summer, I was forced, at last, to acknowledge that I had to retire my old, beloved Saturn. Though I loved my car, it had several problems. First, there was the announcement that the Saturn brand was being discontinued. I had an old model, anyway, but the discontinuation of the entire line meant it was going to start getting VERY difficult to find affordable parts for repairs. Second, the car was starting to have mechanical problems, stemming mostly from the fact that it had over 140,000 miles on it. Third, there was hardly any back seat to speak of, which meant I couldn't fit a car seat in it for Mighty Mite. VERY inconvenient. So, it had to go.

To replace my Saturn, I fully intended to get a used PT Cruiser. I like Cruisers. The basic models are very affordable, they do everything I need a car to do, and I've driven enough of them to be very comfortable with them (Mr. Sea is currently on his second one -- a CONVERTIBLE). Plus, with the economy being what it was, I was convinced I could get a good deal on a car -- dealerships around here were DESPERATE to sell something, ANYTHING. So, during a lunch hour late last August, I visited a local Chrysler/Dodge dealership to look at used Cruisers.

As I was marching across the dealership lot toward the Cruisers, I saw a car that literally stopped me in my tracks and made me say, out loud, "What on earth is THAT thing?" It was THIS:

The unlovely car in question is a black Dodge Caliber. At the time, I had no idea why the thing attracted my attention. It looked to me like an ugly black tank -- not at all like the quirky "retro London cab" styling of a PT Cruiser. Regardless, I was inside the thing in seconds and was soon demanding a test drive. After the test drive, and after finding out that the car had all SORTS of hidden compartments and weird gadgets (fold-down speakers, a detachable interior flashlight, and a frickin' DRINK COOLER in the glove compartment), I actually gave the car a name: Black Beauty, after the Green Hornet's car. That was it. The car was mine.

After signing all the paperwork and getting the car home, I found myself sitting in on my porch and just STARING at the Caliber parked in my driveway. I LIKED it -- I still do -- but it wasn't exactly what I had in mind for a new car. Calibers don't exactly look like the types of cars I'm usually attracted to. I had no idea what had happened. How on earth did I end up buying this ugly black car? Was I brainwashed somehow? As far as I knew, I'd never even HEARD of Calibers before. How I ended up with one was a bit of a mystery ...

... until recently. While organizing my comics and flipping through some issues of Green Lantern that were a year or so old -- issues that I had read SEVERAL times each -- I saw THIS centerfold ad:

I thought: Oh. My. God. THAT'S MY CAR!!!

I flipped through more Green Lantern comics and saw the same ad several times. I also saw THIS one:

Yep. My car. AGAIN.

I'm convinced. Thanks to comic book advertising, I was brainwashed into buying a black Dodge Caliber. It's the only explanation.

Awww, but I love my car. At least it's cleaner than my Sea-Monkeys were. Plus it hasn't tried to eat any dead cars -- so far.

As good as basketball gets

2010-04-06T08:42:00.003-04:00

Well, Duke won the NCAA men's basketball championship -- but, as one of the announcers said, "Butler DIDN'T lose." Geez loweez, what a thrilling game! Many people predicted that Duke would blow Butler away. That didn't happen. Butler was a dead-even match for Duke and both teams fought very, very hard to the last second. Duke just happened to have a slight lead at the final buzzer -- and that final, heart-stopping shot at the basket. The game was as good as basketball -- as ANY game -- gets, at ANY level.

Well done, Butler Bulldogs, and thanks for a great ride! Looking forward to seeing you again next year!

You know you're in Indiana when ...

2010-04-03T21:11:00.005-04:00

... you arrive at the repast (memorial dinner) after a funeral and find everyone huddled around the TV to watch the NCAA men's basketball tournament. :-)

The BUTLER UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS WON! They beat Michigan State! WOOO HOOOO! A small college team from Indianapolis is in the championship game! Oh, man -- we Hoosiers LIVE for this sort of thing. Congratulations Butler! GO DAWGS!

Grandpa George

2010-03-31T10:07:00.008-04:00

Grandpa George, my mom’s father, has passed away. He made it to his 90s, which is admirable, though I’m sure he wanted to continue for a bit longer. He did manage to outlive all four of his brothers -- quite a feat, considering George was the middle child. I think most people who’ve grown up in Indiana have known someone like George. He was a very gruff man of few words who’d grown up on a Hoosier farm. The character Carl Fredricksen from the animated film UP reminds me of Grandpa George in many ways -- short and stocky with a slight underbite, salt-and-pepper hair, thick glasses, and a gruff demeanor, though I think George was even gruffer than Carl. George was the only member of my family I know of to carry that gruffness. His brothers certainly weren’t that way.

My great uncle Lester (younger than George) was referred to by family members as a "large child." He was often found roughhousing with nieces and nephews at family gatherings. Whenever Lester joined us for Thanksgiving, we could count on at least two pieces of furniture (especially chairs) getting broken over Lester horsing around or arm wrestling the biggest guy in the room. Uncle Charlie (the youngest brother) was a fireman who was an avid reader of science fiction. Thanks to him, my brother and I were introduced to the written works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Isaac Asimov, Clifford Simak, and Lester del Rey. Then there was Uncle Larry (older than George), who fancied himself a ladies man and did his utmost to emulate his screen idol, Cary Grant -- sometimes to unintentionally comic effect. I don’t remember much about the oldest brother, Ed, except that he was a nice and rather articulate man.

Because he grew up surrounded by such colorful characters, perhaps Grandpa George felt he couldn’t compete; so he contented himself with being the quiet brother. Grandpa WAS quiet, often ridiculously so. He always let Grandma call the shots while he went about his business, which usually involved running his small and successful concrete company. He hardly ever talked during family gatherings, but he was always found listening to other people’s conversations and sometimes chuckling quietly to himself. Even if someone asked him a question or tried to engage him in conversation, he would shrug and reply with things like, “Dunno,” or “Ain’t got much to say ‘bout that.”

Aside from my grandma and his family, George had two great loves in his life: fishing and reading. His favorite author was Louis L’Amour -- I think Grandpa must have read all of his books at least fifty times. That I was a book editor and writer myself seemed to give Grandpa a bit of quiet pride. For the last twenty years, whenever I saw him, he always asked the same thing: “What books ya workin’ on?” I’d tell him, and he’d reply with a grunt and a small smile -- and that would be the end of the conversation. Maybe he was just waiting for me to say, “I’ve written a Western, Grandpa!”

Like many of his generation, Grandpa was an army veteran of World War II. He never saw battle, however. He was trained as a sniper and deployed south out of Florida to guard the Panama Canal. “He must have done a good job,” Grandpa’s only son, my uncle Tommy, once told me. “After all, the canal is still there!”

World War II provided the only story that Grandpa ever told me about himself. While in Florida waiting for deployment, he got to meet Eleanor Roosevelt, who was there visiting and lunching with the troops. “She was th’ ugliest woman I ever seen,” said Grandpa. Then he chuckled and said, “Nah, I was th' ugliest woman I ever seen.” Just before being deployed, some of the soldiers threw a party, and as a joke, Grandpa showed up in drag. I have a photo of him from that party. Yes, he was definitely an ugly woman.

Grandpa George wasn’t an outwardly affectionate man. He was more comfortable with a handshake or a gentle cuff on the shoulder than with a hug. He showed his affection through doing things for his children. He and Grandma had four children; three daughters and a son -- my mother was the oldest (and I’m the oldest grandchild). When I was growing up, Grandpa was often present, helping us with home repairs -- and he was very proud of the concrete porch that he poured for our house: “Better ‘n my own!” Another point of pride for Grandpa was the fact that his children were the first in his family to earn college degrees, though he was clearly even more proud that his only son became a tradesman like him -- Tommy is a carpenter.

Growing up, I spent a lot of time at Grandma and Grandpa’s, usually with many other family members around. The men could almost always be found in the living room watching sports or old movies on TV and drinking beer. During one of these visits, when I was about eight years old or so, I walked up to Grandpa and asked, “What’s beer taste like?” In a move that would no doubt have gotten him arrested these days, Grandpa shoved his beer into my hands and said, “See watcha think.” I took one big gulp and immediately gagged. To my eight-year-old tastebuds, it was the most awful stuff imaginable. I shoved the beer back at Grandpa and yelled, “How can you DRINK that?” Grandpa just chuckled and went back to watching TV. I didn’t touch beer again until I was in my 20s. I suspect that was Grandpa’s intention.

Gruff and quiet though he was, there was something oddly comforting about Grandpa. He always looked the same, no matter how old he became. He always dressed the same way, too. In every color photo I have of him, dating back nearly 50 years, he’s wearing a light blue cardigan sweater. (My brother swears it’s actually the SAME sweater in every photo.) The sweaters in the black-and-white photos were probably light blue as well. Grandpa was a stubbornly changeless presence in a world of constant change. When everything in my own world seemed unbalanced and frightening, I could always count on Grandpa being there, and being how I always needed him to be -- just Grandpa.

‘Bye, Grandpa. I love you. I miss you.

Thank you, Mr. Giordano

2010-03-29T18:30:00.007-04:00

"Dick Giordano" is one of the first names I learned to anticipate seeing in my comic books way back when I was a little kid, when I was first reading Batman and Green Lantern-Green Arrow. I first knew Mr. Giordano as (what was to me) Neal Adams' "good inker" -- and then I quickly came to recognize his touches on other works from DC Comics. I once had the pleasure of meeting the man, and he was uncommonly gracious and generous with his advice. That he was both an artist and editor was very admirable to me. It's difficult to juggle those two disciplines, but he did so with enviable and seemingly effortless talent. It was also, always a real pleasure to sit down with a comic book containing his work. I've always been proud to own one of his drawings of Hal Jordan, and also an art print of his, depicting the Hard-Traveling Heroes -- reminders of when I first learned to recognize his work. I was truly sad to learn of his passing Saturday.

Thanks for everything, Mr. Giordano. You will be greatly missed.

Herald (Greek mythology): Free eNovel for downloading/reading

2010-03-25T11:29:00.013-04:00

As promised yesterday, the eBook for the novel Herald is now loaded onto Lulu.com and Scribd for downloading and/or reading. Here are the links:

Click here to find Herald on SCRIBD.

Click here to find Herald on LULU.

Yes, though the print copies still cost money (because, hey, printing books is expensive), the eBook is FREE. You can download it completely free of charge -- you're under no obligations. Read it. Print it. Make copies it. Email it to your buddies. Post it on other sites. Love it. Hate it. Be indifferent to it. It's your choice!

Okay (gulp), here goes ...!

2010-03-24T14:28:00.023-04:00

For various reasons, it really, really scares me to do this.

There are two very prominent sides of my nature that are really at war over me making this post. On the one hand, there is a very strong part of me that likes to be heard (read). Otherwise, why on earth would I be a book editor and writer, let alone own a blog? On the other hand, being exposed to the world frightens me in ways I can hardly explain. That's a big reason why I write under pseudonyms (pen names) and blog anonymously: Other people may love the idea of getting public attention, but I really don't like attention, unless it's on my own terms. I really, really don't.

So, why am I posting about this novel that's being made available as a free ebook? Hell, I dunno. I think it's a way to kick myself in the butt to get the next novel finished. I've been sitting on a half-finished sequel for several years now. There's no excuse for it, really.

Anyway, I'll post a link to the free ebook in the next day or so. For now, though, for anyone who's interested, here's the COVER:

AND for anyone who wants some nice, long reviews that AREN'T from Amazon.com (though there are certainly a few of those as well), here you go:

From Kirkus Reviews:
A lifelong student of classical mythology, Houck writes in the author’s note following this fictional autobiography of one of the most human-oriented gods: “Anyone who’s studied Greek mythology knows one of the most fascinating and frustrating things about it is that, for the most part, it isn’t linear.” Likewise, many rousing tales of gods and monsters have come down through the ages in complicated verse. Houck tackles these epic structural challenges head on in this accessible prose narrative of Hermes, messenger of the gods. Though widely known as the god of merchants, Houck brings Hermes’ raft of personal traits and supernatural talents to the fore, making him at once exceptionally human-like and divine. The son of Zeus and Maia, practically from birth Hermes demonstrates his wily and worldly nature in executing whatever feats Zeus asks as he comes to realize his gifts of flight, invisibility and, most uniquely, the ability to sense ghosts. This last attribute leads Hades to dub him Hermes Psychopompos, or herald of the Underworld, giving him the all-important mission of guiding souls to the land of the dead, a responsibility he assumes with gratitude and pride. Hermes’ compassion as a guide wins him devotion among the living, and his telling of his role in the grand adventures of Perseus, the rescue of Dionysus, the birth of Athena, and the conception of Eros, Priapos, Hermaphroditos and Pan, makes him an affable, sympathetic protagonist. The author doesn’t hesitate to take liberties with various storylines and genealogies to drive home, at times, heavy-handed themes of requited love and forgiveness, but in the end he produces a mythic story that coheres.
Three parts autobiography, two parts Greek primer and an engaging read for all ages.

(NOTE: I don't agree with the "for all ages" part. I'm not letting Mighty Mite read it until she's at least 13 years old! Of course, other parents are allowed to make their own judgments.)

From Foreword Magazine:
Adventure, sex, power, drama, and the whole gamut of human emotions – has Hollywood ever fully exploited the richness of Greek mythology? N.F. Houck, a nonfiction book editor and a lover of classical myth, has done so with Herald, an entertaining and instructive fictional autobiography, the first of a planned trilogy.

Houck’s narrator is the Olympian god Hermes, who most recall as almighty Zeus’s bastard son and messenger. Zeus often summoned Hermes to help hide his extra-marital shenanigans from his ever-jealous wife, Hera. Hermes begins this memoir by recalling how he lulled Hera’s spy, Argus, into a sleep so complete that every one of Argus’s many eyes closed, thus killing him. In the book’s final episode, Hermes details what he calls his “greatest accomplishment” at the behest of Zeus. He had long ago saved a fetus, a half-brother who later became known as Dionysos, from the burning body of the princess Semele, another of Zeus’s lovers who was victimized by Hera. With Athena and Apollo, Hermes is asked by Zeus to bring Dionysos, who has grown to become the much-adored patron of wine and unreason, into the council of Olympian gods. Dionysos, having little reason to trust in the family of Zeus and Hera, greets Zeus’s emissaries with the taunt, “So, Wisdom, Wit, and Reason have come to temper the hands of Madness, have they?”

Readers will understand that Hermes was more than a gofer for the God of Thunder. He was a clever and amiable god, a trickster and a mischief-maker. And with an ability to fly, and to see the bodiless souls who wandered the earth, Hermes was the psychopomp, or soul guide, for the dead who did not know their way to the Underworld. In this volume Hermes recalls many of his excursions below, including those involving the goddess Persephone, the lover Orpheus and his ill-fated bride, and the reunion of Dionysos and his mother. Hermes was an independent spirit who spread his seed among goddesses, nymphs, and dryads. Hermes documents his awkward and painful affair with Aphrodite, as he comes to understand why this off-and-on relationship with the goddess of Beauty could not work. And although Hermes swore off love when it came to humans, he tells of his enchantment with the Athenian maiden Herse. This is the most touching part of the memoir, as Hermes reveals the depths of his love as well as his capacity for despair.

Houck illustrates that, as Hermes tells Perseus, “gods and humans are the same except for magic and mortality.” Given his super-human powers and the fact that ichor, not blood, flows in his veins, Hermes is not all that unlike us. By showing a sometimes flawed and suffering being who must discover his place in his world, Houck pulls in and holds readers. At the same time he adds color but stays true to the details of classical mythology.

From Bookwire:
The gods of the Ancient Greeks hurled thunderbolts, flew [through] the sky, and changed their appearance at will, but they also displayed all-too-human foibles. They had their power struggles, love affairs, and vendettas just like humans, although on a far grander scale. In Herald, author N.F. Houck offers a fictional autobiography of Hermes, the messenger of the gods and a god himself. The result is an engaging adventure that reveals just how human the Greek gods were.

Hermes is a particularly good choice as a subject. His myths are perhaps not as well known as Zeus’s myriad love affairs or Athena and Poseidon’s struggle for Athens, but Hermes plays starring or supporting roles in a great many stories. More importantly, Hermes is easier to relate to than some of the other Olympians. The god of thieves, tricksters, sailors, and messengers, Hermes was known, too, as the god of wit. The wings forged for him by Hephaestos allowed him to travel swiftly on his errands as the gods’ herald.

Houck has strung together and cleaned up a host of often contradictory myths to deliver a sharp, rollicking tale of the life and times of Hermes. Born from Zeus’s liaison with the Titaness Maia, Hermes gets up from his birthing bed and heads out to experience life. He tricks and thieves his way across the world, but his adventures reflect a sense of mischief rather than malice. Of all the gods, Hermes is one who particularly delights [in] the company of people. He is one of the few of the Olympians who can see the shades of the dead, and he takes on the role of psychopomp, leading the confused dead to the underworld.

Greek myths can be confusing to the uninitiated, but Houck does a wonderful job of making them accessible, retelling them in Hermes’s own humorous and mischievous voice. Hermes is an engaging narrator, and while his humor colors most of the book, an occasional episode reminds readers of his mercurial nature. Aphrodite seduces and leaves him in order to have a child, then snares him against his will to have others. His anger and hatred are palpable. His interactions with the dead leave him fearful of becoming involved with a mortal lover, yet his fascination with the mortal priestess Herse is one of the most tender episodes here.

If it is the underlying humanity of the Greek myths that has caused them to resonate so well over thousands of years, then surely Herald will attain its own immortality.

From Reader’s Connection, Indianapolis Marion County Public Library:
Are you in the market for a good psychopomp? I’ll assume that literally speaking, the answer is no. According to Wikipedia (and who would know better?) a psychopomp is a soul-guide, a “spirit, angel, or deity whose responsibility is to escort newly-deceased souls to the afterlife,” and I’m guessing that you’re not reading this blog on your deathbed. I mean, if you are, more power to you; but I’ll assume you’re not.

If you want to read a great psychopomp story, though, N. F. Houck’s novel, Herald, is told from the point of view of Greek god Hermes, who is one of the very few gods who can enter and leave the Underworld at will, and whose uncle, Hades, gives him the job of escorting confused souls to their new home.

From the first event described, the killing of the many-eyed giant Argus, the mischievous god’s version of events differs from others you may have encountered. In Hesiod’s Works and Days, Hermes is identified as the “slayer of Argos,” and Ovid, in his Metamorphoses, describes how Mercury (Hermes’s Roman name) made the slumber deeper:

With movements of the wand, and then he struck
The nodding head just where it joins the shoulder,
Severed it with the curving blade, and sent it
Bloody and rolling over the rocks. So Argus
Lay low, and all the light in all those eyes
Went out forever, a hundred eyes, one darkness.

That’s not how it goes down, when Hermes tells the tale. Yes, he’s responsible for the giant’s death. But there’s no curved blade involved, and he groans whenever he hears himself described as a giant-slayer.

If you read the hymn to Hermes in The Homeric Hymns, by whoever it was who wrote those, you’ll learn that the recently born god of theft and mischief stole Apollo’s cattle. In N. F. Houck’s novel, Hermes admits to the theft. But he has an unexpected (and very practical) motive. He’s not just being driven by his thieving nature.

I’m 200 pages into Herald. I think Houck has done something wonderful, and I hope he delivers on the other two parts of the trilogy that are announced on the book’s back cover. Yes, he’s a local author and an I.U. grad, but that’s not why I’m saying these things.

If you’re uncomfortable with the liberties Houck has taken with Greek myths, you need to remember that every version of this material we have is somebody’s treatment of pre-existent oral tales. In his introduction to his translation, Tales from Ovid, Ted Hughes writes:

Why the world should have so clasped Ovid’s versions of these myths and tales to its bosom is a mystery. As a guide to the historic, original forms of the myths, Ovid is of little use. His attitude to his material is like that of the many later poets who have adapted what he presents. He, too, is an adaptor; he takes up only those tales which catch his fancy, and engages with each one no further than it liberates his own creative zest.

It’s great fun to read Houck’s retelling of stories – Orpheus and Eurydice, for example – and then go back and read, or reread, a version by Ovid or another earlier teller. By sticking to Hermes’s point of view, Houck has created a great new story. My favorite portions so far have to do with our narrator’s relationships with departed souls, his journeys to the underworld, and his relationship (if we can call it that) with its stay-at-home ruler, Hades.
“This book was written because, in all honesty, I couldn’t help myself.” So says Houck in his closing notes:

After thirty-one years of reading everything I could find on Greek mythology– numerous censored and uncensored translations, a myriad of academic notes, and countless psychoanalytical, historical, astrological and astronimical dissections–the ancient tales about Hermes fell into a story pattern in my head that refused to go away until I wrote it down.

I hope that Houck’s creative zest is sustained for years to come.

Yeah -- me, too!

Sorry -- Been caught up in March Madness!

2010-03-22T08:50:00.005-04:00

Ah, basketball. Sorry, I'm being SUCH a Hoosier here, but I've been totally caught up in the men's college basketball playoffs; so I probably won't be making any new blog posts until all the schools from my state are TOTALLY out of the tournament. As it is, right now, there are TWO teams from Indiana in the Sweet Sixteen. That's right -- out of ALL of the U.S. colleges and universities with basketball teams, TWO of the final sixteen teams left in the tournament are from Indiana -- Purdue and Butler. Of course, my alma mater, Indiana University, was eliminated early; but Indiana is BASKETBALL country, and I'll gladly cheer for ANY team from my home state. In all honesty, though, I'm surprised Purdue made it this far -- but, hey, I'm not complaining!

Yippee Ki Yay, Green Lantern!

2010-03-16T06:27:00.018-04:00

Poor ol' Abin Sur. Green Lantern fans have hardly EVER seen the poor man having any fun. We've seen his death many times, shown in many different ways. We've seen him getting the chocka ca-ca scared out of him by prophecies. We've seen a few interesting stories told via flashback -- but there's hardly been anything showing the man actually having FUN. And what's the point of being a space cop if you can't have FUN?

For those Green Lantern fans who've never seen poor ol' Abin Sur having FUN, I present to you the following two paintings. And what better way for a Green Lantern to have fun than to play COWBOY! Heck, Hal got to play cowboy once. Why not Abin Sur?

Yee-haw -- Ride 'im, Abin! He's a spaaaaaaace cowboy ...!

So, don't let it be said that Abin Sur never had any fun. Besides, he rocked the Clint Eastwood poncho and hat better than HAL ever did.

The two Abin Sur paintings, by the way (first one by Glen Orbick; second one by Laurel Blechman), are from the Green Lantern: Traitor storyline, first published way back in 1999 in the now-defunct Legends of the DC Universe comic. I miss that comic. It had a lot of very fun, very creative stories.

Here's an observation regarding the first painting, though: Take a good look at Abin Sur's green horse. I swear the artist must have used a Breyer horse as a model. Here's some little-known geekdom for you (and keep this in mind the next time someone tries to tell you that collecting comic books is goofy): Breyer Animal Creations of Reeves, International has been making high-quality animal models since the 1950s, but none are as well-known as its horses. Over the years, collecting the model horses has grown into a very complex fandom. It includes not only collecting the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of model varieties, but also customizing the models into looking as realistic as possible. It ALSO includes publicly displaying them in judged competitions that closely resemble the types of shows held for REAL horses -- INCLUDING conformation, racing, show jumping, dressage, you name it.

In other words, there are adults out there who collect model horses and treat them like REAL horses. It's true. I'm not kidding. And you thought people who dress up like Stormtroopers from Star Wars were weird, right? Oh, there are conventions, too. Click here to see the main page for Breyerfest, held every year at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. The "star horse" at this year's event belongs to William Shatner. If you think ComicCon is elaborate ...!

I once had close to 100 Breyer horses, but I now have only a handful left. The horse Abin Sur is riding looks suspiciously like a Breyer "Fighting Stallion" -- especially where the pose is concerned. Compare it with the following photo (Fighting Stallion #32, 1961-70, Glossy grey appaloosa) and see what you think!

Or am I being just a little TOO geeky here?

Hip Hop Toddler

2010-03-12T13:04:00.005-05:00

STILL sick, but getting better! And, heaven help all of us, Mighty Mite has discovered old-school hip hop. I feel so, so sorry for her Winnie-the-Pooh in this video. All I can say is, it's a good thing Pooh Bear is known to be "a bear of very little brain."

My friend Phil says we should replace Pooh Bear with a martini shaker. SHAME on you, Phil! SHAME, SHAME!

(The song, by the way, is House of Pain's "Jump Around.")

The coolest desk accessory EVER!

2010-03-10T14:37:00.009-05:00

I love my friend Dave. Here I've been stuck in bed all week, fighting off my latest cold (I suspect bronchitis -- but my doctor insists it's just a cold. Of course, my doctor is also an NFL physician, for the Indianapolis Colts, so he thinks anything that isn't a groin injury can't be all that serious. Bah!) (Seriously, though -- I love my doctor.) . . . ANYWAY, Dave emailed me the greatest thing I've seen all week -- heck, all MONTH. It's THIS:

THAT, boys and girls, is a desk lamp -- the Alien Abduction Lamp, to be precise. Isn't that the COOLEST and GEEKIEST thing ever? And here I thought my old Dalek alarm clock was geeky. I have GOT to get myself one of these lamps! At the very least, I need to get one for my brother -- his birthday is coming up. Trouble is, I'm in the USA, and so far the lamp is available only in Australia, Germany, and the U.K. Still, I should be able to convince some bright young entraprenuer to ship me one across the pond -- unless someone in the USA hurries up and becomes a distributor. HEY, USA DISTRIBUTORS! You paying attention?!?!?

55 Questions -- Year 2010

2010-03-05T10:55:00.011-05:00

It's 2010, and a friend has hit me with one of those inane personal information questionnaires. Well, I haven't filled one of these out in a while, and this blog is all about inanity, anyway. Besides, it's kind of a fun way for people to take personal inventory; so, here goes. Anyone who wants to is more than welcome to copy these questions and supply your own answers -- and either post them on your own blogs or email them to your buddies. Here goes!

1. What time did you get up this morning?
6:01. Six-oh-FRICKIN’-one …

2. Diamonds or pearls?
Amethysts and peridots.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
At the cinema? Pixar’s UP. I’ve been relying mostly on PS3 downloads and Turner Classic Movies lately. No, I haven't seen Avatar yet. Yes, you can all be shocked.

4. What is your favorite TV show?
Right now? Batman: The Brave & The Bold

5. What do you usually have for breakfast?
Whatever I can get my hands on -- and a big ol’ mug of nasty publishing company coffee.

6. What is your middle name?
My REAL one? Faye.

7. What food do you dislike?
Anything slimy.

8. What is your favorite album at the moment?
Gorillaz, Plastic Beach -- been listening to it through National Public Radio’s Web site.

9. What kind of car do you drive?
Currently, a black Dodge Caliber named Black Beauty -- after the Green Hornet’s car. I was forced to retire my beloved Saturn last summer. I miss my Saturn, but I do love Black Beauty -- it’s like a Swiss Army Knife on wheels!

10. Favorite sandwich?
Big breaded tenderloin with mayo, lettuce, and tomato. A Hoosier delicacy.

11. What characteristic do you despise?
Abusive behavior.

12. Favorite item of clothing?
My green scarf from Peru.

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
Australia.

14. Favorite brand of clothing?
I don’t have one.

15. Where would you retire to?
I love Indianapolis. I will never leave it.

16. What was your most memorable birthday?
The infamous Bambi birthday.

17. Favorite sport to watch?
Currently, Colts football and the Indianapolis 500.

18. Furthest place you are sending this?
It’s a blog post, so it’s available everywhere.

19. Person you expect to send it back first?
N/A

20. When is your birthday?
New Year’s Eve.

21. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Afternoon person.

22. What is your shoe size?
8-1/2.

23. Pets?
Currently, one dog -- a crazy Shiba Inu -- and a tank full of African Cichlids. My old geezer dog passed away peacefully last summer.

24. Any new and exciting news you 'd like to share with us?
Nothing I haven’t already shared!

25. What did you want to be when you were little?
A Disney animator.

26. How are you today?
Okay, except for fighting off the umpteenth cold I’ve had since Mighty Mite was born.

27. What is your favorite candy?
Coconut creams in dark chocolate.

28. What is your favorite flower?
Dark red roses.

29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
July 5. I’m biding my time, biding my time …

30. What's your full name?
I prefer to blog anonymously.

31. What are you listening to right now?
The Robert Cray Band, Midnight Stroll. The most underrated blues album of all time.

32. What was the last thing you ate?
A slice of leftover cheese pizza.

33. Do you wish on stars?
Yes, when I get to see them.

34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Green.

35. How is the weather right now?
Bright and sunny, and FINALLY warm enough to melt all this %#&$ snow!

36. What is your natural hair color?
Brown. Still.

37. Favorite soft drink?
Diet Dr. Pepper.

38. Favorite restaurant?
Smee’s Place, Indianapolis.

39. Favorite color of nail polish?
I don’t wear nail polish.

40. What was your favorite toy as a child?
Quacky, my stuffed duck.

41. Summer or winter?
Spring and fall, thank you.

42. Hugs or kisses
Both! Still!

43. Chocolate or Vanilla?
Strawberry.

44. Coffee or tea?
Tea.

45. Do you want your friends to email you back?
They can if they want to.

46. When was the last time you cried?
Um … I honestly can’t remember. Probably the last time I watched UP.

47. What is under your bed?
Nothing. I don’t store things under my bed.

48. What did you do last night?
Invited a friend over for dinner and let her VENT, and VENT, and VENT …!

49. What are you afraid of?
Heights.

50. Salty or sweet?
Depends.

51. How many keys on your key ring?
Which one?

52. How many years at your current job?
20 years at my profession, 7 years with my current employer.

53. Favorite day of the week?
Wednesday.

54. How many towns have you lived in?
Four: Indianapolis, Indiana; Fishers, Indiana; Bloomington, Indiana (college); and (sorta) Dunedin, Florida.

55. Do you make friends easily?
Only if I want to!

BATMOBILES in the Indy 500??

2010-03-04T09:00:00.009-05:00

Throughout the history of the Indianapolis 500 and Indy Racing League (IRL), there have, of course, been regular upgrades of the car designs. Over the decades, the overall design has gradually evolved from classic early-20th-century roadsters to small, light cars that are so aerodynamic that they're practically airplanes. Indeed, the main job of the spoilers and trim on an Indy car is to keep the car from literally flying off the track!

Well, it's time for another design upgrade. Officially, the following new design concept is called the Delta Wing. However, most racing enthusiasts are referring to the design as the Batmobile. It's not hard to see why!

Problem is, the concept car is close-wheeled, and Indy cars are traditionally open-wheeled. So, there's also an artist mockup showing the Delta Wing "Batmobile" with open wheels:

The new design is being proposed for the 2012 racing season. I hope they DO go with this design because -- OMG -- an Indy 500 race with BATMOBILES? That's -- THAT'S -- THAT'S a Hoosier geek's dream come true! Heck, Batman himself probably wouldn't mind the idea.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths: Real-time movie review

2010-02-24T08:37:00.019-05:00

I acquired my copy of Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths yesterday, but I’m just now getting a chance to sit down and watch it this morning because yesterday was Mighty Mite’s BIRTHDAY! The little bugger is now two years old! Can you believe it? Yep, she’s two years old, and Mickey Mouse is the new love of her life. So, we spent most of last evening watching Mickey Mouse cartoons –- the CLASSIC ones, thank you very much, like "The Brave Little Tailor" and "Mickey and the Beanstalk." NOT the TV stuff.

Anyway, time to fire up Justice League: Crisis of Two Earths. I picked up the two-disc special edition, which also includes a new cartoon short of The Spectre. I haven’t been paying any attention to the previews, etc., for this movie, so I’m not sure what to expect. Here we go! Spoilers ahoy!

- Previews of Superman-Batman: Public Enemies and the Smallville “Justice Society” episode. Old news.

- Play movie!

- Hey, it’s Luthor and his old buddy, the Joker.

- Martian Manhunter and … Hawkwoman? I guess? Geez, these alternate Earth stories give me a headache …

- The Crime Syndicate!

- Oh –- it's the JESTER, not the Joker.

- Another Baldwin actor? And James Woods. INTERESTING.

- I like the graphics in the opening credits. Very well done.

- Hal’s in his current Green Lantern uniform.

- Not sure I like Batman’s voice, and -- Hey! Batman just stole Flash’s donut!

- Is this version of the Flash supposed to be Barry or Wally? He acts like Wally.

- Martian Manhunter is also in his most recent uniform, not the "look-Ma-no-pants" uniform.

- Speaking of no pants --! Oh, my! Naked Luthor! “As you can see, I’m not armed.” Ha!

- Once a Luthor, always a Luthor.

- Batman is such a killjoy.

- The Outsiders and Detroit Justice Leaguers as bad guys. Cute. And it appears that the 1970s are still in fashion on this Earth.

- Ah, James Woods is Owlman. And, thank goodness, he isn’t talking like Hades from Disney’s Hercules.

- Fight! Fight!

- “Hey! This is like the Jedi Mind Trick!” Yeah, this has GOTTA be Wally.

- I do like the character designs in this film.

- OMG, is that the Marvel family? That sure as heck looks like Uncle Marvel.

- Wonder Woman is now flying an invisible plane. *Groan.*

- Um, aren’t Hal and J’onn capable of making themselves invisible without the plane?

- Project Damocles. Named after an ancient Greek legend showing that one cannot be happy when living under fear. Interesting.

- Hmmm, outspoken red-haired chick. Who’s she gonna hook up with?

- HA! Harley the monkey!

- Well, that’s one way to take care of "Black Canary."

- Wonder Woman is marvelous. Absolutely marvelous.

- Superman vs. Jimmy Olsen! I love it! We need more of that!

- Blue kryptonite? So, does this mean Ultraman is a Bizarro?

- President Deathstroke. Nice. Oh, and the red-haired chick is his daughter, Rose (Ravager). Of course.

- Just when you think Batman is in over his head, he calls in his Brave & Bold buddies.

- Ha! RESPECT AQUAMAN!

- Black Canary is MEAN. MEAN, MEAN, MEAN!

- Way to short out the satellite, Jeff.

- Awww …. Martian Manhunter is such a sweetie.

- Batman just used one of Hal’s old lines!

- “That’s going to cost you a rib.” Ow-weeeee! Superwoman really is an excellent villain in this.

- Yep, once a Luthor, always a Luthor.

- Hey, the Martian gets the girl for a change! “KNOW ME.” Y’know, in ancient Greece, that was another way of saying, “Let’s have sex!”

- Starro!

- “That wasn’t funny the first fifteen times you said it, either.”

- “Some of us don’t speak Star Trek.”

- Big green boxing glove!

- As much fun as it is to watch the heroes battling evil versions of themselves, wouldn’t it be smarter for them to change partners?

- I don’t remember Ultraman ever being this powerful in the comics. Wasn’t he supposed to be more like his world’s version of Wonder Woman? Superwoman was always the really dangerous one –- dangerous, but vain.

- Earth Prime is deserted? Really?

- Owlman is obviously suffering from depression and misanthropy, and he's hung up on "philosophy of mind" theories. He needs a good therapist. Y'know, most of these bad guys who want to blow up the universe could really use a good therapist.

- Gee, I hope that Earth wasn’t inhabited.

- “Good one, mate.” Batman is a ruthless bastard.

- “With my luck, she’ll be evil.” Ha!

- “YOU drive a car.” Hal never says much, but he really doesn’t need to.

Final verdict: Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is entertaining, but I can't shake off the feeling that I've seen this before. MANY times before. I'm also getting tired of Batman saving the universe. It's becoming a running gag: Batman has a contingency plan for EVERYTHING. Yeah. Right. Whatever happened to Batman being the most HUMAN of the heroes? He ain't human anymore. It's getting old.

Anyway, back on topic: Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is fun, but I liked Superman-Batman: Public Enemies better -- though I think Crisis of Two Earths is a better-looking film. I still think Wonder Woman is the best of the recent direct-to-video DC films. That, and the filmmakers still haven't quite shaken off the sense that these movies are TV-bound. They still don't have a theatrical feel to them. Nonetheless, I like this movie well enough to want to keep it.

Okay, now it's time to watch the bonus Spectre cartoon ...

Ahem. Well. They did a great job with the art and animation, but they went with a noir approach coupled with 1970s cop show music. Cheesy beyond belief. Sad, too, because the Spectre would be very well served with a classic horror movie approach. It was also nice to see Jim Corrigan as the Spectre again. Still ... I think they tried too hard to make it like the 1970s Fleisher stories. They should have taken a more classic, timeless approach. Still a good effort, though.

I think I'll go watch Wonder Woman again ...

Kirkus Reviews has been saved by a Hoosier!

2010-02-18T09:27:00.011-05:00

Well, well, well ...! It doesn't look like Kirkus Reviews is going to bite the dust anytime soon after all! The review magazine has been purchased by none other than Indiana business big-shot Herb Simon, who owns a vast amount of property around Indianapolis, amongst other things, including the Indiana Pacers basketball team (though the current team is a far cry from the heyday of Reggie Miller, Rik Smits, the Two Davises & Company). Mr. Simon's reason for buying Kirkus and saving it? He's a longtime fan and subscriber, and he loves books.

That's a rather sweet reason for a business man to buy into a publishing business, and Mr. Simon IS a rather smart business man, but this also has me a bit worried. I've experienced first-hand what it's like when someone buys into a publishing venture because they think "books are cool." I once worked for a rather large, well-known publishing company that was bought out by Paramount Pictures. The Paramount purchasers (who evidently knew nothing about book publishing) allegedly thought that the publishing company would be a fun business to run, make them lots of money, and naturally tie-in with Paramount's motion picture projects. They found out the hard way that publishing businesses are very, VERY tricky to run.

Now, let me tell you: being run by Paramount Pictures was an absolute BLAST when it came to the work environment. We were ALWAYS getting freebies tied to Star Trek and other Paramount properties -- movie posters, free movie tickets, access to sneak previews, t-shirts, etc. In no time, my office was decorated in wall-to-wall Star Trek, complete with stand-up cardboard figures of the Next Generation crew.

Then there were the parties! Paramount threw FANTASTIC parties for us. I remember one particular Christmas party in which Paramount rented out the entire Indianapolis Children's Museum for an evening -- the largest one in the world, by the way. The bash included INCREDIBLE catered food and tons of booze -- all free for the publisher employees. Let me tell you, there's nothing like getting stinking drunk and then riding the antique carousel ten times in a row, or heading into the then-Theater-In-The-Round to watch the "Roller Coaster" film. It's amazing I didn't throw up. (I also suspect the Children's Museum slapped Paramount with a HUGE bill after THAT party, what with all of the cleanup they had to do -- beer and wine glasses everywhere, amongst other things.)

Yes, working for Paramount was fun. It was also doomed. Paramount (at least at the time) didn't know the first thing about running a publishing company, and we started losing money hand over fist. By the time Paramount panicked and decided to unload us on another, smaller company at a loss, the damage was already done. The publisher never recovered. I really, really hope Herb Simon doesn't make the same mistake with Kirkus. Fingers are crossed!

On a somewhat related note: I have made good on my threat and taken steps to remove my eBook from regular distribution. I do plan to make it available for free, but first I'm going to fine-tune it a bit. I won't make any drastic changes, but this is a golden opportunity to have the editing tightened. I also need to do a little research into an ideal site for offering free downloads. This should be interesting!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T08:23:00.002-05:00

From the ULTIMATE romantic couple ...

The Joker and Harley Quinn, from Mad Love (1994), by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm. The comic was animated in 1999, almost word for word, for the TV show The New Batman Adventures.

The day before Valentine's Day

2010-02-13T08:57:00.002-05:00

Black Canary and ... HAWKEYE! Courtesy of JLA*Avengers (2004), by Kurt Busiek and George Perez. Ha! You thought it was going to be Black Canary and GREEN ARROW, didn't ya?

Two days 'til Valentine's Day

2010-02-12T08:23:00.006-05:00

Cutter and Leetah from Elfquest, Book 2 (1982), by Wendy and Richard Pini.

Three days 'til Valentine's Day

2010-02-11T08:57:00.010-05:00

Hal Jordan and Dorine (Onu Murtu) from Green Lantern #160 (1983), written by Mike Barr and drawn by Keith Pollard -- from the time when the Guardians exiled Hal to space for one year. This scene always cracks me up:

Gee, what do you think Hal and Dorine did in that cell -- after being told to use their last hours however they wish and then left alone until dawn?

Afterwards, Dorine stayed with Hal for the remainder of his exile in space. Once his year of exile was up, he high-tailed it back to Earth -- and back to Carol Ferris -- without a second glance at Dorine. Hal, after all, DOES seem to subscribe to the attitude, "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with."

I've always said that if Hal has fathered a child anywhere in the universe, it's been with Dorine.