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Monday, August 30, 2004 Rapid Reviews - Eleven List Inspired Reviews For these reviews I thank Steve Lieber of Mercury Studios for starting the meme, and the King County Library System for its excellent collection of books and ease with which they can be checked out. And lastly, I also thank TangognaT for compiling the list of elevens into one big list for everyone to enjoy and learn from. Bone Volume Four: The Dragonslayer: Ok, I didn't see the end coming, where Phoney gets exactly what he doesn't want to get. On the other hand, it was a pretty cool way to end the book. And at least the villagers were aware there was danger in their valley, even if they were looking in entirely the wrong direction. Another fun volume. I'm certainly more curious about how this will end now. Bone Volume Five: Rockjaw, Master of the Eastern Border: A nice move back from the "main" action featuring Thorn to some side action in which we get more of Fone Bone and Smiley. We also get more information into what is facing our heroes, even if we don't really understand it, and we get a new player in the action with a fun name. I'm really enjoying this series. Bone Volume Six: Old Man's Cave: That was the omen? Oh, this story just gets better and better. While this one was scattered in parts, it ended up holding together very well. Now I just wonder what else is left, as it seems like the whole story has been told. Are there any hanging plot threads? I'm not sure... maybe I ought to read the next book. by Tegan at 5:14 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Random Thoughts Here's a nice overview of the Olympics from the point of view of some smaller nations... like Latveria, Khandaq, and Zandia. Rich Johnson has a rumor about Identity Crisis that is so completely idiotic it might even be true. I'm sure you can find the rumor elsewhere, but I'll go ahead and put spoilers around it anyway, just in case: (spoilers)"The rumours doing the rounds is that Kyle Rayner is to be identified as the killer in "Identity Crisis." Apparently there's a flaw in his ring that has turned him crazy."(end spoilers) Stuart Immonen has finished his 50 Reasons To Stop Sketching At Conventions. I've recognized myself in at least one of them, which made me cringe. (Maybe this one, too, although I don't think I've ever been upset with the final result of an Aquaman sketch, despite the artist feeling less than pleased with it.) I respect the artists and I don't want them to be stressed by me, so I feel guilty reading this even though most of them don't apply to me. Speaking of sketches, my thanks to Pia Guerra and Rick Hoberg, who both responded very quickly to my request for permission to post their sketches on my blog. Oliver Coipel will be this Saturday's sketch, then Pia on September 18th, then Rick's sketch on September 25th. I will not be posting a sketch on September 11th. More excellent linkblogging by Near Mint Heroes. Go, look. Read. Click. Read a banned book. The list of the ten most challenged books of 2003 is out, and at the top of the list is a series I've never heard of. In fact, I've only heard of half the books on the list, and I've only read two (counting the series as a single book, as they do on the list). Politics warning! Skip this last bit if you don't want to read poorly written rants about politics. The latest Electoral College Predictor shows neither candidate winning a majority. Interesting stuff, as usual. There are several other electoral vote predictors around now, but this seems to be the best organized as well as the most methodical one. There's also now a couple of animated movies of the changes in the map over time. I like this one the best, but this one isn't too bad either. New York City sounds worse than the infamous "Battle of Seattle" at the moment, with police arresting people for no good reason, like Bikes Against Bush techie Joshua Kinberg, who was arrested and spent the night in jail. In addition, the police have stolen his bike, which was souped up to draw perfectly legal chalk messages on the sidewalks as he rode. Although the arrest has utterly no merit whatsoever, the police will be holding onto his bike until after the convention that he was preparing to protest. Way to go, NY's finest! Stop protests by illegally arresting protesters and stealing their property! This is Bush's America: Freedom of speech is only for the people who agree with Bush. Speaking of freedom of speech, Garrett points us to a particularly galling example of government censorship. The Department of Justice thinks this quote is a danger to national security: "The danger to political dissent is acute where the Government attempts to act under so vague a concept as the power to protect 'domestic security.' Given the difficulty of defining the domestic security interest, the danger of abuse in acting to protect that interest becomes apparent." That's from a Supreme Court decision, by the way. By the way, depending on who you talk to, the New York protesters numbers "over 100,000" to nearly half a million. Either way, that's a lot of people protesting Bush. If you still believe the Swift Boat Liars, here's a website that demolishes all their false claims. Sadly, some people will believe those lies anyway because the media isn't doing their job, and is simply passing on the lies like they were some sort of valid opinion, not facts that can be checked. They can hate Kerry all they want, but lying about his service in Vietnam is beyond the pale. Ok, Politics rants over now. It's safe to read again. And, since I can't end on such a political note, here's another picture from Nancy's Garden: by Tegan at 2:20 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Sunday, August 29, 2004 Un Believe Able The moment in the men's marathon when that insane idiot attacked the front runner was one of the all-time low points I've ever seen. It may have cost him the Gold, but we will never know for sure if he could have kept up the pace until the end if he hadn't been disrupted. by Tegan at 12:16 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Rapid Reviews - 25 August 2004 - Part IV Usagi Yojimbo #78: Another day-in-the-life story of Usagi, with a fun little character introduced. Poor Usagi. As usual, the story and the art is top-notch. Sakai's only danger is in producing so much good stuff that people start to expect something more than sinple excellence from him. Weird Secret Origins: Ah, a fun bunch of little tales. Some of them definitely didn't date all that well... "Dad - Dad! Oh, my golly -- He's sick!" "He is dead!" ohh-kay. And who knew that Nabu was originally an alien from the planet Cilia? In contrast, the Spectre's origin held up pretty well. I really enjoyed the Enchantress story, although it was definitely a product of its times, and the Animal Man story appeared to be a one-off. I don't think I'd ever heard of El Diablo, but it was a stylish story, and the other tales were fun to read. A really good read. I wish DC would do more books like this. Amazing Spider-Man #70/511: So the plot flaws people saw in the last issue were addressed in this one. For instance, on the second page as Peter thinks through the problem, he realizes that the pair are too old to be who he thinks they are. And then later he admits to MJ that (spoilers)they couldn't possibly be his kids(end spoilers). And the cliff-hanger makes me much more curious. Just what is going to happen next? Another strong story. That's all for this week... next week's comics due in: Birds of Prey, Swamp Thing, Justice League Unlimited, and Noble Causes (I hope, it didn't show in our shop last week, so I hope it arrives this week). by Tegan at 8:36 AM Seattle time - Permalink   Saturday, August 28, 2004 Sketchbook - J.H. Williams III Another early sketch from my second con, this one was pretty fun to get as Williams is a nice guy. He claimed at the time that he had never draw the modern Aquaman before, so that's who he wanted to try. I think it turned out really good, personally. At the time, Williams was best known for his incredible work on Promethea, but he also co-created the late and much lamented book Chase. My thanks go out to Mick Gray for his help in getting permission to post this sketch. AQUAMAN by J.H. Williams III 14 November 1999 (permission to post given 30 May 2004 via e-mail - thank you Mick Gray) As a reminder: Almost every sketch in my sketchbook was non-commissioned and done on the floor of a con. These are not the best works of the artists. These are only representative of what the artist can do under pressure in a loud, crowded, and often stressed-out environment. Most of them were done as quickly as possible, to prevent huge lines from forming. Don't judge any of these artists negatively by the artwork you see, instead be as impressed as I am by what they accomplished in far-from-ideal conditions. To see all the sketches I have permission to post so far, check out my Sketchbook Page. If you have any contact information for any of the other artists I'm trying to contact, please e-mail me. Click for a random Aquaman sketch. The Saturday Sketch ™ is brought to you by the letters "A", "Q" and the number "27", and also courtesy the fine artists who pour their lives into producing wonderful comic books, then come to conventions only to get asked by geeky fangirls for a sketch of Aquaman. Support an artist, buy a comic book. by Tegan at 9:26 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Rapid Reviews - 25 August 2004 - Part III DC Comics Presents: Justice League of America #1: Huh. I actually enjoyed this one. I was beginning to think there was no chance of me liking any of these, but this one was pretty good. The first story was a nice dream tribute that actually worked, and the second story made sense within continuity. Both of them were remarkably strong. Finally, a good issue of DC Comics Presents. JLA #104: Probably the best issue of "Pain of the Gods" so far, but still well off being a good comic book. This issue focuses on J'onn, the Martian Manhunter, and directly contradicts some earlier work involving him. Except for that, I might have enjoyed it. Well, that and the clumsy attempts to tie everyone's pain together. This arc continues to be mostly pointless. Very mildly recommended. Green Lantern #180: This just doesn't do anything for me. In fact, it really makes me hate this series all the more. I'm glad this thing is finally ending. It's a mercy killing. Still to review: Usagi Yojimbo, Weird Secret Origins, and Amazing Spider-Man. by Tegan at 10:19 AM Seattle time - Permalink   Friday, August 27, 2004 Random Thoughts Scientists pick the top 10 science fiction films. I've seen half of them. Link via Monitor Duty. Franklin has an important election announcement. Postmodern Barney explains how to sell comics to parents. Since the parents are the ones with the pursestrings, this approach not only makes sense, but is pretty funny as well. Anyone who works in retail ought to read it. More excellent linkblogging at Near Mint Heroes. Go. Read. by Tegan at 10:34 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Rapid Reviews - Exercise Shows As I mentioned in this morning's fitness post, I've been exercising to TV shows. I haven't forgotten to review them as I watch them, also. Generally I try to review them right after I watch them so as to live up to the "rapid" bit of my title. With my Rapid Reviews, I'm trying to present my first impressions. My opinion often changes or develops when I view or read something a second or third time. But I avoid that, as I know most people don't usually reread as much as I do. For many people, the first impression is the only impression. After watching the first two seasons of Angel, I decided it was time to go back and watch some more Buffy. I'd already seen the first four episodes, but that wasn't really enough. So back I went back and started where I left off: Buffy the Vampire Slayer [1-05]: Never Kill A Boy on the First Date: It's been awhile since I watched Buffy. I've been focused on Angel so much. But going back to the beginning was a fascinating experience. In this episode, Angel only makes a little cameo... but he looks so young! I thought I had the plot all figured out, but I was wrong about a couple of things. I wasn't wrong about the identity of the Annointed One, though. The show fooled me into thinking I was wrong, but in the end, it all turned out like I expected it to. Buffy the Vampire Slayer [1-06]: The Pack: Raw piggy... and other things. This one was gruesome. I think Sunnydale must have a serious psychologist boom... anyone who survives one of the strange events will need some intensive help. This is a nice popcorn show. Fun to watch, and not too heavy to enjoy. Buffy the Vampire Slayer [1-07]: Angel: Ah, the truth comes out. I can only imagine the impact this episode had when it was first aired, but the whole Darla thing has quite an impact for me after what I've seen in the other show. Quite an episode, really. And hey, I know what happened to Darla now! Buffy the Vampire Slayer [1-08]: I Robot, You Jane: After the intensity of the last episode, it's only fitting to go to something a little more light-hearted. I love the concept in this one, of a demon being scanned accidently into the internet. And while it is generally fun, there are a few overly silly bits that slow it down. by Tegan at 7:52 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Friday Fitness Blogging Weight = No reading Met Exercise Goal? Yes Goal was fifteen minutes a day (walk/bike/swim) at least six days. Current Exercise Goal = fifteen minutes a day (walk/bike/swim) at least six days. Kept food diary? Yes. I'm actually doing really well with the exercise. Better than I expected to. I'm watching one episode of a sci-fi or fantasy TV show per exercise session, and that's got me up to almost 30 minutes a day on average. I'm still missing some days due to other events in real life, but for the most part I've been keeping it up. According to my journal for the last week: Friday - 30 minutes, Saturday - 33 minutes, Sunday - 31 minutes, Monday - no exercise (except for walking around Safeco field), Tuesday - 31 minutes, Wednesday - 30 minutes, and Thursday - 30 minutes. Not bad at all. I'm just worried that I'll run out of TV shows to watch. I've got season one of Buffy and season one of Farscape up, then I'll probably move on to season two of Buffy. I've got, what, seven seasons of Buffy and three more seasons of Angel and Farscape each? That should keep me going for awhile. But I may have to ask for suggestions for another series to hunt down after I get through more of these. As for having no scale reading today, that's because I'm at the Pugless House, which doesn't have a working scale, and I didn't bring the scale from home because it isn't that important. I'm happy to be keeping with the exercising, so a weigh-in may only detract from that. by Tegan at 9:33 AM Seattle time - Permalink   Thursday, August 26, 2004 Rapid Reviews - 25 August 2004 - Part II Conan #7: Nice conclusion to the previous arc, with a rather final wrap-up. Beyond that, though, there isn't much to this book. It's just a finish to the last arc and a launching point for another story. Not bad, just not a lot. Superman #208: Ok, can anyone get me up to date on this book? After reading this I realized how much I appreciate the opening page summaries in Marvel books. Without any summary, I was completely lost. And there wasn't enough context to really pull it together and get an idea of what was happening. Yeah, Aquaman appears, but there's a suggestion that he appeared in a previous issue (?) or something that Superman did is directly resulting in a war. But a war with Atlantis, when Aquaman doesn't even claim to be monarch of that nation at the moment seems... odd. Not to mention the return of Aquaman's gloves after so many years without them. I'm perplexed, and not interested enough to pick up the previous issues. I foolishly left all the other comics at home, so I can't read them tonight. So, still to review: Usagi Yojimbo, DC Presents Justice League, Green Lantern, JLA, Weird Secret Origins, and Amazing Spider-Man. by Tegan at 9:37 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Far Away Well, not that far. I'm at the Pugless House of not-so-many horrors. The pugs and their people are off on a road trip and I'm monitoring the house for the night. Two big reasons for me to be here: 1) hot tub and 2) it's much closer to work. On the way out here I picked up Superman #208 on the recommendation of Tom Galloway, and sure enough, Aquaman is in there. Has anyone else noticed guest appearances by Aquaman (in books I don't review) recently? Regarding Superman, the shop owner said the Jim Lee Superman hasn't been selling at all at her shop. She offered me a deep discount on the issue I bought. If anyone needs those issues, I know where you can find them. by Tegan at 7:09 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Rapid Reviews - 25 August 2004 - Part I Justice League Unlimited: Hawk & Dove: Well, I sort of got my wish. I got to see other characters besides the main ones. But Hawk and Dove, except for the fun bar fight, didn't really seem to be characters so much as symbols in this episode. The solution was nicely telegraphed during the Wonder Woman scene... but what the heck was wrong with Wondy? At times I thought she was under Ares' influence or something. Overall, it was ok, but nothing special. Teen Titans Go! #10: Cute. That's the summary. It's very cute. I can't say I loved it, but it's nicely cute. I only got it for the Aqualad appearance, and I wasn't disappointed in that, at least. It was a cute little story. Very, very cute. Still to review: Conan, Usagi Yojimbo, DC Presents Justice League, Green Lantern, JLA, Weird Secret Origins, and Amazing Spider-Man. by Tegan at 2:05 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Wednesday, August 25, 2004 Random Thought-like Thingies Monitor Duty reports that Nancy Drew is coming to comic books. I'm not so interested in the Hardy Boys, but I may collect the Nancy Drew books when they come out. Got a cat that likes to eat your head? If not, you can get one. Via TangognaT. There's a cool alternate Olympic medal tally that ranks countries medals by population. Quite a fascinating look at the standings, although other factors impact how many medals it's possible for a country to get. Via Metafilter. And to finish this off, here's a picture from Nancy's garden. by Tegan at 10:42 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Florida's Special Math Book Today in the store, we came across a strange book. Can you see what's strange about this book? Especially considering that it's in Seattle and not somewhere very much East and South. The receiving clerk asked me if I had any idea what this was about: The obvious jokes were made about math having to be different in Florida, and how that explains what happened in 2000... but I'm still mildly curious. I went to the publisher's website, and the nearest I can figure is that there are some kind of practice tests in the back that are modelled on state tests. I'm not positive about that, though. Anyone know for sure? In any case, that was something fun to cheer us up today. by Tegan at 9:25 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Rapid Reviews - Eleven List Inspired Reviews For these reviews I thank Steve Lieber of Mercury Studios for starting the meme, and the King County Library System for its excellent collection of books and ease with which they can be checked out. Bone Volume Two: The Great Cow Race: Still very good, but not quite as good as the first volume. There is mystery and adventure, but not as much tension. Yes, the scheme with the betting caused some tension, but it's not as deep or as fascinating as what we saw in the first volume. It's a recommended book, but definitely read volume one first... I have the rest of the volumes that my library carries on the way to me, so I'll review the rest as they come in. Bone Volume Three: Eyes of the Storm: This is more like it. It's like the whole book was kicked back up a notch. There were revealations and action, and some really good bits of humor and excitement. In fact, I daresay I like this one better than the first volume. Most excellent. by Tegan at 9:18 AM Seattle time - Permalink   Tuesday, August 24, 2004 Random Thoughts The Muppet version of The Wizard of Oz gets more details in rumors. Will this get made? I sure hope so, though I'm kind of hoping the details change a bit more. An earthquake hit the Olympics. I didn't see anything about it on the TV coverage, but then virtually everything is tape delayed and I wasn't paying close attention since I've been trying to monitor my internet connection. Via Stuart Hughes. Boing Boing points us to a primer on How to make 3D Photos. Doesn't sound too difficult. Also at Boing Boing is a link to an edit of Planet of the Apes into an episode of The Twilight Zone. I'm downloading it now, but it sounds like a real labor of love. Garrett directs us to a great post about how one man fought the INS and won. George Takei visits the internment camp where he spent part of his youth as part of the immoral act of collective punishment that the United States committed during WWII. With some disgusting people now arguing that the camps were good policy, it's important to go back and read first-hand testimony of people who were actually there. Link via MetaFilter. I want to watch Comedy Central tonight. For the first time since the Olympics started, I'm not interested in them at all. I want to see The Daily Show with Jon Stewart... and John Kerry. Stewart is a great interviewer, asking hard questions from all his guests, no matter their political bent. I hope he asked Kerry HARD questions and I hope Kerry actually answers. It's sad that a "fake news" show is the best source for news on TV. A long time ago I posted my first picture from my digital camera. This picture is of the same bramble of blackberries, only a wee bit more ripe, taken from a different angle. by Tegan at 6:17 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Rapid Reviews - Angel Season Two Angel [2-20]: Over The Rainbow: With a name like this, hubby-Eric had to watch this episode with me. That led to him watching the next two episodes with me also. I was particularly amused by Cordelia's clicking her heels together, but she didn't say "There's no place like home." Like she should have. Angel's reaction to being able to run around in sunlight is absolutely side-splitting at times... "Can everybody just notice how much fire I'm not on?" This one was funny, and nicely light-hearted, right up until the very non-menacing cliffhanger. There is director commentary with this one, fun to listen to. Angel [2-21]: Through The Looking Glass: So Joss Whedon does a funny dance in this episode in the background. Now that's funny. Like the first few moments of the last episode, this one has a nice bit when Cordelia says "Off with their heads!" to reflect the title. Angel is really funny with the mirror scenes. Cordelia makes a decent princess, too. The bit with Wesley figuring out the Wolf, Ram, and Hart was one of those "A-Ha!" moments. Angel's vamping out was a bit of a surprise, but I suspected something like that would happen. Angel [2-22]: There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb: This gets to be more of a fantasy epic as the trilogy finishes out. A slave rebellion, a crooked religious order, the handsome barbarian hero... And hey, add in the insane physicist and you've got an even better epic. I understand that the cliffhanger with Willow involves something that happened on Buffy. While I'm pretty sure I knew what that event was, I wasn't entirely sure. You can practically divide this season into three neat parts. The first part is Angel Investigations kicking butt and taking names. The second part is all about Darla, and the third part is a handful of romps ending with the epic in another world. This show doesn't hit you with just one type of story, it's constantly changing. The DVD set has extras on the third and sixth discs. After learning my lesson with the first season set, I didn't watch the extras until after I'd watched the whole season. On the third disc are featurettes on the make up and on the sets (particularly the Hyperion Hotel), and a gallery of images. The sixth disc has a nice overview of the whole season. A good package altogether. Not many extras, but the material stands quite well on its own anyway. Thanks again to my sister Lisa for the loan of the set. by Tegan at 4:43 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Comcast Visit Comcast techs visited my house today, just before ten am, and it didn't take the guy long at all to figure out the problem with our connection. He took one look at the old 3Com Sharkfin modem that was installed when we got our cable connection back in 2001 and said, "Let me get you a real modem." Apparently the cable system in our area changed some settings a couple months back (about the time Eric and I started to notice the disconnects... hmmm), and most sharkfins didn't like the change at all and started acting up. He said most of his visits this month have been simple replacements of the old modems. So I'm monitoring my connections closely, now. The system has been up for over 20 minutes without a disconnect, which is unusual but not unheard of with the sharkfin. I'm hoping that the modem was the problem. It would be nice to have a stable internet connection again. My old modem was a Sharkfin. My new modem claims to be a Surfboard. At least the Sharkfin actually looked like a fin. The new modem looks nothing like something you'd take to the beach to ride the waves on. Update: Two hours and no outages. I'm not ready to declare victory yet, but this is longer than it's gone without dying for a couple of months. My fingers are still crossed, but I'm beginning to relax. Another Update: Five hours without an outage. It appears that the Sharkfin modem was, indeed, the culprit. I wonder if the Surfboard will last three years, too, then become obsolete? by Tegan at 10:20 AM Seattle time - Permalink   Monday, August 23, 2004 Rapid Reviews - A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 7: The Vile Village The Vile Village (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 7) by Lemony Snicket: These books establish a formula fairly quickly into the series, then the author plays with the formula throughout the rest of the books. So far we've had multiple variations on a theme. This book breaks out of the mold quite a bit, and might even be establishing a new pattern. Again, just when you think life can't get any worse for the children, something happens to make it worse. Or does it? I think Lemony Snicket doth protest too much when he spends paragraphs decrying the sadness of the story. There are certainly bad bits, but there's also hope. And then there's the link with the author, which was hinted at in a previous book, but is stated a little more clearly here. After I read book 8, I plan on reading the "unauthorized autobiography", which might give a better idea on what the connection is between Snicket and the children. by Tegan at 11:11 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Random Thoughts If you want news and proper link blogging, visit Near Mint Heroes. Shane has been doing a great job while I was off dealing with a virus. Also, visit Polite Dissent. Good stuff there, too, as usual. Mike Sterling is nuts. I love it. This is one of the best comic book posts I've ever seen. If Harvey is making Mike insane, he just ought to keep it up. I bet you didn't know that Transformers Comics predict the future. At least according to one eBayer. Boing Boing directs people to a fact sheet on your rights as a protester. This is for folks who intend to protest the Republican desecration of Ground Zero. The Scream was not insured against theft. They couldn't put a value on it. I'm going to a Mariners baseball game tonight with my nephew. They've won every game I've attended so far this year, which isn't saying much, I know. I haven't been to many games. And here's a random picture. This one is of Basil the Cat outside my parents' house. I took this the day of the big party for my parents' 40th anniversary. Basil apparently believes that he belongs to my parents' as well as to his owners. by Tegan at 10:41 AM Seattle time - Permalink   Sunday, August 22, 2004 Rapid Reviews - Angel Season Two Angel [2-17]: Disharmony: Oh, it took me longer than expected to realize where I'd seen Harmony before. I did not know she was on Buffy, nor that she was Cordelia's friend. I missed out on quite a bit, didn't I? In any case, she made this one considerably more lighthearted than it might have been. There was also a script available, which had some interesting differences from the final show. A decent little ep. Angel [2-18]: Dead End: And Lindsey goes nutso! Along with his EVIL HAND! He's got an EVIL HAND! Ahem. This one was freakin' funny. Freakin' - the transplant folks, and funny - the whole EVIL HAND sequence. And Lorne's little contribution was great, too. Imagine telling those two that they have to work together. Heh. That's two fairly lighthearted eps in a row. I wonder when the angst will come back. Oh yeah, the sign on the truck in the last scene? Hilarious. It's just so unexpected, considering the source. Angel [2-19]: Belonging: Ok, that's a cliffhanger. I suspect from the names of the next three episodes that this is a something of a four-parter. And hey, Lorne finally gets a name! And we get to see Fred! And a relative of Lorne! And did I mention that this was a really cool cliffhanger? I like this one. by Tegan at 8:25 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Rapid Reviews - 18 August 2004 - Part IV Birds of Prey #72: I'm not sure I like where this is going. I mean, we've got something weird happening to Oracle, but since it's one of those internal mental journeys that I'm getting so sick of it's hard to tell exactly what is happening. Then we've got Oracle rescuing cult members from themselves and Huntress... I'm not sure what Huntress and Vixen are doing. There are times this book seems pretty good, then we get another issue like this one. Neutral. Fallen Angel #14: Nice to see that characters don't magically recover from traumatic events in this book. On the other hand, the characters are all so incredibly messed up right now, particularly the main one, it's hard to see what's going to happen next. Again, there are times I really don't know why I read this book. And I don't ever want to meet Benny. Demo #9: I think I preferred this series when the powers were more obvious. Or maybe I should say, when the characters definitely had powers. I've been lucky in life, I haven't had much experience with relationships, and I've definitely never had anything like any of these happen to me. I guess this issue doesn't do anything for me because I can't identify with the characters. Neutral. Coming on Wednesday, if everything arrives as expected: Conan, Usagi Yojimbo, DC Presents JLA, Green Lantern, JLA, Teen Titans Go!, Weird Secret Origins 80-pager, Amazing Spider-Man, and PS238. by Tegan at 9:19 AM Seattle time - Permalink   Saturday, August 21, 2004 Sketchbook - Frank Brunner Frank Brunner drew this sketch reluctantly, but I still think it's a very cool interpretation. It's a different look for Aquaman... and might even fit Neptune better. But it's cool, and I like it. Enjoy. AQUAMAN by Frank Brunner 10 November 2002 (permission to post given 11 May 2004 via e-mail) www.frankbrunner.net As a reminder: Almost every sketch in my sketchbook was non-commissioned and done on the floor of a con. These are not the best works of the artists. These are only representative of what the artist can do under pressure in a loud, crowded, and often stressed-out environment. Most of them were done as quickly as possible, to prevent huge lines from forming. Don't judge any of these artists negatively by the artwork you see, instead be as impressed as I am by what they accomplished in far-from-ideal conditions. To see all the sketches I have permission to post so far, check out my Sketchbook Page. If you have any contact information for any of the other artists I'm trying to contact, please e-mail me. Click for a random Aquaman sketch. The Saturday Sketch ™ is brought to you by the letters "F", "B" and the number "63", and also courtesy the fine artists who pour their lives into producing wonderful comic books, then come to conventions only to get asked by geeky fangirls for a sketch of Aquaman. Support an artist, buy a comic book. by Tegan at 7:46 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Random Thoughts and Happy Birthday Wishes Hubby-Eric wanted me to post a birthday wish to one of his friendly fictional characters. If you don't know who Ozma is, go read his website. The Comic Treadmill reviews Dorothy of Oz and enjoys it as much as I did. And yes, his name was L. Frank Baum... Frank was his middle name. He didn't like his first name much, and I don't blame him. TangognaT's compiled Eleven List has been updated. It was also linked from librarian.net on August 17th. I made Neil's blog again, this time by reporting the numbers that Dave Sim reported to me in his form letter. The letter actually says: "Dear Neil Gaiman reader: I regret to inform you that -- owing to the inopportune vagaries of the postal system -- you inquiry regarding an autographed copy of an issue of Cerebus containing part of the Sandman parody arrived today, August 10, and not yesterday, August 9. Inopportune insofar as the one-day difference meant that your inquiry didn't arrive with the first 15 -- each of whom will be receiving an already completed short, personal reply (what we call in the business a "courtesy letter") and a personalized autographed comic book." The letter goes on to say that 109 more letters arrived on August 10th (for a total of 124), and that those 109 get an un-personalized autographed copy of a first printing of issue 164, 165, or 167 (I got 165). I'm eager to see how many people end up writing to Mr Sim for their free copy. Garrett points to a very good takedown of Michelle Malkin's disgraceful defense of WWII Japanese Internment. How any enlightened person can not only condone, but argue in favor of collective punishment, is beyond me. I just have to guess that Malkin is pretty much a barbarian. It's sad that someone so disgusting has any audience at all. I have found the perfect athlete to play Aquaman in the incredibly unlikely event of a live-action film or show. It would be Gary Hall Jr of the United States, the gold medalist in the splash and dash (50 meter freestyle, one length of the pool). by Tegan at 8:25 AM Seattle time - Permalink   Friday, August 20, 2004 Rapid Reviews - 18 August 2004 - Part III Girl Genius #12: It is possible to read this book repeatedly and still miss the little fun bits that the Foglios put in. It's more than just a comic book, it's a labor of love, and it shows. This issue moves the story along nicely, and I'm looking forward to seeing what Zeetha's idea of "warrior training" is. Recommended. Batman Adventures #17: Very very nice opening. Not what I was expecting at all. In fact, I was ready to groan and say "not again!" And although the death of the character in this one might remain a mystery for awhile longer, I cannot see how the world's greatest detective wouldn't be able to eventually figure it out. A pretty good story featuring a much under-utilized character. DC Presents: Atom #1: Well... better than the last one. That alone wouldn't be saying much, but I actually enjoyed both the stories in this one. The first one was a nice tribute to the Silver Age without being too self-conscious of being a tribute. The second one did a great job of lauding the imagination of Schwartz without being too obvious about it. Both tales actually held together nicely as stories, too. This is the best of the tributes so far, but I still only mildly recommend it. Still to review: Birds of Prey, Fallen Angel, and Demo. by Tegan at 8:54 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Friday Fitness Blogging Weight = X-3 Change From Last Week = -1 Met Exercise Goal? Yes Goal was fifteen minutes a day (walk/bike/swim) at least six days. Current Exercise Goal = fifteen minutes a day (walk/bike/swim) at least six days. Kept food diary? Yes. Still hanging in there. I've done a lot of exercising this week, and I feel really good, so I think I might actually be developing *gasp* muscles! Since muscles weigh more than fat, it's ever so slightly possible that I'm not losing weight as fast as I'd like simply because I'm gaining some muscle for every bit of fat I'm getting rid of. It's a nicely comforting thought, even if it's wrong. And in other news, the computer is now stable. I'm going to take it nice and easy, start backup up stuff I need and want, then sometime next week or so I'll do a complete reinstall of windows. I did get my antivirus software to work, and the machine is clean. by Tegan at 11:26 AM Seattle time - Permalink   Rapid Reviews - 18 August 2004 - Part II Supreme Power #12: I've always liked stories arranged like this, with multiple concurrent tales, each with a scene on each page. This one is done particularly well, although the Doc Spectrum storyline is far more frightening in its implications than the others. One super-powered villain was bad enough. All in all, quite the story. Too bad about the wait until the next issue comes out. JSA: Strange Adventures #1: It started with a little bit of promise, then rapidly lost it as the story attempted too much at once. It could still be very good, but I'm not counting on it. I'm a little tired of JSA stories, to be honest. Neutral. H-E-R-O #19: What a depressing start. Heck, what a depressing end! This book is certainly going to go out with a bang, isn't it? Astro City Special: It's got a crossword in the back. That's pretty cool. The story isn't bad, either. Makes perfect sense from start to finish, and the beautiful art helps a lot. For an Astro City tale it's about average, which makes it slightly better than most superhero books. Old soldiers never die. Still to review: Girl Genius, Batman Adventures, Birds of Prey, DC Presents Atom, Fallen Angel, and Demo. by Tegan at 8:38 AM Seattle time - Permalink   Thursday, August 19, 2004 Rapid Reviews - Eleven List Inspired Reviews For these reviews I thank Steve Lieber of Mercury Studios for starting the meme, and the King County Library System for its excellent collection of books and ease with which they can be checked out. Bone Volume One: Out From Boneville: Another one of those series that I wonder why I never bought before. I've known about it for a long time, but this is the first I've read. And it's good. It's really very good. I hope the library has the whole series, because I'd like to get the whole thing. And I think if we can afford the Scholastic reprints we'll definitely be getting those. Good stuff, recommended. Stupid, Stupid Rat-Tails: While checking out Bone (literally), I couldn't resist grabbing this book. Not only does it have one of the more intriguing names in comic history, it also has a story with artwork by Stan Sakai. I was not disappointed. The main story was wonderful. I particularly enjoyed the monkey. And the back-up story was also very nice. A very strong book, worth a read if you get the chance. by Tegan at 10:58 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Rapid Reviews - 18 August 2004 - Part I Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix: Eric checked this out of the library because he heard about a controversy with this book and the new movie just out. I don't know how this concept could be used as an end of movie plot twist. In the book, you know what is going on right away, and it's needed to empathize with the main character. Anyway, taken on its own, the book is good. It's definitely aimed at a young audience, but it's a compelling read. Nothing too special, but not a bad read at all. Justice League Unlimited: Kids' Stuff: How annoying. I was expecting to see Hawk and Dove, but instead I get that annoying Mordred brat and four long-time JLAers instead of new team members. Ok, it wasn't a bad story, it's just that this is supposed to be unlimited, but so far we've only had one episode that had any characters besides the original six, and even then we still haven't seen Flash or J'onn. I want more heroes, darn it! I don't know if starting out the new series with one teasing episode then going back to the old routine was a good idea for general audiences, but this audience is annoyed. Anyway, as I said, not a bad story, just bad timing. Mildly recommended. Plastic Man #9: Well... I wasn't sure what to expect, but I think I was expecting a resolution to the plotline. I'm a little disappointed that we didn't get that... although I suppose it was possible to read your own resolution into it. My resolution was that this Plastic Man is clearly in a completely different universe than the regular DCU. And the cameo doesn't make me think that any less. Neutral, but at least Eric enjoys it. Still to review: Supreme Power, Girl Genius, Batman Adventures, Birds of Prey, DC Presents Atom, Fallen Angel, H-E-R-O, JSA Strange Adventures, Astro City Special, and Demo. by Tegan at 7:38 PM Seattle time - Permalink   Apologies I've read all this week's comics, but I have been busy trying to get my computer to the point where I trust it enough to keep it going for another week or two until I can backup every file I need for the reinstall. I'm almost to a stable point, but I haven't had time to sit and write out thoughts, even the rapid reviews I usually write. Sorry. I also have a cover letter to write, not to mention an article for the next Aquaman Chronicles that I need to finish. I'm afraid my priority is on the cover letter over everything else. I'll post some reviews of some sort later today, but in the meantime, wish me luck while I try to get my computer to behave. I may well need all the luck I can get. At least I've been able to watch archery and swimming while I hack at my laptop. by Tegan at 12:38 PM Seattle time - Permalink		"History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives." - Abba Eban who is tegan? Laura "Tegan" Gjovaag is a comic book fan living in the Seattle area. She enjoys LEGO and the Seattle Mariners. Her husband, "Hubby-Eric" is a Wizard of Oz fan whose website is the definitive place for questions and answers about Oz. He's a school teacher currently working in the North Seattle area. This blog will never be updated more than three times a day (but usually at least once), so Laura urges you to check out her links below if you already see three entries and aren't finished surfing yet. Open Links In New Windows linkity-link-link-link Aquaman Stuff: My Aquaman Website Aquaman Sketchbook The Aquaman Message Board Aquaman Yahoo Club DC Aquaman Board Hot Diggity Blog: Hubby-Eric Elayne Riggs The Johnny Bacardi Show JB's Sketch Blog *Neilalien Franklin's Findings Thought Balloons Comics Weblog Update-A-Tron 3000 archives 08/15/2004 - 08/21/2004 08/08/2004 - 08/14/2004 08/01/2004 - 08/07/2004 07/25/2004 - 07/31/2004 07/18/2004 - 07/24/2004 2002 Archive 2003 Archive 2004 Archive Rapid Reviews Index Why Aquaman? Support This Site E-mail Me comics and more comics Comic Book Pros: Neil Gaiman Mark Evanier Peter David Kaja Foglio Rachel Hartman Jeff Parker Mercury Studios Mike Wieringo *AIT/Planet Lar *Scott McCloud *Fred Sez - The Hembeck Files *Freddy Drewit Comic Book Bloggers: Fanboy Rampage!! Polite Dissent Grotesque Anatomy Friends of Lulu La Cárcel de Papel - Google Translation Persistent Illusions - Google Translation Pop Culture Gadabout Unqualified Offerings Sean Collins Captain Custard Progressive Ruin Worlds Within Worlds... Near Mint Heroes Forager 23 Chris Brown The Comic Queen Eat More People The Comic Treadmill The Hurting Insult to Injury Trash Heap Brill Building Daily Burn Motime Like the Present Otto's Coffee Shop Gutter Ninja (postmodernbarney) Tom the Dog's *Milo George *Ron Phillips *Down in the Mucky-Muck *Distorting the Medium Comic Book News Sites: Newsarama Comic Book Resources Comics Continuum Comicon.com Panels The Beat ICv2 Sci Fi Wire Sequential Tart The Weekly Planet Dave's Rants Fun Comic Strips to Read: Heart of the City Sluggy Freelance American Elf PvPonline Arcane Times Amazing Spider-Man Herb and Jamaal Funky Winkerbean Unshelved MLB Cartoon (in Korean) Nodwick (weekly - Thursday) Get Fuzzy Frazz FoxTrot Rose is Rose Between Friends Comics I Don't Understand Houston Chronicle's Strips Great Comic Books To Read: Age of Bronze Girl Genius Amy Unbounded Amelia Rules! PS238 Jay Hosler: Cartoonist Colonia Press Thieves & Kings Nowhere Girl - an online comic Tales of the Cherokee WildGuard Shipping News and Previews: Diamond Shipping List New Comics Release List Previews at Diamond ToonZone.net (DC and Marvel) Previews Review Heroes And Dragons Khepri Comics Mail Order Comics New Comix Previews @ CBR Worlds of Westfield Other Comic Book Sites: Corner Comics - Where I Buy Comics Interview with Corner Comics Elseworlds Checklist Official DC Elseworlds Message Board Rick Veitch's Site Will Pfeifer's Forum Will Pfeifer's Comics DC Archives Home Page Nick Cardy Artwork Joe Rubinstein Artwork DC Comics Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics AAA Pop Comics Grand Comic Book Database (GCD) Emerald City ComiCon Seattle ComiCard Convention Smallville Ledger Smallville Torch July 3rd 2004 tebeos contra la violencia join the fight ALA Banned Books Week link 'em up Blogrolling Along: Wil Wheaton The Leaky Cauldron J K Rowling Marta's Livejournal Garrett Fitzgerald Legomancer Time Cannon Geek and Proud Modulator Various and Sundry Eve Tushnet Mah Two Cents DeCloah Blog Mr. Hassle's Long Underpants Gallimaufry Pete Welsch Amy Langfield Margaret Cho Frank Carrera Glenn Given Olsen Ross Very Unnecessary *Frinklin Speaks *Cakes and Money *Spatula Forum *In Sequence *It is not within me to be silent *The Jason Continuum *an indeterminate vegetable Daily Visits: Astronomy Picture of the Day Set On-line Slashdot Boing Boing Daily Snopes New at Snopes Fortean Times Romenesko Random Mr Spock Advice Local News: The Seattle Times The Seattle P.I. KIRO TV Channel 7 KOMO TV Channel 4 KING5 TV Filk: Heather Alexander Three Weird Sisters Kathy Mar Prometheus Music Julia Ecklar Bob Kanefsky Urban Tapestry Echo's Children The Bringers Tom Smith Jeff & Maya Bohnhoff Annwn Carla Ulbrich Dan Hart The Wild Oats Filk.com Other Places I Visit: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Website Seattle PI interviews Hubby Marysville Strike Blogging by Tegan Math 'n' Stuff American Library Association ALA Store Aunt Marcia's Page Mariners Official Website Retrosheet (Baseball Stats) BBC Doctor Who page Outpost Gallifrey Baen Books Uchronia: The Alternate History List HCRealms (HeroClix Fan Site) SportsClixRealms David Oakes' Custom LEGO National Geographic On-Line TV Tome Blogosphere: Technorati you can help The following sites allow you to give to worthy causes with one mouse click. Please visit them and their sponsors. bookshop BOOKSHOP PAGE Buy Colonia: Islands and Anomolies Buy Aquaman's Guide to the Oceans Buy Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Search Now: Laura's Amazon.com Wishlist wizardofoz.info at Zazzle.com why argue? "Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country" - Patrick Henry scholarship needed politics and more Mostly Political Blogrolling: Washington Monthly Daily Kos Eschaton (Atrios) Blah3.com This Modern World Billmon Talking Points Memo Lawrence Lessig The Memory Blog BuzzMachine OxBlog The Volokh Conspiracy *Cagle's Web Log Freedom Blogs: Healing Iraq Iraq Baghdad Burning Iraq Where is Raed? Iraq Photos Hoder.com Iran News/Reference: Current Electoral Vote Map Spinsanity The Memory Hole Current Political Cartoons The Onion Memeorandum Urban Legends Reference Pages Gov Information Awareness Electronic Privacy Information Center The JavaScript Source Perpetual Calendar terror levels Current Terror Alert Level "my" politicians WA 1st Legislative District State Senator: Rosemary McAuliffe State Reps: Al O'Brien Jeanne Edwards WA Senators: Patty Murray - Website Maria Cantwell - Website WA Rep: Jay Inslee - Website the weather other junk BlogThis! Weblogs.com Ping blo.gs Ping OneStat web search WWW Bloggity-Blog-Blog-Blog referrers copyright All original material on this blog is © 2004 Laura Gjovaag. All rights reserved. Feel free to link to or comment on anything you find, and you may quote or even reproduce entries on-line as long as you include credit and a linkback to this blog. The opinions expressed are my own and don't reflect those of my employer. ...