It's That Time Again Fragments

I was meaning to post fragments last month but I just wasn't motivated. I think it was a holiday hangover. 

Here are the latest and greatest fragments from my life:

Did We Get COVID? Read and Find Out 

Sometime in December I saw this gif on Twitter and thought, "yeah, that's it!"

We prepped for the holiday season as I knew there would be more possibilities for getting exposed to COVID.  I got boosted the week of Thanksgiving while my wife was boosted a few weeks later. Of course, we wore masks at work and out in public and we never eat inside restaurants but in early December we went out to lunch with another couple at an empty restaurant. I felt a little naked. A week later I took the kids to Spider-Man: No Way Home (it was fine) of course we still wore masks. 

Part of this renewed risk activity was because we were boosted, and Omicron hadn't hit yet, part of it was just being exhausted with COVID, like everyone else. 

It felt as if we were tempting fate but we decided to hold our annual holiday party for the first time since 2019. We felt pretty safe as the Omicron surge hadn't hit our area yet (at least not in a big way).  Almost all the adults and children were vaccinated and/or boosted, and one family had just had COVID ten days ago. So, all things considered, we felt pretty good about having the party. We had about 10-12 adults and 15 kids attend the party.  It was a lovely time and it almost felt normal if not for a sinking feeling I would get when I would look out across the house and wonder if we were hosting a mini-super spreader event. 

As it turned out, everyone was fine. 

On New Year's Eve, we decided to once again take a big risk and we attended a wedding. It was a little too hard to pass up as some good friends were going and it was a young couple that we really like. Besides, there was gonna be an open bar and a lot of our theater friends would be there.  

Most people were masked during the ceremony but once things really got going at the reception, there were only a few masks. I would haphazardly wear mine at the reception...but....again, remember there was an open bar so I possibly wasn't using the best judgment all of the time. That said, once again, we made it out okay. Last I heard the pastor did get COVID but the event was not a super-spreader event at all. A good and memorable time was had by all. I have to say the fact that they brought out tacos right before midnight was just so awesome and so San Antonio. 

Maybe we shouldn't have been so risky, but especially after the wedding, we steered clear of our parents for a week or so, just in case. 

But like Mario above, we somehow made it to the flagpole safely. We've had a bunch of close calls, taken various members to get tested but so far, so good....(not sure it can last forever)....

Friend Fragment Update

I was reflecting on this old post the other day. 

I don't recommend reading it, so to sum it up, it's a pathetic post about how lonely I was as I neared turning 40. It seemed like I hardly had any more "active" friends and of course, making friends as an adult is always hard. Well, I suppose I should update the blog and tell you since that time I have made some new friends. 

Instead of just having one good friend at work I am happy to report I  now have two additional really good friends. All three are so different and bring something different to the table.  My wife and I also found,  almost-the-impossible: we made friends with another couple....and we like both of them! We met through the church theater group we are a part of. Look, I am not saying I have some super busy social life but it's made all the difference for me and I feel much more happy friend-wise than I have been in a long time. So, if you're a lonely adult, there is hope...but ya gotta get a little lucky too. 

Fam Update

C (almost 16) has a boyfriend. They have been dating for about 3 months now, which feels even longer to me.  He seems like a good kid and yet.... well, there's too much to say in this blog about him. So, it's better left unsaid (it's complicated).  He goes to another school on the other side of town and neither can drive so that's been easier to control. Still, you can't help but worry for her heart. 

Also, C starting up dual credit/college applications and worrying about driving soon. She was looking up colleges and universities tonight.  It's a weird place to be. Sure, it felt a lot easier building pillow forts and having sock battles, telling bedtime stories and going for walks together on beautiful days but being a dad of a teen has its pleasures too. She's a smartie and I am proud of how passionate she can be about doing the right thing. We have loved being a good "second home" for her friends. The other day her best friend said we were the best parents....hey, not too shabby, that made us feel good.  

E is doing well in the 7th grade. She's a ballet dancer and I feel like half our week is driving her to her lessons or prepping for her dance performance for the school. She just got braces and refused to even show me for the first day! She's such a good kid...lately, we've been watching LOST together. It's my first re-watch of the show since it aired and that has been so much fun, watching it together.  I might even write a blog post about it at some point (yeah, don't hold your breath). 

H is once again obsessed with Pokemon, this is his third iteration of being Poke-crazed, which is fine by me (it's gotta be something and right now it's Pokemon and Minecraft). Now he watches YouTube videos of box and pack openings and we even tried to sell one on eBay (it was bought but the dude never paid). He is also playing flag football, the league is pretty competitive and he is having a blast. Good coaches and that's the key. Competitive but good hearts and good sportsmanship.  His team is very good and while he is new, he caught his first pass last week for 25 yards. He was filling in for the injured center the last week and did a great job. This week it was too cold and the game got postponed. :/

Comics Update

Did I ever tell you I have some comic goals in my life? Yeah, my life is that shallow and nerdy. I mainly collect old Marvel's, mainly late 70's to the very early 90s. But I also love old Disney (Dell/Gladstone) or the occasional DC also, you gotta spice it up sometimes. 

I will never collect a whole run of something, but I do have a few goals. 

Here's what I usually buy on the spot if the price is right:

All Black Costume pre-Venom Spider-Man (I probably have about half of these as is)...these are now almost impossible to find at the used book stores, so I might pick up a few in the coming years at the comic shop but we'll see how the prices are....

Any 80's Marvel...I think my heart skips a beat when I can find a Dr. Strange, Defenders, Fantastic Four, Avengers, and especially Spider-Ham, Rom and Micronauts. Basically, any weird stuff is a bonus and I will usually buy it if it's reasonably priced. About the only thing 80's I will shun is New Mutants (heck even the first year is kinda cool but after that, forget about it...I could just never get into them).  

I picked up Fantastic Four #140 last week and thought damn, the Thing 
was talking about orgies in a comic from 1971. Just kinda blew my mind.  

Special collections I am building towards: 

I am hoping to complete a run of 265-300 of Fantastic Four,  I have about  2/3 of it already. I just like to pick up what I can find in the wild. It's more fun that way.

Anything with Kang, time travel, alternate universes, etc. 

I am also trying to collect Excalibur 1-75. I have 1-26 and much of the later run but I probably need another 20 or so to go! A really underrated comic, especially when Alan Davis was at the helm. Funny, smart, and usually fun. 

The whole point is I try to find these organically and on the cheap it makes life exciting, yeah, I said it. 

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I have some blog ideas but they are on the back burner. I also started editing a paper for possible publication but every time I think of it, I just feel ill. I have a lot going on at work that is non-teaching related and it's very exciting. I may find myself back in Ireland in the years to come but the soonest would be 2024. We'll see....

Well, that about does it, folks. Until next time,  stay safe, stay warm and when you hear that old song you haven't heard in a long time in the car, let go and sing like you've never sung before, I won't tell a soul. 

Art Post: Donald Duck: The Black Pearls of Tabu

It's been awhile since I've shared an art project. Given that I have had a little more time to be home  (as we all do), I started doodling a scene from a Carl Bark's story, "The Black Pearls of Tabu Yama". I have love of Carl Barks, so it was just a matter of time when I found the right thing to re-create. The image comes from the first page of the story, and I found it quite captivating.

So, I went for it. I was hampered by two major things. First, I didn't have enough paint to paint it, so I decided on using map pencils. I also couldn't scourge up a small enough ink point and being that we are in quarantine, I didn't have the patience to just wait for an online order, so I worked ahead anyway despite my limitations.  While map pencils have their own unique, child-like charm, it is still an imperfect medium. Nevertheless, it is what it is: a fun project to waste the hours of the day, to day-dream about an adventure on the high sea.

I added a few more seagulls and clouds as well to fill up the now vacated space.

I'd give you a close up of the ship but man, I really goofed up those ducks.

My Five Favorite Comic Book Cliffhangers: A Post In Which I Ramble On About All Sorts of 80's Suff

As we age we tend to look back on our youth with rose-tinted glasses. We long for a "simpler time" when things like blogs didn't exist and an elderly stupid television star was president (Wait - nevermind).

Even if the past is "objectively" worse in many ways (and wow, it was). The past represents a siren call of a past that never was. For example, I HATED the fact that if I missed a Muppets show or a Saturday morning cartoon there was a good chance I would NEVER see it again. And yet I find myself longing for those days. Everything seemed to matter more. There was no "undo" button on typewriters after all.

Dungeons & Dragons was the "Moby Dick" of my Saturday mornings. I loved the show but there were two problems. One issue was that it came on late in the morning (10:30-11:00) when my Mom started to pry me away from the TV (I was usually parked in front of the TV by 6:30 AM on Saturdays). The second problem was my Mom hated this show, I am sure she thought it was evil. So, it was with a little excitement and pride that I watched this show with my kids the last few years (usually when my wife was not home as she thinks it's a little evil too).

I've blogged about the past A LOT and I recently (kinda) wrote about how a technologically backwards time could be kinda cool (in my ode to mix-tapes). But the truth of it all is that it could be a real bummer being a comic-book-collecting kid in the 1980's.

Just an excuse to post this photo from Unbreakable. I haven't seen the movie in years and although it is slow, I think it has to be my favorite movie about comics. Wait, are there other movies about actual comic books anyway??

It was hard collecting comics when I had an inconsistent cash flow coming in. I was a lazy kid and frequently went months at time without earning an allowance. Even if I did earn my  allowance, I often blew through my money on toys or baseball cards. I see this all the time with my kids, they will happily spend their money on the wasteful, Dollar-Store happiness....over actually waiting for something or saving just a little more money to get what they've been dreaming about.

Secondly, I couldn't always control when I went to the store.  This meant when I bought a comic book that ended on a cliff-hanger, I was going to cross my fingers and hope I would see it on the newsstand the next month. But I also had to hope that no one else would buy that particular issue either because the drug store and my grocery store usually had no more than 2-3 copies of the most popular titles. Then, if I did see the next issue in the wild, I would pray I had the money or I had to beg my mom to buy it for me.

There was no internet, so if I missed an issue, I would never know what happened.

So, because no one asked me...here are my top five cliff-hanger comics that I read as a kid.

Disclaimer: I am not stating these particular comics are objectively the best cliff hangers. They're not. These are just a few of my favorite comics that I bought as a child and I was unable to track down the next month's comic. In many cases, I would re-read these comics for years and I had no idea what happened.

#5 - Fantastic Four #294 - "Hero Worship"

 

This is a great comic book. It has everything that I love about comics; a nice mix of character, action and mystery. It also dabbles a little in alternate universe/time travel stuff, which I have always loved. 

The main gist of the plot is the team steps into a "world" (it's a long story) that worships the Fantastic Four (as when they first appeared in the early 1960's). The population has even been genetically modified to mimic the powers of the team. The team is seen as "heretics" and they are attacked by the entire city's population. 

The comic ends with the apparent death of the team (the leader of the city zaps the team with a Ray-Gun and they turn to skeletons...so cool). I think I bought this issue in one of those comic "three packs". The customer could see two of the issues but the third issue was behind one of the others. My used bookstore frequently has mid-to-late 80's FF and I kept waiting to see #295 but after several years of waiting, I finally ended up buying issue #295 on Amazon a few years ago and I finally found out the rest of the story. 

SPOILER: They didn't really die but it's a satisfying conclusion to this story.  

#4 - Mickey Mouse # 219 (the first Gladstone) 

The first part of Floyd Gottfredson's "The Seven Ghosts".

I loved going to the mall as a kid. My favorite stores at the mall was the video game store (EB?) and Walden's Books. I can still remember the smell of a good ol' Walden Books. Once inside a Walden's I would head straight for the magazine section and the comic rack. In 1986 (there's that year again) I saw something I had never seen on a comic rack, Disney comics. I was nine, so I was definitely intrigued. I loved cartoons but because we didn't have the Disney channel, I couldn't get enough of Disney cartoons or Disney characters. I could tell they were reprints of older comics and this piqued my interest as well. I already loved old stuff.

It turns out this was the first month's collection of of the Gladstone company. Apparently, it had been several years since Disney comics had been available. I remember not being sure if I should buy this particular comic or a Spider-Man comic and that says a lot about how impressed I was with this comic. At nine-years-old I was a little embarrassed that I would buy a "Micky Mouse" comic because it might be considered for "younger readers". However, I got over it and got the issue.

This is "part one" of Gottfredson's "The Seven Ghosts" (originally the storyline ran in the Sunday comics in the 1930's).  Gottfredson had been given a peek at the early production of the cartoon "Lonesome Ghosts" and he loosely based "The Seven Ghosts" on what he saw.

"Lonesome Ghosts" is quite delightful but the only thing they really have in common is that  Micky, Donald and Goofy are running a detective agency and there are ghosts involved. That said, it's basically completely different from what Gottfredson created. Here it is if you're into old cartoons (and really, who isn't?):




Incidentally, I had "Lonesome Ghosts" on my Fisher-Price Movie Viewer, which is basically a hand-powered film projector. I used to watch "Lonesome Ghosts" in slow motion, backwards and forwards, etc. over and over (and over) again.  Of course there was no audio, but it was still pretty cool. Alas, we only had the "Lonesome Ghosts" and "Cinderella" cartridges. I still have this and my kids enjoy it from time to time as well.

Anyway, this is getting off subject.....

"The Seven Ghosts" comic starts with Mickey creating a detective agency with Donald and Goofy. Their first case surrounds a rich "man's" house that is seemingly haunted. It has humor, action and of course, mystery. Mickey is street-smart and plays the cynic to the supernatural occurrences. Goofy plays the believer and whole heartily believes the ghosts to be his friend. Finally, Donald puts on a brave face but is frightened at the slightest noise. The cliffhanger of this particular issue ends on Goofy seemingly proving that the ghosts are in fact, real.

It was a great cliffhanger and I never was able to find the next issue. I was finally able to read the end of story 15-16 years later in graduate school. I ended up winning a bid on eBay of a giant collection of Gottfredson's Mickey comics (printed in the late 70's).  Gottfredson and Barks (Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge) really were the masters. If you like a old comics that tell a mystery, check out the storyline (there are multiple re-prints available). 


#3 Amazing Spider-Man 280 - "Introducing the Sinister Syndicate"

I think I was obsessed with this issue, I would just remember staring at this cover forever.

This is just classic 80's Marvel. Spider-Man has his black suit on (my favorite Spider-Man costume), Silver Sable's in it and it's full of great action. Sure, it's basically a trope (super-villains team up on the super-hero or a duo and the hero(s) fight back against all odds), but it works.

The plot line has Spider-Man helping Silver Sable track down the Jack O' Lantern for cash (Peter Parker is in need of cash to help Flash Thompson's legal defense). Instead of tracking down Jack O' Lantern (or maybe because they are set-up) they end up being trapped at Coney Island fighting for their lives against the new "Sinister Syndicate". The issue ends with Spidey and the Silver Sable injured and surrounded by the evil squad of villains.

Let me be frank, it's a pretty basic comic but the cliffhanger made me obsess over it. See, that's the cool thing about cliffhangers...while I was waiting I imagined what would happen next. Sure, it was a given Spider-Man would come out on top, that's not the point. It was fun to try to figure out just how he would do it.  I never was able to track down #281 but maybe someday on one of comic-book runs (usually at used book stores around town). I know it's available digitally but somehow, I think it will feel a lot better if I find it in the wild.



 #2 Marvel Team-Up # 59 - ”Some Say Spidey Will Die By Fire...Some Say By Ice!" 

 

I think I picked this issue up in "Free Comic" promotion somewhere down the line. It was first published in 1974 and for a long time, this was the oldest comic that I owned. Heck, it's likely still in my top 10 or 15 oldest comics I own. It's one of the Chris Claremont issues (before he went on to X-Men fame) and the art is top-notch as well. For a Marvel Team-Up, its downright abnormally good (usually MTU are pretty generic and lame).

This was the first issue I had seen or heard about Yellow Jacket and I thought he just looked so darn cool. Anyway, the bad guy known as Equinox appears and is ready to kill Spider-Man.

As I kid I found this villain a little scary. Something about his eyes and crazy violent dialogue.

Spidey ,Wasp and Yellow Jacket take on Equinox and in the last few pages, Equinox blows up a tanker that was behind the Yellow Jacket. The last page reveals that Yellow Jacket has been seemingly killed.  

Keep in mind I was probably 10 (or under) when I read this and I had never seen or heard of the Yellow Jacket before. I was unaware that comic book characters literally CANNOT STAY DEAD (there's a law or something)...and being I had never heard or seen him in the 80s' I thought this was his actual death. I was blown away and I wanted to know what happened the next issue. I still had no idea. Also, there was this really seductive scene with Yellow Jacket and the Wasp in the first few pages that I remember being really fascinated with at the time. 

# 1 Transformers #79 - "The Last Autobot" 

I loved Transformers. I loved the cartoon, I loved the toys, so of course I loved the comics. By the time I started collecting (1984-1985) the comic has been out out for a few months. I somehow traded my way into one of my favorite comic cross-overs (and cover) of all-time in Transformers #3

The size proportions are terrible but you can't NOT be pumped when you see this cover. It was a dream come true for my 9 year-old self. Also, check out Gears in the corner box. Gears actually had a major role in this issue (and at least in the Marvel line, never again).

Bob Budniksy wrote the first 55 issues of Transformers. The first 35 are mixed with a third of the issues being duds, another third being decent and another third being quite well done. Some of my personal faves are when the Dinobots take on Megatron (#8), the Blaster - Cybertron Saga (#17-#18 - shoulda been longer), the Scraplets Epic with Blaster and Goldbug (#29-#30).  

Somewhere in the mid-30's the series started to get pretty lame and stayed bad for the next twenty issues or so. The art got much worse and it seemed Hasbro pushed for more story lines introducing an endless amount of characters that no one cared about. So somewhere after #35 or so I dropped out of keeping up with the Transformers (I remember thinking the Headmasters were really stupid).  I checked back in at the comics rack and I even bought the issue when a "Powermaster" Optimus Prime was back, but even I though it was pretty disappointing.

So, while I was stepped away from my Transformers fandom, something pretty amazing happened. Budniksy brought in the UK writer Simon Furman and Furman helped right the ship. I didn't catch on until issue# 67 (which despite the art, was a terrific alternate future story that tied back in to the main storyline).

If Budniksy is the father of Transformers (he actually created most of the toy names and personalities), then Furman is the soul of Transformers. Furman created more than just a backstory, but a mythos that was much deeper than just a simple toy line. Characters were more flawed, more conflicted...basically more human.

Here's the cover of #70. I saw this at a gas station and it got my attention. I was instantly back to being hooked on the Transformers comic.

From this point on, Furman was working with some great artists like Wildman and Senior (who's work I had obviously missed in the strong "Matrix Quest" storyline). Furman's work in the last two years of the Transformers' comic is simply outstanding (especially the storyline from #67-#75).  If you are a fan at ALL of Transformers and great storytelling, start with Furman's run at #55 and finish up with #80. 

Anyway, most of action peaks with issue #75 (Unicron!!)  however, Furman was still weaving quite a web when Transformers got the axe. You see while #79 is a pretty typical comic, I knew #80 would be the last issue of Transformers. At this point in time, the toys were off the shelves and I assumed this was the last I would ever read of the Transformers. 

No one knew that there would be re-boot after re-boot and re-boots of reboots from all the crap from the 80's and 90's. 

So, #79, while an okay comic was only a "real" cliffhanger because I could NEVER find #80. There is an actual cliffhanger, but it's complicated to explain....the larger point is that it was a cliffhanger for me. I always wondered how the comic storyline would end.

I went looking almost everywhere a kid without a car could look but I never did find #80. In the early 2000's I started picking up used comics again and I could always find Transformer comics here and there. I managed to pick up about a third of the total series. I think I have about 50-60 of the total comics. However, after the movie series came out, I have never seen one Generation 1 Marvel comics in the wild again (at used bookstores, etc.). I ended up reading a scan of #80 in the early 2000's and it was okay...but it could have never lived up to all the hype and mystery.  Still, all that interest led me to check out reprints of the UK story lines (which feature Furman and Senior). Those are also highly recommended. 

So, I have finally finished my blog post here and I've just read this massive blog post of crap. I have no idea why it happened but it was kinda fun and I hope it finds someone, somewhere a little joy out there as well. Go read a comic and forget your problems for the day.

Art Post: The Old Castle's Secret

I haven't posted in awhile because my PC crashed and we still haven't got it fixed up just yet. Meanwhile, I've been busy teaching an apologetics class for the high school class at church and generally having to share the family laptop. Also, life, ya know.

I have a cool post about performing at a Spurs game and meeting Craig Sager so that's coming at some point.

Ahem, anyway, onto the post.

I adore Carl Barks' work. I first discovered the wonderful world of Barks on a family vacation to (of all places Disney Land) when I was 12. We stopped at my great uncle's house up and I spent the night in his den full of old stuff and old books.

Of course, even at this age, I knew what I had to do.

After rummaging through hundreds of books, I found a huge book of reprints of Carl Barks' stories of Donald Duck.  I settled in for the night with the book in bed and read as long as I could. I already loved comics but these were different. I thought they would be "kiddie" but they were just as good (and most of the time) better than any epic Marvel tale.

From that night forward, I was hooked.

One of the great pleasures of being a parent has been being able to share my favorite stuff with my kids. I have been able to pass on my love of Carl Barks to my oldest, C. She tells me the Barks stories are the best and will frequently turn up her nose at a perfectly fine Don Rosa, telling me it's "boring".

Almost every night, C will read in bed with a reading lamp until at least 8:45 or 9:00 and she usually seeks out comics to read, especially Carl Barks. She doesn't realize how  good she has it, my dad didn't have any comics growing up! I love it.


One Saturday morning last spring, I had one the new Fantographics reprints of on the kitchen table. I am happy to report, the Fantographics Carl Barks collection is just awesome. I can't recommend them enough if you love adventure comics!

Anyway, this was sitting on the table and I started to doodle, which turned into a copy. Enjoy

Here's the original. In this story, which is a great one, the ghost in the story  is supposed to be Scrooge's ancestor, but the skeleton looks nothing like a duck. Why did this happen? An editor here would have been a valuable resource.

The only thing I regret is the text, which is pretty awful.

Detail. I had to improvise the writing on the gravestones (although the names are Barks'). The original image was pretty small, so it was just gibberish.

Comics Stories: Fragments on Comics and 1986

One of my favorite scenes from Throw Momma From the Train is Owen's coin collection.

If you haven't seen it, here it is:




For those of you too lazy to watch, the scene is about Owen's (played by Danny Devito) coin collection, which amounts to just normal nickels, pennies and quarters. The coins are only worth their face value, however for Owen, they are full of value because they are change that his father allowed him to keep  (from a concert, the circus, etc). Memories can do that to ya. Suddenly a piece of paper with a doodle becomes a treasure.  

I got my first comic sometime in 1984-85.

There had been a few comics around the house, some Whitman Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and some old Smurfs (Marvels, actually). I still have many of them and they were published in 1982 and possibly my sister's when they were first purchased. However, there were no real super-hero comics around the house. I did have an awesome Spider-Man shirt (I know I have a picture somewhere of me in it around the house) and I loved all super hero cartoons (well, pretty much all cartoons, really). 

For years I had remembered  Marvel Tales #185 as the first comic I ever bought.

I was with my Mom at Walgreen's and she told me to go pick out a comic to buy.  It all felt special because the way I remember it, my mom just never bought me anything when she went out shopping - candy, toys, whatever. I don't think that's actually true, but you can't shake that feeling of "that's not fair!" impression out the brain.

I remember being really impressed with the cover and finding the Lizard really creepy. 

I loved the issue. Spidey has to fight the Lizard with one arm and ends up winning by tricking him into a refrigerated train car, which weakens the Lizard (being that the cold would weaken the cold-blooded reptile).  I was a little confused as I was aware sometimes Spider-Man wore a black suit and sometimes the red and blue. I also found all the 60's references perplexing but I figured that's just how Spider-Man was. I had no idea it had been published in the 1960's.  This particular story was so powerful and well done.

It drew me in and I was hooked on comics since then. 

However, recently I discovered that my old childhood memories were faulty. 

That's because that comic (Marvel Tales #185) was published in 1986, which would place me in the 4th grade and I know I was into comics before that!

I have a specific memory of  hiding Peter Parker #104 in my desk and showing it to my best buddy, Matt in the 3rd grade. This memory is so specific, it's hard to doubt.

The cover (and the internet) states it was published in  July 1985 date but that typically meant the issue was on the newsstands for months before July. The weird cover dates on Marvel comics was a thing until the early 90's. So, I'm not really sure what my "first comic" was but whatever it was, it was good enough to get me to keep buying more!

I do have a theory as to how my memory was so muddled. I used to beg my mom for these three-packs for comics at my local Winn's. If you unfamiliar with Winn's it was a five-and-dime store. Think of it as mini-Wal-mart without clothing, kinda like a Big Lots but without furniture or Hobby Lobby without all the crafts or home deco but they had yarn. I remember lots of yarn and a kick-ass toy section. Oh, and they had ICEE's!!!

So, basically, kid utopia.

This was the same store where I first spied and lusted after the Ultra Magnus Transformer that was located on the top shelf. I begged my mom for months for that toy and finally got it on my birthday (which was probably my 9th birthday, in, you guessed it, 1986!)

Anyway, Winn's had these 3 packs of Marvel Comics that I would get from time-to-time but for whatever reason, I must have forgotten them and in my head, my love affair with comics really started with that Marvel Tales comic. I loved the three packs because you could never see the third issue, so you were getting one surprise every time!

Another great comic that I love is Spider-Ham # 6 (also, in 1986 ) Again, this one was bought at the same Walgreen's as Marvel Tales #185.  I don't quite remember if it was purchased at night but I remember it in the car with me as my parents took us took my sister and I driving around to look at Christmas lights. After we got home, I took the comic and read it under the colorful lights of our Christmas tree. I remember feeling safe, warm and cozy. It's one of my most favorite childhood memories.

I am as anti-gun as they come nowadays but this is still one of my favorite covers of any comic I own.

Another great memory that also comes from...you guessed it, 1986. This time, a non-Spider comic and one of my only Archie comics in my whole collection.

I was visiting my grandmother (who lived out of town) and she took me shopping with her. I can't remember if my sister was with me or if we were by ourselves. She took me downtown, where we looked at the river that runs through her small town from the top of the bridge and we walked down to an actual old soda shop. My grandma treated me to a shake and a comic as well!  The comic rack only had Archie's, which I found odd, but a comic is a comic. That old soda shop was fantastic and I wonder if it's still standing but I doubt it. More than any detail, I remember the feeling of that day with my grandma and walking into that soda shop. Again, another safe, special, childhood memory.

There might be more comic memories so, if they hit me, they will eventually wind up here. In the meantime, stay warm amigos!

Disney Queries

Just got Ducktales Vol. 2 DVD for the kids because C has been loving the old Carl Barks Comics and sue me, I want my kids to like everything I do!!! So, here are my thoughts and queries about this strange, strange world.

Have you ever noticed that in old-school Disney comics, Donald Duck never wore pants and Mickey Mouse never wore a shirt?

That's inversion PERVERSION (but clever, Walt, very, very clever)

To top it off, Goofy was always FULLY CLOTHED.

What's odd about the whole Disney Cartoon Universe is that's it's mainly populated by dog-like people and ducks. We're watching DuckTales and there is the occasional pig in the background, or weasels (of course, they're bad guys) or different birds (like Gyro and Launchpad)  but it's mainly dog people and ducks. The dog people are kinda more like humans and less like dogs (their skin looks human). But the ducks are pretty duck-like. Where are the cats, sheep, goats and cows? Why limit yourself to dog people? 


Is this like an alternate earth where animals evolved and lost their animal aspects such as flight for the ducks and great hearing for the dogs? Wouldn't it be cool if it was a like a Planet of the Apes thing going on and they could retcon the whole universe to show the over-throw of man? (Hint: No).

Also what is very strange is that  the whole universe is segregated. You never see a mixed couple in the Disney animal world. RACISTS.

What's up with Donald's voice? It was a mistake made 70 years ago, just correct it already. People will moan about it but that's because most people are stupid. The voice is  horrible and hard to understand. It doesn't make any sense either, all the other ducks talk normal, so why doesn't he?
In the pilot of Ducktales, Launchpad asks, "why does he talk so weird?" which actually made me laugh.

Donald's like George Costanza of Seasons 7-9 of Seinfeld (when he become a caricature of the character --  in fact the whole show started to go downhill). He's a one-note character that is predictable and boring.WAIT A SECOND --

Mickey = Jerry = Every Man 
Goofy = Kramer  = Stupid Man (and both tall)
Donald = George = Angry Man 

HOLY POOP - Seinfeld is based off of Micky, Donald and Goofy.

 My mind is officially blown.

They actually work okay as a trio but the characterization in the comics by Gottfredson and Barks are so much more subtle and fun than we have ever seen in the cartoons. 

My daughter E asked if Mickey and Minnie were getting married. I told her they had been dating for 60 years so it was doubtful. I mean you know they're DOING IT, right? They can't hold out this long....

One last thing that bothers me is Huey, Dewey and Louie are STILL UNDEVELOPED characters after 60 or 70 years. Even the great Duck Man himself, Carl Barks was too lazy to try. They are just clones of each other that happen to finish each other's sentences. Can anyone address this? Wouldn't it be worthwhile?

Fragments, Ya Know?

I asked my little E today (age 5) what her favorite boogers were, "Crusters" or "Snotters"? These categories should be easy enough for you to figure out.  She thought for a second and said, "Bloody". I howled while laughing.

For the record, Crusters is the correct answer (in case you were afraid to ask). 

Another cute story that I don't think I have told on the blog. This was from a few years back when our oldest, C was in kinder.  "Military Appreciation Day" or some other militaristic propaganda day was approaching and the students were encouraged to dress in "Camo" that Friday. We're not really a "Camo" family, so I told my daughter that she would not be able to participate.  She told me without skipping a beat, "Well, I'll just wear a white shirt Dad." "Why's that C?" "Because the walls are white".  Just another reminder that we had smart one on our hands.

C won a character award at school a few months back and we "won" discounted Spurs tickets. We did this last year, so we made it a date again this year. We had a ton of fun and this year we had a great game (last year we attended the Spurs' blowout of the 76ers). Timmy was apparently feeling good and had his best game of the year thus far, scoring over 20 and pulling down 21 boards  -- the oldest player in NBA history to accomplish that feat. It was pretty sweet to see Timmy maybe for the last time personally perform at such a high level. Then to top it off, with the score tied at 100 and 4.7 seconds left on the clock, he knocked down the winning shot, leaving .4 on the clock for the Hawks to work with (of course they didn't score)



And the crowd went wild including my kid and I.  I had all those classic dad moments of explaining the game to her. I hope the experience made for some good memories for C!

So, this is the internet....here's the video for the kids who missed the highlights:




Crazily, I have attended well over 30-40 Spurs games in my life and this is the first Spurs "buzzer beater" we made "for the good guys".

I attended this little gem of a game when we were on the opposite end of the buzzer:

Of course we ended up winning the title that year (that was Game 1 of the 2003 playoffs). So, watching it now is no problem.  At the time, it drove me a little batty (double batty for being off a missed free throw).

SIDENOTE:  Courtesy of my friend, Phil (hi, Phil!!), I enjoyed a great seat, so I was in the background of a huge picture in the paper the next day. MY 2 SECONDS OF FAME.

ADDITIONAL BITTER SIDENOTE OF ANGER: it occurs to me that if TD made 80% of his free throws in the playoffs for his career, it's likely we have at least one more title. Hell, if the team averaged 76% (we had some terrible FT shooting teams back in the day), it would have made the difference, as well. The last two years, we have been fine and TD has been better.


Just bought and finished my first comic purchase (the  Infinity Gauntlet limited series from 91) on the Kindle. It was a new experience but overall I enjoyed it. On the positive note it really stopped me from reading or sneaking a peek ahead. Whenever I buy old comics, I usually thumb through it first, just as a habit. With the Kindle, I found myself reading the comic panel by panel (you can do pages but the text is just a teensy too small for my taste and comfort level).  This made the story much more dramatic and surprising from a typical read. Usually, there is good drama or surprises in a comic but  if that plot point is on same page you end up spoiling for yourself because you can't not force your eyes over on the remaining panels on a page or the facing page. Also, it was nice I could read at night in bed with the lights off. On the downside, I love reading old comic books with ads and the "Bullpen Bulletins" (I am a Marvel guy). I love the smell of old books. I'm weird that way.

I really wanted to see 12 Years A Slave. Ya know, I am fascinated by race and slavery and I have MA in history so it's kinda "my bag". But...I haven't gotten around to it and now the 2nd Hobbit is coming out. Yikes. Hate to say it, but Hobbit is more of a "movie experience" plus, I have a few friends in town who are pumped about it.

I am a LAZY MAN.  I have my Sikh Center blog post almost done just wanted to remember my booger story and Spurs memory with this post.

Until the next time, peace, love and waffles!

Lies, Damned Lies and Comic Books

No one likes being lied to. We generally want people to tell us the truth but we reconize there are a few honest exceptions.

A) When we ask a loved one what they think (when we're really asking for approval)
B) Advertising

I mean, we expect it.

I hate Burger King. About 8 years ago I swore I would never eat it again. Then I was stuck at an oil change place about a year ago and the free Wi-Fi at the next door Burger King enticed me.  I got a drink and then I was hungry and I decided how bad could fried processed chicken be? It was awful, never again!!!!!

As long as the exaggeration is not egregious, I'm cool with it. It could be pointed out that the above example would be "egregious" but no one goes to fast food not knowing what they are getting into.  I know they are trying to sell their crap, they exaggerate, no biggie.

I was shopping for a used car several years ago and the ad that was placed said the interior was in "perfect condition". I thought, "Well, maybe they are really trying to say, 'it's really well maintained'". So I  test drive the thing only to find the back seat completely ripped up (from the looks of it, from a fountain pen). I mean the car sucked anyway, but it made me a little angry. BECAUSE HE LIED.

This all brings me back to comic books, and really, what doesn't bring you back to comic books anyway??

With a few exceptions I don't really read new comic books. I pretty much collect mid 70's to very early 90's. However, I doubt anything has really changed. In the summer I bought a stash of comics and noticed a trend. There were a lot of misrepresented covers on these particular comics.

As anyone will tell you the MOST important thing about the comic is the cover. A good cover and the comic will sell itself without anyone even cracking it open. I've bought many a comic that had an amazing cover but the story sucked. So, the temptation is there, you know, to let us say, fib just a little on what actually happens inside the comic. Ya know, just a teensy bit. So, let us explore some examples:

Example # 1 Marvel Fanfare # 2 (1982)

 



This is such a cool cover (it's a wrap-around actually). It's colorful, it's action packed and it's actually honest. I mean these dudes fight the X-Men for a few pages. Pretty much sets up who the heroes and villains are in the story and reveals one of the major plot points. 

 

I  picked up this for a two bucks at the used bookstore. This is such a classic comic: wonderful art, a colorful rehashing of the previous storyline, lots of exposition (that works) and of course the action,  and finally a cliffhanger ending. The thing I hate about new comics is the emphasis on art. They have these wonderful scenes but it takes all of 5 minutes to read the damn thing that costs 4 bucks! Makes no sense. In earlier eras, they packed action but also lots of conversations and exposition. Maybe I just like old stuff.  The comic has a nice 10 page Hawkeye story too.  

 

Honesty Level: FOUR STARS (out of four stars)

 

Example # 2 Shogun Warriors # 2 (1978)

 



Let's get this out of the way. This is a stupid comic. I have a high tolerance for dumb comics and this one blew away all of my expectations. There was one cool part where the old "Mr. Miyagi" guy reveals an underground training tunnel but that just leads to a boring and totally unnecessary scene, in which the new robot bodies can show off their "powers" by destroying training equipment. 

Anyway, back to the topic at hand - the battle portrayed above DOES NOT HAPPEN. In fact, as indicated above, not much of anything happens except a huge set-up for a battle that DOES NOT HAPPEN.

Apparently only one of the huge "robots" had seen any "action" the issue before and the other two were introduced in this issue (remember, in all-important, under-ground cave training action). So the "leader" of the Shogun Warriors (that's the big dumb robot-looking things) goes to fight some huge, generic MUD MAN (that he already faced last issue). He fires one shot at the MUD DUDE, saves a train that was going to fall off the bridge that the MUD GIANT had demolished. Then, the MUD FIEND splits into three giants:  FIRE MONSTER, WATER-GIANT-TROLL and still, the huge MUD THING. Other two "good guys" show up, and.....ISSUE OVER.

Honesty Rating: 1 STAR (out of 4 Stars). 

One star because the comic actually did introduce new characters as portrayed on cover and technically, they did join the battle -- but it just didn't start yet.

Example # 3 Web of Spider-Man #16 (1986)

Okay, this cover looks intriguing. You got a scary dude with a hat on and a reaper-thingy. Then a buff white dude with a pitchfork with SPIDEY'S MASK ON IT!?!? Looks like maybe a serial-killing red-neck cult is involved. Wait a sec ---DOES SPIDER-MAN DIE!?!?!  Also, note not ONE but two HUGE promotional boxes. This is a warning sign. The more boxes, the crappier the storyline inside the comic.

Inside the boxes,  it's a pure hyperbole - otherwise known as lies. These are evil lies told to children to rip the 75 cents from their little stubby fingers. The lie is so good but your eyes might not be - so here's the content of the box at the bottom of the cover:

"If you buy only ONE comic this month, face it, True Believer -- THIS is IT!"

 

 

I know, I know, this is a set-up storyline (as the other promotional thing tells us it's the first in a series of a new storyline). And no one, not even a 7 year-old is going to think they are going to kill Spider-Man. But still.... 

 

The spooky red-neck guys do chase down a mother and child (the cover seems to show two adults) but there is NO SPIDER-MAN to be seen. This all happens in the first two pages. Then the huge set-up begins -  Peter Parker getting crapped on for a few pages (of course) and then Parker and another reporter (Joy Mercado) go out on location to an small Appalachian town where some weird stuff is going on. The locals don't like the reporters, Peter and Joy fights off a gang of dudes and then they hide, they are quickly discovered, get captured, and then are led to an underground secret hide-out. Peter escapes, changes to his Spidey uni, beats up a couple of guards in four panels and on the last page (full-page reveal) some dude named Magma is behind it all. That's it. Pretty boring. 

 

No scary encounter with spooky red-necks.

 

Spider-Man doesn't lose his mask, nor is he in any real danger.

 

Finally, the plot is pretty garden-variety for comics (the whole small-town gone weird or small town population missing thing is a common trope).

 

Honesty Rating: 0 STARS (out of 4 stars).

 

I know the editor was in a quandary as there is nothing in the plot that was really that exciting. At all. However, using a generic cover could have worked (just Spidey flying through the air or something cool like that). However, the hype of the boxes on the cover are just inexcusable.

 

So, there ya have it. One more reason not to trust anyone attempting to sell you something.

 

I could go on and on with a few more examples but then I would get bored and not be writing at my top level and I wouldn't want to disappoint you and lie about something now would I? 

Books in 2011

Happy New Year to ya. These are the books I read though this year...off the top of my head...I may be missing something....lots of comics this year!


The Qur'an - I had about a third of this finished for years but could never  get motivated. This time, I started at the end and worked my way back. It worked!


The Rebel - Camus -Tough go of it, and honestly I skipped the whole section on Russia. Too many Russian names. :)

Persepolis - Satrapi (Graphic Novel) - Wonderful. Will have to read the sequel at some point.

The Four Encounters - Tezuka (Graphic Novel)

Marvel Essential Man Thing (Vol. 1) (Graphic Novel) - weird, odd, interesting...and totally under-rated. Enjoyed it. Look forward to Vol. 2 someday.

Planet Hulk (Graphic Novel) - Nicely done....Would recommend to any sci-fi fan.

Tons of 1980's era Marvel's (newly bought and otherwise)

Strength to Love - MLK (should finish this week)
Sermons from MLK. Powerful stuff. I love it.

In Search of Zarathursta (well done but a little stale towards the end)

Jesus and the Gospels - Bloomberg (sections)
Conservative scholar but well done and very fair minded. Will be digging into this as a resource often.


The Gospel of John - F.F. Bruce (commentary only sections I was teaching)
Taught at our church on John - loved this commentary would like to finish this at some point.

Synopsis of the Four Gospels (Aland Edition) - Started 2011 by reading through the gospels like this. Nice way to read them. Always wanted one of these and finally got it. Have referenced it many times.


An Ordinary Man - Paul Russesabagina -Paul was going to visit our campus but he was ill and had to cancel. Great but sad book.

Poverty and Morality (ed. Galston & Hoffenberg)
One of my faves. I actually lost this in the fall so I have two chapters left! :) I can't recommend it enough if you are a fan of world religions or interested in poverty.  Great overview of many of the dominant belief systems (written by a scholar in that particular field and often an adherent of that system) and their views on poverty (religious and secular world views). I have a feeling I might have this on one of my class reading list one day...love it.


The Essentials of Hinduism - Swami Bhaskarananda  - Hands down the best introduction to Hinduism I have read. Easy to understand and many great examples and illustrations I use in class.

The Toon Treasury (ed. Spiegelman) (should finish this week) - simply wonderful. If you love old cartoons - get this book!!!

Finally, I re-read Frankel's Man's Search for Meaning. One of the best books ever!!!

Wow...read through more than I thought. Here's to another great round of books in 2012!

Top Ten Things I Didn't Do

Things happen, but sometimes they don't. Off the top of my head and definitely not in any order of importance, here are things that didn't work out or that I never did.



1) Printed out a small book of poems to give to my parents and sister for Christmas back in 2005 but didn't give it to them on second thought.


2) I didn't ask out a girl in my Intermediate Spanish II class in college. I had a huge crush on this girl. We sat on opposite sides of the room and before I even spoke to her I had already created her personality - she was my dream girl.  I mustered the courage and managed to talk to her a few times in the hallway before class, I think I made her laugh and felt really good about our small chit-chat. I plotted to ask her out after the final exam. This was the perfect plan - if she rejected me, I would never see her again in class thus lessening my humiliation. I laughed at my genius. When I took the final exam, I worked as fast as I could.  I even managed to check my work but I was ready to dump the exam if the situation arose.  After what seemed like forever, she finished her exam. I didn't want to make it obvious, so I patiently waited about 15-20 seconds after she got up. As fate would have it, the allotted time for the test was running out, so many students were up at the front of the room, turning their exam in as well. Because of the extra traffic, it took me longer than expected to turn the test in....but I wasn't panicking even though she was out the door sooner than I realized. My heart rate started racing as I picked up my backpack and headed out into the hallway. As I walk out the door I see a fellow classmate is already TALKING TO HER- he's not leaving her side as they continue to talk and walk right into the PARKING LOT - I slow my walking gait down but at this point I am in a near panic. My perfect plan was falling apart, I had no backup plan!! They just keep talking and I....well... keep walking....I felt like an idiot. I saw her a few months later at Blockbuster with some fat boyfriend, I had a near Woody Allen breakdown at that point.


3) I did not transfer to UT (instead I transferred to A&M). I was planning on majoring in advertising there. As crazy as that sounds to me now, I think I would have taken one class and changed my major. Life would have been different, that's for sure.


4) I did not teach in Japan. I almost applied to teach for JET after graduating in 2000, but got scared (although we did end up teaching in China in 2004).


5) I did not make the band. I tried out for a band in college as the lead singer. I tried to sing some Metallica song and it went badly. I think I knew I wasn't going to get the gig when I asked if they knew any Weezer songs.


6) I did not get everything that I wanted as a kid. I have vivid memories of begging my mom for a quarter or seventy-five cents for a comic book or a pack of baseball cards. Most of the time, she wouldn't budge. At the time, I thought it was because (in my kid's world) seventy-five cents was a lot of dough - I understood it. Now that I know even at the time, it was nothing. My mom did a good job of not spoiling me.

When my mom would go our local Handy-Andy I would go inside the Revco next door as they had a great comic rack and a better toy selection. When I was ten-years old I saw this comic and I just had to have it. I begged and pleaded with my mom to no avail. It was a hard sell - it was double-sized and $2.50!  I did what I often did at Revco and hid it behind some magazines. I was able to hide this comic at least 3-4 times at least for a month - always being careful to remember which magazines I hid it behind. One day, to my dismay it was gone......(Well then, I just found it on Amazon and I am totally buying this for my Christmas present with my parent's money).

7) I wish I could tell you I never bought cowboy boots, but I would be lying.


8) I did not get a ticket for crazy driving as a teenager. It was harmless stuff by most standards, but one road rage incident was really, really, scary looking back on it (and yes, I was the one mad). I sometimes can't even recognize that young version of myself.


9) I never made the "Honor Roll". Not a once.

10) I never applied to teach anywhere else than where I work now. I applied part time and did not apply anywhere else, as I was a lazy. I got a call a week before classes, I was in. I interviewed for a full-time position twice (with one interview with the college president) before finally landing my full-time tenure track position the third time around.

Art Post #4: The Final Chapter

One of my favorite comic books growing up was from a Marvel Tales reprint of the ASM #33, "The Final Chapter".  The story revolved around Spider-Man needing a serum to save Aunt May. For some inexplicable reason, Dr. Octopus had it (to this day I have never read the preceding issue, so I don't know why this was the case).

The story begins in Dr. Octopus' underwater hideout (which, by the way, if you are super-villain is pretty cool).  Apparently, the two had battled and now Spider-Man is pinned down by a massive hunk of machinery as water slowly rises below him. Thankfully, Doc Ock is no where to be found but Spider-Man is still left in a desperate plight. Using sheer willpower (well, and super strength) Spider-Man lifts the machinery off.  Totally exhausted and injured, he nearly drowns, fight off dozens of henchman and barely make it back to hospital in time to save Aunt May's life all in 20 pages.

Maybe Spider-Man is what made me think it's normal to talk to yourself. This goes on for five pages. Looking back, it's a little overkill with the floating heads...but I still love it.

To my nine or ten-year old mind - the story inspired me. The willpower exhibited - the "never say die" approach appealed to my adolescent dreams of manhood. I read this one over and over again.  I love the art in this comic too - it was Ditko at his best.

Recently, I was re-reading some comics and re-organizing them and came across this comic. It seemed like a good idea to attempt to re-create. I am not great at drawing life-size heroes, but a hero surrounded by machinery and water....I could try. I think it turned out alright.

The Final Chapter - 2011

Detail

You'll notice I drew Spidey looking at the viewer, while the original has Spider-Man looking down, about to give up.  I didn't do this on purpose, but my rendering almost looks as if, this is the next moment after he determines, "I'm doing this."

Excuses

Well.

I hit a wall of real life with the start of a new semester and prepping for teaching the young married class at church.

Then I had some writer's block (didn't want to delve into the back burner ideas yet).

Then I got involved in an art project (a recreation of the cover of one of my favorite Spider-Man - ASM #33).

I read this in an "Marvel Tales" version. It had such an influence on my pre-pubescent brain about what it meant to be a man....(light blub goes off for how comic books affected my ideas of gender). The story still holds up okay (for comics) and it has some of Dikto's best work (and I am not really a big of fan of his).

Then I had ideas but no desire to actually write them (an MLK post that never was might be some day).

Now, I am just bored with it all.

So...the next post will be an art post!

After that, we'll see where this month takes us. I now spend many a night prepping for the World Civ class that I have never taught before. It really sucks the life right out of me.

Onward and upward!!!!