Shelock Holmes Wins an Emmy on Facebook!!

Its Wednesday, September 1, 2010. and today is an important day. Brother Anonymous is joining me in my quest to acquire as many gray hairs as possible. Now some of you might be thinking, why on Earth would my brother only comment on here anonymously?

If you were related to me would you really want people to know it?

I thought not.

Happy Birthday, dude.

UNPLUGGED!!

The newspaper and the Yahoo news reel were looking very familiar. This is probably due to them getting around to what I was writing about a week ago. Facebook "check in", in which you can 'check in' other people giving away their location, is under fire for being an invasion of privacy, because its one thing if you want to paint a big old e-target on yourself and say "here I am", and its another if you want to paint a big old e-target on someone else and say "there he is". As I've said, you can block people from doing this with your privacy settings, but that involves actually knowing how to operate them.

So Facebook is now Big Brother, and I don't mean the CBS reality show.

But, in looking at job listings I've discovered some employers WANT their employees to be on Facebook to the point where they've said don't apply if you don't have it. Now this seems counter-intuitive on the surface because why on Earth would you want to hire someone who possibly would be wasting company time playing Farmville. However, this maneuver is a stroke of Machiavellian brilliance because the employer can bring up everything you are doing. Are you updating when you should be working? Were you really sick the day you called in sick? Got something nasty to say about them?

People have lost their jobs for things they have posted on Facebook. Hell, people have been arrested for it. And they do it to themselves. What you post online anywhere will eventually be made public, especially on Facebook.

Will this catch on? Will I have to go crawling back to Facebook and get another account if I want a nice job in a cushy office someday? Who knows. I do know that if this becomes the norm then Facebook is going to be about as popular as herpes and everyone over the age of 18 will have very boring Facebook pages.

DISCONNECTED?!

The Emmys were on, and I actually watched a good chunk of it. The vast majority of winners are shows I don't watch and many of them I've never heard of. So either my lack of cable is leaving me seriously out of the loop, my viewing habits suck, or there's a disconnect somewhere between the industry of TV and viewers. Its probably the first option, and even if it isn't I'd much prefer to plead ignorance than to cop to sucking. Honestly, I didn't know MAD MEN was a drama. All I knew was that it was on a station I don't get and Christina Hendricks is on it.

And now a Christina Hendricks moment:



OK, all better now. Back to business.

Often there's a disconnect between what people in an entertainment industry say is great and what an audience says is great. I don't think that was totally the case Sunday night, because many of the shows that won I have heard glowing praises about from Chris who knows good television when he sees it. I see it a lot with the Oscars since often the big winners are movies that no one really watched.

Its pretty prevalent in comics. The company powers that be tell us how awesome Barry Allen and Hal Jordan are despite newer readers having little frame of reference as to these characters they are thrust upon us whether we like it or now. We just had got done with half of DC comics being "Blackest Night" crossovers and having read "Blackest Night" I can say that its not a very good book. Its fine if you don't think very hard about it, but this isn't an event I'd flood a company with. "Brightest Day" looks equally inane. But we are told that these books are the greatest thing ever. We're supposed to pay attention to these things. We're supposed to rave about JMS's work on WONDER WOMAN and SUPERMAN. We were supposed to think ALL-STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN THE BOY WONDER was completely awesome.

Frankly if all of the thing I mentioned went away I'd be a much happier little nerdling.

I understand the creative standpoint. When you're crafting these stories you have to do it to your own tastes. The writer's tastes may or may not line up with my personal tastes, and that's fine. That's just how it goes. However it does seem that now in a time when editors seem to fall down on the job a bit more noticeably than before, that some of these companies need to listen a little more more and tell a little less. This is a good part of the reason why WIZARD magazine is a shadow of its former self. They became the premier source for information about the comic book industry and started telling us what is cool, and when enough people stopped and came the conclusion that they didn't agree they got their news elsewhere.

Its a risk I run writing this blog. I can rail on at length about how brilliant the Morrison Batman story is, but is someone does not agree at all then I run the serious risk of losing a reader. And that's tough when you don't have a ton of readers. But I can't just play it safe and try to write nice little piece for everyone, because that's pandering, and that gets us nowhere.

The bottom line: the Emmys and shows like it are nice and fun, but often they don't reflect the thoughts and feelings of the audience. That's just how things are. All we can do is find what we like and support the hell out of it.

BACK TO BASICS!!

I've been reading a book. Without pictures in it. Yes, that does actually happen from time to time. Specifically, I'm reading "A Study in Scarlet" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This was the first Sherlock Holmes story showing not only how Doctor Watson met Holmes but also scary Mormons.

A couple of things strike me as I read this. First, I like how a story written over a century ago can still be to alive and vibrant on the page. Very often literature is perceived as dry and dull. This story obviously isn't. Second, is that Robert Downey Jr didn't make a very good Sherlock Holmes. Not that it was a bad movie, but Holmes was always impeccably groomed and dressed nicely. He carried an air about him that Downey didn't, which is as much Guy Richie's doing. I prefer the books.

I love reading book. Yes, you can do it online and download books into your Fancy Dan handheld Tricorder but nothing beats the feel of a good book in your hand. I feel smarter just carrying them around.

MUSIC!!

And now a geography lesson featuring cute little animated characters.



That's a wrap for today. This is the part where I'd say I'll see y'all Friday, but not this time. Hurricane Earl is heading this way to say 'howdy'. And by 'howdy' I mean 'destroy all manner of stuff'. Right now its a category four hurricane, which for those of you who don't know is pretty damn bad. Bad enough that when those head this way I don't right it out, and get out of dodge. Right now there's a slim chance it will hit here directly, so I'm keeping an eye on it. Most likely it'll curve away from here, but we're going to get serious wind and rain regardless. Most likely I'll be spending Friday without internet and possibly without power.

So its a no go for Friday, and possibly Sunday if things go seriously tango uniform here. So, we'll see y'all when we see ya. Behave yourselves.

Lights Out for Batman!!

French the Llama, its Sunday, August 29, 2010 and once again, its really all about Batman. I felt like I had a bit of a Bat-drought lately, but now it seems all is normal again.

At least as normal as it typically is around here.

COMIX!!

Starting off with DETECTIVE COMICS #868 which was pretty disappointing. We're still not sure if this is supposed to be Bruce Wayne or Dick Grayson as Batman. The Costume looks like its supposed to be Bruce, and if that is the case, is this a flashback to before the Morrison epic, or a flash forward to after. Continuity quibbling aside, this issue is an interesting idea that just crashes and burns. I found the scene of Batman dosing himself with the Joker Juice because he needs "to know how it feels" to be amazingly stupid. It's incredibly out of character for him. He fights crackheads too, but I seriously doubt batman smoked crack because he needed "to know how it feels". Pushing aside that horrible hurdle, we get the origin of the impostor Joker as a victim of Joker Venom who survived it. Its also so blatantly obvious that he's also the impostor Batman playing both sides that the story is rendered pointless. Skip it.

On to BATMAN #702 which is continuing the Morrison epic which GAMEINFORMER magazine called "stupid". But then the reviewer also still thinks Bruce Wayne died, so now we know that if you're going to review a book it helps to actually read it and pay attention. Now this storyline has been running literally for years. If this is the first issue of this storyline that you are picking up, I guarantee that you will be completely lost. If you have been following this storyline and are confused, which is OK to admit because this is a very complex story, this issue is the one that snaps everything into place.

For months I have been pondering the possible connection between The Black Glove and Darkseid. At the time of publication DC gave us the vague impression that "R.I.P." was a tie-in story to FINAL CRISIS. But the truth is exactly the opposite. FINAL CRISIS was a chapter to Morrison's "The Once and Future Batman" story. A chapter to a narrative cleverly disguised as a major event which featured the hero hardly at all. The subtle elegance of the execution of this leaves me in awe.

And not only does Morrison knock this out of the park, but Tony Daniel his best work to date. This does not look like the same artist that did "R.I.P.". He has improved dramatically. I have criticized his work harshly in the past, but I am damn impressed with his work here.

There's so much going on here. The previous issue moved us from the "R.I.P." story to FINAL CRISIS. This story takes us through FINAL CRISIS and brings us right to "The Return of Bruce Wayne" from Wayne's POV. This book would be positively chilling if not for my steadfast faith that Batman can overcome this. Its a nearly unimaginable trap the scope of which I'm still figuring out. We are told that everything the New Gods touch "becomes myth". This is weaponized mythmaking targeting one person. And in the midst of of just sheer horror, we have Batman, his very mind under a hideous assault, giving one of those lines in comics that is going to resonate through the entire genre.

I have said in the past that Batman is the genre's representation of humanity, and I swear this issue is like Grant Morrison grasping me firmly by the shoulders, looking me straight in the eye, and telling me "You're right."

BEATINGS!!

My prediction was 2:22. Two minutes, twenty-two second. That was the average time fighters spent in the Octagon in the first few Ultimate Fighting Championships. That was how long I said it would take Randy Couture to beat James Toney. James Toney is a professional boxer, and a champion. He had spent month stalking UFC president Dana White claiming he could a beat a number of the top UFC fighters. His list included Couture, who is fresh off of being in one of the top movies of the summer THE EXPENDABLES. White finally agreed to let the 42 year old boxer into the ring. The 47 year old UFC hall of famer happily stepped up to welcome Toney to the sport.

The fight took three minutes and seventeen second, so I was off by under a minute. Despite a lot of trash talk, most of which required subtitles since Toney beat up the English language worse than most of his boxing opponents, it became obvious quickly that the boxing champ was not prepared for Couture at all. It played out just like an early UFC bout in that the grappler immediately took down the striker and kept him down until the striker was submitted.

Toney is the first ranked professional boxer to get into the ring since Milton Bowen in UFC 4. After this, I doubt we'll be seeing an influx of boxers looking to make the transition with only a few months of preparation like Toney did. We certainly won't see as much trash talking.

OUT AND ABOUT WITH NOZZ

While grabbing a drink and snack the woman in front of me in texted a message on her Blackberry. Directly afterward she received a phone call on her iPhone. I suspect she had a wireless router implanted in her.

The Dominoes where I went to pick up dinner had one of the windows boarded up. Seems a drunk drive hi the building. I suspect he was aiming for the 7-11 and missed. If he was sober, I'm sure he would have actually hit the 7-11.

Dojo quote: "I hate this kata with a passion of 1,000 Naihanchin Ni Dans." Naihanchin Ni Dan seems to be the new barometer of kata disdain. For those who don't know what Naihanchin Ni Dan is:



After spending all morning working on top of a building in Downtown Norfolk I was questioned as to how I got into the building when I was leaving. My response: "I'm Batman."

Cleaned a counter top on a rental house this week. This involved me scraping a layer on nasty off the top. That was probably the cleanest room in the house. And I seriously hope that appliance that we found under the bathroom sink was a back massager, but somehow I doubt it.

MUSIC!!!

Its Sunday, so its time to listen to the Reverend, and continue our cartoon theme songs theme.



That all, y'all. See you Wednesday.

Things I'm watching and things I'm not

Stone me. Its Friday, August 27, 2010 and there's a distinct lack of comics in here for a Friday. This would be because I have not gotten my comics this week. Yes, I know, I'm a bad little nerd, however payday is today and I'll have some reviews for y'all on Sunday.

CAN'T UNPLUG!!!

Last time I tossed in a link to a news story about people who were just addicted to cable. One guy tried to go a year without cable relying on the internet to see the shows he liked. Ultimately after that year he went back and got cable again. As I said in that article, I don't have cable and haven't had cable for years. In fact it was only recently that I've been able to watch CBS. That's right, I've missed season upon season of SURVIVOR and BIG BROTHER. And yet, I've found myself able to function in society. Just fascinating.

Does this mean that I use the internet to see TV shows that I can't watch due to my lack of cable? Nope. There's just too many funny cat videos on YouTube so I just don't have the time. That's right, I've never seen THE SHIELD, THE WIRE, RESCUE ME, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, BREAKING BAD, or DEXTER. Well, I have seen BATTLESTAR GALACTICA but it was the version with Face from THE A-TEAM on it. So, all the TV shows that people talk about, I ain't seen 'em. And I don't care to either. I've got enough to watch without them.

And its not just TV. Ask an iPhone user 'what would they do without their iPhone'. I had a Blackberry for a while. It was too much phone and too big a bill. That $25 bucks a month for internet on my phone could buy a few comics instead. It was useful on occasion, but ultimately unnecessary.

Communications technology has snowballed faster than our other tech. I can answer the question 'what did you do before cell phones'. Some people can't. There's a generation coming up that has no clue about life before cell phones. But then, there were countless generations before me that had no clue about life with indoor plumbing.

But there's a bit of a difference between technology that's practical and useful, and something that's just there to entertain you. People think they're slick dumping cable to watch shows online, well, you're still paying money aren't you? Take how much it costs for a good fast internet connection, plus the fees for the sites that let you watch what you want to watch. Compare that to your cable bill. How much money are you really saving?

And it doesn't really matter how much you pay, you're still looking at a blank screen when the lights go out.

There you have it: a lecture about TV addition from a guy going through the DTs because he hasn't gotten his comic fix this week.

YOUTUBERY!!!

A few cool things popped up this week. The SCOTT PILGRIM movie may have flopped at the box office, but it did spawn something that quite a bit of fun.



Second up is the second episode of Black Box TV starring YouTube darling and professional cute girl iJustine. Go over there and watch it. YouTube has a ton of comedy videos on it, but there's a serious lack of good, creepy storytelling. So, this project needs some support.

MUSIC!!!

Sticking with some Superhero themed rock this week. There's no need to fear...



That's a whole nine yards for today. See you Sunday when I'll hopefully have my act together. I wouldn't put money on that though.

Dracula on PBS cartoons!

By cracky, its Wednesday, August 25, 2010 and today is special, because today its not all about Batman. That's right, today the Laundry Crisis takes a rest. My harebrained theories on possible connections between Darkseid and The Black Glove are cooling gently.

Today is a day without Batman.

Because today... its really all about Spider-man.

PBS MAKES YOU THINK!!

There was a time that when you were a kid and you get out of bed at an insane hour of the morning you could turn on regular television and be entertained, even on the weekdays. VOLTRON was on at six in the morning and, by Buddha, I'd be up to watch it. And VOLTRON wasn't alone. I truly think I'm the only person who remembers THE BIONIC SIX because I was the only nutter up at that time of the morning watching television. And there was HEATHCLIFF, M.A.S.K., and BEVERLY HILLS TEENS... not that I would watch BEVERLY HILLS TEENS, but I had the option! We didn't have cable, but there was stuff to watch on TV even as a kid in the mornings on the weekdays.

But things are different now. Now almost everyone has cable, or satellite TV or whatever. Everyone but me. And the weekday cartoons have died off. I think one channel shows one cartoon and the rest of the morning its infomercials. The other stations all have their morning news shows. So what do you do if you want to watch cartoons in the morning and don't have cable, especially if you have little kids in the house? You turn to PBS. Because you have to. And because I have to, I have thought about it way too much. And because I have a blog I can now inflict these thoughts upon you.

* I am fascinated by the Man in the Yellow Hat on CURIOUS GEORGE. He works in museum, has a nice condo and a house in the country, and is a published author. He's been on expeditions to the antarctic. He was chosen to go into space on a mission. This guy must have a resumé as long as my arm, and I'm still not entirely sure what he does for a living.

* While I'm thinking about CURIOUS GEORGE, I know he's a cute little monkey, but I live in constant dread of the day he grows up, tries to achieve his male dominance of the house hold and goes off on the man in the yellow hat like the opening scene of 28 DAYS LATER.

* I wonder how much it costs to go to the private school that SID THE SCIENCE KID attends. They're fully stocked with a ton of educational stuff, have an great facility, and only four students.

* I have finally adjusted to the fact that dinosaurs and brightly colored on DINOSAUR TRAIN and that they ride on a train that goes through tunnels that can take them through time. The fact that they all talk was pretty much a given. However the undersea train station just killed me. I still can't figure out how the hell they built it.

* I often think that the residents of SESAME STREET live in constant fear of the monsters that reside there. I think they put up with all the counting and such to keep them pacified for the sake of the children. What with seemingly all power creatures about that can change you into things and control the weather its smart to stay on their good side. I just know that the day the garbage truck finally shows up, Oscar will start the uprising.



* I don't know if POCOYO is very educational, but the fact that its narrated by Stephen Fry makes me feel smarter.

* I find myself worrying horribly about Cliff Hanger on BETWEEN THE LIONS. That poor bastard has been stuck there for a while. I do admire his tenacity hanging on for so long instead of just giving up and plummeting to his demise. That and his grip strength. I admire that too.

* I enjoy THE ELECTRIC COMPANY much more than I probably should. The only reason i watched it as a kid was because Spider-man was on it. The new show is a lot of fun but there is a distinct lack of Spidey.

I just read an article about people hooked on Cable. At first I just wanted to dismiss them as pathetic losers, but really it seems like we're all getting 'pushed' into getting some pay TV service or another. Big thing like switching over air broadcasts to lame digital signals from the superior analog signal, to small things like a lack of decent cartoons to watch. It just feels like the fix is in sometimes.

I wonder what Clifford the Big Red Dog would do.

A BRIEF WORD FROM UNCLE STAN

COMIX!!

Got an early peek at DRACULA: THE COMPANY OF MONSTERS #1 from BOOM Studios and I freaking loved it. Maybe it hit me at just the right time having watched a good chunk of BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA on TV last Saturday during their Keanu Reeves marathon. Maybe it was just my basic geek nature. This first issue sets up so much great stuff that I'm salivating for issue 2. Wirters Kurt Busiek and Daryl Gregory split this story nicely between exposition on Prince Vlad the Impaler in the 15th century and a modern day corporate drone on an assignmnet that he doesn't understand.

Scott Godlewski handles the art chores nicely on here. He manages to not only nail down the modern day setting but also the 15th century history lesson. Not a bad range at all.

This has a pitch perfect horror movie set up. Normal guy just keeps getting in deeper and deeper in the a weirdness that he wants no part of. It didn't end like I expected, but that just got me more eager to see the next issue. Honestly, I was expecting this book to be about Dracula somehow now in the 21st century and running a company. They wisely twist this into a corporation looking to make Dracula their latest corporate asset.

They're looking to wake the devil. Expect all hell to break loose when they do.

MUSIC!!

Because today, its all about Spider-man.




That's all for now. Please enjoy the remainder of the WTF portion of your week. See you Friday. Behave yourselves. And if you can't, put it on YouTube.

Internet Douchebaggery

Its Sunday, August 22, 2010 and unfortunately I have no pretty pictures for you in today's Side due to in-climate weather. This is completely true because my internet goes down whenever it rains. Don't get me started as to what it does to my TV reception with my spiffy digital television that we were told was so great.

As you can probably tell, I'm feeling just spiffy today, so its time to spread the love.

EEEEEEVIL FACEBOOK!!!

For those of you out there that aren't convinced that Mark Zuckerburg is the e-Satan, he's doing more to try make sure that you do. Facebook now is more than just about who you are and what you are doing, it wants to know where you are. In a creepy new application if you go somewhere, like to the movies, you can "check in" meaning your "friends" will know where you are. I say "friends" because really if you put anything on Facebook you can count on the whole world knowing. To make things even more creepy other people can sign you into places. So if you're out playing miniature golf with someone and they decide that want to 'check in' where they are on Facebook, and you're Facebook friends with them, they can check you in too.

Of course, you can go into your own Facebook account to make sure your settings prevent such things from happening. Doing so requires knowing exactly where to look, what to do, and the blood sacrifice of a puppy. For those that don't know, the privacy default settings on everything on Facebook is "public" meaning everyone can see it.

The Missus was looking a picture on Facebook and sure enough there a bunch of people doing what most people are doing in Facebook pictures, drinks. The names of the people popped up as she scrolled over there names. Now, I'm for those in the picture drinking and having a good time I'm sure they're fondly thinking about that good time and think its just neat-o that their name pops up when they scroll over their image in a picture. Yeah, because facial recognition software is just giggles and kittens.

If the Government wanted to know who you are, what you are doing, and where you are all the time people would be up in arms. It sounds like something out of a dystopian future sci-fi story. But people are lining up like lemmings and volunteering this information out without any regard for who might see it and how it could be used against them. I'm seeing stories in the news about people getting fired from their jobs because of things they posted on their Facebook and things that were meant to be private jokes among a small group end up in the hands of employers. This is a site run by a guy who truly feels like the concept of privacy in the 21st century with all of our new communications tech is outmoded.

Oh and if you have a Facebook account and this piece got you rethinking it wisdom in having one, have fun hunting down the option to delete your account (and remember deleting and deactivating the account are two different things), and also enjoy the two week waiting period until that account actually deactivates. Be prepared to explain to your friends on there why you "unfriended" them.

YOUTUBERY!!

A new study tells me that there's some people on YouTube making some pretty good money. This study lists there top ten earners on YouTube who make original content and they're all making six figures. However, this list is complete crap from top to bottom.

They took some of the most followed people on YouTube, the folks that you usually find having their videos featured when you go to the site. They took the average number of views. Removed 2% assuming assuming that the number of people who click away before they have a chance to click on any ads that generate money. Then they divide that number by half assuming that's about the right number of folks who click on ads. Then they multiply by X number of dollars assuming that's how much money they generate per click on ads. There you have it. Assumption math. You know what you get when you use math based off of so many assumptions? YOU HAVE A FUCKING GUESS! This entire list is based on speculation which is based off of too few facts to have a prayer of being remotely accurate. And this stupid thing made the Yahoo news role. I actually saw it before that, but was so mind shriveling stupid that I didn't think anyone would take it seriously.

And there I go again underestimating the stupidity of those responsible for the news.

They didn't even bother actually finding the top ten people on YouTube who make original content in terms of views. They just picked ten popular people whose view count generated six figures when they applied their voodoo math. They also went on to say that many of these people have multiple channels because they are so popular that they need a channel "to just be themselves". Look. I have multiple blogs. I have this one here for my articles and essays. I have another one for my fiction. Why split it? Because this isn't a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and no one wants my chocolate getting mixed with my peanut butter. Same thing with YouTube. You have people generating content, but they like to make videos and share themselves with their viewers. So you split it for the sake of consistency. Maybe some of the people who enjoy the short film they produce don't really want to watch videos about their lives, or the making of the videos.

And now the backlash has begun with scores of people asking questions and making comments to the people on the list. Philip Defranco has already addressed it briefly in a video, and said the same thing I have in that these estimates are "way off". Natalie Tran addressed it on her Twitter account:

All I try to do, and did before adsense or any of that, is make content independently for people to watch and enjoy. Even though what I do is "new" to a lot of people, it doesn't mean it's not impolite to ask me what I make or publish estimated income in the news.

Tran is a very clever woman with a very thick skin. You have to be thick skinned when you post stuff on YouTube, because when you generate the sizable following she has there's going to be no shortage of people who give you grief or get weird over you. She's also absolutely correct. None of these people were contacted about being on the list. Now certainly they've achieved a certain level of fame and that chips away at privacy, but that doesn't mean we need to know everything about them and they business.

The media love to tell us how much money people make. Part of me things its jealousy. The writers see that somebody is making a bunch of money, or in this case assumes they are, and they put it our there. Sure, any advertising is good advertising, when you have people out doing want they love they probably don't want people giving them grief for how much money they make doing it. All this did is give they detractors more spitballs to launch at them. It reminds me very much of when a nasty money-grubbing faction of the church I work out in decided they wanted to squeeze me for more money. They were assuming I was charging a lot more than I actually was, assumed I had a lot more students than I actually did, and assumed that I was making a ton more money than I actually was. That group was led by a big old liberal too, and you know if a liberal thinks you're making profit then you need to give it away. "OMG I can't people you're actually making money on something you like doing!" Same mentality as those who published the article, only with yes venom. They don't want the money, they just want to "expose" those who make it.

Its a crap article, based on shoddy research. I'm going over to YouTube now to go watch Philly D's Vloggity now.

MUSIC!!

Rounding out the week of Muppet music for Linda's Birthday we've got a song not by the Muppets, but its a favorite of mine and there's Muppets afoot. It's nerd rock time!!



That's is for today. I'd promice to be less venomous for Wednesday, but I'm not a politician and don't promise things I know I can't deliver. See y'all then.

Comics to make you cry

Great Scott! (I've always wondered which Scott they're talking about.) Its Friday, August 20, 2010. I heard yesterday that economically this is being called "the Summer of Recovery" by the White House. Funny. I wasn't broke in June.

Buncha jerks.

BATMAN DON'T CRY!!!

Recently a study was done claiming that super heroes are not good role models for young boys. I dove into this. This could have led to a biting commentary about how superheroes are portrayed and the writing of comic books and that whole "the medium has grown up" blather. But no, it was a weak sauce attack on Ironman, specifically the movies, for showing off 'bling' and womanizing. Ironman is the logical choice for criticism since the movies are currently the hottest superhero property going. Its also a fair criticism of the character as portrayed by Robert Downey Jr.

Unfortunately it ends there, and hits upon its main point: superheroes don't help young boys to talk about their feelings. And at that point mentions of superheroes get few and far between revealing this for what it is, and that's a waste of time. This 'study' is obviously cashing in on the current popularity of superheroes in movies to get attention to their crap. But its a study by someone who claims to be intelligent and know what they are talking about, so unfortunately someone is going to take it seriously. Hopefully not in the way "Seduction of the Innocent" was taken seriously.

According to this study young boys are encouraged to take on the social roles of "macho man" or "slacker". It is now obvious that no actual comic books were read in pursuit of this research. It also criticizes the role of superheroes comparing them to "action stars" who are in stories of violence and action. I guess they would much prefer the current JMS Superman storyline of him walking down the the street and being douche. The stupidity of these "findings" is just mind boggling. For the past few years it seems that every other writer has been hell bent on making Superman cry. And the comparing them to "action stars" is accurate because that's what superheroes are. If you can bench press a bus, who wants to stories about you having tea and discussing literature.

Are superheroes bad role models for young boys? That depends on the character. You probably wouldn't want your son wanting to grow up idolizing the Punisher. However there is no shortage of characters that are good role models like Superman, Batman, and Spider-man. A guy with power to do whatever he wants but uses them to help whoever he can. A guy who through through horrible tragedy uses it as a motivation to become something great. A guy that doesn't have things easy, but doesn't walk away from his responsibility to do what's right.

And yes these characters do share their feelings on a regular basis. There are pages and pages of captions featuring their inner monologues. Sure, they share their feelings with the readers, and not often with each other. There's usually not much time for that when the planet is about to explode. Still, it does pop up here and there, like when Superman was talking to the Flash about being worried sometimes of not being able to live up to people's expectations of him. Of course a bit after that he prevented the Moon from crashing into the Earth and wrestled the renegade King Angel of the Bull Host. Really though, its not up to comic books and superheroes to teach kids personal relationship skills and how to deal with their emotions. That's the job of parents. Comic books, specifically the superhero genre, are escapism. Its entertainment. Its great when entertainment can be educational, but mostly its their so people can have a bit of fun for a while.

Ultimately, this study is pointless and seems to come from the viewpoint that men and boys should all talk about their feelings and emote about everything. Newsflash: we're guys. Us talking about our feelings typically boils down into a couple of sentences, and then we move on.

Unless you have a blog and tend to ramble a lot.

COMIX!!

Starting things off this week with TINY TITANS #31. This issue was hoot with a birthday party for the clone of a clone, fun with the Brainiac Club and the Tiny Titans meeting the Little Legion of Super-Heroes. This series is a hoot with its little jabs at the mainstream DCU. It consistently finds a way to be perfect for little kids yet still have enough charm and clever bits to keep an older audience smiling.



Always remember to be careful what you ask for.

Moving on to my read of the week: SUPERGIRL #55. Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle continue to knock this title right out of the park. This book struggled horribly under big time writers like Jeph Leob and even Greg Rucka, but Gates has captured the character so wonderfully that this book is just a joy. I've been a fan of Igle's art since his run on FIRESTORM. Its spot on and does a great job of making Supergirl look attractive without making her look like jailbait.

This issue has Supergirl taking on Bizarrogirl! That's right, a Bizarro Supergirl! Gates and Igle absolutely nail how dangerous Bizarrogirl is while simultaneously making her hysterical. Also we continue to have the supporting cast be incredibly strong in this book. Doctor Light and Gangbuster are really fun in this book. I've was never really a fan of either character before them being in this book, but they fit perfectly and play well off Supergirl. A great supporting cast is really what cements a solid superhero comic and Gates' run on this book has really set up a great cast and a great tone for the series. Top to bottom, a good time.

Shifting away from DC over to Dark Horse, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: RILEY hit the shelves this week. Its written by Jane Espenson who wrote more than a few episodes of the TV series. Art is handled beautifully by Karl Moline who many will remember as having handled the art on Joss Whedon's first comic book FRAY. Great writing and great art, but this is an issue that feels out of place. Its a set up issue for events that have already transpired in the series. It doesn't give any huge insights into the storyline that we need to move forward. It has the same feeling as WORLD WAR III or BATTLE FOR THE COWL. Its an unnecessary book even though it is a really good one.

YOUTUBERY!!

There's a new channel on YouTube which I gave a shout out to a while back: Black Box TV. They just posted their first full episode this week. I'm not putting the video up because I want everyone to go subscribe to it. Its cool, creepy stuff and the sort of thing that's been sorely lacking from YouTube.

MUSIC!!

Continuing our little Muppets themed tribute to Linda this week because I forgot to get a birthday card. Hopefully this'll prevent her from using her powers to reign much doom over me. Its like a pagan offering, only fuzzier.



That's all for Friday. Enjoy the weekend!

Fashionable Fighting Fanatics

Zounds! It's Wednesday, August 18, 2010 and I've discovered that if you put a ton of pictures in your posts you don't have to write as much but it gives the illusion that you're actually doing stuff.

BATTLEGROUND: NEW YORK!!

It you haven't heard about it then you haven't been paying attention. There's a Muslim community center that proposed to be near the site of the 9/11 attacks in new York City and that community center is to contain a mosque. This obviously has a lot of people really pissed, and the media has not helped matters by repeatedly referring to it as the "Ground Zero Mosque". It gives the impression that the plans are to build a mosque right where the twin towers used to be, but that's not really the plan.

But media stupidity aside, this is screwed up on a few levels. The one that's really striking to me is that there was a church that was destroyed in the attack. It was a Greek Orthodox Church that still has not been rebuilt due bureaucratic crap, but while that church is stuck in limbo, this other project has folks bending over backwards to make it happen. See, no one wants to be perceived as slighting Muslims, even if that means slighting another group to do it. So fairness kinda flew out the window.

Does the group have the right to build that building? Yes, as long as they file everything appropriately and adhere to the proper codes and standards, then there's nothing to stop them. The project has gotten support from our Pop-Star-in-Chief Obama and Hamas. One of those two don't like America very much. That's a low estimate. However all Muslims don't support the project saying this is "mischief making" and that goes against the teaching in the Koran. It wouldn't be the first time a group or individual has used the Freedoms here in America to hide behind being an inflammatory gaggle of douchebags. Need examples? See the Westboro Baptist Church and the idiots behind and participating in Everybody Draw Muhammad Day.

This whole thing stinks of someone counting coup. Follow the money. There's some shadiness afoot.

BEATINGS IN CHURCH!!!

A church here locally is going to be holding a mixed martial arts event to raise money. Brilliant idea, but of course there's folks ticked off by it. Good thing they don't come by the church we work out in. For those slow on the uptake: combat sports are not the road to hell. I say this a guy who has sat next to a preacher watching UFC over at my cousin's house. Mixed martial arts is growing leaps and bounds in popularity. What was once a side show is now in the mainstream.

Engaging in martial arts, be it karate, wrestling, boxing, or MMA does not make anyone less of a Christian. Its a sport. There are rules. This isn't street fighting. I'm not going to say its for everyone, because its not. However those saying that this is the work of the devil and not very Christian-like need to go soak their heads.

Jacob wrestled an angel.

TOP 10: BAD SUPERHERO FASHION!!

A while back I threw down a little redesign action on some of the Legion of Super-Heroes costumes, because somebody really needed to. But the Legion aren't the only characters that have had costume woes. There's lots of things that have just been bad juju in the super-fashion, and here's some real stinkers.

10: The low cut. I appreciate cleavage as much as the next guy, but when it gets to the point of 'how does it stay in place' or 'how are they not popping out' then it's gone too far.



And don't go thinking that the ladies are the only ones guilty of this!



9: Sunglasses. Because nothing says "I'm cool and hip" like a superhero who wears sunglasses as part of their costume. Of course these will prevent anyone from figuring out their secret identity. Especially if their secret identity is lame, because lame people couldn't possibly be cool enough to wear sunglasses to a super fight.



8: Shoulder Pads. Yeah. I think we can safely blame Rob Leifeld for this one. The giant shoulder pads are pretty much a failure, especially when they're so big it compromises arm movement. Note: SuperPro gets a pass on this one.



7: Spikes. Yes, I know spikes on a costume are the best way to let people know that this character is HaRdCoRe... or excessively emo, take your pick. However, if you can't save a hostage without fear of putting their eye out, then you have a problem.



6: Pouches. I know having a few on a utility belt or something is handy for carrying spare cash, a wallet and your keys to your superhero mobile, but there's a line as to how much is too much. If your don't have to worry about body armor because the pouches are enough to stop small arms fire, then you've gone too far.



5: The Ab Hole. Because it is vital to the character that readers know if they are an innie or an outie.



4: The Ridiculously Long Cape. Artistic license is awesome and all that, but when it can double as a parachute... well... you get the picture.



3: Spike Heels I don't know how on Earth women walk in them, much less fight crime. The Flash agrees. And he's awesome. Geoff Johns says so.



2: The Battle Thong. And you bastards need to all get down on your knees and thank the e-Gods that I couldn't find pics from Jim Lee's X-Men run in which the entire team rocked the battle thong. Yes, that includes Wolverine.



1: The Boob Hole. Behold the distraction. Let's take a key target on the body and give it absolutely no protection whatsoever. Sounds like a winner. The only character that can get away with this is Power Girl. Not due to cup size, but due to those monsters being bulletproof.

MUSIC!!

There's a very special birthday around this time of the year. Loyal supporter, confederate, and my sister from another mister, Linda. She likes the Muppets a bit, because they're awesome and so is she, so this week, prepare for some Muppets!



That's the whole nine yards for today. Should be back Friday as usual. Y'all come back now. Y'hear?

Target is Expendable in Mexico

Read, set, GO! It's Sunday, August 15, 2010. I'd beware the ides of August, but all it means is the month is half done and September is around the corner.

Here's hoping Summer leave quickly.

I do reserve the right to ask for it to come back when I'm freezing my butt off this winter.

MOVIE: THE EXPENDABLES

I, like many other action movie fans, have been looking forward to this since early trailers first hit the web and word spread. I grew up watching Arnie, and Sly and the rest on screen. I'm old enough to remember asking "The Guy from 'Moonlighting' is making an action flick?" My dad would take my brother and me to see a lot of these flicks, so it was pretty fitting that the three of us along with my uncle went.



The big question is: in the age of Avatar and Inception can a movie like this still hold its own and be entertaining? I've grown up a lot since the big action movie heyday. Story is important. I like cool twists to things. I enjoy particularly nuanced performances. I have a hard time switching my brain off to just go with things. So could I enjoy a movie that's a subtle as a fix to the jaw?

Oh hell yes.

Stuff blowing up. Insane fight scenes. Car chases. Bad jokes. Guns that can level buildings. Gimme gimme gimme! I've scene action movies degernerate. I've seen actors with velcro'd on muscles. I've scene fight scenes in live action flicks that were done entirely in CGI. I think its about damn time someone came out of the old school and showed folks how to do it up again.

Onto the movie itself. Its very straight forward. A team of mercenaries get a job to take down a nasty dictatorship. After learning more about the mission they realize the entire job stinks to high heaven. However, the team's leader can't walk away from it after meeting their contact in the island country would is fighting for her people. They're heading back in to kick serious ass. They've also got to deal with one of their own team having gone over to the other side. You can pretty much pick all that up from the trailers, which I like because its keeping things simple and not trying to dress this movie up as something it is not.

As for the cast, when the least intimidating looking guy in the movie is Jet Li you know something insane is going to happen. The movie stays centered around Stallone and Statham, which is fine. Stallone may only be a year away from getting a Social Security check but he can still deliver. He sells the punches just like he always has. Statham is one of the younger guys in the cast. For those who just know him as Turkish from SNATCH you may not know that this guy is a physical beast with a ton of martial arts training. You don't really get a chance to know the rest of the cast that well, but that doesn't really matter as their actions speak for them. An interesting turn was Randy Couture as Toll Road. He was funny for his character not intending to be funny. He had some of the weirdest lines as a mercenary who regularly visits a shrink. Mickey Rourke turned in the only dramatic role in the film with a monologue about the death of his soul which was pretty much the only slow part in the film. It wasn't a bad bit, but it was kind of the cue to the audience to refill their popcorn and/or go empty their bladders.

This movie was all about action, and that's what it delivered. Stallone threw big punches. Li and Statham took guys apart. Couture threw grown men around like it was nothing. All of them unloaded a ridiculous amount of ammunition. We got to see Couture take on Steve Austin in a pro-wrestle versus MMA guy fight. Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren beat the snot out of each other. The only CGI that was worked in was the blood splatters, which has taken the places of the old squibs the FX guys used to use, but it worked just fine. The quick cut method of editing fight scenes to give the feeling of the chaos that goes on in a fight (see the Jason Borne movies) was dropped. We wanted to see the moves and we got to see the moves.

The only thing I wanted to see and didn't was an extended fight scene between Li and Gary Daniels. Daniels is a guy who is not a huge name to the mainstream movie watcher, but those of us who watched a lot a "B" martial arts flicks, we know him well. This guy has some serious moves and seeing him and Li going for it would have been a real treat. They did mix it up a bit, but that was the only thing that left me wanting more.



Stallone delivered as an actor, a director, and a writer on this. He won't be getting any Oscar nominations for it, but no one is going to care. This flick was a treat.

BATTLEGROUND: TARGET!!

Liberal groups are boycotting Target due to the company giving a campaign contribution to a candidate that opposes gay marriage. Because this obviously means that Target hates the gays. This couldn't have anything at all to do with the candidates positions on taxes or his attitudes about business. Nope, it must mean that Target hates gays, so its time to protest.

I'm all for people voting with their wallets. If they don't like certain businesses then they shouldn't patronize them. So, if people are upset with Target for backing a particular candidate for public office to the point that they feel they cannot support Target with their business any longer then that's fine. I fully understand.

But this is a really stupid reason.

Let's be sane for a second. Target does not hate gays. They are a very large company. If they donated money to a candidate then the reasons were obviously business related. The protesters are demanding that target make a contribution to an opposing candidate who support gay marriage. That's idiotic. Target absolutely should not make a campaign contribution to any candidate they they don't want to. Especially over an issue that has nothing to do with their business.

Unfortunately the groups involved in the protest are also extremely self involved. Despite there efforts at social justice they fail to realize that not everything in the world is affected by their pet cause du jour. They can't grasp that Target's donation could possibly have nothing to do with the issue of gay marriage. They're not stupid, but they have their blinders on.

So I'm going to Target, and I'm planning on having an abtholutely thuper time.

LAST OF THE OUTLAW JOURNALISTS

There's a guy down in Mexico with a blog covering the narcotics trade and the cartel fights. He's got a ton of cover on him so no one knows who he really is, but people send him information and he posts it. A lot of it is disturbing, but its the truth. Mexico is so messed up right now. Its no wonder so many people are running across the border to America illegally. Word doesn't get out about this from Mexico's media because if its reported on them there's a damn good chance the the reporter could end up dead.

But one guy on the internet is getting the word out. He takes every bit of info he can find or people send him and he posts it. Some of it comes from citizens. Some even comes from the cartels. Some of it is very disturbing stuff, so I'm not recommending going on over there to have a look around. But what's important is that he's getting the truth out.

People have used the blog to find out what streets to not go down. Its provided some tips to law enforcement. Its doing its job as media to inform. Still, it has its critics. Some clown from the Committee to Protect Journalists out of New York said he's not doing the blog from a "journalistic perspective" and without "ethical considerations". Obviously that douchebag is interested in protecting journalists from people doing their job for them. New York isn't Mexico City. They typically don't kidnap you for writing articles in New York.

One guy with a blog getting the truth out from under a media blackout. If that's not an argument for net neutrality I don't know what it.

Viva el Blog del Narco.

MUSIC!!

Back in the day, the X would broadcast out of Mexico without having to deal with federal restrictions. Wolfman Jack in Mexico with a gun because it was rough down there back then too, and his voice on a signal that on a clear day would make it all the way to Virginia.



That's a wrap people. See y'all Wednesday.

Pass the dramamine.

Yep, its Friday, August 13, 2010. That's right, Friday the 13th. I'm going to make this brief because I have to go find my machete and hockey mask.

FLYING CAR!!!!

Flying car! Flying car! Flying freaking car!!! It's a car!! It flies!! It's a flying car!!!

Its about damn time! In fact, there hasn't been such an about damn time moment since they finally got swords on Gaiaonline.

SPEAKING OF FLYING...

OK, flying sucks, we all know it. I can't stand flying. I didn't like flying before flying officially sucked and I certainly don't like it now. However, even though I really hate flying, that's not reason to act surly to the employees that are working hard to get us from one place to another.

So, when a flight attendant got fed up after a passenger got out of their seat when they weren't supposed to and had some seriously choice words for the poor guy trying to do his job, I had sympathy for the flight attendant. Just yesterday I hear a guy be a complete asshole to the guy behind the counter at Arby's because the person working the drive though didn't put sauce packets in his bag. Recently I heard a guy be a complete douche and make sexist comments to a waitress even though he ordered the wrong thing on the menu. I've had stuff get screwed up, and as long as the person I'm dealing with is courteous I return the favor. Do your best to treat me right, and I'll do my best to treat you right.

So, the passenger was obvious a scumbag. But did that warrant the flight attendant to announce he had had enough over the plane's PA system, grab a beer off the beverage cart, and made his escape via the plane's inflatable emergency exit slide? I don't know, but he certainly gets style points.

Some folks say the guy is a cautionary tale about losing your cool in the work place since as of this writing he's currently in jail. Others think he's a hero to the point that songs are being written about him.

What do I think?

I think people need to start being more civil to one another. Sure, the customer is always right, but that's no excuse for the customer to be an asshole. And yeah, that customer you have to deal with at your work may drive you completely nuts, but its just a job and at the end of the day you get to go home and play Nintendo. I'm a jerk, but I'm not a jerk to the people who are waiting on me. Sure, I might ask if they take Alaskan money, but I'm not a complete dick if they forget that Alaska is indeed part of America and I'm not trying to pay with whale blubber.

So, just be nice. You'll be surprised how far it can get you.

COMIX!!

This review is goin' out to the all the ladies. Well, its reviewing a bunch of them anyhow.

I was very torn over my read of the week, but finally I went with BATGIRL #13. Yes, I am aware that BIRDS OF PREY came out this week, and yes I did get my copy. Settle down, I'll get to it.

BATGIRL was amazingly solid this go around. It was hyped as being the "fun" Bat-book, and it lived up to the hype. The last storyline was a bit too creepy and had some really disturbing stuff in there, which is fine, but not really fitting into the "fun" category. This time around the creepiness is fairly minimal, well, as minimal as things get when you're fighting Clayface. But the book hit all the right marks. It was funny and clever. Batgirl was extremely likable. This issue also helped define the working relationship with her and Proxy. Also its nice to get a stand alone story after a big epicy epic thingie.

We also get a few insights into Dectective McStudboy aka Nick Gage. His history is showing a little bit. I'm hoping that this is just going to lead to a reveal that he's a widower and not turn into something weird and creepy that he's keeping her body preserved in his den. He's a really likable character, and while I'm not shipping a romantic bit with Steph, he's a lot of fun to have around.

And for those of you wanting a BIRDS OF PREY #4 and are wondering why this wasn't my read of the week, well there's one main reason: I want Nicola Scott back on this book. I'll give Benes credit, he did an admirable job with the fight scene and managed to get through it without a ridiculously exploitative ass shot. I'm just not a fan of his, and I love Nicola Scott. Also, can Huntress have a costume without and "ab-hole" please. I know its not as ridiculous as a "boob hole" on a costume, but it was obvious in the earlier issues that Benes (again to his credit) actually had a full top on here and colorist added the ab-hole. The story itself was great. A lot of things came to a head. White Canary's identity was revealed. Black Canary was completely awesome. I do imagine the douchebag moderator over at Scans Daily responsible for the previous flap about the book will have kittens over the Savant stuff, but he's a dope so the heck with him. For the record I want it known that I guessed who White Canary was two issues ago.

No. Seriously.

Shut up.

Rounding out my reading this week was ZATANNA #4 because I had not met my quota of fishnets this week. This book was education. See, I didn't know fire demons from hell wore fire bikinis. That's information a fella needs. I mean, how silly would i like if the fire demons in my short stories were wearing fire pants suits thus creating a hellish fashion blunder. This was another fun read. There's action, humor, and Zee turning skanky girls who mistake her for a cocktail waitress into birds. Also the Royal Flush Gang impersonating the Rat Pack was genius touch by Dini. Solid read.

MUSIC!!

Keeping with some country this week, I am going really old school, and if any of you are wondering how Hank Williams covered a George Thorogood song the answer is simple: time travel.



OK, maybe this wasn't so brief. See y'all Sunday. If you've got any well wishes to spare, we could use some sent this way.

Po Po, Pop Pop, Round the World, and Ain't Gonna Stop!

Hey folks, its Wednesday, August 11, 2010 and stuff is afoot. So, not much clever to say for our opener today. Just that hard times made hard people. And hard people don't quit.

THE KINFOLK

My aunt and uncle had their 50th Wedding Anniversary last weekend. I'm not sure why they would have such a thing on a UFC night, but they went and did it anyways. Seriously though, they are great people, and it was a great party.

Its not often enough that so much of the family gets together. Since my grandfather passed away years ago our annual picnic stopped happening. But in seeing everyone it got me thinking a lot about my family. At dinner we chatted quite a bit about the wonders of genetics and how my uncle's bald spot had found its way onto each of his three sons. And we looked the next generation growing up and marveled a bit about their features and seeing old pictures of their parents and grandparents and how similar they look was a remarkable thing.

Then there's the features that don't really come from genetics. Being to only one adopted into the family I see those quite a bit. I get credited a bit with having clever things to say, and that comes from family. Those people are some of the quickest wits you are going to come across. Something happens when you get around clever people. Its like your brain realizes that it needs to speed up because cool stuff is happening and being said. And its not that ridiculously forced witty banter like some Kevin Smith knock-off flick. Its a bunch of people with a loving bond and interesting lives and experiences who don't mind laughing about it. Its teasing with love where everybody including the person getting teased can laugh.

I spent some time at the bar with my cousins and brother, and how do we measure how each other are doing in our lives? Checking out our bellies. The newest fellow to get married into the family wasn't sure what was up. See, he didn't have to get by my grandfather to get in. That was the acid test. You got your nickname, got made fun of, and took your turn grinding the bar-b-q at the annual picnic and pig pickin' and you were in. So we checked out his belly, and it doesn't look like he's put on too much baby weight since him and my cousin had a little girl recently.

For the record, I'm still working on losing the last on my baby weight. But it was twins, so... y'know.

The checking of guts came a bit from my Grandfather. Like when my cousin John Jr. stopped in for a visit to find Pop having a beer in the garage. That's where the family drinks. If you can get a car in there, that's fine, but really garages are for drinking beer. John had completed Harvard Law School and doing well for himself.

Pop: "Looks like you're gettin' a belly on you."

John: While rubbing his stomach. "Well Pop, that's called 'success'."

At which point my uncle walked around the corner.

Pop: "Then your daddy must be the richest, damn man in North Carolina."

I also realized last weekend that it was impossible to take a decent picture of me between the ages of 13 and 18. I had to be the least photogenic teenager ever. Not that I'm photogenic now, but putting on 50 pounds since high school did help. When you're 6'1" and a 135 pounds, ya just don't look right.

But looking my my past, at the same time I got to look at the future. Got to see the next generation of the family and they're growing up. Little girls becoming young ladies. A boy who I remember holding as a baby is now coming into his teenage years and was thrilled with me because he's a budding comic book artist. By co-incidence I had my old copy of "How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way" in my car which I passed on to his his father, my cousin, to give to him. Everyone had that book. Felt pretty good to pass it on.

And there's that cousin who just had a little girl. There's a picture of all my generation of the family. John thinks it was taken at Pop's, but I'm pretty sure it was taken at my aunt and uncle's house. John called it the 'magic picture'. He was still in his teens. I was a little kid, and Page, the new mom, was barely able to stand up under her own steam. I saw that picture for the first time in a long time last weekend. And I looked around and though about how we all grew up.

We did pretty damn good at it.

HUG A COP!

There's a sentiment that I see popping up here and there: I hate cops.

There's people railing on about how all they do is abuse power. That there are no good cops. One even called them no better than a group of rapists.

You know who typically puts forth those type of statements? The people who do illegal crap. They get a chip on their shoulder because they got a speeding ticket. They get pissed off because they got a bit too drunk and got into trouble. The officer is the jerk, in their minds, because they got busted smoking weed. Had a buddy get a DUI and everyone was saying how the cop was an "asshole" for giving it to him. The cop didn't give him beer and put him behind the wheel.

Had a run in with a cop years ago. My cat had gotten out of the apartment and I was out looking for him. After looking for a while I I was approached by a cop who asked what I was doing. I told him and he told me that there were reports of a guy in a camouflage jacket peeking into windows. Well, I was wearing a green pullover with a design on it that could have been mistaken for camouflage at night I suppose. But I explained the situation, and had my ID showing I lived there, so after watching me a bit he moved on. I felt kind of bad that people thought I was looking in windows.

Then I rounded the corner. There was the cop with a guy in a camouflage jacket handcuffed and sitting on the curb. "How would you feel if someone was looking in your window."

I didn't feel too bad after that.

I'm no angel, but I love cops. I've gotten more than my fair share of tickets. Was it their fault? Of course not. If anything they were really cool about the whole matter. Those people are out working to protect and serve people. And sure their are bad police out there, and unfortunately those are the ones that end up on YouTube or the news. But for every bad cop out there, there's ten good ones.

So next time you see a cop, do what I do: smile and say "Hey, how's it goin'?" Because they're out there doing a thankless job that makes things better for us.

And for everyone reading this who thinks I'm wrong in my opinion and that all cops are bad: you're full of crap.

COMIX!!

For those of you that don't know, over in Duckburg, life is like a hurricane. SCROOGE MCDUCK: AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BUCKS hits the stands this week from BOOM Studios. BOOM's kids line of comics knocks it out of the park pretty consistently, and is always a good bet whether you're buying for a kid, or just remember DUCK TALES from your childhood and want to see some more fun and adventures.

Poor old Donald Duck is flat broke and can't afford a vacation while his nephews are off at camp. He gets a phone call from his Uncle Scrooge offering a free vacation. There's of course a catch. Scrooge has made a bet that he can go around the world hitting various tourist sites for only $80. One of his very wealthy acquaintances was bragging about his yacht and an extravagant trip he'd be taking. Scrooge, ever the hard worker and spend thrift, thought that such a trip was a waste of money. Words were exchanged and the bet was on.

So, can two very clever ducks make it around the world on a budget that would barely get most folks across the state? Grab the book, find out, and enjoy the ride.

MUSIC!!

Who's up for a redneck good time?



This train is gonna keep on rolling. See y'all on Friday.