Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Last night I got around to unpacking some books and upon placing them on my new, big cinder block and plank bookshelf, found that I have waaaaay too many books. Many of the books I was putting on the shelf were books that I have no intention in reading or didn’t even like and when there is a big box of books I do like that is still yet to be unpacked, this is very troubling.
So it is time to do something I told myself I would never do, that is before I began sharing a one-bedroom apartment with my wife. It is time to get rid of some books.
Instead of attempting to sell my unwanted books on eBay, which has never worked well in the past, I’m going to give BookMooch a shot. BookMooch is a site that allows you to give away the books you don’t want in exchange for credits, which in turn allow you to request books from others or donate to charities. The idea of getting rid of the biggest dust collectors on my shelf in exchange for books I really want (all for free!!!) is very appealing.
I already have a few books up. Most are horror novels and anthologies from my “horror fiction is the best thing in the world” phase. No comic books at this time and likely not ever, unless someone gives me a Thor comic or some crap like that. I’ll be putting up more and more books in time, especially if this proves to be a success.
Check out my BookMooch profile and what books I’m giving away here. Take a look at what I’m giving away or looking for and if you sign up (which I highly suggest), add me as a friend.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Lore Sjöberg has a new column up on Wired.com, this one tackling a few of the most poorly named heroes and villians.
She-Hulk
I guess I should be glad they didn’t call her “Hulk Woman,” or worse yet, “Hulk Girl.” Still, female comic book characters deserve more than a half-assedly feminized version of another hero’s name. They have to put up with those bust-lifting outfits, fighting in high heels, and that painful-looking pose where their lower spine forms a perfect “J,” at the least they should get a name of their own.Robin
It’s easy to spot the good Batman movies; they’re the ones without Robin in them. There are enough problems with being the kid sidekick of a billionaire vigilante, but when you’re named after some wimpy little worm-eating bird? Clearly Batman just called his youthful colleague “Robin” to make himself look cooler by comparison. I’m surprised he wasn’t called “Whoopty-Woo the Precious Bongo Boy.”
Monday, November 27, 2006
When I learned of the upcoming Shazam and the Monster Society of Evil miniseries, I was faced with a sort of conundrum. Firstly, this is a Captain Marvel miniseries and if there is one character in the DCU that I have no interest in reading about it is Captain Marvel. I have a hard enough time reading Superman than having to deal with the “Gee willikers” corniness of Shazam. So here’s the problem: Jeff Smith is writing and drawing this thing and Jeff Smith is just as incredibly awesome as Captain Marvel is incredibly boring. So what do I do? Do I lay down six bucks for a prestige format book about a character I can’t stand even though it is created by one of the greatest writers and artists ever? Or do I just wait for Jeff Smith to do something cooler?
These preview pages from Newsarama help seal the deal.
Actually seeing Smith’s gorgeous art is a comfort, rubbing my back and telling me everything it going to be okay. Sure, they writing might be a little sub par (I mean, how exactly is Billy supposed to know that the creepy old man’s magic word is an acronym?) but it’s fucking Captain Marvel. I can only expect so much.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Maybe it was a mistake to title a post “Dr. 13: Incest for the kiddies,” because it would seem that a lot of my traffic from Google is a result of searches for “incest” or variations of it. In fact, I’ve gotten 59 visits from people searching for “incest” and I can’t imagine they were pleased with what they found.
Here are the top five things people have Googled to find my blog since I started it:
1. incest (59 visits)
2. incest comics (5 visits)
3. jla vs predator (5 visits)
4. dr. incest (3 visits)
5. nowrimo (3 visits)
While these search terms do creep me out, at least there are just as many people finding me for my views on the epic battle between the Justice League and the Meta-Predators as there are people finding me for my non-existent supply of incest-related comics.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
I just got around to reading Fifty-Two #27 last night. Now I finally now that it was that Sue Dibny heard in her house just before she was killed, one of the more obnoxious plot holes of Identity Crisis.
It was just Ralph and Jean doing some time travel!
After reading the scene I couldn’t decide if it was silly or just completely cheap. I told my wife that they were finally explaining the mystery sound and she just rolled her eyes and asked why Ralph didn’t just stop her murder if he was able to travel back in time. That’s a pretty good question considering his mental state. I’m surprised he was more concerned with punishing Loring than saving his wife, regardless of how bad it would screw up the time/space continuum. But maybe he just didn’t want to fuck up the nice New Earth the DCU just got a few months ago.
Someone please, please tell me that someone at DC has claimed that this was “planned from the beginning” and was not just some quick, cheap and sensationalized clean up of a gaping plot hole that only served to distract the readers of the original mini-series. I would love to hear some editorial BS of the highest order.
Oh, and I don’t like how the Question just suddenly has lung cancer. That is equally cheap. Boo!
