I don’t know many people who will voluntarily confess to liking the first Hulk movie. The best you can hope for is a begrudging admission that it wasn’t THAT bad.
However, I really enjoyed the first film. I thought it was a bold attempt to take the concept of a superhero movie and push it in a different direction, imbue it with a deeper meaning, a sense of mythology.
Unfortunately the movie going public felt the film was slow , after re-watching it recently, it seems even slower now, especially considering in the five years since it was released the superhero movie concept has been considerably refined and perfected.
There’s an accepted formulae filmmakers follow now, heavy action, recognizable fan favourite villains, storylines or in-jokes and a minimum of dialog and exposition.
We demand to see Hulk smash or Superman catch that falling plane, we don’t want to hear them wax philosophical about their purpose in life. This is a comic book movie goddammit.
More smashy-smashy, less talky-talky.
For comic fans almost any effort to try something new or different to their heroes is destined to be universally reviled. We’ve spent years investing ourselves in these characters, taking the stories from the page and re-enacting them in our minds. Now Hollywood is attempting the same thing and heaven help them if their finished product contradicts our childhood fantasies.
For those worried few, fear not. The Incredible Hulk is the kind of movie you’ve been waiting for. The controversy generated by the first film is glossed over and quietly rebooted in the opening credits. After that we’re introduced to the ‘standard Hulk plotline #1’
1. Bruce (Edward Norton) is hiding from the military, attempting to cure himself.
2. Military finds him.
3. Bruce hulks out and smashes things up.
4. Repeat steps 1 – 4, until Bruce is finally caught.
Liv Tyler is Betty Ross, Bruce’s obligatory love interest. Her sole roll in the movie is to look worried, get in trouble and to run out into the rain whenever she’s wearing a white shirt. William Hurt and Tim Roth play the military figures chasing Bruce. Roth’s character, Emil Blonsky, gets injected with a WWII era super-solider formula that gives him the power and the strength to take on the Hulk. However these powers get corrupted when Roth is injected with a vial of Bruce’s blood, turning him into the monstrous Abomination.
William Hurt as General Ross, Betty’s father, is the least interesting of the three supporting characters. He broods a lot, looks stern and seems to have a never endingly supply of custom-made Hummer’s lurking around every corner. There is none of the gruff warmth that Sam Elliot brought to the same role in the first film.
You’re not going to strain any brain cells here trying to follow along with this movie. Once you’ve mastered the plot basics its clear that you’re only here catch the smashy-smashy and I can assure you, in this instance, the movie will not disappoint. Hulk smashes his way through a pop factory, the U of T campus (er Culver university) and downtown Toronto. (As a local, it’s weird to see Zanzibar and Sam the Record Man show up so prominently in the last big melee.)
The special effects are about a half step up from the first go round, which was no slouch in that department either. We’ve traded in the bright comic book hues of the first film for a darker, grittier palette. I’m guessing we may have reached the point of diminishing returns when it comes to special effects. We’ve come so far in the last fifteen years or so, that creating fully functioning CGI characters is now almost a ho-hum experience for movie goers. The technology will continue to improve, giving us characters that are even more realistic and lifelike, but I strongly suspect that the phenomenal growth we’re using to seeing from these types of effects is all but done.
There are also plenty of fan boy nuggets for comic readers in this movie as well. The script borrows characters, plot devices and visual motifs that the general public won’t pick up on but fans of the Hulk will recognize instantly. My personal favourite is Bruce jumping out of a helicopter in order to trigger the appearance of the Hulk, ripped almost directly from the pages of the Ultimates it was a nice little fan boy moment I enjoyed.
But what is really interesting is how Marvel is methodically tying all their film franchises together. The appearance of Robert Downie Jr. as Tony Stark shows that the company is aware that fans aren’t just interested in a single character, they want to see a whole world where their favourite characters can mingle and interact with each other, just like the comics. As the momentum to the inevitable Avengers movie builds Marvel demonstrates an incredible amount of prescience in maintaining their intellectual properties across all mediums. It’s top drawer marketing that can’t help but appeal to casual and hardcore fans alike. It shows this company is playing the long game and most people eat it up.
(In comparison, DC can’t seem to get its act together enough to release a second Superman film much less think about tackling the Herculean feat of putting together a Justice League movie. )
The Incredible Hulk is a better than average superhero movie. The acting is decent, the story acceptable and the director was wise enough to give a fairly paint-by-numbers interpretation of the Hulk story. But despite all the guns and the smashing you can’t help but feel that this film lacks a little heart and soul. That’s what the Hulk is all about isn’t it? He may look like a monster and act out inappropriately, but in the end he’s a scared little boy just trying to find a little peace.
You won’t walk away hating this movie but I guarantee there’s very little about it that will stick with you.
We’ve seen it all before.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Speechification: The Reckoning
Final speech for class. It is what it is.
Tonight's the last class and then I get my summer back!
***
In May of 2007 my mother was diagnosed with Stage III Non-Hodgkin’s Follicular Lymphoma. And if that sounds like a mouthful, let me assure you, it is. But, every word of that name helps to describe exactly what this disease is and what it is doing to her.
But you might know what I’m talking about by a different name.
I’m talking about cancer.
Scary, isn’t it?
Today I'm here to talk to you about the type of cancer my mother has. I’ll break the elements of this disease down for you, discuss effective treatment options and give you a snapshot about cancer care in Ontario.
Let’s begin.
The Canadian Cancer Society describes cancer as a disease that starts in our cells. When a cell is functioning normally it grows, does the job it is supposed to do, replicates itself and then dies. However, in cancerous cells, genetic errors disrupt the normal process of cell replication and the cells are unable to stop reproducing themselves. This uncontrolled replication begins to form growths in a person’s body that we've come to know as cancer.
What is Lymphatic cancer then? Lymphoma is the most common blood cancer known to us. The Lymphoma Research Foundation identifies it as a cancer of the white blood cells, which are also known as lymphocytes. These lymphocytes are located in a person’s lymphatic system, which is a transport system, similar to your veins, for fluids in your body that help it to fight infections.
There are two major white blood cell types. B cell lymphocytes, which develop into antibodies that help fight infections, and T cell lymphocytes that attack foreign bodies, such as bacteria or viruses, directly. Cancer causes these white blood cells in your lymphatic system to grow in an uncontrolled manner. Follicular lymphoma is a particularly slow growing type of cancer, associated with B-lymphocytes, and is often found in middle aged and older adults.
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is the most prevalent type of Lymphatic cancer. This type of cancer begins in the lymph nodes, which are tiny little pods in your lymphatic system filled with those white blood cells. Since your lymphatic system runs throughout your entire body it can act as a transport method allowing cancerous blood cells to move throughout your body, potentially infecting other areas.
Now I mentioned earlier that my mother has Stage III Non-Hodgkins Follicular Lymphoma.
Lymphoma Research Canada states that Stage I means that the cancer is located in a single region with very few, if any, outward symptoms
Stage II indicates that the cancer is located in two separate areas of the lymphatic system. Both areas are confined to one side of the diaphragm, either above it or below it.
Stage III says that the cancer has spread to both sides of the diaphragm. This indicates that the disease has traveled a larger distance and has been present for a longer period of time.
Stage IV, the most serious stage, indicates that the cancer has spread beyond the lymphatic system and now involves one or more major organs.
So now you know what Stage III Non-Hodgkins Follicular Lymphoma is, a slow growing cancer of the lymphatic system that also affects the body’s ability to make antibodies. As I mentioned previously, every word of this disease tells us a little bit about what it is and how it operates.
But enough with the doom and gloom, lets talk about how you can beat this cancer.
Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma patients are fortunate that this particular strain of cancer is often highly susceptible to many of the treatment options modern medicine has available to combat it.
The two main types of treatment for this form of cancer are Chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Chemotherapy, or chemo, uses powerful medications, delivered intravenously or through pills, that kill cancer cells and prevent their growth. Chemo is a systemic cancer treatment which means it affects the whole body. According to the Canadian Cancer Society Chemotherapy targets and kills rapidly growing cells, just like cancer. Unfortunately there are a number of normal, healthy cells in your body that also rapidly reproduce and chemo is unable to differentiate between these cells and the cancerous ones. That means that chemo can negatively affect healthy cells as well, which is why this treatment option has so many side effects like hair loss, nausea, weight loss and vomiting.
Unlike chemotherapy radiation therapy is a localized treatment that only affects the area where the cancer is growing. Radiation therapy works by bombarding the cancer with high energy x-rays that kills cancerous cells by affecting their ability to repair themselves. Unfortunately, just like chemo, radiation therapy cannot differentiate between cancerous cells and healthy ones and may adversely affect these healthy cells as well. Like chemo, radiation therapy may also have some adverse physical reactions including hair loss, weight loss, nausea and diarrhea. One of the more unpleasant aspects of radiation therapy is that by bombarding your body with x-rays you potentially leave yourself open to developing other forms of cancer, such as skin, breast or thyroid cancer.
Now that I’ve talked a little about the specifics of this disease and the treatment options available to combat it I’d like to take a moment and give you a snapshot about cancer care in this province.
According to Cancer Care Ontario, this province is in the middle of a good news/bad news scenario when it comes to delivering on cancer treatments.
The good news is that patients needing radiation therapy to combat their disease will find that their wait times have dropped. In the last few years wait times for access to radiation therapy has dropped 31%, from six weeks in 2003 to 4.1 weeks in 2006 and this trend continues towards even shorter wait times.
Unfortunately for patients requiring a systemic approach to cancer treatment, specifically chemotherapy, the news isn't as encouraging. Despite the fact that the province has nearly doubled its commitment to funding treatments, from 73 million in 2003 to 176 million in 2007, the wait times for chemeo treatments continue to remain stagnant. Many Ontario patients still wait between 25 to 38 days before receiving access to chemo treatments.
This is because the sheer number of people afflicted with this disease continues to grow. Every year approximately 63,000 new cancer cases are diagnosed in this province. To put that in perspective for you that means, in one year, the equivalent of half the population of a city the size of Oshawa was diagnosed with some form of cancer in this province.
When I decided to give a speech on this topic I wasn't sure how I'd be able to handle the occasion
Finding out that one of your parents is sick can be an earth shaking event. You hear the word cancer and your mind conjures up a list of seemingly endless doomsday scenarios.
It's terrifying.
But this is supposed to be an information speech, and the information contained within this speech doesn't frighten me so much anymore, it gives me hope.
I've talked a bit about the type of cancer my mother has. The name 'Stage III Non-Hodgkins Follicular Lymphoma' sounds like the end of the world. But when you break it down you find out that this particular strain of the disease is slow growing, easily treatable and a very common form of cancer.
I've talked about the forms of treatment my mother has available to her. Chemotherapy and radiations treatments are serious business with significant potential side effects. But the bottom line is that they've been proven to work.
And finally, I've talked a bit about the state of cancer treatment in Ontario which, while not perfect yet, shows an awareness and a willingness by government to investment in the equipment, treatment options and manpower necessary to successfully fight this illness
It's been over a year now since my mother's diagnosis and I'm happy to report that she is nearly symptom free. Her cancer is growing so slowly that, in the near term, her doctors have chosen a very conservative course of treatment for her.
This trial isn't over but I feel confident that we will continue to band together as a family, and as a family, we will beat this.
Thank you.
Tonight's the last class and then I get my summer back!
***
In May of 2007 my mother was diagnosed with Stage III Non-Hodgkin’s Follicular Lymphoma. And if that sounds like a mouthful, let me assure you, it is. But, every word of that name helps to describe exactly what this disease is and what it is doing to her.
But you might know what I’m talking about by a different name.
I’m talking about cancer.
Scary, isn’t it?
Today I'm here to talk to you about the type of cancer my mother has. I’ll break the elements of this disease down for you, discuss effective treatment options and give you a snapshot about cancer care in Ontario.
Let’s begin.
The Canadian Cancer Society describes cancer as a disease that starts in our cells. When a cell is functioning normally it grows, does the job it is supposed to do, replicates itself and then dies. However, in cancerous cells, genetic errors disrupt the normal process of cell replication and the cells are unable to stop reproducing themselves. This uncontrolled replication begins to form growths in a person’s body that we've come to know as cancer.
What is Lymphatic cancer then? Lymphoma is the most common blood cancer known to us. The Lymphoma Research Foundation identifies it as a cancer of the white blood cells, which are also known as lymphocytes. These lymphocytes are located in a person’s lymphatic system, which is a transport system, similar to your veins, for fluids in your body that help it to fight infections.
There are two major white blood cell types. B cell lymphocytes, which develop into antibodies that help fight infections, and T cell lymphocytes that attack foreign bodies, such as bacteria or viruses, directly. Cancer causes these white blood cells in your lymphatic system to grow in an uncontrolled manner. Follicular lymphoma is a particularly slow growing type of cancer, associated with B-lymphocytes, and is often found in middle aged and older adults.
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is the most prevalent type of Lymphatic cancer. This type of cancer begins in the lymph nodes, which are tiny little pods in your lymphatic system filled with those white blood cells. Since your lymphatic system runs throughout your entire body it can act as a transport method allowing cancerous blood cells to move throughout your body, potentially infecting other areas.
Now I mentioned earlier that my mother has Stage III Non-Hodgkins Follicular Lymphoma.
Lymphoma Research Canada states that Stage I means that the cancer is located in a single region with very few, if any, outward symptoms
Stage II indicates that the cancer is located in two separate areas of the lymphatic system. Both areas are confined to one side of the diaphragm, either above it or below it.
Stage III says that the cancer has spread to both sides of the diaphragm. This indicates that the disease has traveled a larger distance and has been present for a longer period of time.
Stage IV, the most serious stage, indicates that the cancer has spread beyond the lymphatic system and now involves one or more major organs.
So now you know what Stage III Non-Hodgkins Follicular Lymphoma is, a slow growing cancer of the lymphatic system that also affects the body’s ability to make antibodies. As I mentioned previously, every word of this disease tells us a little bit about what it is and how it operates.
But enough with the doom and gloom, lets talk about how you can beat this cancer.
Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma patients are fortunate that this particular strain of cancer is often highly susceptible to many of the treatment options modern medicine has available to combat it.
The two main types of treatment for this form of cancer are Chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Chemotherapy, or chemo, uses powerful medications, delivered intravenously or through pills, that kill cancer cells and prevent their growth. Chemo is a systemic cancer treatment which means it affects the whole body. According to the Canadian Cancer Society Chemotherapy targets and kills rapidly growing cells, just like cancer. Unfortunately there are a number of normal, healthy cells in your body that also rapidly reproduce and chemo is unable to differentiate between these cells and the cancerous ones. That means that chemo can negatively affect healthy cells as well, which is why this treatment option has so many side effects like hair loss, nausea, weight loss and vomiting.
Unlike chemotherapy radiation therapy is a localized treatment that only affects the area where the cancer is growing. Radiation therapy works by bombarding the cancer with high energy x-rays that kills cancerous cells by affecting their ability to repair themselves. Unfortunately, just like chemo, radiation therapy cannot differentiate between cancerous cells and healthy ones and may adversely affect these healthy cells as well. Like chemo, radiation therapy may also have some adverse physical reactions including hair loss, weight loss, nausea and diarrhea. One of the more unpleasant aspects of radiation therapy is that by bombarding your body with x-rays you potentially leave yourself open to developing other forms of cancer, such as skin, breast or thyroid cancer.
Now that I’ve talked a little about the specifics of this disease and the treatment options available to combat it I’d like to take a moment and give you a snapshot about cancer care in this province.
According to Cancer Care Ontario, this province is in the middle of a good news/bad news scenario when it comes to delivering on cancer treatments.
The good news is that patients needing radiation therapy to combat their disease will find that their wait times have dropped. In the last few years wait times for access to radiation therapy has dropped 31%, from six weeks in 2003 to 4.1 weeks in 2006 and this trend continues towards even shorter wait times.
Unfortunately for patients requiring a systemic approach to cancer treatment, specifically chemotherapy, the news isn't as encouraging. Despite the fact that the province has nearly doubled its commitment to funding treatments, from 73 million in 2003 to 176 million in 2007, the wait times for chemeo treatments continue to remain stagnant. Many Ontario patients still wait between 25 to 38 days before receiving access to chemo treatments.
This is because the sheer number of people afflicted with this disease continues to grow. Every year approximately 63,000 new cancer cases are diagnosed in this province. To put that in perspective for you that means, in one year, the equivalent of half the population of a city the size of Oshawa was diagnosed with some form of cancer in this province.
When I decided to give a speech on this topic I wasn't sure how I'd be able to handle the occasion
Finding out that one of your parents is sick can be an earth shaking event. You hear the word cancer and your mind conjures up a list of seemingly endless doomsday scenarios.
It's terrifying.
But this is supposed to be an information speech, and the information contained within this speech doesn't frighten me so much anymore, it gives me hope.
I've talked a bit about the type of cancer my mother has. The name 'Stage III Non-Hodgkins Follicular Lymphoma' sounds like the end of the world. But when you break it down you find out that this particular strain of the disease is slow growing, easily treatable and a very common form of cancer.
I've talked about the forms of treatment my mother has available to her. Chemotherapy and radiations treatments are serious business with significant potential side effects. But the bottom line is that they've been proven to work.
And finally, I've talked a bit about the state of cancer treatment in Ontario which, while not perfect yet, shows an awareness and a willingness by government to investment in the equipment, treatment options and manpower necessary to successfully fight this illness
It's been over a year now since my mother's diagnosis and I'm happy to report that she is nearly symptom free. Her cancer is growing so slowly that, in the near term, her doctors have chosen a very conservative course of treatment for her.
This trial isn't over but I feel confident that we will continue to band together as a family, and as a family, we will beat this.
Thank you.
You wouldn't like me when I'm angry...
We had a wedding shower on Saturday, which wasn’t exactly glitch free. In fact it was the exact opposite of glitch free. It wasn’t the number of glitches that was the problem, (one), it was the severity of said glitch.
Our condo corporation double booked the ‘party’ room we were holding the shower in.
Actually, it’s a little more complicated than that. S booked the room about three months ago. We were under the impression, the absolutely correct impression, that we only had to pay for the room on the day of the event. So our name was put on the calendar as having booked the room and, having read the flippin condo regulations about reserving the room, we assumed that was all there was to it. At least until the day of the shower.
Then apparently a couple of days before the shower, someone else showed up, cheque in hand, and wanted the room. So the super did a little quick math, cheque today versus cheque three days from now, and made a choice. Rather than drop us a quick call or email and let us know another party was trying to book the room the super took our name off the calendar, replaced it with the new guys name and presumably cashed their cheque.
Big mistake.
What I love about S is that she is kind and selfless, almost to a fault. When we visit friends with kids she’ll always bring a toy or a colouring book for their children. She’ll bend over backwards to accommodate someone at work if they’re looking for a shift change. She’ll work a 12 hour shift at the hospital and then stop off at the comic store for me if I can’t make it that day. She’s always offering to make some snack for every social get together we attend.
But you never, EVER, screw her over. Or you’ll regret it.
My baby don’t take no crap.
Needless to say the super got a new a-hole ripped into them.
In a last minute flurry of activity we transformed our tiny townhouse into shower central. Some shower guests were able to bring us chairs and with a little creative organization we were able to fit everyone in, reasonably comfortably. And by the end of the day the morning’s crisis was transformed into ‘that thing we can laugh about now.’
But it didn’t end there. Our next door neighbour happens the condo corp president. By chance S caught him on his patio yesterday and explained what had happened. Apparently our super’s contract isn’t being renewed in the fall exactly because of things like this. We aren’t the only people to have been screwed over by the super’s dropped balls.
So while everything worked out all right in the end, it made for a couple of tense hours on Saturday morning.
On the plus side our fridge is full of left over food, including an entire cake, and I got to see the Incredible Hulk (review forthcoming) while the shower was taking place. Not a bad Saturday when you get down to it.
Faulk off.
Our condo corporation double booked the ‘party’ room we were holding the shower in.
Actually, it’s a little more complicated than that. S booked the room about three months ago. We were under the impression, the absolutely correct impression, that we only had to pay for the room on the day of the event. So our name was put on the calendar as having booked the room and, having read the flippin condo regulations about reserving the room, we assumed that was all there was to it. At least until the day of the shower.
Then apparently a couple of days before the shower, someone else showed up, cheque in hand, and wanted the room. So the super did a little quick math, cheque today versus cheque three days from now, and made a choice. Rather than drop us a quick call or email and let us know another party was trying to book the room the super took our name off the calendar, replaced it with the new guys name and presumably cashed their cheque.
Big mistake.
What I love about S is that she is kind and selfless, almost to a fault. When we visit friends with kids she’ll always bring a toy or a colouring book for their children. She’ll bend over backwards to accommodate someone at work if they’re looking for a shift change. She’ll work a 12 hour shift at the hospital and then stop off at the comic store for me if I can’t make it that day. She’s always offering to make some snack for every social get together we attend.
But you never, EVER, screw her over. Or you’ll regret it.
My baby don’t take no crap.
Needless to say the super got a new a-hole ripped into them.
In a last minute flurry of activity we transformed our tiny townhouse into shower central. Some shower guests were able to bring us chairs and with a little creative organization we were able to fit everyone in, reasonably comfortably. And by the end of the day the morning’s crisis was transformed into ‘that thing we can laugh about now.’
But it didn’t end there. Our next door neighbour happens the condo corp president. By chance S caught him on his patio yesterday and explained what had happened. Apparently our super’s contract isn’t being renewed in the fall exactly because of things like this. We aren’t the only people to have been screwed over by the super’s dropped balls.
So while everything worked out all right in the end, it made for a couple of tense hours on Saturday morning.
On the plus side our fridge is full of left over food, including an entire cake, and I got to see the Incredible Hulk (review forthcoming) while the shower was taking place. Not a bad Saturday when you get down to it.
Faulk off.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Six sentence comic book reviews
Six sentence comic book reviews. Where I try to summarize and analyze what happened this week in comic books. And you try to pretend you give a damn.
Trinity #3
I want my Gangbuster, Gangbuster, Gangbuster back.
I want my Gangbuster, Gangbuster, Gangbuster back.
I want my Gangbuster, Gangbuster, Gangbuster back.
It’s telling that the element I enjoyed most about this issue is the probable return of a decade gone supporting character from the Super-titles. I could sit and watch Bags draw the entire DC Universe and not complain. But right now I don’t feel that this title has a clear identity and direction beyond ‘this is our trinity and they are important.’
Anna Mercury #2
Um, WTF? Despite evidence to the contrary I’m not a stupid man. But Ellis has thrown out so much techno-babble in this issue that I barely have any idea what’s going on. Apparently there are other worlds in orbit around Earth and Anna Mercury’s job is to hop between them and make sure that everything is going along just tickety-boo. I’d tell you more but I had to re-read the obligatory exposition scene so many times that I just kind of zoned out trying to make sense of it all. When I came to again I had apparently broken my keyboard by trying to repeatedly force my forehead through it.
Hellblazer #245
I have some fairly significant holes in my Hellblazer collection. Which means that, while I understand the broad strokes of what happened in John Constantine’s past, I’m sometimes a little short on the specifics. This issue follows “Behind the Music” as they explore Constantine’s old stomping grounds from his time fronting the punk band Muscous Membrane. The whole thing comes across like a stereotypical horror movie. The TV crew engages in sex, drugs and rock and roll and one by one, like so many Star Trek red shirts, their minds begin to fall prey to the machinations of some unseen monster. It’s an interesting enough idea but unfortunately the execution is a little below the standards I’ve come to expect from this title.
The Brave and the Bold #14
Deadman and Green Arrow team up to take on some disembodied-skeleton terrorist types hell bent on world domination. Mark Waid and Scott Kolins turn in a respectable effort at what feels like a filler-plus story. I find that the greatest strength of team-up titles are also their biggest weakness. It’s all about finding a convenient excuse to slap two disparate characters together in an adventure that is guaranteed to have no effect on either’s current status quo. On that note, what’s up with Deadman these days? I think he’s a vastly underused character that would fit in particularly well on a team like JLA or JSA who may be looking for a hero with some sort of affinity for magic and the underworld.
Justice League of America #22
Vixen? Full frontal chest shot.
Black Canary, Chairwoman of the JLA? Ass shot.
Reading comic books shouldn’t make me feel like I’m trying to peak at the centerfold of a nudie mag. I don’t even know how Wonder Woman’s body can contort like that on the cover anyway, showing both her chest and her butt.
That’s it for this post. Now go forth, read comics and lets all agree to meet up here at the same time next week.
Trinity #3
I want my Gangbuster, Gangbuster, Gangbuster back.
I want my Gangbuster, Gangbuster, Gangbuster back.
I want my Gangbuster, Gangbuster, Gangbuster back.
It’s telling that the element I enjoyed most about this issue is the probable return of a decade gone supporting character from the Super-titles. I could sit and watch Bags draw the entire DC Universe and not complain. But right now I don’t feel that this title has a clear identity and direction beyond ‘this is our trinity and they are important.’
Anna Mercury #2
Um, WTF? Despite evidence to the contrary I’m not a stupid man. But Ellis has thrown out so much techno-babble in this issue that I barely have any idea what’s going on. Apparently there are other worlds in orbit around Earth and Anna Mercury’s job is to hop between them and make sure that everything is going along just tickety-boo. I’d tell you more but I had to re-read the obligatory exposition scene so many times that I just kind of zoned out trying to make sense of it all. When I came to again I had apparently broken my keyboard by trying to repeatedly force my forehead through it.
Hellblazer #245
I have some fairly significant holes in my Hellblazer collection. Which means that, while I understand the broad strokes of what happened in John Constantine’s past, I’m sometimes a little short on the specifics. This issue follows “Behind the Music” as they explore Constantine’s old stomping grounds from his time fronting the punk band Muscous Membrane. The whole thing comes across like a stereotypical horror movie. The TV crew engages in sex, drugs and rock and roll and one by one, like so many Star Trek red shirts, their minds begin to fall prey to the machinations of some unseen monster. It’s an interesting enough idea but unfortunately the execution is a little below the standards I’ve come to expect from this title.
The Brave and the Bold #14
Deadman and Green Arrow team up to take on some disembodied-skeleton terrorist types hell bent on world domination. Mark Waid and Scott Kolins turn in a respectable effort at what feels like a filler-plus story. I find that the greatest strength of team-up titles are also their biggest weakness. It’s all about finding a convenient excuse to slap two disparate characters together in an adventure that is guaranteed to have no effect on either’s current status quo. On that note, what’s up with Deadman these days? I think he’s a vastly underused character that would fit in particularly well on a team like JLA or JSA who may be looking for a hero with some sort of affinity for magic and the underworld.
Justice League of America #22
Vixen? Full frontal chest shot.
Black Canary, Chairwoman of the JLA? Ass shot.
Reading comic books shouldn’t make me feel like I’m trying to peak at the centerfold of a nudie mag. I don’t even know how Wonder Woman’s body can contort like that on the cover anyway, showing both her chest and her butt.
That’s it for this post. Now go forth, read comics and lets all agree to meet up here at the same time next week.
Boo-friggity-hoo
I’ve been re-examining my relationship with Ultimate Frisbee, that fickle bitch, for the last couple weeks or so.
It hasn’t been fun times for me on the Frisbee circuit lately.
Back in April I was complaining about how most of the people I started out playing the game with have had to retire or move on to other things. As I continue to play without them I realize how lucky I was to fall in with the group in first place. I might never have stuck with the game through those gawd-awful first months, where I was fat, out of shape and coughing up the remnants of my lungs after a decade of huffing the smokes, without the camaraderie and spirit the originals brought to the sport.
We were never, EVER, powerhouses but we won enough games to keep us happy and we were always competitive enough to at least challenge the other teams.
I play twice a week in the warmer months. This summer I joined a Tuesday team that’s a little more competitive than most. But in order to inflate some of our numbers a little, and mitigate our playing costs, we picked up some players who can’t at the same level as the bulk of the team. That means the handlers on the team avoid passing to them if they can avoid it. This, rightly so, leads to hurt feelings, bruised egos and team friction. So instead of tipping a pint or two after the game we all sullenly slink back to our cars and repeat the whole process again next week.
I captain Thursday’s team which is a sort of Longshot’s lite. Over the last four years we’ve been adding a new player here and a new player there and now I’m the only one left from the original group. This new group lacks the cohesion of the original bunch. They come or go as they please and quite often the team is very different from season to the next. We’re barely one step up from a bunch of individuals who’ve just gotten together to form a team. And right now we’re losing, a lot…and badly to boot.
After a great winter finish we had our traditional turnover and we lost a couple of out better players. This means that we can’t compete like we used to. So people are less interested in coming out or sticking around and it’s getting hard to keep anyone with any skill around. Add to the fact that the Thursday fields are as hard as hell to get to and people just don’t want to bother with having to struggle to get to a game they’re destined to get their ass kicked at anyway. It wears them down mentally.
I don’t have to win. I just want to be competitive.
We’re a rec team in an intermediate division.
So what can I do? Right now I’m speaking to people well in advance about putting together a fall team. I’m not writing off this season, but if I want to avoid another stinker I need to start lining things up now.
And on Thursday I’m going to call in every ringer I can. If I can get some serious handlers and players to come out then maybe we can start being competitive again and turn people’s spirits around. I’m also going to try to switch divisions so that we can play on fields that are a little more accessible.
It may not work, it may fail horribly and I could find myself in an even worse situation when the fall comes around. If that’s the case I’m going to need to blow up the team and see if I’m lucky enough to strike gold as an individual (avec S of course) a second time out.
We shall see.
It hasn’t been fun times for me on the Frisbee circuit lately.
Back in April I was complaining about how most of the people I started out playing the game with have had to retire or move on to other things. As I continue to play without them I realize how lucky I was to fall in with the group in first place. I might never have stuck with the game through those gawd-awful first months, where I was fat, out of shape and coughing up the remnants of my lungs after a decade of huffing the smokes, without the camaraderie and spirit the originals brought to the sport.
We were never, EVER, powerhouses but we won enough games to keep us happy and we were always competitive enough to at least challenge the other teams.
I play twice a week in the warmer months. This summer I joined a Tuesday team that’s a little more competitive than most. But in order to inflate some of our numbers a little, and mitigate our playing costs, we picked up some players who can’t at the same level as the bulk of the team. That means the handlers on the team avoid passing to them if they can avoid it. This, rightly so, leads to hurt feelings, bruised egos and team friction. So instead of tipping a pint or two after the game we all sullenly slink back to our cars and repeat the whole process again next week.
I captain Thursday’s team which is a sort of Longshot’s lite. Over the last four years we’ve been adding a new player here and a new player there and now I’m the only one left from the original group. This new group lacks the cohesion of the original bunch. They come or go as they please and quite often the team is very different from season to the next. We’re barely one step up from a bunch of individuals who’ve just gotten together to form a team. And right now we’re losing, a lot…and badly to boot.
After a great winter finish we had our traditional turnover and we lost a couple of out better players. This means that we can’t compete like we used to. So people are less interested in coming out or sticking around and it’s getting hard to keep anyone with any skill around. Add to the fact that the Thursday fields are as hard as hell to get to and people just don’t want to bother with having to struggle to get to a game they’re destined to get their ass kicked at anyway. It wears them down mentally.
I don’t have to win. I just want to be competitive.
We’re a rec team in an intermediate division.
So what can I do? Right now I’m speaking to people well in advance about putting together a fall team. I’m not writing off this season, but if I want to avoid another stinker I need to start lining things up now.
And on Thursday I’m going to call in every ringer I can. If I can get some serious handlers and players to come out then maybe we can start being competitive again and turn people’s spirits around. I’m also going to try to switch divisions so that we can play on fields that are a little more accessible.
It may not work, it may fail horribly and I could find myself in an even worse situation when the fall comes around. If that’s the case I’m going to need to blow up the team and see if I’m lucky enough to strike gold as an individual (avec S of course) a second time out.
We shall see.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Next up, Baby Faulk
Congratualations to baby sis.
On Tuesday her boyfriend (now fiance) M got down on one knee and popped the question. Now it looks like next summer there'll be another wedding in the family. At least this time I'll have the luxury of not having to work nearly as hard on it.
(Those making the observation that I'm not working very hard now are asked to please leave the room)
Even though my own upcoming nuptuals aren't far in the offing it gobsmacks me that baby sis can be this close to tying the knot. The last thing my mother used to say to me when I went out the front door to school was "make sure you look after your sisters." Even though neither sister has needed me to look out for them in quite some time I'm still enormously protective of them both.
Congrats again baby sis, and just remember, whatever happens to me on my wedding by your hand will surely be revisited to you, ten-fold.
Some things, never change.
On Tuesday her boyfriend (now fiance) M got down on one knee and popped the question. Now it looks like next summer there'll be another wedding in the family. At least this time I'll have the luxury of not having to work nearly as hard on it.
(Those making the observation that I'm not working very hard now are asked to please leave the room)
Even though my own upcoming nuptuals aren't far in the offing it gobsmacks me that baby sis can be this close to tying the knot. The last thing my mother used to say to me when I went out the front door to school was "make sure you look after your sisters." Even though neither sister has needed me to look out for them in quite some time I'm still enormously protective of them both.
Congrats again baby sis, and just remember, whatever happens to me on my wedding by your hand will surely be revisited to you, ten-fold.
Some things, never change.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The greatest ego deflater in the world.
Argh.
Nothing sucks worse than spending three months on something, pitching ideas, sheperding it through a highly critical committee, chasing photos, chasing copy, liasing with the designer, doing endless editing, stick handling your ideas through a multitude of highly focused personalities, meeting every stage of your accelerated deadline, smoothing aggrieved egos, pulling a fresh clean copy out of the box, handing it out to the office, heart brimming with pride...and then being emailed twice in half an hour by different people who located the same typo.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck, that's disheartening.
Nothing sucks worse than spending three months on something, pitching ideas, sheperding it through a highly critical committee, chasing photos, chasing copy, liasing with the designer, doing endless editing, stick handling your ideas through a multitude of highly focused personalities, meeting every stage of your accelerated deadline, smoothing aggrieved egos, pulling a fresh clean copy out of the box, handing it out to the office, heart brimming with pride...and then being emailed twice in half an hour by different people who located the same typo.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck, that's disheartening.
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