Category: Uncategorized

So, pretty dead around here lately. Yep.

I’ve been kind of busy (maybe I’ll tell stories one of these days), and now I’ve only got a limited posting window because I’m taking off on vacation for two weeks this weekend. So here’s some random stuff.

• You know who’s awesome? Jim Rugg. He’s been posting some awesome art over at his livejournal, including some commissions he’s doing. Even more awesome? I’m going to be getting a commission from him at TCAF. Go me.
• You know about TCAF, right? The Toronto Comic Art Festival? And if you live anywhere near Toronto, you’re going, right? I’m pretty psyched for it, and plan to spend entirely too much money. However, I’m having a dilemma: Darwyn Cooke is going to be there, and I’d love to get my Absolute New Frontier signed. However, I’m not crazy about lugging around a book that weighs as much as I do. I shall have to find a compromise of some sort. The guest list? Pretty darn awesome: Cameron Stewart, Chester Brown, Stuart Immonen, Bryan O’Malley, Becky Cloonan, Kevin Huizenga, and many more. Crazy.
• Batman #667 is exactly the sort of Grant Morrison Batman comic I’ve bee waiting for. Oh, and that J.H. Williams guy is pretty incredibly awesome, too.
• I never got around to reviewing Brandon Graham’s King City, and god knows when I’ll get around to reviewing Multiple Warheads. But take my word for it: They’re both wacky, fun, sweet, and incredibly creative books. Go buy.
• This is the end of my list of random observations. For now.

I just can’t get enough skittles. Especially the sour ones.

I know they’re bad for me. I know my mouth is going to feel like sanded tar after I’ve eaten enough of them.

But they’re just so good. And I’m so weak.

Consider this my last, desperate, cry for help.

Curiously, this rating apparently is earned by the presence of the words “dead” and “death”, and perhaps has nothing to do with at least 47 uses of the word “Fuck.”

Go figure.

(Back to regular posting soon. I’ve had a pretty fucked up week.)

A couple things that piqued my interest while I slack off at work:

Suburban Glamour
Over at The Engine, Jamie McKelvie talks about his follow-up to Phonogram (which I shall really have to buy in trade – I enjoyed the first two issues, then lost track of the series) and unveil a nifty little promo piece:
(Much more promo art at the above link)

Toronto Comic Art Festival
The 2007 TCAF website is live, and sports a spiffy guest list:

Complete Alphabetical Guest Listing
Atilla Adorjany – Kalman Andrasofszky – Neelam Arora – Adam Aylard – T. Edward Bak – Andy Belanger – Joe Bluhm – J Bone – Chester Brown – Jeffrey Brown – Sam Brown – Brendan Buford – C.B. Cebulski – Scott Chantler – Shawn Cheng – Svetlana Chmakova – Michael Cho – Jeff Clayton – Becky Cloonan – Joey Comeau – Michael Comeau – Darwyn Cooke – Nick Craine – James Davidge – Eleanor Davis – Willow Dawson – Arthur Dela Cruz – Evan Dorkin – Sarah Dyer – Sara Edward-Corbett – Ray Fawkes – Tim Fish – Brendan Fletcher – Matthew Forsythe – Shannon Gerard – Marcel Guldemond – Cheese Hasselberger – Scott Hepburn – Sam Hiti – Kathryn Immonen – Stuart Immonen – Damien Jay – James Jean – Tom K. – Karl Kerschl – Eric Kim – Blair Kitchen – Mike Kitchen – Chris Kuzma – Hope Larson – Jeff Lemire – Stef Lenk – Jon Lewis – Melanie Lewis – Jason Loo – Kathleen MacCarthy – Steve MacIsaac – Jim Mahfood – John Malloy – Steve Manale – Jason Marcy – John Martz – Joe Matt – Billy Mavreas – Sean McCarthy – Tyrone McCarthy – Brian McLachlan – Carla Speed McNeil – John Mejias – Rosemary Mosco – Evan Munday – Michael Noonan – Bryan O’Malley – Ramon Perez – Rena Piccolo – Paul Pope – Zen Rankin – MK Reed – Dave Roman – Jim Rugg – Andy Runton – Lianne Sentar – Seth – Ben Shannon – Dave Sim – Josh Simmons – Karen Sneider – Kean Soo – Richard Stevens – Cameron Stewart – Craig Taillefer – Diana Tamblyn – Raina Telgemeier – J Torres – Gia-Bao Tran – James Turner – Jose Villarubia – Drew Weing – Lauren Weinstein – Joey Weiser – Matt Wiegle – Zach Worton – David Yoder – Ryan Yount – Chip Zdarsky – Jim Zubkavich

(My personal favourites in bold)

Be there, or be square. I shall be both there and square, probably, but I have a special gift.

So, pretty quiet.

As it turns out, I don’t have much to say right now. Not in a good or bad way… I just got nothin’. I bought some comics, and they were pretty good, but I don’t have much more to say about them.

Kinda makes me miss the good ol’ days of tentacle rapists doing laundry. Or whatever.

I’m sure we’ll be back to normal soon enough. Everyone be cool.

Can you really not say “Sodomy” on a comic book cover? Eric Powell’s Satan’s Sodomy Baby is listed as Satan’s **** Baby everywhere, including on Dark Horse’s website.

Is the word really that offensive? Sure, it’s not the sort of thing you discuss with your grandmother over tea, but using the word itself on a comic book cover? It’s in the Bible, isn’t it? (Sodom is, anyway, and what the heck do you think they were doing there?) I’ve always thought it’s the kind of word conservatives and the religious right enjoyed: You know, “Those godless sodomites inflicting their sodomy on hapless youths with rock music and video games.” That sort of thing. But apparently there’s simply no polite way to talk about fucking people in the ass.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that they’ve only used four asterisks, but “sodomy” obviously has six letters. So it’s possible they’re suggesting the title contains an even worse word than sodomy. Surely, spelling out Satan’s Sodomy Baby is more socially acceptable than allowing people – some impressionable youngsters, and some fucked-up perverters – the possibility of even imagining Satan’s Fuck Baby or Satan’s Cock Baby?

For the love of Jesus Fucking Christ, why won’t anyone think of the children?

A final observation: You can’t put “Sodomy” on a comic book cover, but apparently you can put Michael Turner’s art on one. How fucked up is that?

Diapers in casinos a troubling symbol of problem gambling, says researcher

“So here we have big oil companies making big profits and consumers still paying big prices. It doesn’t add up.” – New Democrat Judy Wasylycia-Leis.

We can add “bad at math” and “failure to comprehend economics” to the reasons I’m not voting for the NDP any more, never mind “undercutting their own supposed Green agenda”. Oh, also “wasting everyone’s time and money”, but they’re hardly alone on that count.

In a recent Ipsos-Reid poll conducted for Microsoft Canada, 70 per cent of respondents aged 10 to 14 said they believe the information they put online is private.

(Notwithstanding that 60% of those claiming to be aged 10 to 14 were actually in their mid-30s.)

On the one hand, I’m happy that Big League Chew is making a comeback.

On the other hand, Hostess Fruit Pies are a far superior crime fighting tool.

Oh, the dilemma. Thankfully, there’s one constant: Kool Aid Tastes Great.

(I’m having a weird day. Leave me alone.)