Blah blah blah comics blah (12/31/07)

Blah blah blah comics blah (12/31/07)

Dec 31

Even though my computer monitor keeps shutting itself off and I barely slept last night, I can think of no better way to spend a few of the last remaining minutes of 2007 than writing pointless reviews of comics that came out weeks ago so no one but me gives a shit about them anymore, can you?

Inside: Detective Comics 839, Incredible Herc/Hulk 112, and Superman 67somethingorother.

Holiday notes and a spit-take.

Holiday notes and a spit-take.

Dec 29

I’m back from a one-week trip to Calgary (Dallas of the North), Alberta (Texas of the North) to visit family. For Christmas I got… norovirus! Or something. Not food poisoning. And Influenza doesn’t actually cause vomiting and other… expulsions. Plus, it only lasted a day and bit, so I’m betting norovirus. Lemme tell ya, the abs work-out is spectacular.

Otherwise it was a laid back, quiet affair (with a time-delayed Christmas dinner to accommodate my illness – bah. Humbug!) Got Lost season three, got Little Britain Abroad, got Guitar Hero 3, got a whack load of books, including I Killed (a nice companion to The Aristocrats or Seinfeld’s Comedian.

Last of my store credit at Best Buy; hovering over the Checkout button for a camcorder-to-computer kit thing and the Blade Runner 4-disc set. Have never seen Blade Runner so am sorta thinking I need to rectify that before I get shot by some indignant nerd who decides to find my address and hunt me down for my ignorance.

Holy shit! What!? WHAAAAT!?

Matt, if you’re reading this, it means you’re not watching Blade Runner. And I have your address. You gave it to me.

I will use it. Don’t make me use it.

PS You don’t need the five disc set, but pay it forward and get yourself the four disc set. Don’t give in and get the two disc set. You should have a copy of the original version narrated by Harrison Ford. Most will say they hate it. They are idiots. Without the narration it’s brilliant. With it, it’s brilliant and noir.

Holiday Notes

Holiday Notes

Dec 28

* As mentioned below, I used some returns and a giftcard to get my grubby paws on Star Trek TOS season 1. Just started watching it last night…man, “The Man Trap” doesn’t exactly strike the note of equality that Trek would come to be known for, does it? The “monster of the week” is basically a thinly-veiled metaphor for the vamping whore stereotype, and even Uhura gets into the act with her desperate lunge for Spock’s loins.

* Finding myself with all this new Trek on my hands makes me want to initiate some sort of massive Trek writing/reviewing project, but I don’t know what if anything I’d bring to the table that’s at all new or interesting. Still, I feel compelled, if only as some sort of personal achievement-slash-exploration. Classic Trek is pretty much one of the chief foundations for my geekdom, along with Star Wars.

Right now, I’m thinking about watching and reviewing all of TOS over 2008. A bit ambitious, but also relatively doable.

* A Wii entered my life over the holidays, and my body is literally aching from Wii bowling and boxing.

* Working my way through a read of the Authority’s Ellis/Millar era. I had the Ellis trades forever, but had never bothered to read forward into Millar’s work. Man, what a killer concept: A team of superhero tropes transformed into interesting characters, then given extinction-level events to deal with on a regular basis. Classic marriage of the typical and the atypical from Ellis, and Millar just picks up the ball and runs further with it. I’m finding overall that I quite enjoy the “widescreen comics” movement I missed while I was away from the genre.

* Also received a Coen brothers DVD box set. Raising Arizona, Miller’s Crossing, Fargo, Barton Fink, and Blood Simple. I already own The Big Lebowski so I think I’m pretty much covered.

* Last of my store credit at Best Buy; hovering over the Checkout button for a camcorder-to-computer kit thing and the Blade Runner 4-disc set. Have never seen Blade Runner so am sorta thinking I need to rectify that before I get shot by some indignant nerd who decides to find my address and hunt me down for my ignorance.

* Right before Christmas, I got funky with my iPod, and decided to download and install an iPod Touch interface update for my 5G video iPod. It worked great…for a while. Just after Christmas, I took it out to use it, and my information was replaced by the information for “Aaron’s iPod.” Eagle-eyed readers will note I am not Aaron.

So the other thing I’ve been doing my whole holiday is reloading crap onto my iPod since I had to erase the whole damn thing to get it working again. Bah humbug!

Ah, Trek.

Ah, Trek.

Dec 28

I used some store credit at Barnes & Noble over the holiday to finally get my hands on Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 1 on DVD. Such bliss.

Which may explain my minor geekgasm when reading about the new Trek comics planned by IDW in 2008. I mean, DC Fontana writing TOS-era Trek again, that’s legitimately exciting.

But noted crank John Byrne, doing his writer/artist thing to pick up that Assignment: Earth back-door pilot concept and run with it? Nutty, I say. Just nutty.

"Most of these are 'towel'."

"Most of these are 'towel'."

Dec 22

A Merry Chrismas from me (a Chris. ho ho.) to you and yours.

I got you a mash-up I made with my own two little hands. I call it…

(Simply Having) Evergreen