"New 52" after a month: What did I like?

So, which issues of DC Comics “New 52” did I get, and what did I think?
I didn’t get all 52. That would have cost more than $150, and I would have wound up with a bunch of comics I didn’t want, anyway. So I used the little promotional comic they made with preview pages to guide me.
My guiding principles for picking:
* No Batman, no Superman. I am sick of Batman, having read various Bat-titles for, well, most of my life. For Superman, I didn’t like the new costumes. Even George Perez couldn’t lead me that direction.
* Nothing by creators I don’t like, anyway. Meaning, “Hawk and Dove,” drawn by Rob Liefield was out. So were a few other comics.
* I am generally tired of the same old super-hero comics, so I was looking for things that went off in a different direction. AS a result, I wound up getting a lot of comics with female leads, which I seem to have ben doing for the past year or so anyway.
* Good art always is a winner.
* Solidly entertaining is good enough, and better than a half-baked attempt to be mind-blowing.

Bottom Line Up Front (as the Army likes to say): The titles I liked best were "Voodoo," and "Catwoman."

Here’s what I got (In roughly the order they came out):
Justice League: I got the kickoff comic because it seemed like the right thing to do. I am not a big Jim Lee fan. Everything he draws used to look posed and so still as to be statuesque. Now, everything has more movement, and looks as if the statues are being thrown around a little. Geoff Johns is a popular writer, but it seems like all he did was take the Green Lantern-Batman relationship from Lee and Frank Miller’s “All-Star Batman and Robin,” and insert it into a half-baked (see above) Justice-League-meets-for-the-first-time story. The comic sorely lacked the punch of many of the other “New 52.” And, to top it off, there will be something like six weeks between issues. Issue two is a fight between Superman and Batman. Yawn. Miller did that in “The Dark Knight Returns” in 1986 or so. I may get it, but only because this time around, the Batman statue will be thrown around with the Superman statue and maybe they’ll both shatter into a million pieces.
Batgirl: I was buying the old Batgirl comic because of the beautiful covers and sometimes interiors by Dustin Nugyen. So, my comic store automatically pulled the new one for me, even though I didn't ask. I would have looked at it anyway for two reasons: Barbara Gordon is Batgirl again (yay!), and it’s written by Gail Simone. Opinion: Not mind-blowing, but good enough to get issue two.
Batwoman: (I said no Batman, but nothing about the rest of the Bat-titles.) Anything J.H. Williams II draws, I am in for. I didn’t think this issue was a great start story-wise, but the art is so riveting I couldn’t not get it. I’ll be back for more.
Catwoman: I got this because the art by Guillem March looked good. Judd Winick was doing a great job on “Power Girl,” too, so why not? I really enjoyed it. They gave Catwoman a lot of personality, told a good adventure story and what a shock ending! (Hallie read this one, and thought it was OK, but a little confusing as the story jumped from scene to scene.) I’ll keep getting it until the creative team quits or gets boring.
Wonder Woman: This was a no-brainer because I have become a huge fan of Cliff Chiang’s art. I was going to buy this title no matter what. Making it more appealing, I also enjoyed writer Brian Azarello’s “100 Bullets.” So, it was hard to say no. As with a lot of Azarello’s writing, he challenges you to keep up with him, and, thankfully, this was a comic you could read multiple times and see something different each time. You also could get crazy and do a lot of research into mythology to figure out where he is going with the story. I liked it because it makes you work! (Hallie read this one, too, and had about the same reaction to it as she did to “Catwoman.”)
All-Star Western: I have never really been a Jonah Hex fan, but because of the way Jimmy Palmiotti talked about the comic at the Baltimore Comicon, and the fact that he write “Power Girl” so brilliantly before turning it over to Winick, I thought I’d give it a try. Here’s the plot: Jonah Hex is in an 1880‘s Gotham City hunting for a Jack the Ripper type killer. I have to say this: it was well-written, and I think lots of people would enjoy it. I am sick of exploring Gotham City in general, and I think comics have done enough Jack the Ripper take-offs than we don’t need any more (once Alan Moore did “From Hell,” why bother?). In the same vein, Moritat is an artist I should like, but something about his really-stylized drawing just doesn’t resonate with me. I would never say anything negative about it, but I just can't really get into it.
Justice League Dark: I got this because I had been reading “Zatanna,” and the character carried over to this mystical super-hero title. Peter Milligan is not one of my favorite writers, but is well-regarded among the comics community for being innovative. I’ll stay with this, but it’s on a short leash.
Voodoo: At the Baltimore Comicon, writer Ron Marz talked about how DC was letting him "break all the rules" with this title, so I was interested. To that end, almost all of the first issue takes place in a strip club. Old “Power Girl” artist Sami Basri is drawing it, and his art keeps getting better and better. This was my favorite of all the “New 52” comics I read. It had a surprise ending, especially for someone like me who had not ever seen Voodoo before. (Hallie read “Voodoo,” and really liked it. She may keep reading it.)
Swamp Thing: I missed it when it first came out, so I got a second printing of the first issue along with the second issue this week. The only reason I got this was because writer Scott Snyder talked so passionately about it at the Baltimore Comicon. When I opened up the book to look at the insides, Yanick Paquette just blew my eyes out of their sockets. It’s just so beautifully, perfectly ugly in places. His storytelling and pages layout borrows a lot from J. H. Williams and his characters had wonderful Kevin Nowlan-esque scowls.
OMAC: I did the same thing with “OMAC” that I did with “Swamp Thing.” I like Keith Giffen’s art. I really do. I am a huge fan of all his “Ambush Bug” comics. However, in OMAC, Giffen was aping Jack Kirby, and I am sick of people aping Kirby. Brice Timm, Steve Rude and John Byrne all do it pretty well. Giffen, despite the solid underpinnings to his layout and anatomy, just looks like another mid-1970s Marvel artist who was told to draw like Kirby. His heads and faces often looked skewed to one side. All that said, it was a fun action comic. I haven’t decided if I’ll be back for issue three or not.

(P.S. If any of the others start generating a big buzz, I may check out the trade paperback so I get the whole story in one lump.)

Back, with some redesigns ...

Thanks to Facebook, I have not been using this blog very much.
I think If I have some longer-form things to post I'll put them here and link to them from Facebook.
Let me know what you think of the redesign!
When I started, I just wanted to post whatever I was thinking about at the moment, hence "serial cereal blogging."
I think I am pretty much tapped out on that theme. Plus its a lot easier to post something on Facebook like, " I just ate 20 strips of bacon for breakfast," or something like that.
I think now, what I really need to do is come up with a plan to focus on mainly something. At the moment, the best bet looks like it would focus on comics.

Great unknown characters of children's television

Sal the Sanitation Bear (He's the one in the orange vest.) shows up in various interstitial bits on "Nick Junior."
We don't really learn much about him except that he is heavily into recycling. He also drives a garbage truck, but somehow stays remarkably clean.
We also know he has a full collection of "Gnomes on Ice" commemorative glasses, which he completed when he convinced Moose A. Moose not to throw away the last glass missing from his set. Moose was going to recycle his old glass because he didn't want it anymore, but Sal convinced him to re-use it, instead.
(Do you suppose Sal used Moose's generosity to make a killing selling the whole set on eBay? He doesn't seem the sort, but you never know.)
What does Sal teach us about life?
Well, he shows us we should sort our recyclables correctly.
He also shows us that some people collect strange things. Like, say, comic books.

Google is celebrating Will Eisner's birthday!

I opened up Google this morning to see they had replaced their "Google" logo," with a design based on Will Eisner's "Spirit" comics, including using twisted buildings and the Spirit's head as the logo. Eisner, of course, used to find all kind of creative ways to use objects to spell out 'The Spirit" on is splash pages.
Go enjoy!

Post script:
I just found out here the logo was designed by comic artist Scott McCloud.

Novelists give comics their Zombies and Widows (or comics about women, part three)

How interesting that this article should come out on Comic Book Resources just as I am finishing up my brief (and wholly incomplete) tour of comics with good female lead characters. It’s coincidental, because “iZombie” was one of the comics I was going to talk about.
“iZombie” is written by Chris Roberson, who also writes “Cinderella,” which I mentioned here. Roberson, who also writes science fiction novels, is fast becoming one of my favorite comics writers.
Here’s how the CBR article explains the comic:

In actuality, the plot of "iZombie" is fairly simple: a girl named Gwen died and woke up a zombie. She has to eat a brain every month, "because if she doesn't, she goes all George Romero 'Night of the Living Dead,' shambling, mindless zombie-thing," said Roberson.

In the article, Roberson, conveniently, talks about writing female characters:

"It's actually easier for me to write strong female characters than it is for me to write kick-ass, macho guys, because kick-ass, macho guys I can't relate to at all," said Roberson. Citing his mother, sisters, wife and seven-year old daughter as inspiration Roberson continued, "Strong female characters, I don't even have to pause to think about what would interest or motivate them, because I see it around me all the time."

“iZombie” is drawn by the incomparable Mike Allred, of “Madman,” “Atomics,” and “X-Force” fame.
I have bought almost everything Allred has ever done. (For some reason I didn’t make it through his “Red Rocket 7” series of a few years ago, but that’s the exception and not the rule.) His skill just keeps increasing. His art is clean, and simple, yet unique and instantly recognizable. If he isn’t one of the best artists in comics, he’s close.
The first “iZombie” trade paperback is coming out soon, and I’d recommend it with one caveat: While the concept is great, I thought the story started kind of slow because Roberson and Allred had a lot of pieces to introduce and then put in motion. I stuck with it because I trust Roberson and Allred to pull it all together in the end.
It’s also possible “iZombie” will read better in larger chunks when compiled in a trade paperback. I have found a few other series to be like that, including “100 Bullets,” and “Fables,” and I am considering dropping monthly issues of “House of Mystery” in favor of the trades.
For “iZombie,” though, the pace is picking up because the cauldron of characters are beginning to swirl and bubble together. It’s really getting fun, and I can recommend it wholeheartedly.
The last comic I wanted to touch on during this much-longer-than-I thought-it-would-be-when-I-started series, is “Black Widow,” which I have not even read. Here are some preview pages.

Why on earth would I want to discuss something I have not even read?
Well, like “iZombie,” the first five issues of the latest incarnation of “Black Window” is written by a novelist, Marjorie Liu. Wikipedia tells us she writes, “Paranormal romance and urban fantasy novels.”
She is also the only female comics writer of this bunch I have discussed.
I don’t know how many female novelists have been tapped to write comics, but I suspect the number isn’t all that high. There are probably a few, but I can’t think of any off the top of my head.
I didn’t come upon this fact until the fourth of her five issues came out, and I have not been able to get them all in one chunk. Rather than piecing the story together, I have been patiently waiting for a trade paperback or a comic store that has all of them. The preview pages do look great, though, don’t they?
Liu left after only five issues, stating in her blog that she writes three or four novels a year as well as two other comics and didn’t have time to do any more.
In an interview over on the Comic Vine Web site, Liu had this to say about female comics creators:

The industry itself, I think, is pretty warm toward female creators -- at least at Marvel.  But we do seem to be a bit invisible, sometimes, as far as comic book readers go.  There's a misconception from the public that there are no women whatsoever in comics -- besides the busty ladies on the covers -- and there's a sense, too, that the female comic book reader doesn't exist. Oh, that elusive creature!   

One day I’ll read all five issues in their entirety, and report back. I promise.
I’d like to end this back were I started three days and four blog posts ago: There are a lot of really great comics out there with female leads.
There are more yet than I have covered in this brief survey. I stopped with these seven, only because they are the titles I am following (Or, in one case, not following, and in another case waiting to follow.).
I think this a trend worth watching as comics readership continues to shrink and is increasingly dominated by 40-year-old men like me who have been reading conics forever and can’t bring themselves to stop.
Are female characters and/or creators a way to draw new readers into comics, or do they just provide a different window into the genre for those of us who have been here a while?
I guess we’ll see.

One thing I might like, one thing I like sometimes (Or: Female leads in comics part two)

What made me think about this whole female comic book character thing I have been writing about?
Well, it was this little preview on comicbookresources.com for a comic called “Lorna: Relic Wrangler.”
It has yet to debut, but it sure looks cool. The artist, Loston Wallace, is an alumnus from “Batman: The Animated Series,” and as such draws in the wonderfully simple yet expressive style of the great Bruce Timm.
Let us note Timm’s Batman show and the companion Superman show always has great female supporting characters, from Batgirl, to Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn on Batman to Lois Lane and Supergirl in the Superman show.
Often Timm is joined with writer Paul Dini to tell his stories, and perhaps one of the greatest comics of the last 20 years is “Batman: Mad Love,” By Dini and Timm. Which is another great story featuring a rather twisted, but memorable, female lead, Harley Quinn.
But, I digress.
I like the Timm style a lot. Sadly, Timm hasn’t drawn a whole lot of comics. Many of his imitators have, though, to varying degrees of success. Perhaps the best of the bunch are Darwyn Cooke, Aluir Amancio, Mike Manley and Rick Burchett.
Anyway, back to the subject at hand: Wallace’s preview pages look as though he is one of the better artists to pick up and use that style.
I think I am in for “Lorna.” I’ll have to check it out when it appears at the comic store, though.
Now, what else am I currently buying? After all I did promise to mention four more great comics with female leads.
Well, since I was talking about Dini, I shall easily transition to “Zatanna.” Zatanna, the magician who says her spells backwards, has long been a member of the DC universe, but has usually been lumped in with al the other characters in the Justice League of America. I remember reading numerous issues of JLA in which she had a bit part, but never had a leading role.
I thought it was cool DC decided to take an old character and give her new life with her own book. When it started with the creative team of Dini and artist Stephane Roux, I was convinced this would be a comic worth watching.
And it was, for the first few issues.
You see, I cannot entirely recommend it carte blanche for a couple of reasons:
1. Too many guest writers and
2. Too many guest artists.
“Zatanna” started out strong under its original creative team. Then Roux left. Then Dini left. Then Dini came back. Roux is supposed to be back for an issue in a couple of months.
DC got a really great three-issue fill-in job from Cliff Chiang, one of the younger comics artists whose work I really, really enjoy, much like Shawn MacManus on Cinderella. Chiang reminds me a little bit of Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez at times, but his finished work is a little rougher and more spontaneous. His sense of layout and storytelling is original, but still simple and easy to follow, like MacManus. Frankly, I like Chiang better than Roux, but they are both really good.

Other than Chiang’s issues, the fill-in stories have not been memorable.
So, “Zatanna,” at its best is a very welcome, very well-written and drawn vehicle for an old character to shine. At its worst, it’s pretty mediocre.
I hope the comic stays at its best for a while, because if not, I’d suspect it’s in danger of being cancelled.
Speaking of cancelled, I think I shall end here for now. I went on too long about Bruce Timm and why you should and shouldn’t check out Zatanna to fit in the other stuff.
I know I still owe you a few more female-led comics, which I promise to deliver next time.

Serial cereal blogging

I like Raisin Bran. I have been eating it for two days now.
Did you ever notice that the bran without the raisins and the raisins without the bran are not so good? The whole is greater then the sum of the parts.
Especially with a little sugar on top.

Why I am reading "Power Girl," Batgirl" and "Cinderella" (And, maybe you should, too!)

(Before I start, forgive me for not writing about comics for a while. I promise to do better.)
I don’t know if anyone has noticed besides me, but there are a lot of really great comics being published with female lead characters.
My posts about She-Hulk always seem to stay at the top of my most popular lists (I am going to leave Jennifer Walters’ alter-ego out of this discussion.).
“Power Girl,” when it was written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray and drawn by Amanda Conner, was one of my favorites. When I came home with a new week’d worth of comics, that was always the one to which I was most looking forward.
I think what really hooked me was Conner’s art. Everything she draws has such personality and energy!
I think she could draw a story about a hospital waiting room and make it look exciting.
Sadly, all three left the book with issue 12. I was pretty well convinced that it would not be any good afterward.
What actually happened, however, was that after a few issues of the new creative team, I still really look forward to “Power Girl.”
The new writer, Judd Winick, has an entirely different sensibility than Palmoitti and Gray, but he has managed to keep the characters “feeling” the same. The book isn’t quite as in-your-face raucous as it was, it’s quieter, but it’s still in tune with what came before.
Sami Basri’s art took some getting used to. It’s a kind of a Manga-influenced style that depends heavily on the colorist to fill in the open spaces. His sense of anatomy is a little bit odd as well.
I said I wasn’t gonna talk about “She Hulk,” but, this was not unlike the artistic transition when Peter David started writing “She Hulk,” after writer Dan Slott and artist Rick Burchett left and the art chores were turned over to a team of fellows whose names I don’t remember and who drew an awful lot like Basri. For me, “She Hulk quickly thereafter plummeted into boring irrelevance.
That experience made me wary of what was to come for “Power Girl,” but I decided to be patient.
As a few issues passed (the series is on issue 21 now) I have gotten used to Basri’s art, and I have even started to appreciate the subtle expressions and body language he captures.
So, “Power Girl” is good. What else?
“Batgirl,” no kidding, is not the Batgirl of my youth, but a new character who fights criminals when she isn’t busy with her in high school drama. The stories are largely self-contained which is a big plus for me. I am getting so sick of cosmic stories wheer the entire universe is about to be destroyed. It’s fun to read smaller scale suoer hero stories that have a human side.
Dustin Guyen started drawing the book a couple of months ago, and he brings solid drawing and good storytelling to the interior pages and gorgeous subtly-colored watercolor-looking covers to the outside. If I had a vote as to best cover artist, I think I’d vote for him.
Another good comic with a female lead is “Cinderella.” This is a spin-off of “Fables,” but stands well in it’s own right, even if you have never read the original. (I have been buying the original series in trade paperback for, so I get the story in big lumps, but I have not gotten any of the other spin-off “Jack of Fables.”) The title character, the original Cinderella now living in our world, is a James Bond-ish spy for the Fabletown characters of the original title.
The second series just got underway, and the first was on the top of my reading list by the time it ended.
Why? For one, writer Chris Roberson is fast becoming one of my favorite comics writers. Roberson comes up with great plots, but also populates the pages with clever, witty characters using some of the fable characters we don’t get to see in the main book.
Shawn MacManus’ art has enough personality that it’s easy on the eyes, but is simple and classic enough that it doesn’t get in the way to telling a story.
The other artist who defines the series, Chrissie Zullo, draws absolutely perfect covers. Her style is very different that MacManus’ on the interiors, but they work together to produce a visual look that makes the book eye candy every month.
School Library Journal (via Amazon.com) tells about the series better than I just did:
In this spin-off of Bill Willingham's "Fables" series (Vertigo), Cinderella is a covert agent: her cover is a shoe store called The Glass Slipper. In her latest assignment, "Cindy" must work with handsome but infuriating Aladdin to find out who is sneaking weapons between Fableland and the outside world. Could it be Cinderella's fairy godmother? Roberson effectively integrates fairy-tale and nursery-rhyme characters into a complex, action-packed spy caper worthy of Alias or James Bond.
That’s three of the comics I wanted to talk about. I think I have four more I’ll post something about next time.

Beethoven by Beaker

Sorry for all the Muppet posts lately, but I found this and it stopped the whole house. It may be the most entertaining 1:41 I ever spent on the Internet.
Trust me, you won't regret watching it.

Manamana (Do-do-do-dooo-do)

This is very popular in my house now.

For those of you who are worried about higher gasoline prices ...

Here's a story I wrote almost 10 years ago on this subject.
The key lines:

Gas prices dropped recently because supply is catching up to demand, according to officials from the petroleum industry.
In late May, gasoline prices rose to nearly $2 a gallon, but in the past week, prices have fallen below $1.30.

Rather quaint, isn't it?

What did she think of Miss Piggy?

While watching re-runs of "The Muppet Show," Izzy, 3, saw a scene where Miss Piggy karate chopped Kermit the Frog. What did Izzy say?
"I don't like that piggy. She's a mean piggy."

One morning at breakfast

INTRO: The family is nearing the end of breakfast.
MARY, 1, has eaten all her food and thrown her plate on the floor.
HALLIE, the mommy, is picking up the plate and telling IZZY, 3, to finish eating.
JEFF, the daddy, is loading silverware, plates and juice bottles into the dish washer.

HALLIE: (Looks up and sees a pile of eggs still on IZZY'S plate) Izzy, eat your eggies!
IZZY: (Bites into a strawberry) Huh?
HALLIE: (Standing up, definitely annoyed) Hurry up and eat! You haven’t touched anything and you need to eat!
IZZY: Huh?
HALLIE: (Getting a little louder and more forceful) You heard me! You know exactly what I said! Don’t pretend you can’t hear me!
(Pause)
HALLIE: (Turns to Jeff who is still loading dishes) Daddy! Tell Izzy to eat her eggs! She she can’t eat just strawberries and yogurt for breakfast!
JEFF: (Looks up from the dishes) Huh?

Play Dough with teeth?

The best bad dream ever:
Izzy, 3, came crying into our bedroom this morning at about 5 a.m.
When Hallie picked her up and asked what was wrong, she said, "I had a bad dream!"
Naturally, Hallie asked her what he dream was about.
"I dreamed I was playing with my Play-Dough and it grew teeth and tried to bite me!" she said, crying.
Hallie took Izzy back to bed, and she fell back asleep with no more dreams of masticating Play Dough.
What caused this dream? Yesterday, I watched the following video, with the Sweedish Chef making some dough.
I am not sure if Izzy watched it over my shoulder or not.
Could her dream have been just a coincidence?

Only the Cleveland Indians

Only the Cleveland Indians would sign a two-time gold-glove winning shortstop, Orlando Cabrera, and announce they are going to play him at second base.
It's even worse when you consider the incumbent at short, Asdrubal Cabrera (no relation), is considered to be better at second than at short.
So, you want to make your middle infield defense better? Flip-flop two players so that both are playing at their weakest position. Makes perfect sense to me.
Somewhere, Gabe Paul is probably smiling.

They Might Be Giants Might Have a Newer Video

One of my favorite newer TMBG songs. I had to buy a DVD to watch the video. How times have changed!

They Might Be Giants - What Is a Shooting Star? from They Might Be Giants on Vimeo.

They Might Be Giants Might Have a Pretty Old Video

This is the first TMBG video I ever saw, probably really late at night on MTV's "120 Minutes."
If I am not mistaken, MTV gave up showing videos some time ago.
Does this say more about the quality of the music videos of recent vintage, or more about how audiences tastes have changed?
Are there any 15-year-olds out there who would have crush on Martha Quinn?
Are there any who would watch this?

They Might Be Giants - Don't Let's Start from They Might Be Giants on Vimeo.

Serial cereal blogging

My lovely and talented wife purchased for me a few weeks ago two boxes of "Berry Berry Kix." Now, longtime readers of this blog (yes, all two of you) may remember that this was my favorite cereal, but after moving to Virginia, I could no longer find it.
Well, apparently, Super Wal-Mart, where we rarely shop for cereal, in this area carries it.
To this point, I have eaten one box, and put the second on hold whilst I cleanse my palate with some "Frosted Mini Wheats."
My review?
Well, first of all, they have changed "Berry Berry Kix" somewhat since I last encountered them. They used to be regular "Kix," which are kind of bland, with little round, purple "berries."
Now, they are not so distinctly colored, ranging in tone from yellow to almost purple.
At first, I thought they tasted a little different than I remembered, maybe not quite as sweet and berry-y, but after eating a whole box, i think they taste pretty much the same.
I shall report back upon the completion of the second box, but in gnereal, I'd say they are still very good, but I may prefer the blueberry "Frosted Mini-Wheats." You can never go wrong with "Fruity Pebbles," either, as far as I'm concerned.
Side note:
The people who make "Trix," have changed the shape and color over the years, too. I wonder if they do it when sales slump, or if the good idea fairy strikes cereal developers, too?
"Hey, let's take this classic cereal that everybody has eaten for years and change it!"
Another side note:
On the General Mills Web site, there is an entry for "Kix," but not for the berry berry version. I wonder if this means anything?

My Super Bowl prediction

I predict that one team will win, and the other team will lose. beyond that,I have no idea.

Part Two of "La Jetee"

I just thought I'd follow up with the second part of the movie I wrote so much about yesterday.

Mr. Hitchocock, meet Mr. Dick, Mr. Burns, Mr. Eisner and, oh, yes, Mr. Gilliam, who brought us all together

I happened to be awake early Friday morning, 3 a.m. early. What was running on TV but one of my favorite movies, “12 Monkeys?”
I have not seen it all the way through since I saw it in1995 at the Cla-Zel Theater in downtown Bowling Green, Ohio. So stunning was the film’s effect on me, I had deliberately avoided seeing it in pieces because I wanted to watch it whole if I was to watch it. Since I had never happened upon it as it was starting, I never had seen it again.
Friday morning, however, about a half-hour of the movie had passed, and I decided to watch the rest, anyway. In the early morning hours, sometimes you change your mind about things.
As before, I started watching and was swept along, completely trapped by the movie, until it was over. As before, I was captivated by the skilled and unique storytelling of director Terry Gilliam.
In watching “12 Monkeys,” I was almost trapped by the movie. I wasn’t guessing along with it to see what happened. I was a passive observer, reacting to what I saw on the screen. Perhaps this is the greatest compliment that can be paid to a filmmaker.
The future world in which James Cole lives looks like a weird, run-down version of our own, which is perfectly sensible for storytelling, since, in the story, the human race nearly died out from a plague virus released in 1997. Everything the survivors had was derivative of what they had when they fled underground a few years earlier.
(The Cla-Zel was the perfect setting to watch the movie, because it was a building that had once been a beautiful place to see a movie, but by 1995 needed major restoration work. This was as close to a merger of fantasy and reality as I have ever experienced in a movie theater.)
Gilliam uses camera angles differently than any other film director, favoring bird’s-eye and worm’s eye views as well as tipped horizon shots where everything is slanted and angled. The only other common example of this technique is the “Batman” TV show in which the villains’ lairs were always shot at this skewed tilt.
Gilliam also favors the use of extremely wide-angle lenses, which produces a depth of field so clear the viewer can always see everything in the background.
These two techniques give a certain weirdness to the look of his movies, as the camera angles are so different than what the normal human eye sees. The wide angle sometimes distorts the edges of the screen, stretching them out as the action moves through.
The movie’s stunning visuals enhanced the screenwriting, by David and Janet Peoples, which tells a story that’s part science fiction, part myth, part psychological thriller and part action film. Alfred Hitchcock meets Philip K. Dick in a rotting Victorian Catholic Church, if you will.
But, you ask, “Why do I care about “12 Monkeys” now and why are you telling me this in your ever-purple prose on your silly blog 15 years later?”
In addition to yet another opportunity to extend my list of never having written anything substantial without a typo in it, I said all that to preface the following video link for the movie “La Jetee.”
Huh? What’s some French film got to do with anything?
In 1995 when I saw the “12 Monkeys,” I knew it was inspired by “La Jetee.” It says so in the opening credits.
In 1995, the Internet was rather undeveloped, and we did not have YouTube.
I never was able to see “La Jetee” to dig deeper into the origins of my favorite movies.
This time, however, a day or so after watching "12 Monkeys," YouTube smiled upon me. I even had several choices of how to see the 1962 original: in the original French; with an English narrator; or with English subtitles.
After a viewing the few different options, I decided the English subtitled version was the best You Tube could offer.
I generally like subtitles better than dubbing anyway. I find it less distracting, and you get the sense of what the movie was supposed to sound like.
So, what do I say to compare the films?
The basic plot is the same in structure, but different in execution. I see no reason to go into detail here. If you have not seen either film, I’d just as soon not spoil either by telling you what happens in the end.
“La Jetee” is short. It’s only 28 minutes. It’s a series of black-and-white still photos with a narrator telling the viewer what’s going on. It’s a still photographer artistic stream-of-consciousness dream.
It is as visually unique and compelling as “12 Monkeys,” but in a totally different way.
To compare, think about a somber, chiaroscuro Ken Burns documentary with the camera panning across photos. Or, perhaps, a black-and-white Will Eisner “Spirit” comic book, images with no movement, with a somber narrator and plodding Russian music playing in the background.
I am talking too much here. If you are still reading this, thanks. I am not even still reading this, and I am writing it. If you went right to the link, you are probably viewing something at this very moment far more interesting than what I am writing about it.

I just watched this on TV ...

Amazing the entertaining things you see on children's TV! I wish I could rhyme this cleverly.

NFL Playoff Picks (Weak Three)

After raising my record to an illustrious 2-4 last week, and knocking out one of my Super Bowl teams (Atlanta) in the process, I shall try this thing again, just to see what happens. The worst I can do is drop my record to 2-6. The best I can do is break even.

Jets at Steelers: I'll take the Steelers, because they are at home, and Troy Polamalu is playing. I think the Jets are a worthy opponent, however, and they have a good chance to win. I imagine it will be a close game.

Packers at Bears: This is a really tough pick, because both teams are pretty good. Aaron Rogers is proving to be way better than Jay Cutler, but the Packers don't run the ball all that well (one playoff game excepted). The Bears have a great defense. The Packers lost to the Bears early in the year, then beat them the last week of the season. I am meandering all about, because I want to pick the Bears, but I think the Packers will win. So, I'll go with the Packers, I guess.
So that would make for a Super Bowl with the Steelers and Packers.

One more thing about Wendy's

I asked some of my co-workers about whether or not Wendy's has seemed to go downhill lately.
Most of them said they hadn't eaten at a Wendy's enough to make a judgement.
That says a lot right there.

What's happening at Wendy's?

Have my taste buds changed, or are Wendy's restaurants getting worse?
In the past, I always regarded Wendy's as one of the best fast food chains.
Lately, however, every time I have eaten ay Wendy's, the food has been mediocre in a way that Wendy's never used to be. Mind you, it has not been bad, It just has not been all that good.
This downward trend set in slowly. I only really noticed in the last few months, but as I thought about it, I didn't remember really enjoying a meal at Wendy's in a couple of years.
I have eaten at lots of them the last year or so in various places, including several exits along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a few in the Hampton Roads, Va., area and a few other places like Indianapolis and Columbus, Ind., San Antonio, Texas and Atlanta, Ga.
Sadly, there has ben much mediocrity.
The burgers have less flavor. The buns are not as soft and fresh. The fries don't taste as good, and this pre-dates the new sea salt fries they have been advertising. I think the sea salt fries are bland and uninteresting.
Apparently, I am not the only one, as you can see here or here.
(I have a theory about the "new" Wendy's fries that is completely unsubstantiated, but they look an awful lot like Arby's "Homestyle" fries. Since the same company owns both franchises, I wonder if someone decided to buy only one type of fries for both. So, maybe what you are eating at Wendy's now is actually just a variation of what they are serving at Arby's.)
Other chains, especially Five Guys or Steak and Shake, are serving better versions of the same kind of food.
Five Guys food always seems fresher, their fries really are wonderful (I would eat them here or there, I would eat them anywhere.).
I had Steak and Shake last summer for the first time in a few years, and I think if there was one close to where I live, I'd probably eat there every week or so.
As for Wendy's, the last time I ate at one was about a week ago. It was less that I wanted their food, and more to try one last time at a different location to see if I got another mediocre meal. And, I did.
For what it's worth, I think I am done with Wendy's for a while.

Brady Quinn: Too much muscle?

Maybe I missed something, but I never heard anyone say the following about Brady Quinn when he was with the Browns. If it's true, it might explain his lack of success in Cleveland or his subsequent stops.

From today's Plain Dealer, by Tony Grossi:

Hey, Tony: If the Browns are going to go with the West Coast offense, don't you think that Brady Quinn would have been a better fit than Colt McCoy? Quinn is bigger and has a better arm for Cleveland weather. He can throw long, proven in the Detroit game. Who made the decision to trade Quinn? Holmgren or Mangini? -- Ernie, Columbus, Ohio
Hey, Ernie: I don't agree at all. McCoy is a better fit than Quinn in the West Coast offense -- or any system. To me, Quinn was too obsessed with body building and appeared too tight to make all the throws. It was strictly Holmgren's call to trade Quinn.

Peter Seeger sings us a song about bells

I have always really liked Seeger's version of this song.

Pete Seeger sings us a little song about school

And, what do I think about the Browns new head coach?

I am sure glad it wasn't Marty Mornhinweng.

I think maybe the Fox TV station in Philadelphia wishes the Browns had hired him. Isn't that a strange headline?

NFL Playoff Picks (Weak Two)

Because of my spectacular failure last week, I am going with the favorites in all the games this week.
I am not even sure who they are, but if I pick the favorites I can't go 0-4 again. Or can I?
Seriously, here's my best guess:
Pittsburgh over Baltimore, just because I think the Steelers are a little teeny bit better on offense and defense.
New England over the Jets, just because I don't think the Jets are that good in the first place. And, just because the Pats already beat them 45-3 barely more than a month ago.
Atlanta over Green Bay, just because I think Atlanta went 13-3 and Green Bay didn't.
Chicago over Seattle, just because Seattle can't keep winning. Or can they? Also just because Chicago keeps winning even though everyone seems to think they aren't that good. Who's to say they are gonna stop now?

Serial cereal blogging

Today, I had blueberry yogurt. I think I like blueberry flavored "Frosted Mini Wheats" better.

There are reasons I am not a professional NFL prognosticator

The main one is that I am almost always wrong. I went 0-4 this weekend. I was wrong abut every single game. I even picked the Saints to beat the Seahawks like everyone else in the free world, and I got that one wrong.
Well, to all of you who want a really hot tip -- next week bet against all my picks. You'll sweep then.
Unless I decide to deliberately pick against what i think will happen. Then, of course, because I picked differently, the teams I really thought would win, will win.
Maybe you better not use my picks for anything. Except maybe a good laugh after the games are over.

How could they do this to She Hulk?

Since the most popular posts on this blog seem to be about She Hulk, I ought to address the latest comic starring the large, green version of attorney Jennifer Walters.
Boy, what an awful comic book.
"She Hulk" is poorly written poorly drawn and ill conceived.
It is a far, far cry from the past series full of personality by people who seemed to care about making Jen interesting, like John Byrne and the team of Dan Slott and Juan Bobillo.
Bleah.
That's all I have to say about that.

Serial cereal blogging

Golden Grahams get kind of gross when they are in milk too long.
They get really slimy, and their taste dramatically changes.
So, that's as good an excuse as any to eat them really, really, fast.

NFL Playoff Picks (weak one)

Just for fun, here are my NFL playoff picks:

1. Kansas City over Baltimore. Why? KC is at home in Arrowhead Stadium, which is one of the most hostile environments to visiting teams in the NFL. I think Baltimore has better players on defense, better receivers and a better quarterback. But, KC has better coaching, a good running game and home field. I bet it will be close, but I say KC will break its six-game playoff losing skid, dating back to when Marty Schottenheimer was the coach. If there's to be an upset, I think this may be the one.

2. Indianapolis over the New York Jets. Why? I didn't the Jets were all that good last year when they went to the AFC championship game and for beat by the Colts. i think the Jets and Browns could easily have had each other's records if a few breaks went the other way. The jets barely bear the Browns and Lions in back-to-back weeks. Their running game hasn't been as good. Consequently, their quarterback hasn't been as good. The team has been surrounded by controversy all year. They took an absolute drubbing from the Patriots late in the year. Payton Manning has all he needs to carve up a weakened team.

3. Philadelphia over Green Bay. Why? Green Bay has too many injuries, and no running game. Aaron Rogers could lift them above their shortcomings, but I think Michael Vick is playing better right now and has a better supporting cast.

4. New Orleans over Seattle. Why? Because I will be rooting for Seattle.

Two former Cleveland Indians go to the Hall of Fame

Roberto Alomar was going to get in eventually. He was just too good not to.
I don't have much to say about him other than he was probably the best second baseman of his era, and an absolute joy to watch on defense, especially when paired with Omar Vizquel from 1999-2001.
I doubt he'll go into the Hall as an Indian, though. He'll probably go as a Blue Jay, where he won two world champeenships. He did get to play with his brother Sandy during his time in Cleveland, and was generally well received by the fans.
I highly doubt Bert Blyleven will go in as an Indian, either. Regardless, he should have been in a long time ago. He didn't quite get to 300 wins, finishing with 287, and I'd guess that was probably what held him back.
But, Blyleven belongs in the Hall if only because of his 3,701 strikeouts. When he retired, that was good for third on the all time list. Now, it's fifth, but anybody who ranks in the top five of any major category like that should be in the Hall.
And, anyway, if not for a few years when he battled injuries, and the awful records of the some of the teams he played on, he would have won 300 games. He was pretty durable, but he did miss enough time that he could have earned another 13 wins easily. He only made 12 starts in 1976, four in 1982, and missed the entire 1991 season. He also missed some time in 1976 and 1983. In the strike year of 1981, he made 20.
In 1984, when I was a wee lad of 14, he went 19-7 with the Indians, who were a 79-87 team. I am not doing the math, but when Blyleven didn't pitch, the team was just awful. But, the Dutchman was downright great every time he pitched. I remember really, really hoping, he'd win 20, but he just missed. I didn't get to see a 20-game winer in Cleveland until Cliff Lee in 2008.
Blyleven aged well, too, winning a World Series with the Twins in 1987, and then at age 38, going 17-5 with the 1989 California Angels.
Here are the players he was most similar to, according to Similarity Scores at Baseball-Referece.com:
Don Sutton (914) *
Gaylord Perry (909) *
Fergie Jenkins (890) *
Tommy John (889)
Robin Roberts (876) *
Tom Seaver (864) *
Jim Kaat (854)
Early Wynn (844) *
Phil Niekro (844) *
Steve Carlton (840) *
Everybody on this list except John and Kaat are in the Hall of Fame.
Which leads nicely to my little I told you so: Here's the case I made for Blyleven back in 2007.
From the list I made then, I think John may eventually get in and so might Jack Morris.
Kaat may deserve it, but I don't think there's been much movement toward getting him elected. He has only four fewer wins than Blyleven and five fewer than John.
It looks, sadly, like Mel Harder will never get in. With the death of Bob Feller, Harder lost one of his most vocal supporters. I think the argument could be made that Harder deserves to be in the HOF if only as a pitching coach. And, he was a pretty good pitcher, too.

Under the heading of more statistics than we really need, here's what the Indians sent out in an e-mail on the subject of today's announcement:
Right-hander Bert Blyleven and Second baseman Roberto Alomar, both of whom spent portions of their careers with the Indians, were elected to the Hall of Fame on Wednesday, garnering 79.7% and 90% of the vote, respectively, with 75% required for election.
Bert Blyleven, who pitched for the Indians from 1981-85, notched 287 career wins, 27th on the all-time list, and is fifth in career strikeouts with 3,701. Blyleven went 19-7 with a 2.87 ERA with the Tribe in 1984, finishing third in the Cy Young voting.
A switch-hitter, Alomar amassed 2,724 hits, 210 homers, 1,134 RBIs and 474 steals playing for seven teams. From 1999-2001 with the Indians, the 10-time Gold Glove winner batted .323 with a .405 on-base percentage, 63 home runs, 309 RBIs, 362 runs scored and 106 stolen bases.

My pick for Cleveland Browns head coach ...

... would still be Marty Schottenheimer (NOT the above Marty Mornhinweng but that part comes later.). But, since there's no chance in heck of that happening, I'll rank my top five of the rumored candidates, assuming it's not Holmgren himself, who would probably be number one on the list. I'll also give you the one guy I would not pick. (Hint: He used to wear a blue shirt.)

1. John Gruden would be my first choice. He is from nearby Sandusky, he has coached two teams to Super Bowls and won one. He is from the West Coast Offense style of play that is favored by team President Mike Holmgren and General Manager Tom Heckert. He has been away from coaching for a couple of years, and maybe has gained some perspective from the TV booth. He is probably the biggest name out there, though, and that will make him popular with other teams and also expensive.
2. Bill Cowher. Ha-ha. That's a good one. I am so funny. Funny me. Like they are going to hire Bill Cowher. But, just think, wouldn't that make Steeler week even better? Maybe he'd give the Browns some of the smash-mouth in your face swagger that would allow them to not get beat three times in one year, or by scores of 41-0, or 34-7, or 31-0, or 41-9.
3. Mike Mularkey used to be Cowher's offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh. I have said for a long time the Browns should play just like the Steelers. If they hired one of their former coaches, even if it wasn't Cowher, maybe he would understand what it takes to win in the AFC North. However, Mularkey's record in two years as Buffalo Bills head coach was 14-18. (Which, by the way, is better than 5-27, but that's also the part that comes later.)
4. I am intrigued by Pat Shurmur, but it's easy to be intrigued by someone who has never coached in the NFL. It's an interesting tie to Holmgren because Shurmur's dad was Holmgren's longtime defensive coordinator. But, he has a good resume of coaching quarterbacks, including San Bradford and Donovan McNabb. Would he be able to do the same with Colt McCoy? (First time NFL coaches sometimes struggle a lot. But, that's the part I'll get to later.)
5. John Fox is just a good all around coach who has been to the Super Bowl.

I really hope, however, the Browns don't hire the other Marty, Marty Mornhinweg. (This is the part I said I was getting to. Later is now.) He was awful with the Lions in 2001-2002, going 5-27. I have never seen a more clueless looking fellow on the sidelines of a professional NFL game, except maybe Rich Kotite. (Kotite, at least, had a few good years. Here are his win totals with Philadelphia and the Jets. Note they drop like a stone: 10, 11, 8, 7, 3, 1.) I don't care how well Michael Vick has played under Mornhinweg's tutelage, 5-27, even with a bad organization like the Lions, is still 5-27. Why should anyone think he is suddenly going to be good with another team that is, well, about as bad as the Lions?

That said, I offer my prediction: In a few weeks, the Browns will announce Marty Mornhinweng as their new head coach. I just have that feeling in my bones. A 5-27 record (or something like it) later, they will be looking for another coach. Some guys are meant to be coordinators. Some teams are meant to conduct coaching searches.

Guys who aren't said to be candidates, but wouldn't it be fun if they were: Marty Schottenheimer, Brian Billick (I have long felt the Browns blew it when they let him go to Baltimore), Marty Schottenheimer, Urban Meyer, Marty Schottenheimer, Jim Tressel, Marty Schottenheimer, bring Chris Palmer back and give him a real chance this time, Marty Schottenheimer, Dick Vermeil, Mike Ditka, Steve Mariucci, run-and-shoot offense specialist Mouse Davis or maybe even Marty Schottenheimer. Hey, I can dream, right?