I am so sick of event comics, but this ...

Well, here we go again. Marvel's next great earth-shattering event is "Secret Invasion." Apparently, the company's long-time bad guy aliens, the shape-shifting Skrulls, are planning to invade Earth. I dunno if I'll buy the series.

However, Marvel has produced a really cool new "webisode" to promote the comics. What a way to advertise a comic, by using an animated short. It sure builds up the excitement and piques my interest.

Now, if only the series is worth reading. Lately, these events have left me either yawning, not caring or just plain not reading.

For the record: I read Marvel's "Secret War," and "Civil War," and all of DC's "Crisis" comics, as well as all of the weekly "52" series. I stopped in the middle of DC's "Countdown." I just had no interest. I didn't even try "World War Hulk." They all seem to have too many characters and too big a scope. I'd just as soon read a well-told smaller scale story. I am having trouble relating to villains who are going to destroy the omniverse.

Here we go with some ridiculous MAD Fold-Ins

Mark Evanier linked to this, from the New York Times. I think it's pretty cool: Al Jaffee's Fold-Ins for Mad Magazine, from the 1960s to the present, in interactive form. Have fun!

A little bit of comics history

Hopefully, I am not overdoing the New Yorker links.

Two stories from the New Yorker

I have not regularly read "The New Yorker" for a long time. I think I may have to change that.

Here and here are two really good stories I found in the latest edition (errr, on the latest edition of the magazine's Web site.)

The first tells us that pennies may someday go the way of the dodo, but not for a while yet. The second tells us the same thing about newspapers.

There's something to think about in this sad story

But, for what it's worth, this story really made me think, moreso than most of news stories I read. Here's the headline and the gist of the story.

When a baby is destined to die
Perinatal hospices support families with a terminal prenatal diagnosis
Studies don't specifically track how many families in the United States choose to continue the pregnancy after receiving a terminal prenatal diagnosis, but in Shoonveld's experience only between 10 percent and 20 percent of families go on with the pregnancy after hearing the devastating news.

The article talks about one family that gave birth to the baby, knowing it would only live a short time. Here's the part I found the most moving:

But for some, the pregnancy feels precious because it may be the only time they’ll get to be with that child, says Schoonveld. “I think most people who have continued want to experience as much time with the baby as possible and want to hopefully meet the baby.”

So many people would have a knee-jerk reaction to ask why even have the baby at all. Isn't it more noble, not to mention more caring and more altruistic, to want to meet and know the baby, even for a short time? Even if the baby doesn't really know what's going on, at least for a few days or hours or minutes he can be held and loved and introduced to the world.

If nothing else, this is some small triumph over death: That one person would not pass away needlessly unknown.

Mid-Ohio Con is back!

Here's the link. It looks like someone bought it from it's old promoter, but it will be in October instead of November. I will miss the post-Thanksgiving weekend fun, but hey, as long as I can still go ...

Yet another Paul and Storm song

Here's another song by Paul and Storm to amuse and entertain you, since I have not been blogging much the last few days. Remember to click on the "play" icon at the top of the page.