Was It Worth The Weight?

No one likes the beard

Wow. I was surprised by the amount of remarks I received about updating the blog. I wasn't aware of the many people who visit this page. Apparently it's more than the amount that the posted comments lead me to believe. I appreciate the time you fine internet-wanderers and friends of friends take out of your day just to see if I have anything new to say. Thanks.

It's been a hell of a bloody week and a half. That's my excuse. The past week or so can be considered the fill-in issues of life. That is, in comic books, when a critically acclaimed writer/artist team finishes their run, but it's not time for the new creative team to take over yet, so a fill in writer and artist are found to bridge the gap, resulting in a couple sub-par or shitty stories with sloppy art. (Phew!) From the looks of things at work, it's not likely things will get any better any time soon. I'm not going to sit here and whine about it. We all have bad days (weeks) and it was just my turn to feel the burn. And I'm not alone, as I've learned from a few of my comrades, misery loves company.

Instead, there are several other things I'd like to talk about.

The Iraqi Elections: It's good to finally see something positive come out of this war. President Bush calls the elections a "resounding success." I don't trust the President's judgment more than I can trust a child molester to behave himself at a day care center, but I have to agree with him. Seeing, hearing, and reading the people's reactions to a country's first free election in fifty years of its dark history is heartwarming, and I'm hoping for the best in Iraq's future.

Comics: You knew it was coming. I just wanted to point out some of the best comic stories I've read recently.

We3: A three issue miniseries published by Vertigo/DC Comics, written by Grant Morrison with art by Frank Quitely. The story of three household animals transformed into killer cyborgs against their will, and their desire to go home. A heartwrenching and extremely violent tale, easily the best of Morrison's writing and Quitely's art is amazingly detailed and innovative. The best comic story I've ever read. I'm not kidding. (Mature Readers)

Ex Machina: Also published under DC Comics but under their Wildstorm imprint, written by Brian K. Vaughn and penciled by Tony Harris. The story of the post 9-11 world's only superhero retiring to run for mayor of New York City, winning by a landslide. He's forced to tackle real-world issues like censorship and gay marriage, which proves tougher than anything he's ever faced as a superhero. Awesomely intriguing. (Mature Readers)

It's A Bird... : published by Vertigo/DC Comics written by Steven Seagle, drawn by Teddy Kristiansen. The semi-autobiographical story of a man tasked with a great honor: to write Superman comics. But he doesn't want to, and he's got more important things to worry about. His father is missing, and he's discovered a fatal genetic disease that threatens to destroy another generation of his family. It's a touching tale of the need for heroes in a real world where Superman is just a comic book character, and how being tasked with the impossible helps him through it.

That's it for now, I'll have more recommendations later.

Resident Evil 4: Yup, still in geek territory. I've never liked the Resident Evil series. What with the crappy controls and the frustrating puzzles and rendered backgrounds and lack of ammo for my weapons that I can't aim at any zombie. I ended up reading the novel adaptions in order to get the low down on the story.

That all changed with the release of Resident Evil 4. The game is in full 3-D, the graphics are amazing, and since the camera is behind your character, the controls are actually playable. It also goes in a new direction, as there are no zombies in the game. That's right. No zombies. They also made it more action oriented, and gives you a reasonable amount of ammo. It's also creepy and scary as all Hell when a bunch of crazy villagers armed with axes and pitchforks run at you in a frenzy. But it's okay because you can aim your weapon at their legs and knock them down. That's right, I said AIM! The game never stops being amazing and fun, yet still remains ungodly creepy. The cutscenes, voice acting and sounds are all top notch. I love this game.

Classes: Okay back to safer territory. I started the new semester today and so far it looks good. The video class I'm taking to fill the tax-deductible-necessary credits looks remarkably enjoyable and I'm already brimming with ideas. The French class being taken for same reason and also to help with transfer is not going to be difficult and the class is only about ten people, which makes it more personal. And the online Art History class isn't as intimidating as it sounded (so far). All in all, a good selection for the time being.

Dream Girl: No news to report.

The Shawshank Redemption: I gave this movie to my dad for Christmas and late one night when I couldn't sleep I popped it in the ol' DVD player. I was reminded of how great this movie is. It's the best movie I have ever seen and makes me feel good every time I watch it. It's not just a prison movie, it's a story of friendship and hope. "Get busy living or get busy dying." I cried the first time I saw it years ago, I'm not ashamed to say it.

Plugs: I'm just going to plug some other weblogs. The Cranky Liberal recently left a comment on my site, and I thank him for that. Comic book artist Jim Lee has a blog whose format looks remarkably similar to my own. Baghdad Burning is a blog from the hot spot. And also, as I have before, I'm plugging Jeff Parker's blog. Because I like the guy.

And I'm spent! I'll post something or other some other time...or other.