The Time Has Come Today

I know it's been forever since last post, but hey, things happen. Like this:



A picture is worth a thousand words, innit?

Okay, few more to those who don't recognize it: Incredible Hulk #1, 1962. One happy f***ing camper.

eBay money rules.

~G.

What, No Lucky Charms?

Hey, all--

This time I'm entertaining you all from work, where I've taken my laptop...and after a few hours, I've even managed to get it online and working! Anyway I wish I had a picture to show you guys. An hour ago, it finished raining, and outside we had a rainbow whose end was, miraculously, right outside of our building, in the parking lot to the adjacent hotel. Sorry to say, I looked outside, right where the rays of multicolored light hit the pavement, and no pot o' gold could be located. (Still would've been cool to photograph the end of the rainbow...grr...)

Let's see what else is up...if I weren't writing to you people right now, I'd be writing my novel in between calls. It's okay stuff right now, nothing special. It's an arduous task, introducing my main character to the audience, having him go through his daily routine the morning after Spring Break has officially ended. I'm sure it'll pick up, but it's just not very interesting yet, no doubt because the real fun hasn't begun (and won't for another chapter, at least). Still it's nice to just write, to express myself, to once more assume the guise of the tortured artiste. Plus, well, I do have my newfound muse to think of, which is nice. Maybe I'll get the last of my research in very soon (some emails involved with not-so-young professionals...nothing so outre as the previous bout of "research," I assure you).

Anything else? Well, the Power Girl sketch from my buddy Jon Falkner is coming in at last, and I may scan it to give you guys a peek. If anyone's interested in getting great penciled art, then drop me a line and I'll put you in touch.

If you guys remember my last blog post, you'll know I predicted the apocalypse coming sooner than expected. Well, according to MSNBC, the global "tipping point" has been or may soon be reached, meaning environmentally, we're all just about screwed unless we cut down on emissions by about 50% in the next few years. Fun. Between this and Bush being in charge, we are indeed past the point of no return on this sinking ship we call Earth. Don't deny it!

At least maybe I'll become a bestselling author before we all die in the 6th Extinction...

~G.

Iron & Steel in Your DVD Player (Or, The Most Unexpected DVD Season Set of All...or, "DRIVE!")

Oy vey. Is it me, or is the apocalypse now coming that much sooner?

This just in from the wonderful folks at tvshowsondvd.com: one of my favorite TV shows from the early 1980s, Hardcastle & McCormick, is coming back in a five-disc DVD set, due in Canadian stores February 14th. Anyone who doesn't remember this show--well, you're excused, but you'd better get yourself to an online retailer the moment this thing's up for preorders, else you'll be missing the big one. And here I just got over having The Flash in a 6-disc set, arriving a scant few weeks ago. At this point I really won't be surprised if Paramount heeds the demands of the assembled masses and schedules Friday the 13th, the Series: The Complete First Season any day now. (God would then have to announce the apocalypse as occuring the following Tuesday, methinks. Damn.)

So, what is H&M? It's a buddy cop type deal, only, well, not. Evidence: "Milton C. Hardcastle is a retired judge from the Los Angeles Superior Court. Mark McCormick, an ex-race car driver turned thief, was Hardcastle's last case. Mark has been placed in the Judge's custody and together they're going after 200 cases that walked out of Hardcastle's courtroom on technicalities." Okay, so the show didn't quite make it to 200 episodes, but the three seasons that were produced were pretty good. Keep in mind, I haven't seen the majority of the episodes for years, but the pilot was very entertaining and several other episodes I have seen in the last few years (thank you, traders!) are almost as good. I can't wait to see the pilot in high quality as it was meant to be seen.

So, check this set out on Valentine's Day. And buy The Flash on DVD while you're at it.

Peace!

~G.

Thundersnow!

Yes, while I was at work today, staring out the window, I saw darkness...and snow...and then I saw a flash of lightning followed by a big ol' boom. The weirdest f*cking weather phenomenon since God invented weather came to Pittsburgh this evening. Yeah. Keep in mind, I knew about thundersnow before--in fact I used it as weather of choice in my Marvel Comics spec script, Son of Satan, but I never actually saw it before today. Color me stunned.

Maybe the Steelers can win one for the thumb this year after all. Y'know, it's gotta happen at least once in my lifetime (that I remember, dammit--the last Super Bowl victory for the black 'n' gold happened when I was just shy of one year old)...just like the frickin' thundersnow.

Go Steelers!

~G.

Of Novels, Muses, Employment, and, Y'Know, Other Stuff

Whew....didn't think I'd ever get back to you guys.

Let's see: the new job doesn't suck. In fact, not only does it not suck, I now have my own name plaque velcroed to the cubicle, which means my job's secure for at least another week. I've been working hard, but now things are settling down enough that I can probably work on some other projects.

And yes, that means...the novel. I took a trip for research purposes to a local (ahem) club in search of stories and fulfillment of that whole "write what you know" shtick. Well, coming out of it last night, and after having to drag my buddy kicking and screaming from said place, well, I only wish the trip were tax-deductible. Not that I'm hurting for cash now, mind you...and if, if I go again, it won't be for a good, long while. Anyway, I think I've discovered my artist's muse. And no, no, a thousand times no, it's not a sexual thing. And I'm not protesting too much, but rather, just enough, thankyew. I'm trying really hard to get some extra sleep so I can maybe write some tomorrow early when I'm refreshed.

I'm also reading a bit more. Check out Greg Pak's debut on The Incredible Hulk with February's issue #92, and Stuart Moore's truly revolutionary treatment of my favorite DC hero in this past week's Firestorm, which had not long ago been relegated to the bottom of my reading pile. Welcome back, Martin Stein!

More tomorrow or the day after, honest!

~G.

News: All the $#!+ That Will Stick

Yeah....so....new job starting up. Will let everyone know how it goes. I'm planning for it to not suck, but anything can happen.

Daniel Way, contrary to what I posted a couple of months ago, does not suck. He's actually pretty cool, although he and I definitely disagree on who the Hulk is and why he does the things he does. Check out his message board at www.badpressonline.com and tell 'im I sent you...you f***ing c***. :-)

I'd prefer nobody ask about my novel, except suffice to say I didn't have a chance to work on it at all this week. Hey, it's an adjustment period! Anyway, look for me to show some progress this week. No, really. Stop laughing!

I'm also hella busy doing interviews at Comixfan. Look out for something in March called RETRO ROCKET. And look for my feature on it shortly.

Oh, and lest I forget, my computer is newly updated: new keyboard, new motherboard, more RAM (up to 2GB!), and double the hard disk space (400GB). Now if only I could rehook the restart button up without totally FUBARing things...

My first grand experiment with the new computer: putting a soundtrack that I bought off eBay, that was originally on vinyl, onto CD. Fun stuff.

Can't really think of much else that is news.

Later,

~G.

Let's Spin This As Far To The Right As We Can...

This just came over the AP Wire:

Teen With Peanut Allergy Dies After Kiss

Basically, the gist of the story is that some teenage girl's boyfriend was just eating a snack containing peanuts, the girl was severely allergic to peanuts, the boyfriend kissed the girl after having said snack...and the girl died. Yup, as in dead.

No, really.

I'm going to be as politically incorrect and emotionally insensitive as I can here, so please, those of you who are faint of heart or easily offended, turn back (too late!). Forget about sex, kissing is what we should be afraid of young people doing in this day and age. Any remotely sexual contact at all, point of fact. How long before this kid's a poster child for premarital anything in the minds of kooks like Pat Robertson et al.? To say nothing of our beloved President, Dubya...(nevermind the poor kid's Canadian).

Maybe someone will say holding hands is bad for you too. You know, germs being nasty critters and all.

Hmm, or worse still: file charges against the boyfriend! Did he know the girlfriend was allergic to peanuts and kissed her anyway, reeking of peanut-breath? Murder! Manslaughter at the least! String him up in the town square and throw tomatoes at him! Nyah!

Yeah, don't mind me, I'm feeling tangential today. New job, plenty of interviews to do for Comixfan, and this week, I'm starting my novel. As soon as I get my computer fixed up...yessir...

In the meantime, remember: kissing is bad for you and violates several local ordinances...but only if you're a whacko, jacko. ;-)

Accidents happen. My condolences to the family. And man, I wouldn't want to be the boyfriend now.

~G.

Of Jones Soda and Tissue Time...

I'm back...

Updates for everyone. Job: don't ask. Novel: don't ask...well, truthfully I've completed my notes, am shuffling plot points (really, I've got note cards!), and am no more than a week away from cracking chapter 1. (Or a prologue. I'm still not sure about that...) Comixfan: shame on you if you haven't been keeping up! I'm doing a bunch of interviews, two for next summer's big Marvel event (one of 'em, anyway), and several more for a March-shipping Marvel event I can't even discuss, it's so New and cool. Within the next week, my interview with Mike W. Barr of MAZE AGENCY fame will be up. Surely you've seen my triad of EXILES interviews and the Jeff Mariotte ANGEL interview, right?

I got inspired to write again mainly by two separate, unrelated events that happened yesterday. It was my buddy Matt's birthday, and so in addition to cake, he somehow decided against all logic to buy the Jones Soda 2005 Holiday Pack--five flavored sodas packaged together--five sodas only remotely yummy if you're living in Bizarro-land. I implore you guys, do NOT try these flavors at home! They include: Brussels Sprout with Prosciutto, Cranberry Sauce, Turkey & Gravy, Wild Herb Stuffing, and Pumpkin Pie. Y'know something? Scratch that. If you want to vomit, projectile-style, then this Holiday Pack is for you. (No, do not send me pictures.)

The other event is probably more palatable, at least to the guys out there. I've made no secret of my reverence for Howard Stern, who's about to make the leap to SIRIUS satellite radio in January. I've had my subscription since last December awaiting the blessed event. Well, since last month sometime, Howard 100 has gone on-air, featuring newscasts and the occasional special event. I really, really could do without fart-a-thons and Wendy the Retard doing a 24-hour broadcast, but finally something worthwhile came on the air this Monday past. Playboy model Heidi Cortez, a frequent Stern show guest, has made the jump to Sirius with "Tissue Time," a half-hour long segment airing weeknights at 10p.m.

It's billed as "Bedtime stories...with happy endings" and it's the raunchiest, most blatantly sexual show I've ever heard on radio. If this kind of stuff is on the air before Howard's debut in January, I shudder to think what the man himself will be capable of. Heidi (she'd want you to call her "Miss Cortez") relates erotic stories in first-person, and acts out fantasy sessions with her listeners. There's lots of ooh'ing and aah'ing and fake orgasms a'plenty (and, on Monday night, compliments of the first guy to call in, sadly, one real one...). She seems to be getting better at her act...Monday she was nervous and talking, like, in a Valley Girl kind of way, you know, ending every sentence with a question? And stuff? I also listened to Thursday's show, and while she keeps the raunch factor high (along with the pitch of her moans), she's thankfully now letting the guys off the air before acting out their fantasies.

It's an interesting, albeit depraved show, and I wonder how much longer it can possibly remain on the air. Listen to it while you can. Trust me on this, fellas, you'll be pulling out your hankys soon enough--because you'll be crying from laughing so hard. (What did you think I was going to say?)

So remember, fellas: avoid the Jones Soda Holiday Pack, and embrace the Heidi Cortez.

~G.

Alas, Poor Yorick, I knew him, Horatio...

Too good to let this one get away:

The obituary of Theodore Roosevelt Heller:

Theodore Roosevelt Heller, 88, loving father of Charles (Joann) Heller; dear brother of the late Sonya (the late Jack) Steinberg. Ted was discharged from the U.S. Army during WWII due to service related injuries, and then forced his way back into the Illinois National Guard insisting no one tells him when to serve his country. Graveside services Tuesday 11 a.m. at Waldheim Jewish Cemetery (Ziditshover section), 1700 S. Harlem Ave., Chicago. In lieu of flowers, please send acerbic letters to Republicans.

Not kidding. Fun, huh? And no, I didn't really know the guy...was just trying for a zinger of an opener.

Bis morgen, jungen und frauen...

~G.

What You Should Really Be Reading/Watching/Plunking Down $$$ To See...

Yo.

I've been working like a dog, on both real work and the novel, so that leaves me less and less time to grace you with my presence. But now, here I am, and I bring you my product reviews o' the week. In no particular order:

WHAT YOU SHOULD SEE AT THE MOVIES

Serenity. "Take me out / To the black / Tell 'em I ain't comin' back / Burn the land / Boil the sea /You can't take the sky from me." A phenomenal film that is so far into its science fiction roots that you can't really tell what genre it's supposed to be. It's equal parts straight drama, space voyage, western, and love story, with a delicious ensemble cast. I guarantee you most people won't "get" it, but that's all right: we're not "most people," are we? If you haven't seen the TV series whence it came, Firefly, fear not: the story is so engaging, the characters so appealing, you won't feel you've missed a thing. The film is just that shiny. (That's future-speak for "cool.") Although I wished a few characters had gotten more screen time (who wouldn't want to see more of the luscious Morena Baccarin as futuristic wh--Companion, Inara Serra?), filmmaker Joss Whedon explains more than enough of the series' mysteries in a satisfying fashion than I could've hoped for, and gives plenty of suggestions as to the rest. (If you haven't found Book's backstory by now, gose, you're just not looking hard enough.) This film isn't just the best sci-fi excursion of the year; it's the best gorram sci-fi story of the decade, if not longer. So saddle up to the local B.O., padnuh, or Hulk will smash.

And no, I'm not just spreading the love because I've met the entire crew of the Serenity--yup, I've met Nathan, Gina, Adam, Jewel, Morena, Ron, Sean, Summer, Alan, and Joss. Remind me to tell you where.

WHAT YOU SHOULD BUY ON DVD

Veronica Mars: The Complete First Season. A smart, savvy detective show with a season-long arc a la Buffy, the show stars spunky blonde ingenue Kristen Bell as the titular heroine, determined to solve a web of mysteries centered around the death of her best friend, Lily Kane, that reaches into the lives of just about everyone she knows--from her detective father and absentee mother, to her ex-boyfriend, Lily's brother, to Lily's ex-boyfriend and his movie star family, to Lily's family, all the bases are covered. Each episode also covers a smart (did I say that already?) mystery in the space of one hour. Creator Rob Thomas nearly one-ups Joss for one-hour dramas here, but yes, I do like spooky stuff muy better. Give it time. Anyway, the six-disc set from Warner has some sparse extras, but the content is terrific, and hasn't disappointed yet...even though I'm just one disc into the six (and I only watched half-a-season when the show aired...nevermind, I plan to make up for that mistake this weekend!). Yours for a paltry $38 at the local Best Buy, if you've got your Rewards card. (Oh, Best Buy, where are my kickbacks?)

WHAT YOU SHOULD BE READING

Infinite Crisis #1 (DC Comics). Try and imagine a world where superheroes are nearly as reviled as the villains they fight; a world where the world's greatest heroes, the paragons of virtue and all that is right, are at each other's throats over the methods they employ to flush out the criminal element. Who can save superhumanity from itself? Who can restore order and bring the Earth, nay, the very cosmos back to some semblance of balance? This is the predicament posed by writer Geoff Johns and artists Phil Jiminez and Andy Lanning, and it's nothing short of stunning; the true successor to the biggest, baddest hunk of comic book melodrama ever told, Crisis on Infinite Earths, from 1985. In more ways than one.

See, this is why I'm using more than one paragraph: it's really that good. Batman has been spying on superhumanity ever since he found out that his fellow Justice Leaguers, when they wiped the memories of the Secret Society of Super-Villains many years ago, also wiped his mind. See, folks: Batman is paranoid for a reason. And Superman, well, he's been mind-controlled by someone the JLA trusted. When Wonder Woman saved humanity from a rampaging Superman, that's when the crap really began to fly: she killed the culprit, and now the whole world knows, and hence, fears the heroes aren't as goody-goody as they seemed. On top of the drama between the three key players, of course, the super-villains have banded together to ensure no further memory-wiping occurs; magic runs out of control as the spirit of God's wrath, the Spectre, tears across the cosmos; and, of course, there's a big space war happening that's destabilized the very center of the known universe.

I wish I could spoil the finale to #1, but I can't: it's, again, just that good. I nearly cried. I definitely shook with excitement. Word to those considering picking this book up: it's the return of the greatest hero of all time. More than that, it also shows why DC is the best there is at telling stories involving multiple timelines and realities. (Sorry, Marvel!) Yes, that's right: it's more than a name-only sequel to that original Crisis. The only thing to get me even close to this giddy this week was the lead-in book, Villains United #6. So yeah, this one's got it all: a great, universe-spanning story, plenty of action, and yes, lush art. And that last page...!

That's it; I daren't say more. Trust me on this, guys and dolls: if you're to be counted among the cool, don't miss this junk.

~G.

And Speaking of Ashlee...

Howdy, cowpokes.

(I think I used that line before; ah, well.)

Work progresses on character development for my novel. Also, expect to see a new website by yours truly popping up here in a week or three.

Fun night at karaoke last night: since there weren't that many people at the bar, and we were getting bored, someone suggested we do each rotation with a different musical theme. As result, I sang stuff I would never have done before. As examples of themes, most interesting last but otherwise in no strict order: songs with a state name in the title or lyrics (I did the Doobie Brothers' "Long Train Running"); songs recorded before 1970 (mine: "Thank the Lord For the Night Time" by Neil Diamond); 1980s dance songs (mine: Men Without Hats, "Safety Dance"...yes, the Safety Dance!); and the strangest of them all...a gender-bending round wherein the girls had to sing songs originally performed by male vocalists, and vice versa. Girls did Snoop Dogg and some other stuff. One Brian did "Coal Miner's Daughter," and Brian "Dubya" did Gretchen Wilson's "Redneck Woman."

Me? "Lala," by Ashlee Simpson. No, I'm not kidding. (For the uninitiated, some lyrics: "You make me wanna lala / In the kitchen on the floor / I'll be a French maid / When I meet you at the door / I'm like an alley cat / Drink the milk up I want more / You make me wanna / You make me wanna...scream.") Click here for the rest.

Much applause followed from me making a complete idiot out of myself, and some lady came by, shoved her boobs in my face, rubbed her crotch against my knee, introduced herself, and told me she moved here from California, that her dog screwed Jay Leno's dog and they had little puppies, and that she had spent 17 months single and was, that night, out on a first date with some guy, a podiatrist, who wasn't hanging around at the moment. She also told me just where she hung out and found said guy. Why, I haven't a clue. At least she was moderately attractive. I kept wondering if the crotch-knee thing was intentional. Still wondering.

Life is strange sometimes. Right now I'm gonna settle in and watch "Lost" on DVD.

~G.

Call In Some Tom Jones...or Phantom Planet...or...Ashlee Simpson!

Hey, all.

Do yourselves a favor today and open those wallets to charity. Go to the WDVE radio station website and click to listen to their live webcast. All day, from 9am-9pm EDT, they're doing a "pay-for-play" event that benefits flood relief. Anything you want, they'll play, but it'll cost you. Usually, they're a straight rock format, but today they've played stuff like Eminem, Right Said Fred, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, the Carpenters, the Pitt Fight Song, and the theme from Chiller Theatre (!). Requests start at $25--have your credit cards handy. I'm sure someone'll be calling shortly for The Captain & Tennille...

Someone, request Phantom Planet's "California," Tom Jones' "She's A Lady," Murray Head's "One Night in Bangkok," Warren Zevon's "Johnny Strikes Up the Band," or if you're really adventurous, try Manfred Mann's Earth Band's 1978 cover of their 1960s hit, "The Mighty Quinn." If you're daring, go for some Britney, Justin, Jessica, Ashlee, or even Ricky Martin (yes, "Livin' La Vida Loca"...I dare ya!). Just, whatever you do, don't request the Bloodhound Gang's "Fire Water Burn." And if you put in a request, let me know about it here.

If you don't wanna request something, then go to any number of sites that'll put your money in the right place-- the American Red Cross is a good place to start.

~G.

Don't Shoot Me...I'm Just Buying Gasoline!

Whew. Everyone out there better be sure to carry a baseball bat and make sure your auto insurance is paid up as you head to the pumps today. To say prices are volatile is an understatement. People are at the pumps acting like madpeople--punching and hitting each other just because one person thinks the other is "stealing" the gas that is "rightfully theirs." Regular grade gas is anywhere from $2.67 to $2.85 per gallon if you can get it in the Pittsburgh area. (I say 'if' because many stores around here are out of regular grade gas.) I've seen premium gas up to nearly $3.50. Gas is also $3.42/gallon in Atlanta. Rumor has it this is only the tip of the iceberg. Thank you Katrina, and f*** you OPEC.

I also believe cheapgas.com has requested a domain name change to nosuchthingascheapgas.com, or expensiveashellgas.com, or somesuch. Friends of George W. Bush and OPEC are phoning in comments of sincere thanks. I also think OPEC is holding hourly masses praising God, Allah, or the deity of their choice. People are also suddenly discussing the downfall of the entire infrastructure of the country, or just the downfall of the entire airline industry.

Inflation is right around the corner. Produce costs will soar, as will the price of anything carried by truck. Prices are on their way to...well, experts say $4/gallon, but I say $5. In this case I hope the experts are closer to the real figure than I am.

Let's hope it settles down soon, else it's just back issues and old books & magazines for me.

Just to state the obvious: anywhere near minimum wage ain't gonna cut it anymore.

Be careful out there. Like I said: baseball bats, auto insurance. And watch for water in the tank.

Why couldn't Reagan have kept up the research avenues for new fuel sources in '81 instead of vetoing all the legislature that President Carter put forth? Can't anyone see it's bad to rely on one type of fuel?

Is www.screw-you-opec.com taken?

~G.

More Fun (But No Comics)

I'll post in-depth later, but for now:

• I don't personally know anyone in the path of Hurricane Katrina, that passed through parts of Missisippi and Louisiana since Sunday night; however, that said, any people who are in those affected areas or know people down there--heck, everyone in general: you have my condolences, and I hope everything gets better down there soon. Life goes on.
• "You learn something new every day" dept.: I'm guessing the 80s band Mr. Mister was a Christian rock band. I haven't done any research, don't know a thing about 'em besides, but just yesterday I realized that their song "Kyrie" is not about a girl (silly, silly me), and is in fact a riff on the Greek mass' enunciation for "Lord have mercy" (Kyrie Eleison). I say thee "huh."
• Similarly: Anyone ever seen a movie from the 60s called Oh! What a Lovely War? The guy down at the barbecue stand at the bottom of the hill recommended it highly. It's allegedly a satire on par with Dr. Strangelove (Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb), which is absolutely brilliant. If you've seen it, speak up.
  
• Remington Steele is the best TV show produced in the early 1980s. I'm halfway through season 1 on DVD right now, and it's fantastic. Buy it, rent it from Netflix, I don't care...just watch.
• Work continues to grate. Remind me to tell you how the best advice I've offered so far was "Call the cops." Remember, it's a tech support line.
• I think I'm finally getting ready to write my first original novel. I'll be picking up a copy of Writer's Market shortly. Meanwhile, I'll just say it's very Twilight Zone, with a decent mix of autobiographicality and metafiction. Still in the outline stage and doing heavy research. Don't worry, I won't neglect my dear fans like you--I'll still be posting semiregularly here. I may have to cut back on the interviews & reviews soon enough if the book really gets rolling. By all means, pray that it does go well, because then, those of you who don't know me in person will be able to meet me on a nationwide book tour as I go full steam ahead to #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List.

That is all...oh, and yes, the infamous "lost post" is forthcoming. Check back in the archives for the topic I keep saying I'll talk about but never have. It's on its way.

~G.

Ode to Marzbar...You Know Who You Are

And although it's probably way outside probability, I hope you're reading my blog. If you are, then maybe you'd be surprised to see this entry, and maybe not so much. Or maybe you just enjoy Googling your own nickname from college and seeing what comes up, in which case, voila.

I'm acting a bit silly, I guess. I keep seeing one of your old AIM screen names popping up on my Buddy List and then just as quickly going away. I don't know if it's really you, or if someone else just happened to pick out that same nickname once you'd deserted it. (For all I know, someone stole your cell phone and that dratted AIM box keeps popping up every time they use it...) So seeing the nick pop up made me think of you, and thinking of you made me think of the few good times that were, and the many more that might have been...had I been a better man.

(Just so we're clear, all: the name up above? It's not the lady in question's AIM nick. So, nyah.)

The few occasions when we did talk together are etched into my mind forever. I just wish I was ready to step forward, take you by the hand, ask you out on a honest-to-gosh date. We met in the SFO at college, do you remember? You and your friend Kristin sat near my friend Liz and I at the first meeting of the semester--a screening of "Being John Malkovich," which, admittedly, I didn't want to sit through because I'd already seen the movie. But, hey, I wanted to join the club, and, having been away from campus for a semester due to illness (following some life-changing events...bad breakup and subsequent diagnosis of a chronic illness), I needed to ground myself in college life, and that meant going out and making new friends. I guess you were appointed.

I think at the time I was still in "date no one" mode, and maybe I also had a feeling or two for Liz, whom I'd only just met weeks before. Who can say? But weeks passed, meetings were held at your and Kristin's dorm. And the next thing I knew, I wanted to get to know you better.

Do you remember the time I dropped by the diner where you worked in the middle of the night? Here's a secret: I wasn't coming from any party downtown. I just came from my dorm, a few blocks away, to see you. You, with your glistening blond hair, intriguing eyes, warm smile, kind heart. We talked--about our respective college careers, movies we liked, books we'd read--and I let myself go for the first time in far too long. And then I walked you home at--what was it, 4 a.m.? I think I was beaming the whole way home.

I didn't know you had someone else...Jason, was it? The next time I went to the diner, I met him. Next thing I knew, you were gone from the diner, and I only very rarely saw you again. Some meetings for SFO, a chat or two on the phone, and at that winter choir performance at the Music Building. I guess the window of opportunity had passed.

So consider this a love letter, a few years too late, from me to you. I don't know where you are, or what you're doing, or if you're already married with kids. But I hope you've thought of me, and I hope we meet again someday. Most of all, I hope you're happy with where life has taken you.

I miss you, Marzzy.

~G.

This Message Will Self-Destruct in 30 Seconds...

I'm geeked out to the hilt, fellas. And it's something I can't really tell you much about, which is what irks me. So bear with me and I'll follow this up in a later post.

Everyone knows by now that I have an interviewing gig at Comixfan, in addition to reviewing. My first two interviews are up--one with Stuart Moore, writer of DC's Firestorm, and the other with Tony Bedard, writer of Marvel's Exiles series. If you haven't done so, surf over to the site and check out my articles.

So yeah, I came across promotional stuff (covers) I can't share until it's posted with a future interview.

But it's frickin' cool.

Not only is it frickin' cool because the artist is superb, but also because, well, one of my favorite characters, who hasn't been seen in about 8 years in comics, is represented prominently on said promo piece. (If you know my AOL screen name, you know who I'm talking about.) So prominently, do I dare hope that he has a similarly sizable role in the story behind the artwork? Here's hoping.

Last word: Marvel 2099, dudes. (Okay, two words.)

~G.

"Mein Kampf" for Children

Whee, this is fun. I hate to go two political entries in a row, but this is necessary. I think my brain just went "China Syndrome." (Sorry, Rod!)

I guess humor has found its way into the kiddies' section at your local Barnes & Noble Bookseller. Katharine DeBrecht and Jim Hummel have written and illustrated a book titled Help! Mom! There are Liberals Under My Bed! I saw this on the news today and couldn't help but sigh. Parents, you can combat liberal indoctrination perpetrated by 99% of today's media by purchasing this little book, reading it into your iPod, and setting the looped recording at your sleeping children's bedside 7 days a week, until like a miracle, your children will begin quoting long passages from the book without knowing how they knew all this stuff!

Seriously, I'd rather teach a child to think for himself, and try showing him/her both sides of the political spectrum, than practice any sort of preachy indoctrination. That way lies madness. But then again, by asking them to choose, aren't I (gasp) practicing liberalism? Oh no!

Just for shits and giggles: take out "liberal" from the title and insert any describer that happens to apply to you. Would you be offended? Chances are you aren't alone.

No, I haven't read the book, and apparently the people who "reviewed" it on amazon.com are all bald-faced liars, because on said news program, they said it doesn't come out until late September. Anything I say now, those unaffiliated with my liberal leanings will say, is rampant speculation and is ugly, ugly, hideous ranting based on conjecture rather than fact. (paging Mr. Hannity...) I say the mere fact that there is a book out there whose purpose is to convert young, impressionable minds to a specific school of thought, no matter whether conservative or even liberal, is wrong. That's called propaganda, folks, and it doesn't get any wronger than marketing it to kids. Kids who cannot possibly understand the complexities of what it means to be "left-wing" or "right-wing." You know, little future politicos (not present ones) who think wings are things associated with flying animals and angels?

And if--if--this is a satire, then it's in poor taste, because kids don't recognize satire. Not only that, the best satires, the best expressions of views, are done quietly, subtextually, slickly. From the information I've seen so far on this book, it's got all the subtlety of a door spring-loaded with spikes from a James Bond movie, or the laser Goldfinger had aimed at 007's crotch. This book just perpetuates the hideous stereotype of conservatives as illiterate lunkheads. (Which they are, but--aww, skip it. Hiya, choir! I preach to thee!)

Life experience is a better teacher. Indoctrination at an early age is a tactic used by people fearful what their children will grow up to become. It's a tool of the weak. (It was also a tool of the Soviets, and the Nazis used it on the Hitler Juden with anti-Semitic stories.) Why use obvious parodies of Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy as shining examples of "the enemy" if not to breed contempt in young minds for the real people? (Hint: one of them's on the Presidential short list for '08.) A better question to ask in this instance is: why are conservatives such as the authors of this book so afraid of letting their children grow up and think for themselves? Why do they want to instill this kind of hatred and cynicism in their kids?

Kids, if your parents try reading you this book, get the gun out of their top drawer (crawl up so you can reach), and shoot them. Parents, if you are thinking about getting this book to read to your kids, take some Zoloft, and if that doesn't work, refer to what I'd have your kid do.

Remember folks, smart people are not (necessarily) evil. Dumb people can be leagues more dangerous.

~G.

America's Love Affair With the Stupids Continues Interminably

Iraqis keep dying, as do our own soldiers. Pro-and anti-war peoples converge on the ranch down in Crawford, Texas, where our fair President is taking his record fiftieth vacation. (Not to worry, he's getting his daily briefings and making non-prepped, awful-sounding speeches to let us know he's apparently still working.) How'd we get to this point? How do people still believe that the war is just and that it's worth fighting and that we can possibly win?

I'm saddened at the U.S. of A. We've got a terrible anti-intellectual bias infiltrating its way across the country, and it's succeeded in restoring George W. Bush for another term filled with lies, schemes, anti-liberal jargon, and anti-science bullcrap. No, I'm not anti-Republican; I'm anti-Bush. The one man who knew what was going on in the most corrupt administration this side of Richard Milhous Nixon, General Colin Powell (Ret.), saw that to try and light the way with truth and reason was not going to work, and rather than be forced to tow the company line and carry on this truly sickening series of events in the Middle East (today, Iraq; tomorrow, some other country that has a "Q" in it that links them to Al-Qaeda), he stepped down. The only horrifying consequence of that action was that in came Condi and no voice of dissent/reason was there to stop Bush from doing what in his mind needed to be done: namely, wrecking our democracy and plunging the world into armageddon.

Fact is, President Bush wrecked every business he got his hands on. Oil business tanks? Daddy was only too glad to give him another. What makes the average person think he won't end up wrecking the U.S. just like he did the companies he headed? Worse yet, he seems to believe the American public act at his whim, and not the other way around. We hired you, buddy--try to not screw up.

Why was Bush elected? He had one hell of a spin doctor in Karl Rove who helped him hide the bodies. Also, again, America had an attack of the stupids. No Arabs are good Arabs, some major one-sided thinking on the part of WASPs who can't even tolerate African-Americans. Oh yeah, racial profiling is our friend, of course. SCIENCE IS BAD. Science creates monsters, y'know! Even embryos which will never, ever be used to make babies should never, ever be used for stem cell research that could potentially save hundreds of thousands of lives because life is sacred and they might really, truly, someday be babies no matter what scientists say. After all, scientists are wrong about evolution, too--God obviously made us and the Earth in six days. (I'm being facetious, but I'll come back to this later.)

And we can't ever trust smart people. Did I mention that? Smart people know more than average people, and can use their intelligence against us, to hide things and do bad things while we think they're doing good things. So if we give the job to a guy who's just average-smart, he won't have the brainpower to do anything that we don't want him doing. He won't be able to hoodwink us! Jeezus, what genius. It's working really well so far. Newsflash: some smart people can act dumb. Another newsflash: it's patently obvious that Mr. Bush's brain has been pickled by years of alcohol and drug abuse, and...good grief, have you heard his unrehearsed speeches from the Crawford ranch? Do you need more evidence? Quite frankly, I'm amazed that anyone who actually listened to what the man said voted for him after the disastrous series of debates he had with John Kerry last year.

People, I get that Cindy Sheehan is being exploited by the news media, her story being stretched too far. But is she wrong to express her opinion? To many Conservatives, yes, she is, and she should shut the hell up. I say you should be able to express your opinions no matter how they differ from those in power, so long as you're not breaking any laws. And that goes especially during wartime. Make your voice heard, but be sure to do it after having reviewed enough facts to not seem like an idiot. Don't do anything "just 'cuz."

Still think the news media is wrong and that everything in Iraq is hunky-dory? Read the Baghdad Burning blog for something truly enlightening about daily Iraqi life.

Still think Bush is pro-technology and a middle-of-the-road Republican? Read "I Miss Republicans" and "The President and Intelligent Design" over at Kung Fu Monkey. You gotta love this stuff.

Bring our troops home. The longer the insanity continues, the worse we look to the rest of the world. It doesn't matter what we think we're doing--the fact is we started in the wrong place, haven't captured who we want to capture, and the next Vietnam is here--what matters is what everyone thinks we're doing. And it looks like we're plowing over Islam and proving we're the Great White Devil that Bin Laden thinks we are. Bin Laden's people attacked us, which gives us a license to kick his butt in Afghanistan, not a license to try and bring the whole of Arab nations together under the veil of democracy or to attack a completely different nation just because they share a "Q" with the name of the terrorist organization that was responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

Toodles!

~G.

In 6 Months, I'll SO Be Running the Joint...

I'll try to make a few long-awaited blog entries very soon. In the meantime, know ye that I got a job, starting tomorrow. Help desk, call center. The hours will probably be too short (or too long, in that case, benefits would be good), the pay's definitely too little, but a resume credit's a resume credit. You know what they say--the first post-college job is the hardest to get, but once it's gotten...

~G.

Movies I Hate to Love: Van Helsing

Ever seen one of those movies that seems absolutely horrid on first viewing, but then, just like a fungus, it begins, quite unbidden, to grow on you? And the more you watch it, the worse it gets. It's worse by far than a train wreck in slow-motion. Everything in your head screams at you that you shouldn't like this movie, but somehow, something in it appeals to your hidden baboon instincts, and whoop, there it is.

So it is with me and monster-movie-gone-seriously-awry, Van Helsing.

(Forewarned is forearmed dept: Those who don't want the film spoiled for them, um Gottes Namen, cease reading now!)

I didn't like the movie at all when first I saw it in the theatre. Hugh Jackman's a good, solid actor, and he's manly and heroic and all. Kate Beckinsale is, truthfully, pretty damned sexy in her latter-19th-century corset and leather, and I like the Balkan accent. But the monsters? Richard Roxburgh is no Bela Lugosi, Shuler Hensley is a poor man's Frankenstein Monster, and there are too many werewolves in the story to ever truly get a bead on them.

On top of that, Van Helsing has been transformed into an All-Purpose Monster Hunter (TM) rather than the psychologist-cum-vampire killer he was in Stoker's book. He also turns out to be some immortal on-par with Dracula himself--"The Left Hand of God," Dracula calls him. And to add insult to injury, writer/director Stephen Sommers makes him into a 19th-Century James Bond, complete with secret organization backing him (combined with a modern 'deny everything' bent that makes him look to society at large as an enemy a la Spider-Man of sorts) and his trusty sidekick, Friar Carl (who, thank God, is not named Quentin, or Quincy, or anything else that would remind the audience of his true inspiration--James Bond's trusty Q, be it division or just Desmond Llwellyn). Also, there's the trivial matter of the first name change--from Stoker's Abraham (possibly an early Mary Sue character, since Stoker's first name was Bram, short for Abraham) to Sommers' Gabriel Van Helsing.

Then, we start getting into deeper crap, the likes of which one needs a shovel to sift through. Dracula and his brides have litters of dead kids that are hung in webby sacs that hang from the rafters of the castle proper. It's said during the film that hundreds of these born-dead nasties come from a single birthing. Dracula's purpose in the film is to use the techniques Victor Frankenstein perfected in his creation of the infamous Frankenstein Monster to bring his own children to life. Y'know, the vampire reproductive process, I thought, was generally a bite and a suck and that was that, but it appears something changes the fundamental human biology. My brain crashed and had to reboot when first I tried considering just how the whole vampire impregnation and birth process takes place. It's something I still can't wrap my head around. Steve (Sommers), if you're reading this, can you offer some insight? Or is this just one big plothole? Do all these mini-eggs just fly out her cooch and stick to the ceilings, growing and then somehow "dying on the vine," or do the Missus Draculas grow to have 200-foot wide wombs and expel all these puppies at once, or what? Help a brotha out.

Lastly, we get to that nasty problem of "only werewolf bites can kill Dracula," which is sure to be invalidated the moment Van Helsing 2 goes into heavy production. We've seen it all over the years in vampire films. Roses, stakes, silver, garlic, fire, decapitation, dismemberment, yadda yadda yadda. Can anything really deal the Prince of Darkness his final demise? It seemed an arbitrary, nonsensical addition to the canon. Werewolves. Ha! It might help if we knew how/if a relation between werewolf and vampire came to be, and why it only pertains to Dracula.

But now, I've finished watching the film for maybe the third or fourth time since getting it on DVD last Christmas. And you know something? I've fallen under its spell. I love the sets, I love Van Helsing himself (in a manly way, dammit), those vampiresses (Josie Maran and the one with red tresses are hot--the brunette, ehhh), and I even like the pitiable creature the Frankenstein Monster has become. (Although I still don't buy Carl's "I'm not supposed to help you!"/"I want to live!"/"All right!" spiel at the end.) I even like Dracula in this one (even though Max Schreck and Christopher Lee are still my favorites). The film's not remotely scary, but it's very atmospheric and that counts for a lot.

It's weird fun and I hate myself for loving this flick. In a different way than hating Sommers' two-and-a-half Mummy flicks. I hate it so much that I bought the single-disc release at Best Buy, took the bonus disc out of there and hocked the movie itself to a friend, then got the 3-disc "Ultimate Collector's Edition" of same, put the old bonus disc in there, and even now keep watching this flick.

Anyone else have any flicks they feel the same about?

Maybe if I get a good response to this article, I'll post more film stuff. Pipe up!

~G.