Please to explain.

Why doesn't Marvel own useyourvoice.org?

Does anyone know how far in advance Jenkins probably turned in his script for Generation M #1? Before September 19, maybe?

Weren't there some URLs used in Powers that ended up pointing to jinxworld.com? If so, why is that reasonable for Bendis to do, but not Marvel? Do they assume anyone reading Gen M visits their site regularly, so it's not worth it to spend the $7/year (or whatever) the domain would cost? Not even to keep someone else from using it to advertise their whatever the hell that is?

I'm so confused.

Also, I've added and removed some links over yonder (imagine that I'm pointing—please ignore my freakishly long fingers). I noticed I wasn't really reading a couple of those sites anymore, and I decided to start reading some others. I should probably bookmark them all so my use of my own blog as a 'portal' thing stops making it show up in those damnable sites-that-link-here lists.

More terrible ideas.

First, I must point out that Tom Lehrer used to have Norman Osborn hair.

Second, I briefly considered making a fake cover for the theoretical Marvel comic, What If... Jesus Was a Lion?

But that would have been hard.

Instead, I present a special holiday message, straight from Danny Rand:


That's right, Danny. From all of me, to both of you, Merry Fistmas.

(Y'all can Google 'Zod bless us, everyone' on your own. I got nothin' to do with that. Oh, and I shamelessly stole that cover from comics.org.)

Remember your drunk relatives this Xmas.

Some dude sent me this:


Be sure to check out the Story of Johnny Surge too.

You're probably all quite familiar with ep.tc already, so I continue to bring nothing to the table.

I finished Two Fisted Science, Dignifying Science, and Night Fisher. I liked them all, of course, because I like everything. Night Fisher is gorgeous, and it'll teach you how to tie a knot. The Birute Galdikas story (in Dignifying Science) with art by Anne Timmons is particularly beautiful and makes me wish comics companies would have more orangutan-based comics. Give Grodd a sidekick. Orville or something.

This isn't funny.

(Sorry, Spencer.)

Little did I realize that my fun-sized mention of Blue World in my last entry would actually end up being relevant. The story Night Calls the Green Falcon (which, I forgot to explain, is about an old serial star putting on his costume one last time to catch a serial killer, told in a serial fashion) contains a number of comic references, in addition to being based on the serials of the '40s. From an interview with McCammon:

Q: We were talking earlier today about comic books. [Your story] "Night Calls the Green Falcon," which blew me away: was that influenced any by the comic series The Watchmen? Did you read The Watchmen?

A: No, I haven't read The Watchmen, but it is influenced by all the comics I used to read as a kid. And it's influenced by all of the serials that I used to go to when I was a kid, the Batman serials, Zorro---those were great.

That question's a bit weird and narrow, since the story doesn't seem to be influenced by Watchmen in any way (I mean, old guys in costumes are hardly unique). I'd like to know whether the character of Davy in the story was called The Watchman because of it, since McCammon could have heard of the book without having read it, but that's different.

Another character has a shaved head, except for a question mark of hair. He's called Ques.

There's also a motel owner who wears a Captain America shirt, and a "dancer" with the wonderful comic book-style name of Amazin' Gracie.

Some of the other stories are a bit disappointing so far, but I give Night Calls the Green Falcon a solid three-and-a-half hideously-colored recommendation units.

UPDATE: Turns out you can read it online. Way to go, internet.

Cromartie High School, meanwhile, is brilliantly, stupidly hilarious. It has everything: a gorilla, a robot, and Freddie. I give it 83 stars. (Stars omitted.)

My baffling library.

I had to bring some books back to the library and pick up another one* today. Before I left, I searched the library's site to see if there was a Neil Gaiman book other than Anansi Boys that I hadn't read yet (I'm still not entirely sure I've read Smoke and Mirrors, but I think I might have). One of the results was Jill Thompson's The Dead Boy Detectives (I think Gaiman's listed as a consultant). What piqued my interest there wasn't that they had the book (good thing, too, since I ended up failing to find it), but rather that there must be a graphic novel section somewhere in the library that I'd never seen.

After trudging across the tundra (mile after mile) to the library, I found this wondrous new graphic novel section, among the young adult/teen books.

It was approximately half of a single shelf.

I'm hoping for their sake that it's because of high circulation of various manga titles (I know I've seen Nausicaa in their online catalog, and it wasn't there), but I doubt it.

Of the few books they had, there were a surprising number I just had to get. Everyone raves about Two Fisted Science, so I got that and Dignifying Science. Chris just wrote about Cromartie High School, which the library had the first three volumes of. I got the first one, and if I don't like it, I shall hold him personally responsible. Spencer read Night Fisher; soon I shall be cool like he is.

Just imagine how fascinating this would be if I'd actually read them! Maybe someday, dearest creepy-internet-friends. Maybe someday.

* I requested an interlibrary loan (ILL) of Robert McCammon's Blue World, which I knew was held by at least three ILL libraries in the state, about a month and a half ago. I got the notification that it had arrived last week. I got it today, and it's from Montgomery, Alabama. Efficient! Once I get my current pile read, I think I'll request Epileptic. Maybe they can borrow it from Guam.

Sorry.

I have to say, fanboy explanations for that pronunciation are total bullshit. It's like that in the cartoon? Nobody cares. 'Ei' is always pronounced like 'eye?' No it fucking isn't, you weird bastards. I'm sure Senator Harry Reid would be surprised to learn that. So would I. Jack Kirby pronounced it that way? Well, that's more like it. Why couldn't you message board freaks be smart like Kevin? Then I wouldn't have misdirected my rage.

The unfortunate link-blogging.

Apparently, some pictures from X-Men 3 (or X3, if you will) are out. The trailer is up now, too. What's up with Juggs', uh, juggs?

I'd like to be the first to point out that, thanks to House of M, certain Marvel comics are now 990 more. What does this mean for us, the consumers? I see big things in store for D-Man.

Finally (sorry, Kurt Busiek), Ted Rall wins.