Short Review - The Suicide Squad

I don't like movie theaters much. The chairs always hurt my legs and back, so by the end of the movie I'm in enough pain that I rarely find myself enjoying the show. I know it was an incredible movie if I don't come out limping and wanting to cry. Add in the annoyance of other people and the appeal of a movie theater is almost non-existent for me. So having HBO Max and being able to see certain movies at home is a blessing. Being able to pause those movies as well is amazing. So when The Suicide Squad was released on HBO Max along with theaters, I jumped at the chance to see it.

And by "jumped" I mean I fired it up the day of release and stayed up late to finish watching it.

Initial thoughts: Over-the-top violently gory, basic plot, some really good performances and generally just fun.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD. I'm going to try to avoid outright spoilers, but no matter how hard I try, some spoilers may possibly slip through. Please don't read any more if you want to watch the movie unspoiled.

Stargirl and friends

I have not regretted getting DC Universe at all, and have enjoyed a number of shows on the website already. But as hubby-Eric and I just caught up with Stargirl, I thought I'd give a quick overview of the service and what I've gotten from it so far.

First off, the shows. In addition to Stargirl, which is cringe-worthy at moments but still a great deal of fun, we've also watched Young Justice, Doom Patrol, Titans, Swamp Thing and Harley Quinn. I've enjoyed all of them, although Harley definitely is NOT for children. My favorite of the bunch is probably the tamest: Young Justice. I was disappointed in how Swamp Thing ended - a problem with the production, not the show itself. Titans was uneven at times, but overall had strong characters and interesting plotlines. Doom Patrol is just really, really strange and I'm looking forward to the next season. Harley Quinn makes me laugh and then feel bad about laughing - but the themes and characters are spectacular. I am a HUGE fan of this version of King Shark. I wasn't too cool on the Aquaman appearance, but no hero comes off positively in this one.

Stargirl, a legacy show about the reforming of the JSA, is also a very strong show. I sympathize with Beth, in particular.

In addition to these shows, I've also been able to watch older shows and movies on the service. Eric has been watching the 1940s and 50s Superman and I watched the Constantine series from 2014. We've watched Super Friends together as well. In short, we've been able to catch a lot of cool vids.

An unexpected bonus came up recently when the service introduced a temporary rewards program. I was able to get enough points quickly to "buy" a movie that I wanted to see: Birds of Prey. So hubby and I got to watch that entirely because of the DC Universe service!

The service also offers comic books, which has allowed me to read a number of older books that I wanted to read/check out. While I haven't used this as much as the videos (mostly because I had a lot of trouble reading the last few months), I still have gotten through a couple of series I missed when they first came out.

I haven't really gotten into the community at all, mostly because I've learned over the years that I don't work and play well with others, so community forums are not something I should get involved in if I want to stay calm and happy. Nor have I paid much attention to their daily shows. I've just been more interested in pure content.

Anyway.

I'm writing this mostly because Stargirl was a lot of fun to watch this evening, and for perhaps the only time in a long time we are completely caught up with the shows on DC Universe we want to watch.

A Sunday Comic Books Review

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Oct 24th
• Titans #28 - A Drowned Earth tie-in, with Garth as a main character. The Heroes in Crisis storyline feeds into this one as well, since Titans apparently died in that (hard for me to take any superhero death seriously, sorry). It took me WAY too long to figure out who Steel was, otherwise it was a mostly ok story with some good moments. It showed Garth's powers and referenced the Titans as they were, so I thought it was decent.
• Batman Beyond #25 - This is a perfect jump-on issue, with lots of backstory and explanation of what has been happening in this version of the DCU to get to this tale. A little bit of classic Batman along with the new, and lots of references to the past. A good one to pick up if you just want to know what Batman Beyond is about.
• Scooby-Doo Team-Up #43 - Thanks to watching the Doom Patrol show, I knew what was happening when the Mystery Machine ended up on Danny the Street. It also gave me a good idea of what was happening throughout the rest of the book. I'm not sure if this is the strangest team-up these guys have done, but it's definitely odd.
• Mystery Science Theater 3000 #2 - Um. Wow. Ok. That was remarkably confusing and a whole lotta fun. I'm not entirely sure what I was reading there, but by the end I was just enjoying the ride and ignoring the plot, such as it is. I suspect fans of MST3K would enjoy this, as would fans of old comic books.
• Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #3 - Oh, I had a feeling about that dog. I didn't have the advantage the Wise Dogs had, though, of being able to smell him as well. Still, I had a distinct feeling, no doubt based on subtle clues the artist and writer provided, that they were walking into a trap. And it turns out they knew it, too. So how is this going to play out? I can hardly wait for the next issue.
• Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden #7 - And Sakai nails the landing. This final issue was mostly one big battle over a book, but OH what a battle. And what an outcome! I never suspected, not even for a moment, that final revelation. Of course, if anyone could have pulled it off, it would have been Ishida. Wow. Fantastic. Get this series.


• Oct 31st
• Justice League/Aquaman: Drowned Earth #1 - I want to like this. It's a crossover featuring Mera! But, it's really not that great. The art is weak and the plot is depressing. There's just not a lot here for me to enjoy beyond Aquaman and Mera. There's even a timing conflict with Titans. I'm tired of stories that are about world-threatening horrors. I just want GOOD stories.
• Heroes in Crisis #2 - Yeah, so when I read the first issue I didn't register who had died. And I'm still not sure who was supposed to have perished. And some big part of me rejects this entire storyline, because the heroes/villains supposedly killed off will no doubt be back soon enough. So I'm just not sure how to react to this thing. I just find myself sighing and hoping it leads to some interesting story, because so far I'm not impressed. Um, is it mean of me to say Lagoon Boy's death is no big loss to the DCU?
• Green Lantern/Huckleberry Hound Special #1 - I really don't know what kind of story I was expecting with a crossover like this, but it was NOT this story. This was excellent. Huckleberry Hound was less a character than a sounding board, but it made for a good story anyway. I don't really know that much about John Stewart's Green Lantern, so I don't know how much of this is canon in the current DCU, but it worked as a story and it worked for the character. Good stuff. I did not read the back-up story.
• Archie Meets Batman '66 #4 - This is a stark contrast to the dreary Archie 1941 that I'm also reading. But then, anything involving Batman '66 has always been great, particularly when Jeff Parker is writing it. This issue gets Batman/Bruce Wayne into Riverdale and also shows off how resilient Jughead, of all people, actually is. And no, that's not the Bat-signal. I never thought I'd see a Jughead signal.
• Stranger Things #2 - Oh man. When I watched the first season, I wondered how Will had survived there. This comic series gives some answers, and shows how it looked from Will's side. It's terrifying. I really need to go watch the second and third seasons some time, too.
• Edgar Allan Poe's Snifter of Terror #1 - I am not a big horror fan - at least not of gory or gross horror. Thus, the first story in this book really does absolutely nothing for me. The second story made me squee, though, using certain iconic characters the way it did. Now, full disclosure, I planned to only order The Wrong Earth and Captain Ginger from Ahoy Comics, because they were the two that appealed to me. This book got added to my list only because they accepted a story from me, and it was due to be printed in an issue of this title. So I figured I had better read the whole series. Despite not really enjoying the, um, atmosphere of the first story, I'm glad I got it. It may not be completely my cuppa, but it's certainly not bad.

A Sunday Comic Books Review

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Sep 26th
• Heroes in Crisis #1 - Interesting way to tell the story. I was getting annoyed at it, then Harley said a few words, and suddenly I had to go back and reread. Which one is the villain? Ok, I'm not thrilled with it, but I am intrigued.
• Batman Beyond #24 - There is quite a large cast in this book now, with all the years of the show and the comic. So I forgot who Mel was until she showed up in costume. Interestingly, Jack isn't wrong about Batman. A satisfactory end to this story.
• Archie Meets Batman '66 #3 - This is incredibly fun, and actually shows Jughead using some initiative. Admittedly, he had some serious motive, but still, I don't generally see him taking action. I enjoyed the abbreviated Batman tale, too. Amusing way to avoid having to write all those literary clues. This is still very good.
• Scooby-Doo Team-Up #42 - The writers were really monkeying around in this issue. It was rather disjointed, but still managed to be more fun than a barrel of gorillas. I had the solution figured out early, but only because I've read a few Congo Bill stories and had a suspicion. Totally goofy fun.
• Fantastic Four #1 - A nice introduction, showing two members of the FF trying to get on with life after the rest of the team has vanished. I don't know how or when they vanished, but everything was given enough context to work despite my lack of Marvel lore. I actually kind of got chills on the final splash page of the main story. The back-up story was a bit Doom-y, and ended too abruptly. Funny one-pager in the back. Not a bad issue.
• Stranger Things #1 - This story tells what Will went through on his side of the universe during the first season, and it actually is a really good start. The cliffhanger is particularly strong.
• Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #2 - Wow, a human who can communicate with them! The only one we'd seen wasn't exactly able to pass as normal. Thrilling stuff. A bit gross, but still thrilling.


• Oct 3rd
• Justice League #9 - A slightly interesting bit with Wonder Woman and Aquaman, but overall, still more blah.
• Green Lanterns #56 - Really? Two guys without their rings, one up from his deathbed? This is just awful.
• Fantastic Four #2 - It's like the Bat-signal, only a teleporter across the multiverse. I'm not entirely sure what this group of teenagers is, although the book makes it clear what they've been up to. As for defeating their enemy - I'm not sure that's possible if she really is what she claims to be. Fun stuff.
• Doctor Strange #6 - Well, that mystery got solved quickly and kind of boringly. Still, the story has moved on to another level, and it has possibilities. And as long as the ghost dog is around, the book is improved by an order of magnitude.
• Ripley's Believe It or Not! #1 - This is basically the cartoon with much longer stories told in a nice narrative. Being a Fortean, I was already familiar with all the tales in this book, but the presentation was nice enough that I didn't mind at all. It's a good package for a single issue, and probably would make an excellent gift for a child with a yearning for the bizarre. I wish I'd had it as a child.

Some Catch-Up

When last I wrote, Androcon was about to start (the invasion of Doctor Who fans at the Gjovaag house) and I'd just had a couple of very nice weeks of writing for the newspaper again.

Ok, first off... Inkwell is very healthy, and in fact has been playing more often than before. He's a bit befuddled by all the people who have visited, starting with the Androgums, then my parents, sister and niece, then the appraisers looking at the house. Now he's in the habit of running upstairs and hiding behind the bed when anyone comes to the door, which was actually useful today because I knew when the newspaper arrived.

He's also back in the habit of announcing when he gets into his box. I find it really amusing every time and I don't know why.

The Doctor Who on Twitch marathon is ending today. While none of the other Doctors reached the heights of London 1965, it was an excellent and fun way to see other people's reactions to the show as some of them saw it for the first time. I didn't watch continually, but I caught enough to be amused.

I have put in a hold for Hope Never Dies at the library in the hopes that it will be as goofy as the cover illustration indicates.

I am absolutely convinced that someone made this San Diego Comic-Con graphic just for me:

I saw this Facebook post on Friday the 13th and immediately submitted two stories I happened to have written that only needed a little polishing. I did not expect any response at all until after San Diego Comic-Con, and so was surprised to get acknowledgement of my submission in only a week. Very cool.

I was able to see Doctor Who meet the Muppets thanks to people taking videos at the shows in London, but I'd really like to purchase an official DVD of the shows. I've heard they don't do that, which is a shame. I bet it would raise a bit of money for charity even with the production costs.

If you know about or have played the Uncharted games, Nathan Fillion did a MAGNIFICENT job in a short video based on the games.

Yes, this made me squee. A lot of the Aquaman news recently has made me happily squee away. I mean, the movie poster was fun, but the trailer... oh, the trailer...


I must confess that I laughed hysterically for about a half hour about this particular headline:

News from San Diego includes a new creative team for Aquaman. I'm iffy about the art, but there's nothing wrong with Kelly Sue DeConnick as the writer! And she's the first female writer to take on Aquaman, which is interesting, but I won't cut her any slack.

DC's new young adult books are going to include both Mera and Jackson. I'll be getting the Aqua-related ones for sure, but some of the others also look pretty good.

I have not had a major depressive episode in three and a half weeks. Some of it is all the awesome Aquaman news, some is certainly being able to write for the newspaper again. Sadly, while the depression seems to be holding at bay, the anxiety and fibro pain have been as bad and worse than ever. Ug. Still, no depression is a win!

Hey, a super-relaxed Inkwell!

I really like this starry night house and kind of want to paint our house like that, only with a TARDIS in it. But I've been warned that blue paint fades very quickly, so I'm not sure. Maybe someday we'll just get a nice TARDIS blue door.

Yes, I have pre-subscribed to DC Universe. I suspect I'll get my money's worth out of it. Yes, of course I pre-subscribed in time to enter the Aquaman sweeps, although there is almost zero chance of me winning.

At the same time, DC Universe Online, the game I play, announced their next "downloadable content" (DLC) will be Atlantis. As the game has already had a ton of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern content, it's nice to see a couple of DLCs (including the recent Deluge) featuring Aquaman and his friends.

If you haven't seen the winners of the Eisner Awards yet, here they are. I hate to admit I'm not familiar with most of them, but the ones I know I like.

I was happy to read this story about a kid and a hot dog stand. Someone called health inspectors on him, but instead of shutting him down they helped make sure he was up to code then paid for his license. Excellent news!

The moment Jason Momoa met the son of Aquaman's creator, Paul Norris.

Get your orders in for Ahoy Comics. I'm looking forward to most of their books, and I don't easily jump on new publishers.

Lastly, the Washington State primary is August 7th. We just received our ballots a few days ago, and last night both Eric and I voted. We dropped off the ballots in the drop box this morning. Now we wait and see.

Free Digital Copies

Both DC and Marvel offer free digital copies of some of their books if you buy the physical copy. Indeed, I'm happy to say that Aquaman recently joined the list of titles I can get a digital copy of when I buy it.

For a long time, I ignored the option, but recently I went through every copy of every book I'd read and put in the codes to get the free online versions. In doing so, I noticed a big difference between the way DC does it and the way Marvel does it.

For a time, Marvel didn't actually give you the book you held in your hand. Instead, the free code was for other comics that they hoped the reader would get addicted to. That's all fine and dandy, but they eventually started to provide the book the code came from AND a promotional book. This is a great idea, in my opinion, because it will introduce some readers to other books. Getting the book you have online also means you are more likely to lend it out - which increases potential audiences.

DC, on the other hand, only gives you a digital copy of the book you own. And while that's lovely, I think Marvel's method is more likely to bear fruit in the future.

Another difference is that Marvel gives people who redeem a code "points" toward free stuff. For people as old as me, that's not so interesting. But for younger audiences, game-ifying the process makes the more likely to redeem the codes and read the promotional books. This, in turn, makes it more likely for them to read more books and get interested in more titles and ... well, there's a decent chance that this experiment will bear fruit in the long term.

I'm not a marketing person, but I know which version of the "free digital copies" appeals to me more - and it's not my favorite publisher's version.

A Sunday Review

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• May 25th
• DC Universe Rebirth #1 - Well, finally. I probably could say a lot about this, but honestly... my biggest annoyance about this is that I cannot find my copy of Watchman to reread. I've got no problem with most of it, and I actually like the way it has taken the loss of continuity and given a narrative reason for it. I also have no problem with Jackson's two panels, and I hope to see more of him in future issues of DC books. My biggest Aquaman-related complaint is the fact that Aquaman and Mera aren't married, but that's been an issue for awhile. Overall, a promising end to "New 52" that will hopefully allow for some good stories going forward. Hey, a girl can dream.
• Justice League #50 - I have been so bored with this storyline from start to finish, all I could think was, "thank goodness this is over". Of course, it's probably not over. There's going to be callbacks and references to it, and Superman's latest death is going to be a big deal. Bleah.
• DC Comics Bombshells #13 - Lois Lane, Penguin, and the Batgirls. Fun stuff. Nothing super, that's coming in future issues for me, but fun.
• Batman '66 Meets the Man From UNCLE #6 - And the heroes win! As do the villains! Sort of! Lots of camp in this, but I enjoyed it. Looking forward to seeing Steed and Mrs. Peel team up with the Dynamic Duo.
• Scooby-Apocalypse #1 - As a fan of Scooby since childhood, I knew this was going to be a difficult book to tolerate - but it wasn't. I was really amused at this twisted version of my favorite detectives. Is it good? Maybe not, but it's really funny and a different take on the gang. I enjoyed it.
• Back to the Future #8 - Nicely confusing tale, with Marty and Doc heading back to the future yet again. The way of reaching critical speed in this one is very disturbing and I'm not really sure this is going to turn out happily. We'll just have to see.
• Dirk Gently: A Spoon Too Short #4 - That has to be the funniest bait ever conceived. But then, this is Dirk Gently, who really doesn't think in the same patterns as most people.
• Doctor Strange #8 - Of course there's something in the cellar that can handle this. Of course. Why not?
• Doctor Who 9th #2 - A few twists and turns in this one, as the Doctor finds out more about the Slitheen than expected while Rose gets a lesson in politics and revenge. Looking forward to seeing how the hunt turns out!
• Doctor Who 10th #2.10 - So the TARDIS is sort of breached by something and a companion gets trapped in a bubble dimension within the TARDIS itself. That's kind of spooky. Not as spooky as the ending, though, when we revisit Dorothy Bell and Anubis and things aren't all going as smoothly as they appear to be going on the surface. Not a lot happened in this issue, but it feels like important set up for something.
• Doctor Who 12th #2.6 - A brand new adventure on a strange human colony! Excellent! And the Doctor steals a bass while chasing a man accused of murder. Lovely! This feels very 12th Doctor to me already, so I think I'll just sit back and enjoy the show.

---

Past Sunday Reviews -- My Kindle Wishlist

Linkdump!

Did flails even exist?

Here's another article about albinos in Africa. Depressing read, but important, I think.

Atlas Obscura, which has become a favorite destination but threatens to overwhelm with too many articles, had a fun story about a nuclear bomb that was dropped on South Carolina.

So, are there no secret hidden chambers off King Tutankhamun's tomb, or is Egypt suppressing the truth? I don't know, but I'm curious to see how it turns out.

MetaFilter has a history of Looney pyramids. These come from the same guy who created Fluxx.

It seems to me that if police are scared to beat people up because of viral videos, then that should be considered a good thing.

Ever wondered why it's called "drop candy"? Well MetaFilter has a link to a video that explains it (5 minutes in!). I'd love to try the nector candy, but I'm not a huge drop candy fan and I'm broke, so I'll just share it instead.

A story linked on Slashdot says Apple doesn't know why its online streaming service is deleting people's files.

Transgender folks are, sadly, able to tell us about our biases.

DC Comics honors Darwyn Cooke.

Let's finish with Simon's Cat:

Yes, yet more links!

I'm feeling the need for some more links! Let's start with a bit of personal news...

I took the leap today and submitted an application to The DC Writers Workshop, even though I do not believe I quite fit the profile of what they are looking for. I have no published fiction, yet, so my writing samples were news articles. That alone may disqualify me. However, the experience of forcing myself to fill out that application, instead of a boring job application, felt good. And hey, there's a chance they might invite me to the video workshop, which could lead to new writing skills. That's nothing to sneeze at.

In some other happy news, Variety and DC Comics have confirmed the return of Supergirl for a second season. It will be moving networks and filming will likely move to Vancouver, which could mean cast changes. I hope not, since the cast is the strong point of the entire show.

I wish I could afford a catio for Inkwell. And for me. Inkwell really wants to go outside, but is terrified of it. And I don't want to lose him to a car or coyote. Via King5.

I'd like to hang out with these women, but I don't work in comics at the moment.

Enjoy a video at Boing Boing of skipping sodium into a river. Lovely explosions!

There's a very interesting discussion at MetaFilter about the cost to taxpayers of businesses like WalMart that fail to provide adequate security and end up calling the police four times as much as comparable retail stores. This is a form of hidden taxes and corporate welfare, like how many WalMart employees qualify for food stamps. If WalMart were a responsible corporation, it would take care of its employees and not rely so heavily on local police to handle its security. But read the comments... lots of good views and other examples there.

A bunch of white morons got upset when a group of 16 black female West Point cadets raised their fists in one of many photos during a photo shoot to celebrate making it through the academy. The photo pose was determined to be "inappropriate" by an official inquiry because the raised fist (commonly used to indicate "Army strong!" during football games) could also be taken as a political statement. Personally, I think it's a great photo and the lily-livered idiots who got upset are clearly trying to make up for their own deficiencies.

Speaking of deficiencies... definitely not safe for work: Why ancient statues had small penises.

The Zipper Merge is the only way to drive, but for some reason, it's considered rude by people who don't know how to drive. The Minnesota DOT is trying to teach people how to use it, even including a video of why it works and a video of how to do it. These links are from MetaFilter, which has quite a long and heated discussion on the issue. Personally, I'm for proper zipper merging, but since the majority of Washington state is not, it's too dangerous to do it. People will literally try to kill you if you follow the law and use the open lane until the merge.

Inkwell believes this website is the most annoying thing online.

I really hope this archive is being digitized and preserved for posterity, because it sounds like it might be invaluable when looking at history.

Thursday afternoon Linkdump

Well, crud. A frozen vegetable recall due to possible listeria contamination has expanded and now includes all the veggies we get from Costco, including one bag that's half eaten. Ug.

Syrian refugees in Canada have very little, but what little they have they are giving to help people affected by the massive wildfires. Via MeFi.

One thing I hated about importing some of my music into Amazon's music app is that, if it thought it knew what song it was, it would replace my music with a "higher quality" version. Because computer algorithms are imperfect, I would sometimes either get a different version of the song or, in one case, a completely different song. An example would be a live duet version of a song replaced by the more popular single singer version that I didn't like as much. Well, at least Amazon didn't delete my original songs. Apparently, Apple Music deletes original song files when you import them into it. Yikes. That's some serious damage to many people's music collections.

Supergirl is in danger of not being renewed, mostly due to the cost to make the show. I really enjoyed the first season, despite some clunky writing and plots. The cast is terrific and I want to see more of it.

How about some ghost stories? Here's a tale of ghosts on a plane. I'm not sure whether to believe the tales or not, but they are fascinating. I'm moderately sure I would freak out if I experienced something like this, seeing as I already have massive anxiety attacks on planes. The last time I flew, from San Diego to Seattle, I needed some serious help to stay calm. I'm not entirely sure I could force myself onto a plane again if there is any other option for getting to where I'm going.

Another interesting story I read today is about two women who just wanted to live without men in a time when women weren't really allowed to do that. But they managed their happily ever after despite the forces around them (and despite being a bit silly with finances).

Trying to trick drivers with an optical illusion might work for a bit, but it generally wears off once drivers figure out what they are.

A woman paints an octopus using 95 million-year-old octopus ink (Google Translate version). Original article in Norwegian. Via MeFi

This story doesn't comfort me regarding medical procedures in our high-tech world. I'm just wondering why the software was set up to do a scan at that point in time.

Every single authority figure failed this child who lost out on her lunch and was accused of a crime for trying to spend a legal $2 bill. The fact that the cop had to go to a bank to figure out it was real shows such ignorance I can hardly stand it. My former boss at Math 'n' Stuff used to get $2 bills on purpose from the bank to hand out as change. I swear I'm going to start getting them myself and spending them everywhere to raise awareness that they exist and are legal tender.

Augie reports that some Marx Brother Movies have been restored, including cut footage. I think I wouldn't mind seeing one of these all cleaned up... movie night!

If I had more money, I'd definitely be supporting a bunch of people on Patreon. One I'd support is Otis Frampton, creator of Oddly Normal. Unfortunately, I'm worse-than-poor at the moment (cash flow is good right now, but soon to be a right mess). So the best I can do is pass this along and hope someone else supports him until Eric and I get our feet back under us.

People who are thinking about trying to break into writing for comics could do worse than looking into this DC Writers Workshop. I am considering applying, although I suspect I a) do not qualify and b) wouldn't be able to afford the trip if I got accepted. Folks have until the end of the month to enter.

Linkdump for Wednesday

Canada is burning. Well, one town. But it's a scary type of burning.

Honestly? I'm really wishing lab-grown meat would happen more quickly. I would be delighted to switch to food grown this way. It would save water, save land, not hurt animals and still satisfy our carnivore side... if it all pans out. I hope it does.

Metafilter has a frightening story: one person moving out of New Jersey put the state's budget at risk. In other words, the super-rich are so rich that they can devastate a region just by leaving. I don't mind people getting rich, but this is obscene.

On a lighter note, Metafilter finds a jewelry ad to be The Greatest & Most Enigmatic 2-Minute Horror Suspense Film of Our Time. It's... wow. I think it is truly impressive that an ad featuring Gwyneth Paltrow could have so many continuity errors that it inspires crazy theories.

Having recently read a book on the history of Hawaii (I really should review it), this article makes perfect sense in a pathetic way. Yes, people really were that racist and greedy.

Students are now exempt from stringent FAA standards regarding flying drones. I still want a little drone to use inside the house.

Comic book writer Peter David writes about his weight loss battle.

And in other comics, Previews seems to indicate that Rebirth is a reboot after all. I guess I don't mind having my comics rebooted every 20 years, but every five years or so is getting tiresome.

It's just Looney

DC Variant covers for November have been announced. It's Looney Tunes crossovers...

Aquaman #46 by Ivan Reis, Brad Anderson and Warner Bros. Animation

Justice League #46 by Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair and Warner Bros. Animation

A Sunday Review

Special this week, Free Comic Book Day! Some of the comics we got from DCBS, others my husband got at Corner Comics on a trip over the mountains. And still others were read online for free at various digital sites, most notably Divergence from DC Comics.

Here are reviews of the comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• FCBD
• Doctor Who: Free Comic Book Day June 2015 - Three Doctors, three short stories, some of them better than others. A good little chunk of extras to catch people up on the status quo of the comics and a nice interview with Paul Cornell. A decent package.
• Bongo Comics Free-For-All 2015 - Actually, I thought the hair thing was a pretty funny prank. The roof story was just ok. Comic Book Guy was predictable. The Yu-Gi-Oh style Lisa story was fun.
• SpongeBob Freestyle Funnies 2015 - Cute little almost-Mermaid Man story at the end, and the jellyfish tale had a pretty decent ending too. Good stuff.
• The Tick: Free Comic Book Day 2015 - With these stories I'm getting the sense for the first time that The Tick has a past. I wonder if it will be explored further, or if we'll be stuck with the tantalizing glimpses?
• Tales of Honor Volume Two, Issue Zero - I was very disappointed in the first volume of this series, as it seemed to forget it was a comic book and tried to be an illustrated story instead. This preview is MUCH better. There's hope for this series after all.
• The Phantom - Nice reprints that tell a lot about the character, along with some supplemental material for new readers.
• Dark Horse FCBD: All Ages 2015 - I liked the Avatar story, interesting character with fun moments, but the other two did nothing for me.
• Gronk/Hero Cats FCBD 2015 - Lots of cats and a monster! This is a fun one, but I'm disappointed in how the Hero Cats story started abruptly and cut off just as abruptly. I was interested, but I'm just not quite sure about it.
• Divergence FCBD 2015 - It's a good thing this was free on DC Digital, since we managed to not get a copy. Three tales, each one leading into the post-Convergence universe, which may claim to be the 52 Universe, but I think we've moved on.
• Boom! Studios Ten Year Celebration 2015 Free Comic Book Day Special - This one is just jam-packed with stuff, some of it good, some of it less so. I really appreciate the complete stories, like the Mouse Guard tale. The Munchkin story was basically a one-note joke, but I found it funny. Overall, this one's a keeper.
• The CBLDF Presents Defend Comics: FCBD Edition May 2015 - A number of stories in this one, mostly with a common theme of speech and understanding. I think I actually enjoyed the Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula story the most of the bunch, but the Green Turtle one was next. The King Midas tale was also pretty good. Another keeper.
• Neil Gaiman's Lady Justice FCBD - Um. I'm sorry, I'm just not that into this sort of story. It really didn't work for me. There's potential there, but I guess I'm not the audience for it.

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Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist -- My Kindle Wishlist -- My Camera Wishlist

Linkdump

Demystifying the opening chord of "A Hard Day's Night".... ooo, music!

Check out this neat visualization of falsehoods that people actually believe.

Fun MetaFilter thread about Ace and Doctor Who and companions in general.

Some people are really annoyed that DC is going to have in comic ads.

Does This Thing Really Work? - energetic reviews of "As Seen on TV" junk.

Literally, gun nuts... lead poisoning. This is an aspect of shooting ranges I never would have suspected.

Life and Death at Cirque de Soleil, the story of how and why an acrobat fell to her death during a performance.

If I understand the history correctly... Yeah, that's Matthew 7:5 for you.

You asked me to write my life, the story of Omar ibn Seid, an educated man who was captured and sold as a slave at age 37 in 1807.

Linky-Dinky-Doo

The New York Public Library's Instagram Account has some really neat stuff on it, including reference desk questions from before the days of the internet.

"Please give me the name of a book that dramatizes bedbugs?"

The Internetest safety video on the Internet

Reports from a Medieval War

I wish I had the skills and tools to make this for my cat (and for me).

Justice League Unlimited: The Lost Episode. I don't remember if I've posted this link before. If I have, it's still fun enough to share again.

Stupid Google Tricks. A couple there worth remembering.

"What does it mean when you dream you're being chased by an elephant?"

I am not opposed to people using marijuana, and this article definitely suggests we should be studying the medical potential of pot more. I want to say I would never use the stuff, but if I were in a situation like Xeni's? Maybe. Just... maybe. I don't know.

I want more Battlebots. Apparently, the new series will be airing starting June 21st, 9 p.m. on ABC. Get out the popcorn!

I was unaware that The Wiz almost had a comic book adaptation by Mark Evanier. Huh.

I can't really listen to the song without cringing, but Rolling Stone had a great retrospective on the making of Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?"

Cliff Mass corrects the media on the notion that we're having a super-drought. Of particular interest is the fact that precipitation is normal, it just didn't collect as snow.

Source. T-Shirt.

Bleeding Cool noted not long ago that DC's latest campaign is really ripe for photoshopping. Ouch. You know, at first I was disappointed there was no Aquaman ad, now I'm just relieved.

Do Not Disturb.

Stress doesn't make rewards any better.

GunFail, which collects news stories of people who really shouldn't have had access to guns, is on Pinterest, Facebook, and Tumblr. The guy who collects these stories noted on Daily Kos that his Pinterest page was disabled for awhile, but he doesn't know why.

DuoLingo now has Norwegian.

Well, time to start learning the language that matches my name.

Monday Linkdump

Cliff Mass has photos that explain why you shouldn't stand under a tree in a lightning storm. Better to get a little wet, yeah?

One of the nastiest pieces of malware out there is the ransomware... it locks your computer's files and won't free them unless you pay the criminals. Apparently, Kaspersky thinks they've cracked the encryption.

Savage Chickens looks at the Fourth Doctor's hair. Um. Ok.

It is slightly amazing to me how recently the theory of plate tectonics came onto the scene. But then I read this story and I'm just furious at men who say stupid things like "girl talk" about serious scientific discoveries. Argh. Seriously, all this misogyny is holding the world back.

I remember hearing about NetHack back in the day... this article makes me glad I didn't try it, because it sounds like I'd still be playing it.

The new look for the Joker? No, I'm not a fan. It just seems over-the-top silly in the wrong way. Joker is supposed to be scary and silly, but there's something just not scary about this version. The active portrayal will make the difference.

Yet another study finds no link between autism and vaccines. But anti-vaxxers are beyond logic, now.

A Sunday Review

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Mar 25th
• Aquaman #40 - So, I suspected that the appearance of Aquaman's mother alone would screw up this story, based on every other story where she's come back, badly, from the dead. I should have had more faith in Jeff Parker's writing skills. This was a story worth reading, and it sets up something very interesting. Aquaman has just been given further proof that he's the rightful ruler of Atlantis... now, what's Cullen Bunn about to do to Aquaman? Hrm... Moving into Convergence with a nice status quo to disrupt.
• Secret Origins #11 - Constantine, Guy Gardner and Black Canary. Constantine was about what I expected. Guy was annoying. Canary's tale was utterly unlike any other version of her story I've read.
• Sinestro #11 - Sinestro did what?
• Multiversity Ultra Comics #1 - That made utterly no sense. And apparently, it's the comic all the characters have been reading in the other Multiversity comics. But that doesn't mean it makes any sense. Maybe it'll all pull together in the end?
• Batman '66 #21 - Lord Death Man! Oooh! This was a fun issue, if only because of the reference to the manga version of Batman.
• Doctor Who 11th #10 - Well, that was an abrupt success... I guess. I'm not sure I like Alice as the Doctor.
• Apr 1st
• Convergence #0 - Well, after this I'm feeling slightly less enthused about Convergence. I guess the thing about different cities up against each other just doesn't appeal. I want to see the Elseworlds, but I never have enjoyed the arena set-up, which this seems to be.
• Sinestro Annual #1 - Nice little collection of origin tales with a framing story in which almost nothing happens.
• Galaxy Quest: The Journey Continues #3 - Ultimate fanboy dream come true. Overall I'm enjoying this book.
• Hoax Hunters 2015 #1 - This picks up where the last series ended, albeit with slightly better art.
• Doctor Who 9th #1 - Captain Jack, Rose and the Doctor walk into a war... ahem. Fun issue, nice cliffhanger.
• Flash: Season Zero #7 - King Shark... I still can't get over the fact that they are doing King Shark in this book. Ha. And they are bringing in the Suicide Squad.
• UFOlogy #1 - Well, that was different. Not entirely what I was expecting, and yet good enough to keep me reading. I want to know what happens next and want to know what happened before.

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And with that I'm caught up on the comics we've already received. So maybe I'll throw in some other type of review next week, since I don't think we'll get our next shipment of comics before next Sunday.

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Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist -- My Kindle Wishlist -- My Camera Wishlist

A Sunday Review

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• May 14th
• Astro City #12 - This is probably the first issue of this title that I didn't love. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but it didn't hit me in the happy spot like pretty much every other issue of the book. I just didn't like the main character, at all. The last issue was fantastic... this one was just better than most other comics.
• Fables #140 - It's the beginning of the end for Fabletown. I guess it makes sense.
• Justice League United #1 - That's a very different origin for Adam Strange than any I've seen before. Not sure I like it, but at least it's original.
• World's Finest #23 - I'm not really sure where this book is heading at the moment. I like the characters, but when they are off doing separate things and having crossovers with books I don't buy it gets annoying. Now I'm just lost.
• Green Lantern Corps #31 - Now things are starting to move at a decent pace after months of boring issues.
• Smallville Lantern #2 - There's too much happening in this book, and not enough references to previous events to keep me on track. I'm really finding it hard to enjoy this title... just like I found it difficult to enjoy the show after a couple of seasons.
• Tales from the Con: Year One - If you've seen Tales from the Con at the Emerald City Comicon website, then you'll know exactly what to expect. In fact, you'll have read most of these. If not, go check it out.
• Spongebob Comics #32 - This issue starts a multi-part Mermaid Man story, with art by Jerry Ordway. Good stuff!
• FCBD
• FCBD: Atomic Robo & Friends - The single paragraph intros inside the front cover were extremely useful in figuring these stories out. The stories themselves were decent: the first two were done-in-ones while the last was a sampler. I'm interested.
• FCBD: Uber: The First Cycle - As the end of WWII approaches, a German secret project bears fruit and the ubermensch are unleashed. Brutal book, mostly text, that describes in detail how it happened. Interesting, but a little too gory for me.
• FCBD: All You Need Is Kill/Terra Formars - Neither of these make any sense. Or at least, neither make enough sense for me to shell out money to get them and try to figure out what they are about.
• FCBD: Dark Horse Avatar, Hellboy, Juice Squeezers - Avatar was fun, I haven't read/seen much of it although I've been aware of it. Hellboy was cute and Juice Squeezers was just strange.
• FCBD: V-Wars - Another book with a lot of text. A virus is released from arctic ice that turns people into vampires. The point-of-view character is a specialist on ancient vampire myths. Some good and some gory in here.
• FCBD: Zombie Tramp & Ehmm Theory - Another two books that I will never have any interest in reading, although both have solid enough concepts. Definitely not for children.
• FCBD: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Knowing almost nothing about the show, this comic wasn't really a great introduction. And I'm just not overwhelmingly impressed by the story without some understanding of what the character are. I think a fan of the show might find this interesting, though.

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Fortean Times #313 (May 2014). I admit, I've never seen The Exorcist. Nor do I particularly intend to. Nothing in this issue celebrating its 40th anniversary made me any more inclined to go watch it, either. The main article describes the debut of the movie in the UK and how the country reacted to it. Another article goes into a really horrible incident involving an exorcism that clearly didn't succeed. The history of exorcism is investigated in a fairly good article that also emphasizes all the bad involved in the practice. There's another article on a very recent haunting in Indiana, which also involved exorcisms.

Forum starts with an article that complains about mistranslations in the story of Noah's Ark while the second article is about all the attempts to find the historical ark and all the folks who have lost a lot of money contributing to those vain efforts.

Strangedays starts with the missing Malaysian flight and the efforts, some very strange, to find it. There's a medical mixed bag that includes guys with tails and bugs surviving inside the body. More bits cover a crocodile in Bristol, out-of-body experimentation, and clocks that stop when a person dies. There's also some follow-ups from previous issues, which I always enjoy reading. Sometimes things that seemed really weird get explained, other times things just get weirder.

In the world of UFOs, a leaked Snowden document is finally found to include them... but not the way true believers would hope. The UFO files is about Mars and Area 51 secrets. The UFO Casebook asks what animals perceive that humans do not when people have UFO sightings. Blasts from the Past looks at the German aeronauts of 1907, who visited several places in Tennessee. Illustrated Police News is about a very unfortunate baby and Phenomenomix continues with more about Yeats.

Konspiracy Korner is about Birchers, Fluoride and Nazi ETs. Ghostwatch looks at weather-related hauntings. An extra-sized Classical Corner is about floods. There's also an extra bit there on ancient footprints found in mud. Archaeology wonders how a kangaroo got into a 16th century manuscript. It also revisits the old coins found on Vancouver Island that suggest Francis Drake may have gone further than history tells us.

Lots of great reviews, including a lovely review of a book that only earned a 4 out of 10. The letters were solid, while "it happened to me" has a great little horror tale. There's also a special piece from Linda Blair, describing how she perceived all the fuss around the filming of The Exorcist and what she's done with her life since being in the movie. Another strong issue.

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Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist -- My Kindle Wishlist -- My Camera Wishlist

A Sunday Review

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Apr 2nd
• Aquaman and the Others #1 - There is something truly amazing about seeing a second Aquaman title running concurrently with the main Aquaman title. Add in that's it is halfway decent, if annoyingly tied into a massive crossover, and I'm actually pretty pleased with it overall.
• Earth 2 #22 - Wow. I'm really impressed with the new Kryptonian. He just seems *right*. And although there wasn't much Aquawoman here, it was still good to see her in a panel.
• Green Lantern #30 - Still not that interested. Traitors and shapeshifters, bar fights and green lights. Not my type of book.
• FCBD
• FCBD: Bongo Free-For-All - A fun little collection of Simpson's stuff. Nothing special, but mildly amusing.
• FCBD: DC The New 52 Futures End - That's an ugly future. But it occurs to me that Terry can't complete his original mission, so he's going to have to get help. So this is already confusing beyond any decent level...
• FCBD: Steam Wars - I was certain I knew how this would go as soon as I started to read it, but it went off in a lot of different directions. Not bad. It's definitely a fun riff on a well-known plot.

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Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist -- My Kindle Wishlist -- My Camera Wishlist

Links

Boing Boing has rules for a quick dice game to play whenever. I think I'm going to start carrying some dice just so I can play if I get bored. Scoring: 4-5-6 wins automatically and nobody else gets to roll after in that round. Three of a kind ("Trips") is next highest, with higher numbers winning. "Spare and a Pair" next highest, with the high spare being the higher score. 1-2-3 is automatic loss. Each player only gets five rolls to get a usable roll. Seems simple enough...

How about a totally awesome Batman Beyond short? I really did enjoy that show, although I suffer from too-much-Batman-itis (Hey, DC, you have OTHER CHARACTERS).

Top 5 reasons why the customer isn't always right. Personally, it disgusts me when rude customers get better service or free product simply because they are rude. People who work in customer service deserve basic respect. I've often thought that all teenagers should work in public service for a few years in order to see what it's like on the other side of the counter. I also think rude customers should be banned from stores. Let them figure out how to buy stuff if no store will allow them entry.