Comment: Right-Wing Conspiracy?

Not really. But there's an interesting little coincidence going on over at Amazon.com w/r/t Combat Zone: True Tales of GIs in Iraq. I posted a version of my Buzzscope review there a little while back, as I do with everything I review that they happen to sell, and received a couple of negative emails about it. Unusual, but not a big deal. It's a touchy subject for many.What's interesting, though, is that since I posted mine, five more reviews were posted, four overwhelmingly postive, each one from a first-time reviewer. Plus, my review has received an unusually disproportionate "6 of…

Continue ReadingComment: Right-Wing Conspiracy?

"They are spinning and people are dying."

New Orleans mayor lashes out at feds ...In the radio interview, [Mayor Ray] Nagin's frustration was palpable. "I've been out there man. I flew in these helicopters, been in the crowds talking to people crying, don't know where their relatives are. I've done it all man, and I'll tell you man, I keep hearing that it's coming. This is coming, that is coming. And my answer to that today is BS, where is the beef? Because there is no beef in this city. " Nagin said, "Get every Greyhound bus in the country and get them moving." Nagin called for…

Continue Reading"They are spinning and people are dying."

"Commandeer Greyhound."

Buses and gas BATON ROUGE - State Rep. Karen Carter, D-New Orleans, made an urgent plea Friday morning for gasoline and buses to ferry victims to safety who have been stuck in New Orleans under deteriorating conditions since Hurricane Katrina struck the city four days ago. "If you want to save a life get a bus down here,'' said Carter, whose district includes the French Quarter. "I'm asking the American people to help save a wonderful American city.'' Her voice cracking with emotion and her eyes bloodshot from fatigue and distress, Carter said pledges of money and other assistance are…

Continue Reading"Commandeer Greyhound."

New Orleans? Or Baghdad?

via The Interdictor, a "journal [which] exists to share firsthand experience of the disaster and its aftermath with anyone interested." "Bigfoot" is a bar manager and DJ on Bourbon Street, and is a local personality and icon in the city. He is a lifelong resident of the city, born and raised. He rode out the storm itself in the Iberville Projects because he knew he would be above any flood waters. Here is his story as told to me moments ago. I took notes while he talked and then I asked some questions: Three days ago, police and national guard…

Continue ReadingNew Orleans? Or Baghdad?

R.I.P.: Angela Boyce

I just saw on a couple of blogs that Angela Boyce passed away.:-(Hadn't seen or spoken with her in a few years, but when I first met her while doing a couple of gigs in San Diego - back in 1999 or 2000? - she was one of the sweetest, most sincere, not to mention flat-out talented, poets I'd ever met. Bumped into her a couple more times after that, and the one thing that always struck me about her was that she never dwelled on her disabilities. She was stronger than most able-bodied people.R.I.P.

Continue ReadingR.I.P.: Angela Boyce

INDUSTRY BUZZ #2: Hype Will Eat Itself

Industry Buzz is my monthly roundtable column at Buzzscope, featuring some of the most outspoken creators, retailers, pundits and advocates in comics commenting on the issues affecting the comics industry. This month, we took a look at hype, and what, if any, affect it has on sales.Does marketing/hype help sell more copies of a comic book? Would, say, the first volume of Runaways have sold better if Marvel had promoted it half as much as House of M? What about reviews? Do they have any measurable effect on sales, especially of independent comics that lack the marketing resources of the…

Continue ReadingINDUSTRY BUZZ #2: Hype Will Eat Itself

Moon Knight: The Bottom

"Moon Knight: The Bottom is violent. Period. It's a Moon Knight story based in the Doug Moench continuity and while Marc Spector, as Moon Knight didn't really kill people, it seemed like everybody died. Until they started getting resurrected in Marc Spector: Moon Knight, every bad guy that he faced off with ended up getting blown up or killing themselves or being killed by somebody else. Usually, it was tragically, or in a very dark and ironic manner; it was grim stuff. And Marc Spector is a killer. Period. End of story. He was a man who was paid money…

Continue ReadingMoon Knight: The Bottom