Guy stuff.

Time For Another Break…

Posting's been light round these parts recently as the real world's been busier than usual, to the point where I even fell behind on my weekly pickup and am still slogging through the backlog. Too many decent but not great comics, too much non-news coming out of San Diego and Chicago, too many bloggers talking about the same boring subjects -- it all adds up to my being more interested in playing softball (we beat Martha Stewart last week, and the playoffs start tomorrow!) and Knights of the Old Republic (A.D.D.I.C.T.E.D.) than reading and writing about comics.It's break time, methinks.I'll…

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COMMENT: Sesame Street Has a Lesson for Comics

When the question of diversity comes up in comics, it's always interesting to watch the likes of Joe Quesada, Dan DiDio, et al stumble over themselves to not put their foots in their mouths as they cautiously dance around the subject. The New York Times has an interesting article today about Sesame Street's newest female muppet, Abby Cadabby, that has some direct relevance to the comics industry.A Girly-Girl Joins the 'Sesame' BoysLIZ NEALON, executive vice president and creative director of Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind "Sesame Street," wasn't sure exactly what she wanted in a new Muppet for the…

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On the Shelves: 7/26/06

Read GOOD Comics, not just the ones you're used to! Try something new EVERY month. My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 7/26/06. The full shipping is list available at ComicList. [NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com] PICK OF THE WEEK Bumperboy and the Loud, Loud MountainADHOUSE BOOKS Bumperboy & Loud Loud Mountain GN, $8.95 Only irredeemably evil people would take a pass on Bumperboy, the best…

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LINK: Comic Movie Tidbits

ITEM: Heath Ledger as the Joker? Hmm... not a terrible choice, but I don't know that he's got the required gravitas for the role. If that's the direction Nolan is going, though, I'd rather see Ryan Phillipe given a shot at it. Of course, my number one choice remains Terrence Howard.ITEM: The Incredible Hulk's new director is Louis Leterrier -- of the action-heavy The Transporter movies -- confirming the expected 180 degree shift from Ang Lee's somber take on the Green Goliath. Screenwriter Zak Penn seems to be on the right track, talking about how the sequel/remake/reboot will be different…

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On The Shelves: 7/19/06

Read GOOD Comics, not just the ones you're used to! Try something new EVERY month. My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 7/19/06. The full shipping is list available at ComicList. [NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com] PICK OF THE WEEK The HungerAK ENTERTAINMENT INC Aya #2, $2.95 Jalila #2, $2.95 Rakan #2, $2.95 Zein #2, $2.95 The first issues of these weren't bad, but they weren't…

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Review: Iron West

Iron West By Doug TenNapel (Image Comics, 2006; $14.99) Going for wacky is a dangerous gambit, particularly in comics where it can easily drift over into unintentional camp or, even worse, come completely unhinged and end up convoluted and unfunny, so when I realized Doug TenNapel's Iron West included both Sasquatch and the Loch Ness Monster in the mix, I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. Fortunately, TenNapel walks a net-free tightrope like a pro, delivering a rollicking good time filled with moments of "He's going to fa--Wow!" that begs for adaptation to the big, or small, screen.…

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Say What?: Battle of the Sex(ists)es

"My career really didn't begin until I started working on books that I helped create. Vertigo is probably the only publisher today that wouldn't have laughed me out of their offices for pitching them a fully painted hardcover novel for 'mature readers' about the Iraq war... starring talking lions."--Brian K. Vaughan, Graphic Attack: Vertigo Raises the Bar (Again) (via Blog@Newsarama)"I always get the impression these articles assume that the baseline for comics is violent, costumed soap opera and these bizarre aberrations exist to fool the rib so we boys can continue to high-five each other and grunt approval to the…

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