Right-Wing Comics Conspiracy!

For all those who scoff at anything that even remotely suggests so-called “conspiracy theories,” believing they’re all far-fetched fictions made up by paranoid whack-jobs, here’s a little something to chew on: right-wingers looking to inflitrate comic books!

At Bill Jemas’ zenith as President of Marvel Comics he commissioned “4/11,” also known as The White Album, an anthology series telling stories about world war, politics and terrorism with a slant towards fixing problems, finding new solutions and making the world a better place. Mark Millar and Frank Quitely’s short story about Irish sectarianism was a highlight, but the project faltered after one invited writer had her work rejected and went AWOL, and the third issue and subsequent collection were both cancelled – seen as an initial sign that Jemas was on the skids. And he skidded out of the door to be replaced by a safer pair of hands.

We wonder what he’s make of Marvel’s upcoming “Combat Zone: True Tales from GI’s in Iraq.” Not only has this book been waiting for publication at Marvel for a while, but a number of artists have been approached, started on the book and then left when it’s true nature was revealed.

While a number of Marvel’s previous titles involving war and terrorism have tried to explore issues from different perspectives, reports I’ve had are that this is not the case here. America is the One True Hope, all who oppose her or disagree with her current thinking are evil scum, and the world would be better off without them. And thank the Lord we have these plucky brave soldiers to do her bidding.

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Pumpkin Seeds: The Week that Was Edition

1. No matter your individual schedule, NaNoWriMo marches on, with or without you. Despite Comic Book Wednesday stealing a night of writing from me, I'm still in the mix. In a deep hole, yes, but in the mix. Yesterday's unexpected day off as the kids' day care decided to celebrate Veteran's Day at the last minute, helped as I pounded out 1,355 words for the zombies' first appearance while the kids napped! 2. NaNoWriMo Word Count, Day 11: 7,881 (-10,456) 3. The new boss announced on Tuesday that, as of next Friday, she'll be the old boss, heading back to…

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NaNoWriMo, Dean, Kerry and the WFP

Old man winter has arrived on a mission, kicking in the door and pistol-whipping me into submission. Was it really 70 degrees here on Sunday!?!

Yesterday was the start of Week 2 of NaNoWriMo and while I have officially surpassed my output from last year’s prolonged 2.5 month attempt, I’m also 7,663 words in the hole as of Day 8! I am right on schedule with what’s referred to as the Week 2 Wall, though – that time where a little thing called “PLOT” is supposed to kick in. Figure I can introduce two more characters, and develop some more of the overall backstory, before I have to figure out where it’s all going.

Howard Dean as head of the DNC? Like his primary campaign, on the surface it sounds like a much-needed change. Until you remember that he’s a craven opportunist, a little bit more outspoken than most Democrats but at his core, not fundamentally different.

Meanwhile, John Kerry seems to think he has some political capital of his own to spend and is fired up to get back in the Senate and get his hands dirty: “Sometimes God tests you,” Kerry told the crowd at H20, a restaurant on the Potomac waterfront, according to an aide. “I’m a fighter, and I’ve come back before.” Um, John, dude, God didn’t test you, he punk’d you! And a good portion of the 55 million that voted for you, mainly voted against Bush. Another significant portion will be jumping on the Hilary bandwagon shortly. Ask Al and Joe. You’re done.

Does anyone really believe that blanket insults directed towards Middle America are the most effective way to make them see the error of their ways? That there really are 56 million complete idiots across this country, that had no idea what they were voting for? Like a good portion of Kerry’s supporters didn’t do some similar weighing of their values and choose to compromise for their perception of the lesser of two evils?

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Pumpkin Seeds: Final Notes on the Election Edition

1. Bush won 51% of the popular vote, the first majority victory in a presidential election since his father beat Dukakis in 1988. 2. Bush won 31 states to Kerry's 19. 3. Bush won 11 states with more than 60% of the vote, and another 4 with more than 59% of the vote. 4. Kerry won only one state (Massachussetts) with more than 60% of the vote, and another 2 with more than 59% of the vote. [NOTE: He also won Washington, DC with 89.5% of the vote.] 5. Democrats that are busy debating whether or not Bush can claim…

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Pumpkin Seeds: Note From the Editor Editon

1. Anyone that reads this journal and thinks I'm talking specifically to them, or in a more general sense, to anyone in particular, needs to take what they read here with a huge grain of salt. Perhaps a whole tablespoon. This journal is, and always has been, primarily for my own self-interests. It's my way, an admittedly public and exhibitionistic way, of getting things out of my head and into a form that I can more properly analyze, critique and digest. As I have one of the worst memories of anyone I know, tending towards impressions and emotions over details,…

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Pumpkin Seeds: Mental Reboot Edition

1. NaNoWriMo Word Count, Day 3: 2,076 (-2,925) 2. Damn election! 3. The novel is happily percolating in my brain, flowing easily whenever I've found the time to write, but it's been 48 hours since I've found such time, so I'll need to spend my lunch hour on it before the well runs dry. And a late night tonight, I suspect. 4. Post-election America; a reanimated Babe Ruth and his zombie army; teenage sex! Diane's random-ass plot idea has been extremely liberating and my inner-editor has remained relatively quiet, letting the words flow freely. Lacking an outline, pre-determined cast, or…

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It's one thing to believe Kerry is the right choice for President, but it's a whole 'nother ballgame to see him as the lesser of two evils and vote for him anyway. Back in 2000, I recognized Bush for the hand puppet that he was/is and was adamantly against the idea that Gore was the lesser of two evils, villifying anyone that supported Nader instead or simply didn't bother to vote when they knew they were in a swing state. Gore ran a terrible campaign, much worse than Kerry's, underestimating both Bush and his level of support (and, in retrospect,…

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