On a Happier Note

Today's my birthday. Yay for me!
Turned 44 and spent it enjoying my day immensely, with visits to a handful of stores, a bit of writing, and ending with a great dinner with Kat.
I've been wondering at the passion and outrage I've brought to these posts lately. The issue for me is making the world better for my child-to-be.
Think about it.
What else is there to be passionate about?

Grading the Comics: August 8, 2008

You're probably watching the Olympics, my friendly readers, but just in case...

• AUTHORITY #1 - Okay, the WildStorm Earth is WAY messed up. Gotta see how this plays out but it's a different kind of place to set superhero stories. The heroes are facing serious problems on several fronts, not the least of which is that half the team is... well, let's just say they've seen better days as a group and leave it at that. And things are not looking up, either. B
• BOYS #21 - Part three of a four-part digging into the back story of why things are so jacked up in NYC especially, it has a lot to say about how superheroes don't work the way we think--even in the most cliche of situations. A-
• FINAL CRISIS #3 (OF 7) - Gotta admit, I'm not sure where this is going or what I think of it. Some interesting images but I don't know if it jells for me. Still, Barry's back! B-
• FX #6 (OF 6) - A neat six-issue mini, tightly plotted and very well drawn, with a cool Silver Age vibe to it. Here's hoping there's more on the way. A
• HULK #5 - Is it me or is the Red Hulk way too powerful to believe? C'mon, a monster that shrugs off She-Hulk or Abomination (old and new) I can buy... shrugs off original green Hulk, maybe... shrugs off Thor slamming Mjolnir into his face? Um, no. Well drawn but the enemy is amped beyond my suspension of disbelief load limit. C-
• STAR TREK ASSIGNMENT EARTH #4 - A nice done-in-one from John Byrne, who has a real affinity for Classic Trek. Hopefully he'll be on this title for a long while to come, 'cause I'm enjoying it a lot. A
• TRINITY #10 - Some interesting ideas but I'm not any closer to knowing if I like this story or not. Great art but... I'm not locking into the story. C+
• ULTIMATE ORIGINS #3 (OF 5) - Another story that seems a little too unfocused. We get to see Young Magneto and Young Professor X doing their bonding thing in the Savage Land, amid the original Brotherhood (guess the Evil Mutants part came later), while the modern FF try to figure out what this HAL 9000-meets-Stone Age probe is supposed to be doing. Um... halfway through and I have no idea what's really going on. Not good. C

Okay, that's it for this week. Overall not bad but not stellar either. Comments?

Funniest Thing I've Seen Today

Y'know, I'm convinced Paris Hilton is much smarter than anyone thinks. Her persona is a front--a way for her to make money and be famous without having too great a burden placed on her.

After all, if everyone "knows" she's a ditz, then she doesn't have to bother with the responsibility of using that fame to do anything hard or not-fun.

But look at this-

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/64ad536a6d

Oddly enough, her energy plan makes sense.
Enjoy!

News of Significance!

We're having a baby.

Okay, here's the news.
Check the images.

Kat is approximately 11-12 weeks now (at the cusp of the second trimester) and overall doing fairly well. No morning sickness, at least!

No idea whether it's a boy or girl (and yes, we want to know). The next sonogram is October 13.

Coming March 1. A Kat-and-Drew Production.

This Week's Comics

Hey folks,
What am I buying this week? Let's see...

• AUTHORITY #1
• BOYS #21
• DETECTIVE COMICS #847 RIP
• FINAL CRISIS #3 (OF 7)
• FX #6 (OF 6)
• HULK #5
• STAR TREK ASSIGNMENT EARTH #4
• TRINITY #10
• ULTIMATE ORIGINS #3 (OF 5)

Not much on the list is really blowing me away as "must read" material, I'll be honest. FINAL CRISIS probably comes closest, though TRINITY has been more fun than I expected and BOYS is enjoyable in a darkly perverse way.

Is DETECTIVE still "Heart of Hush"? If so... I'll pass. I don't care enough about Batman's twisted childhood friend to follow the story with my $2.99.

Looks like this is the (temporary?) end of FX-- it's been fun and has a very retro/Silver Age feel to it, so I hope it'll be back.