Monday, August 11, 2003

Back for now, depending on how things go, I'll try and post every two or three days.

Had my office party this week. How come things like seeing your boss drunk and shirtless never makes it into "job movies"? This is one of those disturbing images that will haunt me for years to come....

So, the Californa governor elections are on, and the candidates include An-huld, also-ran celebs, activists, and oh, yeah, members of both political parties, though most people seem to be ignoring them. I actually see this as a good thing. Through sheer ignorance and foolishness, these celebs are casting light on a very difficult truth: politicians from the two major parties are very dull, marginal people who don't really represent actual people, but in fact they represent a homoginized humanity that doesn't and couldn't exist. No matter who wins, I suspect the media coverage of this race will help to actually change and improve politics across the Western Hemisphere. After all, in this election, people can actually make A CHOICE for what THEY BELIEVE IN, instead of being stuck with two options no one is crazy about. This means people will actually be fighting over their ideals, and getting people to actually talk and discuss politics, and who knows? Maybe something useful will happen.

In other news, I've been reading internet news on the Chicago comic convention, and in a word: Bleh. If this blandness is news, then is it really a surprise that comics don't sell well? Comicbookgalaxy had an excellent interview with Mark Millar that actually improved my opinion of him. Other than that, I mean, who cares who's writing Iron Man? Oh, Chuck Austen wants comics to have more adult content to reflect the movies based on the comics. While in theory I actually agree with him (and this is a first, folks) one has to realize that he works in an industry in which a call from a retailer to a board member got his boss into serious trouble. Now imagine a parent, who disproves of Captain America saying G*damn going to the retailer, who gives a call or email to a board member, and so on. And this is a very real fear, because what Chuck may not be aware of is that a comic retailer nearly got sent to jail for obscenity charges (Do a search on Jesus Castrillo and the case that was made and won against him in Texas, seemingly contracting the American Freedom of Speech Laws). So, I respectfully ask you, Chuck, what do you think? Are you willing to actually improve your medium to get that kind of freedom back? Because if not, you are just as bad as the "fanboys" you detest so much.

Anyway, here are some made up news items that would have actually made news had they happened at the Wizardcon in Chicago;
1) Kevin Smith rallies comic fans: STAND UP FOR FIRST AMENDMENT - In a daring response to the Texas conviction of Jesus Castrillo, one of the most publically well known comic fans (and comic retailer) Kevin Smith gives a rousing speech at the comic con, urging comic creators and fans alike to speak out against injustice.
2) Katie Couric to Joe Quesada: "Why aren't there better portrayals of women and minorities in comics?" - Katie also talks about a woman being impaled in a recent issue of Captain America, and the general misogyny being found in Modern Marvel Comics.
3) Warren Ellis and Grant Morrison to destroy DC universe, start over - Two of comics' leading writers will destroy the modern DC superhero universe and rebuild it. Both writers give entirely detailed speeches, with Warren covering exactly how he kills each and every hero, and Morrison detailing how their dead remenants restart an alternate universe in an speech that gives the entire crowd migraines. In other news, the revelation that he will have to create a new origin for Hawkman causes writer Geoff Johns to suffer a stroke.
4) Alan Moore summons 20ft snake - devours Paul Levitz, and erases the world's memory of the "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" film.
5) Gail Simone - new writer of Avengers and Spectacular Spiderman
6) Producers and Cast of "Farscape" assault producers and cast of "Enterprise" - steal "Enterprise" crew wallets to restart production on wrongly cancelled TV series. Ben Browder to Scott Bakula: "Quantum Leap this!"

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