Although a lot of comics were covered I don’t think enough attention was paid to the improved writing in comics starting in the 80s and moving forward, partially as a result of the contributions of the wave of British writers that brought their dystopian visions of a Thatcherite future to American comics.
Continue Reading...Archives For words
Batman was a character created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in early 1939 to meet the growing demand for more ‘superhero’ comics by then National Publications (which would later become DC Comics). Kane’s original drawing for “the Bat-Man” wore reddish tights, boots, no gloves or gauntlets and a domino mask.
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Recipe for a Fig Oil Republic
Mix dictatorship and opposition and let raise for juice for five years. Set crust over bottom of melting pot. Spread layer of humanity. Soak some 90’s cynical indifference.
Place in the tropical sunshine to bake.
The Savannah is the centre of attention in the week of Carnival, but unless you’re an ardent jogger or use it as a roundabout, it goes completely unnoticed for most of the year.
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I don’t like words that hide the truth. I don’t words that conceal reality. I don’t like euphemisms, or euphemistic language.
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i discovered very early on that words have power. i`m not a physically violent person, i may look like a huge, intimidating man, but if you get to know me i`m a teddy bear, well at least with the people i love and even then, there are some that would question that.
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i never found the time to do my Charlie and the Chocolate Factory review and it opened this weekend to lukewarm reviews. it`s kind of saddening that in this summer of remakes and rehashes, the one glowing nugget in the steaming piles of dreck goes unappreciated.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is not so much a remake but a reinterpretation and before you get on your high horse about not messing with a good thing, bear in mind the author hated Gene Wilder`s Wonka and found the movie just a little to bright and cheery. this version may be filled with some bright colours but the tone is closer to the spirit of the book.
in HP news, i realise there is a camp of people that believes it`s cool not to have read the books or feel about the draw of the books, i say more power to them for their believes. i`ve continued to live without having seen Titanic, ever, so who am i to judge them. i`m just thrilled that in this period of tiny attention spans, that not just a single book but a series has ignited the imaginations.
i had my hardy boys and secret seven and famous five growing up, but i can`t recall a series of books that grew with me. each successive book in the HP series not only shows the growth of the characters, but a growth in the writing taking the readers along for the ride. it`s been seven years since the first book came out and the children and adults that started reading then are still anxiously awaiting the next book. because of hype? possibly, but more likely because we`ve become attached to characters we`ve watch grow and mature. if that makes me a geek then so be it, i`ve never shrugged away from that moniker.
After being alone in the sandbox for some time, I was joined by a neighbourhood boy who not only liked the same games I liked, but also played with some flair and lots of enthusiasm.
We had a semi-regular play date. I looked forward to the games. We worked out a relationship that is best described as a hook-up.
Me and my boy from `round the way, we decided it would just be kept in the sandbox. Sure, we`d be friendly. And we wouldn`t really be trying to play with other partners. But the whole teif-head about “you`re-the-only-boy/girl-I-want-to-play-with-ever”-well, we agreed to skip that part.
It was, at first, extremely liberating. He`d come over, we`d play. We talked, too, exchanged thoughts and ideas on the world, politics and society. But mostly, we played.
Then the games began to ease up. The first time he came over “just to talk,” I more or less freaked out. I didn`t say anything but in my heart of hearts I wondered, “Is this the end of our beautiful playtime? Is this going to devolve into the bland and soggy terrain of `friendship?`” Because, let`s face it, I didn`t like the boy for his charm. In fact, it was just the opposite. It was his lack of charm that convinced me he could be excellent in the sandbox. A certain necessary roughness, if you understand what I`m saying. That`s not the kind of person I want to be friends with-my friends tend to be more “ejicated” and a little bourgie.
(So that outs me as an elitist.) This boy was not dumb but in a room full of people to talk to, he wouldn`t be my first choice. I guess that`s one of the reasons I agreed to a hook-up and not a dating relationship. I didn`t want him as a life-partner, just a playmate. And he knew it.
Whatever the reasons, the fun and games came to an end. Rather abruptly. One night he was in the sandbox; the next night he wasn`t. And he hasn`t been back since. I think he realised that, despite our original, civilised intentions, he wanted more than just fun and games. I think-and I could be wrong, very, very wrong-that he wanted to be more than just a plaything. And now, gentle reader, I am in the rare position of having a tabanca for someone I`m not in love with, not dating and really had no plans of being involved with over a long term.
So what happened?
Is it that I discovered that I can`t keep the apples and oranges separate?
Is it that, in trying to separate my sandbox from the rest of my “real” life, I was being self-deceptive?
Or is it that I have fallen prey to the age-old appeal of the unattainable?
In making his exit from my sandbox, did he make his entre into my heart?
Just because he disappeared, is he more appealing?
Ah, who the hell knows. Right now, I don`t much care, either. I am feenin` for him, and I`d settle for the friendship-that`s how bad it is. Oh, who am I kidding. I miss the games. I want him back in my sandbox, and I want him now. If a relationship is the price I have to pay, so be it. Bring on the violins.
[ed note:
tabanca, n. (ta-ban-kaa)
Trinidad & Tobago
1. A state of sadness or depression caused by the abscence (temporary or permanent) of a loved one
2. A state of sadness or depression caused by unreturned love
3. A state of fear or worry, caused by concern over the infedelity of an absent loved one
from skettel.com]