Revisionist History: Part 2a

(So I've decided to revisit my much ballyhooed NaNoWriMo project, and since I can't manage to find a more reasonable chunk of this particular passage to use, I've decided to break it into parts. In this first part, clan sponsor Edith Fortunado meets for the first time with potential trainee hunter Danielle Brightstar...)

Edith Fortunado settled into the worn seat behind her desk. Having spent the better part of the morning following the weekly meeting completing forms, reports and other assorted business minutiae, she was looking forward to spending the better part of the next few hours sitting in her locked office and acting like she was busy working. It was one of the few perks that her position as clan sponsor allowed her. She was right on the verge of finding a nice section of newspaper to read through when she heard the knock on her door.

"Oh, for the love of..." she mumbled to herself before shouting annoyedly, "What?"

"Um, sorry ma'am." Barnard's weasely voice strained through the wooden frame of the door. "I know you didn't want to be bothered, but... she's here."

"She?" Edith asked through clenched teeth. "Who on earth is 'she'?"

"The blacko... ahem... the, er, walkabout, ma'am," Barnard answered with a bit of a stammer. "I could tell her you're busy if you'd like. She doesn't have an appointment..."

Edith pondered the idea for a moment before shaking her head. "Nah. I might as well get this out of the way now. Tell her to come in." Edith leaned forward in her seat with a bit of a scowl. She took a few moments to scatter enough of the items on her desk to make it look like she was busier than she ever could have been before taking a deep breath and forcing a faint smile. Sociable enough, she thought to herself as the door opened.

The woman Edith saw enter the room wasn't unpleasant on the eyes. She wasn't very remarkable either, but such is the case with some people. The short cut crop of dark brown hair on top of the woman's head wasn't helping her to look any more feminine, but at least she did have some sort of shape to her. The ensemble of a top and skirt, both made of animal skins, was only bound to make the woman stand out in the city in the long run. But truth be told, Edith thought through her assessment, that can be just as big a plus as it could be a minus.

The first thing Danielle noticed as she turned the knob and opened the door was how old the office looked. She understood more than anyone that in this day and age almost any given person could have his or her own sense of style or culture. She herself came from a place where many of the modern conveniences of the world were ignored in lieu of simpler things. But still, she really expected something less... vintage than the room that she was entering.

Maybe it was just that she expected something different from the leader of the clan she had applied for a permit from. She's not sure why she felt that way, considering the reception she had met earlier in the day in her "mentor". Appearances could obviously be deceiving in cases like this. The leader in question, Danielle assessed, certainly had to have something up her sleeve.

As diminutive as Edith Fortunado was (was midget the correct term?), she must have had some interesting history to end up the head of a clan of Hunters. Her lightly wrinkled face gave way to her age, and her black hair had a thick streak of gray along the left side. The staunch little woman couldn't really do much in the line of intimidating someone in a confrontation, but that, Danielle imagined, could have its positives, too.

Edith decided to get the ball rolling by offering a seat to the entering Danielle. "Welcome. Please sit down." Upon noticing the woman's walking stick she added, "Nice staff."

Danielle started to say something with regards to the comment, but decided instead to just simply sit in the seat offered to her across from Edith. The desk itself was a solid oak, worn by time and buckled gently by what had to be the weight of various files and other items. She sat her staff so it rested between the armrest and her leg, then tried her best to get comfortable in the seating. It was an uphill battle.

"So..." Edith shuffled through a pair of files on her desk before finding the sheet that she was looking for. "Danielle, is it? You mind if I call you Dani?"

"... fine."

Edith wasn't sure why the young woman would agree to something in such low spirits, but it's not like Edith really cared that much about it. "So, Dani... how was your trip? It looks like you made it to the city all right."

"Oh, yes. Not much to say about the trip. It was pretty... peaceful." Danielle's answer was guarded but optimistic.

"Get through the checkpoint okay? No hangups with getting your travel passes or anything?"

"Oh, no. That was just fine, too."

"And how was your meeting? I heard it got moved..."

"Oh, that?" Danielle hedged gently as she leaned to the right in her chair. "I guess I'd say that went fine, too."

"Uh huh..." Edith pressed on, "And your 'mentor'? Everything going fine with him?"

"Mr. O'Ban...er, Lake? He's a little... well, he's not what I'd expe... what I mean to say is that I'm sure that he's a nice enough guy, but...."

Edith's face bent into a wrinkled little smile, "He ditched you, didn't he?"

Danielle all but fell out of her chair at the sudden interjection. "Wha? He... I wouldn't say that...I mean, I don't think that he...” Why exactly was it that she was trying to defend the man, again? Danielle let out a small huff. "Yes. He ditched me."

Edith smiled in earnest, leaning back in her seat. "Yeah, he tends to do that. I'm surprised you actually thought to come here first. Most people would have run around the city like a chicken with its head cut off for a few hours."

Danielle forced out a broken chuckle. The last thing she wanted to do was to admit that she had, in fact, spent the better part of two hours running around the city like a chicken with its head cut off. She had checked every business along the stretch of Main Street where Lake had disappeared. She was halfway through the city gate before she figured that there was no real way that he could have or would have gone to the outside. And she had even resorted to going person to person and asking random strangers if they had seen the man. Which, she mused to herself, was fairly deserving of the laughter that she had received from most of the people she ran into.

Edith stared at the young woman in front of her. She could see on the girl's face that she wasn't entirely comfortable with the topic of conversation. Edith hadn't meant to strike a nerve, but at the same time she wasn’t going to pull her punches either. This was as much an assessment of Danielle's resilience as it was her capability, and before it would be over, there would be far worse in store for the potential trainee than a few hurt feelings

Edith leaned forward and opened a drawer on the left side of her desk. Reaching in, she retrieved a small, tight rolled cigar and popped the end into her mouth. Without so much as an ounce of consideration for whether or not it might disturb her office mate, Edith promptly lit the cigar with a match and took a few short puffs.

Danielle wasn't sure if she was supposed to be doing a better job with this interview. In reality, she hadn't figured out why she had even bothered coming to the guild office. Part of her desperately wanted to find a group of laughing comrades there just waiting to let her in on the fact that she had been the butt of an elaborate joke. 'I can't believe you'd fall for something like that!' they'd chuckle. 'Welcome to the Guild, newbie!' they'd smile. There would also be cake.

Having arrived and finding some of the pointing and laughing but none of the prank-worthy camaraderie she was looking for, Danielle had seriously considered giving up. If she couldn't hack the first few hours of the day, how could she hold up for a week? A month? How was she ever supposed to etch out a life for herself in a city full of mages, psychos, robots and everything in between if she couldn't handle the first few hours? This was only the twelfth time she had asked herself that, and it was starting to feel like a personal mantra. She hadn't exactly expected Edith Fortunado to be a heaping pile of consolation, but Danielle couldn't help but think that the woman could be a little more considerate if she wanted to.

Edith took another pair of puffs from her cigar before propping herself back up into her chair. She looked across the desk at Danielle and vented a stream of smoke from her nostrils.

"What you have to understand..." Edith started with a tinge of sincerity, "Is that a lot of the people around here are worthless. Scum, really. All that pomp and glamour they try to put on the jobs we do is just a spit shine on a crap cracker." She took a moment to assess if that was anywhere near a proper analogy before continuing. "What I mean to say is that this is a hard life choice. It's not for everyone, and it's certainly not for someone that can find work doing something safer. Taking this job will put your life in constant peril. Even when you're not on the job, someone... or something... might try to take a shot at you. Yes, you should be well protected, and once you're with a clan, they'll always have your back, but you have to accept the fact that just by signing up for this job, you're probably cutting your life span in half. There isn't much a of a retirement plan because frankly, not many people make it to retirement age."

"The reason that those guys out there probably treated you like crap is because... well, they generally view walkabouts as bad luck. ‘Blackouts’ is what they call them. Because for some reason, any time one of them shows up, it seems like someone ends up getting killed over it. And that's on top of the usual nonsense that gets people killed around here."

“What I guess I'm trying to say, Dani, is... have you really thought this through? I'm sure that you could make a nice living selling beaded necklaces or horn jewelry or whatever passes for a safe occupation around your neck of the woods."
...

(It should be noted at this point int he story, Dani shows opening frustration because she constantly runs into people who say, "Nice staff," to her (neither she nor the reader understands why at this point) and is almost always asked if she can be called Dani (which she really would prefer not to be called). And yes, Edith is in fact everyone's dream boss. But fear not. This section is specifically designed to spotlight Edith's edge against Dani's seemingly gentle nature, almost as much as the next section is designed to do the opposite.

And yes, Edith is a little person. Not a dwarf, gnome, leprechaun or any other interesting thing she could be. Don't ask me why I went with that choice. I think it was just simple aesthetics.)

Abstract Thought of the Day

Why is it that no matter what time they reach a corner, no matter how stopped traffic is in the direction they want to cross, and no matter how obviously placed all of the traffic signals may be, pedestrians always pick the half second before a light changes to green as the time to walk into the street and in front of the car(s) that are about to move?

Revisionist History: Part 1

Okay, so I'm allegedly still rehashing and editing some of the pilot I wrote earlier this year. It still remains the greatest pilot script I've ever written (ignore the fact that it's the only one I've ever written...), but it needs some serious cleaning to get anywhere close to presentable.

That's not entirely true. I could show you the whole thing right now, really. But I'd just as soon not, since my ego is fragile enough when I share complete works that I think are pretty solid.

So in an effort to make forward progress with revisions, to flesh out details that haven't yet been fleshed out, to present some insight into some of the plot and characters, and simply because I can count it as work on editing if I put it in writing, here is the first of several installments of post-first draft observations made by me on the pilot episode of Frak.

I've reread the entire script, and I already know that there are several plot holes that need feeling. Major filling. Perhaps a cream filling, but more on that some other time. The one thing that going back through it convinced me of was that a critical decision I made early on had to be revisited and revised.

Basically put: Chris needed to be more evil.

To explain, Chris is the lead character Charlie's alter ego. He is literally his alter ego, as they share the same thoughts and even the same body. But one thing I wanted to make sure of is that I didn't necessarily fall into the trap of making their relationship a Jekyll/Hyde one.

Chris should be incorrigible, rude, even have a mean streak, but he shouldn't be evil. In some respects he should be likable, but only as long as it takes him to open his mouth and remind you just why you hate him as a person.

The problem with that, though, is that it leaves Charlie out on a limb. He's the protagonist, but by no means is he the nicest guy on the planet. Which means that when Charlie shows his mean streak, the line between he and Chris starts to blur. That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but as I expanded on the story, I started to realize just how much both characters started to ride that "middle of the road" area.

So the solution (or a solution) to that is to make sure that Chris' base personality starts far enough down the pipeline of despicable that it's obvious that he isn't on the same page as Charlie. The danger of Chris becoming a caricature (which he shouldn't be) is my main concern there, but I think it's something I can handle.

And on the plus side, making the move lets me fix one of the plot holes from early on in the script. Because it means that Chris isn't above eliminating a witness that might later cause him problems. Which sets up a whole other scene that I haven't written yet, but that helps establish a few extra character traits for a few other people. So double bonus.

I know, I know. You're all, "We want to know more about the plot!" And you will. But not this time. That comes after I make sure that I know just what the plot is myself. Which is probably the nature of Part 2.

A Matter of Perspective

It's interesting just how different things can be when you look at them from a alternate point of view. Mind you, the first obstacle to this is that one tends to be trapped in their own personal sphere of perception. That sounds all fancy, but all I mean by that is that we tend to get stuck in our own heads.

Let's face it. In the big show that is life, we tend to cast ourselves as the star. And why wouldn't we? We spend every waking moment seeing the world through our own eyes, after all. And no matter how low your ego gets, I'd hope that no one qualifies their existence only through the life of someone else (undying affections to various offspring notwithstanding). Really, you don't have much choice but to put the world into your own sphere. Be it comedy, tragedy, musical, drama or some quirky mix of them all.

But it does have its down side. For one, it's easy to fall into the trappings of being self-absorbed. I'm as big a victim of this as anyone (as any good friend of mine can attest to), and while it can be good to be involved primarily in self for brief periods of time, you run the risk of shutting yourself off so far that you become blind to what's going on around you.

Which leads me back to point of view. One can attest to the principles of empathy and sympathy all they'd like, but they are poor substitutes for a true sense of stepping outside of oneself.

For example, I just recently had an interesting exchange with an old friend of mine (actually, I’ve had several interesting exchanges with several different old friends, but those are other stories…). Back in the olden days (Is high school really considered that now? Sheesh…), I always considered them someone that I enjoyed hanging out with. Of course, from my perspective, I was a burden to be around (which isn’t necessarily untrue), so I valued any time they’d actually break down and hang out with me at all.

The crazy thing is that from their perspective, almost the opposite was true. They were the younger, fish out of water in the group who ended up being grateful to me for letting them into my sphere. Believe me when I say that had I not heard such a thing, it would never occur to me that anyone would even think I could wield enough influence to be excluding, let alone be grateful that I’d accept them into the fold. Honestly, most social subsets I’ve ever been a part of by default have no restrictions. If they did, I wouldn’t be a part of them.

But my point here is just how one’s own perception of self can blind you to what the truth of what the world might be. Aside from bizarre truths like the fact that most people were far more popular in high school than they ever realized (which is incredibly useful to know after you’ve graduated, by the way…), what other things have you overlooked in life? How many times have you brushed off an opportunity to meet someone new, thinking in your head that there’s no way that someone would want to talk to you when the truth is that same person might see you from across the room and think that you’d never be bothered to give them the time of day? Have you ever been so busy trying to figure out the right thing to say to someone in a time of need that you miss out on the fact that someone may just need a sympathetic ear? A hand to hold? Another person in the room?

I’m getting a bit off track here, but my point is this. We will never be perfect people. By default, we will always have our flaws, hang-ups, and imperfections. And no matter how observant we try to be, our focus will almost certainly always be mostly on ourselves. We are, generally speaking, the most important people in our lives. But it’s probably not a bad idea, every now and again, to take a look at the world, and especially ourselves in the world, from another set of eyes. You never know what you'll see there.

Why I Hate Letting Stuff Go...

(And no, this still isn't the uncomfortable explanation of what exactly went wrong with me last week.)

I've lived in my current neighborhood for going on four years now. I'd like to think that I know the area somewhat well. At the very least, I know it well enough to expect certain things. For example, I know that despite being lined, draped, and otherwise covered with overhanging trees, at least one knucklehead is going to set off every single piece of fireworks they can on the fourth of July. Now even if every single item used was legal to fire off in the city limits (and actually, none of them are), it still wouldn't be legal to fire them off on my block, and for some reason ridiculously close to my side of the street.

But you have to understand, I really wasn't in the mood nor was I so driven insane last week that I would try to stick my head out the door and indicate to anyone that they shouldn't be doing that (especially near my house). And while I'm sure that the police would eventually come if I called them, I'm also sure that since they're probably getting about a thousand reports of fireworks, shots fired, etc. that night, by the time they spun by my block any of the offenders would be gone.

So I let it go. I figure that they probably won't set anything on fire (or at least nothing that can't be put out), and it's just not worth the effort. What's the harm, right?

Cut to this morning as I come home from work (and yes, this is me coming home from work at 7:30 in the morning in light to medium spurts of rain). Since it is trash pickup day, I decide to make sure I roll my trashcan (which I had recently been cited for leaving at the curb too long) to the curb. And since it's also a recycling pickup day, I decided to roll my recycling bin (which wasn't picked up two weeks ago) closer to the curb, since I want to make sure they pick it up. For some reason, I thought the bin felt a little light, and for some reason that prompted me to take a look inside. After all, no point in rolling it anywhere if it's empty.

So imagine my surprise when I open the lid and find an assortment of used and partially wet fireworks containers inside. Yes, the knuckleheads that fired off all of that illegal crap the week before apparently decided to use my recycle can as a trash bin. And what's worse, I'm more than positive that, despite the fact that I've seen people load all kinds of crap that they technically aren't supposed to into their recycling cans, mine would be the one can that someone checked, found all this junk in, and systematically reported to whoever it is that would come out and fine me for improper use of said can (and probably want to try to fine me for illegal fireworks while they were at it).

So I ended up spending a few minutes this morning outside the front of my house, in the rain, transferring fireworks garbage (which oddly also contained a bird carcass) to my garbage can. Not exactly the highlight to my day that I wanted.

Of course, I don't know why it bothered me that much. It's not like I could have done much about it even if I had known about it. But darned if I don't fine it irritating when people go the extra mile to be as ignorant as possible in a situation.

Abstract Thought of the Day

Nothing's stupider than rambling about the small amount of sleep you got for the past week, and then spending the first half of your day wondering to yourself why you're so tired for no reason.

The Story of My Week

Man, it's been a week.

Mind you, when I say that, I don't by any stretch of the imagination mean to imply that there was a terrible tragedy in my life this week. In fact, I can honestly say that one could consider themselves blessed to have only had to deal with the particular brand of crazy that I have over the past week.

There are highlights to the insanity. In particular, the odd adventure of the apparently deaf/mute man who first borrowed my lawnmower while only half asking, then managed to get 10 bucks out of me (and I'm still not clear on what it was for), then finished it all off by banging on my door at 3AM that same night looking for more money (which I did not provide).

This was one of many different side trips and distractions that somehow left me worn, sleep deprived, and wondering just how I got through an entire week's worth of work without pulling my hair out. It probably helped that I got my hair cut this week, preventing it from being anywhere near grasping length.

But even though I had a few minor additional stress factors, an abnormal amount of physical fatigue, and at one point I entered a state of emotional instability that I hadn't hit since high school (which is as glorious as it sounds like it might be), I really feel like I accomplished some things this week. What, you ask?

1) I learned that, despite what I may have convinced myself over the course of several years, I am still capable of feeling major emotions. Mind you, that sword swings both ways, but it's still kind of refreshing to know that.

2) I learned that I still have a pretty handy set of friends around that have my back. Mind you, some of my friends have an awful tendency to be unavailable when I sometimes think I need them, but I have a fairly stable corps of people of varying backgrounds and experience, and somehow the combination was just enough to get me through some stuff. But then really, sometimes you just need an ear to listen.

3) I think, but I'm not completely certain, that I may have become a better friend myself. Maybe getting more in tune with myself just makes me more likely to do the same with others, but I'd like to think... no really hope... that if I haven't returned the favor of being there to someone yet, that I will at some point in the future.

4) When you fall asleep with your lights on, strange people will see that as an invitation to knock on your door at 3AM. Although to be fair, the last time a weirdo did that, I'm pretty sure all of my lights were off. There shouldn't be a lot of people doing that, you know?

So what now? I couldn't say. Honestly, I feel fairly good for someone that had the week I did. And while I know that I'm always just one rogue event away from entering yet another cycle of self doubt and/or anxiety, I feel like I should have a better grip on it now. And it's very rare to say that in the course of a week, you can actually feel like you may have grown as a person.

(Although I'm inclined to note, strictly for gambling purposes, that the over/under for this new enlightened age of being is 14 days. Man, Vegas will take odds on anything...)

HouseKeeping: More Apologies

First, apologies for not getting any new updates up at Casa del House. It's been a crazy few weeks, and I haven't had the free time I thought I would, and the podcast blah, blah, blah, no one's missing me, anyway.

But, seriously, I am working on some things. In fact, if I don't get them done soon, they become irrelevant. So I need to get on those.

And also, I'm watching Gundam 00, one of several shows capable of saving any bad to mediocre day and making it into an awesome one.

HouseTV: Webhead Advisory

I just thought that I'd drop a friendly reminder for anyone that might have forgotten that the new season of Spectacular Spider-Man is premiering tonight on DisneyXD. Two episodes will air starting at 7PM. Make sure to catch the new season, since A) it is awesome and B) a positive viewer response might just get a new season into production. Make sure to check it out.

Planet Houston Podcast eXtra: Episode 1

What's going on over at Planet Houston:

Sure, you think what you heard in episode 1 was wrapped in the crazy, but are you ready to hear what got left out? Be it cut because of time or possibly content, Thomas somehow feels the need to let you hear a sampling of what fell short of the main podcast. Not necessarily for the faint of heart (but not particularly threatening to them, either).

Check it out here.

Stuff I Slept Through on Cable #4 :Even More West Wing

I can't explain why I enjoy the final season of West Wing as much as I do. Maybe it's because it brings me the presidential campaign and candidates that I wish we had going into an actual election run. In truth, it's almost what I thought we were going to get this past election cycle, but it was not to be. So then am I forced to look fondly towards this season of the show as an example of the best (or nearly best) of what could be.

Yes, it's yet another diatribe on the show that was West Wing. But cut me some slack here. It just so happens that this week covers the handful of episodes that I missed out on the last time the show ran through on Bravo. I had them recorded on my DVR, but eventually deleted them, assuming that the show's run would come back across them before I got around to watching them anyway.

At any rate, while I'm almost positive that I saw every single West Wing episode in existence, this morning pairing includes an episode that I just vaguely recall and one that I fondly remember.

The first episode, falling into the former category, drew much ire from me. Not the episode itself, mind you, but the fact that some genius at NBC Universal decided to pre-empt their broadcast schedule from 8:00 to 8:10 on pretty much all of their channels to show the opening tee-off of the US Open. Although to a certain extent, my frustration was assuaged when Tiger Woods proceeded to kick off his attempt at another major by shanking the ball almost out of play. His confused look over the matter was delicious.

Moving on, though, we have the glitz and glamour of a White House wedding in the appropriately titled, "The Wedding" (I had to double check that... thanks again, NBC...). The main highlights include President Bartlett temporarily defusing a major conflict by getting the parties to suspend any activity long enough for him to walk his daughter down the aisle. Also in this episode is a big push by some in the Democratic leadership to replace Josh as Matt Santos' campaign manager. Their choice to replace Josh (and Josh's by the by) is the already strained Leo McGarry. Near the end of the episode, an exasperated Leo mutters the line, "You're all trying to kill me...:" a statement that perhaps wasn't supposed to carry the ominous foreshadowing that it eventually did.

We then move into the episode, "Running Mates." Martin Sheen appears before the episode to state what most viewers already know. This was the first episode to air following the death of actor John Spencer. Sheen notes that they can think of no better tribute than to air the last of his work, and this episode provides a great statement of that fact.

This episode focuses on Spencer's character Leo McGarry preparing for the vice presidential debate. Leo isn't really doing so hot... actually, that's an understatement. Leo is doing horribly. So much so that it sends most of the group into a full-on panic to try and get him up to speed. Things aren't helped when news of Leo's poor performance leaks to the media, and his Republican counterpart begins to smell blood in the water.

The whole thing, of course, ends up working out. Leo doesn't soar, but he does far better than anyone thought he would a few days from the debate. As one reporter puts it, the VP debate doesn't manage to cause the campaign any damage, which is about all you can expect from one. And of course, we find out that the leak comes from Leo, who was so panicked by how panicked everyone else was that he took steps on his own to lower expectations.

A second viewing of these episodes really gave me a greater respect for Spencer and his character McGarry. Leo, while generally strong in both action and commentary, also manages to have moments where he seems genuinely worn down or tired, which would be expected given his recent recovery from a heart attack. And while I seem to remember Leo doing well at the VP debate, a second review shows that he simply did better than expectations, which in this case meant that he scraped by as “better than average.” And of course, the notion that Leo is not just computer literate but more so than anyone gives him credit for being is amusing as well. It’s a shame that both the character and the actor couldn’t have stuck around longer.

Planet Houston Podcast is On the Air!

From the people... er, person that brings you your weekly dose of insanity at House Rules! comes... Planet Houston Podcast! Reviews and commentary on television, film, comic books, and gaming... along with the more than occasional dose of the crazy.

Take a few moments (18 give or take) to check it out, then be sure to provide some feedback. Your voice is important! And your keypresses, too, since that's probably... how you'll end up... doing it.

... just check it out, and thanks (and perhaps apologies) in advance.

The Full Hype: My Dog is Superhero

It's been said that a good pitch (movie, television, comic, what have you...) should able to be boiled down to a short sentence or phrase. If the premise is strong enough, it can even end up as a title. It should come then as no surprise that the title of Rashad Doucet's graphic novel is in fact as good a descriptor of the book's premise as any: My Dog is a Superhero.

Young Ashleigh Bryce's world is spiraling out of control. Strange alien creatures have appeared, disguising themselves as common (and not so common) animals. Some try to be peaceful, while others have nothing but evil on their minds (go figure). Despite all of this, Ashleigh still makes an effort to live a normal, everyday life. And if things get rough, she can always count on her faithful dog Wolfie to have her back. And of course, it doesn't hurt that her dog just happens to be an alien, too, and a hero at that.

Such is the premise of My Dog is a Superhero. Through four chapters, we get to see Ashleigh try to get through "The Longest Day Ever!" while dealing with all manner of alien beasties. But it's Wolfboy (affectionately call "Wolfie") who does the heavy lifting, springing to action (and a pseudo-humanoid form) in an attempt to catch the alien invaders.

When I initially went through the book way back when, I thought that it was a little light on story. To a certain degree, this is true. But while Doucet's style focuses heavily on action, it isn't there simply for the sake of splash panels. His action tells the story that it's meant to tell. There are a few places (especially when the story skips forward) that you may have to "fill in the blanks" but it's hardly a burden.

Along the same lines, dialogue can become sparse in places, but it effectively conveys the personality of the characters. If I were to have one complaint, it would be that the source of much of the meatier conversations and character moments tend to happen in the latter acts. But to be honest, that's better than just having the entire plot fall apart at the end like some books do.

The art in the book could best be described as dynamic. It's a bit "four-color world meets manga" and the panels and art are designed to accent Doucet's high-impact style. The character deform and aren't in perfect scale, but it's clearly a style choice as opposed to lazy artwork. I'll openly admit that it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it works well with a story like this one. Honestly, I don't think the book would work as well with a more "conventional" style.


I've shown copies of this book to people here and there, and one thing that stands out to me is how much universal appeal it seems to have. People who haven't ever touched a comic or graphic novel find it interesting and entertaining. And while I haven't tossed it at any of the younger generation, I have no doubt that young people would be bound to enjoy it a great deal.

All in all, it's a great package, especially for the price. If it sounds like your cup of tea, then be sure to order up a copy. The book is published by Arctic Wolf and is available at the websites of Barnes and Noble and Amazon, and is also in select bookstores locally. You can also check out more of Rashad's work at his personal web page, Punchboys.

(Ed. Note: I chose to forgo a traditional review with scores and the like since Rashad is a good friend of mine. While most of the article is an honest review of the title in question, I just know I would have bumped his score a point subconsciously. Still, the fact that he's a cool guy, and he does good work. You should check it out.)

Natural Selection

While I work on putting the finishing touches on the last of my weekend projects (hopefully), and focus on what's next on the agenda, I have a side task that I'm working on. Of course, I've been horribly dragged into the Facebook lately, and one of the apps that I've been goofing around with is one by the name of NetworkedBlogs. Basically, it lets you link your blog to a network available on Facebook. In theory, it can save me a little time and effort if I ever want to link something from here to there (assuming I can get those elusive last few followers I need to get my links properly feeded.

Anywho, one of the things you can do while setting up the profile of your blog is to add a few select posts as sample work. And while I have no doubts I could find some interesting stuff on my own, I figured I'd put it out there. So if there's anything yu've seen or read,r ecently or otherwise, that stands out to you as exceptionally unique, entertaining, or interesting, let me know. But don't stress too much over it. Thanks in advance.

Abstract Thought of the Day

Sure, everyone wants to accuse someone of being the Anti-Christ, but no one wants to point out that Green Day seems to be freakin' everywhere these days. I'm not saying that there's a connection, but... hmm...

IGN Video: Scribblenauts Nintendo DS Walkthrough - E3 Demo

I stand by my belief that if Scribblenauts even comes close to meeting its potential, it will be an awesome game.

IGN Video: Scribblenauts Nintendo DS Walkthrough - E3 Demo

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5 Animated Shows That any Adult Can Enjoy

(...and that kids will probably enjoy, too.)

Once upon a time, the world of animated shorts was designed exclusively for adults. What? You think those old Loony Tunes shorts were actually made for consumption by children? Have you seen some of the in jokes in those things? But somewhere, over the course of time, people decided that kids made perfect targets for animated television. So much so, in fact, that it was practically a stigma for an adult to admit that they watched a "silly cartoon."

Fortunately, over the course of time, there have been some exceptions. Shows that, while targeting children, were actually written like the kids had brains and might enjoy some decent storytelling. Not to mention that some adults (with or without children) might be able to enjoy the higher level they present themselves on.

With that in mind, I present this: a hearty handful of all ages animated programming that I feel that any grownup (especially one in my age range) would enjoy. Note that the list is restricted to shows that are currently airing new (or newish) episodes, and that for the sake of not sparking a tremendous level of debate, I have completely omitted anime from this list. It's the only way to keep five different mech based shows from being listed here.

The list, not necessarily in order of preference (although the latter part of the list does contain my favorite of favorites).

5. Johnny Test: This is an odd choice, and arguably the "kiddiest" of the kid's targeted shows on the list. But while I don't watch the show religiously, I have never seen an episode that I haven't enjoyed a great deal. It's in the vein of the Powerpuff Girls and a few other shows of a similar ilk, which may explain why it hits its points the way that it does.

Who would think that a show about a boy who ends up a guinea pig for his two sisters’ crazy laboratory experiments would have legs? Really, the show is eight shades of insane, but within the insanity and gags is a solid foundation of writing. Well, as solid as you can get in a show that does two 10 minute shorts per episode.

4. Ben 10: Alien Force: When I first heard of this show (which would technically be the in the series Ben 10), I honestly thought it sounded stupid. Okay, to be fair, I heard it pitched as effectively being a version of the old DC comic series Dial H for HERO except that the lead was a kid. So the first thought I had was, "Lame. Why not just do the actual show?" Even I have my weak moments.

But much to my surprise, this quirky little series is pretty deep. There's plot progression, overlying story arcs, and as evidenced by the show's transition to Alien Force, the main characters actually get older and wiser. I honestly like teen Ben and Gwen more than I ever did kid Ben and Gwen. And they finally get Gwen a boyfriend so that her and Ben don’t have that creepy “cousins” vibe going on. Or was that just me?

3. Transformers: Animated: This is one of those shows that took a ton of flak for being too "kiddie looking." Apparently, some people viewed that as a poor style choice for a show targeting... kids? Yeah, geeks are weird sometimes. But overlooking that one thing (made irrelevant by the fact that the style works for the show), this show is well put together.

Sure, it gets a bit goofy at times, but it doesn't play down to some imagined child's story level. And the show manages to forge new ground while paying homage to the shows that preceded it. I'm a big fan of the theme song that throws back to the original animated series. And if that doesn't work for you, the Constructicons talk with New York accents. How can you not like that?

2. Batman: The Brave and the Bold: Oh, the gripes that were heard when this show was first teased. "The art looks bad." "It's nothing like the Timm/Dini series." "Why does Batman have a lightsaber?" But once you get past all of that, what you end up with is a jazzy series that highlights some of the more over-the-top, campy facets of Batman as a superhero. Yes, it draws some very clear parallels to the old Adam West show (the Robin episode, in particular), but some would argue that that show had its serious moments at times, too.

And don't be fooled. Beneath its campy exterior, the show has some very grounded and serious overtones. Even in the middle of a comic moment, the characters still manage to display their personalities and motivations in compelling ways. And the characters... the show makes a conscious choice to go outside the box and pair Batman up with heroes and villains that only the most hardcore of Bat-fans (and even ardent DC comics readers) could ever hope to identify or recognize. Seriously, who would ever think to form an entire episode around the exploits of Crazy Quilt?

1. Spectacular Spider-Man: When what's probably my favorite super-hero of all time gets his own animated show, that's normally all I need to get hyped. But Greg Weissman and company bring something very special to the table with this one. Given the difficult task of trying to balance the early high school life of Peter Parker with a hearty helping of Peter's friends, foes, and supervillains, the crew here manages to bring it all together in a refreshing mix of drama, action, and comedy.

Some might argue that there are way too many convenient characters floating around, but that just makes it more fun to me. The fact that many of Spidey's foes start out as common hoods that he ran into before they had powers actually makes more sense in the long run, and the constant group of references from and to other cast members only serves to pay proper homage to the characters’ history and possibly set up future storylines. What else can I say about a show that makes me actually care about Venom again?

Of major note is that season 2 of Spectacular Spider-Man is set to premiere on DisneyXD very shortly, and that the potential for there being a season 3 may well depend on whether the new season gets good ratings. So make sure to check it out. I've seen most of it already, but I'll be watching it again on general principle. The show is just that good.

So that’s it. There’s a bit of a running theme with many of the shows in that they all seem kiddy on the surface but end up being deeper. They’re hardly the first shows to pull it off, but if you’re going to be stuck sitting in front of the TV with your ki… er, spend valuable family bonding time with your children, or if you’re going to be ragged on by your friends for “watching some stupid cartoon,” you might as well be caught watching a good show, right?

The Mystery of the Persistent Popup!

...or... why Thomas needs to pay more attention to his life.

So I just had a mini-adventure of epic proportions. I thought for sure that my computer had been reverse-hacked, or at the very least that I had a faulty peripheral. I may be partially right on that last one.

Anywho, I was trying to skip that pesky Facebook page that asks you to send quizzes that you've finished to your friends, when I started to notice something weird. Instead of navigating to a new page, the new page would pop up in a new window. "What the deuce?" I thought to myself. I've run across some strange mojo in my day, but this was a true mystery.

So I go back to the first window, and I try again. But something's not quite right. In fact all of my mouse functions are acting kind of wonky. Menus are coming up crazy or not at all, and simple clicks aren't doing what they should be.

At this point, I'm a little peeved. I'm thinking that of all the things I want to buy this week, a new mouse wasn't on the agenda. I'm halfway into the control panel to try and see if the mouse settings have somehow magically readjusted themselves when I notice that I can't even single select an icon. Somehow, every single icon leading up to that one has been selected, too. And it won't stop.

Now, the technically savvy among you may have no doubt figured out what the problem was at this point, but stupid me had to clue in on a multi-select in progress and actually bother to look down to discover the culprit: a fan favorite of mine, the sticky SHIFT key. Yes, the key that occasionally jams for a few seconds jammed for much longer, leading to my temporary loss of sanity.

So I may well need a new peripheral, but in this case it would be a keyboard, not a mouse. But really, I'll probably just suck it up and deal with this one a little longer. And try to remember that nonsense in case it ever shows up again.

Some Orders Can't be Ignored...

I heard that this was the fate that befell Stephen Colbert in Iraq, but seeing the sequence that led up to it proved to be funnier than I ever imagined.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Obama Orders Stephen's Haircut - Ray Odierno
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Stephen Colbert in Iraq

HouseTV: Overseas Advisory

Everyone and their grandmother should know this by now, but tonight is the first night of a full week of Stephen Colbert doing his show from Iraq. If you've never bothered to see the show before, this might just be the week to check it out. I'm sure that some rampant insanity is bound to happen (in fact, I think they've already reported it happening or about to happen).