Merry Christmas all

Greetings insomniacs!
   It's Christmas Day in Portland, Oregon! Have a good one!

Two months of musings and eye surgery #2 shall be shared another time.

Enjoy!

The New 52, month number 2.

And Break!

     October draws to a close and I've received a second round of comics related to the new 52. I'm going to briefly touch a couple highlights and a casualty of war.

    Wonder Woman, Justice League Dark, and Birds of Prey all have kept my interest and feel the most refreshing of the new titles.  The writing has been solid and I'm looking forward to each new issue. These are probably the best books I have been buying.

     The Bat books feel familiar, yet it is fun to see the changes. Three titles stand out for me , thus far. They are listed in order of interest: Batgirl , Batwoman , and Batman. Nightwing is hanging on by a thread, and I'll decide it's fate after issue 4 wraps up this arc. I'm not sure how this portrayal of Dick Grayson compares with what he grew up to become in the old DCU. Detective Comics fell victim to the ax as I walked away from Issue 2 feeling it was going for gore over substance, and didn't fit what Detective Comics was in my mind.

.   Lastly, comes Animal Man and Swamp Thing, books that my wife requested since she has many of their original run under Vertigo from back in the 90's. Both characters are fairly new to me, so I've enjoyed learning about these characters.

     On the whole, I think with some titles the new DCU is still trying to get it's sea legs. Controversy over the cheesecake factor and sexual situations in Catwoman and Red Hood and the Outlaws isn't unexpected with how DC's marketing tried to make this feel like this supposed to be a step away from what came before. I believe what the relaunch is trying to do is to infuse a taste of Cable TV into comics with a bit more skin, more gore, and characters in adults situations.

   Since Cable TV is already part of the adult culture it won't feel like such a stretch, but more importantly this is a part of the American culture  that younger readers have grown up seeing on TV and online at a far younger age than their parents. The end result is trying to make superhero and non superhero comics stop feeling like a "kid" thing. I left most of my comics buying behind when I was in college because of that "kid" concept,  and only returned in my 30's when I started working with people on writing projects in the field to study how they're telling stories visually and with the written word, compared to my literature focus in college.

     That's all for now, hope to have more musings another time.

And fall is here...

As the clouds and rain signal the return of fall to Portland, I shall take a moment to remember the summer that wasn't. 1..2..and we're done. Blog posting remains a impulsive event, which i realize now is as it should be , since I've had other things to occupy my mind.

    Finally picked up the last round of the new DCU comics from September. Hoping to put a top 3 from that bunch up n the blog for the fun of it..Later all.

Sweet, sweet insomnia and comics

Greetings huddled masses,
       Another night of interrupted sleep and so in honor, of the event. I decided to give some brief thoughts of some comics I recently procured. Small disclaimer, I'm a bigger buyer of DC/Vertigo titles than Marvel, so you'll see more titles from them than the other. Nothing personal, just when I started reading comics roughly 20 years ago, i picked up Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1 and was hooked.
        Buckle up, this will be as spoiler free as possible.

All DC books take place as of the September relaunch of DC, when everything is starting at #1.

Justice League #1 - I'm not a Justice League follower, never bought the old comics. I knew who they were, but my JL was probably still stuck in the Superfriends cartoon I grew up watching as a kid. Still, for a jump on issue for the entire relaunch, it had some nice moments. Green Lantern was cock sure, and Batman was only mildly paranoid  Seeing these first time encounters should be interesting, enough to make me buy issue 2. Artwork overwhelmed at times, but manageable.

Action Comics #1 - Bought this after hearing how good it was on podcasts and comic sites. I enjoyed the artwork, I found myself wrestling with Morrison's story in parts, since I tend to have points in most of his books where I hate part of it and like the other half. The 2nd half of the tale was more interesting to me, than the first half where I felt Superman resembled Batman more in his approach to criminals, and we already have a Batman. If you hated untouchable Superman, it's fun to see him a bit more vulnerable again.

Detective Comics #1 - So far, the darkest of the new titles. Not unexpected for a Batman book, but you could almost slap a Vertigo brand on this title and it might fit. Fanboy gripe, they draw Batman with stubby bat ears, reminds me of Frank Miller's Batman. Aesthetically, I'm partial to the Batman look I grew up with, when he had ears pointy enough to impale his foes, or maybe that was the 70's. Anyway, Batman on the grisly trail of the Joker. Following Snyder's Detective run , the shift in storytelling is a bit abrupt, but I'm in for the next few books on this anyway.

Batgirl #1 - One of my most anticipated titles on the list because of the change they made to Barbara Gordon/Oracle, and I dug Oracle. To see her back as Batgirl and most importantly to see the impact of who she was have consequences was executed in a panel of pure perfection in this issue. Jaw dropped. This book of all the Bat books felt both young and vital matching it's character's mood, and yet tempered by fear. Buy it!

Batwoman #1 - I'll admit I came to his character in the past in brief glimpses, finally caving when I heard DC was going to keep her around. Kate Kane's character in and out of costume is one of the most intriguing in comics, and her growing role in Gotham is fun to watch. Story in this issue is a solid point, giving new readers enough background in 2 pages, to get an idea of where she's coming from. Artwork and panel layout is off the charts, and Mr. Williams continues to treat each page as canvas, not a box to be filled in.
Another buy it book!

Whew, DC'd out. Ok let's drag Marvel over.

Fear Itself #6 - After a couple issues where I felt the main story seemed to drag, we approach the 2nd last issue and more than anything I wanted to see all the shiny new toys Tony Stark has made in the hands of their  owners, but that'll be next month. Not sure how much impact this event miniseries will have, but it's always felt like it's setting up for something big, just not sure if we see the end result in issue 7 , or if this is ACT I of a larger saga.

Ultimate Spiderman #1 - Do I need to tell you Peter Parker is dead in the Ultimate line of Marvel comics?  I'll assume not. This is the origin story of how the new Spider man, Miles Morales get's his powers. Bitten by a spider engineered by OZ Corp? The heck you say! Kid from Brooklyn. What sold me is the kid and the relationships between his parents and Uncle. Honest and  engaging. I'm looking forward to how Miles handles what's been thrust upon him since he doesn't have the same touchstone that Peter did with his Aunt May.

Lastly, Vertigo. Only one book.

Unwritten #28 (#29 is sitting next to me now) - I've been on board since Issue 1 and it remains the one book that reels me in month after month, even when between issues I ponder stepping away. So many mysteries are yet to be solved, and I believe some shall remain unsolved. If you're not reading it, you should be. Does it resemble Harry Potter ,or even more closely Books of Magic? Yes, but considering this is a book exploring the power of Storytelling as much as the characters lives. It works. My third Buy it book. This is not a jump on issue, you'd be best served by finding the trade of the earlier issues.


Here what I still have left to read from this week: Criminal: Last of the Innocent #4, The Goon #35 , Swamp Thing #1, Transformers #25, and Unwritten #29

Portland's Summer has Arrived!

5:50 AM PST Temp: 70''s Portland's summer is wrapping up with a vengeance a string of 90 degree plus days and the mighty Sun god blasting down upon the city. I find myself amused by the fact that the kids are all back in school during such weather instead of crowing the local malls. Managed 4 hours sleep in this heat, so I'm back in front of a screen.

Back to some regular thoughts, Reading Churchill's The Gathering Storm, reached year 1938 and it is an instructive journey through the mindset of the man who will lead Britain through the war, but ,also, shows the ineptitude of most governments getting anything done in a timely manner. In some e ways, it seems to show that politically many governments don't want to be progressive, but are at their best as reactionary bodies -- most being instigated by war or disaster. 4 more years left to go on this text in the old Kindle.

In the land of paper and ink, started picking at Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention , an American icon that polarizes individuals. I've spent more time studying Malcolm's life / place in history than the other civil rights figures of his age. I own a copy of Haley's Autobiography and one of the FBI File books on Malcolm, back when I was a younger man. I'm looking forward to see what information is new and if the way it's presented helps fill in gaps of information missing from Haley's highly read text.

Writing has been lighter these past couple weeks due to changes in household members at the end of summer and trying to cram in some summertime events when my wife and I managed the same days off. In a string of unexpected moves, I have a 4 day weekend, which works out nicely since I worked on Labor day, under which I'll be holed up trying to stay cool, and working on my own pieces as time allows.

Final thoughts: DC Comics new 52 relaunch. I find myself energized so far each week about being able to read the "new" titles since in a way, some characters feel more accessible now, than jumping on at issue 500 or so. Granted I've been reading comics going on 20 years on and off, and DC tends to be my favored brand, but it is nice to feel excited by meeting characters again and seeing how they change and how they stay the same. Blame the Star Trek reboot everyone for this event. Until next time

Time: 4 am PST. Location: My apartment Outside Temp (weather channel): 60 degrees Apt temp (based on discomfort level): 90. Inability to sleep? Guaran-damn-teed. So, guess what? I'm awake. Pdx (Portland, OR) finally cracks 90 degrees, first time all summer. In response, my apartment is surrounded my still unmoving air, which means the apt sits with only fans to help move it around. This wouldn't be so bad, but the 2 that I have are concentrated in the middle of the dinning living room to keep the slumbering 16 year old from burning up and catching fire. (cue Beavis) Writing this week, has been minimal minus scribbling down a few notes. The reading from has been slightly more productive, but not by much. Spent a bit more time just hanging with the nephew before we send him back east on Thursday. Reading Churchill, left him in the year 1934. Hitler's Chancellor or freshly appointed. Probably pick that back up this week. Reading Salvatore's Orc King, mostly after work. Reading now after all the events in the last 2 books in Transitions and the first book in the Neverwinter arc, I realize that this is Salvatore/Drizzt's most depressig book. Not because we start to see the mortality of Drizzt and his Companions, since (and I could be wrong) at least 3 of them have been "dead" once before and Wulfgar came back from the Abyss. More interestlngly it's the fact that Drizzt's small journal entries , for lack of a better description, dwell mostly on the loss of old friends and the struggle to retain hope. Perhaps showing the aging of it's creator, or the simple fact that as time goes on and things change, even our closest friends may not be able to join you on the entire journey. What did work this week was my comic book run on Friday: The Winners: Detective Comics #881 wraps up Snyder's arc starring James Gordon (Jim) and his return to Gotham. The best endcap to the Batman titles pre DCnU. Touches on the past, but lets you nod your head to Dick Grayson's run as Batman. The other two batbooks I read: Batman & Robin 26 and Batman 773 were a bit flat, although the artist , GREG TOCCHINI, on Batman and Robin was stellar. Ultimate Fallout over takes Fear Itself. By the end of fallout six, I was really jazzed to see what the new Ultimate Spiderman and universe will look like post Peter Parker kicking it. Fear Itself feels like it's still simmering , waiting to boil. Seems like an odd perspective since their are 7 "villians" running around with giant hammers of the gods smashing shit, but I keep hearing about the events in the tie in books being more enjoyable. However, 2 more issues might up the ante enough to call it a solid impact miniseries. Transfomers #23, the Chaos story which is overtaking Transformers for the rest of 2011, could become thee Transformers event. For longtime fans, it was a series that was telling more interesting stories in the comics that have been put out by IDW, but this could truly move the characters beyond their earth , Cybertron focus and push them in a new direction. I've rambled too long. Until next time...Snarky for Prez!

Final thoughts on finished readings and a bit of Snarky

Where to begin? Maybe the fact that I've been up since 2:44 am (I think) for no damn good reason. Wanted to give you some thoughts, I only seem to ever get to posting on insomnia nights/mornings (7 am now).

On the reading front, I finished Robin Fox's Alexander the Great biography. What started off as a fairly interesting piece, but bogged down in the end. The author's goal is to impress upon the reader what is part of legend and what may be reasoned as fact, but it's done during the entire length of the book and by the end weighs down any impression of what Alexander had accomplished at the point in human history.
   The text might have been better suited to be turned into 2 parts: Alexander the Legend and Alexander the Man since we are so far removed from that time and the sources the author used have are  in dispute on some level. This book, I wouldn't recommend to someone just starting to learn about Alexander as I was, but someone who has read a different biography or two prior.

The more enjoyable text ended up being the old reliable Weiss & Hickman's Dragonlance: Chronicles omnibus since despite it's massive size as a single volume was  fast paced and full of more memorable moments than I remembered.

What am I reading now? On the Kindle, Churchill's The Gathering Storm , which already feels less of a burden than Alexander was , and more accessible since I grew up studying world war 2 , outside of school, since my grandfathers served in the war.

By the bedside, another old friend, R.A. Salvatore's The Orc King book is being reread for the first time a couple years. I may end up getting a Kindle version to replace my paperback since I realized recently how much they shrank and thinned the text size. Earlier books , the text was a bit larger and lettering a bit bolder which made it relaxing to read. This book feels like they tried to cram in more onto the page.

Lastly, "The Tao of Snarky" comic. Rattled of 3 pages, 1000+ quota for a future scene in issue 3. Outline is still hand written, but these were typed on the PC. I ended up shrinking down a jail scene from it's original 3-4 page length on an older draft, down to 2 pages, but used it to highlight what I intended it do all along. Scribbled out some notes on future events and ties that will play beyond this issue and larger story arc of the series.  Still pleased with the progress for today,all before 8 am PST.

Minor points

No earthshaking events directly related to my writing or reading. Nearly finished reading Weiss & Hickman's Annotated Chronicles. Nice to still have some scenes feel fresh since they're not as seared into my brain , the way other well read texts have been. 65% of the way through the Alexander the Great biography I'm reading and his death is finally looming on the horizon. I'm still on the fence wheather I would recommend this text to another person as a starter text on this historical icon.

DC comics relaunch and subsequent uproar over the lack of women writers, artists and lead characters among the new 52 comics line coming out in September has made me question what titles I thought I would check out. In an industry that is doing its best to stay relevant, to alienate 1/2 of the humans on planet earth isn't ideal.  Growing up with comics as  teenager, I was drawn more to characters than the writers or artists at first,  only as I grew to learn more about the industry and have dipped my foot in the waters , do some of these imbalances seem more impractical to my eyes 20 years later.

Oddly quiet Sunday morning at the house, this naturally make me restless, and since I spent my allotted 30 mins scanning over the news stories online and checking social websites to make sure half world didn't blow up. I feel my work here is done.

Reading observances

Finished Vonnegut's Man without a Country at work the other day, while things were slow. Amused me for the most part, and I found myself wanting to read more Mark Twain's works (beyond the traditional school requirements) and curious about his autobiography that was recent put on shelves.

Still working through R. Fox's Alexander the Great on my Kindle. Alexander has been away from Macedonia for 3 yars, it's year 327 BC at this point in his saga. I was struck by the thought of how his subjects back home, remained loyal for the most part to a King they never saw? My perspective is probably skewed by the traditional media and internet resources available for people to keep informed (as much as is allowed) of what our President and governing body does in D.C. (2,800 plus miles away). Is it simply because only a few people truly want to lead?

One disadvantage I find from time to time when I work on my outlines or early rough drafts is that my handwriting is still atrocious. Sometimes, it can be a puzzle to figure out what I've written, but eventually my brain recalls where I was headed. I could type everything up, but since I work 10 hour days in front of a PC to pay the bills. My eyes grow to hate the monitor screens and at times, I find typing rather robotic.

TTFN.

2:47 am

Awake at an unplanned hour.

Couple  thoughts about two books I'm reading through.

My travel text (via Kindle) is a biography on Alexander the Great. I managed to reach chapter 18 this week. It's a slower told story, possibly because of the Greek names, mythological figures, and other aspects of the ancient world. In some cases, I've found myself craving an atlas to have alongside the tale, just to better visualize some of his movements. I don't expect this text to be done quickly since I'm about 35% through the story after only 18 chapters.

Bedside reading comes in the form of an actual book, The Annotated Chronicles by Weiss & Hickman. I'm estimating it's weight at approximately 3 lbs. Having owned the 3 volumes as separate books previously, the annotated omnibus took their place. Differing from some of my other annotated collections, it's not so overstuffed with time period facts such as one of my Sherlock Holmes collections, but has the authors talking in maybe a sentence or two on average about where a certain scene, character, or line of dialogue sprang from. A nice glimpse into how the creative process works, and how random things can crop up as useful storytelling pieces.

Today (Thursday June 14th) will either being a Snarky day or Pirate Brad day, once my eyes are ready to focus on a page or at the glowing white page on my monitor. As I wrote this, I've been listening to the Clash's London Calling album.


Later.

Google Plus and the ol blog

Well, trying out Google+ since I'm awake at 3 am. Possibly hitting the coast in a couple hours. Snarky #1 of the Cutting Edge arc is coming soon. Once it's fully wrapped, info will be updated. Starting scribbling down thoughts for Issue 3.

All the latest pages can be seen at: www.j2comics.blogspot.com.

This thing still exists?

So insomnia has taken hold and I decided to see if my old blogspot page existed. Amazingly enough it still does. Snarky has been reborn as a weekly page over at www.j2comics.blogspot.com. Once issue 1 is wrapped up, I'll link to it here as well. Hopefully, I'll at least post a weekly update either with some general musings, or thoughts about the Tao of Snarky and other things that pop into my head.