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Showing posts from April, 2012

Centurion Six—Issue #1, Part 2

First a quick note: I’ve been struggling with what to call this book for a while now.  And yes, I still think of it as a comic book.  Anyway, it finally occurred to me that I’m getting too wrapped up in the concept of this being a team book that’s named after The Team.  That is totally unnecessary. I am therefore changing the name from  E.F.D ., which was terrible, to  Centurion Six , which I think is both a stronger name and far more indicative of what the thing actually is.  I also created a  Centurion Six tag, which will allow you to read the story from the beginning. So, without further ado… Our Story So Far: Captains Blaine “Centurion Six” Winters and Jacob “Zulu” Mbeke have been called out by the NYPD to help investigate what appears to be a routine but grisly gang-related multiple homicide in the south Bronx.  Their expertise is needed because they are ultra-human members of the New York State National Guard’s Enhanced Forced Division (EFD), and the victims in t

Westport Minuteman 10K Results

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For the curious, Sally was only 40 seconds behind me.

Sunday Comics--Bronx Angel: Born Leader (Page 14)

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Bronx Angel: Born Leader --Page 14. Click here to see the page at full size . When I came up with the idea for Bronx Angel, it was originally 135-pages of sequential art.  There was a whole issue's worth of material that was set in Iraq, and then there was the rest, which was set in the Bronx.  But I thought that a lot of the Bronx flashbacks were redundant with the stuff that had already been set in the initial part of the story.  So I cut it up, creating this #0 story that I then printed as a $1 zine for the first annual New York City Comic Con , and I (eventually) shortened the rest to a 66-page 3-issue arc, and that's the main story,  Bronx Angel: Politics By Another Method . As a matter of full disclosure, pretty much everybody likes this first part of the story.  It got reviewed favorably at places like The Fourth Rail (back when they were still in business), and folks at the NYC Comic Con really liked the idea of the $1 zines.  It's the next piece that stru

Six Essential Books

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1.           Altered Carbon  by Richard K. Morgan. When someone asks me what they ought to read next, I always recommend Altered Carbon first. Richard K. Morgan is my favorite author, and this is his best, most well-known book.  Part sci fi, part hard-boiled detective novel, part social commentary.  This one’s really on another plane.  It goes beyond science fiction and straight into the realm of actual literature. 2.         Fletch  by Gregory MacDonald.  You ask me, MacDonald is the most talented English language writer who’s still alive and actively working.  The whole series is an amazingly minimalist, dialogue-driven experience that’s hard to do justice by mere explanation.  That these books are pulp mysteries makes them all the more remarkable. I liked the Chevy Chase movie version of Fletch okay, but the movie doesn’t even get close to doing this series justice. 3.         Gorky Park  by Martin Cruz Smith. If Gregory MacDonald isn’t the best currently-wo

Friday Mad Science: The Romney Alternative

John Huntsman  caught some political flack for pointing out how fucked up the Republican Party is this week .  Newsflash: He’s right.  The GOP is all fucked up.  It is, in fact, a complete fucking trainwreck.  Hopefully they’ll realize that after they get the ever-living Hell beaten out of them in November this year, but unfortunately, I can’t quite bring myself to believe that that’ll happen.  What makes it worse, though, is the way that the political media is covering the thing .  They make it sound like Huntsman has sour grapes—and to be fair, he probably does, considering that he was probably the best qualified candidate in this year’s GOP primary field, and yet he never polled above about 5% in his party’s primaries.  But his actual point, that the Republican Party has gone so far to the right that they’ve actually alienated the county’s center, and that having done that, they’re now doubling down and pruning centrist non-believers, is spot on.  The GOP has no ideological base r

With the first pick of the 2012 draft, the Tennessee Titans select...

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The punditocracy didn't like this pick a lot.  But the fact is that the Tennessee Titans badly needed another WR because Kenny Britt, though talented, can't stay on the field.   Is Wright the right guy?  I have no idea.  But I do know that it's a passing League, and that the Giants won the Super Bowl last year because they had three good wide-outs and a nice pass rush.  The Titans had TWO good wide receivers--only one of whom could stay healthy--and a maybe one really good pass rusher.   Hopefully now they only need pass rushers.

Friday Hair Metal: Pushin' Too Hard

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I don't love the new Chickfoot album, but there are parts of it that I like.  In particular, I like the fact that it sounds, for large parts, like a Joe Satriani album rather than an album where Satriani is merely doing an impression of Eddie VanHalen . This song is called Lighten Up , and it's my favorite cut off the new album.  This particular version is especially awesome because it focuses on Joe, and you can barely hear Sammy Hagar 's inane lyrics. If you get bored with the first half of the song, do yourself a favor and skip ahead to the 3-minute mark.  Starting there, Satriani blisters it for the rest of the clip.

I Dreamed Last Night...

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...that I joined the U.S. Coast Guard. To be fair, most of the dream revolved around me trying to figure out how to explain my decision to my wife.  "Um, honey?  This engineering thing isn't working out for me.  So I joined the Coast Guard.  I leave for Basic Training on Saturday."  Heh.  In the dream, I had to put off my initial training for a week because of the 10K we're running this weekend. Being in the Coast Guard does look cool, though, right?  Eh, maybe it's just me.  But I can think of worse ways to spend your time than cruising around in a small ship rescuing drunk dudes from their capsized boats and busting drug dealers in super-small mini-subs. Unfortunately, I never have the dreams anymore where it's just me and a giant bed and a beautiful woman, at the center of Giants' Stadium, with the crowd screaming my name.  I used to have those, but sadly, I think my testosterone level has dropped too much for that anymore. * * * As you may

New World Trade Center

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Maybe you can't appreciate this if you don't live or work in NYC.

E.F.D. #1 (Part 1)

As promised, here's the first part of my prose "webcomic" experiment.  Notice that when I envisioned this story  it was as a set of comic issues, and although I think the story works better as prose--hopefully you'll see why in a minute--I decided to leave the issue breaks in place instead of trying to break the story into more traditional prose chapters.  What that means long-term, I have no idea. Anyway, this first part was the first three pages of sequential art when in script form.  It's about the same length in prose but broken out a little differently.  Enjoy! Our Story So Far: In the near future, tailored genetic mutations become the new weapons of mass destruction.  Easier to hide, cheaper to control, and with far less long-term clean-up costs than so-called “dirty” bombs, non-persistent chemical agents, or even conventional munitions, soon every tin-pot dictator, cult-leader, and nefarious non-state actor on the planet is developing some kind of “

Beer Review: Ithaca Beer's Flower Power I.P.A

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I put in forty-four miles on the bike on Saturday and then ran a little more than seven miles this afternoon--I'm writing this on Sunday--and now it's time for a beer.  To be specific, the Ithaca Beer Company's Flower Power I.P.A. Appearance This is an awesomely funky bottle.  Straight out of the 70's.  Frankly, it looks like something Shaggy and Scooby would drink right after they bust the crooks who're trying to scare everybody away from the abandoned gold mine. Pour it out, and this is a beautiful amber ale, translucent with just a bit of creamy white head.  Very nice.  And right now, I am seriously looking forward to drinking this thing up. Aroma A very fresh smelling beer.  The flowery hops jump right off the top, promising a beautifully clean and bitter experience. Taste Mmmm...  Now that's a nice beer.  As expected, a very clean taste.  Strong but not overwhelming hop presence, nicely balanced with a malty drinkability that's sometime

Sunday Comics Day 14--Bronx Angel: Born Leader, Page 13

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Bronx Angel: Born Leader--Page 13.  Click here to see the page at full size . As always, to read the story from the beginning, use the Sunday Comics tab.  That's what it's there for.

Real Steel

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This is the poster for a real movie that made real money. I watched the movie Real Steel last night, and while I liked it, I also think it's the final proof that story execution is more important than story concept.  I mean, in concept, Real Steel is idiotic.  A loser on bottom rungs of the independent fight circuit suddenly learns that he has a son, and together the two of them build and train a champion fighting robot.  On top of that, the movie leaves several plot threads hanging with little or no resolution.  And yet... a hit! The movie works, I think, because the script is pretty good, because it's well-acted, and because it's well-produced.  Most important, to me, is the script.  This movie has A LOT going on, but the screenwriters manage to keep it balanced.  Yes, they leave a couple of plot threads hanging, but consider: this is a Sci Fi-Sports Movie-Romance.  All of those elements have to get screen time, and the characters have to have room to breath.  In

Friday Mad Science: When is a Scandal REALLY a Scandal?

Alright.  I have to say this.  What is the big fucking deal with this Secret Service scandal?  From what I understand, these guys went to Columbia, hired some rather higher-priced escorts than they realized that they were hiring, and then tried--with only moderate success--to try to stiff the poor girls the next morning .  And, oh by the way, there was alcohol involved. So, okay, yeah.  I'll agree that that's not good behavior.  It's distasteful and disreputable, and it's in really bad form to try to stiff a girl after you've already agreed on a price, regardless of whether or not you were drunk during the initial negotiations.  But.  Prostitution is legal in the part of Columbia in question, and in any event, there are always two sides to every story.  I mean, yeah, a smart guy would've either avoided the situation or paid to make it go away quietly, but at the same time, it's also at least somewhat possible that these girls realized they had a chance to

Friday Hair Metal: Going Home!

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Cause my trip ends today! How can you not love Dire Straits ? Really?  Well, how about Neil Young ?

Tebow!

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An Evening at Delmonico's

Me: So, what do you have on draft? Waitress: Oh lots.  I couldn't even name them all. Me:  Yeah?  Awesome.  Well how about an IPA.  What IPA's do you have? Waitress:  Uh...  Harpoon. Me: Oh.  Well then, how about a Czech pilsner? Waitress:  A what?! Me:  Fine.  I'll just have a Sierra Nevada. Waitress:  Oh.  We don't have that, sorry. Me:  *sigh*  Okay.  Umm...  Stella Artois? Waitress:  We used to have that.  But we don't any more. Me:  Fine.  I'll just have a Sam Adams.  You must have Sam Adams, right? Waitress:  All we've got is the seasonal, is that all right?  Well, it's gonna have to be, because that's all we've got. Me:  Yeah, that's fine.  Especially since I don't have any choice.

In Albany This Week...

Not much to say about it.  It's a simple business trip--training with the New York Independent System Operator , the guys who run New York State's electrical market.  This week's training is semi-annual, and this is the third time I've been. So far, the highlights of my week include:  - Last night's dinner.  We went out for hibachi.  - Watching Ultimate Avengers II on Netflix last night.  - A short run this morning, in which I managed to give myself a charlie-horse in my left quad.  - Working on the new comic idea during lunch today. The local area is pretty hilly, and while I didn't mind the uphill sections too much, the downhills were murderous.  My quad locked up on me right at the 29-minute mark--just before I got back to the hotel.  *sigh*  Luckily, I don't seem to be injured, just a little sore. On the comic--what can I say?  I've got the thing planned, and I've got the first three scenes drafted, but I've not had the time to sit

E.F.D. (Working Title): A New Story Idea

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I wrote a few days ago about a new story idea I'd had.  Well, I actually started writing it up!  That may not seem like a big deal, but it's more story-work than I've done since 2007.  I mean, I doubt the story has a future or anything, but I am at least going to write it up and share it.  That's something. Anywho, here's a teaser.  Enjoy! Page 5 of the E.F.D. Script.  Click here to see the page at a size you can actually read.

Are You A Climate Change Skeptic?

Consider the last 12 months in the greater New York City Area: 1.  Second hottest summer on record. 2.  Freak October snowstorm. 3.  Earthquake! 4.  Hurricane makes landfall in Brooklyn! 5.  Winter so mild that I could put in an average of 45 miles per week on my bike. 6.  86-degree day in April. 7.  A spring drought so severe we're seeing daily forest fires in Connecticut and Long Island.

More Flags! More Fun!

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We're playing hookie today.  Takin' the kids to Six Flags: New England !

Sunday Comics, Day 12. Bronx Angel: Born Leader Pages 11 - 12

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Bronx Angel: Born Leader--Pages 11 - 12. Click here to see the page at full siz e. Here's the money shot.  I strongly suggest you view these pages at full size . In storytelling terms, this is the second of the Bendis-inspired two-page layouts.  And Randy did such a great job with the spread that, really, what more do I need to say about  it? As always, to read the story from the beginning, click the Sunday Comics tag.  That's what it's there for.

Saturday Morning: Counting Down the Minutes

Let's start with the Drug War, okay? First off, it depresses me.  Addiction in general is one of the most depressing things in the world, and the fact that folks--generally nice, well-meaning folks--use drugs to voluntarily destroy their own lives...  It makes me unbearably sad.  It's how my father died, and my mother, too, from a certain point of view. Dad drank himself to death and died of liver failure and "acute ethanolism," according to his Death Certificate.  Personally, I'm not so sure that "ethanolism" is a word--I think maybe that's what you call drinking when you're a doctor living in Tennessee, and you want to write something official-sounding on somebody's Death Certificate--but be that as it may, the reality of the situation is that my dad got depressed, chronically, and he tried to self-medicate.  And that got out of hand, as it is wont to do.  Ultimately he chose to push us away instead of trying to change his life for reas