text:
Japan (country)
|Total Power Plants
|Red Alerts
|666 Power Plants
Power Trends
For more about the terms or data used here, search the Glossary, learn All About Icons, or check out our FAQs. Information on plant specifics can be found here. If you use the data, please see our citation policy.
|Tons CO2
|MWh Energy
|% Fossil
|% Hydro
|% Nuclear
|% Other Renewable
Top Power Producing Plants in Japan
Highest CO2 Emitting Plants in Japan
|Tons CO2
|MWh Energy
Similar Countries
First, a word of caution: The underlying database that provides information about future developments is only as good as the state of public information around the world; it reports what companies and plant builders have actually divulged. In some cases, the reported plans may be concrete and comprehensive. In other cases, they may be tentative and incomplete. There is no way of knowing which is which. In short, the "Future" figures in CARMA must be interpreted with caution. I want to briefly show some examples of how to (and how not to) use this information.
Let's consider individual plants. The simplest "Future" case is the construction of a new power plant. Such plants are included in CARMA with the signifier "(Planned)" appended to the plant name: http://carma.org/plant/detail/74556. We can see that this plant was not in operation in 2004 or 2009, but data are included for the "Future" period. "Future" refers to any point in time after 2009. So, a planned facility might have entered commercial operation last year – or it may not go into commercial operation for a decade or more. Information about start dates is sometimes included in CARMA's input data, but (unfortunately) cannot be released to the public due to proprietary data restrictions.
In the case of a planned plant, the "Future" data are simply a model estimate of plant performance once commercial operation begins, based on engineering specifications. The best way to search for planned plants via the website is to use the Dig Deeper tool and sort a given locale's power plants using the "Future" radio button on the right side.
In some cases, future plans include capacity expansions at an existing facility. The Taichung plant in Taiwan is a case in point. We can see that electricity generation and CO2 emissions jump up in the "Future" period compared to 2009. If a plant shows no change in data between 2009 and the Future, that is indicative of no planned capacity expansions (or retirements). If the two sets of data are different, then some planned change(s) is expected, though the date(s) of the change is uncertain. The "Future" data are, again, a model estimate of how the plant might operate after the alterations are completed.
"Future" data are also available for geographic regions and countries, though they should be treated carefully. In both cases, the figures simply report aggregated "Future" electricity production and emissions from all associated power plants. We do not know if the "Future" totals reflect plants planned for operation in the next 5 years or 20 years. Nor do we know if the reported future plans are exhaustive or a small sample of what will actually occur. Looking at the totals for Uttar Pradesh state in India, for example, we see that "Future" CO2 emissions are significantly higher than 2009 emissions. But whether this increase occurs by 2015 or 2025 – and whether actual emissions go even higher – is impossible to tell from CARMA's data alone.
Overall, CARMA's "Future" data is most helpful in revealing planned power plants that were not in operation as of 2009 ("new builds") and a reasonable estimate of their likely electricity production and CO2 emissions. The "Future" data can also be used to identify the likely effects of capacity expansion (or retirement) at existing facilities by comparing the 2009 and "Future" data. The "Future" data are far less helpful when looking at region and company totals. In those cases, uncertainty about the timing and comprehensiveness of future plans make the totals difficult to reliably interpret. Users should be aware of these limitations and recognize that "Future" data reported by CARMA are by no means exhaustive projections or predictions.
Power plant ownership is quite complicated, and there are often multiple layers of ownership between the immediate plant operator and the ultimate owner. CARMA attempts to report the ultimate owner whenever possible (i.e. the highest entity in the corporate hierarchy), relying largely on information from a private data supplier. When the parent company cannot be identified for a plant, the operating company (often a utility) is reported instead.
It must be stressed that maintaining accurate corporate information is extremely challenging. CARMA's data suppliers are the best in the business, but even they cannot guarantee accuracy, especially outside North America where corporate hierarchies are less evident. There is also the problem that many large facilities are owned by multiple entities and it is not possible to track ownership shares worldwide. For all these reasons, the company data in CARMA should be considered a reasonable "best guess" of the primary entity ultimately responsible for ownership or operation of the plant.
For example, the generating units at the Scherer Plant in Juliette, Georgia (the largest CO2 emitter in the U.S.) are jointly owned to varying degrees by seven different corporate entities. Based on this information, one could reasonably consider Oglethorpe Power Corporation to be the primary owner. On the other hand, the plant is actually operated on a day-to-day basis by Georgia Power (also part owner), which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Southern Company – as is Gulf Power, also part owner of the plant. CARMA's data suppliers, and hence the CARMA database, report the parent company as Southern Company. I use this example to illustrate the potential complexity of ownership arrangements and dispense the necessary "grain of salt". To be fair, this is an especially complex case.
Although electricity and emissions data are available for multiple points in time (e.g. 2004, 2009, and the "Future"), the company assigned to each plant is based upon the most recent information available. For example, the CARMA v3.0 release in July, 2012 uses corporate ownership data thought to be current as of March, 2012. Notice that this makes company totals for earlier points in time (e.g. 2004 and 2009) possibly subject to error, since ownership could have been different at that time. The 2004 company totals for Southern Company, for example, are the aggregate 2004 electricity production and emissions of plants that Southern Company is currently listed as owning (not the plants they actually owned as of 2004). In general, the 2009 company totals are more likely to be accurate than 2004, especially in developing country power markets where changes are occurring rapidly.
CARMA also assigns a "Parent Country" to each company in the database. At present, this is based solely on an analysis of where the plurality of the company's associated generating capacity is located. In the vast majority of cases, this yields an accurate result. If you come across exceptions, please contact me so I can rectify for future releases.
Finally, it is worth reiterating that CARMA's company totals simply reflect emissions from associated power plants. Occasionally, one will find companies that have both power plants and other business activities. For example, major oil and gas companies like BP often own generators, and their operation is reflected as best as possible in CARMA's company totals. But these figures do not reflect the full extent of CO2 or other greenhouse gas emissions from BP's wider activities (drilling, refineries, pipelines, etc.).
Basic information like country, state/province, and city comes from a proprietary, commercial database of global power plants. Similar data is provided for U.S. facilities by the Department of Energy (DoE). This raw data is processed with an algorithm that cleans and standardizes the data and conducts a "fuzzy string" match against the open-source GeoNames place names database. The algorithm attempts to extract maximum geographic information; in some cases, it is able to add information not found in the raw data. I believe this makes CARMA v3.0 probably the most extensive public geocoding of global power plants to date.
CARMA's geocoding algorithm attempts to return the continent, country, state/province, county/district, city, and postal code for each plant. Data coverage is universal for continent and country and nearly so (>95%) for state/province. A further 80% of plants have been assigned a city, 40% a county/district (i.e. secondary region), and ~16% a unique postal code.
CARMA users are often interested in pin-pointing the location of facilities, usually for the purposes of modeling pollutant dispersal or making high-quality maps. This requires specific geographic coordinates. Coordinate data from the DoE and EPA are used to provide high-resolution coordinates for all plants in the U.S. Outside the U.S., the same datasets that disclose emissions or power generation sometimes report coordinates, too. In addition, many large facilities have been manually geocoded using public sources (usually Wikipedia). All told, 12% of facilities responsible for about about 40% of current electricity and emissions are assigned high-resolution coordinates.
When high-resolution coordinates are not available, CARMA v3.0 provides the coordinates for the associated city center, as given by GeoNames. An additional 70% of plants are assigned these approximate coordinates. Comparison of approximate and precise coordinates for plants with both suggest that the approximate coordinates have an average spatial error of about 7 km. When downloading a .csv file from CARMA.org, a variable called "crd" is included to indicate if the given coordinates are approximate (crd=1) or precise (crd=2).
The CARMA website reports aggregate totals for the geographic entities previously mentioned, as well as counties, congressional districts, and metro areas for the U.S. The definition of a "metro area" has changed in v3.0 and now reflect the borders of "combined statistical areas", as determined by the OMB. For users of CARMA's API, it is important to note that all regions in CARMA v3.0 (excluding congressional districts and metro areas) now have unique, permanent identifiers that match those used by GeoNames. For example, the Australian state of New South Wales has region_id=2155400 (specified in the URL), which matches that used by the GeoNames API. This allows the two databases to be easily linked, if desired.
The regional totals provided in CARMA v3.0 are simply the aggregate electricity production and emissions of all geocoded facilities within the borders of the region in question. The one exception is cities. The city totals (for example, Madrid) are the aggregate of all plants with precise or approximate coordinates within 100 km (~60 miles) of the city center. CARMA v3.0 provides such totals for capital cities and those with population greater than 50,000 – more than 13,000 cities worldwide. It's also worth noting that CARMA's algorithms attempt to ensure accurate country totals for electricity generation and, for most countries, CO2 emissions. National totals from the DoE and International Energy Agency are used. There may be discrepancies in some cases. If you notice any, please let me know.
This question is addressed in detail in a technical paper describing the CARMA methodology and results. Here I want to share some of the main findings and highlight important caveats related to use of the data.
As detailed elsewhere, CARMA's models are fit to a high-resolution dataset of U.S. plant performance. The models then predict the electricity production and CO2 emissions of plants outside the U.S. for which publicly disclosed data is not available. As part of the CARMA technical paper, an analysis was undertaken to estimate the likely accuracy of the model output. Overall, the models do a better job of predicting the carbon intensity of a given plant (kg CO2 per MWh) and have more difficulty accuracy predicting total electricity generation. For example, it is estimated that, for CO2-emitting plants with estimated values, CARMA reports CO2 intensity that is within 20% of the true value about 60% of the time. But for electricity generation, the reported value is within 20% of the true value only about 40% of the time.
Why is predicting the amount of electricity generated by a given plant in a given year so difficult? The short answer is that utilization of many plants jumps around from year to year (i.e. high inter-annual variability) for reasons that cannot be easily observed or modeled. For example, the CARMA technical paper analyzes how annual generation changed between 2009 and 2010 for ~5,000 U.S. power plants that showed no change in engineering characteristics. Nearly 50% of the plants saw annual generation change at least 20% between 2009 and 2010 and about 30% saw a change of at least 40%. Remember, the variables that CARMA's models are able to use have not changed for these plants – but generation is still jumping around from year-to-year. This variability makes it fundamentally difficult to detect clear patterns or "rules" that the models can use to precisely predict performance when public data is not available.
When we consider these difficulties, the CARMA models are actually performing reasonably well. For example, an "ideal" model, given the range of variables available to CARMA and accounting for inter-annual variability, would likely predict annual generation to within 20% of the true value in about 55% of cases. The evidence suggests that the CARMA v3.0 models currently achieve that level of accuracy for slightly more than 40% of plants. And whereas an ideal model could be expected to be within 40% of the true value for about 70% of plants, CARMA does so in more than 60% of cases. Overall, that's pretty decent model performance.
It's also clear that accuracy depends on the type of power plant in question. In general, larger plants are easier to predict than smaller ones. And coal power plants – owing to their predominant and more consistent use as base-load electricity providers – exhibit greater model accuracy than other fuel types. Conversely, smaller and/or gas- or oil-based units are likely to see higher prediction errors. Hydroelectric power plants are a mixed bag since performance in any given year is highly dependent on local weather conditions that are not observed by CARMA's models.
On the plus side, CARMA's estimates can be fairly interpreted as reasonable long-term performance metrics. CARMA's models show no evidence of systematic bias, so while estimates for any particular year may exhibit significant error, the long-term performance of most plants is likely consistent with the model predictions. This is especially true of larger plants. Measures of typical, long-term performance for larger facilities (existing and planned) are, perhaps, the most relevant information for many real-world applications of CARMA. In addition, prediction of CO2 intensity – an equally useful metric for many CARMA users - is shown to be quite feasible and exhibits relatively low error.
In an ideal world, the electricity generation, CO2 emissions, location, and ownership of the world's power plants would be regularly published by the appropriate national authorities. Of course, this is not the case. In fact, for the vast majority of countries it is difficult (if not impossible) to find any comprehensive, public information about state of power generators, never mind their environmental impact.
At present, only about 10% of the world's CO2-emitting power plants regularly disclose CO2 emissions through public databases. These plants are limited to the United States, European Union, Canada, India, and South Africa. Collectively, these databases disclose the specific source of about 35% of global power sector CO2 emissions. A database maintained by the International Atomic Energy Agency also discloses the electricity production of nuclear power plants worldwide. Some databases, like in the U.S., India, and South Africa, report both electricity generation and emissions. Others report only emissions. Some have corporate data, some do not. Some report the location of plants, some do not. Some are exhaustive (covering all facilities in their jurisdiction), some are not. Outside of these sources, information about plant-specific performance is fragmented, privately-held, or non-existent. In short, it's kind of a mess.
CARMA's basic task is to consolidate the public data that is made available and come up with reasonable estimates for the rest. A private, commercial database maintained by Platts, Inc. provides valuable information about the location, engineering, fuel type, and ownership of effectively all of the world's generating units (though it reveals nothing about actual generation or emissions). This database provides a basis for knowing which plants are reported publicly and which are undisclosed and in need of estimates. It also provides variables that can be used to predict the performance of a given plant.
Electricity generation and emissions for undisclosed plants are estimated using statistical models. The U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency publish detailed information about almost all power plants in the U.S. It is possible to process this data to determine what is happening at individual units in particular months. From this data, CARMA constructs a large, detailed dataset of unit-level, monthly performance at U.S. facilities (electricity generation, CO2 emissions, fuel type and consumption, etc.). This dataset is used to fit statistical models that predict how much electricity or CO2 a plant is likely to produce given its size, age, the various technologies and fuels in use, the nature of the electricity grid, etc. The resulting models are then applied to the global database provided by Platts, Inc. to derive estimated performance for power plants that lack publicly disclosed data.
Obviously, there are limitations to this approach. For example, it assumes that the experience and performance of U.S. power plants is similar to those in any other country (controlling, of course, for the various fuel and engineering characteristics that can be observed). The biggest challenge, though, is that utilization rates for plants across time are highly variable. This makes it difficult to accurately estimate the emissions of a given plant in a given year. While CARMA will always have difficulty precisely predicting the performance of a given plant in a given year, it does do a a few things well:
First, and most obviously, it consolidates the high-quality information that is available. This is not a trivial task given that each national disclosure database has its own particular format, standards, and (annoying) idiosyncrasies. And the national databases alone do not provide all the desired data points, which means they must be painstakingly matched against the Platts, Inc. database (and others) to extract the full suite of required information.
Second, even when disclosed data is unavailable, CARMA's statistical models do a decent job of estimating the amount of CO2 a given plant emits for each MWh of electricity produced (called "Intensity" on the site and given units of kgCO2/MWh). In some ways, the carbon intensity is the most important metric, since it allows us to identify those power plants that are the greatest relative threat in terms of climate change.
Third, even if CARMA's models cannot precisely estimate total electricity generation or emissions for a given plant and year, the model output is likely to be indicative of the long-term performance of a plant. In other words, CARMA's models still do a reasonable job of identifying a plant's typical or average emissions over a longer period, even if the performance for any given year is over- or under-estimated.
Ultimately, CARMA is a mix of the ideal (disclosed data) and the imperfect (estimated data). The hope is that, over time, better disclosure efforts will tip the balance in favor of the former. Users interested in the U.S. will be happy to know that CARMA's U.S. power plant data come from the DoE and EPA and can be considered high-quality. For facilities outside the U.S., it is possible to check the disclosure status of a given plant by downloading the associated .csv file from the site and finding the "dis" variable in the output. This variable indicates one of the following situations:
dis=0: No data disclosed
dis=1: Electricity generation disclosed
dis=2: CO2 emissions disclosed
dis=3: Electricity generation and CO2 emissions disclosed
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Sunday, March 30, 2008
Wolverines Reach Frozen Four (Again!)
I caught the last period and that was some damn exciting hockey. Goaltender Billy Sauer was outstanding, especially during a 6-on-3 Clarkston advantage in the last two minutes of play when he made some circus saves to preserve the victory and his shutout.
Big props to Red Berenson and his squad.
33 comments:
- Dezzi said...
With a Miami victory... 3 of 4 could be from the CCHA.
Nice to get Notre Dame in the semis...
- March 30, 2008 5:17 PM
- MGoBlue93 said...
Time to warm up the, "just like football" chant!!!
- March 30, 2008 6:45 PM
- srudoff said...
Congrats to Hagen's Heroes!!!!
- March 30, 2008 7:00 PM
- Adam said...
See? There's stuff to do during the offseason!
- March 30, 2008 8:27 PM
- Yost said...
Yeah, that was some fantastic hockey. Wow.
- March 30, 2008 11:33 PM
- Mikoyan said...
That's cool.
- March 31, 2008 12:27 AM
- Ron said...
I believe it's actually the 23rd time Michigan has made the frozen four. That's what I heard the commentator say. It's also a NCAA record.
Porter was some kind of dominant. They can start engraving the Hobey right now.
Go Blue.
- March 31, 2008 8:14 AM
- Out of Conference said...
I did a wiki search on this "hockey" thing. Very Interesting. BiB - you guys hear about this over in Alabama? It's on ice!
- March 31, 2008 8:52 AM
- Catie said...
Congrats! That is awesome!!
I hear the women BB lost to Sparty though ;o(
- March 31, 2008 9:03 AM
- Dezzi said...
Was it 1998 when Michigan last won the NC?? That was my junior year... and only really remember part of that night...
Would be nice to at least have a NC somewhere in the UM sports department.
And FWIW... the Davidson v. Kansas game was one of the best of the tourney!
- March 31, 2008 9:19 AM
- Killing My Liver said...
Sauer was out of his mind on that 6-3. Truley amazing to watch.
- March 31, 2008 9:50 AM
- Corey said...
I will be in attendance with my voice booming out!!!
- March 31, 2008 9:56 AM
- MGoBlue93 said...
corey... I called the tix office today (1-866-296-6849); they have a recording which states frozen 4 info will be available Tuesday.
The folks on eBay and StubHub are pretty proud of their packages... I've regularly seen what is normally a ~$80 package starting at $300.
Speaking of Refs and blowing... Shego is still reffing and he was calling one of the games yesterday.... arrrghh!
We want more goals! Sieve, sieve, sieve, sieve, sieve, sieve, it's all your fault, it's all your fault, it's all your fault, it's all your fault.
- March 31, 2008 10:45 AM
- DaBraylon17 said...
good thing they don't play MSU in the frozen four.
- March 31, 2008 12:33 PM
- TitleIX said...
Ring, Ring
/threadjack needed for advice
It is with sadness and trepidation that I request your input regarding my upcoming trip to (gulp) C-bus. You see, there is a meeting there which I must attend and cannot delegate.
Do I:
a) Drive my own car with the big ol' block M license plate and not worry since the folks in C-bus really aren't neanderthals and welcome all visitors
b) Drive my own car but be sure to back it into a parking space against a wall and remain stealth from the donut pitching neanderthals
c) Rent a car with or without Michigan plates and drive that down there to avoid any possible damage to my car?
You don't suck, you are a vacuum, you aren't a vacuum you are a black hole.......
- March 31, 2008 12:38 PM
- Catie said...
T9, I friends who were traveling health professionals that worked in C'bus for a couple of years. They said that they had to keep their car "backed" in so the Michigan license plates did not show so that their car did not get damaged. This was particularly true on football game days, in fact on game day, they would not drive their car for fear of getting things thrown at them. (true story)
- March 31, 2008 12:47 PM
- whetstonebuck said...
You in the mood for a new ride?
This could be your chance.
- March 31, 2008 12:49 PM
- goat7ed said...
Rent the car, drive to Columbus with a bunch of Michigan stickers.
Tag all the other cars near you with the stickers. When you come out, the damage on the other cars will tell you if you made the right decision.
Worst case, you vandalize a bunch cars in the name of school spirit. Best case, a red on red feeding frenzy.
To improve you car survival odds...straddle the parking space line, based on previous posts.
- March 31, 2008 1:24 PM
- surrounded in columbus said...
if you don't mind me asking, where are you going? i park downtown in an garage attached to the office tower. have very few problems (at least this time of year) w/ the cars, despite alumni stickers front & back.
however, i am very careful where i park on campus, or in other parts of town. how much of a precaution you take depends on where you're going.
oh, and-
it's not the stick
it's not the puck
it's not gravity
you just SUCK
it's all your fault
it's all your fault
(pointing appropriately)
goalie- sieve
goalie- sieve
goalie- sieve
- March 31, 2008 1:44 PM
- Hemlock Philosopher said...
I drove around cleveland for a year with the oheo license plate "60BLUE" and not much happened. Sure a few red necks, the few that can read, wondered what in the hell Sixty Blue meant.
- March 31, 2008 1:57 PM
- Sgt. Wolverine said...
I made a couple trips down to Columbus to visit friends there (one of whom was a grad student there); all my trips were during that sad time of year called Not Football Season, and I didn't have any problems. It seems like they're militant during Football Season and just marginally obnoxious during Not Football Season.
- March 31, 2008 2:18 PM
- Out of Conference said...
Hemlock - at least it didn't say, "Blue60". Then you might get a few admirers.
- March 31, 2008 2:22 PM
- zen wizard said...
I strongly support hockey--and any other activity that keeps a dude with a French surname too busy to put The Mack on my old lady.
- March 31, 2008 2:32 PM
- MGoBlue93 said...
I was at the UM v UNO game 2 weeks ago. Michigan won 10-1. There was a UNO goon with long hair, the student section chanted "DIRTY MULLET" when he was on the ice. When UNO got their 1 goal late in the game, (I was in section 3) the UNO fans in section 4 jumped up to cheer and the entire opposite side of the ice started pointing and chanting "UGLY PARENTS".
he he he, I was not familiar with such chants during my time in A2.
BTW, when I was in A2 a couple of weeks ago, I got a peek at the new baseball and softball facilities... did anyone go to opening day? They look really nice.
- March 31, 2008 3:57 PM
- TitleIX said...
thanks for the advice all.
Sounds like straddle parking with my back against the wall is safest (universal truth??) and I will bring a stack of stickers as a diversionary tactic! ;-)
Haven't been to The Wilpon yet as the Men's Big Ten opener was postponed by, yep--wait for it....
- March 31, 2008 5:50 PM
- Corey said...
I was ask to write a book on the cheers of Yost back in 1994. I have Marty Turco goal stick hanging on my wall.
- March 31, 2008 6:21 PM
- srudoff said...
you don't want to straddle park in columbus and risk being part of that ground breaking "parking around campus" blog that yost featured a few days ago do you?????
- March 31, 2008 6:55 PM
- Feelin' Blue said...
All set, T9. Just remember to straddle with your back up against the wall.
- March 31, 2008 8:50 PM
- TitleIX said...
I'm thinking that if Yost ever found a picture of me straddle parked and posted it, there would be nothing but praise and awe ;-)
- March 31, 2008 9:12 PM
- MGoBlue93 said...
What section are you in? How much over face did you pay?
- March 31, 2008 9:55 PM
- Bigasshammm said...
"All set, T9. Just remember to straddle with your back up against the wall."
I believe the proper term would be reverse cowgirl!
DVRd both hockey games so far and watched them when I got home from work. Will be DVRing this one Thurs as well. Hopefully I'll have something to watch and drink to on Saturday.
T9 as long as you stay away from the actual University in Columbus you should have no problems. Most you probably will get would be someone say something to you. Unless your car is obnoxiously decked out with UM stickers and such then maybe some keying will take place. When I had a gf that went there and I went to visit I always took my MI license plate holder off my car since I illegally parked in student dorm parking anyways it would have been towed for sure.
PS any news on the Spring Game? I look on Mgoblue.com but it doesn't say anything under football and last I checked on ESPN they had April 12th listed. Would like to come to it but need some info if anyone has any.
Email me if need be since I don't get much time on here anymore. Lil pooker takes up all my time :)
Myname @neo.rr.com
- March 31, 2008 11:05 PM
- Out of Conference said...
What's "straddle parking"? Is that the same as double parking. I hope not, because nothing makes me want to torch a car more than someone double parking... whether or not they have my school colors on their car.
This thread reminds me of my social life before I met my wife... sitting in a bar with a lot of "supposed" friends. They're talking about something interesting and I make a couple comments. No one pays me any attention, I just talk to myself and the bar tender- and that's only to say what kind of beer I want.
- April 01, 2008 9:47 AM
- goat7ed said...
...and so I says to the guy, "Hey Hemlock, lucky that licence plate didn't say Blue60 or you might get some admirers."
Pass the pretzels. Hey OOC, when'd you get here?
jus kiddin...whole blog with no smartass Joshua posts. figured I'd sub.
- April 01, 2008 12:47 PM

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Saturday, October 13, 2007
Purdue - Open Thread
Though I made my prediction in this week's Know Your Foe below, Yost promised that if I kept alive the prediction tradition of the past four weeks that he'd add me to his friends on MySpace.
MICHIGAN 32, Team that runs the spread but doesn't have a mobile QB, but they do run the spread, so.... 36.
UPDATE - WHO WAS THAT GREAT TEAM WEARING MAIZE AND BLUE 48, Purdue 21. Was that the best we've seen from Michigan this year? I think it was even better than against ND. Add your thoughts in the comments.
64 comments:
- Katie said...
Good try Benny.....but I think it needs to be even worse than that. Our only hope now is Maize and his twisted reverse pyschology. I am counting on you Maize.
- October 13, 2007 4:00 AM
- whetstonebuck said...
Let's see...
This thread has been up since yesterday and there is one comment.
It must be 9:37am in Michigan and just one comment.
Is this the cyber-equivalent of shaking one's keys?
- October 13, 2007 9:39 AM
- Ordinary Human said...
Ahh, you're just twisted a little bit. Michigan will win. After all it is homecoming.
- October 13, 2007 11:03 AM
- lovinum said...
Whetstone- I'm here, rattling away. Looking good early, with the help of some timely Purdue turnovers.
- October 13, 2007 12:57 PM
- SA said...
Listening to the radio feed-what's going on with Hart? They said he got up injured?
- October 13, 2007 1:36 PM
- Crock said...
I'm watching the game on the Big Ten Network, in regards to Hart- Carr said, "I think he's going to be okay."
Looked like some sort of ankle injury. Hart came out after the play it happened on and stayed on the bench until halftime.
Be grateful you can't see the Alumni Cheerleaders - plenty of clips tOSU fans would love to get their hands on.
- October 13, 2007 1:53 PM
- SA said...
Thanks Crock.
- October 13, 2007 2:29 PM
- lovinum said...
Fuck lion just made a stop in garbage time. Go Slocum!
- October 13, 2007 3:03 PM
- lina19 said...
Does anyone know anything about hart? Minor? these guys are giving their all and all that's going on with this site is a bunch of trash talking. BOO.
- October 13, 2007 3:21 PM
- lovinum said...
lina19 - The online radio broadcast reporters are calling hart's injury a "sprain" and were encouraged that he got to the locker room at halftime completely under his own power. They were complaining that the M coaching staff was (characteristically) silent about the injury. Haven't heard about Minor.
- October 13, 2007 3:37 PM
- Winch Man said...
I got a fuck lion
- October 13, 2007 3:56 PM
- Crock said...
just finished watching the end of the Northwestern vs. Minnesota game - another overtime win for Northwestern.
Hart was walking up and down the sidelines - in street clothes - about midway thru the 2nd half. Doesn't look too serious. No idea about Minor. BUT, I'm sure you saw that Carlos Brown scored 2 td's - not too shabby - and of course, Hart was right there cheering him on.
- October 13, 2007 4:21 PM
- Mark said...
Space, bitches. Space.
- October 13, 2007 4:21 PM
- Katie said...
Will the real Michigan team, Please stand up? Oh baby, they did today! That was better than against ND. A little shaky start on Offense....but then they showed up big. Even our second and third Defense looked good today, making a big stop. I really detest the garbage time scoring.....it takes away from the enjoyment of beating someone by 41 points :o) Coaching was a little different as well......they PASSED on first down.....the went for it on 4th down. Hart was on the sideline in street clothes sometime during the 3rd quarter. He did walk off the feild at half time on his own power, although limping. They are saying it is a spain of his ankle. Minor had his shoe off....it looked like an ankle thing too........although no word on him after that. GO BLUE!
- October 13, 2007 4:37 PM
- Andy said...
Hart getting hurt is not good. Seeing him on the sideline with no crutches or brace was good.
- October 13, 2007 4:51 PM
- TitleIX said...
rest assured sports fan, Mike will be fine. most likely a minor ankle sprain as he was not on crutches, not icing it, not casted and did not appear to be in pain. He and Mallett were all smiles in the 3rd.
And, it was amazing to see Mike COACHING, yes Coaching young C. Brown after his first touchdown run.
Gd I love Mike Hart.
Michigan Man thru and thru.
I agree with Katie, I don't know who the heck suited up in Blue today, but I hope that they stick around!
- October 13, 2007 5:00 PM
- surrounded in columbus said...
Couple thoughts while driving back to cowtown-
Play calling on first down was very good, especially early. We were in the ballpark 50/50 run/pass at least until we had bout 24 pts. Made a big difference.
Defense had great patience/discipline. Guys stayed in their lanes/didn't over commit.no big cut back gashes.
Ah, what is up w/ kick offs? Can't spend the rest of the season giving up 1st & 10 from the 39 every week.
We have given up 4 consecutive on side kicks. That's not good either.
Hart's run off the "roll" was spectacular.
Henne looked poised in huddle, on sidelines. Best game of season. Maybe team's best game since ND last year?
Finally, spent last Saturday listening to Herbie & Mussberger talking about the "statement" tosu was making against Purdue. Any bets that we don't get any props for making a "statement"? 48-7 w/ 10 mins to go in forth & we'll still get no credit. Oh well.
- October 13, 2007 5:42 PM
- Kraut said...
"Special" Teams!
It's hard to say something negative after probably the best game Michigan has played all year, but can someone PLEASE teach our special teams how to field kick offs ... both when we kick and when we receive? I wonder if a team has ever given up 4 straight onsides kicks before?
- October 13, 2007 7:04 PM
- kristy said...
I have to laugh-after all the posts I read on here about the gay key thing, people around me (most of them asking me to sit-sorry, NO!!!)got 'em out for the "key play"!!Crazy! Just freakin' scream!!!
This was my first trip to the Big House (110,888 in attend.!!!!)and what a rush!!! I've lost my voice and it was totally worth it!!! We sooooo rocked those Boilers today!!!! Loved the atmosphere, the fans seemed loud to me most of the time and doing the wave in slow motion?!?!?! Hilarious!!!Great game and what a fantastic experience!!! Got a great new shirt- it says,"Tressel drinks wine coolers". Having small children at home, it's a bit safer than f#%$ osu but still funny!! Great job Maize and Blue!!!
- October 13, 2007 7:43 PM
- kristy said...
How about KU/LSU game?!?! And USC/AZ?!
Anything goes on Saturdays!!!
- October 13, 2007 7:46 PM
- Katie said...
Holy Cow....LSU vs Kentucky......Nail biter! It has just gone into the 3rd OT.
- October 13, 2007 7:48 PM
- Katie said...
Kristy, so glad to hear you had a great day! A man in front of me was doing the key play thing...without keys.......No shit! He dangled his hand.....no keys in his hand........and didn't utter a word! I was in shock!
Penn State beat Wisky! Good Golly!
- October 13, 2007 7:55 PM
- whetstonebuck said...
Purdue was just a shell of its former self after last week's come-to-Jesus meeting with the Buckeyes. You all got what was left. (Spoken with the Soup Nazi accent: "No props for you!")
Okay, a few props.
So misinformed. Tressel drinks the blood of the vanquished and eats Big 10 animal mascots for breakfast.
Seriously, with LSU's loss today tOSU will move up a notch. I'm sure Cal will win. It's shaping up for that perfect storm I mentioned. The Bucks invading the Big House ranked #1 or #2 (if they win out) with everything to lose. You all could redeem your season with a victory. It reminds me of the Bo and Woody years. The ranked team would get ambushed by their hated rival and ruin their whole season. Ugh! I did not want things to shape up this way, but to go on to BCS glory it must be.
I'm starting to take antacids.
- October 13, 2007 8:28 PM
- Greg said...
I hear you. This was supposed to be an "off year" for me as an OSU fan, where I sat back and watched the Bucks take a couple expected lumps while Michigan pursued greatness. Well, thanks to App State and a surprising Bucks team (who I still believe are going to be overrated at #2...the offense does not inspire confidence, and the defense still hasn't been truly tested), this season has much higher stakes than I thought it would. Ah well...I was looking forward to not having to worry about how much there is to lose, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
- October 13, 2007 8:48 PM
- Crock said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- October 13, 2007 8:54 PM
- Crock said...
It was to nice see Mario back today, and making a real impact.
Anyone else happy to see our new, walk-on kicker, Lopata??
- October 13, 2007 8:55 PM
- LudaChristian said...
All I know is Painter's looking horrible against Big10 teams thus far. A little D goes a long way...
- October 13, 2007 10:30 PM
- Mikoyan said...
California lost too.
- October 13, 2007 10:55 PM
- whetstonebuck said...
No calls for Miles or Tedford tonight? I take it their stock just went down.
(just messin' with ya)
One week it's chicken; the next week it's feathers.
What a year for college football.
I guess tOSU gets the official NCAA kiss of death for this week. College football's version of the "kick me" sign taped to one's backside.
- October 14, 2007 1:42 AM
- Jessica said...
Us Michigan fans can only hope it's the kiss of death. (Not holding my breath, despite this season being the college football equivalent of the Twilight Zone.)
Out of curiosity, what's the rest of tOSU's schedule look like, whet?
- October 14, 2007 3:24 AM
- buckeyehusker said...
We still have Michigan State (home), Penn State (away), Wisconsin (home), Illinois (home), Michigan (away). Then of course the title game. *wink* Not holding my breath, but we'll see!
- October 14, 2007 6:40 AM
- surrounded in columbus said...
is anyone surprised that tosu is 7-0? no, i don't think so. everyone predicted 8-0 before they went to the white out in happy valley in two weeks. YSU? KSU? Akron? before the season started, anyone looking at the schedule would have been shocked if tosu wasn't 7-0 at this point. tosu's record to date is one of the least surprising things in college football this season.
now that MooSU looks slightly more difficult now than it might have in august, it's safe to say that the 5 best teams on their schedule are still to come. it's a fair question whether any of those 5 are actually any good, but they are all better than any of the first 7.
- October 14, 2007 7:01 AM
- Jim said...
Not that I'm against Miles in A2, but that 4th down play calling doesn't look so pretty now. That was a long two yards. The run play was a little too Carr-ish for my tastes. Maybe he was auditioning for Martin...showing he could play "Michigan football."
I vote for Mangino. Cupcakes for everyone!
- October 14, 2007 10:09 AM
- A2saint said...
Lots of local high school football to experience yesterday so I couldn't (thanks to the "Big Turd Network") listen to the game. I thought the highlight version of the game from mgoblue.com entertaining, good interview w/ Lloyd too. Was a little concerned about the score until I realized it was very lopsided until the 4th quarter. Good job boys! Mike Hart is still my hero, holy crap what a team player!
A tad unrelated but does anyone think the BTN is going to hurt recruiting? Michigan, despite its coaching and suspect play this year has always done a fantastic job recruiting, but without an almost weekly (and free)national audience can we expect this in the future?
- October 14, 2007 10:11 AM
- ChicagoWolverine said...
Wow -- That was a fun game! Hoping for a quick Hart recovery.
So, I have to make some new comments about fans at the Big House. I was in Section one Row B right behind the Purdouche bench yesterday. Right behind me were 30+ Army Lacrosse players (who apparently beat Michigan on Friday). First off, I can somehow understand how the old alum want the people in front to sit so they can watch the game.. maybe they're too old and busted to be able to stand that long. But Army Collegiate Athletes have no excuse to sit down and yell at the Michigan fans standing and cheering all around them. I also now don't feel so bad that the Rutgers fans for yelling at the Navy people... If Army kids were any representation of the armed service kids they deserved to be yelled at. I have never heard so many derogatory and racist comments come out of any group of people at the big house including Tosu fans. I was left jaw dropped and speachless at some of the comments directed at Michigan Fans and Purdue players. There were a couple good kids in the bunch, but all in all what a disgrace to themselves.
- October 14, 2007 12:39 PM
- Katie said...
That is really sad. It makes for an unfortunate exerperience for all those around them.
My "usual" seat was changed for this one game only. So my typical blue haired tea and crumpets crowd became a crowd of Michigan fans who stood for the majority of the game. It was heaven!
- October 14, 2007 12:58 PM
- Crock said...
USA today poll is out - tOSU is ranked #1 - and we're 1 vote away from the top 25.
- October 14, 2007 1:16 PM
- Jessica said...
- October 14, 2007 1:36 PM
- surrounded in columbus said...
damn. we're doomed now. i had hoped we'd make all the way thru tosu w/ out being ranked again.
- October 14, 2007 2:17 PM
- whetstonebuck said...
#1 - The...kiss...of...death
- October 14, 2007 4:25 PM
- Katie said...
"#1 the kiss of death"
We can only hope :o)
- October 14, 2007 5:03 PM
- whetstonebuck said...
As long as it's not tsun.
Here's the scenario if the Bucks can't run the table. We lose the week prior to the Michigan game.
Plenty of anger and frustration looking for somewhere to land. The Big House would make a nice landing strip.
- October 14, 2007 5:19 PM
- Katie said...
Not on my watch! ;o)
I would MUCH prefer to have an undefeated tOSU team at the big house in November, that is if the REAL Michigan team shows up that day! Since they have a fairly easy schedule, it is likely that they will be undefeated come November :P
- October 14, 2007 5:48 PM
- MGoBlue93 said...
The pollsters suck big donkey dick again... LSU only drops 4 spots? USC wins and drops 3 spots?
- October 14, 2007 6:02 PM
- Jim said...
...and in the Coaches Poll UM is 26, one vote behind...Penn State? Nice.
- October 14, 2007 6:08 PM
- whetstonebuck said...
No schedule is easy when everyone is out to ruin your world. Ask USC.
- October 14, 2007 7:05 PM
- surrounded in columbus said...
whetstone's right for change. tosu has a much tuffer schedule ahead of it. i can't say that any of the teams are any "good", just that they're better than the teams they've already played.
overall, this is the year that may be the beginning of the end for bcs (i know that's optimistic but it's got to start somewhere). you have what now? five undefeated bcs schools? tosu, bc, usf, kansas, and arizona st. plus the rainbows?
they have tosu #1 and they don't have as many wins over ranked teams as usf. what if the dregs of the big ten continue to knock each other off round robin style? tosu may not play another ranked team all season.
imagine if any of lower ranked bcs teams- asu or kansas, running the table? say asu goes on and beats oregon/cal/usc et al, and the polls leave them ranked behind tosu? leave the acc champ behind the big east champ?
imagine the howl out of any of the other conferences at that point.
or better, all the remaining undefeateds all drop one? now you have a pile of 11-1 teams shooting for two spots. and then tosu gets left out of the bcs 'cause the computers beat them up for "weak" schedule?
from here on, even if there are only two undefeated teams come December, there's going to be a mess.
should be fun.
- October 14, 2007 7:14 PM
- surrounded in columbus said...
BTW- we're #25 in the BCS rankings!!!
- October 14, 2007 7:17 PM
- Jessica said...
The pollsters need to be shot.
And no, we want/need tOSU to lose at least once before coming to the Big House. I do not want us getting screwed out of the Rose Bowl/Big 10 championship because tOSU ends up with a better overall record. I don't know off the top of my head if overall record tops Big 10 record, but the way this season has gone, I have horrible visions of us getting screwed even if we DO go undefeated in the Big 10 and tOSU ends with only 1 loss.
Anybody know how that's supposed to work?
- October 14, 2007 7:17 PM
- Katie said...
Jessica, we are undefeated in the Big 10 (our losses are out of conference) so if tOSU comes to us undefeated (and we continue to put up only wins) then we would win the big 10, because we would be undefeated in the big 10 and OSU would have one loss in the big 10 (us). Now....what that means in the BCS standings.....is a crap shoot as far as I can tell from how the polls have gone so far this year.
- October 14, 2007 7:35 PM
- surrounded in columbus said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- October 14, 2007 7:40 PM
- surrounded in columbus said...
pretty sure they start w/ big ten records and only big ten records. if michigan or tosu win out, they're conference champs & bcs designate.
after that, it gets more complicated (on paper). in the case of two "one loss" (in conference play) teams, they go and compare head to head. right now, only michigan &tosu have no losses.
illinois has one loss, and the rest of the conference has two or more (and are virtually out of it). if illinois wins out, they'll be co-champs because they will be (at best) in a tie w/ either michigan or tosu (one of whom will beat the other, giving them at least a second loss) and illinois will hold the tie breaker (head to head). illinois will be co champ and play in the rose bowl.
so, if we win this saturday, it pretty much makes things a two horse race- michigan &tosu. if we lose, it's likely between tosu & illinois (though it's possible that we could lose, then win out, and still be champs, as tosu would have to beat illinois, then lose to us and we would hold the tie breaker over tosu and illinois would have two losses).
of course, it's possible that we could end up w/ everyone having two losses- we still have illinois, msu, and wisconsin on the road. illinois has one loss and has to play us and at tosu. and tosu still has to play @ psu & michigan, w/ home games against msu, illinois, and wisco. normally, that's not a likely possibility ( i think you have to go back to '82 or '83) but this year? who knows.
the possible answers amongst two or three "two loss" teams is very dependent upon the combination of who beat (and lost to) whom. need a book to figure that out.
- October 14, 2007 7:47 PM
- Ddub said...
i must say, best stadium atmosphere i have witnessed in a long time... we got loud (despite the keys), the old man cheerleaders got us louder with their crazy old man antics (per the usual for homecoming), the wave was stellar (and done once the game was out of reach, appropriately), etc.
i was disappointed in the treatment of some purdue fans near me. i was seated in the student section and the things that were said to them were not right. just my take.
go blue!
- October 14, 2007 8:01 PM
- Jim said...
Still, not to be all glass-half-empty but, the *best* we can hope for would be a Big Ten title and a BCS bowl. That'd be nice, but it'll feel a little hollow. Lot of football between here and there.
- October 14, 2007 8:12 PM
- Jim said...
P.S. Anybody catch the Kentucky-LSU game? Can't say I was all that impressed with the vaunted SEC game environment. Isn't the lamest SEC crowd supposed to blow away a typical Big House crowd?
- October 14, 2007 8:16 PM
- whetstonebuck said...
"whetstone's right for change."
Be still my heart.
- October 14, 2007 8:38 PM
- Katie said...
Yes, I did not mean to imply that we could be the NC. That of course is no longer possible after the way the season started. I was just trying to explain that we could win the Big Ten.
I did not see the tOSU vs Purdue game...but the score was not as impressive as our win over them.....is that telling or not?
- October 14, 2007 8:57 PM
- IamCris said...
Totally not related but woohoo we are ranked again. Also ranked #25 in the BCS. Go Blue!!!
- October 14, 2007 9:05 PM
- PUBoiler78 said...
"The pollsters suck big donkey dick again... LSU only drops 4 spots? USC wins and drops 3 spots?"
LSU lost on the road to a ranked opponent. That's not that bad of a loss.
USC deserved to drop more last week, and since they were unimpressive in their win this week it's fitting they go down. Just because you win doesn't mean you automatically go up.
To chicagowolverine:
Nice on the Purdouche comment and then following it up complaining about Army kids being classless. I guess it's nice to have a program good enough to deserve a derogatory nickname though.
- October 14, 2007 9:13 PM
- Jessica said...
Really, I think we can take the rest of the B10. The only game that still really worries me is Wisconsin, but they've looked like ass the last 3 weeks in a row, so...
- October 14, 2007 11:10 PM
- whetstonebuck said...
Wisconsin worries you, but not tOSU? Wow. You are a true believer.
- October 15, 2007 1:33 AM
- MGoBlue93 said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- October 15, 2007 10:44 PM
- MGoBlue93 said...
USC deserved to drop more last week, and since they were unimpressive in their win this week it's fitting they go down
I never posted that I thought USC should move up. I do not believe they should move down for that win.
USC is doing a heckuva job right now with starting 3rd and 4th stringers on the O line. I was on the sideline for that game and it was the most violent football game I've ever seen in my life. Arizona came out fearing nothing and just tried to absolutely beat the living snot out of the Trojans. All the USC haters are going to be in for long seasons in the future when all the freshman playing right now are juniors and seniors.
That's what the polls have been reduced to... comparing who is prettier?! I think that is one of the messages this forum has addressed recently.
- October 15, 2007 10:48 PM
- MGoBlue93 said...
... and using your logic, LSU lost to a basketball school
- October 15, 2007 10:52 PM


text:
These two have me trembling.
These two have me trembling.
I just love the "V" shape abs...I'm breaking my ass trying to get abs like that!
The first guy has a lovely body - what a perfect 'V'.
Happy Monday
Look at the veins on the first guy. Nice.
#1 above lots of hotness flowing to that wonderful groin!!
Torsos for Tuesday.
mixed bag of trails today
I want to lay on top pf him, lick his nipples then slowly lick my way down to his cock.
He's just wonderful!
Andy has one hell of a body, for such a little guy. little
^ yeah, great body, lovely legs too. And I'd suck on that cock.
yah wonder where he ended up. cutie.
Hope you all are having a great friday!!
*sigh* Joshua!!!
Have a good weekend all
dunhill, these two would make a perfect weekend.
Hope you all have a great weekend.
Would love to be in his arms and bed tonight!
Very nice thread!
yes Baby!! I love them
Oh WOW! He's gorgeous!
Very sexy thread have to say
Tatum, Channing.
Some torsos I find hot. I hope there aren't any repeats.
^ they are incredibly hot; even if they were repeats, I could never tire of such beauty!
Paulo, I agree. In post #139 is Talvin Demachio.
See how beautiful we are and blessed, too. Together we are excellent.
sweet spots
Torsos for Friday.
V and Veins adds to erotic and sensual pleasure of male body. Love to guys like this crusing halls of the baths with that towel in place and showing those bodies.


text:
Watco Executive Vice President and COO Rick Baden said, "We are excited to welcome the Ann Arbor Railroad into the Watco family and look forward to building a relationship with the customers of the Ann Arbor. We plan to continue the excellent service they've been receiving and to pursue opportunities to build economic value for the communities, states and customers we serve."
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Aiken began his railroad career with Kansas City Southern as a conductor in 2006 and was promoted to assistant trainmaster in Gulfport, Miss., in 2007. He was named trainmaster in 2009 in Monroe, La., and then joined the ABS as trainmaster in 2012.


text:
Rainbows! is an HTTP server for sleepy Rack applications. It is based on Unicorn, but designed to handle applications that expect long request/response times and/or slow clients. For Rack applications not heavily bound by slow external network dependencies, consider Unicorn instead as it simpler and easier to debug.
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RackMap is a Web-based datacenter management tool. It was designed to help organisations catalog and manage datacenter assets such as racks, servers, routers, and switches. It allows you to catalog hardware location and cabling information, export data in various formats including PDF, generate bulk configuration scripts, and remotely control some devices.


text:
For players with extraordinary levels of skill, masochism and free time, Diablo III is adding a new difficulty level even harder than the ruddy hard 'Hell.' Those braving 'Inferno' difficulty will face even tougher and more powerful monsters, but have a shot at finding unique loot not available anywhere else.
Inferno is made for players who've hit the level cap of 60, game director Jay Wilson explained to Kotaku. However, the lowest-level monsters in Inferno will be level 61, and will have more health, damage, resistances, and skills than in Hell difficulty.
Considering the penalties, obstacles and horrors faced by Diablo II Hell players, the prospect of something even harder should be downright terrifying to all but the most hardcore.
"The idea was that we wanted a difficulty mode where the entire game was viable," Wilson said. "So you don't have to pick and choose key areas [to replay]."
In Diablo II, players typically farm specific areas to level up, then the end game is simply making 'boss runs' over and over for loot. Blizzard aims to make Inferno different, hoping to have players seeing far more of the game's content. Should focused runs develop, it may tweak the game to encourage and reward roaming further.
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There's still no firm word on Diablo III will launch for PC and Mac, but the external beta is scheduled for owner Activision Blizzard's third fiscal quarter, which begins October 1. Blizzard is also "very, very serious about bringing the Diablo 3 experience to the console," the developer said yesterday.


text:
What to look for when buying a sofa
Sofas are a commitment. If they weren't, you wouldn't go over to grandma's house and sit on her flower-upholstered monstrosity with sagging cushions and a color pattern that hasn't been in production since 1972. Most people don't buy a sofa often, so it's imperative that your sofa fits you and your lifestyle, since you'll own it for years.
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text: Back to News 2012 US Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup kicks off in Sacramento SACRAMENTO, Calif. (July 12, 2012) –The first day of games are complete at the 2012 US Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup at the Cherry Island Soccer Complex in Sacramento, Calif. Thirty-two teams from 14 different states took the field to vie for a chance to lift the National Presidents Cup trophy in the Under-14 through Under-17 Boys and Girls age groups. Recaps from Thursday's games: Under-14 Boys Georgia Mountain YMCA (GA) secured a hard fought day one victory over River City Soccer Club (WA). In just the 8th minute of the game, Fabian Abarca scored to claim the lead for Georgia Mountain. Despite close chances at both ends neither team could convert, and the lone goal stood as the game winner. Elkhart Flames Dynamite (IN) took control of the group as they claimed three points via a 2-1 victory over Metuchen Rover Juniors (NJ). Under-14 Girls Every team in the U-14 Girls group enters day two with a point as both group games ended in a draw today. In a game against LVU United (E-PA), St. Louis Scott Gallagher's (MO) Katheryne Stiles struck first in the 7th minute. That lead would hold for much of the game, until LVU's Ashley Ender equalized in dramatic fashion just five minutes from time. In the group's other matchup, JASA Coastal Surge (NC) drew 0-0 with NC Boca (CA-S). Under-15 Boys FC Golden State White (CA-S) made a statement in the U-15 Boys pool in day one action with a 6-1 victory over TUFC Los Guerreros (S-TX). After giving up a goal in just the second minute, FC Golden State rattled off six unanswered goals. Diego Gonzalez and Edgar Esquivel led the way with two goals apiece. Rage Gunners 96 (PA-E) also notched a victory on day one, as they beat Region II representative Kansas City SC Gold 96/97 (KS), 3-1. Under-15 Girls GUSA Navy (NC) earned an important three points on day one with a 3-2 victory over Colorado United White (CO). Allexis Taylor started the scoring in the 18th minute for GUSA, but Rebekah Haysley would level for Colorado United just after half. GUSA's Taylor would finish her double in the 45th and Hannah Van Eerden added a goal just two minutes later to claim a 3-1 lead. That goal proved vital as Colorado United's Katherine Petersen would pull one back in the 75th. Serving as the Region II representative, Dallas Texans 97 (TX-N) also claimed a day one victory as they beat FPYC Wildcats Blue (VA), 1-0. Under-16 Boys Crusaders United (MA) started each half effectively as they took on FC Porto of Kansas (KS). Just two minutes into the game, John Coneeny gave Crusaders the lead after his team stole possession just after kickoff. In similar fashion, Steven Kilday doubled the lead for Crusaders just after the whistle to start the second half. FC Porto of Kansas showed its experience and pulled one back in the 67th minute and again in the 73rd to earn the draw. LA Premier FC Black (CA-S) rose to the top of the group with a 2-0 victory over United Strikers (TX-N). Under-16 Girls Looking to improve on a fourth place finish in 2011, Capital United Blue Fusion (NY-E) started its bid for a National Presidents Cup title with a 5-1 win over Central FC Select Strikers (WI). Morgan Loder and Brittany Laplant led the attack with two goals each. A strong defensive effort kept Central FC at bay, with Gabrielle Millot notching the only goal for Wisconsin. In the other pool game, Houston Express 96 (TX-S) posted a shutout as they beat Platinum FC Cleary (CA-S) 3-0. Under-17 Boys Capitalizing on a balanced attack, Brasil Coachella (CA-S) tallied a 6-0 win over Texas United Westside (S-TX). Jimmie Villalobos found the net twice, with Christian Huerta, Sebastian Gonzalez, Hugo Vinalies and Cesar Figuroa also joining him on the scoresheet. The group's other game proved to be much tighter, as Indiana Invaders Black (IN) earned a 1-0 victory over FC Frederick 94 Royal (MD). Under-17 Girls Crusaders (MA) earned an emphatic 5-0 victory over Libertyville Premier Orange (IL). Four different Crusader players found the net on the day, led by a Laura Nee double.Crusaders' day two opponent, Arsenal Colorado Royal (CO) also earned three points on Thursday. Late goals secured a 4-2 victory for Arsenal over Miami Lakes SC (FL). The US Youth Soccer Presidents Cup is designed for those teams seeking additional challenges to play against teams of similar abilities for a national title. The cup provides a progressive, competitive experience to teams that might not otherwise get the opportunity to participate in a series of unique experiences highlighting competition, camaraderie and community from the state to regional to national levels of US Youth Soccer. For a complete schedule of games and daily results, click here. For more information, visit www.USYouthSoccer.org/Presidentscup/ or www.USYouthSoccer.org. ### About the United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer) – US Youth Soccer - "The Game for ALL Kids!?" is the largest youth sports organization in the country and largest member of the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body of soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer registers more than 3 million players annually, ages 5 to 19, and over 900,000 administrators, coaches and volunteers in 55 member State Associations. US Youth Soccer programs provide a fun, safe and healthy environment for players at every level of the game. For more information, visit www.USYouthSoccer.org. About the US Youth Soccer Presidents Cup - The US Youth Soccer Presidents Cup is designed for those teams seeking additional challenges to play against teams of similar abilities for a national title. The cup provides a progressive, competitive experience to teams that might not otherwise get the opportunity to participate in a series of unique experiences highlighting competition, camaraderie and community from the state to regional to national levels of US Youth Soccer.


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The Alternative Tentacles Legal Defense Fund has been closed. It was begun in the mid-1980s to help defend The Dead Kennedys and Alternative Tentacles from out-of-control censorious authorities who objected to the H.R. Giger poster included with the final Dead Kennedys studio album, Frankenchrist. You can hear Jello's take on that infamous trial on his 2nd spoken word release High Priest Of Harmful Matter. Funds later supported Jello Biafra and Alternative Tentacles against the Faux Kennedys in 2000-2004.
The cool cats over at Truth On Tees produced the rockin' Bush America as a fundraiser for both the ATLDF and Greg Palast Investigative Fund.
Thank you to everyone who has supported the Fund over the years!
(We'll have more sizes of this great shirt back in stock momentarily, so stay tuned!)
The U.S. flag's blue field of stars has been amBUSHed by oil derricks and dollar signs on this incredibly timely shirt from independent shirt vendor Truth On Tees.
The Alternative Tentacles benefit is definitely happening. It will be on Saturday, May 19 at the Balcony, which is above the Trocadaro at 10th and Arch Streets in Philadelphia.
Performers will be Sik Kids, Total Fuckin' Destruction, and FOD.
The proceeds shall benefit the Alternative Tentacles Legal Defense Fund. Why do this benefit? Becuase Alternative Tentacles was one of the first and most dedicated independent recording labels that not only issued releases from underground cultures, especially punk, but also numerous political, spoken word and benefit recordings.
Founded by Jello Biafra when he was a vocalist for Dead Kennedys, Alternative Tentacles has been through countless trials and legal hassles. The famous obscenity trial for the DK's Frankenchrist album resulted in a precedent setting victory for free speech, but nearly bankrupted the label. Amazingly, despite the numerous famous artists under attack at that time, only Frank Zappa and a couple of others tried to help.
Now Alternative Tentacles is at risk of total financial collapse once again, due to the latest court drama. This time, it isn't Jesse or Tipper or Falwell..it is the other three former members of Dead Kennedys. While Jello has stayed true to the ideals and vision of the early days of the band and label, the other three have been considerably less honorable. They have sought to seize control of the DK masters to cash in and use the songs for jeans commercials and other acts that total contadict what the band once stood for. Any Dead Kennedys release on a new label is unworthy of purchase.
Alternative Tentacles continues to issue recordings by numerous artists who would have much less of a chance being released on another label. Further, they have released countless spoken word releases by Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn and other voices that challenge abuses of power and the lies of the corporate media. Who Bombed Judi Bari (of Earth First) and All Things Censored (the censored recordings of Mumia Abu-Jamal) were also released on Alternative Tentacles.
It is time to support this vital label and assist valuable allies in the struggles for justice. Please consider coming to this benefit and/or helping to get the word out. Also please check out the AT website and offering support (and maybe getting some items from them).
Especially recommended: Jello Biafra's 6th spoken word release Become The Media.
Hope to see you at the show.
- AT Philly Support
Jello Biafra & Alternative Tentacles Records' Legal Defense Fund
Dear Friends,
As many of you know, Alternative Tentacles and myself are now caught up in our worst legal harassment ever. Main details have been widely circulated in the press, and are on my new album "Become The Media". The trial verdict has awarded the other ex-Dead Kennedys full control over much the DK catalog, plus enormous damages against Alternative Tentacles, and me personally, for failure to promote Dead Kennedys, among other things, if you can believe that.
In a sense, I am being punished for sticking to the vision and principles of the band and saying no to corporate branding and co-opting of our culture. We are at risk of being wiped out if the verdict stands. If so they can and most likely will pimp our music to corporate labels, TV commercials, etc.; regardless of how people who believe in Dead Kennedys' message feel about it.
Their intention is that I have no say in how Dead Kennedys is handled. Yet because I am the most visible and active ex-member, I will be hit with most of the blame. Obviously this verdict must be appealed. Appeals are very expensive and our legal fees have already gone through the roof. So far I have been paying out of my own pocket through live gigs, selling personal belongings, etc. I have been reluctant to set up a No More Censorship-type defense fund, a la the "Frankenchrist" trial, since this could be construed as a personal or business dispute, although I see it as political. I also thought my ex-bandmates would not be so hellbent against compromising and settling the case in a reasonable manner. Meanwhile more and more people outraged by corporate branding and this whole sad affair have been coming up to me asking to help. Frankly, we need it. I do not want to see over 20 years of hard work ruined, and my old band's legacy dumbed down into a cash-in retro cartoon. If you feel like helping us out even a little bit, please send contributions to:
Alternative Tentacles Legal Defense Fund
None of this money will be used to run Alternative Tentacles or pay my personal bills, only to help cover spiraling legal expenses. If you have further questions please email firstname.lastname@example.com or fax (415) 282 9786.
If you feel this request isn't cool, feel free to tell us.
Happy Holidaze,
Jello Biafra and Alternative Tentacles Records
P.S.- Contributions are not tax-deductible.


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The lease gives Pacific Imperial the sole rights to run rail freight between the border crossing San Ysidro (between the U.S. and Mexico traveling south) and the border crossing at Tecate and Division (south of Campo) between Mexico and the U.S. traveling north. The Desert Line is positioned to service approximately 800 manufacturing facilities in proximity to the rail, the vast majority of which are owned by Fortune 500 companies.
Since signing the lease, the company has taken steps toward improving the Desert Line. The company has been engaging engineering, financial and strategic partners to work toward upgrading the line.
The railroad says a key part of those improvements was naming Ernest Dahlman, III, chief executive officer on Feb. 1, 2013. Dahlman founded and served as the president of Dahlman Rose and company, a full-service investment bank focused on transportation, infrastructure and commodity-related industries.
Donald Stoecklein, president of Pacific Imperial, stated, "We are very excited to have Ernie join the team. PIR has a significant opportunity to service the Maquiladoras, also known as Maquila or twin plants area of Mexico. Our goal is to provide the fastest, most cost-efficient and safest opportunity for these companies to move freight. Ernie's background advising companies in our sector and others on strategic matters is a significant addition to our team."
Dahlman stated, "We have a significant opportunity to service a broad customer base in this area with our Desert Line. As we upgrade the rail and improve our operations, my goal is to have our customer base running PIR at full capacity. The customer and industry feedback has been tremendous so far. I'm happy to be a part of this incredibly exciting project and to work toward providing the highest level of service for our customers."


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Memo Channel Nine executives: If you want to keep your long-time linchpin Sam Newman from savaging your network, it might pay to give The Footy Show a little more love at your season launch.
That's if you intend to keep the larrikin stalwart on Channel Nine for another year.
In an extraordinary outburst on SEN radio Thursday, Newman said "complacency's back" at Channel Nine, which "couldn't give a stuff" about The Footy Show, and he wouldn't be surprised if it was canned next year.
Newman complained that the move of the show from 9.30 to 8.30pm next season, which pits it head-to-head against the successful Channel Ten offering Before the Game, was mentioned only as an afterthought at the season launch.
"As they said, 'Thanks very much for coming.' The bloke said, 'By the way, The Footy Show's going from 9.30 to 8.30.'
"They did not show an excerpt, a snippet, a promo, nothing, and I thought, 'Well, they couldn't give a stuff if we're on or not.'
"They're from Sydney. So I reckon they're just going to suck it and see and if it's no good in a month they'll just cancel it."
Newman seemed to be paying out on his bosses and their "gaggle of spruikers" for some laughs but the attack continued.
"I have no idea why we're on at 8.30. I'm not sure why it is. I don't know what they're doing.
"Just if they could have mentioned the longest-running television show of its timeslot . . . of its style in the world . . . that would have been good, it would have given us a bit of heart. But I honestly don't think they give a stuff if we go on or not. In fact . . . I have a feeling they hope we fail.
"I tell you what: for the amount of promo they've given us, I reckon Andy Maher and Before the Game will give us a belting."
Newman said that the launch "trawled through" every other type of show the network would offer in 2013, including many not yet made, and featured "market placement, companion advertising, brand awareness, consumer focus", but ignored his show.
"They've got a swagger on them. Did they wander down from Sydney? . . . 'Great to be here,' they said . . . They couldn't have given a stuff if they were here or not. Just the imposition of getting on the plane and flying down and speaking to the great unwashed down here . . .
"I know you think I am joking but to not even pay lip-service to The Footy Show . . . I think they've got a different agenda; I don't think they could care less."
Newman has been a fixture on The Footy Show since its launch in March 1994. Though its ratings are not as high as in its 1990s heyday, it remains a timeslot winner for Nine. Its annual grand final extravaganza packs out Rod Laver Arena and delivered an audience of 1.1 million this year, ensuring Nine won that night's ratings comfortably.


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Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Gene Colan - and Realistic Artists Drawing Cartoons
I loved many kinds of comics when I was a kid. Not only cartoony comics, but superhero comics too. When I was real young I loved DC comics- Superman and Batman. These were the bland superheroes! I was a bland little boy until I discovered the joys of weirdness. I thought the "Marvel style" was too bizarre looking and harsh until I was about 10 and my friend Tommy King forced me to read a bunch of Kirby comics and then I was hooked. (He also made me tell his family I had accepted Jesus in my heart!) I soon discovered the extreme weirdness and the quirky styles of all the Marvel artists. My favorites were Kirby, Ditko and Gene Colan.
The Marvel style differed from the other "realistic" comics in that they were really dynamic. The artists drew difficult angles and wild powerful poses.Compare these Colan covers to my favorite DC comic, World's Finest.Pretty stiff and awkward! (like today's cartoons). They are funny as Hell though.
(Later, DC started imitating Marvel and introduced more dynamic artists like Neal Adams into their stable. The modernized more serious DC comics to me aren't as fun as the more naive corny ones.)
The Marvel comics were much more alive and full of crazy action.
Each Marvel artist had a really unique style-and Stan Lee promoted that in the comics! Most comics didn't even credit the artists in the 60s. Stan boldly bragged about them. Stan Lee did lots of other brilliant things too and I'll talk about them in a later post.
Colan has a really unique style and it'd take a better man than me to define it. But I could see it all the way across the drugstore.
I was completely jealous (and still am) of the best "realistic artists" because they could draw really difficult things that are outside the realm of most cartoonists. They had to be able to draw not only realistic (sort of) humans, they had to be able to draw them from crazy angles and had to be able to draw every imaginable type of background.
Animated cartoon artists tend to be specialized. Some draw characters, some draw backgrounds, someone else paints them. The odd guy like Jim Smith can do it all, but he's an exception. Bob Camp is another.
In the mid 60s at the height of "The Marvel Age" and popularity, Stan grew so confident in his success, that he started a comic title that made fun of not only the other superhero comics, but his own. (it was largely inspired by Harvey Kurtzman's Mad Comics of the 50s)
I loved "Not Brand Echh"
It was a strange invention. It was a comic that was drawn by the same Marvel "realistic artists" in a cartoony style. A lot of "realistic" artists can't really crossover, but some of them can. Gene Colan drew some great funny superheroes.
They aren't as cartoony as a cartoon specialist, but they are much more alive than most straight comics. The poses are much more natural - specific and defined.
Colan is not afraid of any camera angle. You see angles like this in some modern animated features and they look awkward as hell and unnatural. The animators aren't used to drawing this realistic way -even when they are forced to by the executives.
Look how solid the characters are from every angle. Impressive!
To be continued...
As you can see, I'm not opposed to more realistic cartoon art at all. If it could look that good and natural in animation I'd be all for it. It hardly ever has and there are numerous practical reasons for that. The producers of realistic style animation are anything but practical though so it never works.
Here's a preview of the great Jack Kirby's cartoony style. Coming Soon!
35 comments:
- Paul B said...
Hi John and all of you cartoon maniacs!!
John, I uploaded a real jewel, a porn cartoon from the 20's, it's really funny, i hope you like it!
- Sean Worsham said...
"Not Brand Ecch Ruled!" I even loved it's spinoff "What The!?" I especially loved Marvel's own version of Alfred E Neuman, "Forbush Man!" Thanks for the memories.
- Rob said...
paul b-
that was insane and hilarious! I can't believe they were making that in the 20s! They had some really good gags and were totally unafraid to do just about anything. That farmer and the mule, then the cock fight, holy shit...
I forgot what I was going to say about your post John, other that I'm going to keep an eye out for that "Not Brand Ecch."
- Operation GutterBall said...
Gene Colan did an awesome run on Howard the Duck as well. Kirby's cover of Not Brand Ecch with Forbush man walking towards the Fantastic Four is amazing!!
- Bruce said...
I can see how the Ripping Friends were inspired from the Kirby, Ditko, Lee era of Marvel Comics...in the concept sketches and story pannels, at least.
- Callum said...
Wow..."Not brand Ecch" looks really good, I didn't even know it existed.
- Bruce said...
Oh, and I found this quote from Milt to be quite interesting, in Richard Williams book, "The Animators Survival Kit", explaining about learning the principles:
"Someone once asked Milt Kahl: 'How did you plan out the counteraction you used on that character?
Milt blew up: 'That's the wrong way to look at it! Don't think of it like that! I just concerntrate on giving the preformance - THAT'S what's important! The play's the thing. You'll get all tangled up if you think of it in a technical way!'
Of course he's right. If a musician knows his scales, he can concentrate on giving the performance and bringing out the ideas inherent in the music. But if he constantly has to think of all the mechanics of what's he's doing - then he can hardly play.
Therefore, if we knew and understand all the basics-then we've got the tools to create. Only THEN we can give the performance."
Straight from the horses mouth.
- Brian B said...
What do you think about later DC artists.. let's see. Like Mazzuchelli's "Batman: Year One" work, his "Daredevil: Born Again"(generally looser, earlier), Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns, Tim Sale's Long Halloween. I really think Batman had some incredible work in his span. Not to mention some really great villains. You have to like some of the Batman work. He stand alone outside of DC as his own brand almost with so many artists contributing.
- Rodrigo said...
"How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way" by Stan Lee is a great book for budding artists. It covers principles such as perspective, line of action, construction, etc -- all in the cool context of comic books.
So it seems to me that cartoons with dynamic realistic characters using full animation are non-existant. The only ones that come to mind are those vintage Superman cartoons which were a lot of fun.
- billehB said...
well yeah, but you cant say batman and superman are bland characters because there were some artists you didn't like in the past, theres always good and bad artists breezing through the doors.
More and more commonly, artists and writers drift between the major publishers, sometimes it works out well, sometimes it doesn't - but i think for this reason you cant really say either Marvel or DC (or any other of the many major publishers) are BETTER than the other, because they're constantly changing - and they're all the same for gods sake, only the writers and artists and their stories and their takes on characters are different from one another.
PS. Kirby is brilliant.
- Karswell said...
Man I loved this comic too, still do! Gene Colan's Tomb of Dracula (comic and mag) were equally awesome to a pre-teen kid like myself growing up in the 70's who could't seem to get enough horror no matter how supernatural Marvel got during that era. I have a nice pre-code horror sample of Colan's 50's work on my blog THE HORRORS OF IT ALL devoted to golden age horror comics, big scans too so check it out: http://thehorrorsofitall.blogspot.com/2007/07/corpses-come-back.html
- Adam said...
I got into Jack Kirby after getting Fantastic Four reissues, not knowing they were reissues at the time, at a flea market with my dad when I was a little tyke.
Jack Kirby's characters are great but his backgrounds are AMAZING. For superhero comics to work for me I have to believe the world around the characters, and Kirby, if you have any of his Fantastic Four or Nick Fury comics you'll see, could do this better than anyone. The Fantastic Four's lab or Dr. Doom's lair give the characters a setting where they can look kinda 'natural'. I remember wishing the places were real more than the heroes.
A lot of modern superhero comics have abandoned the fantastic backgrounds which really sucks all the appeal out of them. Superhero style comics are the perfect medium for creating escapist fantasy, which really needs detailed surreal/fantastic backgrounds to work, but few series these days play to the medium's strength. I guess maybe its because it's easier to write dialog than to draw a background, so they're more about plot than about place, which is a shame.
Check out the Fantastic Four's Manhattan skyscraper... The Baxter Building . I would pause on a page like this and actually playout a new adventure in my imagination. Whose selling experiences like that anymore?
- Rodrigo said...
Hey JohnK, this might interest you:
Granted, you don't bode well with their show, but at least this shows that there is hope for creators.
- Dume3 said...
That Fantastic Four cover is awesome. Look at how the Japanese copied Jack Kirby's style for Transformers: http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/images/KevinGilvear/transformers7.jpg
Your statements about about realism not working in animation makes me think of anime--they have always been proccupied with detail and form over motion. I have to say, the level of detail in Transformers the movie astonished me--and it was quite smooth in some places. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=oPwGbzyqZ3M&mode=related&search=
Check out the opening shot where the ship is passing by.
- harpo said...
Kirby will always be The KIng.
- Bluedog said...
I loved Kirby's rubber style. I seemed to convey so much emotion in a realy bizarre way. Not Brand Ecch was neat in the sense that it ridiculed all that we held holy back then. It was part of the whole iconoclastic thing going on back then. It showed that when you loved something you could kick the shit out of it for artistic effect.
- Tyler said...
John, these Gene Colan examples are fantastic (I love "Not Brand Ecch" as well), but I was wondering if you had any comments on the fact that nearly all of these stories had separate writers and weren't completely dictated by the cartoonists/illustrators who drew them. Is the difference just that comic book writers can be closer to the material and are less likely to lose touch?
- JohnK said...
Maybe that's why they aren't as funny as Mad Comics, which were written by Harvey Kurtzman.
But the drawings are great.
The straight Marvel comics were largely plotted by the artists I think. And then Stan would come in and change the dialogue to make it snappier.
I'm not sure if Brand Echhh was done the same way.
- mike f. said...
I loved NOT BRAND ECCH! and still do, and I collected all of them, but...
they're wildly uneven, and even the best of it can't really hold a candle to the guys who did it earlier and better - Harvey Kurtzman and Wally Wood.
SUPERDUPERMAN, BAT BOY & RUBIN, and FLESH GARDEN (just to name three) are classic satires that will live forever.
They're even superior to their source material, which - as much as I loved it - really can't be said about NOT BRAND ECCH! (or even what was arguably the greatest comic strip satire of them all: FEARLESS FOSDICK by Al Capp.)
- JohnK said...
Aren't all comic books wildy uneven? As are most cartoons, TV shows, movies, etc.?
- Raff said...
That Baxter Building...only a place like Toronto would put that up! Reed and Ben are lucky - they don't have their rooms next to a giant rocket exhaust pipe.
I miss having a kid's imagination.
- kate yarberry said...
off topic, I found the most boring cartoon ever. It's called "the racoons" I'm sure everyone who worked on this has killed killed them selves by now. Go check it out if you want your nose to bleed out of boredom. http://www.tv-links.co.uk/listings/2/7251
- Wicks for Candlesticks said...
Nice comic book post. Going to the comic stores today is not too great. The 60's covers were so kooky and dynamic. The covers today are so dark and boring. It's hard to tell one book from another. Weren't comic covers supposed to get ones attention? All the new covers look like Heavy Metal album covers. I don't know if I'm viewing the new issue of Spiderman or the new Megadeth CD. Can't wait for the Kirby post!
-David O.
- Tom A said...
>>Later, DC started imitating Marvel and introduced more dynamic artists like Neal Adams into their stable. The modernized more serious DC comics to me aren't as fun as the more naive corny ones.
Not to put words in your mouth, but does this mean you didn't like Dark Knight Returns?
- Hans Flagon said...
I think Stan Lee's naive genius was that he was determined to do work he enjoyed, and also the kind of stuff he had already been pumping out already, before Marvel Superheroes came into fruition in the sixties. He basically wrote wisecracking Teen and Romance comics. When he did Superheroes, he basically wrote wisecracking Teen and Romance comics.
AND he was not afraid to use artists whose styles may not have been suited to the Superhero style as put forth by DC. Nor to tell them to punch up their smoothness with Kirby dynamics underneath.
Colan was always great with comic material, he just didn't get too many opportunities to do so; when he did, he excelled.
- Tony C. said...
Great post John. I really enjoy the artistic references outside the standard animation world.
I've always loved Kirby, but never known a lot about Colan. Definitely want to pick up more of his stuff!
- JohnK said...
Hey Ethan
take out the cursing and I'll post your comment.
- Dume3 said...
Hey, we haven't even discussed Kirby's dots (a.k.a., the Kirby Krackle), one of the most copied effects in comics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby_dots
- Tyler said...
I actually had the opportunity at this year's Comic-Con to listen to an interview with Marvel writer Gary Friedrich, who wrote several stories for "Not Brand Ecch."
He actually expressed disappointment with the book, saying that he wanted it to be a more general parody book (a la MAD) and not merely self-parody.
I agree with you that MAD is stronger, and I might argue that despite Gary's alleged boredom with the subject of superheroes, perhaps that single quality is what differentiated it from all the other MAD knock-offs?
It also suggests that perhaps there was editorial influence above even the writer's influence. Ah, what a tangled web seemingly simple creative pursuits become...
- Jack Ruttan said...
The "Not Brand Ecch!" characters don't read at all to me. What happened to that advice about making a recognizable silhouette?
- Jorge Garrido said...
Hey! DC comics weren't bland! What about the wild poses Gil Kane did on Green Lantern's second run in the silver age?
But then again, I'm not a huge fan of the silver age.
- Scott said...
Hi John,
Wow, I was a HUGE fan of Not Brand Echh too!! I've owned every issue at one point or another, and even have issue #1 signed by Stan Lee. It had a major influence on my drawing development and humor, as my friend and I tried to make up our own versions. It was hilarious, or at least I remember it that way.
Thanks for the reminder!
- VanguardsOfComics said...
We created the box of KIRBY KRACKLE CEREAL! I made a Bowl of Kirby krackle, took pictures of that then did the graphics, printed it, assembled it and made krackle coming out of the top, too!
The box is on a WORLD TOUR-(4 conventions and counting) visit the gallery of comic book dignitaries that have shown their love for Jack Kirby at our page:
It has been featured in the prestigious Jack Kirby Collector #51, on the letters page!
We love Jack Kirby and without Jack, there probably wouldnt be an industry left in the comic book medium. This is one nod to him.
- TedM said...
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- TedM said...
That was a cool blog. Marvel comics from the 1960's are my all time favorite comic books. What do you think of John Romita Sr.? He's one of my all time favorite comic book artists