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Harley Quinn's Greatest Moments from "Batman: The Animated Series"
TV, Comic Books
Passings | Animator and blogger Michael Sporn died Sunday in New York City from pancreatic cancer. He was 67. Sporn's short film Doctor DeSoto, based on William Steig's book, was nominated for an Oscar, and his The Man Who Walked Between the Towers won several awards. He created animated adaptations of a number of children's books, including Lyle Lyle Crocodile and Goodnight Moon, for HBO. In comics circles, he was also known as a blogger who turned up cool bits and pieces of animation and art. [Variety]
Publishing | Torsten Adair crunches some numbers from The New York Times 2013 bestseller lists, looking at each category and, in some cases, each publisher separately and breaking down the charting books into easy-to-follow pie charts. [The Beat]
Time once again to revisit some thoughts about the year just ended, and offer some thoughts on the year to come.
First, let's see how I did with 2013:
1. Man of Steel. Last year I asked "a) how well will it do with critics and moviegoers; and b) yes, of course, will it help set up Justice League?" It got a 55 percent (i.e., Rotten) ranking from Rotten Tomatoes (although 76 percent of RT visitors who cared to vote said they liked it). Financially, Box Office Mojo called it a "toss-up," putting it in the same category as Star Trek Into Darkness, World War Z, The Wolverine, The Hangover Part III, Pacific Rim and, uh, The Smurfs 2. I liked it well enough — I seem to like a lot of things "well enough" — but perhaps Super-fan Jerry Seinfeld's musings about missed opportunities speak best to the film's reception. MOS itself didn't help set up a Justice League movie, at least not as expressly as, say, Nick Fury talking about the Avengers; but I think it's safe to say that the sequel will go a long way in that regard.
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On his Facebook page, Body Bags creator Jason Pearson has debuted his steampunk variant cover for February's Teen Titans #28, one of 20 scattered across DC Comics titles that month. Other artists providing variants include Howard Chaykin, Tommy Lee Edwards, Dave Johnson, J.G. Jones and Klaus Janson.
Teen Titans #28, by Scott Lobdell, Tyler Kirkham and Art Thibert, arrives Feb. 26.
Thanks to Tom Spurgeon, I read a fascinating article about "using Graph Theory to create a digital model of the whole of Marvel continuity," from comics to TV and the current crop of movies. It maps out connections among characters — unsurprisingly, the three big groups relate to the X-Men, the Avengers, and Spider-Man — but it also discusses exceptions to characters' defining traits. For example, Hawkeye is Clint Barton (or not), who is an archer (most of the time) and an Avenger (except when he's a Thunderbolt). Marvel appears to be using this model to answer basic questions like "who is that?" and "how does s/he relate to this over here?" — with an ultimate goal of getting fans of its movies and TV shows to try the comics.
As you might imagine, this sort of analysis would have been ideal for the pre-New-52 status quo, whose five generations of characters (going from the original Justice Society to Damian Wayne) included many with multiple code names. Chief among these were the original Teen Titans who, following the examples of Dick Grayson and Wally West, graduated from sidekicks to "grownup" superheroes. Initially, logistical concerns facilitated these changeovers (we need a new Robin; we need a new Flash) — but in terms of the intersection of continuity and character development, none of the Titans had quite as much on her résumé as Donna Troy.
Passings | Roy Peterson, editorial cartoonist for the Vancouver Sun, died Sunday at the age of 77. During his 40-year career, Peterson won more National Newspaper Awards than any other Canadian creator, but he was remembered by his peers chiefly for his sense of humor and his mentoring of younger artists. [Vancouver Sun]
Publishing | CNN contributor Bob Greene profiles Victor Gorelick, the editor-in-chief and co-president of Archie Comics who began working for the publisher at age 17, in 1958. [CNN.com]
Creators | Craig Thompson talks about the short story he wrote and drew for First Second's Fairy Tale Comics anthology, and he reveals an interesting fact: "For six years or so, my entire income was based on drawing kids' comics for [Nickelodeon] magazine. Later on my career shifted to drawing 'serious' graphic novels aimed at adult readers, but I've always wanted to revisit my more fun and cartoony style." Former Nickelodeon editor Chris Duffy is the editor of Fairy Tale Comics. [Hero Complex]
Digital comics | Despite all the talk about digital comics lately, Paul Delos Santos finds plenty of ink-on-paper comics, as well as creators and fans, at last weekend's Amazing Las Vegas Comic-Con. "Digital is the newsstand of yesteryear for people that are new to comics that are discovering that way," said Ralph Mathieu, owner of Las Vegas' Alternate Reality Comics. "Then (they are) going to comic stores and getting the physical format." [Las Vegas Sun]
Superheroes | Looking at the lineup of Marvel and DC Comics adaptations, Frank Hagler argues, "It is far past time for Hollywood to release a comic book movie based on a minority comic book hero where the characters race is central to the theme of the story." [PolicyMic]
You may remember the story of an antisocial teen working his way into Bruce Wayne's life, and even becoming part of his family, before dying in a Robin costume.
You might also remember this story being called "Punish Not My Evil Son,"* as told by writer Bob Haney, penciler Neal Adams, and inker Dick Giordano (note: GCD credits Adams), in The Brave and the Bold vol. 1 #83 (April-May 1969).
Like much of the Haney oeuvre, "Punish" depends on unique circumstances that otherwise might not fit well within Batman's shared universe. Young Lance Bruner, who's around the same age as teenager Dick Grayson, is the son of one Prof. Bruner, Thomas Wayne's "closest friend." When we first meet him he's horsing around with a couple of Wayne valuables and smarting off to Alfred, so already he's off to a bad start. However, he shows Bruce an agreement signed by both Prof. Bruner and Dr. Wayne, which provides that "if anything ever happen[s] to the professor[,] the Wayne family promises to adopt and raise Lance." Indeed, Bruce remembers seeing baby Lance in his dad's arms, and recalls further that the professor was "the finest man I've ever known … besides my own dad!" Lance has already tearfully played the orphan card, so Bruce reminds a skeptical Dick how a certain other kid came to live at Wayne Manor — and away we go.
Happy Sunday and welcome to What Are You Reading?, our weekly look at all the comics and other stuff we've been reading lately. Today our special guest is Dave Dwonch, creative director at Action Lab Entertainment and the writer of such comics as Space-Time Condominium, the upcoming Ghost Town, Double-Jumpers and more.
To see what Dave and the Robot 6 crew have been reading, click below.
First I'd like to thank DC Comics for plastering its latest spoiler unavoidably across the Internet bright and early Monday morning. It did confirm something I'd suspected since before Christmas, but being surprised still has a certain appeal, you know?
(That assumes this isn't reversed in an issue or two. Kyle Rayner was killed one issue and revived the next during a Blackest Night crossover, and something similar is eminently possible, albeit unlikely, in this case.)
Anyway, Caleb has done a great job covering the event's immediate impact, and Corey and Michael have also talked about significant aspects of you-know-what, so for my part I'll be taking a closer look at the "position" itself. Some people study the presidency, some the papacy, and some of us have spent most of our lives reading about … well, you know.
SPOILERS FOLLOW, I suppose.
With the launch of Comic Book Resources' new monthly feature with DC Comics Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras and Editorial Director Bobbie Chase arrives announcements of a slew of creative changes, including confirmation that Jim Starlin is the new writer of Stormwatch.
Best known for his work on Marvel's cosmic titles, Starlin has been teasing since early December that he would take the reins on an existing DC series beginning in April. Yvel Guichet joins him as artist. Other creative shifts in April include:
• Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes will write the newly launching Constantine, taking over Robert Venditti with Issue 2. "Robert came to us with a fantastic pitch for Constantine," Harras told CBR. "We really loved what Robert's doing — he's working on Demon Knights now, and he's also working on another project for us that I really can't go into which is a big deal for us. But at the end of the day, Robert and Dan [DiDio] and I spoke, and Constantine was, for him, one book too many. It was the one thing that we had to go, "If we want you to focus on this one project, maybe we should make a change on Constantine."
I hear a lot of rumbling from the February solicitations — the First Lantern, the last Hellblazer, the new JLA — like the Next Big Things are simmering under the surface. Yes, this is how DC wants me to think, but there's no guarantee that my anticipation will live up to the books themselves. Still, at least things are happening, which is nice. There are endings and beginnings, changes and reintroductions, and a few good reprints too.
So, without further ado …
The "expansion of the Justice League" advertised in Justice League #17 may be related to the new Justice League of America, but I suspect it will have more to do with the main League's roster additions (which, if memory serves, were teased back in summer 2011). I base this mostly on the fact that JLA #1 comes out two weeks before JL #17, and therefore I doubt DC would want its latest high-profile first issue to spoil the end of "Throne of Atlantis."
This week sees the print debut of Legends of the Dark Knight, the ongoing print version of DC's digital-first Batman anthology. By design it's not part of the regular Batman line, and therefore not counted as one of the New 52. However, it gives me an excuse to ask how many Bat-books DC Comics really needs.
Now, I don't mean that to be as dismissive as it sounds. The current Batman line is built on years, if not decades, of steady readership and fan attachments, and you don't just wave that away. Nevertheless, if there are only 52 slots in the main superhero line, must the Batman Family claim a quarter of them? The relaunch has made pruning these titles both easier and harder, and today I want to look at the opportunities it presents.
* * *
With Teen Titans #0 in stores this week, artist Tyler Kirkham made his first foray into DC Comics' teen-oriented team title. According to Kirkham, it certainly won't be his last. Bleeding Cool has picked up a tidbit from Kirkham's website, which states he'll be moving to Teen Titans.
"Having worked on Green Lantern titles for the passed 2 years, I'm now moving on to Teen Titans," Kirkham wrote. "So I wanted to do a Huge Green Lantern art sale to show my appreciation to everyone who read my issues."
Kirkham is the current artist on Green Lantern: New Guardians. Although his post implies he'll be leaving the book for Teen Titans, there has been no official word from DC about the artistic shift. Although, considering the recent artist shuffles with Yildiray Cinar doing a two issue fill-in on Earth 2, Alberto Ponticelli coming on to Dial H and Ivan Reis and Joe Prado taking over Justice League a change in some of the other New 52 titles isn't exactly unexpected. Judging from Kirkham's statement, it seems likely more artistic changes are in store for the second year of the New 52.
College basketball season starts back up in November, so that makes thinking about bracketology only a little less premature. Looking at the various discrete (and, occasionally, indirect) crossovers happening throughout November's New 52 solicitations, I couldn't help but picture the field of 68, with each individual game a step along the way to … "Trinity War," I guess …?
Green Lantern's "Rise of the Third Army" occupies the four GL titles, of course, but it also brings in Justice League, where the solicit for issue #14 wonders where Hal is. (After reading this week's GL #12, I have a better idea about that.) Likewise, GL #14 guest-stars the League.
From the solicits I wonder if "ROT3A" takes place mainly in GL (with a little JL on the side). "Night of the Owls" was advertised that way (you only need to read Batman, because the other Bat-books dealt with ancillary stories) and it kind-of fits with the way the New-52 books have hyped their creative teams. Johns, Scott Snyder, and Jeff Lemire are responsible for a total of seven books (GL, JL, Aquaman, Batman, Swamp Thing, Animal Man, JL Dark), and each writer has at least one book in some sort of crossover this month.
Today I am pondering that Ivan Brandon essay on TheAwl.com, and the things comics can do that movies just can't.
Last week I mentioned the Lazarus Pit as an example of a comics staple that Batman movies — any Batman movies, arguably — would probably be reluctant to use. While the Pit comes with certain restrictions and side effects, it still boils down basically to an unlimited supply of extra lives. It runs counter to the idea of Batman as being grounded in reality, but in the context of a shared universe where Batman pals around with extraterrestrials (and their agents), a super-powered Amazon, and the King of Atlantis, it's not that far-fetched. This is the old "Character Y could solve Character X's problems" hypothesis, and it tends to be met with "Character X and Character Y play by different rules." A good example of the latter was a "No Man's Land" story featuring Superman (coincidentally collected in the new NML Vol. 3), where the Man of Steel's well-intentioned assistance in trying to rebuild an earthquake-devastated Gotham turned out to be exactly wrong under the circumstances.


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Depression Health Center
News Related to Depression
Which Kids Need Antidepressants?
Jan. 1, 2009 -- Medication helps depressed kids, but only those whose symptoms are severe enough to warrant treatment with antidepressants, analysis of clinical trial data suggests. The study is a careful analysis of data from 12 published and unpublished clinical trials in which newer antidepressanRead Full Article
St. John's Wort for Major Depression?
Oct. 10, 2008 -- Can taking an herbal supplement be as good as a prescription medication for people who are depressed? Researchers in Germany think so. A team working for a firm that makes St. John's wort extract has found that taking high-quality St. John's wort can be as effective as standard presRead Full Article
FDA OKs TMS Depression Device
Oct. 8, 2008 - The FDA has cleared the NeuroStar TMS brain-stimulating device for treating depressed adults for whom one antidepressant has failed to work. It's the first transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) device to pass FDA muster. An FDA spokesperson tells WebMD that because the NeuroStar devRead Full Article
Phone Psychotherapy: Fewer Hang-ups?
Sept. 23, 2008 -- Hold for your therapist. ... Patients who receive psychotherapy over the phone -- an increasingly common practice -- may be less likely to drop out of treatment than patients who attend face-to-face sessions, according to a new analysis of existing studies about telephone psychotheRead Full Article
CDC: 1 in 20 Americans Depressed
Sept. 3, 2008 -- More than one in 20 Americans aged 12 and older are depressed, according to the latest statistics from the CDC. Of them, 80% report some level of functional impairment because of their illness, with 27% reporting that it is extremely difficult to work, get things done at home, or geRead Full Article
Does 'Hope Therapy' Help Depression?
Aug. 18, 2008 -- Is being hopeful something we can learn? Researchers hope so. Several studies looking at "hope therapy" are showing positive results. Study lead author Jennifer Cheavens of Ohio State University says in a news release that "hope therapy seeks to build on strengths people have, or teRead Full Article
Deep Brain Stimulation for Depression
July 23, 2008 -- A new small study shows that deep brain stimulation can improve life for those with treatment-resistant depression. Patients with treatment-resistant depression continue to have severe depression despite being treated with maximum medical therapy. Deep brain stimulation is done by iRead Full Article
Men Also Get Postpartum Depression
May 6, 2008 (Washington) -- Postpartum depression hits new dads, too. Moreover, male postpartum depression may have more negative effects on some aspects of a child's development than its female counterpart, says James F. Paulson, PhD, of the Center for Pediatric Research at the Eastern Virginia MedRead Full Article
Deep Brain Stimulation Helps Depression
May 6, 2008 -- Researchers are becoming increasingly convinced that tiny electric shocks delivered deep into the brain could mean new hope for patients with severe depression and other mental illnesses. Several small trials are suggesting direct electrical brain stimulation has the ability to relievRead Full Article
Many Depressed Older Adults Lack Vitamin D
May 6, 2008 -- Soaking in plenty of sunshine and drinking lots of milk might help fight off depression in your golden years. Researchers reporting in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry have linked low blood levels of vitamin D -- the "sunshine vitamin" -- and increased parathyroid hormoRead Full Article

subset: commoncrawl


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Ole Miss Continues Hot Start to National Signing Day
Posted: 02/06/2013 - Rebels Land Nation's Top Offensive and Defensive Linemen.
Posted: 02/06/2013 - Rebels Land Nation's Top Offensive and Defensive Linemen.
Posted: 02/06/2013 - A Pair of Five-Star D-Linemen Choose Tigers.
Updated: 02/08/2013 - Robert Foster and Jonathan Allen Sign with Crimson Tide.
Posted: 02/06/2013 - Coveted Defensive Lineman Drops Rebels for Tigers.
Posted: 02/06/2013 - Robert Nkemdiche Bound for Oxford.
Updated: 02/06/2013 - More than 40 Local Players Expected to Sign Letters of Intent.
Updated: 02/06/2013 - Eriksen Bound for NAIA Program in Montgomery.
Updated: 02/06/2013 - Foster Back in Fold with Crimson Tide.
Posted: 02/01/2013 - Pettis Leaving for job in South Florida.
Posted: 02/01/2013 - Wise Comes to Graceville from Northview-Bratt.
Updated: 01/29/2013 - Thomas Leaving Arnold to Coach Pirates.
Updated: 01/29/2013 - Dothan and Northview Sending More Players to Next Level.
Posted: 01/23/2013 - Cougars Trio Picks Stillman, Jonathan Carmichael to Tuskegee.
Updated: 01/23/2013 - Tigers LB Julian Jackson Bound for Wake Forest.
Updated: 01/25/2013 - King to Continue Football Career for Racers.
Posted: 01/17/2013 - Rials to be Approved on Tuesday.
Posted: 01/17/2013 - Meadows Takes Over as Football Coach & AD.
Updated: 01/17/2013 - Johnson Beats Fultondale''s ArDarius Stewart in Closest Vote in State History.
Posted: 01/15/2013 - Burkett Changes Commitment after Official Visit to College Park.
Updated: 01/15/2013 - Northview standout QB Jalen Harris verbally commits to Troy.
Updated: 01/11/2013 - Walton Picks up Three SEC Offers in 48 Hours.
Updated: 01/10/2013 - Beach Leaves Graceville After One Season to Coach Bulldogs.
Posted: 12/28/2012 - Northview's Marquez White, Dale County's Jamarious Henderson Make the Grade.
Posted: 12/26/2012 - Several Local Players Honored for Outstanding Seasons.
Posted: 12/21/2012 - Johnson Earns All-Star Invite After Stellar High School Career.


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Auto Racing
Formula One Grand Prix of China practice (SPEED, cable ch. 58) 1 a.m.
Rangers at Indians (FOXSS, cable ch. 33) 11 a.m.
NHL Playoffs
Canadiens at Capitals (VERSUS, cable ch. 57) 6 p.m.
Kings at Canucks (VERUS, cable ch. 547) 9 p.m.
Philadelphia at Toronto (ESPN2, cable ch. 27) 6 p.m.
Family Circle Cup (ESPN2, cable ch. 27) noon
Rangers at Indians (KGNC, 710-AM) 11 a.m.
Talk Shows
My Passion is Football with Warren McCarty (KPUR, 1440-AM) 9 a.m.
Times and telecasts provided by TV and radio stations are subject to changes. Only live events listed.
Amarillo Globe-News © 2016. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy / About Our Ads


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SDCC: Marvel: Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends Panel
Comic Books
Here are the next ten runs!
116 (tie). J. Michael Straczynski's Amazing Spider-Man – 76 points
Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #30-58, Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #500-545
JMS' run on Amazing Spider-Man helped to revitalize the Spider-Man line, turning what was a book in sales trouble into one of Marvel's highest-selling titles. He had a good chemistry with his artists, especially the initial run, with John Romita, Jr. as artist.
116 (tie). Gail Simone's Birds of Prey – 76 points (1 first place vote)
Birds of Prey #56-90, 92-108
A fine follow-up to Chuck Dixon's origination of the team. Like most great runs, Simone highlighted characterization, and stressed the development of both Black Canary and Huntress during the series, as well as the closer bond that the three main female leads developed. Also a sizable amount of humor.
116 (tie). Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert's Sgt. Rock – 76 points (1 first place vote)
A whole pile of Our Army at War and Sgt. Rock comics – too many different issues to list.
Strong, solid war stories with gritty, dynamic artwork by Kubert. Not many multi-issue arcs, so Kanigher had to come up with new stories constantly, which he did with a great amount of ingenious plot ideas (for a series that had such a basic premise, Kanigher got as much out of it as he could).
115. Howard Chaykin's American Flagg 43 – 77 points
(writer) American Flagg #1-26, #38-32
(penciler) American Flagg #1-12, 15-26
One of the first "modern" superheroes of the 1980s, featured great artwork by Chaykin as well as an engaging story. Perhaps the first time oral sex was shown in a comic book.
114. Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan's Tomb of Dracula- 78 points
Tomb of Dracula #7-70, plus Annuals
A rousing action epic, with incredibly moody artwork by Colan and his longtime inker, Tom Palmer. What Wolfman did best in this run was introducing new characters and developing both them and the established characters he inherited. Hannibal King, Blade and Frank Drake all become multi-faceted intriguing characters, and Dracula was always there, too, being evil and cool.
113. Scott Lobdell's Generation X – 79 points
Generation X #1-28, plus the four Age of Apocalypse issues
Lobdell introduced original characters, which was a big deal at the time, and Lobdell and artist Chris Bachalo (who drew most of Lobdell's run) did a marvelous job coming up with characters that seemed a bit out of place in the typical world of the X-Men. Bachalo did particularly nice work on Skin and Chamber. A lot the development of Emma Frost for Morrison's run came from this run.
112. Katsuhiro Ôtomo Akira – 80 points
Young Magazine #24 (1982)- #28 (1990), Published in the US in Akira #1-38
Ôtomo's work on Akira was the bridge he needed from working in manga to working in film and television, and you can see that ability in the majestic work that often appears in Akira – it is widescreen designs and drawings – all with an intriguing plot.
111. Ed Brubaker/Matt Fraction's Iron Fist – 83 points
The Immortal Iron Fist #1-current (#14)
Massive roller coaster ride of action, with one of the better new characters (the "Golden Age" Iron Fist) to come along in awhile. Very nice art throughout most of the series. This is a dynamic book with a number of good character moments, as well.
110. Grant Morrison/Mark Waid/Greg Rucka/Geoff Johns' 52 – 85 points
52 #1-52
Yes, it only lasted a year, but if a book is over 50 full issues, I figure I can count it as an ongoing. This series started slow, but soon built up so much momentum that the final half was like a massive avalanche of cool moments, all set up with the deft characterization work each writer did with the fourth-string characters who starred in 52.
109. Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams' Batman – 87 points
Detective Comics – #395, 397, 400, 402, 404, 407-408, 410 & Batman #232, 234, 237, 243-245, 251, 255
While spilt up over the early 1970s, O'Neil and Adams still had a bit of a run, where Adams' conception of Batman became the definitive look for Batman in the 1970s. This run tried to take Batman back to a darker style (after the camp of the TV series), along with stellar artwork by Adams. It was during their run that Ra's al Ghul was introduced.
That's it for today! The final six tomorrow!!
how the eff does american flagg only get 77 points?
people, if you just have not read this book (only unforgivable as it has been long out of print) go out and grab the new hard cover that will be coming out soon. this work is so good and needs to be seen and read by more eyes.
seriously, chaykin at his best
JMS's Amazing Spiderman run needs the following disclaimer: On several storylines, JMS ran into heavy editorial interference, and that needs to be taken into account when reading the title. (From what I've heard, JMS's version of OMD, while still being bad, would not be brain damagingly stupid.)
Anybody want to guess the last 6? I think Perez's Wonder Woman has to be there. I'm not sure what else (maybe Johns/Katz Booster Gold??)
well, I'm glad to see JMS Spider-Man get some love despite the fact that it turned to shit post-JRJ, while Romita was on it the book was incredible…and Tomb Of Dracula is an unexpected surprise, but that book ruled…
Dracula! Rock! Adams Batman! Here's all those runs that some quixotic people thought would be in the top ten (right alongside some books that, um, don't exactly belong on the same list). Great to see Akira finally show up! Obviously Akira was hurt because many people (like me) ruled out foreign books on a comparing-apples-to-oranges basis. It it competed fairly, it would be hard to imagine that it wouldn't be one the top books.
Hmm, Brian clearly hasn't read his Conan– who had sex that was just as graphic as Flagg's in his code-approved book, and quite a bit more graphic in "Savage Sword." Heck, Steranko's Nick Fury got just as graphic as Flagg.
Oh right, it was ORAL sex that Flagg first had. Always hard to keep track of the random "firsts" in comics.
Past Generation X (geez, I should have voted for Nicieza's post-Liefeld X-Force; that's a better run what with the Siryn/Black Tom alchoholism issue and Sam giving Xavier the lecture about how you can protect with the closed fist and what not) and JMS' Spidey which started out strong but petered out completely after Sins Past, give or take the New Avengers arc which was fun and fresh…
This is the list of comics that I figured would be higher.
Honestly, I didn't even think of picking 52. It just doesn't seem "ongoing" to me.
I hope that Michelinie/Layton/Bright's run on Iron Man is listed next. It was one of Marvel's strongest titles in the late 80s and deserves mention on this list, imo. In fact, I liked it even better than the first run by Michelinie and Layton. As for JMS' Spider-Man being in the top 158…well…I'm not sure what to say about that, given the run's high level of controversy among fans.
I'm not a huge manga fan but Akira stands as a masterpiece of comics art. It's up there with Moebius and Jodorowski's "Incal" series as far as an epic comic story that comes round full-circle. Visually and plotwise there isn't a single hole I can think of. Very surpised it didn't make the top 100.
Happy to see Gen-X here. This series strikes me as Bachalo's perfect run. Just the right balance between his current conceptual take on super-heroes and his unassuming yet beautiful work on Shade and Death. Plus his AoA Colossus is kicks ass.
Just some stray first reactions regarding what I know about the items in this installment (which in some cases is nothing!).
I'm amazed JMS on Spidey even made it onto this extended list. Sure, he started off well, but I'd quit buying monthly installments even before "Sins Past." Once I read the TPB collection of it, I marveled at how his work on Spidey had gone so far downhill in just a few years. (On the plus side, at least the TPB inspired me to enjoy myself by write a scathing parody of its ridiculous plot twists and wildly-out-of-character behavior patterns for Peter and MJ, so my investment in it wasn't a total loss!)
On the other hand, I figured all along that some of us must have voted for Simone's "Birds of Prey" run! I can understand that a lot better, even though it wasn't one of my "Top 10 Favorites." It might have made a "Top 100 Favorites" though, if I'd been voting on that. It would have been considered for the ballot, at least!
I said before in another thread that I've read very little of the old Kubert/Kanigher war stories about Sgt. Rock (and I think all I've seen of Enemy Ace is stories by other people which used him briefly, for that matter). Someone pointed out to me that each of those runs has at least one Showcase b&w volume now, and I promised I'd keep my eyes open and buy at least one or the other the next time I'm in a comics shop. War comics have never been one of my main interests, but at least I'll find out what all the fuss was about!
A long time ago, around the mid-90s, I bought "American Flagg #1″ at a sale and decided I just plain didn't like it enough to feel any need to collect any more issues.
I do have the whole "Tomb of Dracula" run in the Essential volumes — I like it, by and large, but it doesn't approach "Top 10 Favorites" status. Although when I got to the bit where Dracula persuaded a bunch of Satan-worshippers that he was the Prince of Darkness they claimed to serve, I began to see how Marv Wolfman had been experimenting with some of the themes he later developed with his cult-leader "Brother Blood" in the Titans stories of the 1980s . . .
I've read very little of Generation X. I once had the chance to look through the first "volume" of Akira and just couldn't get into it — I probably quit after maybe 20 or 30 pages? (Granted, that was years ago, and I might look at it differently now.) I've never read any of Brubaker's Iron Fist, nor any of the "52" series. I think I've read enough reprints of various O'Neil/Adams Batman stories to be able to admire how they were moving beyond the ways he'd been handled throughout the Silver Age before they came along, but I can't say I regard those stories as being "Top 10″ material (although I'm sure they provided inspiration for some of my own favorite runs on Batman from later years — 2 such runs from the 80s did make it onto my ballot!).
SGT & TOMB OF DRACULA… finally, the world is starting to make a certain amount of sense to Unfrozen Caveman Comics Fan.
And yet they still finished behind FIFTY-TWO & the new IRON FIST, which has lasted only 14 ishes (plus a couple of neat one-shots) so far? I'm sorry — the first two are pretty neat comics, but that's nuts. I can't speak to the others, though I've managed to accrue a full set of AMERICAN FLAGG & its follow-up, as well as all but I believe 9 issues of BIRDS OF PREY*. So many short boxes of unread comics, so little time …
*Which reminds me — I want a Black Alice ongoing. NOW.
SGT *ROCK*, that is. My new keyboard & I have been having … issues.
With the arrival of O'Neill/Adams Batman/'Tec, the (to me) most mysterious remaining absence is at last resolved. I even love reading letters' pages from around then: when an Adams issue came along, the reaction from the readership was beyond enthusiastic, verging on ecstatic. Several different stories, in turn, were acclaimed by one letter writer or another as the "best single Batman story ever printed" or similar.
Great stuff!
The final six:
Sin City?
Starlin's Dreadstar?
Perez's Wonder Woman?
DeMatteis's Captain America?
Stern and Byrne's Cap?
Claremont and Lee's X-Men?
Simonson's Fantastic Four?
Dixon's Batman or Robin or BoP or Airboy or SOMETHING?
Grell's Warlord?
Mantlo's Hulk? (I know, I know, I'm a broken record)
Apologies if I've listed anything that's already appeared.
Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers?
[crickets chirp]
Gen X wasn't one of my favorite X-titles, but it was a good read. Granted, the series is tough to read now, what with how they botched the origins of M and Penance, neither of which really ended up the way Lobdell intended. And Bachelo's first run on that title was far superior in my opinion. During his return, the characters just all looked like 5 year old, and that's when his work just started to become…weird. It did have good Tom Grummett art as well.
Def need to check out Tomb of Dracula and Sgt. Rock.
Birds of Prey I want to get into, but can't seem to get past the chessecake art.
As for JMS's Spider-man, all I can say is ugh. And I would recommend everyone read Lorendiac's parody of 'Sins Past'. Easily one of the funniest things I have read in a while.
Man, I liked Simone and Benes on Birds. Not in my top ten, but I've got all the trades on my shelf. Equal opportunity cheesecake, great takes on the characters, female bonding that included more butt-kicking than ice cream, and, of course, the intro of Savant and Creote.
Would love to see the Waid/Ramos Impulse crack the list.
Unless I missed it, DeFalco's Spider-Girl is still up for grabs. Given the large fan love for that series, I think its probably showing up.
Poor old Sgt Rock. He must have taken part in D-Day at least a dozen times, single-handedly liberated every single village in France and fought in World War Two for nearly fifty years. And look at the thanks he gets, 116th. No justice.
On a serious note, I think it is interesting how much this list is dominated by writers rather artists. Kubert and Adams would be on my list of the greatest ever artists in comics, I'm happy to read anything they are involved in, but clearly I'm in the minority.
I still have two of my votes to come – Steranko's Captain America and Neal Adam's X-Men. I don't think I'm going to see them now.
Isn't Steranko's Cap disqualified due to its shortness?
Brian did an 'Any Questions?' page prior to the vote. I asked then, if Steranko's run could be included and was given the thumbs up.
You're right of course, Steranko did only work on three issues. So technically he should be disqualified.
Didn't figure we'd see Generation X on this list. I suppose that's largely because I'd forgotten that it actually was good at one point. That book came out right when I first started reading superhero comics and I really got into it. I actually planned to make sure I bought every single issue for the book's entire run. Then Larry Hama happened, and Gen X ended up being the first book I ever dropped because it was just too bad to continue reading. I later found out that I was part of a fairly sizable exodus that left after that Penance/M origin issue.
52 marks the final entry from my list to show up. Great comic book.
Compared to the general crapness of most other 1990s X-Books (hell, most other Marvel 1990s books, period), Generation X looked sorta good. I'd be curious to re-read it now and see how it holds up.
I like the beginning of JMS's Spider-Man, and even most of the later storylines, but I can't forget and forgive Sins Past and OMD, and even the "good" stories JMS wrote still had problems. It's the kind of comic that would have been a much more plesant read if JMS had created an original character called "Arachnid-Man the totemic superhero", and told his stories. I like the way he dealt with Aunt May (except for OMD).
Tomb of Dracula, cool. Wouldn't be so far as to say it's the best comic from the 70s, but it's a good comic.
Of all the "great" comic book writers, Howayd Chaykin is the one I never really understood the appeal. And no, it's not all the sex that bothers me (not even in "Black Kiss"). I'm no prude, and I think American pop culture could benefit of more open descriptions of sex and sexual acts (a culture that can show cannibalism to kids, but is afraid to show sex, is a really sick culture in my book).
It's not that that bothers me, maybe it's that when guys like Alan Moore do stories to criticize society, they also have very engaging plots. I felt like American Flagg's main point was to poke fun at media and fascism and stuff, but there was not much else (well, and there was sex too). Maybe I'm just not a big fun of social satire by itself.
I've still a few from my 10 ten to appear.
One of them's Slott's She Hulk. Considering the love given to recent runs, I can see this making the list.
I'm up to 7 of my 10 having appeared. (5 were in the original Top 102, and 2 more have shown up in these next 50 — although one of my votes was for a much shorter run within Ostrander's "Grimjack" series which placed as an entire unit). But I strongly doubt any of my other 3 picks will show up; they're too obscure. Two of them are Batman runs from the early-to-mid 1980s, Pre-COIE, which have never had any significant portions reprinted in TPB, so modern fans are largely unaware of them. If they've never so much as seen the material on the shelves at a local store, then they're hardly likely to vote for it, are they?
Yeah, I figure Steranko's run was significant enough to warrant an exception, if only because you always hear people speak fondly of his "run."
That was the main reason the requirements were six issues rather than, say, twelve, because Stern/Byrne on Captain America and Miller/Mazzucchelli on Daredevil are certainly considered runs by everyone, so six issues passed the smell test.
In Steranko's case, three issues did, too.
Sin City?
Starlin's Dreadstar?
Perez's Wonder Woman?
DeMatteis's Captain America?
Stern and Byrne's Cap?
Claremont and Lee's X-Men?
Simonson's Fantastic Four?
Dixon's Batman or Robin or BoP or Airboy or SOMETHING?
Grell's Warlord?
Mantlo's Hulk? (I know, I know, I'm a broken record)
At least two of these will be in the top six.
Somebody — I forget whom — argued, in one of the spirited discussions we had as the Top 100 were being revealed a few at a time, that the next time around it might be nice to set the minimum at "13 consecutive issues" for a "run." I don't remember his exact reasoning, but he may have felt that writing a 6-issue miniseries, or a 6-issue story arc in an ongoing title (after which the writer runs away from the long-term consequences of his actions) isn't quite the same thing as proving you can provide quality entertainment for a year or more of ongoing developments of a character's life and times, with enough time to let subplots very gradually build up from the first small seeds before they reach their maturity?
But everyone considers Byrne and Stern's tenure on Captain America a run, right?
It's ALWAYS been referred to as a run, no?
A run, really, is just consecutive issues by a creator – I made the six issue limit just so we wouldn't have stuff like, Alan Moore's "run" on Superman, etc while still managing to include Byrne/Stern and Miller/Mazzucchelli.
>>A run, really, is just consecutive issues by a creator .
Except that Steranko's THREE issues weren't even consecutive? I'm not denigrating them — my god, #s 111 & 113 (I believe I missed #110 at the time) absolutely blew my mind when I chanced across them on the spinner racks at age 9, & I rank #111 in particular as one of my 10 favorite single issues EVER, & they were pretty much the first comics I made a point of going back & reacquiring via eBay 8 or so years ago — but I just don't see any way they fit the category of a "run."
Say what you will about JMS's Spidey when it went off the rails (and boy, did it ever) but before that, he did some great work w/May and MJ (to the point that I still have a hard time believing the same writer who wrote MJ back in so well is the same one who wrote her out so poorly) and I really liked the notion of Peter teaching science at his old school; it had the right mix of nostalgia/continuity throwback and forward character momentum.
Simone's Birds of Prey was a book I enjoyed reading (when I did) but never read it consistently, for no reason I can recall…
Every Halloween I liked to pull out my Tomb of Dracula Essentials and read a few random issues. It's great fun.
I too would be curious to re-read Lobdell's Gen X run with the benefit of hindsight. At the time, I just remember how big a deal it was (and I was still enough of a comics novice to buy into the hype). I sometimes think Lobdell gets a bum rap; he was really good at those quiet, post-crossover issues, and a lot of his Gen X characters had some staying power, if they would have managed to avoid becoming canon fodder for whenever a new X-villain needed to establish their rep.
I have a collection of black and white book reprints of Akira; I should really get around to reading those sometime.
Having read most of the O'Neil/Adams Batman in various reprint forms, I never realized just how staccato their run was; they appear to have done very few consecutive issues on either title. What great stuff.
#110 and 111 were consecutive.
But really, the point was a bit of a moot one, just like when I allowed folks to write in Lobdell's FF. It wasn't going to affect the voting, so I didn't mind that much.
How the Stern & JMS Spiderman runs can make this list and the Gerry Conway/Ross Andru run not get a sniff is criminal.
Didn't the Stern run make this list?
Hey Lorendiac,
Which Batman runs did you vote on? I'm assuming one was the Moench/Newton/Colan run. It never seems to get much love these days, but I thought it was a blast. Denny O'Neil coming back over to DC from Marvel to edit the book and Miller's stuff pretty muchly mulched it in folk's memory, but I really loved Newton & Colan's art on the book, and while it wasn't the best Moench work ever, there were good stories. And when I think of Harvey Bullock, I think of him as drawn by Gene Colan.
We have 152 runs (and 33054 pts)
– 55 runs are set in the Marvel Universe (12951 pts)
– 14 runs are X-Titles (3510 pts)
– 2 runs are Ultimate titles (679 pts)
– 59 runs if you get Marvel plus Ultimate Universe plus Supreme Power (13685 pts)
– 42 runs are set in the DC Universe (10520 pts)
– 7 runs are Bat-Titles (729 pts)
– 11 are Vertigo comics (4495 pts)
– 47 runs if you get DC plus Vertigo sub-universe plus Plastic Man retcon (10740 pts)
– 6 runs are set in the Wildstorm Universe (1048 pts)
– 7 runs have female protagonists (1098 pts)
– 120 are superheroes or close enough (26240 pts)
– 32 are non-superhero (6814 pts)
Sorted by decade the first issue in the run was published, we have:
– 1980s (45 runs – 10609 pts)
– 1990s (35 runs – 7748 pts)
– 2000s (40 runs – 7273 pts)
– 1970s (20 runs – 4311 pts)
– 1960s (8 runs – 2685 pts)
– 1940s (2 runs – 299 pts)
– 1950s (2 runs – 129 pts)
Sorted by associated creator:
– Grant Morrison (9 runs – 2949 pts)
– Stan Lee (5 runs – 2446 pts)
– Alan Moore (7 runs – 1902 pts)
– Chris Claremont (7 runs – 1874 pts)
– John Byrne (3 runs – 1809 pts)
– Garth Ennis (4 runs – 1579 pts)
– Warren Ellis (6 runs – 1337 pts)
– Keith Giffen (4 runs – 1328 pts)
– Jack Kirby (3 runs – 1322 pts)
– Neil Gaiman (1318 pts)
– Frank Miller (2 runs – 1199 pts)
– Brian Michael Bendis (5 runs – 1141 pts)
– Steve Ditko (2 runs – 1034 pts)
– Ed Brubaker (6 runs – 934 pts)
– James Robinson (921 pts)
– Brian K. Vaughan (2 runs – 854 pts)
– Peter David (4 runs – 771 pts)
– J. M. de Matteis (742 pts)
– John Cassaday (2 runs – 722 pts)
– Marv Wolfman (2 runs – 721 pts)
– George Perez (643 pts)
– Geoff Johns (4 runs – 619 pts)
– John Ostrander (3 runs – 591 pts)
– Howard Porter (574 pts)
– Pia Guerra (547 pts)
– Kurt Busiek (2 runs – 541 pts)
– Walt Simonson (514 pts)
– Alex Maleev (480 pts)
– Bryan Hitch (2 runs – 474 pts)
– Mark Waid (3 runs – 463 pts)
– Bill Willimgham (428 pts)
– Darick Robertson (418 pts)
– Roger Stern (3 runs – 402 pts)
– Dave Sim (370 pts)
– Gerhard (370 pts)
– Mark Millar (2 runs – 369 pts)
– Mark Bagley (364 pts)
– Denny O'Neil (3 runs – 348 pts)
– John Romita Jr. (3 runs – 331 pts)
– Paul Levitz (328 pts)
– Brent Anderson (323 pts)
– Jeff Smith (321 pts)
– Adrian Alphona (307 pts)
– Steve Gerber (2 runs – 276 pts)
– John Romita (270 pts)
– Peter Milligan (2 runs – 255 pts)
– Steve Englehart (2 runs – 255 pts)
– Brothers Hernandez (236 pts)
– John McCrea (232 pts)
– Joss Whedon (229 pts)
– Roy Thomas (3 runs – 228 pts)
– David Mazzucchelli (211 pts)
– Tom and Mary Bierbaum (208 pts)
– Greg Rucka (2 runs – 207 pts)
– Tom Mandrake (205 pts)
– Will Eisner (204 pts)
– Joe Kelly (202 pts)
– Robert Kirkman (2 runs – 180 pts)
– Mike Mignola (179 pts)
– Frank Quitely (176 pts)
– Mike Baron (174 pts)
– Steve Rude (174 pts)
– Alan Davis (2 runs – 173 pts)
– Mike Grell (2 runs – 172 pts)
– Matt Wagner (2 runs – 169 pts)
– Mike Allred (2 runs – 168 pts)
– Sean Phillips (2 runs – 163 pts)
– Neal Adams (162 pts)
– David Michelinie (152 pts)
– Bob Layton (152 pts)
– Mike Wieringo (150 pts)
– Brian Azzarello (150 pts)
– Eduardo Risso (150 pts)
– Kevin O'Neill (148 pts)
– Alan Grant (146 pts)
– Norm Breyfogle (146 pts)
– Michael Avon Oeming (134 pts)
– Paul Smith (133 pts)
– Marc Silvestri (133 pts)
– JMS (2 runs – 131 pts)
– Christopher Priest (130 pts)
– Paul Chadwick (120 pts)
– Joe Casey (117 pts)
– Mike Carey (114 pts)
– Peter Gross (114 pts)
– Ryan Kelly (114 pts)
– Sergio Aragonés (110 pts)
– Mark Evanier (110 pts)
– Jim Starlin (109 pts)
– Mark Gruenwald (107 pts)
– Jim Shooter (2 runs – 106 pts)
– Stuart Immonen (103 pts)
– Michael Gaydos (101 pts)
– Kazuo Koike (100 pts)
– Goseki Kojima (100 pts)
– Denys Cowan (99 pts)
– Stan Sakai (98 pts)
– Terry Moore (96 pts)
– Chris Ware (95 pts)
– Doug Moench (95 pts)
– Jack Cole (95 pts)
– Neal Adams (87 pts)
– Matt Fraction (83 pts)
– Katsuhiro Otomo (80 pts)
– Scott Lobdell (79 pts)
– Gene Colan (78 pts)
– Howard Chaykin (77 pts)
– Gail Simone (76 pts)
– Robert Kanigher (76 pts)
– Joe Kubert (76 pts)
– Todd Nauck (75 pts)
– Jim Steranko (74 pts)
– John Rogers (74 pts)
– Steve Seagle (71 pts)
– Sam Kieth (70 pts)
– Larry Hama (68 pts)
– William Messner-Loebs (66 pts)
– Peter Bagge (65 pts)
– Len Wein (64 pts)
– Bernie Wrightson (64 pts)
– Fabian Nicieza (57 pts)
– Ann Nocenti (55 pts)
– Laura Allred (55 pts)
– Dave Cockrum (54 pts)
– Gerry Conway (53 pts)
– Carl Barks (53 pts)
– Ben Templesmith (52 pts)
– Chuck Dixon (52 pts)
– Louise Simonson (51 pts)
– Kevin Smith (50 pts)
– Joe Quesada (50 pts)
– David Lapham (50 pts)
– Robert Loren Fleming (50 pts)
– 120 are superheroes or close enough (26240 pts)
– 69 are traditional superheroes (16772 pts)
– 51 are non-traditional superheroes (9458 pts)
– 19 are nonpowered superheroes (2675 pts)
– 11 are comedic superheroes (1929 pts)
– 51 are team books (12033 pts)
– 32 are non-superhero (6814 pts)
"How the Stern & JMS Spiderman runs can make this list and the Gerry Conway/Ross Andru run not get a sniff is criminal."
I never liked Gerry Conway in anything. Well, okay, maybe in Werewolf-by-Night. He wasn't that bad in Werewolf-by-Night. But I still think he was the Howard Mackie of the 70s. He even seems to have invented the retconned-behind-the-scenes-manipulator-messing-with-the-hero's-mind thing in comics with the Gwen Stacy's clone story (thanks a lot, Gerry).
But maybe his Spidey run deserves to be listed for historical impact alone. It took some guts to kill Gwen Stacy after only 6 issues in the title, and that left a mark in comic book history.
I agree Gerry Conway didnt ammount to a hill of beans on any of his other work but his Spiderman run felt very coherant and he made the characters seem that little bit more realistic. The MJ romance in particular. It was also, for me, the last time that any Spiderman writers had the freedom to do things with the book that might make a differance. After he left and Spidey kicked off in multiple titles it was just loads and loads of the same old meaningless stuff.
M Bloom: "I later found out that I was part of a fairly sizable exodus that left after that Penance/M origin issue."
Well, I guess I just now found that out. I was wondering where this would rank (and I wonder where it was on my own list, I should have kept a copy).
I would actually tag this as a Lobdell/Bachalo run, since Bachalo helped create the characters (and the series suffered without him). But it did start out really well, and it was the first time that I can remember since The New Mutants that a bunch of new characters had been introduced at once that seemed interesting enough to care about.
Brian Cronin — I don't claim to magically know what the "perfect number" is to mark the minimum size of a "real run," or anything along those lines. I was just reminiscing about someone else's interesting proposal, weeks ago, for raising the bar in a hypothetical future survey that would otherwise be conducted along the same general lines as this one — and as I said, I wasn't even sure I was remembering his reasoning as he had expressed it at the time. Sure, "at least 6 issues" is an arbitrary number, and "at least 13 issues" would be an equally arbitrary number, but having the arbitrary number be larger would change the results — for better or for worse — by eliminating some of the things that actually scored in the Top 100 this time around. Offhand, I have no idea how many of the current Top 100 would actually be eliminated from the competition if we did a "minimum of 13″ rule the next time around; and frankly, I'm not losing much sleep over it one way or the other!
I love Gerry Conway. And I'm not the only one, Conway wrote the early 80s Batman run that Lorendiac was talking about up there (I know because he posted his list elsewhere). Why the Conway hate? Wanna read a great comic? Read "Werewolf Moon" in Detective #505. Beautifully written. (and art by the late great Don Newton.)
In retrospect, I agree that the minimum should have been 13 issues– that way you could follow up with a "top 100 miniseries or limited runs" vote and easily gotten 100 good votes.
Brian Cronin — I don't claim to magically know what the "perfect number†is to mark the minimum size of a "real run,†or anything along those lines. I was just reminiscing about someone else's interesting proposal, weeks ago, for raising the bar in a hypothetical future survey that would otherwise be conducted along the same general lines as this one — and as I said, I wasn't even sure I was remembering his reasoning as he had expressed it at the time. Sure, "at least 6 issues†is an arbitrary number, and "at least 13 issues†would be an equally arbitrary number, but having the arbitrary number be larger would change the results — for better or for worse — by eliminating some of the things that actually scored in the Top 100 this time around. Offhand, I have no idea how many of the current Top 100 would actually be eliminated from the competition if we did a "minimum of 13″ rule the next time around; and frankly, I'm not losing much sleep over it one way or the other!
Oh yeah, I understand.
I didn't think you were saying otherwise.
wwk5d — Thanks for the kind words about my old "Sins Past" parody. I think the "Plot-Hammer" concept which I used throughout that parody (I saw you mentioned it in a comment on one of my Lists) was inspired by some dialogue in "Knights of the Dinner Table" (one of my 10 picks on my ballot) in which I learned that when the Dungeon Master or Game Master of a roleplaynig group (DM or GM) blatantly tries to "force" a certain sequence of events upon his players, it's commonly referred to in the roleplaying community as "plot hammering."
(As in: "Yes, you're at a crossroads. You want to go north? No, you can't do that, because the bridge was washed out and the flooding, raging river is unswimmable. East? No, you can't go east because . . . um . . . an avalanche has sealed off the mountain pass in that direction. South? No, you can't go south, because that's the way you came and . . . uh . . . there's a hungry mob of monsters coming from that direction and they have you outnumbered 20 to 1. I guess you'll have to just go [i]west[/i] through the Dark Scary Forest That Nobody In His right Mind Ever Lingers In, and see what happens!")
Reading "Sins Past," I kept feeling characters repeatedly were being forced to do incredibly clueless things, without considering other (and vastly better) alternatives, just because JMS and/or his editor wanted them to do those things at those times. The Plot-Hammer metaphor came to mind, and I decided to have a "real" hammer be clobbering characters over the head every time they got too "uppity" (as in, wanting to do something a real person might do in those circumstances, instead of tamely following the Sacred Script for that scene).
In retrospect, I agree that the minimum should have been 13 issues– that way you could follow up with a "top 100 miniseries or limited runs†vote and easily gotten 100 good votes.
Mini-series would still likely get a goodly amount of votes.
Storylines, though, would probably get more, which is why I'll likely go with that over mini-series.
rlsims — my votes for a pair of runs on Batman-related comics in the 1980s were for the Gerry Conway run on the titles of "Batman" and "Detective Comics" — which I consider a single run because those two series became linked together as a twice-a-month serial during his time as a Batman writer (a precursor to the way Superman had 4 linked titles in the 1990s telling his adventures in weekly installments) — and then I also voted for Moench's run when he became Conway's successor on both of those titles; the two series stayed linked for the next three and a half years until Moench's run ended with "Batman #400." I didn't try to narrow it down to particular artists, but it's certainly true that both writers benefitted from having Gene Colan and Don Newton each working on one of those titles for a long time.
I started buying comics regularly as a lad in 1982, so I came in during Conway's run and was very impressed then, and am still very impressed now. One of my key questions in deciding which runs belonged on my ballot of "Top 10 Favorites" was: "How often, over the years, have I actually gone back and reread all, or significant portions of, this run?" Many of the things I considered for my ballot were things which I realized I had only read, all the way through, maybe 2 or 3 times since I first collected them, and the last time I took a serious look at them might have been, say, at least 4 or 5 years ago. I decided that while they might be "favorites' in a broad sense, they weren't "Top 10 Favorites" material or else they would have lured me back to reexamine them a lot more often than had actually been the case! Conway and Moench on Batman, however, definitely scored high in the "numerous rereadings" area.
Matt Bird –
I didn't read much of Conway's DC work, so I won't comment on it. It may be very good, I don't know.
His Marvel work I mostly hate. Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Thor, Sub-Mariner, Captain America, it seems like Conway was everywhere in the 70s, and everywhere he touched there were mediocre stories, IMO. Conway's work has a sort of B-Movie vibe to it that I think really diminishes characters that seemed so grand and epic when Stan Lee and co. were working on them.
His characters seemed to be always confrontational and angry, often for no rational reason, as if he got Stan Lee's "bickering" thing and amplified it but removing all the humor. I dunno, I just hate it, his Marvel work really get on my nerves.
The one of his 1970s Marvels that I liked was Werewolf-by-Night, it seemed like Conway was more comfortable with the Werewolf's horror world than with superheroes. His superhero stories felt off to me. The only one I kinda liked was Daredevil, that after a disastrous beginning was kinda interesting, but maybe because DD was also a street-level character.
"Having read most of the O'Neil/Adams Batman in various reprint forms, I never realized just how staccato their run was; they appear to have done very few consecutive issues on either title. What great stuff."
Yeah, for example, it is often forgotten that Irv Novick drew the second part of the Ra's Al Ghul four-parter in Batman 232, 242, 243 & 244. So when DC brought out their super delux 'Batman illustrated by Neal Adams' they didn't print issue 242.
I always wondered how readers who were not familiar with the saga were meant to make head or tail of the story.
My guesses for the top 6:
(in no order)
Waid's Captain America
Thomas's Avengers
Miller's Sin City
Starlin's Dreadstar
Conway's Spider-Man
Vaughan's Ex Machina
Nice one Billy, come on Conways Spiderman.
Thomas's Avengers has appeared in the Top 100.
Did it? I must have passed it right over then…
I thought it was a little strange not to be in there…
ok, then replace Thomas's Avengers with Rucka's Queen and Country
(which really really should be on this list…)
Tomb of Dracula and O'Neil/Adams Batman were two that I would have figured for the top 100. Guess they didn't miss it by much.
But everyone considers Byrne and Stern's tenure on Captain America a run, right?
It's ALWAYS been referred to as a run, no?
A run, really, is just consecutive issues by a creator – I made the six issue limit just so we wouldn't have stuff like, Alan Moore's "run†on Superman, etc while still managing to include Byrne/Stern and Miller/Mazzucchelli.
Oooops… My reply didn't post earlier.
Brian, hindsight is famously 20/20 and you did a great job creating an entertaining list. I had never given a thought to what a comic book "run' was until these started appearing. I am sure you would have gotten howls of protest if the rules exclude Miller-Mazzucelli on "Daredevil", Claremont/Smith on "X-Men" and Stern/Byrne on "Captain America". However, the line between those and, say, "Batman: Year One" is fuzzy at best. The preference for writers over artists, new stuff over old and for widely read are all vexing. However, many of these are not even apples-to-apples comparisons.
So, with the benefit of hindsight, I would define a "run" as:
A series of contiguous, or nearly contiguous, issues on the same title by the same writer and artist lasting a minimum of 13 issues, or one calender year.
However else you feel about Conway's work, to say that the original Jackal/Gwen/Clone story that he did should actually bear the blame for its later overextension in the dreaded Clone Saga is just plain silly. And I'm talking as someone who stayed away from Spidey's books for many years, having bailed at the earliest stages of the clone thing, of which I don't count the Jackal story as really being a part of.
And Ross Andru was my first Spider-Man artist, with all the sentimental attachment to his style on my part that that entails.
I'm familair with most of those. And it's a pity that some of the moronic Spidey-fans are narrow-minded and can't properly judge JMS great writing. He demonstrated to me that Amazing Spider-Man could be read after more than 15 years and gave us a run matching Stan Lee and Romita's.
Patrick Lemaire — let me get this straight. Are you saying that anyone who says he dislikes some of JMS's long run on Spidey must be "narrow-minded"?
I ask because if that's what you meant, then it doesn't exactly display an inspiringly "open-minded" attitude on your part!
Rene said:
I never liked Gerry Conway in anything. Well, okay, maybe in Werewolf-by-Night. He wasn't that bad in Werewolf-by-Night. But I still think he was the Howard Mackie of the 70s. He even seems to have invented the retconned-behind-the-scenes-manipulator-messing-with-the-hero's-mind thing in comics with the Gwen Stacy's clone story (thanks a lot, Gerry).
But maybe his Spidey run deserves to be listed for historical impact alone. It took some guts to kill Gwen Stacy after only 6 issues in the title, and that left a mark in comic book history.
For what it's worth, here's the way I think I remember Conway's version, as related in an essay he wrote for the "Clone Genesis" TPB which collected that material about the "return" of Gwen Stacy (or her clone, as it turned out) from the mid-70s.
Conway swears that Stan was definitely consulted regarding the proposed death of Gwen Stacy as a way to really shake things up in Peter's life for the first time in years, or words to that effect. And he swears that Stan definitely approved of the idea at the time.
He also says that after the story was published, and the fans realized she was really, really dead, they started screaming bloody murder — sometimes at Stan when he was speaking on college campuses or whatever — and Stan starting backing away from it, because he was a very easygoing guy who didn't like to make people unhappy, so he started saying something like, "That was Gerry Conway — not me!"
(I gather that Stan's effort to shy away from accepting any blame apparently triggered an urban legend among fans at the time: "Stan had nothing to do with the murder of dear, sweet Gwen! He never would have let that happen to her! Gerry Conway, that dirty rat, managed to sneak that story into production when Stan was out of town on a long vacation or something!")
Eventually the hate mail from the fans reached the point that Gerry was ordered to find some excuse for bringing Gwen Stacy back. No matter what it took. At that early point in the Marvel Universe, this was an unusual idea in cases where the story about a character's death had made it very clear that a recognizable corpse had definitely been available, and it had been positively identified, autopsied, and then buried during a regular funeral. (As opposed to all those deliberately ambiguous stories where someone says at the very end: "The Master Villain must be dead — no one could have survived that terrible explosion! We barely escapedm ourselves, and he didn't follow us out in time!" — but no identifiable corpse ever turns up at the scene, after the smoke has cleared.)
So he finally used "cloning" as a way to "bring her back" — with all her memories up until a certain point — while simultaneously keeping it in continuity that Gwen's dead body was really and truly still in that coffin at the cemetery!
In other words, Stan Lee was involved in the decision to kill Gwen, and then someone (I forget whether Stan was part of this decision) laid down the law that Gwen must be brought back, somehow, for awhile, to placate the mutinous fans. Conway, if left to his own devices, would have been perfectly happy to just leave her moldering in the grave forever, with no clones anywhere in sight!
Patrick Hall said: "How the Stern & JMS Spiderman runs can make this list and the Gerry Conway/Ross Andru run not get a sniff is criminal."
Ross Andru did some amazing artwork that saved the stories.
Patricj Lemair-
JMS spidey run was fine. A fine comic with swell art when Romita Jr was writing. However, I doubt JMS would take offence to any reader not particularly liking some of his run. I would speculate that any author grounded in reality would be less put off by critics then they would be by fans who consider non-appreciaters "narrow-minded and moronic".
Now I love Spidey. But if I got that high-handed about it, I would rely on a friend to slap some sense back into me.
Yay! BOP! My list is complete.
I didn't even think of 52. Then again, I didn't think it was that great (I felt everything was telegraphed way in advance and not much happened each week), but it was an accomplishment
Patrick, please explain to us morons how we can properly judge the great writing of JMS, in the Spider-man titles. Sorry, but I didn't care for Ezekial, Morlon, Spider-totems (or totems in general), stingers, the Other, Sins Past…sorry, but those were just bad ideas in my opinion. If that makes me a moron, in your view, then ok, I'm a moron. I did like some of what he did with Aunt May and MJ, but he revoked all of that more or less with OMD. And he needs to get over his love for Gwen Stacy.
I voted for Conway and Andru's Spidey at number 2 just one place above Stern and JR Jrs. Both based on how many times I've gone back and re-read them. A sure sign (to me) of what my favourites are.
Consequently I'd love to see it make the list.
It's more likely to make the list than the DeFalco/Frenz run which was number 8 for me!! Obviously an underrated classic!
I still can't believe we haven't seen Luther Arkwright/Heart of Empire…
Where's the final six?
-Some demanding git
O'Neil and Adams' Batman almost made my list. I find Detective 395 especially stellar, but the rest is a little hit or miss.
Gen X was rather cool back in the day. Lobdell created some pretty good characters, though it's pretty depressing to see how most of them have been misused or abused since…
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By Lisa Klebba - U.S. Army Garrison - Detroit ArsenalOctober 2, 2012
U.S. Army Garrison - Detroit Arsenal, Mich. -- This year's Combined Federal Campaign launches Thursday, Oct. 11 with a kick off ceremony at 10 a.m. in the lobby of Building 230.
Guest speaker will be Sarah Davis from Operation Homefront. Operation Homefront is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides emergency assistance for military troops, the families they leave behind, and wounded warriors when they return home. The organization raises funds to provide emergency, financial, and morale assistance to families while troops are participating in a tour of duty.
"Our theme this year is 'Giving from the Heart','" said Kelly Rosenberry, chairperson of this year's CFC campaign. Even though the country's economic recession has had a negative impact on charitable donations in recent years, this year's campaign goals remain lofty. The goal is to raise $400,000 for local, national and international charities between Oct. 11 and Dec. 14.
A Charity Fair will coincide with the kick off Oct. 11. Many of our charitable partners will be on hand to provide information about how contributions provide aid to people in need. The fair will be held in the main hallway of Building 230 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"One of the best things about the CFC is that a donor can give by payroll deduction or as a one-time gift," states Rosenberry. "Donors can choose the charities they'd like to give their hard-earned money to or leave it undesignated."
The Southeastern Michigan Area CFC is the only official fundraising event for approximately 33,000 Federal employees located across nine counties in Southeast Michigan. During the 2011 campaign, Southeastern Michigan federal employees made cash contributions and payroll pledges to the CFC totaling $390,745.58. This money was used to support a multitude of charitable organizations that provide health and human services locally, nationally and worldwide.
The more than 2,700 charities included in the CFC support a variety of causes. Charities that help the environment, arts and education, humanitarian aid, evangelism and health care are available. On each pledge card, individuals can name up to five specific agencies they wish to support, or they can leave their donations undesignated. Undesignated funds are split among charities local donors have selected and given in the ratio they have designated.
Volunteers are needed for Oct. 11 to help direct charity representatives to parking spaces and to their designated tables. For more information on how to volunteer, contact Kelly Rosenberry at 586-282-2588 or go to http://www.cfcsemi.org to make a donation.


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The Fury Want You!
Fury Goal: Our goal is to have each girl reach their individual best and to assist in creating college level players by the end of their travel experience.
The Fury softball program is announcing another tryout for 2014/2015 season!
Tryouts will take place on Wednesday, August 13. Times will be as follows:
8u(08, 07 & 06 birth years)-5:30-6:30
10u(05 & 04 birth years)-5:30-6:30
12u(03 & 02 birth years)-6:30-7:30
14u(01 & 00 birth years)-6:30-7:30
Please arrive at least 15 minutes early to sign up and warm up. Tryouts are held at Creekside Elementary in Franklin, Indiana. The address is 700 E sr 44 Franklin, IN 46131.
If you have any questions please contact (317)946-6074 or firstname.lastname@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.com
When you choose the Fury these are some of the benefits you recieve:
What you will receive:
If this sounds like the team for you then come on out! If you cannot make it Wednesday, contact us for a private tryout.
ACTIVE is the leader in online event registrations from 5k running races and marathons to softball leagues and local events. ACTIVE also makes it easy to learn and prepare for all the things you love to do with expert resources, training plans and fitness calculators.


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The Institute communicates its scientific and educational information in a number of ways. One major outlet is peer-reviewed publications and reports. Cary Institute staff regularly publish in the best-rated journals in their respective fields.
Export 257 results:Sort by: Author [ Title] Type Year
Filters: Author is Pickett, Steward T. A. [Clear All Filters]
The Flux of Nature: Changing Worldviews and Inclusive Concepts", in R. Rozzi, S. T. A. Pickett, C. Palmer, J. J. Armesto, J. B. Callicott (Eds.). Linking Ecology and Ethics for a Changing World, Dordrecht: , 2013, p. 265 - 279., "
Forest edges as nutrient and pollutant concentrators: potential synergisms between fragmentation, forest canopies, and the atmosphere", Conserv. Biol., vol. 15, p. 1506-1514, 2001., "
Forest fragmentation, plant regeneration and invasion processes across edges in central Chile", in G. A. Bradshaw, P. A. Marquet, and H. A. Mooney, (eds.). How Landscapes Change: Human Disturbance and Ecosystem Disruption in the Americas. Ecological Studies, Volume 162., 2003, p. 145-160., "
Forest reorganization: a case study in an old-growth forest catastrophic blowdown", Ecology, vol. 76, p. 763-774, 1995., "
Forest vegetation along an urban-rural gradient in the New York City metropolitan area: patterns and relationships to ecosystem processes", Transactions of the Linnean Society of New York, vol. 10, p. 79-99, 2007., "
Forest-landscape structure along an urban-to-rural gradient", Prof. Geogr., vol. 47, p. 159-168, 1995., "
Foreword", Rev. Chil. Hist. Nat., vol. 64, p. 389, 1991., "
A framework for a theory of ecological boundaries", BioScience, vol. 53, p. 750-758, 2003., "
Frameworks for urban ecosystem studies: Gradients, patch dynamics, and the human ecosystem", in M. J. McDonnell, A. K. Hahs, and J. Breuste (eds.). Ecology of Cities and Towns: A Comparative Approach, 2009, p. 25-50., "
Functional location of forest edges: gradients of multiple physical factors", Can. J. For. Res., vol. 27, p. 774-782, 1997., "
Generation of heterogeneity by organisms: creation, maintenance, and transformation", in M. J. Hutchings, E. A. John, and A. J. A. Stewart (eds.). The Ecological Consequences of Environmental Heterogeneity: The 40th Symposium of the British Ecological Society, 2000, p. 33-52., "
Global urbanization as a shifting context for applying ecological science toward the sustainable city", Ecosystem Health and Sustainability, vol. 1, no. 1, p. art5 - art5, 2015., "
Group 4: reconceptualizing urban land use", in Rethinking Global Land Use in an Urban Era. Strüngmann Forum Reports, Cambridge: , 2014, p. 313-330., "
Hacia una unidad entre ecólogos y ambientalistas", Ambiente y Desarrollo, vol. 12, p. 81-86, 1996., "
Heterogeneity in urban ecosystems: Patterns and process", in G. M Lovett, C. G. Jones, M. Turner, and K. C. Weathers (eds.). Ecosystem Function in Heterogeneous Landscapes, 2005, p. 257-278., "
A hierarchical consideration of causes and mechanisms of succession", Vegetatio, vol. 69, p. 109-114, 1987., "
Historical contingency and multiple scales of dynamics within plant communities", in D. I. Peterson and V. T. Parker (eds.). Ecological Scale: Theory and Applications, 1998, p. 171-191., "
How far in space and time can the results from a single long-term study be extrapolated?", in G. E. Likens (ed.). Long-Term Studies in Ecology: Approaches and Alternatives, 1989, p. 192-198., "
Humans as components of ecosystems: a synthesis", in M. J. McDonnell and S. T. A. Pickett (eds.). Humans as Components of Ecosystems: The Ecology of Subtle Human Effects and Populated Areas, 1993, p. 310-316., "
Impacts of land use change on seed removal patterns of native and exotic species in a forest landscape", Community Ecology, vol. 13, no. 2, p. 171 - 177, 2012., "
Implications from the Buell-Small succession study for vegetation restoration", Appl. Veg. Sci., vol. 4, p. 41-52, 2001., "
Importance of integrated approaches and perspectives", in D. N. Laband, B. G. Lockaby, and W. Zipperer, eds. Urban-rural interfaces: linking people and nature, 2012., "
Indirect effects of litter on woody seedlings subject to herb competition", Oikos, vol. 62, p. 129-144, 1991., "
Individualistic patterns of annuals and biennials in early successional oldfields", Vegetatio, vol. 78, p. 53-60, 1988., "


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3 More Charges For Former Grapevine Volleyball Coach Accused Of RapePolice in Granbury have confirmed three more charges against former Grapevine volleyball coach Damian Merrick.
Gruesome Photos & Shocking Testimony In Murder Trial Of Keller WifeProsecutors in Fort Worth are painting an ugly picture of a Keller woman accused of murdering her husband in 2011. Tuesday was the first day of the Michele Williams murder trail and by afternoon rush hour testimony was still going on.
Thunder Guard Liggins Accused Of Domestic ViolenceOklahoma City Thunder guard DeAndre Liggins has been arrested after his girlfriend told police he attacked her in front of their 2-year-old son.
Chiropractor Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Female Patient Last week a Carrollton chiropractor was accused of and arrested on allegations he sexually assaulted a female patient. Carrollton police arrested Scott Tan Viet Lai on June 14.


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Latest News Headlines
Video: Chain Swangaz - "Futuristic Luv Patrol"
Courtesy Lizzie Grubman PR.
After releasing three hysterical videos (with guest appearances from Charlie Sheen, Andy Milonakis, 2 Live Crew, Andre Legacy & a few porn stars), the Chain Swangaz unveil their latest sonic & visual acid trip today called "Futuristic Luv Patrol". The video stars Dirt Nasty as some sort of drugged out hot-dog-wielding David Bowie robot freak and also features controversial "white girl mob" rapper Kreayshawn.
Beat Tape: DJ Concept - "M99: Dexter Tribute"
Courtesy DM 360.
Dexter-themed beat tape, produced entirely by DJ Concept.Season Six of Dexter Premieres This Sunday (10.2) at 9pm EST on Showtime.
Press Release: Sean Toure's "Soundchanneler, The Invisible Man"
Courtesy Matt B.
Audio: DJ Drama f/ French Montana, Pusha T - "Everything That Glitters"
Courtesy Chris @ E1.
MP3: Superstar Guess f/ Big Gemini, Lucky Luciano - "My Gurl Is a Strippa" (prod. Justbeatz)
Courtesy M3W.
Video: San Quinn f/ Berner, Relly Rel - "Briefcase Money"
Courtesy Dove @ Tygereye.
Here is San Quinn's new video for "Briefcase Money" featuring Berner and Relly Rell! The song appears on San Quinn's latest project Can't Take the Ghetto Out a Ni**a, which was released in July via Prominent House Records and Select-O-Hits!
Video: Mayday - "Sweat Shop Freestyle"
Courtesy Major Music.
¡MAYDAY! returns with a new music video filmed on location during the "All 6's & 7's" tour. This track has ¡MAYDAY! front men Bernz and Wrekonize spittin' over El-P's 'Time Won't Tell' track.
MP3: Wale f/ Miguel - "Lotus Flower Bomb"
Video: Pat G - "Get Like Me"
Courtesy Matt B.
Pat has produced songs for Reks, Termanology, Akrobatik, Edo G, Mr.Lif, Ripshop, and Big Shug just to name a few. Now, Pat G has linked up with Bridge Life Entertainment who released his debut LP, New Kid On The Block, on 8-30-2011. Entirely produced by Pat G, New Kid On The Block's lead-single, "New Day," was the third most added single at Record Breakers Top 40.
MP3: Q Da Kid f/ Bun B - "Dream Big (Fast Lane)"
Courtesy BF Blasts.


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A romantic 6-light aged brass chandelier from Robert Abbey's dramatic Juliet collection.
Six delicate aged brass arms support demure pearl dupoini shades resting upon brass posts adorned with edgy rock crystal accents. This stunning design is from Robert Abbey's Juliet collection.
Shop all Robert Abbey
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|All Brands
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|Koastal Media Surf Exercises DVD
Style: 7016
SURF EXERCISES (SE) is a specific workout targeting better health and surfing. SE targets balance as the center piece for advanced strength, speed and rotational flexibility to not just inspire a more functional body but to make you surf better. This program was designed over years of what works and what doesn't.
"This is what took my surfing to the NEXT LEVEL" - T. Knox
A gifted natural athlete, were he not a professional surfer, one could easily imagine San Diegos Taylor Knox excelling at any number of other sports. As one of the core members of the early-90s New School movement, Taylor surfed his way onto the radar through a number of highly-charged video appearances. In 1998, Taylor suddenly jumped into the spotlight by paddling in to a monster wave at Todos Santos to win the inaugural Billabong Big-Wave Challenge. From there, Taylor worked his way on to the WCT circuit where he remains a popular figure with his fellow competitors.
Paul Hiniker grew up in Carlsbad, California, where he cultivated a love of surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding at an early age. His love of sports led him toward a career in fitness, and in 1986 he began working as a personal trainer. Paul earned a Bachelor of Science in Sports Medicine and he holds numerous professional certifications:
Today, Paul is an elite trainer at Frogs Fitness in Encinitas, where he specializes in alignment of the musculoskeletal system, flexibility and sports-specific strength. Though he no longer competes professionally, Paul still surfs daily and trains regularly with pro surfers Taylor Knox, Adam Knox, Ricky Whitlock, and Jay Thompson. He also trains with pro skateboarders Pat Duffy, Danny Way and Jake Brown as well as pro snowboarders Kevin Pearce, Matt Ladley, and Taylor Gold.
Produced by: Taylor Knox, Paul Hiniker, Michael Helbock, Cary McDonald, and Rob Craghead
Inside you will find a helpful sizing guide. Use it to find out your true size in different articles of clothing. It will help you determine what size boardshorts or bikini to buy this summer!
You will also find a bundle of new fashion terms that you may have heard before but never quite understood. So, if you're not sure what whiskers, pleats, viscose or the likes of many other terms are, head on over to our glossary section.
Feed your brain, it will enlighten your online shopping experience.
Doesn't fit? No problem! Send it back to us for an exchange. We'll cover the shipping costs to send the exchanged merchandise back to you.
We pride ourselves on integrity and service, and are dedicated to delivering the best customer service to all of our customers. If for any reason you are unsatisfied with any purchase made at SurfRide.com, we will gladly refund or exchange it.
* Returns are not accepted for certain items such as surfboards, bikinis (tops and/or bottoms) and sale items. Please view our return policy for complete details.
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This offer applies to orders shipped within the contiguous United States and excludes some larger items, such as surfboards. Excludes sale items. May not be combined with other offers.
Doesnt fit? No problem! Send it back to us for an exchange. Well cover the shipping costs to send the exchanged merchandise back to you. It's really that easy!
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If you see it on our website, we have it in stock. Since everything online is stocked in our 2 large retail stores, occasionally an item will sell in the store before we can pull it for your order. We will do our best to help you find a replacement item if this happens. Don't see it online? There's a good chance that we have it one of our stores. Give them a call.
No sales tax to customers residing outside of CA. All you kids buying wetsuits to surf Lake Erie get a tax break for manning up and surfing mega cold water.


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open source
2010 has been a fantastic year for open source. The progress that Malaysia has made with open source has caught the attention of governments of developed and emerging economies. I would like to share some of the opportunities, challenges, and future benefits that open source can continue to offer... Read more
I can't imagine a world in which compromise and collaboration could be more important than in an open source business model. The model itself opens a Pandora's Box of issues that create a minefield that must be navigated on a daily basis and makes those concepts critical to success. Think, for an... Read more
About five years ago I was hired by a software company that specialized in database security. Some of our software was used to protect databases in military assets and major banks. But a lot of development was very remote from top-secret weapons or classified information. For example, we wrote a... Read more
Community contribution has long been an important topic at Red Hat. After all, our company was built on the open source software development model and much of the code our software developers write is contributed back to the open source community. For many years, Red Hat also funded a modest US... Read more
Years back I worked as an editor for the now-defunct Red Hat Magazine. While our circulation numbers were respectable, the department head wanted to see a sizable increase. In most companies, I would have been asked to do some research and present a publishing plan or a report on how to improve the... Read more
I must start by thanking Mel Chua for visiting us in Connecticut and for prompting/prodding me to think more deeply about how open source and academia work together to accomplish education. I believe I now have a better picture of student and academic participation in open source projects.
It seems that no matter how often you do it, organizing nearly one hundred right-brained people is a little like herding cats. They came from all walks of life. Some studied at prestigious art schools. Others are self-taught. Some are already retired from careers in publishing, or as curators of... Read more
The open source community has a phrase for the principle of rapid prototyping: "Release early, release often." The theory is sound: Don't wait until a project is perfect to share it. Instead, keep producing work so more people can experience it, react to it, find bugs, and improve it. But does the... Read more
As open source software becomes more mainstream, it's easy to forget how amazing it is. Countless individuals, donating their time and sharing their brainpower, work to build a shared infrastructure on which the world's computing is done. Amazing. Even more amazing, in survey after survey, the... Read more
Last week, India became another major country to join the growing, global open standards movement. After three years of intense debate and discussion, India's Department of IT in India finalized its Policy on Open Standards for e-Governance, joining the ranks of emerging economies like Brazil,... Read more


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In operation since the summer of 2005, Mount Wachusett Community College's Division of Access and Transition, in collaboration with the Mayors' offices of the cities of Fitchburg, Leominster and Gardner, as well as various community based agencies, implemented the Summer UP program at 10 park sites in 2011. Summer UP provides safe, paid summer work experience, leadership/citizenship skills training, community service and exposure to college to 152 local youth. A total of 575 children and Summer UP youth benefited from the program.
While providing safe recreational spaces for five weeks each summer, the program was designed to lower risky behavior and increase employment opportunities for area students. The objectives are to increase leadership, citizenship and college readiness skills for students and to ensure a safe, healthy, summer experience for at-risk children.
MWCC staff assists youth employees in implementing daily craft, sports, and reading activities at each park site. They also chaperoned weekly outings to area swimming facilities. Youth participated in a one-week training and orientation session to prepare them. Each Friday, the group embarks on field trips such as hiking up Wachusett Mountain, visiting Salisbury Beach, a community field day, canoeing down the Nashua River and a challenge by choice ropes course.
Please see our 2016 Summer Up flyer for more information
Summer UP programs take place at the following locations:
Fitchburg Sites
Gardner Sites:
Leominster Sites:


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I am a 30 year old software developer with 9+ years experience in .NET, mostly dealing with ESRI's entire ArcGIS software suite, from ArcGIS Server and Desktop through the new ArcGIS Runtime SDK. I work closely with local utilities, heavily involved in outage management software, both in the disaster recovery and asset management aspects.
I enjoy solving problems.
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amazing skill
Looooove your style! The lines are crisp, and the shapes are angular. It reminds me of Marvel Comics (especially the newer stuff). Keep it up!
Really inspiring, makes me want to get back into drawing again get better at it Awesome job!
you seriously have the coolest style ever. keep it up
You rock man!!
Your pen stroke technique is just amazing. Looks amost as you carve out your drawings.
you are a master my friend, amazing skills!
your sketches are so wonderful ! make me think like Toppi's.
Second row, left. Tom Hanks from Catch me if you can?
Really great.
I love you sketch! They always inspire me ; )
love your sculptural style. solid drawing dude..
this is the sketches !
Great work!
Trying... and totally owning? Is this just pen??
great work
and then again...
Absolutely.............i-i'm speechless , i just am inspired by your skills, i love it, i aspire towards this
Very nice
superb sketches as usual <3 hehe
you're my hero
Wow! Looks really good! I like the way you shade these!
this pure hand drawing?!?
You are so.. legit. :0
You're amazing.
You're amazing.
Sensei, your "Trying" is amazing to me!
Your idea of trying is what I strive to accomplish! Excellent work!
Trying my ass. Seems like you got it down packed my friend. Great use of the hatch technique and overall execution of the human body.
Spectacular as usual. What kinda pencil did you use?
amazing sketch style man
you`r getting better`n`better!
you`r getting better`n`better!
do you clean your sketches?
nice you did a great job!!
From what I've seen, you may be the best draftsman on dA right now. You set a high standard for the rest of us.
you're sketches are always so fantastic- you're handling of planes and surface is just incredible.
this influences me to draw again
omg this is incredible..this are sketches ? ;D what kind of pencils did u use ?
Very Rockwellian. Good stuff.
Just 'wow'!
awesome shadows
Great job!
the guy in the middle left is Jensen Ackles right?
awesome as always!
all from memory?


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Man gets probation for drug conspiracySeptember 03,2014Probation granted
in drug conspiracy
BENNINGTON A local man received a probationary sentence Tuesday after pleading guilty to being part of a conspiracy to sell cocaine.
Steven L. Barber, 59, of Bennington, pleaded guilty to the felony charge in Bennington criminal court as part of a plea agreement in which the state agreed to dismiss a misdemeanor charge that Barber possessed a depressant drug.
Barber was sentenced to serve one to three years, but all of that time was suspended and he was placed on probation. As part of the sentence, Barber will have to submit to screening and possibly treatment for drug addiction.
Barber was arraigned April 1 as co-defendant with Tina M. Fox, 42, of Bennington. The charges against Fox are pending.
Police said they received information March 26 from a 54-year-old woman saying that she had smoked crack March 24 with Barber in his home and attempted to buy crack from Fox on March 25.
Police were granted a search warrant, which was executed March 31.
According to police, 7 grams of marijuana and six counterfeit $5 bills were found when the Maple Street home was searched.MORE IN This Just InNORTH BENNINGTON Two public meetings, in North Bennington and Shaftsbury, have been set for... Full StoryThe Board of Aldermen has endorsed a major jump in city pension funding. Full StoryHUBBARDTON The annual celebration of Hubbardton has been moved to Sunday due to the weather... Full Story
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