Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Davy Jones 1945-2012

Monkees member and British singer-songwriter, Davy Jones has passed away at the age of 66 after suffering a heart attack at his Florida home.

My favorite memory of Davy Jones is him with Daphne and Velma from Scooby-Doo serenading a giant frog.

Just Get a Divorce Already

No one deserves a wife like Gladys. Not even Hitler.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Free Range Children Are Better

What's interesting is that there is such a thing as "free-range shrimp." Free-range shrimp is shrimp caught while still in the ocean while "farmed" shrimp is shrimp raised in sectioned off portions of the oceans, usually near a coast. But what Brutus really needs is a friend to eat with him when he goes to these fancy restaurants.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Lines Under the Eyes Mean 'Sick'

I've actually never used this saying because most dogs I've ever known were well taken care and either never got sick or was immediately taken to the vet, so I decided to search for the origin of the saying "sick as a dog."

And found nothing. The only things I could find pointed to the saying originating in the 1700s and may come from the fact that since dogs eat everything they find, they tend to get very sick, or that back then dogs weren't well taken care of and thus when they got sick, they got really sick, or that back then dogs were given food that was not fit for human consumption thus ending with them getting sick. Either way, Kewpie is very insulted by the saying which takes dog progress back 300 years.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

I Love the Nose Drip

Brutus is shoveling at least three feet of snow so it's not for nothing considering Cleveland probably has a clean sidewalk ordinance. So on the plus side, he's finished with the shoveling. On the down side, you know, Mother Gargle.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

What Is Gladys Holding Anyway?

When I was in high school, there were these kids in shop class who messing around while cleaning up and basically swordfighting with brooms. When one of the guys' back was turned, the other jammed his broomstick into the underside of the other guy's skull. The broom handle then proceeded to break off. Now, I don't condone those kind of actions but with Hurricane Hattie, I would understand them.

Both guys are fine, by the way.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Brutus Has Messed Up a Lot Lately

Is it me or is Veeblefester trying to push Brutus down onto his knees? I hope it's just me because I don't really want to think about what Veeblefester may be hoping for.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

004: 66050

If you take a drive to Lecompton, chances are you will see many signs in and out of town that look like this:
In 2011, the United States Postal Service transferred the two rural Lecompton postal carriers from Lecompton to Perry, across the river. That fueled fears that it was only a matter of time before the USPS closed the Lecompton post office for good.

A post office is one of three things that keep a town in existence. A post office may be the one business that remains opens long after all the other businesses have closed. The post office targeted 134 Kansas post offices that could close in 2011, Lecompton wasn't on the list but other towns such as Powhattan (Brown Co.), White Cloud (Doniphan Co.), Rantoul (Franklin Co.), Wakarusa (Shawnee Co.) and Muscotah (Atchison Co.) were on the list. I have been unable to find whether or not any of the 134 post offices have been closed but all representatives were adamantly against the closing of any of them. If you are near any of the post offices that were on the list to close, stop in and buy some stamps. In the meantime, read this post from the Kansas Sampler about their visit to each post office on the chopping block along Kansas Highway 99.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Another Day At the Tea Cozy Factory




Tuesday, February 21, 2012

1 + 1 = Negative Fun

You have to admit that Brutus is kind of boring. In fact, in the four years I've been doing this blog, I've never seen Brutus do anything that resembles fun. But in Brutus' defense, I've never seen Gladys really do anything that resembles fun either.

Monday, February 20, 2012

He Would've Been 280

Sadly, this is not ballet.



Friday, February 17, 2012

Remember to Draw the Seatbelt on Wilberforce So It Looks Like He's Safe

My son asked me this question when he was six or seven and Wilberforce is supposed to be nine or so! What's funny is my son also mentioned if deer could actually understand the sign. I explained the sign is just placed between areas where deer are wont to cross, usually wooded areas with a water supply (creek, stream, etc).

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Park Job



Wednesday, February 15, 2012

There Has Been a Lot of Flip-Flopping

Chip has clearly been watching some of the Republican debates.

Like the new layout? It's so hard to come up with one for this site because there's so much I'm doing with it. 16th & Mass will be returning to WTS as I have come to the realization that doing anything related to Douglas County will be nothing more than a hobby. But with the return of 16th & Mass will be the return of Picture of the Week (focusing exclusively on Douglas County) and Thursday Comics. You can still like us on Facebook, follow me on Twitter and, as always, tell your friends about this blog.

On Gay Marriage

So I follow all of the presidential candidates on Twitter and Rick Santorum posted a tweet the other day that read: "We need judges who respect the people's voice and our Constitution." Clearly this is in response to the court in California saying Proposition 8 is unconstitutional and essentially says that gays and lesbians are less than people. I tweeted back, because you know they read every single tweet that they receive: "Yep. Judges who uphold our Constitution and our Pursuit of Happiness. Happiness for ALL not just people who agree with you." I've long been an advocate that love and marriage is a guaranteed right given to us by the Founding Fathers when they wrote that every American has a right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Anyway, I forgot about the tweet until the next morning when I noticed that someone responded to it.
Sorry, We Hav Justices Legl. From Bench! NO NO in my book!
First of all, your book doesn't matter. Just like my book doesn't matter. Just like Rick Santorum's book doesn't matter. Second of all, that's kind of the purpose of the courts and something the Founding Fathers decided so the President and Congress doesn't have all the power. That's why there are three branches of government. That's something you should've learned while watching Schoolhouse Rock on Saturday Mornings.

I decided to look further into this and, since I knew we were all talking about Prop 8 and those awful homosexuals falling in love, I decided to just focus on that. Prop 8 originally went to the California Supreme Court in 2008 and the court "ruled in a 4–3 decision that laws directed at gays and lesbians are subject to strict judicial scrutiny and that marriage is a fundamental right under Article 1, Section 7 of the California Constitution." In fact, in 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court heard a case (Loving v. Virginia) which also declared that "Marriage is one of the "basic civil rights of man," fundamental to our very existence and survival" and this was in response to states making interracial marriage illegal.

I took a closer look at the guy's tweet and focused on the legislating part. The California Supreme Court ruled Prop 8 unconstitutional, the Northern California District Court ruled Prop 8 was unconstitutional and, just a week ago, the 9th Circuit Appeals Court upheld that decision. From my research, the U.S. Supreme Court has placed restrictions on federal courts barring them from basically interpreting the Constitution and that their only function is to uphold state court rulings. The 9th Circuit did expressly that. They, a federal court, upheld what the California Supreme Court, a state court, ruled. That Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. The next step, undoubtedly, is the U.S. Supreme Court.

My whole problem with this hatred of gay people is, what does it matter to you? Two guys getting married is not a threat to your marriage or your beliefs. I hear people complain all the time that America is going to Hell. And this is from people who choose God over everything else. Why is the entire country going to Hell? I thought God was supposed to be all-knowing and all-seeing. If God does not like homosexuality, doesn't he know who is for it and against it and can punish accordingly?

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Two Dates In One Week

It's Valentine's Day if you are into that kind of thing. For those of you who choose to make Valentine's Day into just another day here's some tips: don't freak out if someone wishes you a Happy Valentine's Day. Just say "Thank you. You too," and move on. Don't jabber on about how terrible Valentine's Day is. You ranting about it acknowledges it's legitimacy as a holiday. And don't get all melancholy about being single. If you don't like being single then do something about it. If you don't or won't put forward the effort, then you can't complain about being single.


There are a lot of words in today's strip. I'm wondering what that dinner Brutus and Gladys went to on Sunday is considered because Brutus mentions Valentine. My wife and I will be doing our Valentine's this weekend. I don't know if we'll be going someplace "gourmet" but I'm sure we will overpay for the food.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Speaking of Wine, Want Some Cheese?

I don't like the Grammys. And it's not just because it's one of the few "in-the-spotlight" industries where a woman beater and a child rapist can still be considered geniuses. It's mainly because the music I listen to never gets nominated and when, on the rare occasion it is, they never win. That's what I get for enjoying people and bands who only come out with albums every four to seven years.

Another reason is the Grammys is just one huge circle jerk to the industry. You may think that the Academy Awards and the Emmys are huge circle jerks too and they can be but not as much as the music industry is. The music industry is committed to keeping the same people around--people that sell records, albums and get people listening. When you are finished in the music industry, you keep making music because there is still the possibility it'll sell 100,000 copies which still makes roughly $2,000,000 for your label. You can even sing backup on a song on someone else's album which you see a lot lately. When you are washed up in the acting industry, that's pretty much it. Barring any type of comeback, once you start making movies that no one watches, people tend to stop hiring you to be in movies. In the music industry, if a label dumps you, you can move to a different label, or even start your own. If you're a band, you can break up for few years then reunite with a new album or on the Grammys.

I admit that there is some major jerkin' between actors and actresses but the music industry is worse because you have currently relevant bands and musicians doing duets with bands and musicians long since irrelevant and rappers constantly appearing on other rappers albums for really no other reason than getting those fans to buy this other rapper's album. You don't even have to be dead for other musicians to create a massive tribute to you and your music.

I also get tired of the Grammys seemingly being the only awards show that you can't make fun of. People updating statuses or tweeting about all the hate toward these people doing what they love and are making money. Musicians are not above public scrutiny, just like anyone else whose job puts them in the spotlight and on a pedestal. And complaints are usually followed with "What are you doing?" Why do I have to compare my life with Kanye West? He had a harder childhood but I'm pretty sure his life is now better than mine. Yes, I want to get paid for what I want to do but for what I want to do isn't going to make me millions of dollars. If these musicians don't like to or want to be criticized then they need to stay behind the scenes or get out of music. Being in the entertainment industry means having to deal with the morons who may not like you just because you can buy a new car, or seven, every year. Adele, Katy Perry, Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean and Paul McCartney don't need you to help defend them. They don't care what 99% of people on Twitter say, they only listen to their producers, their label, professional critics and album and concert sales. Nothing more.

Okay. Rant over. I now leave you with what I consider the best part of the Grammys. A commercial for Chipotle featuring Coldplay's "The Scientist" sung by Willie Nelson.

Brutus is at least trying. Maybe Brutus and Gladys should take a wine tasting class at the learning annex. Adults can learn a lot of stuff at the learning annex.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Ah, Love :)

Valentine's Day is around the corner and what better way to spend the day (and night) than reading my Twitter. Sometimes I'm funny and insightful but most of the time I'm an arrogant, idiotic jackwad. Now onto The Born Loser.
I'm not going to take sides here. For all I know they are both wrong and "their song" is really "You Don't Know Me." So instead of all this a-fussin' and a-feudin', here is "Let It Be Me" and "Unchained Melody."

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Whitney Houston 1963-2012

Whitney Houston, once the reigning queen of pop music, has passed away at the age of 48. Houston hit her peak in the late 1980s and early 90s but her career came to a halt due to drug use and money problems.

It Needs Some Merciless Peppers of Quetzaltenango

Famous for being awful? Yeah, that's something restaurants and people put up signs for. "We have the worst hotel in the city. Come stay here!" "Our food makes you sick 99% of the time. Do you like your odds?" You have to admit though, that's a big bowl of chili.

Friday, February 10, 2012

No. 32: Suicidal Tendencies, Part 2

Daniel and Lindsay ran into Norma Judge’s house. Norma turned around, startled, and pointed the gun at the two. Daniel threw himself down on the ground while Lindsay screamed, turned away and covered her face.

“Oh!” Norma exclaimed, “I’m sorry Lindsay-dear. You startled me. Daniel, get up off the floor. I haven’t swept in weeks.”

Daniel stood up and looked at Lindsay against the open door and Emily sitting on the stairs and Norma pointing the gun at Burt, who was tied to a chair with neckties.

Daniel held out his hand, “What are you doing, Mom?”

“I finally got tired of it, dear. Burt has hurt me repeatedly and I’m getting even with him,” Norma said in an almost crazy tone.

“Now, whatever he’s done does not warrant you shooting him,” Daniel said calmly.

“He’s been hitting me, Danny. In the face, in the stomach, in the back. Besides, I’m not going to kill him, just wound him,” Norma explained.

Daniel looked from his mother to Burt. “He’s been hitting you…?” Daniel turned to Emily who was slowly walking over. “Did you know about this?”

“She told me after I called you.”

“Well now I’m in a quandary. As much as I hate gun violence, I also hate people who hit women!” Daniel said and stormed over to Burt. “What the hell’s your problem?” he asked, slapping Burt in his temple.

“Daniel...” Lindsay said softly. This had been the very first time she had seen Daniel angry and losing his cool.

“When did all this start Mom? Why did he start beating you?”

“It was a couple months ago after I finished writing my book,” Norma began.

“Mom, you wrote a book?” Daniel smiled.

“Yes, it is about our family.”

“Oh, Mom...” Daniel frowned.

“Exactly what I thought,” Burt said, “it was horrible.”

“Shut up!” Daniel ordered. “Where is it, Mom? I would love to read it.”

“It’s upstairs in the guest room,” Norma directed.

“Can one of you girls get it for me, please?” he requested.

“Untie me!” Burt yelled, pulling at his restraints.

“Hold your horses, it’s not like you’re going anywhere anyway,” Daniel said. Emily came downstairs and handed a stack of letter-sized papers, held together by a large binder clip, to him. “Thank you. Wow, this is really thick!”

“781 pages. That’ll probably be scaled back when the book is actually published,” Norma smiled. Daniel began reading the first chapter while everybody was silent. He finished the first page and looked at his Mom, grinning. “Like it?”

“Love it.”

“You only read one page!” Burt hollered.

Daniel smacked the 781 pages on the top of Burt’s head. “I am very proud of you, Mom. It’s a whole new future for you. You don’t need Burt anymore. Give me the gun, Mom.”

“Okay, Danny,” Norma turned away from Burt and lowered the gun. She suddenly raised it again, pulling the trigger and hitting Burt in the shoulder.

“Mom!” Daniel yelled.

“AAAaaauugghh!” Burt screamed.

“EEeee!!” Emily and Lindsay shrieked.

“Why did you do that?” Daniel asked.

"He hit me, Danny. He beat me. He said I was stupid. He needed to be punished.”

“Then take him to court,” he sighed, “you don’t shoot him.”

“Hello?” Burt spoke up. “I’m bleeding here and have a bullet lodged in my shoulder blade.”

“Emily, call an ambulance,” Daniel took the gun from his Mom and began to untie Burt. The doorbell suddenly rang. “Could you get that Lindsay?”

Lindsay obliged and opened the door. A policeman stood on the porch. “Emily, cancel 911...” Lindsay said. Everyone turned toward the front door.

Grind Your Own Pepper, Loser

I've been seeing more and more, people posting about going to a fancy restaurant alone and loving it. I still find it weird and kind of a slight to the wait staff who now have to waste time serving you and getting a crappy tip while also helping groups of people who will tip good. No wonder this waiter just left the pepper grinder on the table.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Marshmallow Happy Stars

If you haven't noticed, you should head over to my other blog The Corner of 16th & Massachusetts and see the changes it has gone through. It's still a blog about history and stories from where I live so it really only appeals to a small handful of people but if you find it interesting, please check it out periodically. You can also check out our Facebook page, which I'm hoping to get it a bit more active over the next month or so. Changes will also be coming to Watch This Space in the next couple of months as well so be paying attention to that. Onto comics.
This was one of the first Calvin and Hobbes comics I remember seeing in the paper. It made me want to be really good at building snowmen which, because of where I lived when I was Calvin's age. I was terrible at building snowmen and have bitterly resented everyone else's snowmen. That has fueled my anger for years.

I would like to thank Brian Crane of Pickles of actually using a brand name cereal in his strip and getting the company who makes it right. I have seen many comics where people say Cap'N Cruch is made by Post, Cheerios is Kellogg and Frosted Mini-Wheats is made by General Mills. I know it's kind of nit-picky but if you are going to use a real cereal then get it right.

If I had money, not a lot of it but enough to live extremely comfortably on, I'd be afraid of losing it too. However, someone who makes $1.5 million a year (or more) really doesn't have to worry about that. Unless Veeblefester is backdoor admitting that he has a multi-million dollar gambling problem and/or drinking problem. I don't see Veeblefester having a drug problem. I don't know why. I just don't.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Learn to Talk, Wilberforce

So I've written numerous times that The Simpsons are not as good as they used to be and how the show should just come to an end. Since that doesn't seem to be in the near future, I have decided that this season would be the last season of The Simpsons that I will watch (barring maybe the final season whenever that happens). This season also happens to be the one where the 500th episode will be broadcast so there is a lot of things around the blogosphere of random people talking about what's going to happen with the 500th episode. There is a blog written by the Music Editor of The Simpsons who is reminiscing about his time on the show. He starts a diatribe against people saying that the series needs to be canceled with this:
I know that it’s popular these days on some fansites on the Interwebs to not only bash the show for having overstayed its welcome, but to go so far as to call for its cancellation. I am way too involved in the show’s history and its future to be even remotely objective when commenting on such things, but I’ll try. Indulge me for a moment.
So the few people out there who have watched every single episode for 23 years and continue to plan on doing so even though they feel the welcome is overstayed doesn't matter. So you want me to not shoot my 23-year-old dog who can't control his bladder, can't see, is missing three legs, missing huge patches of fur has to wear a cone and can only move by being strapped onto a small cart just because at one point he was a damn good dog.

I know that metaphor is probably a bit out there but I did go through that with my cat. He was slowly dying because of diabetes that we just couldn't afford to help him with. Everyone said we need to put him down because all he does is sleep under the bed and is probably in pain. But he would come out from under the bed for us, his owners. But we finally had to put him down.

He then continues with:
The Internet now allows anyone with a computer and an ISP to voice their opinions on whatever subject they choose in a very public and far-reaching way. In the old days, your only shot at having such a voice was to write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper and maybe it would get published and maybe some of your friends or family would read it.  
In the comments he talks about hating when "anonymous" people complain about the show. Last I checked, I am not anonymous. My name is over on the side and this site links to my Twitter and from there you can do a Facebook search and find me. Heck, 9 out of 10 sites, I have the same user name. I don't agree with anonymity on the Internet, especially if you are fairly active on it posting comments on random blogs and news sites but unfortunately, that is what happens on the Internet.

But then he goes off on a stand that I've only heard mentioned a few times in reading about the decline of The Simpsons:
 I come in direct contact on a weekly basis with at least 100 different people who work hard making an honest living producing THE SIMPSONS. Calling for its end is also asking to put all these people out of a job. Oh yes, the upper 1% of the folks who work on the show are making $$ the likes of which you and I can only dream about. The rest of us? We make a good, but unstable living.
Nuh-uh. If these people stay on the show until its end (like you clearly are), then they would be out of a job anyway. Since, as you've said before, you have a vested interest in the series, you are not the best advocate for keeping the series on the air. Television series are a business and everyone in them need to treat them like your regular office-with-a-cubicle job. Were there protests when Bill Cosby decided to end The Cosby Show after eight years? Cheers after 12? Seinfeld after 9? Friends after 10? No because everyone who worked on the show knew that it had to end sooner or later. Why have I only seen complaints about job loss with The Simpsons?

He then remarks on something that I briefly thought about but then forgot about because essentially, it is a red herring:
When bloggers or forum posters call for the cancellation of the show, that means a half-hour on Sunday nights on FOX will need to be filled with something else. Hey, there’s no guarantee that what will go in that slot will be any better than what’s there now.
But there is a chance what they put on will be better. At least a 50% chance. As it is now, I watch very little stuff on FOX. If what FOX puts in place of The Simpsons is something I would want to watch then I will give it a chance and decide from there. The same way I decided to watch The Simpsons.

FOX believes in the show enough to keep it going a couple more years and they have to put up the money – bloggers and posters don’t have that kind of vested interest in it.

and let me and all my colleagues keep working as long as FOX and the American viewing public will allow.
Again, FOX only "believes" in the show because it gets an average of 5 million viewers a night and they can continue to develop toys, action figures, DVDs and comic books in order to make more money. As for the bloggers and poster not having a vested interest in it, they probably did at some point. Someone was buying those toys, action figures, DVDs and comic books and it probably wasn't anyone staffed on The Simpsons. But there you go, advocating to keeping something around that you have a vested interest in.

And I'm fine with that. But it's kind of like what's going on in our school district right now. The district wants to close one to five elementary schools in the next ten years so have commissioned a group of people with a vested interest in each school to decide which schools to close. That makes sense. This is why choosing which shows to keep and which to cancel are handled by the network and rarely by the cast and crew because otherwise we'd be celebrating the 48th season of Gilligan's Island.

The point of this is most people who try to say The Simpsons is just as good in its 23rd season as it was in its 6th are either easily impressed or is someone who has interest in the show for one reason or another. Go on, I dare you to watch Moe Goes from Rags to Riches and say it is better or as good as Last Exit to Springfield. Go on. I dare you. Hell, I'll even let you compare it to Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind. I expect notes and citations explaining how you reached your conclusion.

I would like to think that Wilberforce just walked into the room and Brutus began talking about talking before Wilberforce even said anything but you know Wilberforce was just yammering something about Hurricane Hattie and her touchy-feely uncle, Mr P. Bear.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Be Natural My Children...

It's Charles Dickens' 200th birthday today. You should all go and read
"Bleak House" or "The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club."
Ugh. I hope this week isn't just Veeblefester yelling Brutus' name at him. If it is, that's going to get old really fast.

Monday, February 6, 2012

About Yesterday

So who all watched the Super Bowl last night? One...two...three...Okay, all of you. Something I noticed while watching the game, the commercials and the Halftime Show. People clearly don't know the definition of "good" or "memorable." Most of the commercials were decent. The commercials are not memorable unless they feature something or someone who surprised you. The Clint Eastwood/Chrysler commercial seems to have hit it big but isn't anyone else getting tired of the car companies reminding people of the bailouts they had to take? (Except for Ford). The game was boring until the second half--or more accurately, the fourth quarter. And the Halftime Show featuring Madonna, Nicki Minaj, LMFAO, Cee Lo Green and M.I.A. was just a ladder rung above boring. Ever since the Justin Timberlake/Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction" the NFL has tried to get Halftime shows that are generic and non-controversial. Madonna used to be one of the most controversial people in music which shows you how irrelevant she has become since the 1990s.

Don't get me wrong, when I am her age, I hope I can still move like that but if you wanted a really good Halftime show I would've suggested Lady Gaga. She can put on a show, she can do everything Madonna can do but better because she's younger. And I don't even really like Lady Gaga. But the reason she won't be asked to be on the Super Bowl is because she has the potential to be controversial. Her songs and visual effects could be used to promote homosexuality or other things that sports fans just don't want to see on their football field. So we viewers are stuck with boring Halftime shows like Paul McCartney, Rolling Stones, Prince, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen, The Who, The Black-Eyed Peas and Madonna. And those are the performers every year since Janet Jackson in 2004. Are these shows memorable aside from BEP being just awful?

Finally, Brutus is fired. It's about time. Brutus has been failing at every little thing for far too long. Now he can get that job at McDerp's which is really the only thing he's qualified for.

Wait a damn minute! Brutus is back at work? Clearly firings by Veeblefester are only temporary. Why get a smartphone that tells you where to go and what to do when you can just get married? Amiright, men? Huh, huh? Burn.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

The Doctor Dyed His Hair

Wait. If you're just going to show me a bill for services you have not and will not render then that bill should be much lower which would not cause stress. So why don't you just drag that treadmill out and do your damn job, Mr. Doctor.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Veeblefester May Be Hiring Soon

Congratulations to President Obama for making those companies hire 243,000 people thus bringing the employment rate down to 8.3%. I figure since the Republicans are saying it is the President's job to create jobs, I'd give credit where credit is due.

Anyway, I am cancelling Liberty and moving it back to Watch This Space which is probably where I should've kept it in the first place. I'm hoping to really crank out the writing over the next couple of months because I have really been slacking and am far behind where I need to be. And don't forget that Tauy Creek and WTS has a Facebook page and that you can follow me on Twitter.

"But he's muttering something about 'cleansing the sinners' and Jodie Foster and reading passages from The Catcher In the Rye."

Thursday, February 2, 2012

What He Writes Is Kryptonite

I've been reading Superman comics since 1992. I've also been reading both Superman titles from The New 52 and so far, I've been enjoying both of them. Superman has been hit and miss and reminds me way too much of the 1980s but it's recently sucked me in. Action Comics I have been enjoying thoroughly and was impressed with how good this reinvention of the character has been.

And then issue #6 came out.

Action Comics #6 continues with Superman's origin which began in #5 and interrupted the storyline that began in #1 but I can get past that. What I can't get past is the way Grant Morrison has changed the origin. I was fine with the parts of the origin in #5 but #6 seems to show that after Clark's adoptive parents died, seemingly at a young age, Clark went to live with the Legion of Super-Heroes? Clark also seems to be about eight or nine through most of the issue and has his powers (and constantly wears the cape that was sent with him from Krypton). You know why John Byrne and DC got rid of Superboy after Crisis? Because it's stupid. Having a pre-teen running around with powers is idiotic. It makes much more sense that Clark's powers develop at puberty. Another reason having an eight-year-old with those powers is that I don't care who that eight-year-old's parents are, that kid is going to show off. He already is by constantly wearing the cape THAT HAS THE S-SYMBOL ON IT!

This is just more proof to me that Grant Morrison can't write Superman. Don't get me wrong, Morrison has grandiose ideas for the character that seem like good ideas but then he ends up making them stupid. All Star Superman, which has regularly been deemed the best Superman story ever, didn't live up to my expectations. It seemed grounded in the Superman stories of the 50s and 60s where Superman is dying and tries to make the world better before he's gone. In those stories, he somehow survived, in All Star, he does not (or that's what we're led to believe). To me, Morrison turned Superman into a pathetic, whiny alien far removed from humanity. And yes, Superman is an alien, but he was raised a human. If it weren't for the superpowers, Clark would probably never know he was from Krypton.

If you want Clark to hang out with the Legion of Super-Heroes, fine. But you can't have him do that in his teens? And, by killing off his parents, Clark loses that thread of humanity. I don't know if Morrison chose to kill them off or if DC told him to but Clark's lack of parentage is obvious. He is much more alien and less human which may be why the New 52 Superman is not as well-liked as the previous incarnation.

Maybe I am jumping to conclusions too quickly. But Morrison's track record with me isn't great so far. We'll have to see how the remaining issues this year are.

The groundhog apparently saw his shadow today which means there will be six more weeks of winter. I just want to know if it will be the same kind of winter we've been having this season because it has been in the 60s all week and is the 16th warmest winter since 1909 (around these parts anyway).

The warmest? 2001-2002.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Maybe He's JBF?*

Sigh. You would think Veeblefester would have learned by now to not give anything important to Brutus because he will either mess it up or get it done late. At this point I'm not even going to feel sorry for Veeblefester when Brutus inadvertently brings down the company from inside.

*Read Gary Shteyngart's Super Sad True Love Story for explanation if you don't know. Highly recommend it.

Don Cornelius 1936-2012

Don Cornelius, host of the popular music and dance series, Soul Train, has passed away. Law enforcement is reporting that Cornelius died of a self-inflicted gunshot.