tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813821940068797932024-03-06T04:25:46.546-05:00Third Attempt!Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-7395307532858067802008-10-16T00:00:00.001-04:002008-10-16T00:00:00.727-04:00New content over at the <a href="http://meekrat.wordpress.com">Meekrat Entertainment Group</a>.Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-32840614232540374632008-10-14T01:14:00.000-04:002008-10-14T01:15:51.534-04:00Third Attempt is going on a brief hiatus. Terribly sorry.Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-73903414761931216932008-10-05T00:01:00.009-04:002008-10-05T01:14:42.964-04:00A Pinky and the Brain Halloween<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YHgaPWrCxWJxM90XYFMpi8gntmPRD4NDCLRhnOyfb7zCGt-Lu8vk9PCAVFkfmhKf2e0qt7u_2lzd3Y73sUqI7TrYX9bUIw5LbP3mBl-qJt80kHfOrFWVAno5S08fB8O3J3z-XGpzg8k/s1600-h/vlcsnap-80592.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YHgaPWrCxWJxM90XYFMpi8gntmPRD4NDCLRhnOyfb7zCGt-Lu8vk9PCAVFkfmhKf2e0qt7u_2lzd3Y73sUqI7TrYX9bUIw5LbP3mBl-qJt80kHfOrFWVAno5S08fB8O3J3z-XGpzg8k/s400/vlcsnap-80592.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253433927271545442" border="0" /></a>The first special I'll be taking a look at is “A Pinky and the Brain Halloween”. If you're unfamiliar with “Pinky and the Brain” and are too lazy to look it up, it's a show about two genetically altered lab mice who want to take over the world. Well, one wants to take over the world. The other is pretty much just along for the ride. It started off as a segment on a show called “Animaniacs” and received its own spin-off when the WB network was launched. As such, we get the episode we're looking at today.<br /><br />The episode begins in the middle of one of the Brain's plots to take over the world. It's Halloween, and he's invented a device which allows him to transmit via Jack O'Lantern and control the minds of children. The trick-or-treating scene is pretty nifty, what with the costumes and all:<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwJUTIt1Y5qWXluP7ixRu4-Y_a3LTLOjPVPH31VHXFqicvTNZ0i7KGeQPSDQhdfGAQdQAeG9VfNICjEziwTXVEcD99lfmXTE8O5nJ9UzfYcrT5oy9vYPh_AXqX8dE47xLXtZ_soeBwB8/s1600-h/vlcsnap-81032.png"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwJUTIt1Y5qWXluP7ixRu4-Y_a3LTLOjPVPH31VHXFqicvTNZ0i7KGeQPSDQhdfGAQdQAeG9VfNICjEziwTXVEcD99lfmXTE8O5nJ9UzfYcrT5oy9vYPh_AXqX8dE47xLXtZ_soeBwB8/s200/vlcsnap-81032.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253433816282501522" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOYK3bSGWGQrcf2PLXPNXCJGLcy_ZQfIvUCGc7Xay92mxBGMZpryEjZzoXD97z1oS1Ix9APfXrPROGkOfFv98HrcQf2WfAkC-bckIWxQ834xlsz63XzR2w1kYuyX3k9IxrX4xH9fCc4Q/s1600-h/vlcsnap-81182.png"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOYK3bSGWGQrcf2PLXPNXCJGLcy_ZQfIvUCGc7Xay92mxBGMZpryEjZzoXD97z1oS1Ix9APfXrPROGkOfFv98HrcQf2WfAkC-bckIWxQ834xlsz63XzR2w1kYuyX3k9IxrX4xH9fCc4Q/s200/vlcsnap-81182.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253433818126098546" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYoCzAAxCoxDrfkIdNpKWtTpSBFllvLzLuOK7obBsfZsDT2yhrNzDMhsX2fMM5lnmpXxjmBNmES7CytmSyEE3420stOK1qiiP_H0V425IRtKrxuDuz7uxwh346qc7aWU_bwfNwUHnOEw/s1600-h/vlcsnap-81339.png"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYoCzAAxCoxDrfkIdNpKWtTpSBFllvLzLuOK7obBsfZsDT2yhrNzDMhsX2fMM5lnmpXxjmBNmES7CytmSyEE3420stOK1qiiP_H0V425IRtKrxuDuz7uxwh346qc7aWU_bwfNwUHnOEw/s200/vlcsnap-81339.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253433829402964114" border="0" /></a></center><br />Of course, the plan fails, and the Brain laments that he's tried everything short of selling his soul to take over the world. Usually, this would elicit no response, but since it's a Halloween episode there's a glowing red breeze and a man calling himself Mister Itch appears. The man knows an awful lot about the Brain, including the fact that he once decided to chuck it all in favor of a failed rhythmic gymnastics career, and wants to help him take over the world. In order to prove his sincerity, Itch gives Pinky a trial wish. Pinky wishes for a radish rose whatchamwhozits, and Itch complies by turning the Brain into a melon ball thingamabob. The Brain seems convinced, but changes his mind and storms back to the lab. Itch thinks there may be another way...<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSpcdisgBuIi85_M1G_g0nBJr1aIFF-dFRaejk4mxccthhPcWcpBoIp62WiVPPqo6Fn44Aem0bF2Oc9rHcW5vXMmHzlQY_WrqmKV654OXcGRd9SvLNycC7MzKKrO4F_Kk6qYl6bmffgM/s1600-h/vlcsnap-83387.png"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSpcdisgBuIi85_M1G_g0nBJr1aIFF-dFRaejk4mxccthhPcWcpBoIp62WiVPPqo6Fn44Aem0bF2Oc9rHcW5vXMmHzlQY_WrqmKV654OXcGRd9SvLNycC7MzKKrO4F_Kk6qYl6bmffgM/s200/vlcsnap-83387.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253433480183537602" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPC7Aok_ugg_bRF2H2MegS-fXn_bQSYGayQeUK19cNwoCJl1eCK3EAOfi_V0HdLmv_t2UvPoXCiXT6Oo0jXcH0Jt6rXJ2HTXG0JfBM34CoeR4pQsO9g1hIBjD73bee0tYfkycuGUsfsI/s1600-h/vlcsnap-84820.png"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPC7Aok_ugg_bRF2H2MegS-fXn_bQSYGayQeUK19cNwoCJl1eCK3EAOfi_V0HdLmv_t2UvPoXCiXT6Oo0jXcH0Jt6rXJ2HTXG0JfBM34CoeR4pQsO9g1hIBjD73bee0tYfkycuGUsfsI/s200/vlcsnap-84820.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253433480750338578" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTiNRFm9t8rbz9iQ17lcwdC7O-pjJAROA5fOJjT8rSvr4M7ZknUN3Y_RlKn0udru0Vy4Ld6tkisgl0AG168nFZGRmNiBmWXj3_kfzc5DjeMyZXCFCp5ZONVaPp5ESHEFx7BByZ8OT8nhg/s1600-h/vlcsnap-86258.png"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTiNRFm9t8rbz9iQ17lcwdC7O-pjJAROA5fOJjT8rSvr4M7ZknUN3Y_RlKn0udru0Vy4Ld6tkisgl0AG168nFZGRmNiBmWXj3_kfzc5DjeMyZXCFCp5ZONVaPp5ESHEFx7BByZ8OT8nhg/s200/vlcsnap-86258.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253433486351539330" border="0" /></a></center><br />Later, Pinky returns to the lab as well, and wonders if Itch could really do all the things he promised. The Brain sarcastically replies that yes, Itch probably could, but the Brain can just wave a magic pencil and suddenly the world will be his.<br /><br />To his surprise, he waves a magic pencil and suddenly the world is his.<br /><br />As it turns out, this is not because of a magic pencil, but rather because Pinky sold his soul. To the Devil. At this point, I think I should tell you that the spin-off aired in prime time. I doubt they could get away with Pinky selling his soul to the Devil on Saturday mornings, at least not as overtly as this. Mister Itch takes Pinky away to Hades, and while Brain seems initially upset that Pinky is gone, he thinks his newfound status will get him through it. Why shouldn't it? He has everything he ever wanted: the affection of the world's population, supreme control, and his nemesis Snowball acting as his jester.<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlRWBlte0WZjZBg85JTLq1PIeH3ZC_qOSJSV6AJQv-Vzu2LFEE2_rbqc8qDj1WMO2P2DAmf64yGjNPcbINW82rlgmqc42-fizLPrl4xyZf8IK4fFTMZzaBwoGda96RSL_Px0F2D147OY/s1600-h/vlcsnap-87151.png"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlRWBlte0WZjZBg85JTLq1PIeH3ZC_qOSJSV6AJQv-Vzu2LFEE2_rbqc8qDj1WMO2P2DAmf64yGjNPcbINW82rlgmqc42-fizLPrl4xyZf8IK4fFTMZzaBwoGda96RSL_Px0F2D147OY/s200/vlcsnap-87151.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253433491390770834" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLzMnA6Uo6dcUux6Qy_nlFNSdpWX8dv6rW-tRRmqO1N-E6EOv4AfnG0BhYH8WxsiRVfkXxMRY2bskMga9xvKzu-e-c4w8zsgUjU_rjg3VM_GTaVMSS80AX7a9BkD6gfQL5llzuPCYMBs/s1600-h/vlcsnap-87745.png"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLzMnA6Uo6dcUux6Qy_nlFNSdpWX8dv6rW-tRRmqO1N-E6EOv4AfnG0BhYH8WxsiRVfkXxMRY2bskMga9xvKzu-e-c4w8zsgUjU_rjg3VM_GTaVMSS80AX7a9BkD6gfQL5llzuPCYMBs/s200/vlcsnap-87745.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253433497118902226" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rIi3IIFIDZwutXrvXX7F9Ta1CyOFVJqAmaY3sPTcFpalYSje9ck2gIxC0_Sbx8qrdNGemRppBacL9whS2lw6JLwyO9oNVpKvNbh3x8DuSiCnKqksjUrnP0vAN2HspT6N4FEpiBTTm5w/s1600-h/vlcsnap-89200.png"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rIi3IIFIDZwutXrvXX7F9Ta1CyOFVJqAmaY3sPTcFpalYSje9ck2gIxC0_Sbx8qrdNGemRppBacL9whS2lw6JLwyO9oNVpKvNbh3x8DuSiCnKqksjUrnP0vAN2HspT6N4FEpiBTTm5w/s200/vlcsnap-89200.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253433236822000194" border="0" /></a></center><br />Not all is well, however, as the Brain continues to miss Pinky, trying to mask this feeling by claiming he just wants to know where Pinky kept the food pellets. Snowball suggests he go to Hades, and gives the Brain a map which guides him through the Department of Motor Vehicles and into the Underworld. Brain makes it into Hades after masquerading as a fatally malnourished Rush Limbaugh, and after exclaiming “YES!” at the gates, wonders why he's celebrating since he's now in Hell.<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13UIIlubXDpBxj08kdgDWa25966m6dOsyvoLM26evxT5T9EeCjl8HmhVDzsMq0Wasr-zBhZwt1x7YrpGqbuWNsK7Oo8UgPOZ7Am_TtdA6Z3NqF8g7zJ9BPQDGn1z6U2akgpImL3srGWk/s1600-h/vlcsnap-90630.png"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13UIIlubXDpBxj08kdgDWa25966m6dOsyvoLM26evxT5T9EeCjl8HmhVDzsMq0Wasr-zBhZwt1x7YrpGqbuWNsK7Oo8UgPOZ7Am_TtdA6Z3NqF8g7zJ9BPQDGn1z6U2akgpImL3srGWk/s200/vlcsnap-90630.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253433241223775666" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhut1Xyg0bsrjovCjfzFYg4vhLC1l9SKNL7I-Eu1uIPai3i_M4fVposeThswwmcMiAN6hEQdXPh1gX2MAUBc594DVLD1nkWBCj70jdV5vzo35r-SUGpltxbw9-CxBDaPihRCcnL_RaInKw/s1600-h/vlcsnap-91655.png"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhut1Xyg0bsrjovCjfzFYg4vhLC1l9SKNL7I-Eu1uIPai3i_M4fVposeThswwmcMiAN6hEQdXPh1gX2MAUBc594DVLD1nkWBCj70jdV5vzo35r-SUGpltxbw9-CxBDaPihRCcnL_RaInKw/s200/vlcsnap-91655.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253433241656244658" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgix0IAg-Va_YEIhyNWy3U04iDUQuUnawOcGsfOL4BFf1eMEuvO8d2sLhaz0JUlMbA5CMUbza8Gc_z5QPdj2TqYITnqN06Inrdn6sf09fWfUSd5Yb35G8pto02D0Yq2US9zPnNd7ZRDJtQ/s1600-h/vlcsnap-93443.png"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgix0IAg-Va_YEIhyNWy3U04iDUQuUnawOcGsfOL4BFf1eMEuvO8d2sLhaz0JUlMbA5CMUbza8Gc_z5QPdj2TqYITnqN06Inrdn6sf09fWfUSd5Yb35G8pto02D0Yq2US9zPnNd7ZRDJtQ/s200/vlcsnap-93443.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253432963694366418" border="0" /></a></center><br />Pinky, meanwhile, is enjoying all the tortures Mister Itch can throw at him. He claims that the only real torture is being separated from his best friend, and who should choose that moment to show up but the Brain? He demands Pinky leave Hades with him, citing his need for food pellets, but Itch won't let Pinky go without a fight. The Brain challenges him to rhythmic gymnastics, and Itch calmly insinuates that he invented that “infernal sport”. What's more is that, if the Brain wins, he'll get Pinky but lose the world and forfeit any future attempts to take it over. The Brain still accepts the challenge.<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61sj1TzWPpcyLHWzzxdPyL5tp0DRDalgLiCDCE8YzplolZ8cdUGjmz2kHDeGC53mm5ZQCojAfZIs9VEVenaQ5LQ1RNj_zz14EAxl4awOOC-actxSHkgRX86RoaSKhEIgbIbn6OEKQ_Mc/s1600-h/vlcsnap-94838.png"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61sj1TzWPpcyLHWzzxdPyL5tp0DRDalgLiCDCE8YzplolZ8cdUGjmz2kHDeGC53mm5ZQCojAfZIs9VEVenaQ5LQ1RNj_zz14EAxl4awOOC-actxSHkgRX86RoaSKhEIgbIbn6OEKQ_Mc/s200/vlcsnap-94838.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253432967681452002" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYqy_AK96C4gJtvhGjem6sc9xcmVMaMiwJl5BBz5nUIVAiMub_0kVcQVxsz0e5n4uUdCGFxdi1mTgLA5lJpS0ToBB3ntR8eaKZWgxLBxxWF4VHX4aoYE0qLQcR0y4aJR-Ah2wKgHMOBbQ/s1600-h/vlcsnap-95248.png"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYqy_AK96C4gJtvhGjem6sc9xcmVMaMiwJl5BBz5nUIVAiMub_0kVcQVxsz0e5n4uUdCGFxdi1mTgLA5lJpS0ToBB3ntR8eaKZWgxLBxxWF4VHX4aoYE0qLQcR0y4aJR-Ah2wKgHMOBbQ/s200/vlcsnap-95248.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253432973601313122" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9z-X0IBkdEciv7Cj-CRxFvGH2kC3DCh_gNlghyphenhyphen_331XSZqa8O_D7MficCVK6xuvOYAjd6twiDOFcI7oU8PwY0DMY4wT5H17LfIV0la0OoTgvnNt0J3ltkkSYXMnyRMVcmO04Jssl4Efw/s1600-h/vlcsnap-96296.png"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9z-X0IBkdEciv7Cj-CRxFvGH2kC3DCh_gNlghyphenhyphen_331XSZqa8O_D7MficCVK6xuvOYAjd6twiDOFcI7oU8PwY0DMY4wT5H17LfIV0la0OoTgvnNt0J3ltkkSYXMnyRMVcmO04Jssl4Efw/s200/vlcsnap-96296.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253432973909794402" border="0" /></a></center><br />While the Brain does well, earning a perfect ten, Itch gets an eleven, claiming that while he promised the Brain a challenge, he never promised that it would be a fair one. Pinky and the Brain have a tearful good-bye, but Pinky take solace in the fact that he'll get the radish rose whatchamwhozits promised to him by Itch. As it turns out, Itch doesn't know what a radish rose whatchamwhozits is, and so the contract for Pinky's soul is null and void. Itch takes affront at this, turns into a more traditional demonic Devil, and chases Pinky and the Brain out of Hades. They manage to escape back to the lab, where Snowball is displeased, having also made a pact with Itch. With that, the Brain vows to try to take over the world again the following night, and all is right with the world.<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7lmhy564a7GNv_bhgLzDitxkSRMM7O6iLHiLkMatVn0Sf9TCFOiopWEtSlzXJv3QqZ5kzxTZGgF1nHvIr8Fc2xxglBpvSfK1Bpe_0NTVH6YFtydXm1KgkXQOSqLDHxkL7cmkEiqQIBU/s1600-h/vlcsnap-97512.png"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7lmhy564a7GNv_bhgLzDitxkSRMM7O6iLHiLkMatVn0Sf9TCFOiopWEtSlzXJv3QqZ5kzxTZGgF1nHvIr8Fc2xxglBpvSfK1Bpe_0NTVH6YFtydXm1KgkXQOSqLDHxkL7cmkEiqQIBU/s200/vlcsnap-97512.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253432978160386450" border="0" /></a></center><br />With this synopsis, I've managed to completely eradicate most of the actual humor from the episode. That's the problem with reviewing something that's actually good: you can't make snarky comments along the way. Well, you can, but it's futile. This was an exceptional episode of the show, and a pretty good Halloween special to boot. Really, though, with a cartoon about a lab mouse who sells his soul so his friend can rule the world, it either has to turn out really well or really terrible. I'm happy to say it's the former. If you'd like to see the actual episode, it's on DVD, the link which follows. I suppose you could also find it through other, nefarious means as well. Just don't sell your soul.<br /><center><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thiratte-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000HWZ4DY&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></center>Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-35024773464598673962008-10-04T17:30:00.002-04:002008-10-04T17:35:31.705-04:00Halloween!Well, Halloween is now less than a month away, and I've decided to get into the holiday spirit by reviewing Halloween episodes of TV shows. What makes a Halloween special, you ask? Well, the first clue is that it'll usually have "Halloween Special" in its name somewhere. However, very few of the shows I have on DVD saw it fit to have Halloween specials, so I shall have to get creative. The criteria, as thus, is that all shows must fall into at least one of the categories below:<br />1) They have to have the word Halloween or something in the title of an episode<br />2) They have to be an atypically spooky episode. This means that I could review that episode of "DuckTales" with all the classic Universal monsters, but not an episode of the "X-Files" as the majority of those episodes were spooky.<br /><br />I'll make no promises about how often these will get posted, but I hope to have at least three up by Halloween.Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-8536902242721558482008-10-04T05:25:00.003-04:002008-10-04T05:37:09.497-04:00Quickly Running Out of Ways to Title TheseAnother episode of Fringe, more letters in the sky! Hm... perhaps I should start actually talking about the episodes, as well? Well, so far, we've got two FBI agents and a father/son science team as the protagonists. In previous weeks, they've dealt with some guy who made explosions and chemical weapons, some sort of clone, and mentally broadcasted terrorist attacks. All well and good. The father/son scientist team are pretty decent, I think. The father (Doctor Walter Bishop) was in an asylum for seventeen years and is somewhat responsible for a lot of the fringe science stuff going on. The son is a shiftless wanderer who is, nevertheless, really smart. I think his name is Peter. The FBI agents are Olivia Scott and Astrid. We know nothing about Astrid. Olivia is new to investigating the fringe science things. She's going to end up with Peter, most likely.<br /><br />Ah, the most current episode introduced the Observer, who is a man who seemingly can't feel or taste. He's in the photos of a lot of fringe science cases (referred to on the show as "The Pattern" cases) and he has no hair or eyebrows. I like him. Ah, there's also a bunch of rigmarole involving a vibrating cylinder and a guy with a really powerful gun. Oh, and the Observer might be psychic or something. A decent episode, really. Well, that's my muddled synopsis/review. Here's the letters in the sky:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvGyprbE-R35l78apRZQPfCukzk_ZqXAkPkvTL6brR7IqtSt_RQfVlRtq1JR039WI03PVGs6vKCq29tgX1hApjwHj00qflEIeJWIvCw3yHn_Mi7XFVUlh9LGQaLnXX-G_Nsvaqpt9FnI/s1600-h/vlcsnap-1870858.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvGyprbE-R35l78apRZQPfCukzk_ZqXAkPkvTL6brR7IqtSt_RQfVlRtq1JR039WI03PVGs6vKCq29tgX1hApjwHj00qflEIeJWIvCw3yHn_Mi7XFVUlh9LGQaLnXX-G_Nsvaqpt9FnI/s400/vlcsnap-1870858.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253228122296450258" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVhRg25CsZg2tEhuKdMiMZG_kWpDrVfoyKwowFtVY-ZN-P-b8G4MLCvJWu5foXStfoQjlfnk6Bsy73wn__beIbYjTUN0WH7vW4h8hUppm9nwO_ZIiiIubk0RwitAPaWoF3l5N7171O-YM/s1600-h/vlcsnap-1873649.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVhRg25CsZg2tEhuKdMiMZG_kWpDrVfoyKwowFtVY-ZN-P-b8G4MLCvJWu5foXStfoQjlfnk6Bsy73wn__beIbYjTUN0WH7vW4h8hUppm9nwO_ZIiiIubk0RwitAPaWoF3l5N7171O-YM/s400/vlcsnap-1873649.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253228121726321298" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zvXNgUk-5tZ1Qa6YZMin3JNtCBTvcg91NYfMWKsuxjiDHB4y_2mrRoKxrm5Dw7Jof4QKX4wOjwWKFtuyuBtmw5kUfsYLZwsC7ZCBFv6pDTFkdeK15W81KnGtkTknaPmrlvBagVFZoqk/s1600-h/vlcsnap-1874657.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zvXNgUk-5tZ1Qa6YZMin3JNtCBTvcg91NYfMWKsuxjiDHB4y_2mrRoKxrm5Dw7Jof4QKX4wOjwWKFtuyuBtmw5kUfsYLZwsC7ZCBFv6pDTFkdeK15W81KnGtkTknaPmrlvBagVFZoqk/s400/vlcsnap-1874657.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253227952735561506" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSogpv5a0unjt_z_d5yqI2bT9MWH7kfPL9j8W7ys0A93awF2CM5ETt96KXHMnTUGAiJ14PF1AibHmnBD_h9WXQXJIXP1VHwU8Mu8SJu1d0L33rLmc2y3L3bSfdTdgNc9lmVvi60a2nvYk/s1600-h/vlcsnap-1876242.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSogpv5a0unjt_z_d5yqI2bT9MWH7kfPL9j8W7ys0A93awF2CM5ETt96KXHMnTUGAiJ14PF1AibHmnBD_h9WXQXJIXP1VHwU8Mu8SJu1d0L33rLmc2y3L3bSfdTdgNc9lmVvi60a2nvYk/s400/vlcsnap-1876242.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253227958414816546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RAGSHfTDUYyBJ76tvrzTDpEuQWOLdrBAitZjCS6XVUnEugGfdB1CbTLL2PjBmcRBN3XuBXgKUVH1eGHR0etLkpH7kvKFP-VAVuN0xJzsQTYw6YhgU8R1_QV7Lu8cnCWZDgxUUu50dt8/s1600-h/vlcsnap-1878076.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RAGSHfTDUYyBJ76tvrzTDpEuQWOLdrBAitZjCS6XVUnEugGfdB1CbTLL2PjBmcRBN3XuBXgKUVH1eGHR0etLkpH7kvKFP-VAVuN0xJzsQTYw6YhgU8R1_QV7Lu8cnCWZDgxUUu50dt8/s400/vlcsnap-1878076.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253227963426869362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5cqGI-FiKiEzZ7w0eDkfQGpuQgmNfI1ZMJiPNDXhQ3kgLbhYEY3hWQ1kSz8ZOp9VEoHW_IyCWJtSIVppX7xFMSy5d6MT2DIUVh4fdqKIsTC_P1Q5m5jNk-YKshYzkLDzPEyJnAob8DoI/s1600-h/vlcsnap-1880024.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5cqGI-FiKiEzZ7w0eDkfQGpuQgmNfI1ZMJiPNDXhQ3kgLbhYEY3hWQ1kSz8ZOp9VEoHW_IyCWJtSIVppX7xFMSy5d6MT2DIUVh4fdqKIsTC_P1Q5m5jNk-YKshYzkLDzPEyJnAob8DoI/s400/vlcsnap-1880024.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253227972858500466" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNrF4JXvJYh6ND2ryuvqSP3mNVOwBZmUI3Ab1Ae8WT1ERF3VYG-sUJplqPDODJE7X75AUUpJ14PUexbEPJ6t4vcIcXP6fWNrKrxsSWnXZwB28yAB-Bzr1XGTS-f5M88cmUBY0ByQwTDs/s1600-h/vlcsnap-1881773.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNrF4JXvJYh6ND2ryuvqSP3mNVOwBZmUI3Ab1Ae8WT1ERF3VYG-sUJplqPDODJE7X75AUUpJ14PUexbEPJ6t4vcIcXP6fWNrKrxsSWnXZwB28yAB-Bzr1XGTS-f5M88cmUBY0ByQwTDs/s400/vlcsnap-1881773.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253227978056081474" border="0" /></a>Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-4304986531295524972008-10-04T01:53:00.002-04:002008-10-04T01:56:13.749-04:00Less BacklogFirst off, I've gotten a new laptop. This only concerns you on a primary level, as with this new laptop, I can get images from DVDs. So I can review movies and whatnot now. This is spectacular news for me. Now, my backlog:<br /><br />Books:<br />Foundation's Edge (Isaac Asimov)<br />20th Century Ghosts (Joe Hill)<br />The Collected Words of Edgar Allen Poe<br />The Last Days of Krypton (Kevin J. Anderson)<br /><br />Comic Books:<br />Those ones I bought a while ago and posted about. Still haven't read any of them.<br /><br />Movies:<br />Prey<br /><br />Video Games:<br />Final Fantasy III (Nintendo DS)<br />Finishing a bunch of minor objectives for a bunch of games<br /><br />In case you're keeping track, I finished a book and two movies. I also bought Mega Man 9 and Kirby Super Star Ultra, and finished both of those.Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-65412435328670008302008-09-25T02:27:00.002-04:002008-09-25T02:29:43.138-04:00The Letters Keep ComingAnother episode of "Fringe", more letters in the sky. Only two in this week's episode, though, which is disappointing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUiNma5kzD1SrYfTC20IJQm-3vMBjq5oqGurdPttfm0bBmrzVJR5Tx83TiJDG0XLOV9VdDEIwJmJwe3NlWxLgfqliqzc1q2HEBWps9hVWCVZzFYO-0vRGdcEZVkxR6TgS5OSt9lI59wic/s1600-h/vlcsnap-717811.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUiNma5kzD1SrYfTC20IJQm-3vMBjq5oqGurdPttfm0bBmrzVJR5Tx83TiJDG0XLOV9VdDEIwJmJwe3NlWxLgfqliqzc1q2HEBWps9hVWCVZzFYO-0vRGdcEZVkxR6TgS5OSt9lI59wic/s400/vlcsnap-717811.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249842058280135506" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeAIjXtmd3PArSWzLTwSJRm-f4860djdefZ0aOXX4HqTLas0feXEFWOQwZDVUCZhQHLOOGKzCA7OGCZ889QhyXNL2jPGA6AgLApmNM7OmXD4deNs-T4mjgT7sKYJm0g7IMO1N_cvWmyuQ/s1600-h/vlcsnap-722714.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeAIjXtmd3PArSWzLTwSJRm-f4860djdefZ0aOXX4HqTLas0feXEFWOQwZDVUCZhQHLOOGKzCA7OGCZ889QhyXNL2jPGA6AgLApmNM7OmXD4deNs-T4mjgT7sKYJm0g7IMO1N_cvWmyuQ/s400/vlcsnap-722714.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249842066914216034" /></a>Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-4669815230426724152008-09-20T02:13:00.005-04:002008-10-05T01:15:12.160-04:00Pleasant SurpriseQuite some time ago, before the Internet and before I had a subscription to Nintendo Power, whenever a game would come out I would have no knowledge of it doing so until I would see it in an ad. These ads would always be placed in order to get you out there (or have your parents get out there) and get the freaking game. The first time it happened was with "Kirby's Dream Land" for the original Game Boy, which became the first game I ever bought with my very own money.<br /><br />Several years later, I was reading a magazine days before my birthday, and was delighted to see that Kirby's Dream Land 2 had come out! Indeed, several Kirby games had come out in the interim, but for some reason I didn't take any notice of them at the time. With Kirby's Dream Land 2, however, I went from having no knowledge of this thing existing to wanting it more than anything in the world. Unfortunately, this was the last time I would feel this... or so I thought.<br /><br />More Kirby games came out, and I bought most of them, but having a subscription to Nintendo Power and, later, the Internet allowed a quick burst of excitement which simmered with the long wait involved each time. There were no longer any surprises in life. At least, no good surprises. Everything is now heralded months before it comes out, as if it was a king leaving a foreign battleground. By the time the king has finally arrived at his castle, everyone is sort of unexcited. Thus is life. You get hit with girlfriends dumping you and surprise expenses, but never any fun surprises. And then, salvation!<br /><br />Or, at least, an e-mail. I went into my Hotmail account and saw that Nintendo had sent me a message with the subject line: "What's super, tuff, and pink all over?"<br /><br />I have not picked up a gaming magazine in months, or more than perused a gaming website for just as long. So I had no idea what to think when I saw that subject line, thinking maybe there was some Kirby thing on the Wii Virtual Console. I opened up the e-mail, however...<br /><br />Kirby Super-Star Ultra. For the Nintendo DS. Release date: September 22nd.<br /><br />There are some good surprises left in the world, it seems. You just have to know where not to look.<br /><center><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thiratte-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001C58T5U&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFD5FD&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></center>Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-15412353963287036942008-09-18T23:26:00.004-04:002008-09-18T23:31:23.529-04:00More Letters in the SkyWell, another episode of "Fringe" was on earlier in the week, so you know what that means? More floating letters! Yes, I've decided to post pictures of all the floating letters from every episode. I like them, you see. I like them a lot.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOjxJz2ZRLXa8h0vnG_4s7M9HGO7dZ_gb8epkoLMs7qbBYmosxc3BSepQcHLg9VhT2qZQXNM1ryrXl7w41iajqTTYL8wYf7ooz2jpSLLsyRLnRl8USInT-7xiV2977ohLH8P74xW0QpU/s1600-h/vlcsnap-365175.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOjxJz2ZRLXa8h0vnG_4s7M9HGO7dZ_gb8epkoLMs7qbBYmosxc3BSepQcHLg9VhT2qZQXNM1ryrXl7w41iajqTTYL8wYf7ooz2jpSLLsyRLnRl8USInT-7xiV2977ohLH8P74xW0QpU/s400/vlcsnap-365175.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247569477219569906" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8c0GK-5c_0XSAQVsV-yU_K359IyELKbN43vEuwo70QgINxMi22RzxDB2v3KkBeOJg1RfsGhjgs2BOZO9R1UR8R5UwttMOPUrlsFOezqMk9VYK5Cm56Pzl2X1ImWecZhrs-mRUjMMWDME/s1600-h/vlcsnap-375078.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8c0GK-5c_0XSAQVsV-yU_K359IyELKbN43vEuwo70QgINxMi22RzxDB2v3KkBeOJg1RfsGhjgs2BOZO9R1UR8R5UwttMOPUrlsFOezqMk9VYK5Cm56Pzl2X1ImWecZhrs-mRUjMMWDME/s400/vlcsnap-375078.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247569481221166818" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGZxliaX_N0rnCwZUZ9jrn1eb6fJl8LXcSmPG_Sp_nEE7Cwqu7rBOTZ-fm8N41zgxLzVbAqcJbHAD8ywINe5WmQ3GNNukIWr3M9xK1EeN-WJKUn2KaMZlUAbOjgrs1vU-LWuMihMlXMs/s1600-h/vlcsnap-376315.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGZxliaX_N0rnCwZUZ9jrn1eb6fJl8LXcSmPG_Sp_nEE7Cwqu7rBOTZ-fm8N41zgxLzVbAqcJbHAD8ywINe5WmQ3GNNukIWr3M9xK1EeN-WJKUn2KaMZlUAbOjgrs1vU-LWuMihMlXMs/s400/vlcsnap-376315.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247569489419945906" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVi7rBsGNB5ER9bIQvN9uXEYHiW2_Fl-g0-6_8tAFkBQfEzU1IVQSSs8aBU8ULkOha7o5B3NQvu-F1P3FmM7ByGYjaXOT2yToRs83Lqm1xLjacvq0CuLWKBw4QKOad5DGHJ6wZkgPAsFk/s1600-h/vlcsnap-377591.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVi7rBsGNB5ER9bIQvN9uXEYHiW2_Fl-g0-6_8tAFkBQfEzU1IVQSSs8aBU8ULkOha7o5B3NQvu-F1P3FmM7ByGYjaXOT2yToRs83Lqm1xLjacvq0CuLWKBw4QKOad5DGHJ6wZkgPAsFk/s400/vlcsnap-377591.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247569493385778098" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQ6Y9DoV-qA-kspR5DWTzlSMyjTGQliAAlSGE5-0y7NorUJNNj6X7hVM9U2QekamcvI1AByUIO8aUpq6hkK5MQ2XHck2WygAzXUTpPOu8HmXTCTRKDjKGKrXwcnJFb4tV8JcXTlWN_Dg/s1600-h/vlcsnap-381276.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQ6Y9DoV-qA-kspR5DWTzlSMyjTGQliAAlSGE5-0y7NorUJNNj6X7hVM9U2QekamcvI1AByUIO8aUpq6hkK5MQ2XHck2WygAzXUTpPOu8HmXTCTRKDjKGKrXwcnJFb4tV8JcXTlWN_Dg/s400/vlcsnap-381276.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247569498087579554" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuaTaFfJy_oIx0oQnCJ4CDZDYQ3ClRSzhoM63Og5sZygi4VMzt3VWxGpfNvcAUGYzA-D8kEUcEACYinC8zsfQWhYzseMjM4W21o19vCrCbnmW39qLxpuzytai3r7tGlsbZnuptN9QZfMI/s1600-h/vlcsnap-386293.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuaTaFfJy_oIx0oQnCJ4CDZDYQ3ClRSzhoM63Og5sZygi4VMzt3VWxGpfNvcAUGYzA-D8kEUcEACYinC8zsfQWhYzseMjM4W21o19vCrCbnmW39qLxpuzytai3r7tGlsbZnuptN9QZfMI/s400/vlcsnap-386293.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247569593975376754" border="0" /></a>Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-80492111672457527432008-09-17T00:13:00.003-04:002008-09-17T00:22:13.154-04:00BacklogI have a backlog of entertainment-related things to work through. Unlike other backlogs, this one is remarkably pleasant. What do I have to do, you ask? I shall tell you, as it fills a blog post and makes me feel better for posting more than once a week.<br /><br />Books:<br />Second Foundation (Isaac Asimov)<br />Foundation's Edge (Isaac Asimov)<br />20th Century Ghosts (Joe Hill)<br />The Collected Words of Edgar Allen Poe<br />The Last Days of Krypton (Kevin J. Anderson)<br /><br />Comic Books:<br />Those ones I bought like, two weeks ago and posted about. Still haven't read any of them.<br /><br />Movies:<br />Prey<br />Grizzly Park<br />Next Avengers<br /><br />Video Games:<br />Final Fantasy III (Nintendo DS)<br />Finishing a bunch of minor objectives for a bunch of games<br /><br />This is going to take a bit of time.Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-31625690714828606622008-09-13T03:48:00.004-04:002008-09-13T04:09:22.194-04:00Letters in the SkySo I decided to watch that new "Fringe" show. It shows some promise. I especially liked the cow and the bits where the show was like, "Look! SUPERPOWERS AND CYBORGS!" Fantastic. What I liked most, though, was the floating letters. They were magnificent. Hey, you know what? I shall post all of them here! You poor, poor people. I guess spoiler alert, too, maybe:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBpVMJ-4W3d2QvSJz_csyH3YFIT_XfFPR7qvQBES57fD5JDGOsIpeMmNDZlQSai0yadYpADyyD5u-YrnuWYjba02jGR6ccMDFct8bokbtscf0BkCvTig9PuA2TuUTOGyYuYahSrispa3c/s1600-h/vlcsnap-686715.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBpVMJ-4W3d2QvSJz_csyH3YFIT_XfFPR7qvQBES57fD5JDGOsIpeMmNDZlQSai0yadYpADyyD5u-YrnuWYjba02jGR6ccMDFct8bokbtscf0BkCvTig9PuA2TuUTOGyYuYahSrispa3c/s320/vlcsnap-686715.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245414373473786882" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_7o6e-t2yOsKaYtJdmRL9F3kx-Men5CN0jN-IxtmLAkNMFjEA7Dvrun2G6E6p9plRb5EErz1hyhb9CMGLcHoYVWkpdkNpF7x80XoFRa8-S7kypwLAxkxiOQHUcGRMb9Vdxw7s33SpFA/s1600-h/vlcsnap-687683.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_7o6e-t2yOsKaYtJdmRL9F3kx-Men5CN0jN-IxtmLAkNMFjEA7Dvrun2G6E6p9plRb5EErz1hyhb9CMGLcHoYVWkpdkNpF7x80XoFRa8-S7kypwLAxkxiOQHUcGRMb9Vdxw7s33SpFA/s320/vlcsnap-687683.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245414376333091442" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGj-8mXPswPw3pMT-vMhyfQRV1AyMOksRJ70BmOO_AfOQL9qQMI3hyLf3zMRPF8AZLqdp-NUzWuDeroRWhl35SKhF4yIcT-ELjxr_78sDbHisrGvg8x3IyBhedBbA0ttY50BDtZIskzU/s1600-h/vlcsnap-688257.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGj-8mXPswPw3pMT-vMhyfQRV1AyMOksRJ70BmOO_AfOQL9qQMI3hyLf3zMRPF8AZLqdp-NUzWuDeroRWhl35SKhF4yIcT-ELjxr_78sDbHisrGvg8x3IyBhedBbA0ttY50BDtZIskzU/s320/vlcsnap-688257.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245414380416922402" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOkqFogmH1zJulaCxpQPQI13wS5Lzh8mcQ0gvaGTPfGvFcapE1GIY3Dbj_d0PeFjRSJKKtgmB4hkgePfQLxFD6qIHErb8cdFgrVKgJXcH-fN6ot_ZnDHkw-3PcERn6CQ4hxqPfgeEpzU/s1600-h/vlcsnap-689351.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOkqFogmH1zJulaCxpQPQI13wS5Lzh8mcQ0gvaGTPfGvFcapE1GIY3Dbj_d0PeFjRSJKKtgmB4hkgePfQLxFD6qIHErb8cdFgrVKgJXcH-fN6ot_ZnDHkw-3PcERn6CQ4hxqPfgeEpzU/s320/vlcsnap-689351.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245414383135841954" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVq7T3wzr59XDJIl5XK9BKy1P8PYHm5jgb2fWHiMmyO4qMbG4ryrZa5NX9TsZy8nXve74aloo7n5Pef62Am7MUcX1Vc_LUH9KjqCQK5g6-kJBmS9EFF1S1CH4aATBPmv42dwRxrc_7TyE/s1600-h/vlcsnap-689476.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVq7T3wzr59XDJIl5XK9BKy1P8PYHm5jgb2fWHiMmyO4qMbG4ryrZa5NX9TsZy8nXve74aloo7n5Pef62Am7MUcX1Vc_LUH9KjqCQK5g6-kJBmS9EFF1S1CH4aATBPmv42dwRxrc_7TyE/s320/vlcsnap-689476.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245414389289924738" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0BCN_v6i6P1LDrrrWhUGZC1_PUcHr8TTaNY3GFWf9apFo0gCjpZVgOJgvCIDkoTf5sD0E9RHo8qOogO7Nl8gHPdLatSDrr4KPMPrM8x18APYDlRE71zdW1-h8yqf-iWyJP70bcnhB7c/s1600-h/vlcsnap-689949.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0BCN_v6i6P1LDrrrWhUGZC1_PUcHr8TTaNY3GFWf9apFo0gCjpZVgOJgvCIDkoTf5sD0E9RHo8qOogO7Nl8gHPdLatSDrr4KPMPrM8x18APYDlRE71zdW1-h8yqf-iWyJP70bcnhB7c/s320/vlcsnap-689949.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245414612229704178" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33tVLqiO2Dx2lJdG2QOiarq5uCISzVLYFhRPXoPkiyM1wBDCSiIcdfLwYZJ8L7VN_QwGsVv8zJfv_3bZqJIF_nlXwKkJFuZyp1qep_n6YyCP5BrJfP3CxYUMdL8OG_5ZJRN7Crr5iMOo/s1600-h/vlcsnap-691295.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33tVLqiO2Dx2lJdG2QOiarq5uCISzVLYFhRPXoPkiyM1wBDCSiIcdfLwYZJ8L7VN_QwGsVv8zJfv_3bZqJIF_nlXwKkJFuZyp1qep_n6YyCP5BrJfP3CxYUMdL8OG_5ZJRN7Crr5iMOo/s320/vlcsnap-691295.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245414618049996578" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxli5HySBJT1C7A98kYD5PNRoxEeD8YYvXVcJNzlnoR5tpZVRz_GXj-E72EGRsEgrsuLaxQLGlqrE7K1z6UFwF64fuHBDvCcy7CuhSGtC9pwN9a7pvyocdw78ul4sHM_VqaY0omWBAFQ/s1600-h/vlcsnap-692971.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxli5HySBJT1C7A98kYD5PNRoxEeD8YYvXVcJNzlnoR5tpZVRz_GXj-E72EGRsEgrsuLaxQLGlqrE7K1z6UFwF64fuHBDvCcy7CuhSGtC9pwN9a7pvyocdw78ul4sHM_VqaY0omWBAFQ/s320/vlcsnap-692971.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245414620326516978" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6AlGl6ll2aK3oQfdiY0c7hafu8pihePCklM7U0j5cSyIOhfGkAHNFWspXXqNHYp6CzSs-73enwweEPE-l_AdXlZLP8D06ZfDkB9kC_duW7TeQ6_lpKp4z0qAyofJizCMopCRU6RbSUk/s1600-h/vlcsnap-693670.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6AlGl6ll2aK3oQfdiY0c7hafu8pihePCklM7U0j5cSyIOhfGkAHNFWspXXqNHYp6CzSs-73enwweEPE-l_AdXlZLP8D06ZfDkB9kC_duW7TeQ6_lpKp4z0qAyofJizCMopCRU6RbSUk/s320/vlcsnap-693670.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245414623999129826" border="0" /></a>My oh my, how I enjoy those letters in the sky.Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-38423203752298213292008-09-12T01:48:00.000-04:002008-09-13T04:09:44.761-04:00Foxy LatenessIt's been a week and I still haven't read any of those comics, nor have I done anything particularly blog-worthy. Soon, though, so hold out! For now, in lieu of putting up a comic strip panel, I bring you something else. I briefly played "<a href="http://www.lotro.com/">Lord of the Rings Online</a>", and at one point I saw the greatest thing:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5uiUozkC6u-_S9Knm8hXYjfilaGPeVzeSDYsYeYVtE41gCEnFayaOoVT8R5mpgXxXOADyUtw12pl6If6c9ToALmuqNuJ31HvBEXyYgK5Nql8kI4djwOKLjuyBzsOF9duClJF_QH9stIw/s1600-h/LOTRfox.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5uiUozkC6u-_S9Knm8hXYjfilaGPeVzeSDYsYeYVtE41gCEnFayaOoVT8R5mpgXxXOADyUtw12pl6If6c9ToALmuqNuJ31HvBEXyYgK5Nql8kI4djwOKLjuyBzsOF9duClJF_QH9stIw/s400/LOTRfox.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245379399303304290" border="0" /></a>The reason I post this is because it represents one of my favorite moments from the <span style="font-style: italic;">Lord of the Rings</span>. At some point after Bilbo Baggins leaves the Shire and before his nephew Frodo does the same, Frodo, Sam, and either Merry or Pippin are traveling and sleep under a tree. At this point, a random fox shows up and thinks about how odd it is to find a trio of hobbits to be sleeping under a tree. At no other point in the book does JRR Tolkien express this sort of whimsy, this random sentient animal.<br /><br />As you can see from the above screenshot, I'm not the only person who liked that bit. Also, you can play as a chicken sometimes.Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-79172467319353894332008-09-06T01:32:00.008-04:002008-09-06T02:09:12.089-04:00Fifty-Cent Bin ExcursionThursday was a good day. I won't go into details about why, but it was. I liked Thursday. I had class, and halfway through my classes I thought, "You know, I think I'll go to that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">convient</span> comic book shop that's a brisk walk away from here."<br /><br />So I did.<br /><br />The only problem was that I only had five dollars to spend. Conventional wisdom tells me to buy a one-shot, maybe an issue of Spider-Man Family or that Spider-Man Summer Special thing. Both, however, cost a penny under five dollars as do all one-shots. So I start looking at the monthly things, and everything has a little banner on it and I don't really want to put up with some cross-over right now. Trades are right out, as are most back-issues. Then, however, salvation!<br /><br />Or, at least eight or nine boxes of back-issues priced at fifty cents a pop. With glee, I began to kneel down and look through them, hoping to find a hidden treasure in what would most assuredly be a lot of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">dreck</span>, most of it from the nineties. One of the very first books I saw was this one:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6EfAjbeIQQBT9j2KOAEmMzIzHxTVu1WoOhL7QFaYjmbHqhd77akwCg_Kdhtx4MomkwDRRn0dQHOL7ibDX1S9LlrolfFGFL9NOe2ZnRolJdGqVxvr4Om_Te63HvH1IepKVBTDgkrf3Q8c/s1600-h/silveragedialhforhero1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6EfAjbeIQQBT9j2KOAEmMzIzHxTVu1WoOhL7QFaYjmbHqhd77akwCg_Kdhtx4MomkwDRRn0dQHOL7ibDX1S9LlrolfFGFL9NOe2ZnRolJdGqVxvr4Om_Te63HvH1IepKVBTDgkrf3Q8c/s320/silveragedialhforhero1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242779489914308034" border="0" /></a>A silver-age style DC book featuring <a href="http://www.dialbforblog.com/">Robby Reed</a> and the Martian <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Manhunter</span>? Magnificent. Perhaps not as bizarrely magnificent as the next book:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIOIDphbwQ6HoHIy7i_YSunvQGz0eWI5jRpalwbm3b8o5Bx9gEUfIYqiAC_n-eRV-sU2Nhn6zkWE6Jb6hR3QMmmDtMNOj6QRV1SW5vHq1omzTa6AUsnG42uJT4-GqF4mLQ_wL3hIyd-0/s1600-h/silverageshowcase1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIOIDphbwQ6HoHIy7i_YSunvQGz0eWI5jRpalwbm3b8o5Bx9gEUfIYqiAC_n-eRV-sU2Nhn6zkWE6Jb6hR3QMmmDtMNOj6QRV1SW5vHq1omzTa6AUsnG42uJT4-GqF4mLQ_wL3hIyd-0/s320/silverageshowcase1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242780477679647714" border="0" /></a>They don't look like any Seven Soldiers of Victory I've ever seen, but I'm willing to give them a chance. I can't wait to find out how these guys got teamed-up. It's sure to be quite a tale. The next three are pretty self-explanatory. I think. A reprint of an issue of "Swamp Thing":<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEF-Fg-n2cTrm89Xdu278AIAd6tO2tP-M-loYa5Wk2uwT-yeEy-1FyD3xuXKA8_cABhmoban0cMVtmuMB5ALvAuPHMcsPMM-Jr8mSYbapCmyx6zXgPPSfKNsTdzK7cIli5ct20_IfO4Q/s1600-h/milenniumeditionswampthing1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEF-Fg-n2cTrm89Xdu278AIAd6tO2tP-M-loYa5Wk2uwT-yeEy-1FyD3xuXKA8_cABhmoban0cMVtmuMB5ALvAuPHMcsPMM-Jr8mSYbapCmyx6zXgPPSfKNsTdzK7cIli5ct20_IfO4Q/s320/milenniumeditionswampthing1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242781664396328434" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Something trying to be funny. We'll see if it succeeds or not:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Pz2lgMT6D0GvIuajDxoWXA4-7pWB9SW-YCr-Tl-m_IvXzq2N78t4mTC7xfDpw1zt4Ou4i-FCwtaAoAvFYvKyk3_Jj80a49g-Q79TMX8VVi_2NH9bUMwEmXjFFmdlEHbFOdpZ_eV52SA/s1600-h/megalomaniacalspiderman1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Pz2lgMT6D0GvIuajDxoWXA4-7pWB9SW-YCr-Tl-m_IvXzq2N78t4mTC7xfDpw1zt4Ou4i-FCwtaAoAvFYvKyk3_Jj80a49g-Q79TMX8VVi_2NH9bUMwEmXjFFmdlEHbFOdpZ_eV52SA/s320/megalomaniacalspiderman1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242782206439768546" border="0" /></a>And an issue of "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Hitman</span>" which you can read more about <a href="http://www.the-isb.com/?p=233">here</a>:<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBATQmea9aNzZTfmxSL_pU7OZp6V6z-cpeV7x2RCkBsLq_BO2J-w0dqk3nkAl48TsgoRzit9Xenxmhndo5vK_PxM6Vx6vY5-e7gCGZURwfpH-E9JZWzNI7d3RA548r-nS8ry3nmtgC65o/s1600-h/hitman22.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBATQmea9aNzZTfmxSL_pU7OZp6V6z-cpeV7x2RCkBsLq_BO2J-w0dqk3nkAl48TsgoRzit9Xenxmhndo5vK_PxM6Vx6vY5-e7gCGZURwfpH-E9JZWzNI7d3RA548r-nS8ry3nmtgC65o/s320/hitman22.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242782206375523618" border="0" /></a>They actually had several issues of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">"Hitman"</span>, but I only bought the one because the others were all part of a larger multi-part story. These next three are things I've been idly curious about for the longest time, and despite hearing repeatedly that they're terrible, I bought them anyway because they look like they could be fun:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkghOheS07fc3YRobRhyU1kD0P8Eks5NRrUduIbZmQn1lGIJwY-xXjCgUmeQdpjVLmdAu9fvpjAicUslKfC6hT32Wx96cpaykqOozY8ZWSHnmNa3kLKadvyZA8I6cAlkSZxq5lZaE9ZXk/s1600-h/avataars1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkghOheS07fc3YRobRhyU1kD0P8Eks5NRrUduIbZmQn1lGIJwY-xXjCgUmeQdpjVLmdAu9fvpjAicUslKfC6hT32Wx96cpaykqOozY8ZWSHnmNa3kLKadvyZA8I6cAlkSZxq5lZaE9ZXk/s320/avataars1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242783522245281122" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtsJXqFDCyJ4o8SktmFBlLxYBB7kmhxA1QsFL_svIqr8RwHesjuqfzuL_IBZUiFghm0o6sj7grgwQ6em8U-1iFEfzauPPYdHB2sy_uIZG9o5_PcwSGpDWsdpUWZwjykR_NPFiGPSCdL4U/s1600-h/avataars2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtsJXqFDCyJ4o8SktmFBlLxYBB7kmhxA1QsFL_svIqr8RwHesjuqfzuL_IBZUiFghm0o6sj7grgwQ6em8U-1iFEfzauPPYdHB2sy_uIZG9o5_PcwSGpDWsdpUWZwjykR_NPFiGPSCdL4U/s320/avataars2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242783522575816402" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2RvtTIhTId5hdQfSnjal6tD8hgYr76az_NZgthn_TmCVp5rvhtD9Dy4Yzd2Lg-sdxC333VIBhKssGfe_DTGAfLdiuomoYs7F9U8ZB4iAHS4MtkFiXuBruWsZJhL76QCgyAmAbgDvsnEM/s1600-h/avataars3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2RvtTIhTId5hdQfSnjal6tD8hgYr76az_NZgthn_TmCVp5rvhtD9Dy4Yzd2Lg-sdxC333VIBhKssGfe_DTGAfLdiuomoYs7F9U8ZB4iAHS4MtkFiXuBruWsZJhL76QCgyAmAbgDvsnEM/s320/avataars3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242783527580595106" border="0" /></a>It's a mini-series where they put the Avengers and other Marvel heroes into a Dungeons and Dragons-type setting. When I saw they had the entire mini-series in the fifty-cent bin, my heart skipped a beat. When I saw they had several copies of each issue, I became somewhat wary, but I still wasn't to pass this up.<br /><br />When I started looking through the bins, there was some rules I had in mind. If I saw any <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Aquaman</span>, Firestorm, or Resurrection Man in there, I was going to buy them even if it meant putting something else back. Any old Howard the Duck, too, and while they had every issue of the somewhat recent MAX series in there, which they had no old Howard the Duck. Anything that looked somewhat fun would remain in my mind, especially comics from the eighties. Rambling rules aside, there was one thing I thought I had no chance of finding, but I did:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZD7QvX3ngZf3CeokAUC3KfYOru4MOv4Ybpcpx_7U16ljdxjwIbW2nLgprlUfE4-wjtbc0cAfhbckBd4dtK28DgTOVNCQaimx9yMe2-JHrhhn61nTOqOq4kgDxVr-hkfB9rbnYlwCF5IM/s1600-h/ROM52.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZD7QvX3ngZf3CeokAUC3KfYOru4MOv4Ybpcpx_7U16ljdxjwIbW2nLgprlUfE4-wjtbc0cAfhbckBd4dtK28DgTOVNCQaimx9yMe2-JHrhhn61nTOqOq4kgDxVr-hkfB9rbnYlwCF5IM/s320/ROM52.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242785406733448642" border="0" /></a>"ROM: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Spaceknight</span>". Magnificent. In any case, I shall be continuing this practice of going through fifty cent bins and looking for treasure. Who knows what my searches may <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">weild</span>? I'll also be reviewing a lot of these, including the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Avataars</span> thing.<br /><br />Heck, especially the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Avataars</span> thing.Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-23361304694186632292008-09-05T01:21:00.003-04:002008-09-06T01:38:46.708-04:00Volcano Taco!I totally blew that, didn't I? Two weeks, no posts. I also have no readers, so it sort of matches up. After two weeks of pretty much doing nothing but work and school (and actually feeling a lot better since I wasn't at home, which is something I will elaborate upon only if asked), I spent the day at home. However, this post is not about that. One of my excursions involved a run to Taco Bell, and it was inexplicably busy. This gave me plenty of time to look around, and at one point I looked up and saw this:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgII3Cwq0hHqyUiCj0x9bsGJ-ckO0b1HFZmk9Nre8nfFgfxygc3Jr8Am6M8pl6Qv1Prr3sRct4N3-4VPY2RzZu-3Tp5A4oyNpNxj1DzPxF9yioQGQURYaRMmeiopg6rEMxzveXfdxEAQAw/s1600-h/taco1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgII3Cwq0hHqyUiCj0x9bsGJ-ckO0b1HFZmk9Nre8nfFgfxygc3Jr8Am6M8pl6Qv1Prr3sRct4N3-4VPY2RzZu-3Tp5A4oyNpNxj1DzPxF9yioQGQURYaRMmeiopg6rEMxzveXfdxEAQAw/s320/taco1.jpg" alt="Thank god for camera phones." id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242775717403710882" border="0" /></a>A volcano taco, I thought to myself? A volcano taco? So awestruck was I that I sent my friend a text message, and he reacted with bewilderment. Well, I knew I had to have this mysterious Volcano Taco, though I could tell from its redness and name that it was bound to be a bit spicy. I ordered my meal, and my Volcano Taco, and went home to consume my bounty, but not before taking more pictures of it:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuBxvHIMg7kKfdkyB8j5D9i0AB55ZCWpqWYEI5ahDFby_JBTG-zsp6IGC-EAzGah_HKWsBOF1drV57rAYrj8HS9gPZwZuyOmYDbrCHVs6uSsABeuKabCpdQXSKMMtYhsA80ZBPNIjFv4/s1600-h/taco2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuBxvHIMg7kKfdkyB8j5D9i0AB55ZCWpqWYEI5ahDFby_JBTG-zsp6IGC-EAzGah_HKWsBOF1drV57rAYrj8HS9gPZwZuyOmYDbrCHVs6uSsABeuKabCpdQXSKMMtYhsA80ZBPNIjFv4/s200/taco2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242776345849157474" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTNmljMGsu8Ws46HkNjbFU4BEo7XFcSTntTq9WFcylaZzB2cJ8flMTFI5cVlyM5JPzK26EKZoHH9ylxEQoiQFdsng_W5iC42e2XGCy64USNYPAR8XiU_bg2WbYpFrYlSO3YBlIfuy5xXs/s1600-h/taco3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTNmljMGsu8Ws46HkNjbFU4BEo7XFcSTntTq9WFcylaZzB2cJ8flMTFI5cVlyM5JPzK26EKZoHH9ylxEQoiQFdsng_W5iC42e2XGCy64USNYPAR8XiU_bg2WbYpFrYlSO3YBlIfuy5xXs/s200/taco3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242776443804969426" border="0" /></a><br />It certainly is a red taco, isn't it? I'm not sure, but I think the red shell might have a bit of flavoring in it. That may have been psychosomatic, though. In any case, I took a few bites and was sort of let down because there was no spiciness to be had. Then, however, salvation!<br /><br />Or, at least, an especially spicy sauce of some sort. A nice little way for Taco Bell to mix things up a bit, I thought. Coming soon: more adventures!Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-9924583689886019822008-08-20T02:07:00.001-04:002008-08-20T02:07:51.716-04:00ChangeFor a little while, we'll only be updating on Mondays and Fridays. Mainly just this week, probably, but perhaps a bit longer.Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-29326040386983072792008-08-18T19:03:00.003-04:002008-08-18T19:38:16.401-04:00Nifty Book Review: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective AgencyAfter finishing the other two Science of Discworld books, I thought for a moment, "Should I review these?" I eventually decided not to, at least not yet. So today, I bring you Douglas Adams' less popular creation, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg63V7OBBCXqzbqgl_CtbDZzKij_ci6y6583Rg8EFJUo3Wv2PlMFoML-TcHf6_5eK9WiWTM0FG90cPFTufOhqzpU0X5FZWEMix-kOSikxeFXb9BYuTXCIFZ4UikQcWxwKx1M-5f4KJV-0/s1600-h/dirkgently1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg63V7OBBCXqzbqgl_CtbDZzKij_ci6y6583Rg8EFJUo3Wv2PlMFoML-TcHf6_5eK9WiWTM0FG90cPFTufOhqzpU0X5FZWEMix-kOSikxeFXb9BYuTXCIFZ4UikQcWxwKx1M-5f4KJV-0/s400/dirkgently1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236003484098502562" border="0" /></a>The main thrust of the book is not Dirk Gently, or his holistic detective agency, but a young man named Richard MacDuff who has found himself embroiled in a plot featuring time-travelers, ghosts from a bunch of different eras, and various things which have been misplaced in space. Eventually, when the plot really gets moving, Richard does meet up with Dirk Gently, and things become both increasingly more bizarre and they start making more sense.<br /><br />The book is quite good, which is why I'm not going to go into the plot at any great length, and if you're a fan of Douglas Adams' other works, then you'll probably enjoy this initial (and sadly penultimate) adventure of Dirk Gently. It's clever, with a good bit of mystique, and it shares several plot points with old <span style="font-style: italic;">Doctor Who</span> serials, which is actually quite unsurprising.<br /><br />I may not continue doing these book reviews, as I seem to be downright terrible at them.<br /><center><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thiratte-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0671746723&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /></center>Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-78846250592275617222008-08-17T17:52:00.003-04:002008-08-17T18:12:55.517-04:00Random BitsI need a better color scheme for this Blog, I do, and perhaps a different colored-logo. Way back when, when I first started using the logo (it was nearly ten years ago! I recycle!) the whole white text on black thing wasn't as done much now as it was then. Granted, it was still around, but not to the extent it is now. So I need to make this Blog a bit more flashy, I do. I don't know why I'm telling you all of this, as when you read this, I'll already have changed things, perhaps more than once.<br /><br />In any case, I'm all moved in now, for the most parts. I have pictures of before and after, which I may share if I get desperate for content (quite likely). I've also finished reading three books, so expect more book reviews quite soon, and comic reviews are easy to mash-out, for the most part.<br /><br />On another note, this season of "Venture Brothers" is already on its two-part season finale! At least I think it's two parts, they pulled a <span style="font-style: italic;">Doctor Who-</span>type trick and tied last week's episode in with this week's, so that you could theoretically say it was the beginning of a three-parter.<br /><br />I promise you this will be the last post for a while with fake content, and that I'll start updating daily again. Here's going for a good number of weeks before Fate tries to pull a fast one on me again! Now I have two computers with Internet access, so nothing should stand in my way. Except Fate.Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-34524247407812026072008-08-15T01:35:00.003-04:002008-08-15T01:36:49.989-04:00Possible Hiatus: It HappenedAs you no doubt noticed, the hiatus happened for far longer than it should have. Judging by the amount of comments, no one cared, and this isn't really any sort of surprise. Regular updates should resume pretty darn soon.Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-6040854229159778922008-08-03T01:08:00.003-04:002008-12-09T21:24:28.363-05:00Possible HiatusNumber one, I've decided not to do the Venture Brothers thing. Not yet, anyway.<br /><br />Number two, I'm moving today. This should not affect my self-inflicted daily update schedule, but it might. Here's hoping it doesn't.<br /><br />Third, since I may be gone for a little while but hopefully won't be, here's a picture which I stole from a little stuffed bull named <a href="http://bullyscomics.blogspot.com/">Bully</a> who is about one hundred times the Blogger I am:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikN-nIcSuRWAP4pKK3kap93cHEoe2UsjFIu6VTTOLpTSVGbTcui2LlR5CUueOU0q_56WPQFml2Y2qPvGJdvfcbvPyXZB4K1Pnich_2bWN6ll-G9z7MIZ3D4sD6FoQkwzgs4sLesgXJFig/s1600-h/harleytowel1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikN-nIcSuRWAP4pKK3kap93cHEoe2UsjFIu6VTTOLpTSVGbTcui2LlR5CUueOU0q_56WPQFml2Y2qPvGJdvfcbvPyXZB4K1Pnich_2bWN6ll-G9z7MIZ3D4sD6FoQkwzgs4sLesgXJFig/s400/harleytowel1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230156204069468658" border="0" /></a>I hope he won't mind...<br /><br />Holy jeez, there's <a href="http://bullyscomics.blogspot.com/2007/08/friday-night-fights-good-clean-fun-or.html">more</a>...Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-69539821979053517512008-08-02T02:44:00.003-04:002008-12-09T21:24:28.738-05:00Venture Brothers: Learnin' Up<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJGkW-C-MRVuBn2ujViJYnlvXBWBKjTvqkmoMEx7NeLZ3Qd9m0SnLK-jx8OCKo7StgSOU-0S5BmjHpBaB3eO8z_lvBCX3fZmWiBdlTpPNOCEDtiV4rR9L2lXjgOzyasflOtgNtm1Ye66w/s1600-h/venturebrotherslogo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJGkW-C-MRVuBn2ujViJYnlvXBWBKjTvqkmoMEx7NeLZ3Qd9m0SnLK-jx8OCKo7StgSOU-0S5BmjHpBaB3eO8z_lvBCX3fZmWiBdlTpPNOCEDtiV4rR9L2lXjgOzyasflOtgNtm1Ye66w/s400/venturebrotherslogo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229810750502981794" border="0" /></a>I'm not going to even act like I'm the first person to do this, because I know I'm not. What I'm going to start doing is, every Monday, I'm going to post a synopsis and review of the latest episode of <span style="font-style: italic;">Venture Brothers</span>, when there is one. I'll try to keep this post as spoiler-free as possible, but you should still be a little wary. The premise of the series is a grown-up "Jonny Quest", and the life he would find himself in years after his prime. A quick run-down of the main characters:<br /><br />The "good guys" are comprised of former boy adventurer and current super-scientist <span style="font-weight:bold;">Doctor Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture</span>, who is constantly trying to escape from his father's shadow while simultaneously driving his father's company into the ground. He still adventures and is joined by his sons, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Hank</span> and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Dean</span>, bodyguard <span style="font-weight:bold;">Brock Samson</span>, and robot <span style="font-weight:bold;">HELPeR</span>. Hank is the more athletic of the two brothers, while Dean is more intelligent. Dean also seems slightly more mature, while Hank is better with stress. Brock, their bodyguard, enjoys killing things and sleeping with women. He is very good at both of those things. Together, they sort of make up the current <span style="font-weight:bold;">Team Venture</span>.<br /><br />The Ventures regularly interact with all sorts of people, including Rusty's brother <span style="font-weight:bold;">Jonas</span>, the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Order of the Triad</span> (including magic-man <span style="font-weight:bold;">Doctor Byron Orpheus</span> who is the father of the girl Dean loves, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Triana</span>), the original <span style="font-weight:bold;">Team Venture</span>, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Mister White</span> and <span style="font-weight:bold;">Master Billy Quizboy</span>, and all sorts of other people. We'll cover each character as they pop up. Those are only the somewhat heroic characters, too. When it comes to the villains, well, there's only a few you really need to know of ahead of time:<br /><br />-<span style="font-weight:bold;">Phantom Limb</span>, who is a pretty big jerk with invisible arms and legs. <br />-<span style="font-weight:bold;">Baron Underbheit</span>, who used to be a Doctor Doom-like despot with a steel lower law.<br />-<span style="font-weight:bold;">Sergeant Hatred</span>, who is Doctor Venture's current archenemy.<br /><br />Then there's the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Monarch</span>. For a very long time, he was Doctor Venture's archenemy, and continues to hold a torch of hatred for the man. He's a classic super-villain with a butterfly-motif and a flying cocoon/fortress filled with henchmen and a dedicated number two.<br /><br />The dedicated number two is <span style="font-weight:bold;">Doctor Girlfriend</span>, who looks like Jackie Onassis and has an unnaturally deep voice. She used to number two for Phantom Limb, and is supremely competent at the whole super-villain thing. As you can guess from the name, she's the Monarch's significant other.<br /><br />The henchmen are just that: henchmen, in this case evil versions of "The Tick"'s Arthur. Two, in particular, are worth noting: <span style="font-weight:bold;">21 and 24</span>. 21 is a chubby pop culture nut who has no idea what the heck his uniform or any of the weapons he uses seem to do, and has an odd sort of friendship with Hank Venture. 24 is tall and thin, and sounds like Ray Romano. <br /><br />So the stage is set. I over-simplified things here, as the inter-personal dynamics between all these characters is one of the things that makes the show great, and I'll be going into them with my brief episode synopses. I think perhaps I'm being over-ambitious with this.Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-64177362207565555662008-08-01T15:06:00.004-04:002008-12-09T21:24:29.277-05:00The Internet Doesn't Like MeThe Internet was against me last night, folks. So, in the tradition of comic book bloggers everywhere, I'm going to put up a random odd comic book cover. Or, rather, I'll put up two because they're both weird and thematically linked, as it turns out, both featuring Firestorm battling a fellow named Black Bison:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8hfS79fcIVtt3DdEa1SJA8Dc5blWHWd-IAQzOlZym8q9DKvtZRHWuLsr_ye0nnBd3DpRmh4QY-qgwaps35P9Uci2cWaFH6U5yR-dTl8uvaLlQogxYRCZ-ACI5hkb7K8YCR7meZfeqLo/s1600-h/furyoffirestorm2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8hfS79fcIVtt3DdEa1SJA8Dc5blWHWd-IAQzOlZym8q9DKvtZRHWuLsr_ye0nnBd3DpRmh4QY-qgwaps35P9Uci2cWaFH6U5yR-dTl8uvaLlQogxYRCZ-ACI5hkb7K8YCR7meZfeqLo/s400/furyoffirestorm2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229629753647477506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Fury of Firestorm #2<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_74Mb7KqGE91xyc-2yStEHXpf7IqJFw7wr8MGqjnNQ1H2yuaQH7eLnTx1Kapb2FeIOrneZTcjujpv_t1IEK4uPuG5G86UUcTL-m_Gv0hHzGTrEmIAOs5I5FBV869M5DGW6PGqttJTYzc/s1600-h/furyoffirestorm25.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_74Mb7KqGE91xyc-2yStEHXpf7IqJFw7wr8MGqjnNQ1H2yuaQH7eLnTx1Kapb2FeIOrneZTcjujpv_t1IEK4uPuG5G86UUcTL-m_Gv0hHzGTrEmIAOs5I5FBV869M5DGW6PGqttJTYzc/s400/furyoffirestorm25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229629755906876626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Fury of Firestorm #25</span></div><br />It's a shame both of these characters are dead now, and both from massive event storylines. I mean, one is a Native American who rides around on a white stallion and can bring <a href="http://bullyscomics.blogspot.com/">stuffed animals</a> and statues to life. The other has powers which, if you're to believe the old "Superfriends" cartoon, are basically magic. I know there's a complex set of rules around them, but it boils down to the fact that Firestorm's powers are so scientific that that are indistinguishable from magic. Which is a dandy power.<br /><br />I honestly hope they put Firestorm in a Showcase soon.Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-52081773778770380792008-07-31T00:32:00.010-04:002008-12-09T21:24:29.794-05:00Spectacular Spider-Man #102 (Marvel Comics, May 1985)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrI3IGHGlzBzYqZpnDB9PqyYEKe7OGIbr8qcidzSN-9pQzQ-JOMFzr6saoFIPQ8vYbnCnEQxBkMXDzrivV2UrlIGWUGTuCguPcn2xSAc53j1J7nEVdV9svRMmE9pf6nwI48G5g2eySXo/s1600-h/SpectacularSpider-Man102.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrI3IGHGlzBzYqZpnDB9PqyYEKe7OGIbr8qcidzSN-9pQzQ-JOMFzr6saoFIPQ8vYbnCnEQxBkMXDzrivV2UrlIGWUGTuCguPcn2xSAc53j1J7nEVdV9svRMmE9pf6nwI48G5g2eySXo/s320/SpectacularSpider-Man102.jpg" alt="Spectacular Spider-Man #102 (May 1985)" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229051688897203202" border="0" /></a>Tuesdays and Thursdays, I update <a href="http://pcms.thewebcomic.com/">PC/MS</a>. It's a web-comic. You might like it. I probably have no business having a... another daily blog, but I'm going to give it the old college try. Today, I'll try talking about a comic book. Which comic book? I have no idea. How about <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Spectacular Spider-Man #102</span>? This comic book isn't part of any over-reaching story arc, really, nor is it part of any crossover, yet it's part of the mainstream Marvel continuity. Such things to be exceptions these days. Written by Cary Burkett, with pencils by... Larry Lieber? Well, shoot. Larry Lieber supposedly draws the <a href="http://amazingspider-blog.blogspot.com/">Amazing Spider-Man comic strip</a>, so this'll be interesting to see. I know he's done other things, mind you, but this is a chance to cross-advertise. I am shameless.<br /><br />Anyway, the story is called "A Life for a Life". We'll see how this goes. It opens with minor villain Killer Shrike flying into a bank which has never known the touch of a criminal. He robs the bank, taking out guards, but it's only to keep him going until he gets a job. He decides that what he needs to do is advertise! However, he knows that if he makes himself too visible, then those superheroes will come down on him like a sack of hammers. As he makes his way home and hopes that the beings in Manhatten with powers far beyond the ken of mortal men ignore a bank robbery in the Bronx, we see a couple breaking up as it starts to rain. No idea if that'll have any bearing on anything, other than a segue to Peter Parker wishing the Osborns (in this case, Harry and Liz) farewell.<br /><br />It may be worth mentioning at this point that Peter Parker seems to be channeling the fashion sense of Jimmy Olsen (click on any image for a larger version):<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKsYf-DAk_ACSCsmXS82lrQYWDa4y52IeM0YIcTjwa5CKDNGs6BPtXl__BupuZ_SidOdSi6TQNBOZktFOwSNeSQ2syN5a2ZdtOJMAoMnmu2gT8GBGXBYOFbP2i2EJWs7BoBU2w1n3NG8/s1600-h/SpectacularSpider-Man102a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKsYf-DAk_ACSCsmXS82lrQYWDa4y52IeM0YIcTjwa5CKDNGs6BPtXl__BupuZ_SidOdSi6TQNBOZktFOwSNeSQ2syN5a2ZdtOJMAoMnmu2gT8GBGXBYOFbP2i2EJWs7BoBU2w1n3NG8/s200/SpectacularSpider-Man102a.jpg" alt="Superman's Pal Peter Parker" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229051900091102578" border="0" /></a>Anyway, he hops on a bus from Jersey and meets Donna Gardner, who is moving to New York. As it turns out, her twin brother, Donnie, moved to New York earlier. Donnie, by the way, is the name of the guy who was being dumped earlier. I guess that bit did have a bearing on things, but how much of one? Considering how Peter is no doubt going to mysteriously hit it off with Donna and escort her to Donnie's place, probably a decent-sized one. As the bus ride ends, the pair say their farewells and...<br /><br />Donna gets hit by a car pretty much immediately. Well, shoot. There goes my theory.<br /><br />Peter dons his Spider-gear and he's off to catch the driver what done it. He catches him, finds out he was drunk, webs him to his car, and then heads off to find the ambulance carrying Donna. He switches back to Peter, finds out Donna needs a relative's kidney, and then heads off again to find Donnie. Donnie, who lives right across the hall from Killer Shrike. I don't see how this couldn't end well!<br /><br />Spider-Man is busy trying to find out anything he can about Donnie's whereabouts, and to this end he breaks into Donna's apartment, goes through her personal belongings, and eventually finds Donnie's phone number. Unfortunately, Donnie is despondent over being dumped, so he's ignoring the phone. Eventually, he tears the phone off the wall and decides to go kill himself. Spider-Man is already off to Donnie's apartment, though.<br /><br />So, sixteen pages into the story, we have Spider-Man swinging around town and trying to save the life of a girl he met on a bus by locating her brother, who is going to kill himself unless someone stops him, and who lives in the same apartment as a secretive super-criminal. Sixteen pages, folks, and nearly every panel is chock-full of story. Take that, decompression!<br /><br />Anyway, Donna's condition is worsening, and Spider-Man is just finding Donnie's apartment. How he knows which apartment building is his, I have no idea. He's been web-slinging the whole time, and has only seen it from the air. Unless he can see the adress of the apartment building from two hundred feet in the air, or something. In any case, Killer Shrike sees him, and does his best Superman impression:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8sHUGp59w66y4k1C1aHAXUPrINTPxa3Nu6aN52pNC3QG0QBoesgy8bK_MoG4GrnBVkhRgXzg6yyBM6Pg0d2U9t8gV655Vgb8Gf2QmR5s3UV5h61t8rtmdxSN9YJbMxboTKfMTYUuIgzA/s1600-h/SpectacularSpider-Man102b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8sHUGp59w66y4k1C1aHAXUPrINTPxa3Nu6aN52pNC3QG0QBoesgy8bK_MoG4GrnBVkhRgXzg6yyBM6Pg0d2U9t8gV655Vgb8Gf2QmR5s3UV5h61t8rtmdxSN9YJbMxboTKfMTYUuIgzA/s200/SpectacularSpider-Man102b.jpg" alt="The only thing that's missing is a phone booth." id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229052208837166690" border="0" /></a>Yep, Killer Shrike is paranoid, which as we all know, makes him much more dangerous. While the two engage is super-fisticuffs, Donnie is still contemplating suicide, and decides to go through with it, writing a note first. In any case, Spider-Man runs out of web-fluid during the fight and lands on top of a truck. In a somewhat poetic turn, Donnie decides to jump off his apartment building. Spider-Man quickly finishes Killer Shrike, and then high-tails it to Donnie's apartment, begging the question of how he knew which one was Donnie's apartment. He notices Donnie climbing onto the roof, but pays it little heed. He soon realizes his error when he reads Donnie's note. He quickly makes his way to the roof, and tries to talk Donnie out of jumping. This proves effective, partly because Spider-Man knows how much life can stink, and also because of the danger Donna is in:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipwDoyEdqnTmz9V6v_Sw2q8H7Tta5TaUYGHzKJugGLRPVUBFNSiWO9J8sX5nlgAS4pt4plxpe__E7P88NpLYZmNwd9tffd_7dIAWL3upgp9gL9t89nsy4vTvnLDsJobPoK4yhQ3Sr2Lls/s1600-h/SpectacularSpider-Man102c.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipwDoyEdqnTmz9V6v_Sw2q8H7Tta5TaUYGHzKJugGLRPVUBFNSiWO9J8sX5nlgAS4pt4plxpe__E7P88NpLYZmNwd9tffd_7dIAWL3upgp9gL9t89nsy4vTvnLDsJobPoK4yhQ3Sr2Lls/s320/SpectacularSpider-Man102c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229053015954739346" border="0" /></a>In the end, Killer Shrike is arrested, Donna and Donnie are saved, and Peter waxes philosophically that, even if you think your life stinks, it's important to somebody.<br /><br />I'll be frank with you: I've owned this comic for about six years now and never read it, so this was my first time through. I had no idea it was an anti-suicide PSA when I cracked it open, and I would have appreciated the message of this comic a few months ago. All in all, though, pretty decent. A good bit of decent story, a second-tier villain who gets taken out pretty easily, and the sort of personal drama which makes Spider-Man such an enjoyable hero. Best of all, it was self-contained. You could give this comic to some guy on the street and he wouldn't be left wondering what the heck was happening. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be thinking, "I gotta check out more of this Spider-Man" either. So, in the end, a pretty all right piece of comics.<br /><br />Soon, I'll review the Spectacular Spider-Man from May 1995, and then from May 2005. We'll see what difference ten and twenty years can make.Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-39777642617878492622008-07-30T01:44:00.004-04:002008-12-09T21:24:30.184-05:00Secret OriginsWednesdays are days when I write <a href="http://chooseyourownblogventure.blogspot.com/">Choose Your Own <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Blogventure</span></a>, which you should totally check out. I will rant:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1f-Jwq7TJzKJRFzG46yEQ1WkYAew4WA-GvN8eGH6gWD9XZqR8YLAn1bRMB8d-9-g3Sjq9QUGSAZNQ5xuNP34WGhBQMmGn3zzHxopl-hFd9fkcExJsKUgFBsyo4Kkzwlu3CQifz0BtyUw/s1600-h/ducktales7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1f-Jwq7TJzKJRFzG46yEQ1WkYAew4WA-GvN8eGH6gWD9XZqR8YLAn1bRMB8d-9-g3Sjq9QUGSAZNQ5xuNP34WGhBQMmGn3zzHxopl-hFd9fkcExJsKUgFBsyo4Kkzwlu3CQifz0BtyUw/s200/ducktales7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228681562981382962" border="0" /></a>I've always been a Spider-Man and Batman fan, but for the longest time I refused to read comic books from either company. However, I've been reading comic books since 1990. What did I read if not Marvel or DC, you ask? Well, it wasn't Archie, at least not the main Archie books. I've nothing against Archie, but I could never get into his antics. No, I read Disney Comics. The closest thing to a superhero comic I got for a long time was an issue of Archie's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which is also the only comic book I've ever lost.<br /><br />My very first comic book was an issue of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">DuckTales</span>, shown to your left. I read that thing ragged, and it's now a sad and without a cover. I also regularly read <span style="font-style: italic;">Donald Duck Adventures</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Uncle Scrooge</span>. As time went on, I became exposed to other companies' comics. My first real exposure to a Marvel Comic was <span style="font-style: italic;">Spider-Man, Storm, and Power Man </span>which I got for free, and was an anti-smoking <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">PSA</span>. It also served the purpose of introducing me to Luke Cage before any of the X-Men (except, of course, Storm). I liked it, but not enough to do anything more than page through the occasional Spider-book at the grocery store. My first foray into DC Comics was the adaption of <span style="font-style: italic;">Batman Returns</span>. Once again, I liked it, but not a lot. I still watched the old Adam West Batman whenever I could. Time continued, as time does, and I gradually branched out from Disney Comics and began reading an action-oriented comic book. That book? Archie's <span style="font-style: italic;">Sonic the Hedgehog</span>, which is so far the first and only comic book I've ever held a subscription to. I also avoided the initial run of "Batman: The Animated Series" like the plague. I've no idea why I did that. It was quite foolish of me, in retrospect.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKrXUQTUeQS3qJGHK1nefbFxY44ve4BG_YP0SXE1PZaCo27PN6bFOkPQRJcgMt3RdYR0HxzM5KEqaLoV55sq26BO2McB25A-4kB6SYCpBegeTs6hig_v4Qq8VTlN_pg18JXnfxUtMzDE/s1600-h/spiderman2099-30.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKrXUQTUeQS3qJGHK1nefbFxY44ve4BG_YP0SXE1PZaCo27PN6bFOkPQRJcgMt3RdYR0HxzM5KEqaLoV55sq26BO2McB25A-4kB6SYCpBegeTs6hig_v4Qq8VTlN_pg18JXnfxUtMzDE/s200/spiderman2099-30.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228686214997497666" border="0" /></a>Eventually, an event <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">occurred</span> which changed my life: the launch of the 1994<br />Spider-Man animated series. Not only did I begin watching that show, but all the other superhero shows Fox Kids had to offer. What's more is that it left me wanting to see more of this Spider-Man, and so the next time I went to the grocery store (for a long time, the only place I bought comics) I sought a Spider-Man book. Unfortunately, at the time, I had an aversion to jumping into a comic mid-storyline and all the regular Spider-books they had were mid-storyline. Most of them involved the Scarlet Spider and various other clones, and I really had no chance of figuring out what was going on. Instead, I opted for an issue of <span style="font-style: italic;">Spider-Man 2099</span>. It looked safe enough, and had the words "Spider-Man" right there on the cover! How could I go wrong? Once I actually read the book and was totally confused as to what was happening (except for one specific page where it was painfully obvious what was happening), I decided to wait until one of the main Spider-books had a stand-alone story. The issue I picked up featured one of the first appearances of the Phil <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Urich</span> Green Goblin, and I was content, and decided to say "screw not picking things up mid-storyline". From that point, I picked up back-issues wherever I could, resulting in me knowing about ROM and the New Universe fairly early in the life of my new hobby. I started reading new comics in earnest right after Peter Parker started being Spider-Man again, focusing mainly on <span style="font-style: italic;">Spider-Man</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Batman</span>. This served me well, and then I just sort of stopped, probably because the friends I would talk about comics with and whatnot abandoned me and left me feeling quite hurt.<br /><br />I would pick up a sporadic book until I graduated high school, and then I started reading them in earnest once again. Right now I'm in another lull, but I'll probably start reading comics pretty soon again. At which point, they'll cancel or radically change every single book I buy. Ah, and do endless crossovers, but that's a rant for another time. Thanks for listening.Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-58257753935262593892008-07-29T00:30:00.005-04:002008-12-09T21:24:30.348-05:00Nifty Book Review: The Science of DiscworldI was wondering what I was going to do for today's update. Then, I finished the book I was reading and thought, "Hey, I will review this book!" We'll see how that goes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpTflEzFE5BJ8cc5ZSJHjqiRWl_hThDyoAJay6u1kp6l0W4XWTzh14I-kPI7YMLOvfoFeg5Im3fQ2wEjlVDBNeFOCvyiZGRmlh5ArP8RgM5PNvK7MCLU4Zt3fTu0p6wsdSjdayVVN9iA/s1600-h/scienceofdiscworld.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpTflEzFE5BJ8cc5ZSJHjqiRWl_hThDyoAJay6u1kp6l0W4XWTzh14I-kPI7YMLOvfoFeg5Im3fQ2wEjlVDBNeFOCvyiZGRmlh5ArP8RgM5PNvK7MCLU4Zt3fTu0p6wsdSjdayVVN9iA/s200/scienceofdiscworld.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228295735437648898" border="0" /></a>The book in question is <span style="font-style: italic;">The Science of Discworld</span>, with prose bits by Terry Pratchett and science bits by Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen. The Discworld, for those of you who don't know and can't bother to look it up, is a flat world that rides through the space on the back of four elephants, which in turn stand on the back of a giant turtle. Magic is more common there than any sort of organized science, and events there are driven by an inherent desire to follow narrative causality. While the Discworld has a cast of magnificent characters, this book deals with the wizards of the Disc's premier school of magic, Unseen University. This includes Rincewind, his Luggage, and the Librarian. Through a series of events involving a magically-charged squash court, faulty heating, and an ant-powered computer a miniature universe is created. Initially put-off by the universe's lack of giant turtles and elephants, as well as its tendency to put everything into balls, the wizards eventually create Roundworld.<br /><br />Roundworld, for all intents and purposes, is our world. Utilizing magic and special suits, Rincewind (and later the other members of the staff) observe the Roundworld and try like the dickens to get some sort of intelligent life to evolve, and it's this sort of conflict which drives the prose bits of the book. Interestingly enough, Death never makes an appearance, though this might be because no new major characters are introduced and Pratchett didn't want to kill off any of the wizards.<br /><br />You may be wondering why I kept saying prose bits, and where the science comes in. Well, the way the book is set-up, there's a chapter of prose, and then a chapter of science which relates (sometimes tangentially) to it. These have no formulas in them, and basically deal with how things got to be the way they are. Ah, and space travel. They're pretty good, the science bits, sort of like an exceptionally personable teacher who knows you're only taking their class because it's required.<br /><br />All in all, a pretty good book, both for the Discworld bits and the science bits. It has Rincewind in it, after all, and he's one of my favorite characters from the series. Only thing about the book is that you have to get it from the United Kingdom, or get it from someone who got it from the United Kingdom, so it'll cost you about $10, plus shipping. It's worth it, though.<br /><br /><center><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thiratte-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0091886570&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></center>Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-781382194006879793.post-3647570263055012952008-07-28T01:14:00.000-04:002008-07-28T01:35:51.866-04:00Modus OperandiThere's a few things I have to hammer about for this Blog. First off, update schedule.<br /><br />Well, I'm usually up until 4AM anyway, and I'm in the groove of doing the Spider-Blog every night, so I might as well make it a daily update schedule. Easy as pie.<br /><br />Now, the difficult part: what do I blog about?<br /><br />I like comics a lot, and would sort of like to blog about them. Two problems with that. One, there's already a heck of a lot of comic book blogs about there, covering all sorts of comic books. Which is really only a minor obstacle. Two, I haven't bought a new comic book since April, for various reasons. While this trend is bound to change eventually, I also don't have the resources to get any number of new comics on Wednesdays. Therefore, all of my musings would be out-of-date by the time I get to them. I could just talk about old comics, of course. Sure, every single era and genre and character from comic-dom is already covered, but that's no biggie. Plus, any musing I had will be, by design, out of date but out-of-date enough that no one will mind. Done, then. Until I can buy new comics, I shall discuss old comics.<br /><br />I also like books. Only thing with that is that my initial reading of a book usually takes a little while and I have no idea what the newest greatest thing is, so doing nothing but books with a daily update schedule is folly. However, I already decided on doing comic books, too. So perhaps I can comment on a book when I finish it, whenever that may be. Sounds good. I shall discuss books I read.<br /><br />Video games are out of the question, because my friend and I are trying to do another Blog to just talk about video games. I spend entirely too much time on the Internet.<br /><br />Movies, though? Yes, there's blogs about movies. Many of them. Plus, I lack video capture technology, so I'd be limited to talking about movies and showing no pictures of them. Well, when I can get that remedied, I will talk about old movies. New movies, though, which are in theaters? Those are fair game, because other than those dastardly pirates, no one has pictures of them yet! Except for the media, of course.<br /><br />Television shows? Oh my goodness. Same problem with the movies, really. No video capture technology, but then again, you can watch television shows on the Internet everywhere and with the right software, you can just take picture of them right from the feed. I could probably handle a television show, or two.<br /><br />Music? I have bought about five CDs in my entire life, so music is pretty much out.<br /><br />I suppose I could also put in random anecdotes from my life, if I have one that's interesting enough.<br /><br />So I guess I'll be talking about comics, books, movies, and television shows. Ah, and my life, occasionally. With that, I've completed my second daily post. Hooray! Tomorrow, perhaps some pictures. Spartan blog so far, eh?Mike Podgorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11184333234021259878noreply@blogger.com0