Marvel’s Civil War (late) – II

I left this topic asking, is the story worth a damn.

My answer: sort of.

It’s not great, not groundbreaking, but it does provide some dramatic moments. It does add layers to established characters, and there are definite consequences for the Marvel Universe. You have to give Millar credit for taking some risks (and getting them greenlit from the Marvel editorial staff) and sending some pretty major shocks through the continuum. It is gorgeously illustrated (though some sequences seem a bit hurried for my taste). And if you’ve been reading Marvel the past few years, it’s probably right in your wheelhouse. Spolier alert…

Scenes from the Beer Tent…

Sure enough, beer tent = good times, and long lost classmate (Mike , in the middle) shows up. First time I’ve seen him in probably a decade. It was awesome catching up with him, as well as the other guys. And in this photo we have fully 25% of my graduating class!

Findlay Fish Fest 07

The Findlay Walleye Festival.  Named for a fish that sort of once thrived in the deeper waters of mighty Lake Shelbyville; now the Walleye are trucked in from out of state, fried up and sold in front of the volunteer Fire Station to raise money for Findlay.

Marvel’s Civil War (late) – I

Last week I finally picked up comic book crossover megamarketing event, Civil War in trade paperback. Like anyone with even the slightest awareness in comics, I’d been bludgeoned by the hype around this stunt last year. But after I heard the basic plotline and who was responsible for it, I was less than enthused.

Civil War, written by Mark ‘Look, I’m a Scotsman’ Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, brings the ol’ Superhero Registration Act story to the Marvel Universe. That’s the one where a battle between supheroes/villains goes to far, resulting in the deaths of thousands of innocents, and the rest of us puny humans demand tighter regulations, restrictions, etc. from our costumed protectors. One group of heroes, led by Iron Man and Mister Fantastic sides with the government; while the other, fronted by Captain America and a bunch of B-lister heroes, goes underground. There you go. And your tagline: “Whose Side Are You On?”

Autobots, let’s roll!

The Transformers? Yes…

So I finally made it out to the Transformers movie. I was pretty sure I was going to like it, and I was right. Giant freaking robots, Optimus Prime vs. Megatron, the transform sound effect… Full disclosure here–I had probably 30+ Transformers toys way back when. I collected them religiously at Christmas and Birthday; I even co-opted my little brother and sister (who could care less about them) into requesting them as gifts, thus further bolstering the collection. I watched the TV show daily. I bought the comics. And I continued to play with my little metal and plastic treasures into Jr. High, worrying my folks about maturity and development. It’s safe to say I am in the target audience for this flick.

BSPN

This past week, ESPN became the Beckham Sports Promotional Network. It was, in a word, annoying. But not nearly as annoying (and typical) as the anti-Beckham/anti-Soccer columns and op-eds propagated by the many knuckle-dragging ignorant sports journos across the country. They weren’t hard to find. It was the same tired refrain we often hear when the World Cup comes around so I’ll not repeat it. Maybe more shrill this time–a shrillnes born of desperation, perhaps? So how about a word from one of the deans of Sports Reporting:

My Last Fantasy & Science Fiction issue

I’ve a subscriber to The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction for about ten years now, and I’m done with it. For awhile, at least. My last issue along with the warning of pending subscription cancellation arrived last week.

Thought about letting F&SF lapse before, but always came up with reasons to keep it. Well, not this time. Instead I’m taking the money I would’ve spent on this mag, and putting it toward a couple of other smaller subscriptions. This allows me to continue to support short sci-fiction and enjoy a greater range of stories.

And why am I letting my sub to F&SF lapse? It’s pretty simple, really…

Ready for Harry?

Seen HP and the Order of the Phoenix?  Check.

Chapter summaries for HP and the Half-Blood Prince?  Here you go.

I found a pair of quick chapter-by-chapter summaries I’ll be looking at this weekend.  For epic series such as HP, and with all the reading you may do between books, a little refresher can sometimes hit the spot.  Here they are:

• Salon’s online summary
  
• Harry Potter facts

After 3-on-3, still Ambulatory…

Probably the best report I can give about the weekend’s 3-on-3 antics: everyone was able to walk to their own cars when it was over. We did have fun. We did recount past glories over beers. We made a few shots and busted out a few of the old moves. However, we did not play… well.

Crossing borders for soccer roots

Ran across this interesting story about Christopher Birchall, the first white guy to play for Trinidad & Tobago’s national team in over 60 years. I remember him from the World Cup last summer, a good hard-tackling right midfielder.

Of course crossing borders to represent other countries is nothing new. The U.S. team has had a list of players born in other countries with American parentage, like Earnie Stewart, Thomas Dooley, Tab Ramos, and Jeff Agoos. Some of these guys moved to the U.S. at a young age, and some received their citizenship later after discovering the link. We even had a guy, David Regis, a Frenchman of Caribbean ancestry, who married an American woman right before the ‘98 World Cup and ended up as our left back for about 4 years.