Commentary

God Hates Gays (And Everyone Else Apparently)

So most of the gay-hating people in the world know the Old Testament Bible verse Leviticus 18:22 which states "Two guys having sex is gross and they are an abomination but two chicks doing it is pretty hot." That may not be the verse line-for-line, but that's how I always interpreted it.

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If You Think Feminists Are Ruining Comics, You Might Be Fucking Stupid

This picture was intended to be a variant cover for Batgirl No. 41. For anyone who has a passing acquaintance with comics or the Batman universe, they know this cover, penciled by the amazing Rafael Albuquerque, is an homage to The Killing Joke. TKJ (as the kids call it) was written by Alan Moore and was/is considered, with Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, a turning point in the comic book industry. Comics were dark, edgy, intense. This cover was supposed to come out in June as a celebration of 75 years of the Joker.

Ain't happenin'.

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Batgirl Enters a Brave New World


After a great run that did have a touch of controversy, Gail Simone is stepping away from one of my favorite titles, Batgirl. The new team will have big shoes to fill but they seem to be saying all the right things so far. I wrote a column about it at ComicBookHerald.com. That's something I do now. Go there to read other stuff, too.


My First Batman

When I was a lad, there existed a thing called a comic book digest. The most common use of this now (and then for that matter) was Archie Comics. But back in the day, DC Comics would put together five or six issues of random comics, put them in a digest, and sell them cheaply to promote their current titles.

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LitStack.com: Banned Book Week

For the three people who read this blog, you know George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four is one of my all-time favorite novels. Since it it was published, it's also been banned for various reasons by various people. Since last week was Banned Book Week, I thought it would be a great time to show off a college paper I did on the book. I thought it held up pretty well. Take a look and let me know what you think.

LitStack.com: Literary Series I Didn't Want to End

It's Harry Potter. Roll it. 

LitStack.com: New Genres by Your Favorite Authors

I'm a big fan of the author Chuck Wendig. If you've read this blog, you know I participate in some of his Flash Fiction Challenges and I reviewed his book Blackbirds. My latest offering to LitStack involved the scenario What Genre Would You Like to See Your Favorite Author Tackle. Not sure if erotic torture porn is do-able, so I decided on Westerns. Read it HERE.


LitStack.com: My Top 5(ish) Comic Books

So now that I'm back into the swing of things when it comes to writing, I broke out with five (or so) of my all-time favorite comics for LitStack. They include my very first comic (because everyone remembers their first) as well a couple obvious ones and a few that have special meaning to me. Basically, what I'm saying is, this is my list. Not yours. So I don't want to hear your bitching. Make up your own list. Anycrap, you can read the full list by clicking HERE.

LitStack.com: Favorite TV Show Based on a Book

The latest LitStack Staff Pick is Favorite TV Show Based on a Book. Mine's Little House on the Prairie. Read away. 

Randy Blythe's Plea to His Fans

I've supported Lamb of God's Randy Blythe on this page a couple of times. They're a great band and I'm blessed to be a friend of their guitarist, Mark Morton. I've spoken to Randy exactly once and that was when Mark introduced me to him in 2010 before a show.

I, like many metal fans, followed Randy's trial over the fall and winter of 2012 when he was accused of manslaughter in the death of one of this fans in the Czech Republic. He is free, for now, and has been very vocal about how respectfully the family of the deceased young man has treated him and how fans, bands, and venues need to ensure the safety of those around them during a show. 

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LitStack.com: My Favorite Teacher

I haven't updated the blog in a while, so I didn't get a chance to post this submission to LitStack. It was on our favorite teachers. Mine was Mrs. Steers, my second-grade teacher who introduced me to Beverly Cleary. For the full skinny, click HERE.

LitStack.com: Favorite Literary Bastard 

This week's, or rather last week's, LitStack.com staff pick was our favorite literary bastards. Not villains, mind you, just pricks who happen to work on the side of angels. For my pick, click HERE.

LitStack.com: What's Your Favorite Genre?

This week's Staff Picks at LitStack.com is our favorite genre. Everyone else picked their favorite genre to write. I'm stupid and talked about my favorite genre to read because a site created by writers talking about writing would obviously talk about the shit they read. Anyway, based on the pic, you can see I wrote about historical romance. Click HERE to read it.

LitStack.com: Who's Your Favorite Literary Crush?

Who was the first person you read about who took your breath away? That first crush you dreamed about meeting and either sweeping them off their feet or be swept off your feet by? Again, the picture might give it away (no, it wasn't Pennywise), but if you want to read to full piece at LitStick.com, click HERE.

LitStack.com: Who's Your Favorite Literary BFFs?

Over at LitStack, we talked about our favorite literary BFFs. Go take a look. I promise it won't suck.

LitStack.com: Who's Your Favorite Fictional Friend?

This week's LitStack Pick is "Who is Your Favorite Fictional Friend?" Again, based on the photo, I'm pretty sure you can guess what book I chose, but if you care to read my full entry, click HERE.

LitStack.com: Lines We Wished We'd Written

One of my latest writing ventures is with LitStack.com, an amazing site featuring contributors who love the art of writing and the artists who do the writing. My first piece with them is their weekly LitStack Picks, where a literary-type question is posed. This week's was: What line do you wish you'd have written? Based on the photo, you can probably get an idea where I went, but for the full piece, click HERE.

DC Comics Stays Classy; Fires Gail Simone Via E-Mail 

In a world filled with assholes, douchebags, and scoundrels, DC Comics decided to make a solid run for Dick of the Week by firing Gail Simone. If you don't know who Simone is, run, don't walk, fucking run, to your nearest comic book store and grab any issue of Batgirl produced during the New 52 era. I personally recommend the recently-released Batgirl Annual #1. Got it? Awesome, isn't it? Well-written, well-plotted with characters you really care for and empathize with, right?

Yeah, DC decided to shit-can her. From one of the more popular titles out right now. Via e-mail.

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Misleading Facebook Page Not Happy With DC, Marvel re: Teh Gays

Last week, 48K And Some Change Moms (er, sorry, meant 1,000,000 Moms) decided the very public beatdown they received at the hands of JC Penny, Ellen DeGeneres, and scores of people who don't give a shit about what consenting adults do in the privacy of their own homes, wasn't enough. They have now decided to attack DC Comics and Marvel Comics re: their recent announcements regarding gay characters within their respective universes. DC announced they were going to have a longtime character outed and despite my personal opinion, it appears Earth 2's Green Lantern is their man. On the Marvel side, Northstar, the first mainstream character to come out of the closet (as a member of Alpha Flight in '92, now a member of the X-Men), is marrying Kyle, his longtime partner.

Hilarity could quite possibly ensue.

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Will DC Make Tim Drake Comics' Newest Gay Character?

Homosexual heroes in the world of comics is nothing new. Neil Gaiman has incorporated gay characters in his books, Northstar of Alpha Flight "came out" in 1992 (although basically in name only since his sexuality was never really mentioned), and Bunker of the New 52's Teen Titans, Karma of the New Mutants and many others have been openly homosexual in the pages of our favorite comics. There have been some very strong and award-winning stories featuring gay characters in mainstream comics, such as X-Force mainstays Shatterstar and Rictor, and there have been absolutely fucking brutal stereotypes that should be erased from existence, such as the reboot of The Rawhide Kid.

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When Did Batman Turn Into Iron Man?

I love Batman. Always have, even in my younger days, when I first started reading comics and was a Marvel guy. While I was collecting X-Men in the late 70s, early 80s, I was reading Batman. The X-Men had some great storylines at the time focusing on some of the personal aspects of the characters, but Batman was dark and gritty. Joker and Two-Face were evil on a level a normal person could understand. No super powers, they would kill you up close and personal. They were a "real" evil. While the X-Men were battling galactic-level super beings on the other side of the universe, Batman was fighting baddies in the streets. He had no super powers other than his genius mind and his money.

Sound familiar?

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Please, GI Joe Sequel, Don't Suck

I was a huge fan of the GI Joe comics back in the day. I even watched the cartoons because knowing is half the battle and I had the toys (Zartan was the fucking BOMB, yo!). I had it all.

I know the Marvel Comics product was meant only as a vehicle for Hasbro to sell toys, just like the Transformers cartoons and their truly God-awful line of comics. But somewhere along the line, Larry Hama turned the book into a truly great comic. As a veteran, I can look back and see there are some pretty glaring flaws, like enlisted servicemembers flying F-16s, etc., but as with any comic, there has to be a certain suspension of disbelief. The one-liners were strong, the character development was superb, and people got their asses KILLED.

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Does A Sweet Rack Have A Place In Comics?

I like boobs.

As a heterosexual male, I find boobs, breasts, mammaries, tits, jugs, bewbies, et. al., to be just doggone awesome. Can't help it. Having said that, I'm also something of a misogynist. I intensely dislike stupid women. This may have come from working at various bars or making the mistake of going to college in my thirties when one is more acutely aware of stupidity. Let me make myself clear, I don't hate women; I despise stupid women. And stupid men, for that matter. But we're focusing on the ladies this time around.

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Batgirl vs. Catwoman

Throughout history, rivalries have defined the existence of mankind. Man vs. Dinosaurs. Jesus vs. the Romans. King Arthur vs. Mordred. Ali vs. Frazier. Man vs. Food. But there is one rivalry, one contest of who is better that makes all the aforementioned pairings take on the importance of South Park's legendary Giant Douche vs. Turd Sandwich.

Batgirl vs. Catwoman: who's hotter?

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Laziness vs. Apathy

Yes, it's this shit again. Bite me.

I'm in a mood. I can't decide if I don't feel like doing anything because I'm lazy or because I don't give a fuck. For the uninitiated, there is definitely a huge difference between the two.

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3D or Not 3D. THAT is the question (Trying to decide if I want to continue to fund George Lucas' insanity defense is what I'm getting at)

Would George Lucas REALLY rape Indiana Jones? I'm starting to wonder.

The man is clearly brilliant, albeit a total narcissist, but I'm really starting to think he would forcefully have his way with Indy.

I bring this up because Star Wars Ep. I: The Phantom Menace comes out in theaters Friday in (heavy echo effect) 3D!!!!! I swore I would never buy the blu-ray and I won't, as painful as that is for me. Yeah, I'm one of those old guys who remember seeing the OT (Original Trilogy; get with the program) in the theater and thinking it was the coolest fucking thing I'd ever seen. That includes internet porn. Well, MOST internet porn.

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