Nerd Connection

In an amazing effort to avoid doing homework, we're going to play a game. Rather, I will play the game and you will either read and be astounded or click away to something far more fun and enjoyable on the internet. If you can't find anything to look at on the internet, I heard youtube.com had some funny things.

Today, Sunday Sepetember 28 or 2008, Tom Spurgeon of the comics reporter, which is the comic book/strip/editorial cartoon website posted a list of 50 things he thinks every comic collection should contain. Spoiler warning: I don't hit al 50, but I come close, and we'll go through the list item by item.

1. Something From The ACME Novelty Library

I own Quimby the Mouse and I have read Jimmy Corrigan Smartest Kid on Earth.

2. A Complete Run Of Arcade

Don't own this and I've never heard of it until now.

3. Any Number Of Mini-Comics

I have Kevin Huezinga's Or Else, and a couple issues of James Kolchaka's Conversations series.

4. At Least One Pogo Book From The 1950s

I have 2 Pogo books the Best of pogo and we have met the enemy and he is us

5. A Barnaby Collection

I don't own any of these, but I read some Barnaby strips in the Smithsonian collection of comics.

6. Binky Brown and the Holy Virgin Mary

Don't have this either.

7. As Many Issues of RAW as You Can Place Your Hands On

Nope, none of these.

8. A Little Stack of Archie Comics

Don't own a stack, but I have a few Archies.

9. A Suite of Modern Literary Graphic Novels

Of the ones he has listed I own Black Hole, Blankets, and Epileptic. I read Gemma Bovary when I worked at Barnes and Noble, and i checked out Ghost World from the library.

10. Several Tintin Albums

The Tintin I own: Secret of the Unicorn, Blue Lotus, Red Rackham's Treausre, Seven Crystal Balls, Prisoners of the Sun, and Castafiore Emerald

11. A Smattering Of Treasury Editions Or Similarly Oversized Books

Batman C-25, With One Magic Word...Shazam, Christmas with the Super Heroes, Secret Origins Super Villains, Marvel Treasury Edition Amazing Spider-Man

12. Several Significant Runs of Alternative Comic Book Series

Of those listed I have collections from Hate, Eightball, and Optic Nerve

13. A Few Early Comic Strip Collections To Your Taste

I gots Popeye, Krazy Kat, Little Nemo in Slumberland

14. Several "Indy Comics" From Their Heyday

American Flagg!, Zot!, Nexus, and Mister X all reside in my collection.

15. At Least One Comic Book From When You First Started Reading Comic Books

An issue of Spider-Man and his Amazing friends, an issue with Ironman where he teams up with Spider-Man, issues of Avengers with Spider-Man, and some Batman issues.

16. At Least One Comic That Failed to Finish The Way It Planned To

I have one issue of Big Numbers.

17. Some Osamu Tezuka

Ode To Kirikito, and I plan on buying Blackjack this Christmas

18. The Entire Run Of At Least One Manga Series

Uzumaki and Akira, but I've read all of Lone Wolf and Cub and I'm working on collecting Dragon Ball.

19. One Or Two 1970s Doonesbury Collections

This sounds good, but alas, none to speak of in the collection.

20. At Least One Saul Steinberg Hardcover

Never heard of the dude.

21. One Run of A Comic Strip That You Yourself Have Clipped

I used to keep some get Fuzzy strips in my wallet.

22. A Selection of Comics That Interest You That You Can't Explain To Anyone Else

Hello Legion of Super Heroes.

23. At Least One Woodcut Novel

None to speak of.

24. As Much Peanuts As You Can Stand

I have the complete Peanuts 1950-1952, and the collection Dr Beagle and Mr Hyde

25. Maus

Yup, finally bought book 2 the other day, first read it in Geometry class in the 10th grade checked out from the Davie High Library.

26. A Significant Sample of R. Crumb's Sketchbooks

Complete Crumb Comics vol. 3, not a sketchbook per se, but a collection of strips and greeting cards.

27. The original edition of Sick, Sick, Sick.

Nope, this looks very cool though.

28. The Smithsonian Collection Of Newspaper Comics

Don't own it, but I read it from the library.

29. Several copies of MAD

I have some Mad paperbacks, and a reprint of the first issue.

30. A stack of Jack Kirby 1970s Comic Books

You bet your sweet ass I have these. Collections of Mister Miracle, New Gods, Forever People, Jimmy Olsen, issues of the Demon, Omac, Kamandi, and Captain America.

31. More than a few Stan Lee/Jack Kirby 1960s Marvel Comic Books

Avengers vol. 1, Essential Fantastic Four vol 3, reprints of X-men#1, Hulk#1, and Fantastic Four#1

32. A You're-Too-High-To-Tell Amount of Underground Comix

Fabulous Furry Freak brothers collection

33. Some Calvin and Hobbes

Read some collections the Ex had...

34. Some Love and Rockets

Locas, an issue of Maggie and Hopey, all of vol 2, and I think I still own the first collection of Music for Mechanics

35. The Marvel Benefit Issue Of Coober Skeber

This just went on the want list.

36. A Few Comics Not In Your Native Tongue

A spanish edition of Fantastic Four#1 bought for me by my sister when she went to Spain with the Foreign language club.

37. A Nice Stack of Jack Chick Comics

None by Jack Chic, but I pulled a religious comic out of the trash at work one day. That's when you're crazy for comics, when you pull them out of the trash.

38. A Stack of Comics You Can Hand To Anybody's Kid

I used to have more, but I gave a lot to my neice. I still have a lot of Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck Comics and a Little Lulu collection

39. At Least A Few Alan Moore Comics

A lot...a whole lot...

40. A Comic You Made Yourself

Some comic scripts I've written...

41. A Few Comics About Comics

Understanding Comics, Animal Man, and Hicksville,

42. A Run Of Yummy Fur

Sigh...another thing I don't have...

43. Some Frank Miller Comics

Yup...Daredevil, Sin City, Hardboiled, Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot, etc...

44. Several Lee/Ditko/Romita Amazing Spider-Man Comic Books

Lots of reprints and a few essential Spideys

45. A Few Great Comics Short Stories

None of the ones listed, but I have For a glass of water by Grant Morrison and Dave Mckean, and plenty of anthology titles.

46. A Tijuana Bible

No, but as much as I beat off I probably should.

47. Some Weirdo

Nah, not coll enough to own any...

48. An Array Of Comics In Various Non-Superhero Genres

Of those listed EC Comics, Criminal, Sandman, an issue of Gold Key's Star Trek

49. An Editorial Cartoonist's Collection or Two

A big fat zero.

50. A Few Collections From New Yorker Cartoonists

Nah, not high brow enough to have these.

That's a grand total of 32 out of 50. that's just counting the things I own, and not counting my comic scripts. I'll let the world be the judge if I've wasted my time or not. Me? I've got some reading to do.

A Night At The Movies

Richard Harris proves to be the greatest method actor of all time. In Man in the Wilderness he plays a man mauled by a bear. Outdoing Daniel Day Lewis, Harris actually let the bear maul him. This movie is not fiction, it is a documentary of Richard Harris lying in the dirt for six months and healing himself. Once filming had been completed and he was back in tip top shape, Harris killed Peggy the Bear with his power move, poison booze breath. I dare Hollywood to churn out a man like this again.

New Trends To Die For

Hot New fashion statement for 2009:

Musketeer.

Another reason to celebrate 2009: Negro League Baseball video game coming for Nintendo Wii. Play on such famous teams as the Kansas City Monarchs and the Homestead Grays. Be Negro league super stars Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Buck O'Neil. A forgotten part of American sports history returns this year to my favorite console. Yay!

End Times

It started in November of 2005, and it ends on Wednesday. I love this comic series. It's been there for me through some rough times. I honestly can't imagine what it will be like to read this last issue and know that in 3 months there won't be another coming along to lift my spirits on a bad day. I knew this day was coming, so I'm ready for the end, but I'm going to miss it like hell.

All I'm Going To Say About The Election

I wish you would all shut the fuck up with the trash talking. Talking trash is for rappers, video game players, and sports fans. You all supposed to be grown up leaders that talk about policy with ideas on how to fix things. All I've heard fall out of your childish mouths is "I'm great" or "He stinks." I'll stop bitching about your trash talking when you get as good at it as rappers. Until then be politicians. Thanks.