An Eerie Sunset

It’s mid-September, and this week has really started to feel like autumn. There’s a chill dampness in the morning, and the nights feel downright cold. I had to throw extra blankets on the bed last night, and I worked part of the day at home while wearing a hoodie. The weird thing is the sky.Continue reading “An Eerie Sunset”

Watchmen, Rebirth, and the DC Universe

When I saw the first trailers for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, my reaction was, basically, “That looks as much like a sequel to Watchmen as it does a sequel to Man of Steel.” To be clear, by Watchmen, I’m referring to Zack Snyder’s 2009 movie based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ 1986Continue reading “Watchmen, Rebirth, and the DC Universe”

The Meaning of Superman

With Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice out next month, The Atlantic takes a look at Superman’s history and asks whether or not DC Comics and Warner Bros. understand how and why the character works. It’s not a spoiler to say that the article’s conclusion is that sometimes they do, but that mostly they don’t.Continue reading “The Meaning of Superman”

An Influential Author and Favorite Works

I was tagged by a friend with this on Facebook: “Who is your favorite writer of all time? And what are your top five favorite works by that writer?” I have struggled with this, because there are writers I could name who I really, really love — only I’ve read what amounts to a fractionContinue reading “An Influential Author and Favorite Works”

On Smallville’s Finale

Until last night, I’d never seen an episode of Smallville. I knew about the series, about how it’s about Clark Kent as his powers develop, before he becomes Superman. I have coworkers and former coworkers who watch it religiously. My youngest sister, who wouldn’t be caught dead with a comic book, loved it in itsContinue reading “On Smallville’s Finale”

On Personal Travels Through Time

One hour in a time machine. All of history, past and future, is open to me. Where would I go? I wouldn't be like the amateur time travelers of Desmond Warzel's short story "WikiHistory" where, as BigChill says in the story, "everybody kills Hitler on their first trip." Honestly, no interest in that. I'd wantContinue reading “On Personal Travels Through Time”

On Things I’ve Been Reading

I have a long-standing habit, I call it the “binge read.” In college, I went on binge reads of Philip K. Dick and Larry Niven and Orson Scott Card and Ernest Hemingway, where I would gather as much of an author’s body of work as I could, and then I would read all of itContinue reading “On Things I’ve Been Reading”

On Creativity, Comic Books, and TR

I have been feeling creative of late. More creative than I’ve felt recently. A number of projects that were running in background processes and had begun to come up “Not Responding” on the mental Task Manager have started running again. And I’ve realized I’ve not put together the “Yankees Suck” sign yet; I need toContinue reading “On Creativity, Comic Books, and TR”

On the Justice League and the Justice Society

The on-again, off-again film based on DC Comics’ Justice League appears to be off again. Years of development heck wasted. The present Justice League project seemed cursed from the very beginning. From script issues (and the Writers Guild strike) to casting problems to location uncertainty (would be it Canada? would it be Australia?), Justice LeagueContinue reading “On the Justice League and the Justice Society”