I'm Still Alive!

This may shock you all, but the computer is still dead and gone. I ordered a new, very pretty, very fast gaming machine from Dell. It showed up last week. I plugged it in, my heart racing in anticipation for the glory that Crysis supposedly is and...well, nothing. The computer started, but nothing showed up on the monitor. After about an hour on the phone with the help desk I was informed that the monitor was bad and they would be shipping a new one right away.

That was almost a week ago and the new monitor is yet to ship. It is scheduled to ship this Friday, and if it does (and assuming that was the only problem) I should be up and running on the new PC by early next week. I doubt I will have any posts until the week of 8/4, what with setups and all, but I hope to be back soon. I miss posting for all my loyal readers (hi mom!) and I hope you haven't given up on me. I will be back with new content as soon as I can, and believe me, I have a lot to talk about!

I'll be back soon!

Bone - One Fat Book

Just a small programming note: the computer has been acting suspicious lately...I think it wants to die. I have seen this before. I know the signs. Blue screen of death, extra slow, weird random errors, it's all there. It took me about 30 minutes just to get onto Blogger here to make this post. The point is, if at some point there are no new updates for a while it is likely because the computer finally gave up the ghost. I will be back once I replace it. [EDIT: The computer died before I finished this post, I had to post it from work. I can't be making regular blog posts from work, so we may be on hiatus until a new computer has been procured]

Okay, so, book post today. For this post I want to talk about one of the biggest books I have read in a long time: Bone: One Volume Edition by Jeff Smith. Now, I know what you are saying. Bone, isn't that a comic and not a book? Well, sure, it was, but now every issue of Bone has now been combined into the One Volume Edition, a 1332 page behemoth of awesomeness. It reads more like a book than any comic I have ever read. I'm calling it a book.

Bone is broken down into three major storylines, nine chapters, and multiple subchapters in each chapter, but there is really one epic adventure of three small Bone creatures. I assume they are called Bone creatures because they look like bones. They are essentially cartoon characters, but they seem to fall into a more realistic valley.

The Valley is full of all sorts of characters: cute talking bugs and woodland creatures, evil rat creatures, a giant mountain lion, humans, and even dragons. Shortly after arriving in the Valley the Bones meet up with Thorn and her Grandma Ben, who have mysterious pasts. As the story continues the Bones begin to unravel the mystery while they embark on their own journey.

Every character is fleshed out and unique. Each one is fun to read in their own ways and Smith's world feels real. As is normal with most epic stories (ie Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time, etc) the action starts out small and inconsequential and becomes more and more meaningful and life changing. Jeff Smith has created a new, epic, masterpiece and it really should be read by anyone who likes comics, epic stories, or just a good read. The story is moving and really touched me. I will say, I wish the One Volume Edition was in color, because from what I've seen Bone in color is beautiful. I also was a tiny bit dissappointed with the ending, but I think with anything that takes over 1300 pages and was read over the course of three months, it is hard to really make the most satisfying ending.

Also, I know Jeff Smith has a new comic series, Rasl, coming out now, and I totally plan to check that out once it his trades. Anyway, check this book out, it may be the most value you can get for your 26 bucks.

Ouch, Let's Laugh at People

Okay, so have you ever seen that show on Spike TV called MXC? You know, the one where some comedians took footage from a crazy 1980s Japanese game show called Takeshi's Castle and redubbed it to mock everyone? You know, this show:



I loved that show! It was great fun watching people fall and hurt themselves while at the same time listening to the announcers mock them relentlessly. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago Mrs Titan and I saw some previews for a show on ABC called Wipeout. It looked oddly...familiar. The previews showed people falling down and hurting themselves. Hmmm...

So, we checked out the first episode and at first I got very nervous. The hosts seemed to be taking the competition seriously. If this were a reality show where people competed and it was taken as a serious event, I would have been very disappointed.

Thankfully, once the competition got going, I realized that it was very much in the vein of MXC. The commentary isn't quite as funny as MXC, but the falls are as funny as always. Many of the people on the show were very stupid and/or out of shape. The hosts mock the players and even laugh at them when they wipeout. It's a great mindless summer show, and it is a lot of fun. Laughing at the competitors as they stumble and fall is a great guilty pleasure. If you've never seen it, check it out. It won't change your life, but it may make you smile.

Showcase Presents: Superman Part 4

This is the forth of numerous posts on Showcase Presents: Superman. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed the stories.

Now, this won't be like most comic blogs with scanned pictures posted throughout. Mostly because I don't have a scanner, but the stories should speak for themselves, but also because I want to go through the whole book in the next few weeks, and I want non-comics readers to enjoy the kookiness that us comics readers understand from the Silver Age. While I may mock these stories, I am not making anything up, this is all straight from the comics! While I may mock, I love these stories and the character of Superman. This is great stuff! The cover scans are from The Grand Comic Book Database.

With this forth addition I am going to add my own Tagline for each story, giving a brief explanation.

Superman # 124

"The Super-Sword."

Tagline: Superman fights the Black Knight, who wields King Arthur's magic sword."

Clark and Lois are sitting together listening to the radio and trying to come up with a new story for the Daily Planet when they hear over the radio that a knight in armor was found floating in the north, trapped in a glacier. Clark immediately takes off as Superman when he arrives he realizes that they knight is alive (I know, I was shocked too).

The knight is placed in a cabin on the boat where he quickly breaks out and decides to steal stuff, because what else would a thousand year old man want to do? He is able to break into any vault with his sword. Superman rushes to stop him and is stabbed in the arm and leg by the Black Knight. He is then rushed to the to the hospital. A mob boss sees this on the news and finds the Black Knight, offering him $30,000 to borrow the sword. Superman shows up, is stabbed again and is fine. Well, guess what? As is the norm for these Silver Age stories, the Black Knight is really an elaborate ruse to trap the mob boss. He was played by Perry White and everyone has a good laugh.

"Mrs Superman"

Tagline: Lois and Clark crash land on a volcanic island so, obviously, they get married.

As Lois and Clark are flying back from reporting on a story, a meteor comes crashing down near their helicopter, forcing them to bail out. They land on a volcanic island, where Clark immediately slips away to change into Superman and get help. Turns out he can't. As usual, must be kryptonite. Yup, that meteor crashed into the volcano and is spewing kryptonite dust all over the island, creating a barrier that he cannot escape.

Superman decides there is no way they can ever leave so he reveals his secret to Lois and proposes. He sure gives up easy. She agrees as soon as Superman proves it really is him and some natives marry them. He builds her a house. As she is preparing for the wedding, there is an earthquake and the kryptonite falls so deep into the earth that the barrier disappears. He decides to back out of his proposal (cold feet) and begins to refute all of the proofs he gave to Lois when he proposed, claiming that he was Clark all along, faking Superman's powers with magnets, papier-mache, and a blow torch. He then secretly tosses out a message in a bottle so they will be rescued. Lois is pissed at Clark for lying and trying to trick her into marrying him, but they are rescued, and she pines for Superman even more.

I'll be back next week with more!

Why I Need a New Computer

So, I have been a computer gamer ever since Warcraft II came out in 1995. Since then I have eaten up everything Blizzard has released. Diablo, Starcraft, Diablo 2, Warcraft III, all of the expansions, and even, to my surprise, World of Warcraft. I never thought I would be interested in an MMORPG, but they hooked me for a little over a year. I had to stop when I got me a job, and I have been tempted to go back, but I could never make that kind of time commitment to a game any more.

Anyway, I heard some fantastic news just a couple of minutes ago. They are releasing Diablo III. Now, you may have already heard that Starcraft II is coming as well, so now they have the whole gambit of games on the way. I can't wait! These game made me a gamer and I have all faith in Blizzard to make great games. They have never disappointed me, and I don't expect them to any time soon.

Just check out the sites:
Starcraft II
Diablo III

How exciting! I got chills when I heard the news about both of these! Hoo boy, thanks Blizzard!

Two other reasons for getting a new computer:
Crysis
Spore

Yeah! Awesome! I'm not gonna have any more posts until next week, as I am headed out of town to visit family for Independence Day. I probably won't have a post on Monday either, as I will be getting home late Sunday night. You all have a fantastic 4th! Stay safe and have fun! I'll see you all on Tuesday.

Showcase Presents: Superman Part 3

This is the third of numerous posts on Showcase Presents: Superman. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed the stories.

Now, this won't be like most comic blogs with scanned pictures posted throughout. Mostly because I don't have a scanner, but the stories should speak for themselves, but also because I want to go through the whole book in the next few weeks, and I want non-comics readers to enjoy the kookiness that us comics readers understand from the Silver Age. While I may mock these stories, I am not making anything up, this is all straight from the comics! While I may mock, I love these stories and the character of Superman. This is great stuff! The cover scans are from The Grand Comic Book Database.

Action Comics #243

"The Lady and the Lion." This story starts, as many others seem to, with Superman performing for orphans. Were there hordes of orphans needing performances back in the fifties? It seems a little weird that Superman is always entertaining these kids. Superman then sees a earthquake taking down a temple in the Mediterranean. He rushes to rescue a temple girl and afterwards it turns out that she is the ancestor of Circe, the "legendary sorceress who could turn men into animals." It turns out, however, that she used to change men into animals with a serum, not magic. The fifties were all about the future, and science, none of that magic junk that they put in our funny books today.

Anyway, the girl then offers Superman a "drink of sweet mineral waters" as a reward. Uhhh...Superman? She just told you her ancestors could change men into animals. You silly, silly superhero. Turns out that he was given the famous serum (duh) and Superman must return to marry her or else he will "turn into the creature [he] most resemble[s] by nature!" Superman assumes it will not work on him. And I say it sounds like magic!

Shockingly enough, he turns into a lion the next day. He then feels he has to prove that he really is Superman to Perry and Jimmy and then takes off to get the antidote. Circe left in her space-ship, leaving a note carved into stone taunting him to guess which planet she went to. She also adds a classy "Ha, ha!" to her note. Awesome!

Superman then goes back to The Daily Planet to pout until Lois shows up and is disgusted. They had a date planned to go to a play, and what do they see? Beauty and the Beast, of course! (It's odd to me that Superman won't marry Lois because she could be at risk from criminals out to hurt Superman, yet he goes out on dates with her. Seems a little shady. Why buy the cow when you get the milk for free, right Supes?) Lois feels guity, so she kisses him, hoping it will break the spell as it does in the play. No go.

Off Superman goes to entertain some more orphans (!) where he lets them put their heads in his mouth. Fun! He then helps out a lion in a circus (who is also dressed as Superman), saves a safari by beating up a lion pride in Africa (awesome!), and considers joining a sideshow.

He soon decides to pout in the Fortress of Solitude and realizes the serum used kryptonite, so he assumes Circe was from Krypton. He then decides to do some research in a Kandor library using his microscopic vision. Of course, there is an antidote right there in a book. He makes and takes the antidote and goes to kiss Lois in payment for her kiss before he flies away into the sunset.

Good News Everyone!

The new Futurama movie, The Beast With a Billion Backs came out last week, and it was the only movie we watched this week. And, truly, it's Futurama, so it's the only movie you need to watch. The movie was as good as the show always was. There are tons of inside jokes for those who followed the show (Pazuzu is back!), many secondary characters are back either in larger roles or in cameos and they are all a delight to watch.

This story is all about a rip in the fabric of our heroes' universe, connecting it to another, dangerous universe. Soon, tentacles begin to shoot out of the rip and take over the bodies of every living being in our universe. The Futurama crew must come to the rescue. Hilarity, and a bizarre universe-to-universe relationship ensues.

David Cross was great as a new, bizarre character, Yivo. Brittney Murphy played Fry's new girlfriend, and shockingly, she wasn't terrible as she usually is in most roles. I have to say that the movie wasn't quite as good as Bender's Big Score, and the ending wasn't as satisfying. That's not to say it wasn't good, just not quite as good as the last movie.

I doubt any of the movies will end quite as satisfyingly as the end of the very last episode, where Fry learned to play the Holophoner to show his love for Leela. That episode made me tear up, it was a perfect ending for the show.

But, thank goodness for the movies! I love them and I am so glad that Fox agreed to make more Futurama. I would love to see the show get picked up as a series, but that seems unlikely. There are two more movies coming out, the next in November.

For most everything I review, I put up an Amazon widget, but I am just as happy if you rent it to check it out. In this case, go buy it! I don't care if you go through my site, but buy this movie, and Bender's Big Score. It's the only way Fox will make more!

Happy Friday!

It's Friday and even though I skipped a day I am still running low on material. Work has been crazy lately and what free time I have had has been devoted to a little TV some reading, and helping Mrs Titan study for the GMAT. I even got a little bit of time to play some more GTA IV.

So, I want to talk about something a little different. Not quite pop culture related, but fun nonetheless. I probably eat more fast food than I should. Mrs Titan and I eat out between three and five times a week (counting both lunch and dinner). However, we have one place that is above and beyond our favorite fast food restaurant (maybe favorite restaurant period). Chick-fil-a. Have you been there? There aren't locations everywhere. Only in 37 states. Poor left out 13 states. It started in Atlanta in 1967 and has been spreading north ever since.

Chick-fil-a is the very best fast food restaurant ever. Period. The food is incredibly good. Fresh, warm, tasty everytime. The employees, often high school students (it's fast food duh) are always polite, thoughtful, kind, and fast. Always. I have never been treated poorly. The few times that there has been an error with my order, something as small forgetting to add cheese, all I had to call and a week later I had a hand written apology note with a free meal. Wow! How great is that? The employees are eligible for a $2,000 college scholarship and the company closes on Sundays to allow them to have a day to be with family.

The thing is, the stores are always packed. Even at weird times like 2 in the afternoon there are people lined up to get some fantastic food. The stores are full of happy, smiling kids, adults, and employees. It actually feels good to go there. How many fast food joints can you say that about?

I almost always get the same thing: a regular chicken sandwich with fries and either sweet tea or lemonade. And to top it all off Polynesian sauce for fry dipping. Oh that stuff is good! If you've never had Chick-fil-a, take a trip and get some, it's better than any other chicken place. And, if you have been there before, try the Polynesian sauce for some extra goodness. Alright, I'm hungry now, I'm outta here!

My First TV Memory, A Geek's Tale

Alright, I'm skipping the book post this week as (this should shock no one) I haven't finished another book in the last week. Instead, I'm going to make up for the lack of a real post yesterday and do a TV post.

One of my very first, distinct first memory of TV was when I must have been four years old. I snuck out from my bedroom, hid behind the couch while my parents were watching TV and saw this:

Yes, the giant black goo monster, Armus. I saw him as he sucked Riker in whole. It freaked me out as a four year old! That dude is scary! I immediately scooted my butt straight to bed.

I know I must have seen some other TV before then, but I can't remember any of it nearly as well as I remember that moment. I find that kind of funny, because as much as it scared me Star Trek: The Next Generation is now one of my favorite shows of all time. I have been a Star Trek fan since late in TNG's run and have watched every series since. In middle and high school I would come home every day to watch the syndicated episode on at 4 every afternoon while doing my homework. TNG helped to shape my morals and values and really molded me as a person in many ways. It taught me to value friendship, loyalty, love, discovery, education, science, acceptance, leadership and many other ideals.

The show has always meant a lot to me so I was very excited when I first heard that they were coming to DVD years ago. My mom and I even bought the first few seasons, even though they cost around $120 each! A couple years ago they released the entire series box set, which my folks got me for Christmas! Thanks folks! I have only one problem with the set. It may have the worst packaging of any DVD box set I have ever seen. It can fall apart at a touch and it is hard to get the DVDs out of the box. This is a shame considering how fantastic the series is.

For the most part the show has aged well and is still really enjoyable. I have been watching episodes while working out on my treadmill, and it may be one of the easiest ways to work out. I take pleasure in reliving all the old moments from my childhood and adolescence and getting to experience the new ones (either from episodes I missed or parts they left out when the series went to syndication). I love this show!

As a bonus, everyone should check out Siskoid's blog. He is has been watching and reviewing every episode of all Star Trek series (including the animated series), at one per day. No breaks for him! he started in December of 2006 and is almost through Voyager. Only Enterprise left and then he is done! I've been following along after my workouts and it is fun to see where we agree and disagree. Check it out from the beginning, from the beginning of TNG, or just read it starting now.

Finally, yesterday I read a post on Star Trek on Kevin Church's blog that kinda got me riled up. You can check it out and check out my comments. It was my first time leaving comments on someone else's blog and I hope I was civil about everything. It was kind of a fun discussion and I thought his readers and he were very fun to spar with. They are definitely good people!

Testing Begins

Mrs Titan decided that she wanted to go back to school. That's a good thing. The bad thing: we only have one computer right now. She needs it tonight to study for the big ole GMAT. So, I don't have time to post. I'll try to squeeze in an extra post over the weekend.

The test is on Friday, so everyone wish her luck!

The Professor's Daughter

I'm going to take a break from Showcase Presents: Superman this week to tell you all about a different kind of comic that I read this week.

Back around Christmas time I was looking to try to get Mrs Titan into comics just a little. She's a reader, but hasn't really seen much value in the ole funny books. Valerie over at Occasional Superheroine gave me a few tips and one of the books she recommended was The Professor's Daughter by Joann Sfar and Emmanuel Guibert.

What was Mrs Titan's reaction? "That was weird." Did you like it? "It wasn't bad just weird." I, on the other hand, really enjoyed it. I thought it was a lot of fun. Now, in her defence, it is a French book (conveniently translated, of course) about a Mummy and a young woman who fall in love in Victorian England. So, she kinda has a good reason.

Now, I thought this book was great fun! It has mummy's, poinsoning, pirates, murder, jail break, true love, and Queen Victoria gets kidnapped! There is plenty of humor, action, and beautiful artwork. I actually did laugh out loud a few times, which doesn't happen often for me when reading comics.

This was one of my first "graphic novels" that was more art than superheroes or pop work. I must say that I was pleasently surprised. It was quite different from other things that I have read, but it really did feel like its own short little cute comedy. I only have one small complaint. The book is only 80 pages long, 16 of which are sketches. The list price is $16.95. That works out to 21 cents per page. Now, I was able to get it on Amazon for only $13.00 so it wasn't too bad, but it still seems like a lot of money for a little amount of book. I was able to finish it in one sitting, and I truly enjoyed it. I will be looking for more of these independent and arty books.



I'll be back next week with more Superman! Well, unless I read something else I have to write about.

Movie Mondays Triple Play!

This weekend was a three movie weekend! We watched two at home, Semi-Pro and Tristan and Isolde, and we saw Get Smart in theaters. So, what did I think? And, do you even care? You know you do!

Tristan and Isolde
Another movie for Mrs Titan, gosh, I'm good to her. I was led to understand that this was a romance set in the Dark Ages of England. How romantic! It wasn't quite the romance the wife was hoping for, unfortunately, but it did have some things for guys, and wasn't all that bad. There were beheadings and fighting and warfare and all the fun stuff guys can expect from historic epics. The romance was not as prominent as I was expecting, and there were some fun twists.

There were a couple of small problems that I didn't care for too much. First, I didn't think James Franco was all that good as Tristan. You know I hate to criticise one of my favorite Freaks Daniel Desario, but I just thought that this role did not suit him at all. He does not seen like a Brit and it was hard to believe him in the role. Although, I will admit I was waiting for him to screw up the accent, but he did an admirable job with it. Finally, and this is a personal problem of mine, there were numerous historical errors. I've been trying to ignore these in movies, but they still pull me away from the film every time. All in all, this was a pretty decent film, better than I was expecting.

Lesson: Sometimes a stoner is not the best actor to play a great historic legend.

Semi-Pro
I have loved Will Ferrell since he was first on SNL, so I always look forward to a new Ferrell Flick. Unfortunately, I am not always impressed with his films. Semi-Pro is a different kind of beast. It felt much more like a sports movie than a comedy. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Also, I wouldn't say this isn't a comedy. There were a few times where I did laugh out loud.

Semi-Pro is all about Jackie Moon, the owner/coach/star of the Flint Tropics, a basketball team playing for the failing American Basketball Association. The league is set to merge with the NBA, but only the top four teams in the league can go. Moon is the constant promoter. He doesn't care how his team plays, he just wants them to have fun. However, with the looming merge, he doesn't want the fun to end, so he has to make his team into a powerhouse. Now, as it turns out, the ABA was real and this was almost a real situation (no Flint Tropics and the teams to join the NBA were chosen based on business reasons, duh).

The movie was fun, I thought Will was back to being a slightly more realistic character, with motivations and proclivities that make sense. However, I think I like Will best when he's not realistic, like in Elf, Anchorman, and Talladega Nights. Well, I liked Stranger Than Fiction a lot too, and he was a realistic character in that movie, so maybe there is a fine line for Will and he was just barely over to the unrealistic side with this one. Fun film, but not great.

Lesson: Sometimes it doesn't matter how well you play the game, you still can't win.

Get Smart
We went to see the new remake of Get Smart, the 1965-70 TV show created by Mel Brook and Buck Henry and starring Don Adams and Barbara Feldon. We really wanted to see this movie in theaters for two reasons: Steve Carell and the original Get Smart series. I grew up in the late '80s and '90s, so I was lucky enough to be able to catch the original series on Nick at Night. I loved the show and watched it every time it was on. It was one of my favorites right along side F Troop, Green Acres, and Mr Ed. It'll be no surprise when I tell you that I was very excited when I heard the Steve Carell would be starring in the remake.

The movie was surprisingly good. I know that I said I was excited, but I didn't think it would be as good as it was. Steve Carell is fantastic as Maxwell Smart. He is a great at physical comedy and even better when sparring verbally with those around him. He begins the movie as an analyst for CONTROL until all of the other agents are compromised when he gets promoted to agent. He must work with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) to stop KAOS. There is obvious friction as Agent 99 has experience and Maxwell does not. However, of course, his skills come in handy. The movie is non-stop fun and is full of thrills and comedy.

I was very pleased with the entire film. I loved Alan Arkin, Dwayne Johnson, Masi Oka, and Nate Torrence in their supporting rolls. There was also quite a few great cameos by random comedians and actors that ramped up the fun. My favorite scene was the war room scene. Not surprisingly, there is fighting in the warroom! This was a great film. I love Steve Carell and I am keeping my fingers crossed for a franchise!

Two Lessons: 1) Nobody likes crunchy pudding. 2) You can always win a fight with a kiss.

Some Other Great Blogs

Early on when I first started this blog I wrote about some of my favorite comics blogs, the people that inspired me to start this little bit of internet minutia. Well, today I want to highlight my other favorite places to waste time on the internet. Some of these are comics blogs and some aren't, but all of them are enjoyable and keep me from doing things I should be doing. Check these out!

Comics Make No Sense
Adam Barnett of Comics Make No Sense is one of the most consistent, and consistently funny comics bloggers out there. He has perfected the art of pulling a comic panel out of context and showing how bizarre (and sometimes disturbing) some classic comics can be. He focuses on some of the easy targets like the classics Legion of Super-Heroes and Superboy, but he also gets laughs for some of the more serious fare like Daredevil. It's amazing what some writers thought made for good entertainment, and it was, but it's even better with Mr Barnett pointing out the oddness of it all. Check him out for some easily digestible comics goodness.

Bad Astronomy
Phil Plait makes an effort on his blog to point out the things people screw up about astronomy, or science in general. For the most part I truly enjoy this blog. I love getting a daily science update and Mr Plait is one of the best writers for those without a science background. The one problem I have with him are on his political views. I have no problem with people who believe things differently than I do, I'm pretty sure that's almost everybody. I just have a problem with the way he refers to some people he disagrees with. Calling conservatives, Christians, or those with different values evil and/or stupid will not help get your point across and can turn people away from science. I believe that there is a place for both faith and science in the world and to condemn either is irresponsible and narrow-minded. That being said, Bad Astronomy is a great blog with daily updates about all things astronomical and a lot of fun to read. I hope those with values different from Mr Plait's can still enjoy it because at some point the future of our race could rely on this stuff.

Geekanerd
Geekanerd focus on all things geeky (well, duh). These guys talk about comcis, movies, video games, and other random geek-filled fun. They have a weekly update about geeky events going on in and around NYC, which just makes me want to move to NYC, they do some crazy and unique things there. They also have some great comics reviews and video game fun. My only complaint is that they don't post often enough. They just celebrated their 1-year anniversary and I hope they keep it up. Great fun!

Polite Dissent
Scott of Polite Dissent is a doctor who blogs about comics? How cool is that? It's great to see comics (and pop culture in general, he also has weekly medical reviews of House) from the point of view of a doctor. It is amazing to see how ofter comics writers screw up and how they make mistakes. However, it is even cooler to see how they get things right! Scott also highlights medical cliches (psychic nosebleeds) and other medical quirks in comics. One of my favorite weekly updates is his PSA Mondays, examining comic public service announcements from the Silver Age (did you know a library card will allow you to take books home? It's true!) reading this blog makes me look at the world of pop culture in a new light, and that's a good thing.

Neatorama
Neatorama is like some crazy super-blog. It is not a pop-culture blog, but more of a trivia blog. There are numerous bloggers and the site is updated something like 15 times a day. There is always something neat to check out, like new fun videos, links quizzes and odd stories. Their historical trivia is like something out of Mental Floss Magazine (one of their partners), with humorous and unique bits of trivia mixed in. Recently they had a two part post focusing on the histories of some famous board games. It's good ole-fashioned incredible stuff If you read nothing else on their site, at least check out the board game posts. This is what the internet should be all about!

I have a couple more I might talk about in the future, but we'll see. Have a great weekend everyone and I'll see you next week!

The Thirteenth Tale

This may shock and amaze you all but I actually have another book to talk about today. Seriously! One that I just finished! Are you shocked and amazed? I know! I am too! (Next week I'm screwed btw)

I picked up Diane Setterfield's book, The Thirteenth Tale after reading a glowing review by Orson Scott Card, my favorite author. I figured if I like what he writes then I should like what he reads, right? Well, that little theory didn't work out so well with the last book that he highly recommended, Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (bleh), but that's another story. How did it turn out this time? Let's find out.

In all honesty, for some reason when I picked up this book I thought it was going to be a fantasy. You know, kind of like Tolkien-lite only more literary. I have no idea now why I thought this, but boy, was I wrong. There was no fantasy elements at all in this book, I'm not sure why I thought this, but it was a little jarring at first until I realized I was a moron.

The Thirteenth Tale is all about stories. If you're a reader and you like good stories, you will like this book. It's not just a good story, it's about how stories affect us. How they shape our understanding of ourselves and our history. We aren't complete without our own story.

The books protagonist is Margaret Lea, a young woman who works in her father's book store and has essentially no life outside of it. She has written a couple small biographies of nearly unknown authors, and she only enjoys reading old books like Jane Eyre, books with complete and satisfactory endings. One day, however, she gets a letter from the most famous and popular authors in the world, Vida Winter. Her most famous book, The Thirteen Tales, only contains twelve stories. Guess what the thirteenth is? Mrs Winter wants Margaret to write her biography, as she is dying.

At this point the story jumps back and forth between Mrs Winter's past and Margaret's present, as the elder Mrs Winter tells her story. There are many mysteries in Mrs Winter's past, and even one in Margaret's, and it is riveting following them as they unravel. Each part of Mrs Winter's past builds on the others, and even, at times, parallel Margaret's.

I won't say much more about the plot as to not ruin anything, but I will say that this is not the kind of book I generally expect to enjoy, but I truly did. It is a true page turner, as I always wanted to find out what was going to happen next (or, should I say what happened next?). My one criticism is that some of the coincidences in the past seemed a little too easy, but, nothing was ruined for me. Also, this book had a very satisfying ending, one I think Margaret would have enjoyed. If you love a good mystery, or even if you don't, check this one out!

TV - When There's Nothing On

As we all know, summertime means less scripted shows, which directly translates into less fun shows airing on TV. So, what's an agoraphobic, pasty, TV-lovin' fella to do? Well, this pasty, TV-lovin' fella (too bad I'm not agoraphobic too!) turns to DVDs for his TV fix. Mrs Titan and I turn to numerous TV shows on DVD to get the good stuff. Over the years we have watched Curb Your Enthusiasm, the BBC version of The Office, Extras, Creature Comforts, and Home Movieson DVD, but right now we're on to something different.

3rd Rock from the Sun. This sitcom ran from 1996-2001 on NBC. I can't remember what night it aired on, but I remember truly enjoying this series as I went through high school. I didn't actually see too many episodes after the first season because it was but up against Star trek: Voyager and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That was before I recorded everything, so I just skipped it.

Recently, I realized I could rent the series on Netflix, so I went for it. I thought I would check it out to see if it held up. Mrs Titan and I are currently on the fifth season of the series and are loving it!

"So, Tom," you're asking, "what the heck is this stupid looking show all about?" Well, rude reader, essentially, four aliens come to Earth in the guise of humans to study and learn about what it means to be a human. I know...deep huh?

But wait, it's better than that. The show is hilarious! While at first it seems silly and a little corny, this show is really a quite intelligent comedy. Many of the episodes take something that humans do, like paying taxes, and examines these acts from an outsider's perspective. Not only does this open our eyes to the silly things we do every day, but it also makes for some great comedy.

The aliens, also known as the Solomons, Tommy, Dick, Sally, and Harry are played over-the-top, but by great actors who truly make the parts and the characters work. John Lithgow is amazing. He has two Oscar nominations, four Emmys, a Golden Globe, and two Tony Awards. It is amazing to see this actor with classic theater training hamming it up on a goofy sitcom. He really brings up the level of this show. I understand he is still on stage in a show currently and I would love to see him live and in person. Joseph Gorden-Levitt is also great, and has appeared in a few indie movies since the series ended. I haven't seen any of them yet, but I look forward to them. His abilities really shine through, even on this kind of show. I've seen French Stewart here and there on various shows and he always looks a little funny to me after his career-making turn on this show. His character was never my favorite, but was an integral part of this show. Finally, I haven't really seen Kristen Johnson since 3rd Rock ended, but according to imdb.com she has a couple of movies coming up, so I hope they do well for her.

Also, I have to say, I love Jane Curtain! She is hilarious, and she is as good on this show as any of the aliens. If you like any of her characters on SNL, you will love her on 3rd Rock. Anyway, here's a little something for you, enjoy:

If you haven't experienced this show, check it out. Or, at least rent it! Do it!

Showcase Presents: Superman Part 2

This is the second of numerous posts on Showcase Presents: Superman. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed the stories.

Now, this won't be like most comic blogs with scanned pictures posted throughout. Mostly because I don't have a scanner, but the stories should speak for themselves, but also because I want to go through the whole book in the next few weeks, and I want non-comics readers to enjoy the kookiness that us comics readers understand from the Silver Age. While I may mock these stories, I am not making anything up, this is all straight from the comics! While I may mock, I love these stories and the character of Superman. This is great stuff! The cover scans are from The Grand Comics Database.

Action Comics #242

"The Super-Duel in Space!" This is the first appearance of one of Superman's most powerful enemies, Brainiac. The whole story starts with Clark Kent and Lois Lane blasting off into space ("where the stars shine in daytime!") on a rocket for a newspaper story. As soon as they are up there a flying saucer attacks them. Clark knows he needs to change into Superman to save the rocket, so he pretends that Clark freaks out, puts on a spacesuit and DIVES BACK TO EARTH! No one seems to care that Clark should be dead. Oh the naivete of space in the '50s.

Anyway, it turns out that Brainiac is stealing all of the cities of Earth, shrinking them, and putting them in jars. All so he can repopulate his home planet, who's population was wiped out by a plague. Superman follows Brainiac until he lands on a "planetoid" and then rips apart an asteroid to smash him. Unfortunately, his ultra-force shield protects him.

Superman is finally able to get onto the ship and shrink himself down when he finds a lost city from Krypton! Kandor! He gets the help of his fellow Kryptonians, and re-embiggens the Earth planets. Finally, he is able to re-embiggen himself, leaving the embiggening ray out of juice. So, he is forced to keep Kandor in a bottle in his Fortress of Solitude. Poor Kandorians.

Superman #123

"The Girl of Steel!" Boy, first we get the first appearances of Brainiac and Kandor, and now we get the first appearance of Supergirl! Well...sorta. Let me explain. You see, our good friend Jimmy Olsen gets his hands on a Magic Totem, giving him three wishes. Jimmy, being the lovable kiss-ass that he is, decides to spend his wishes trying to do something nice for his main man Superman.

As these things usually go, the wishes tend to backfire. The first wish, of course, is for Superman to have a female companion with powers equal to Superman's. They become instant companions, working together to save lives, etc, etc. But soon Superman realizes that Supergirl is inexperienced and he is forced to come to the rescue every time she screws up. Soon, Superman calls her out and gives her a lecture, so to prove herself to him, she rescues him from kryptonite. This kills her. Yes, kills her. She's gone, the real Supergirl, who is still alive, I think, shows up much later.

After writing a story about the Magic Totem, which Jimmy publishes in The Daily Planet, thieves break into Jimmy's apartment and then wish for Superman to lose his powers. Poor stupid Jimmy. Superman loses his powers so he and Jimmy must come up with ways to prove he still has his powers. First, they use a giant magnet to deflect bullets shot at him (I saw Mythbusters, this doesn't work). Then, they attach Superman to a glass pole which Jimmy holds to make it look like Superman is flying (since when did Jimmy get super powers?!). They use an acetylene torch as heat vision, massive bellows as super-breath, and an "electronic computer" to quickly solve complex calculations. Finally, the crooks being tricked, Superman steals the Totem back and GIVES IT BACK TO JIMMY. Ah, so that's where Jimmy gets his stupidity.

Finally, Jimmy wishes Superman can go back in time to visit Krypton before it was destroyed. He is a phantom however, and cannot interact with anyone. Superman and Jimmy soon realize at the same time that Jimmy wished for "Superman to mate his parents on Krypton" not meet. Oops. And...ewww. Moving on. Superman's folks are treated as criminals (they were underground secret agents) and are shot into space. Superman flies after them and becomes solid when he leaves Krypton. He then saves them from Kil-lor (best name ever) and convinces Jor-El and Lara to hook up! Great and icky, all at the same time! He is then able to return to the future.

Whew, that was a lot! We'll hit more bizarre Superman stories next week!

Incredible (?) Hulk

Another weekend with only one movie. Have you looked outside in Colorado lately? It's been beautiful! Anyway, we did take some time Saturday morning to go watch the green giant smash the crap out of stuff.

I gotta say, that after Iron Man, I was a little disappointed. I mean, the last Hulk movie wasn't all that great, but after the yummy goodness that was Iron Man, I was expecting more from Marvel Studios with Incredible Hulk. That's not to say that the movie was bad, only that it wasn't as good as Iron Man. It was definitely better than the last Hulk movie though, so that's something.

Ed Norton was good as Bruce Banner, but that's no surprise. The filming locations were pretty amazing. The slums of Rio in Brazil, BC Canada, and NYC all looked great, and I thought it helped to base the series in reality (you know... for a comic book). I also thought that the action set pieces (at least those with the Hulk) were pretty good.

Now for the bad. I was disappointed about how Banner became the Hulk. Boring experimentation? Where's the nuclear blast? It would have been cool to see Rick Jones too. I didn't think there was enough of the Hulk. I would have liked to see him on screen and maybe talking a little more than his two lines.

Spoilers below, unless you have seen the trailers (does that count as spoilers?):

The fights with the Abomination were a little hard to follow because for some reason the director decided to use really tight shots. It seems like two giant monsters fighting on the streets of NYC should be seen in wide shots to truly show how massive the battle was. Too bad. Finally, the Tony Stark scene at the end was short. In fact, you know what you saw in the trailer with Tony? Yeah, that was it, that was the entire scene. And, it was the very last scene in the movie. A little disappointing. Also, why would Tony go to General Ross about the Avengers? Seems like he should have found Bruce. Oh well.

Anyway, the movie wasn't terrible, but it wasn't nearly as good as Iron Man. Next time, more "Hulk Smash" please!

Lesson: No matter how many times you shoot the Hulk, you will not hurt him! Give it up!

What Weekends Are For

Not sure if you all have heard of this, but if you haven't, you need to know about this. Recently, LucasArts has been releasing Lego games based on movie properties. A couple of years ago they released Star Wars, where you could play as little Lego characters through the most recent trilogy. Next they released Lego Star Wars II, which covered the original trilogy. They then put them in one amazing package covering all six movies! The Complete Saga! Well, a little more than a week ago Lego Indiana Jones was released!

All of these games are amazing. They are very well done, with lots of nice animation, humor and action. The games are very fun and well worth playing. I especially enjoy playing with Mrs Titan. The cooperative gameplay is great, with each person having their own unique skills and abilities. We play at least one level a day and we always look forward to it. While these games can look like they are for kids, they are not just for kids. It you want some fun and play a game with someone who might not normally play games, check these out.

Well, guess what was recently annouced? I can't wait!! Keep it up guys!

What is Brainiac? Or, This is Not a Comic Post

This confession will surprise no one, but I love trivia. Mental Floss is my favorite magazine. I soak up odd facts every time I hear then, and I usually spout them out to people if they start talking about something incorrectly. Every time Jeopardy is on, I have to watch it using the TiVo to prove to myself that I can get the questions right. I also have a one-a-day Jeopardy calendar, and every day I write the trivia question up on my whiteboard for people at work to play along. I forgot to write a question up one day, and my coworkers got upset at me! They want their Jeopardy. It's a good place to work.

When I first heard that Ken Jennings, the famous Jeopardy champion had written a book called Brainiac, I was not immediately excited. I mean seriously, isn't this guy doing well enough? He won $3,022,700 on Jeopardy, does he really need to cash in with some lame book about the show? I thought it was kinda sad.

Then I read some reviews. They were pretty glowing, and then I saw the subtitle: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs. I was surprised, I was intrigued. So, on a whim one day at a Barnes and Noble, I decided to pick up a copy. Now, I never really thought of myself as a trivia buff, and after reading this, I know I am not a trivia buff!

Jennings does talk about his Jeopardy experience, which was much more interesting than I expected. He is very humble and self-depreciating, which is a nice surprise after the title of the book. His Jeopardy story is really just in the background in this book, however, as the true story is about his exploration of the trivia world.

He visits the history of trivia, college bowls, pub trivia challenges, AJ Jacobs (oooh, meta), and, my favorite section, a town with a 54-hour, town-wide, radio-broadcast trivia contest. Ooh, Stevens Point, WI sounds like an awesome place! Jennings has an amazing way of writing about the trivia and, more importantly the people behind it. I loved the various stories of these trivia competitions and the people obesessed with them.

Jennings has a very addictive writing style and I didn't want to put the book down. His style reminded me of some of the best investigative journalism, of the likes of Mark Bowden, just a lot more fun and uplifting. If you like trivia, even just a tiny bit, check this book out, I guarantee you will not be disappointed. And, Mr Jennings, if you ever read this, please write another book!