Comics Roundup for 9/8/10

I thought I'd start off today's comics roundup by reminding everybody (myself included) what the point of it all is. I don't aspire to have a formal "comics review" blog, so if that's what you're looking for, you'll be disappointed. For the most part, I write this for myself. Why do I do it? Because I sometimes find that I'll buy certain titles out of habit more than the fact that I'm enjoying them. I've found that by doing this particular exercise, where I have to write a little something about every comic I get, I've been able to focus more on getting the stuff that I'm really anxious to read rather than the stuff that completes a collection. With that said:

The Amazing Spider-Man #641 - Now we know everything that happened in between "One More Day" and "Brand New Day". From where I sit, it all makes as much sense as a story that undoes past stories possibly can. A lot of people really bagged on "One More Day", but I kind of liked it, mainly for the reason that it was the first time in quite a while that I cared about Peter and Mary Jane's relationship. With this particular story, I feel that way again, and we can see that she'll continue to be an important part of his life. Also, their break-up makes some sense, and it would probably have been harder for them to get divorced under the same situation. One thing's for sure, if they ever plan on undoing the undoing of the Spider-marriage, it's not going to be any time soon.

The Amazing Spider-Man #642 - I picked this up in spite of the fact that Paul Azaceta's artwork. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - while he is a good artist, and actually an above-average storyteller, he isn't quite the right fit for Spider-Man. Still, this issue seemed a bit better than what he's done before, and there weren't any shots of Spider-Man that made him look like he was having a hernia. What's better, the story by Mark Waid is really fun, and we get Peter Parker at his Peter Parkeriest, what with his roommate selling all of his clothes off so he can make the rent, leaving him with just an ugly sweater that he has to wear while going on a date on a hot day.

Green Lantern #57 - One thing's clear with this issue and it's that there are many story possibilities left over now that there are several different Lantern corps throughout the universe. Also, there's a lot left to tell now that it's established that each corps has its own entity. This one deal's with "the predator" of the Star Sapphires, and it gets to the issue of why the Star Sapphires would seem so screwy even though they're supposed to represent what's thought of as a more positive emotion - namely, love.

Hellboy: The Storm #3 (of 3) - This wasn't so much a complete story as a prelude to what's promising to be a larger epic tale. Still, there's a bit of a character arc for the titular character, as Hellboy continues to do things his own way. Recently, he discovered that his destiny of being the harbinger of the end of the world wasn't so clear-cut. There was another option. Still, not liking the idea of being manipulated, HB is going for a third option - an option that he hasn't completely figured out yet. Anyway, I think that I say it pretty much every time, but this continues to be a must-read series of miniseries. To think that I've been sticking with this character for fifteen years, and the best stuff is the most recent. I can't wait to see what's next.

The New Avengers #4 - I sure hope that other people think that Stuart Immonen is hands-down one of the best artists currently working on superhero comics today. Every page is fantastic, and he only seems to be getting better and better. Of course, the stories are pretty engaging as well. As I've mentioned before, this was the Avengers book that I was the most skeptical of, but it's quickly becoming one of my favorites.

Batman and Robin #14 - I'm glad that I recently reread every issue of this series, as I actually had some sense of what was going on. Grant Morrison shows us why The Joker will always be Batman's greatest villain, and it's interesting to see how this whole thing is becoming more about him versus Black Hand than the Dick Grayson Batman versus Black Hand. I must also point out that I really dig Frazer Irving's artwork, and I even had a strange dream last night that seemed to mimic his artistic style.

Astro City Special: Silver Agent #2 (of 2) - I think that I need to read this and the first issue back-to-back, as I didn't really remember what had happened in the previous one. That said, I still enjoyed it well enough, and it's good to see that this story was finally told. It certainly was an ambitious little tale, and the character is definitely more than a Captain America-type as I would have figured.

Wolverine #1 - I actually got this one for free, as I took my son, Logan, on his first trip to Flying Colors Comics. The owner, Joe Field, gave this to him, but I asked Logan if it was okay if I borrowed it to read, and he seemed cool with it. Anyway, I liked it enough that I'll probably pick up the next issue. I was especially pleased to see Renato Guedes handling the artwork, as I really enjoyed his work on Superman. Personally, I'm a bit confused by all of the different Wolverine comics that are out right now, and I don't know why the adjectiveless title has been rebooted. Whatever, it was a fun read.

Flip side of the same B.S. coin

I'm about to make a statement that should upset the majority of people in this country:

Global warming deniers and 9/11 "truthers" are equally full of crap. In fact, they're almost identical in their whole style of argument and their standards of evidence that they'd be nearly indistinguishable if they didn't have separate pet issues. In both cases, you've got yourself a narrative that the believer (or non-believer, in the case of global warming) subscribes to and must not deviate from. Also, they both have a face of their enemy (Bush/Cheney for the truthers, Al Gore for the deniers). Lastly, they both cling to talking points that sound like slam-dunk arguments, but if they took the time to read up on anything that's not espousing their predetermined viewpoint, they'd see just how full of crap they are.

I can just imagine a global warming denier reading this and saying, "No way! I'm nothing like those truthers! Those people are crazy!" Of course, the truthers no doubt are cringing at the comparison to them and the climate change deniers. I suppose that there might even be some people who deny both global warming and that Muslim extremists attacked us on 9/11. Those people are doubly mad, I guess.

I don't feel like going over every single argument and every single piece of evidence, but allow me to be at least a bit more specific. With your deniers, they like to pull out the old "They said there'd be global cooling in the 1970s!" This makes them feel good because since we're not living in an ice age, it just goes to show that these climate scientists were wrong once, so they could very well be wrong again. Well, guess what? That whole talking point is disingenuous at best, a complete lie at worst. There was never the scientific consensus over an imminent cool-down like there is over global warming. (And don't get me started on the whole thing about how scientists are supposedly still debating this issue. If you allow anybody with a BS into the argument, then you might have something. As for climatologists, the ones who know what they're talking about, last I read they were 97% on board with us humans causing the current warming trends.)

With your truthers, they like to pull out the whole thing about how engineers are saying that there is no way the plane explosions could have brought down the twin towers. Well, if they did some research, they'd see that there are some engineers who were able to explain it just fine. Also, a truther recently told me that it was remarkable that there weren't any signs of damage from the plane's wing at the Pentagon. You know what I did? I looked it up. Turns out, there was evidence of it.

I should also point out that when it comes to 9/11, you've got a lot of people who know about as much as I do about engineering and physics (which isn't very much) having really strong opinions as to exactly what a plane crash is and what it should do. With climate change, you've got people who don't understand the difference between their local weather and average global temperatures.

I leave you with a couple of sources. The first is a long list of answers to common claims of global warming deniers. Before you comment with a long-since debunked claim about how it's not true, I suggest you consult it. It's currently standing at 120 debunked myths. The second is Wikipedia's article on 9/11 conspiracies. Yeah, I know, Wikipedia is unreliable. Shoot, I told my seniors that they'd get a zero on their essays if they cited it. However, I also told them that Wikipedia is a great starting point for doing some research, and it's in that spirit that I recommend this particular article. What's great is not just its thoroughness, but the number of links to further information and evidence that the truthers will find to be most inconvenient.

I end with a quote from Sherlock Holmes. He said it in the recent movie, but it's also from the excellent short story, "A Scandal in Bohemia". "It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts."

Comics Roundup for 8/25/10

The New Avengers #3 - When it was determined that my son, Logan, would be born on a Wednesday, I thought it would be a fun idea to buy the current issue of his namesake, Wolverine. However, I don't currently read that series, but I do read this one, which features the feral mutant. Since Wolverine is featured prominently on the cover, I skipped whatever Wolverine comic came out. Anyway, the comic itself was a solid issue that perhaps focused more on Iron Fist than Wolverine, but that's okay. I think that I finally see the purpose for this title by this point. Basically, when Bendis took over the franchise with the first New Avengers series, he really changed the way an Avengers book was done. It featured a team of heroes who had a bit more of an edge to them than the traditional Avengers team. It really had its own unique feel to it, with a more informal tone than one would expect from an Avengers book. Well, now that we have The Avengers, we have a more traditional series, but this one allows us to have the "new" style that us fans have embraced. I'm hoping that makes some sense, and I'm sure that it doesn't if you don't read comics. But hey, if you don't read comics, why are you reading this anyway? Is it because you thought it would be another baby-based blog entry?

Secret Avengers #3 - This issue was decent, but I'm starting to have my doubts about Brubaker being able to handle a team book. Basically, we got a lot of Super Soldier, Ant Man, and Nova, and the rest of the team felt a bit superfluous. Still, Brubaker has probably written the vast majority of some of my favorite comics over the past five years, so I'll stick with it and give him the benefit of the doubt. This series still has a lot of potential, and hopefully it will all pan out.

The Amazing Spider-Man #640 - While all the details aren't in, we finally get a hint as to what the new explanation is for Spidey finally getting his identity to be secret yet again. It's nice to see that Tony Stark is going to be part of the big picture, and hopefully the next issue will touch on some of the issues between the characters that I was hoping to see in The Avengers.

Superman: Secret Origin #6 (of 6) - Now that this series has concluded, my thought is that it was perfectly enjoyable, but entirely unnecessary. Personally, I would have rather seen Geoff Johns and Gary Frank continue for another six issues of Action Comics and tell some present-day stories of Superman. Still, it was a solid read, but I don't think that it does the same thing as Man of Steel did years ago...but maybe it wasn't supposed to.

The Avengers #4 - This issue is filled with all kinds of craziness, and any attempt to explain the story would be pointless. Basically, you've got a lot of superheroes, time travel, and alternate realities. You've also got John Romita, Jr. really cutting loose with some giant, cinematic moments. Bendis is doing a good job of juggling all the characters and giving us a more traditional Avengers book albeit with a slightly "new" lineup.

Batman #702 - This fills in the last gap of R.I.P., and once again it's kind of confusing. Still, even at his most confusing, Grant Morrison's writing is always compelling. The guy throws a billion ideas into every issue, and it's just a bit tough to keep up with them sometimes. Anyway, Tony Daniel's taking over the writing again next issue, and Morrison is moving to a new Batman title. Daniel did a decent job on his last writing gig, but I think that I'll just follow Morrison over to the new series. I've got to cut back what with this whole baby thing and all.

Captain America #609 - This issue doesn't do anything special, as it's just another chapter in the current story. However, the story is a really good and compelling one, and this part fits in nicely while moving it along at a decent pace. Baron Zemo hasn't been this interesting since the early issues of Thunderbolts, so it's good to see him again. And again, the Nomad backup story was decent. I doubt that I'd buy it if it was on its own, but I mind the extra buck that each issue runs a little less with it in it.

Echo #24 - Is it just me, or does every issue of this series end very abruptly? Anyway, things are moving along nicely, but I'm thinking that I'm going to have to sit down and reread several issues in a row to get back up to speed as to what's happening.

Lancespawn

At 11:28 PM, Wednesday, August 18, my son Logan Henry Johnson made his entry into the world. Just like MacDuff, he was "from his mother's womb untimely ripped", so if ever that Macbeth guy causes trouble in Scotland again, you can rest assured that he'll be up to the task to bump him off.

We went into the hospital on Tuesday evening, as Kirsti was scheduled to have him induced. His original due date was for a week later, but since Mommy had gestational diabetes, they scheduled him to come a little bit early, as complications can arise if you wait too long. I wasn't too concerned about this, because he'd still be considered full-term, and I've known people who have had their babies up to a month early.

They began the procedure at around 9 o'clock (I may be off a bit there) and Kirsti's pain became so great by about 2 that she asked for the epidural. From there, we waited, waited, and waited. I have to say that my wife handled everything quite stoically. Sure, getting an epidural makes the process easier, but let me put it this way, I sure as heck wouldn't go through what she did just for kicks.

By 9 o'clock the next morning, my father, my in-laws, and my sister-in-law came to the hospital. They were really great and were ready to stick it out for the long haul. It even gave me a chance to get something for breakfast, and sure enough, when I was gone, Kirsti's water had finally broke. We figured that it shouldn't be too long after that point, but we kept waiting until about 10 o'clock at night. Eventually it got to the point where nothing was moving anymore, and the doctor told Kirsti that it was probably time to consider a C-section. By that point, Kirsti was more than eager to get the little guy out of her.

Unfortunately, the family who hung around for so long couldn't be in there for her, as only I was allowed in the operating room. I had to suit up, and I was specifically instructed not to touch anything that was blue. (The sheet that covered up what the doctors were doing was blue.) They also told me not to turn around when I came up to cut the cord, as I informed them that I really didn't want to see my wife all cut open. I did catch a glimpse with the peripheral though, but I did just fine.

I mentioned in a past posting that the word "excitement" just doesn't cover it. That was even more true for that moment. My knees were shaking, and I probably had a mix of about twenty different emotions going on all at once. The nurses asked if I was okay when I pointed out my shaking knees, but I assured them that it was a good thing, and I was extremely alert. Moments before, I felt myself wanting to doze off, but by that point, I felt ready to run a marathon.

When I got a chance, I ran out to the waiting room to inform the family of the good news. I was shaking, crying, smiling, and probably twenty other things. I told one of the nurses that I was "stupid happy". Her reply? "I like that."

So far, I gotta say that I like the guy. He's fairly mellow so far. Check out the video below, and you'll see how well he handled his first bath. He's alert, but he's taking it all in stride, which supposedly isn't the norm. (You can hear the lady getting me ready for a negative reaction that never came.) When he cries, he cries for a reason, and he doesn't seem to fuss all that much just for the sake of it. Last night, we got him to sleep from 10 to 3, and then from 3 to 6:30, which is when I had to get up for work. He's been sleeping a lot today, so I don't know if we'll be so fortunate this time. Good thing it's the weekend though.

The proper protest for the "Ground Zero Mosque"

I've been pretty quiet regarding the whole controversy regarding the "Ground Zero Mosque" until recently. (Why the quotes? Because if you do a bit of reading, that's not exactly a very accurate description for quite a few reasons.) I needed some time to process the whole situation and how I felt about it. On one hand, I didn't really like the idea of it. Yeah, I know, blaming all Muslims for the acts of the violent jihadists isn't really fair. Still, it just left me feeling like it wasn't appropriate.

But then something dawned on me, and that was that it doesn't matter if I feel uneasy about it. I started to consider the whole "Draw Mohammed Day" event, which I took part in. A Muslim student of mine had posted on Facebook that she had joined a group that was trying to get Facebook to shut down the "Draw Mohammed Day" Facebook page. I responded to her by saying that I was against trying to shut the group down, explaining that the price we pay for living in a free society is that sometimes we get offended. She told me that she appreciated my comments, and that was the end of that.

So, how could I feel that Muslims need to just accept that they're going to be offended and then have a different standard when it came to this "mosque" (community center two blocks from ground zero, and two blocks away from an actual mosque that's been there since before the World Trade Center was ever there)? Basically, if you find the mosque there to be offensive, then that's just tough crap. They have every right under the Constitution to build it there, so there's no point in debating it. Even if it was led by a "radical" Imam, I'd say that it's better to have them out in the open than in some secluded place. (I don't buy that the guy is a radical, no matter how many times right-wingers quote him out of context and ignore everything else he's said.)

With all this said, I think I've found a way to have my cake and eat it too. Who's to thank for all this? A Fox News host, Greg Gutfield, of all people. His plan is to build a gay bar next to the community center. Not just that, but he wants to specifically cater to gay Muslims. I don't know how realistic this plan is, but that would just be so brilliant if they could make this happen. Let's not fool ourselves - the Muslim community is even more backward when it comes to recognizing gay rights as the Christians are. Shoot, if you look at the situation world-wide, then they are VERY far behind the Christians when it comes to this issue.

I hope my second cousin doesn't mind me quoting her, but when I posted the article to Facebook, she wrote the following comment: "Is it wrong that this makes me want to laugh? I think it's a great idea....let's also put in a burlesque joint, a Catholic church, a Jewish synagogue, an occult bookstore and a shop selling bondage gear and call it 'Tolerance Plaza'. It would make quite a statement!"

That just might be the most patriotic idea to come out of this whole blown-up controversy. (Although I'd also like to see a comic book store there as well. Not that it offends people, but hey, comics.)

The power of not praying!

True story. A couple of weeks ago I was weed-whacking the hill on the side of my house. As I was starting to finish up, I noticed that there were a lot of yellowjackets flying around. It was a mini swarm of them, even. After looking around a bit, I noticed that I had completely demolished their nest with the weed-whacker. Not only that, but I must have walked over it about five or six times. I walked up within a foot of where they were swarming in and out, but they still showed absolutely no interest in me.

What's going on? Are yellowjackets in Martinez, California a bunch of sissies? I can assure you that's not the case. Later that day, a guy across the street disturbed another nest, and he was running down the street as they all swarmed around him. To what do I owe my good fortune then? It's simple. I don't pray.

The reason why I don't pray is pretty simple. It mostly has to do with the fact that I see it as a one-way conversation. You know, it's like talking to your imaginary friend, only you don't use the word "imaginary" and you insist that you know that friend just as well as you know everybody else, even though you can, you know, take pictures and videos of everybody else. Still, even if I'm wrong and one of the billions of gods that humanity has worshiped at one time or another actually does exist, it's pretty obvious to me that prayers only annoy him/her/it.

I know what you're thinking. "Lance, that's jut a coincidence. You're making the classic post hoc ergo propter hoc logical fallacy. Just because one thing happens after another, that doesn't mean there's a connection!" Well, if that's what you're thinking, then you're an idiot. Besides, I know, deep down in my heart that it was my lack of prayer that made those yellowjackets completely ignore me. After all, they are known for being an aggressive species when agitated. I completely destroyed their nest and then proceeded to walk over it repeatedly! You call this a coincidence? Obviously, a higher power was at work not doing any work here.

Still don't believe me? Well how about this: I do not have any major illnesses. Sure, I had a couple of surgeries as a little kid, but I'm pretty healthy right now. I owe my health to my complete lack of prayers. Also, my wife has had to deal with both high blood pressure and gestational diabetes while pregnant, but all of the ultrasounds and non-stress tests are indicating that he's a normal, healthy baby in there. And guess how many times we've prayed for his health? Not even once between the two of us.

Sure, that's just me, but how about Bill Gates? That guy's insanely rich, and he doesn't pray either! How else could he become so successful unless some god or goddess was pleased with the fact that he wasn't always constantly annoying him or her with his petty problems?

I'll just add something else. I've often heard people tell stories about how prayer rescued them from drugs and/or alcohol. Well, I'm neither a drug user or an alcoholic. Maybe prayer can save you from your addictions, but with not praying, you never even get hooked in the first place!

I know what you skeptics out there will say. You'll probably say some nonsense about how prayer and not prayer seem to have an equal success rate. That's ridiculous. In fact, you need to shut up.

(And yes, I know this comes right after my post on how I'm done with religious criticism. What can I say? I was inspired. It must have something to do with the fact that I didn't pray.)

Atheism's getting boring

I wrote back in March about how I'm basically done with writing about religion. I suppose that's not entirely accurate, as I have touched on some religious issues. However, I probably should have said that I was done critiquing religion and making a case for atheism. I sure wrote about that a lot, which you can see for yourself if you feel like browsing through my first couple of years worth of posts. Every now and then I feel the need to write another entry on the topic, but I start to feel as though I'd be repeating myself, or writing about something that somebody else already covered.

The thing is, I also used to read a lot of blogs on atheism, and I subscribed to a lot of Youtube channels that dealt with the issue. The problem is that I'm starting to get bored with a lot of them. I find myself skipping over all sorts of content that I once would have been sure to spend some time with in the past. Not only that, but I find that a lot of these guys are starting to taper off in what they're producing. It's either that, or I feel as though they're covering the same territory over and over again. For instance, I didn't even bother reading the last "Sunday Sacrilege" from PZ Myers. I mean, do I really need to read about why the concept of the afterlife is bunk...again?

I think that I know the reason why I'm getting bored with it. It's because the theists aren't giving us anything new. The aforementioned PZ Myers pretty much realized the same thing when it comes to the creationists. They're still pulling out the same old, lame-ass arguments about the Second Law of Thermodynamics and a supposed "growing number" of scientists rejecting evolution. Then if you don't have the creationists, you have people who are smarter, but all they manage to do is obfuscate. My fellow member of Alexandria , Ophelia Benson, wrote about a particular case of this just recently.

It's just the same thing from the theists, over and over again. The bottom line is that they just can't come up with a logical reason to believe in a magical being who "exists outside of time and space" and willed the universe into existence. When they make a case for it, they'll either rely on their own ignorance and lack of logical thinking, or they'll make the definition for this "God" so complex to the point where it's meaningless.

Maybe I'm just feeling this way because I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I don't really know any theists who are the type to push their religion on me, so I don't feel too oppressed out here. (I know it's different for some atheists in other parts of the country.) Still, I get this feeling that we atheists and agnostics are going to get to a point where we just can't keep making the same refutations anymore. We're just going to have to create a huge list, and the next time a theist posts or says something that's been a billion times debunked, we can just point them right to it.

It's kind of a shame, because I still enjoy talking about this stuff and thinking about it. I'm just looking for a bit of a challenge that's actually worth the effort.

Oh, and in case you never checked out the Youtube atheists, here are some examples from some of my favorites:

Edward Current:

NonStampCollector:

Pat Condell:

The Thinking Atheist (this particular video might just be my absolute favorite):

ZOMGitsCriss: