Finally got my nerd street cred...!

For a while now I've been bemoaning my lack of nerd t-shirts.  I'm alway too self-conscious to wear one in public.  ('Cause, you know, it might start a conversation with someone, and then I'd actually have to talk to a human being.  GASP.)  So, I never could justify spending the twenty-plus dollars on one.

That is, until, I got a little e-mail in my inbox saying I had WON a t-shirt.  Like, for FREE.  Not only that, but the t-shirt of MY CHOICE!

This is all because I placed an order for a Martian Manhunter magnet at Superherostuff.com (thank you, obsession with all things J'onn J'onzz), and I was automatically entered in their Labor Day drawing, and they picked me!!!  I never have that much luck with drawings, but with comic stuff I'm doing pretty well.  Last fall I won a Black Lantern Ring, and now this.

So which t-shirt did I pick?  This one!

I was almost going to get the Alex Ross Martian Manhunter one, but I'm not really a fan of t-shirts that aren't fitted because it looks like I'm wearing a tent.  There was a women's Green Lantern symbol one, but the phrase "I'm a night person" couldn't describe me more perfectly and tipped the scales for me.

So, hooray for free stuff!!

Fashion Friday: Wonder Woman Photo Manip by "Fan Art Exhibit"

Since I'm kind of run down, I'll just post some pretty pictures.

Do you like this version of Wonder Woman's costume?  I found it online looking for, ironically, some Smallville Hawkgirl photos in anticipation of the upcoming episode.  (The artist has done his own version of Hawkgirl as well.)  They are photo manipulations by Fan Art Exhibit.

I kinda like it.  I'm not too sold on the sandals.  But I wouldn't mind seeing this on the Silver Screen, if ever a Wonder Woman live action movie is made.  The bodice and eagle chestpiece look nice, and I like the blue leather skirt with the Greek pattern (look closely) and the studs.

Here it is in action:

Wonder Woman, on her way to do some spear fishing.

There's a really awesome one here, and a close up here, but it doesn't look like the author wanted them reposted, so I'm only providing a link.  But go check them out!  And take a look at the Huntress and Hawkgirl while your'e there, too!

The bitter, sweet taste of jealousy and disappointment.

I think there's only three jobs in America where you can either be wrong 70% of the time, fail to show up to work, or take months to hand your current project in and STILL keep your job: weatherman, government office worker, and comic book creator.  I really wish I had one of those three jobs, becuase I'd love to point at maps and make up stories about cold fronts, and play board games for a living.  Writing or drawing comic books wouldn't be too shabby, either.

Look at the classic Adam Strange stripiness!!  Look at all the ray guns!!  Behold, the work of Jesus Saiz!

I've been waiting for The Brave and the Bold #36 since MAY, which meant it was due to be released in August, then mysteriously was running late and was due the first week in September, then was bumped to the week of September 29th, and now has been changed yet again to to "Running Late From Publisher."  With each passing week I've said to myself how awesome a classic Adam Strange book is going to be, with each login to my Heavy Ink account I counted the weeks until my share of Adam Strange awesomeness would be in my mailbox, and now, once again, I fall into the bitter cold depths of comics disappointment.

*sigh*

Pop quiz for the weekend!

Who is J'onn J'onzz to you?  Not speaking theoretically or ideally, but if you had to pick an incarnation that actually existed in print?  (There's a poll in the sidebar...make a selection!  You can pick more than one, too!)

a.) Goofy Silver Age attracts-all-weird-things alien detective.

b.) Hard-working, wistful, filled-with-awe Silver Age detective.

c.) Sardonic father figure to a clutch of juvenile superheroes.

d.) Uncorruptible noir detective with a limited powerset and vague, yet haunting, past.

e.) Naive do-gooder making the most of the hand he was dealt.

f.) Ticking time bomb waiting to unleash the fury of an ancient planet.

g.) Outsider distancing himself from humanity and embracing his alien side.

h.) Peaceful, stoic warrior, with no outside pursuits and who lives only to serve the League.

i.) Friend and protector of all squirrels everywhere.

(You know you want to pick this one!)

If I got stranded on a desert island that didn't have a comic shop...?

Aaron at Continued on Second Page Following offered up one of his desert island comic picks.  So of course that got me thinking about mine!

Did anyone ever see Lost, where one of the survivors finds a comic book in the plane after it crashes?  The unnamed comic book has a polar bear in it and people pushing a world-ending (or saving) button on a computer and it's in Spanish.  I didn't read comics when I first watched Lost, so I thought they made it up for the show.  Had I known then what I know now, I would've recognized Alan Scott and Jay Garrick, would've known that comics get translated into other languages, and wouldn't have thought polar bears in a comic book seemed weird.  (It was a real comic: Green Lantern/Flash: Faster Friends.)

Well, that comic wouldn't be my desert island pick as much as I like the Green Lantern mythos.  I don't think I could pick ONE comic as my desert island pick.  But I think I can narrow it down to a few:

Any trade paperback of Justice League International.  If I were stranded with no hope of rescue I'd want a laugh, you know?

Martian Manhunter: American Secrets.  Not only is it noir, not only does it feature my favorite hero, but it's a period piece with such a distinct tone and setting that it's so easy for me to escape into and make me forget my current surroundings.  It is quite possibly my favorite graphic novel, period.  And when the island polar bears and smoke monsters are wreaking havoc, I'd want to feel as far away from that as possible.

I stole this pick from your blog, Frank!

Adam Strange Archives, any volume.  With no hope of rescue, I'd like some upbeat escapist science fiction stories to keep me company.  Besides, it would help foster the dream that maybe a Zeta Beam could manifest itself and transport me away from all my island troubles.  Not only that the art is beautiful and colorful, and there's tigers with horns on their heads and giant city-destroying magnifying lenses.  Need I say more?

Oh, and I'd need a soundtrack to go with all those comics.  Elton John's Greatest Hits, anyone?  What, no one?  Well, I guess that's why they call it the blues.

Do We Feel This Way About Comics Now?

I recently was pleasantly surprised at work when a student let me read her essay detailing how Batman, being a superhero without powers, inspired her to choose a career in nursing that would let her help others and be a hero to them.  I was pretty moved by reading it, because not only is it inspiring to hear about the dreams of youth, but the fact that a fictional character could have a profound influence on someone makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

And my second thought was this: are adults similarly inspired by comics today?

In today's world, I think not.  Fifty years ago?  You be the judge:

Justice League of America #15, 1962

Could you honestly see anyone over the age of ten writing a letter like this to DC?  This guy is talking about hope, faith, justice, a belief that humanity can improve itself.  Now all I see when I look at the world is snark, cynicism, and complacency.

There was an exhibit of comics books at the Yale Law Library highlighting superheroes in court, lawyers, and the law, in which one of the lawyers interviewed stated that comic books inspired him to become a defense attorney (whose specialty is defending spies, to boot.)

What are modern comics inspiring us to become?  What do superheroes fight against and what do they stand for, if anything?  I don't know if any hero believes in anything besides "stop the bad guy."  Have superheroes ever fought any domestic evils like corruption, organized crime, or just your run-of-the-mill mugger in recent years?  To me, it seems that these crimes are too small for big-time superheroes to be bothered with.  I'm not suggesting another "Hard Traveling Heroes," but a simple change in perspective once in a while to show how regular people are inspired (or not) by their hometown heroes.

And where have all of comics' supporting characters gone?  The lawyers?  The cops?  The city mayors?  The regular citizens who looked up in the sky or out beyond the stars for their heroes?  Why must cops become costumed vigilantes to become "heroes?"  (Or become the Spirit of Vengeance for that matter.)  Renee Montoya was as heroic as any superhero when she was "just" a detective.  And in addition to that, Clark Kent did some heroic things while he was Clark Kent, and so did Bruce Wayne.

I want to believe in something again, DC.