I don't want to be a Negative Ned, but does anyone else sort of feel like we're finally getting that third world war in the hopper?
As if our adventuring overseas wasn't enough to ruin your afternoon, and if the excitement in Lebanon wasn't enough to get you to stall for a minute on the news... well... this can't be good
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Monday, July 24, 2006
Summer of Superman: No Superman 2?
Leaguers, you've failed me. Superman Returns has only raked in $170+ million up to this point. As the movie cost a lot more than that to get made and marketed, it looks like the chances for a sequel are pretty much drawing to a close.
Now, what kind of crazy-assed we world we live in where $170 million isn't enough of a gross to make a profit...? Well, I don't really like to think about that all that much.
What's really upsetting is that X-Men 3, which was, at best, a cookie-cutter action sequel, and at worst... well, let's not get into what I personally felt about the movie, but that movie made something like $230 million.
@#$%ing Brett Ratner, man.
There's no justice.
The American movie going public is a fickle beast, to be sure. I'll never know why Super Returns didn't do better at the box office (ie: why more people didn't want to see Superman in a movie), but I have a suspicion...
Nobody generates bad press like Superman.
I get a lot of e-mails from Loyal Leaguers and beyond any time some pop-culture columnist can't think of anything to write about and decide to jump on the "I am so smart, Superman is no longer relevant" bandwagon. You don't see a lot of articles about why Iron Man or Thor are out of touch with the American zeitgeist. Or a lot of ink spilled over Batman's irrelevancy in our day and age. And with every movie review re: a superhero movie, the reviewers who haven't seen Superman since they were 8 spend a lot of time talking about how Superman is a simple-minded lummox, a boy scout, etc... but Batman and Spider-Man... well, those guys, they're REAL characters.
I think we all sort of killed Superman. At some point we decided Superman was the broadstroke caricature, the two-tone copyright-infringing generic "superhero" popping up in ads for plumbers and carpet millers. He was that silly man-like-object who couldn't be taken seriously while Spider-Man... Spider-Man and Batman both seemed safe. I mean, really, they were just us, right...? And not really... super. We made Kal-El into the alien he'd always tried so hard not to be.
We read the pop culture reviewers rants about how our age had surpassed that of Superman's simple origin (ah, the joy of looking at our forebears and laughing), how Superman is a kid's fantasy, how he's sexually confused, how he's a relic, how he is nothing but the nerd's projection of powerlessness, how he couldn't have sex with Lois without killing her... we analyzed and analyzed until what was left?
Jesus. How well do you really think Wolverine would hold up under such scrutiny?
We've been trained not to trust the character, to believe he's got to be up to something, that nobody could possibly be who he seems to be when he's not one of us.
Superman Returns did receive fairly good reviews. It had amazing special effects and a few stars in the cast. And lets be honest... they marketed the hell out of that movie, maybe too much, but I don't think there was a lot of confusion that Superman Returns was coming out this summer. But that was a media blitz for a movie fighting uphill against a whisper campaign starting sometime back in the mid-80's when the last of the Reeve Superman movies was released to empty theaters.
I'm disappointed, Leaguers. The nay-saying Luthors have won. I don't think I'm getting my second installment.
So if you haven't seen the movie, say you were too busy, and, heck, by the time you DID have time, you thought you would just go see the Pirate movie instead... Or just wait until the DVD... Go check out Superman Returns now, on the big screen while you can.
And if you've already seen it just the once and that was it... Leaguers, go see it again. Heck, go just to see what the little kid has printed on his jammies in the final scene. I noticed it on a second viewing and it was all I could do not to crack up and ruin the mood of the whole theater. Fathers, take your sons.
It's a mighty weight, Leaguers. A weight great enough that even Superman himself can't lift. So put your backs into it.
Leaguers, you've failed me. Superman Returns has only raked in $170+ million up to this point. As the movie cost a lot more than that to get made and marketed, it looks like the chances for a sequel are pretty much drawing to a close.
Now, what kind of crazy-assed we world we live in where $170 million isn't enough of a gross to make a profit...? Well, I don't really like to think about that all that much.
What's really upsetting is that X-Men 3, which was, at best, a cookie-cutter action sequel, and at worst... well, let's not get into what I personally felt about the movie, but that movie made something like $230 million.
@#$%ing Brett Ratner, man.
There's no justice.
The American movie going public is a fickle beast, to be sure. I'll never know why Super Returns didn't do better at the box office (ie: why more people didn't want to see Superman in a movie), but I have a suspicion...
Nobody generates bad press like Superman.
I get a lot of e-mails from Loyal Leaguers and beyond any time some pop-culture columnist can't think of anything to write about and decide to jump on the "I am so smart, Superman is no longer relevant" bandwagon. You don't see a lot of articles about why Iron Man or Thor are out of touch with the American zeitgeist. Or a lot of ink spilled over Batman's irrelevancy in our day and age. And with every movie review re: a superhero movie, the reviewers who haven't seen Superman since they were 8 spend a lot of time talking about how Superman is a simple-minded lummox, a boy scout, etc... but Batman and Spider-Man... well, those guys, they're REAL characters.
I think we all sort of killed Superman. At some point we decided Superman was the broadstroke caricature, the two-tone copyright-infringing generic "superhero" popping up in ads for plumbers and carpet millers. He was that silly man-like-object who couldn't be taken seriously while Spider-Man... Spider-Man and Batman both seemed safe. I mean, really, they were just us, right...? And not really... super. We made Kal-El into the alien he'd always tried so hard not to be.
We read the pop culture reviewers rants about how our age had surpassed that of Superman's simple origin (ah, the joy of looking at our forebears and laughing), how Superman is a kid's fantasy, how he's sexually confused, how he's a relic, how he is nothing but the nerd's projection of powerlessness, how he couldn't have sex with Lois without killing her... we analyzed and analyzed until what was left?
Jesus. How well do you really think Wolverine would hold up under such scrutiny?
We've been trained not to trust the character, to believe he's got to be up to something, that nobody could possibly be who he seems to be when he's not one of us.
Superman Returns did receive fairly good reviews. It had amazing special effects and a few stars in the cast. And lets be honest... they marketed the hell out of that movie, maybe too much, but I don't think there was a lot of confusion that Superman Returns was coming out this summer. But that was a media blitz for a movie fighting uphill against a whisper campaign starting sometime back in the mid-80's when the last of the Reeve Superman movies was released to empty theaters.
I'm disappointed, Leaguers. The nay-saying Luthors have won. I don't think I'm getting my second installment.
So if you haven't seen the movie, say you were too busy, and, heck, by the time you DID have time, you thought you would just go see the Pirate movie instead... Or just wait until the DVD... Go check out Superman Returns now, on the big screen while you can.
And if you've already seen it just the once and that was it... Leaguers, go see it again. Heck, go just to see what the little kid has printed on his jammies in the final scene. I noticed it on a second viewing and it was all I could do not to crack up and ruin the mood of the whole theater. Fathers, take your sons.
It's a mighty weight, Leaguers. A weight great enough that even Superman himself can't lift. So put your backs into it.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
WEEKEND ROUNDUP
Howdy, Leaguers!
It's been a whirlwind of a weekend here at League HQ. I got home Friday night and was immediately put to work. Thursday we'd selected a realtor, so as of Friday we knew that Sunday afternoon we'd have Pat here to take pictures of the house, sign some papers and put the house on the market.
So, I pretty much spent all of my time from Friday evening until about 12:00 today organzing my office, packing action figures and statues and doing a lot of general organizing. Now, a lot of that may seem like Ryan wasn't doing anything else in the rest of the house, and if you thought that, well, you're an observant sort of Leaguer.
Jamie's been on cleaning overdrive since I mentioned picking up stakes. She's gotten some spot help from me, but overall, it's been a one-woman job. She deserves some applause.
We've also had to take steps towards "depersonalizing" the house. So a lot of our personal effects have had to get put away so folks who come in can visiualize themselves in your space. Curiously, Pat the Realtor didn't seem to worry too much about The Fortress. She was mostly concerned kids would walk out with figures or pull them off the shelves. So, I have to pack them away until we sell and move.
Poor little Supermans all put away in the dark.
Jamie is obviously very concerned that Pat the Realtor suggested putting Mel and Lucy in the car and driving off with them every time people come to the house. Mel and Lucy are both sweet dogs, but Lucy believes jumping at you is completely acceptable while Mel will cry and cry if you pull him away from the peoples. Ugh.
Our prep meant my neglected little corner of the world needed a lot of help. However, I did get a chance to hang out in The Fortress and watch 2 discs of my "Adventures of Superman Seasons 3 & 4" collection.
All of that Superman wasn't quite enough, so we decided to go see "Superman Returns" again. Honestly, I think I liked the movie even better the second time around. There's a lot going on in that movie, and the first time I think I was so overwhelmed with the "wow" factor of the film that I missed some of the little things and character bits.
Jim D. also contributed to the high quality Supermanness of the weekend by sending along a box of back-issues he'd picked up for me. Inside were some issues of DC COmics Presents (a Superman team-up book) and issues of "Jimmy Olsen". Yes, Jimmy Olsen used to have his very own title. Yes, that goofy photographer from the movies.
I like Jimmy. I'm a fan. It's a fun idea, this "Superman's Pal" thing. It sounds like a back-up feature, but at one point Jimmy Olsen sold a heck of a lot of comics every month.
Anyhow, it's late. Hope your weekend was super, too.
Howdy, Leaguers!
It's been a whirlwind of a weekend here at League HQ. I got home Friday night and was immediately put to work. Thursday we'd selected a realtor, so as of Friday we knew that Sunday afternoon we'd have Pat here to take pictures of the house, sign some papers and put the house on the market.
So, I pretty much spent all of my time from Friday evening until about 12:00 today organzing my office, packing action figures and statues and doing a lot of general organizing. Now, a lot of that may seem like Ryan wasn't doing anything else in the rest of the house, and if you thought that, well, you're an observant sort of Leaguer.
Jamie's been on cleaning overdrive since I mentioned picking up stakes. She's gotten some spot help from me, but overall, it's been a one-woman job. She deserves some applause.
We've also had to take steps towards "depersonalizing" the house. So a lot of our personal effects have had to get put away so folks who come in can visiualize themselves in your space. Curiously, Pat the Realtor didn't seem to worry too much about The Fortress. She was mostly concerned kids would walk out with figures or pull them off the shelves. So, I have to pack them away until we sell and move.
Poor little Supermans all put away in the dark.
Jamie is obviously very concerned that Pat the Realtor suggested putting Mel and Lucy in the car and driving off with them every time people come to the house. Mel and Lucy are both sweet dogs, but Lucy believes jumping at you is completely acceptable while Mel will cry and cry if you pull him away from the peoples. Ugh.
Our prep meant my neglected little corner of the world needed a lot of help. However, I did get a chance to hang out in The Fortress and watch 2 discs of my "Adventures of Superman Seasons 3 & 4" collection.
All of that Superman wasn't quite enough, so we decided to go see "Superman Returns" again. Honestly, I think I liked the movie even better the second time around. There's a lot going on in that movie, and the first time I think I was so overwhelmed with the "wow" factor of the film that I missed some of the little things and character bits.
Jim D. also contributed to the high quality Supermanness of the weekend by sending along a box of back-issues he'd picked up for me. Inside were some issues of DC COmics Presents (a Superman team-up book) and issues of "Jimmy Olsen". Yes, Jimmy Olsen used to have his very own title. Yes, that goofy photographer from the movies.
I like Jimmy. I'm a fan. It's a fun idea, this "Superman's Pal" thing. It sounds like a back-up feature, but at one point Jimmy Olsen sold a heck of a lot of comics every month.
Anyhow, it's late. Hope your weekend was super, too.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Thursday, July 20, 2006
I am a packrat.
I have a hard time throwing things away. I have a great time accumulating baubles and hoo-hahs.
When it comes to moving, this is not a welcome trait. When you move, you pay by an estimate of the weight the truck will carry. I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 25-30 long boxes of comics. According to comicpriceguide.com, I have somewhere near 5,200 comics. This doesn't include my graphic novel collection. Or action figures. Or signed Noel Neill photos. Or Superman and Batman related videos. And my super cool statues, props, etc...
A lot of people are surprised we aren't planning to move into a rental place until we find a house. "Put it in storage" they keep telling me.
No.
It's not that I can't bear to think of my comics living in Public Storage for a year or two. Rather, I'm much more concerned that if we rented, then bought a place and moved again, it would mean I would have to move all of this junk twice. That's a lot of heavy lifting without the help of the surly moving guys who we plan to hire.
Why surly? I have learned in my moves that the moving guys will hate me for moving what is essentially boxes and boxes of paper. Paper is heavy, Leaguers. Maybe not "box of lead" heavy, but it's almost water heavy. There's few things that runs a chill up my spine more than the look of desperation rolling over the face of the movers when they see my comics.
"Is that all books?"
"Comics."
"Comic... books?"
"Uhmmm... yes."
As much as they don't want to have to lift all that weight, I don't want for them to manhandle those boxes of precious, precious comics. Or my toys. Or, you know, my amazing statues.
Such is the fate of the mover who takes on our house. Sure, we're not exactly moving the Library at Alexandria, but I guess most people don't intentionally keep crates of paper around. Or books.
Dear Mr. Mover,
Please love my comics, too.
We met with our final realtor last night. The bottom line is that we should have sold last Spring if we wanted to make the big bucks. Now it's going to be a game of figuring out how to still make money, but price the house low enough that it can move faster than the other houses in our neighborhood. (our neighborhood has a total of 6 models, I believe, with 2 or 3 around our same square footage). So if we were to undercut everybody else, we might move our house a lot faster. I feel okay about that as I think all we're doing is beating everyone else already on the market to an inevitable sales point. On the other hand, we might also drive down the price of every house in our neighborhood.
Well, maybe they should have thought of that before they didn't talk to us for the past four years. Screw you, neighbors!
I just want to sell and go. Is that so wrong?
My boss posted my position yesterday. I was curious as to how the job would read, and while I would have flip-flopped the order of the responsibilities listed, I thought they came up with a surprisingly accurate description of what I do. Sort of. They didn't include the "Shadow Puppet Theatre" I like to do when the projector is turned on in the conference room.
The description also does not include that in April I was named the Assistant Fire Chief for my office. No, really. If our Admin Assistant is somehow unable to perform her Fire Chief duties, I am next on tap to usher my co-workers out of the building. Who shall convince the Director to get off the phone when the alarm goes off if not I? Because that happened back in February during an actual fire. Guy wouldn't get off the phone and there were flames in the elevator shaft. That, Leaguers, is dedication.
Jim D. has suggested I write a novel or meoir or something regarding the move. I have mixed feelings on this as I sincerely hope that nothing exciting enough to warrant a novel will happen during my move. Is it too much to hope for a smooth transition?
I have a hard time throwing things away. I have a great time accumulating baubles and hoo-hahs.
When it comes to moving, this is not a welcome trait. When you move, you pay by an estimate of the weight the truck will carry. I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 25-30 long boxes of comics. According to comicpriceguide.com, I have somewhere near 5,200 comics. This doesn't include my graphic novel collection. Or action figures. Or signed Noel Neill photos. Or Superman and Batman related videos. And my super cool statues, props, etc...
A lot of people are surprised we aren't planning to move into a rental place until we find a house. "Put it in storage" they keep telling me.
No.
It's not that I can't bear to think of my comics living in Public Storage for a year or two. Rather, I'm much more concerned that if we rented, then bought a place and moved again, it would mean I would have to move all of this junk twice. That's a lot of heavy lifting without the help of the surly moving guys who we plan to hire.
Why surly? I have learned in my moves that the moving guys will hate me for moving what is essentially boxes and boxes of paper. Paper is heavy, Leaguers. Maybe not "box of lead" heavy, but it's almost water heavy. There's few things that runs a chill up my spine more than the look of desperation rolling over the face of the movers when they see my comics.
"Is that all books?"
"Comics."
"Comic... books?"
"Uhmmm... yes."
As much as they don't want to have to lift all that weight, I don't want for them to manhandle those boxes of precious, precious comics. Or my toys. Or, you know, my amazing statues.
Such is the fate of the mover who takes on our house. Sure, we're not exactly moving the Library at Alexandria, but I guess most people don't intentionally keep crates of paper around. Or books.
Dear Mr. Mover,
Please love my comics, too.
We met with our final realtor last night. The bottom line is that we should have sold last Spring if we wanted to make the big bucks. Now it's going to be a game of figuring out how to still make money, but price the house low enough that it can move faster than the other houses in our neighborhood. (our neighborhood has a total of 6 models, I believe, with 2 or 3 around our same square footage). So if we were to undercut everybody else, we might move our house a lot faster. I feel okay about that as I think all we're doing is beating everyone else already on the market to an inevitable sales point. On the other hand, we might also drive down the price of every house in our neighborhood.
Well, maybe they should have thought of that before they didn't talk to us for the past four years. Screw you, neighbors!
I just want to sell and go. Is that so wrong?
My boss posted my position yesterday. I was curious as to how the job would read, and while I would have flip-flopped the order of the responsibilities listed, I thought they came up with a surprisingly accurate description of what I do. Sort of. They didn't include the "Shadow Puppet Theatre" I like to do when the projector is turned on in the conference room.
The description also does not include that in April I was named the Assistant Fire Chief for my office. No, really. If our Admin Assistant is somehow unable to perform her Fire Chief duties, I am next on tap to usher my co-workers out of the building. Who shall convince the Director to get off the phone when the alarm goes off if not I? Because that happened back in February during an actual fire. Guy wouldn't get off the phone and there were flames in the elevator shaft. That, Leaguers, is dedication.
Jim D. has suggested I write a novel or meoir or something regarding the move. I have mixed feelings on this as I sincerely hope that nothing exciting enough to warrant a novel will happen during my move. Is it too much to hope for a smooth transition?
Hey, your lifestyle isn't as fabulous as it should be. No, seriously, trust me. It's not.
But you, yes, YOU can live la vida loca every day with items from the League of Melbotis Store!
Here's Loyal Leaguer Nathan Cone sporting his LoM threads and sipping his usual morning mix of wood grain alcohol and 409 from a niftier-than-all-heck LoM coffee mug.
See, Nathan's life is now way, way better.
So head on down to the LoM shop to see all the neat stuff you can get. it's not just League approved, it's League produced.
Shop Now!!!
But you, yes, YOU can live la vida loca every day with items from the League of Melbotis Store!
Here's Loyal Leaguer Nathan Cone sporting his LoM threads and sipping his usual morning mix of wood grain alcohol and 409 from a niftier-than-all-heck LoM coffee mug.
See, Nathan's life is now way, way better.
So head on down to the LoM shop to see all the neat stuff you can get. it's not just League approved, it's League produced.
Shop Now!!!
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