Free Comic Book Day 2012 has come and gone, and with it has gone my reservations about Marvel’s Avengers (though I’m still unsure about Schwarma.) As with every FCBD, I expect that there will be a few leftover books when I arrive at work in a few minutes, likely to carry over into next year’s Gatekeeper haul. The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) is short & to the point: What was your favorite FCBD offering for 2012?
Browsing: Question Of The Day
The “heroic duo” is a narrative device that dates back to the earliest forms of storytelling, ranging from the Ur-example of Gilgamesh and Enkidu all the way through the ultimate adventure pals Phineas and Ferb. Even when one of the characters is more of a sidekick (like Doctor Watson, or Chewbacca) two cool things can easily combine into a doubly cool team. The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) allows you to retort: Which pop-culture duo reigns supreme?
Between 1985 and about 1994, it was very important to me that I share my obsessions with other people. Sure, I was just seeking validation, but I still vividly remember the teenage mortification of trying to play a cool Monkees song for someone, but having to skip a terrible pop atrocity or novelty track to get there. I am still quite entertained by fellow card-carrying nerds who can tell you each stat bonus on their character sheet or the complete life history of Batman, but find my enjoyment of Power Rangers/Super Sentai to be somehow déclassé. The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as…
These days, 80% of my conversations are with either confused customer service agents or my eight-year old, and generally, the eight-year old has a higher quality discourse. We were talking tonight about her latest fascination, the 80’s adventure cartoon “Jem,” and how she has a cool pink roadster with her name on it, which stemmed into a discussion of cool superhero’s cars. The Quinjet, the Fantasticar, even the much-maligned Supermobile all had one thing in common: They looked AWESOME, even if they made no sense. The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) is this: What’s the coolest pop-culture mode of transport? …
It was delayed several months, but finally, the collected hardcover of The Art of Amanda Conner has arrived. Stephen thought it was so wonderful, that he ordered TWO copies. And since he is the generous person that he is, he’s giving one lucky Major Spoilerite a chance to take Amanda’s art home. Which brings us to the MS-QOTD, “What character, or property, would you like to see Amanda Conner take over on an ongoing basis, and why?” You’ve got until May 07, 2012 to share your answer, at which point, we’ll pick our best answer to receive the prize. GO!
Regular followers of the podcast will note that Stephen and I occasionally have contradictory views on certain issues. I was thus amused to find us once again disagreeing, but on opposite sides of our usual positions, regarding discussion of a rebooted ‘Back To The Future.’ I find myself thinking that perhaps it IS time for another shot at Marty and Doc’s time-travelling adventures, just in time for the real 2015 to torpedo the vision of the original trilogy and add another layer of complexity to the temporal shenanigans. The MS-QOTD (pronounced “gig-uh-waht”) is as follows: To reboot, or not to…
My Saturdays are always busy but lately my little one has been requesting that we watch on-demand viewings of old favorites such as The Banana Splits, Jem and Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers together. (She seems to prefer the Japanese Rangers, but says she gets tired of reading all the dialogue.) When I told her about the concept of “Saturday Morning Cartoons,” she was confused, and didn’t understand why someone would put all the shows together or why you’d have to wait to see them, and I realized that part of the fun was in the once-a-week frequency of it all.…
This week’s deeply amusing episode of “Spoiled”, combined with a fascinating discussion with Stephen before this week’s MSP, has gotten me thinking about what REALLY makes Bad Movies bad. It’s no secret that I am an enormous fan of Disney’s 1979 sci-fi boondoggle “The Black Hole,” and have been known to argue it to be a superior viewing experience to “Star Wars.” I’m not even talking about a MST3K kind of ‘Fun To Mock’ or ‘So Bad It’s Good’ experience, but instead a genuine attachment to the film’s message and characters, regardless of the accumulation of flaws… The MS-QOTD (short…
Historians say that the first comic book was printed in 1933, re-presenting a collection of newspaper comic strips, making the comic book as we know it nearly 80 years old. As Major Spoilers officially unofficial comic book “historian” (Stephen insists on the air-quotes, so Roy Thomas doesn’t show up and challenge me to a gunfight at the DC Corral), I try to plumb the depth and breadth of those eight decades with my weekly Retro Reviews. Working in a comic store, I seldom lack for inspiration, but sometimes I like to gauge what you, the Faithful Spoilerites, WANT to read…
While formulating today’s Question Of The Day, I asked my daughter (age 8) if there were any unanswered comic book questions that plagued her slightly more than half a dozen years on the planet. She looked at me, squished up her adorable little nose, and threw me for a loop with some high-octane comic query: “Why isn’t Iron Man made of steel?” She then proceeded to explain that steel is much stronger and easier to work with, making Daddy very proud in the process. I was going to explain to her about the half a dozen characters already named Steel…
With the off-season absence of The Walking Dead from my DVR, I’ve found myself hitting my trade paperback shelf to fill a one-handed, ultra-violent void in my weekends… Having reread most of the series in recent weeks, it seems clear that the characters of this series live in a world where our world’s zombie-related fictions can not exist. Watching the first twenty minutes of any George Romero flick would give you a clearer survival plan than Rick (a man who’s pre-shambling-monstrosity job consisted of tactical thinking and crisis control) exhibits in almost one hundred issues. The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always,…
Complications at the RWJ this week, combined with the annual tax season, have started me thinking about questions of the almighty buck. Carl Spackler seemed to have it all figured out, thanks to the Lama and all, but you have to wonder if, f’rinstance, Ric Flair ever regrets his career path or Samuel L. Jackson wants to stop and smell the roses… The MS-QOTD (pronounced “misquoted”) for the day is this: Assuming you couldn’t have both, would you rather be handsomely compensated or achieve total consciousness?
With the extensive reporting from C2E2 ’12, I was almost convinced that I want to go to a comic convention again. Sure, it would only take a few minutes of people bumping into me to change that, but in those first minutes I always enjoy the convention goers, especially those who choose to attend in costume. My particular stature doesn’t lend itself to a lot of non-Bedrock-derived costumes (Herbie Popnecker, Chuck Taine and, if he counts, Harry Knowles are all options, though) but it did start a particular train of thought… The MS-QOTD (pronounced “misquoted”) for today is this: If…
Today is, historically, the end of the Tax Year in the United States, and a day that many people fear and procrastinate about. (Me, I just pay in too much all year and cash it out in February, because I’m too irresponsible for a real savings account.) As for the man with the widow’s peak above, I’m pretty sure that Superman’s lack of a social security number or legal identification (not to mention his public status as an alien) would probably render him immune to United States taxation… Today’s MS-QOTD (pronounced “Throatwobbler Mangrove”) is this: Who is more likely to…