Happy New Years!!

I have been off the grid for the last week. It's a long story, but needless to say, it has left me refreshed and renewed. It is nice to have a moderate disconnect with the world... no cable or internet.

In that time, a number of things have occurred, Gerald Ford passed on, Saddam was hanged, and many other things.

I got the chance to finish another book on blogs... I may be a poorly practicing blogger, but I have become fascinated with the culture behind it and its applications in so many sectors.

I hope you all have a Safe and Happy New Years and prepare to check back more often... I'll be ready for you.

The Spirit Returns...

Before I even began collecting comic books with interest, I was a fan of cartoons and great suer hero stories. I was given a book, by a friend of my grandfather, which on the outside looked like an old faded red cover tome. Probably on a dry and boring topic. Than I cracked open the spine and discovered Jules Feiffer's The Great Comic Book Heroes. Within it's pages was a gathering of the original stories of Batman, Superman, The Green Lantern (Alan Scott), and many more from the Golden Age of comics... including one such classic that wasn't readily known to Mainstream Media as many of the other, The Spirit.

The Spirit told the tale of a mysterious man in a blue suit with a fedora and a spirit gum mask hiding his identity. The story was unique and I read it many times. DC Comics as decided to resurrect The Spirit in a new monthly series.

This week I picked up Issue #1 because I wanted to see how the story would be rewritten and to think back to that time with my red book. This edition which stays true to Will Eisner's rendition, is written by Darwyn Cooke and illustrated by Cooke and J. Bone. Their style rings true to the classic and has touches of animation style seen in The Batman, Legion of Super Heroes, and the Dini's Batman and Superman series. It's really nice to see a simple clean style that still can tell a great story.

I look forward to seeing how the story progresses. Will they be able to maintain the style and still keep the story relevant to today's readers instead of the audience of the original.

I hope that it does well and look forward to hearing the retelling of The Spirit's background.

December and the cold is setting in...

Well I haven't written a post in a while. Who knows what thoughts I lost in the meantime. The one thing I discovered was that there was an organization for people who run every day. They have a really clever web site name... runeveryday.com. Okay, it's not that clever... but as someone who wouldn't even scratch the surface of those who are part of the organization... I know that you don't have to be clever to put one foot in front of the other and repeat every day. Rules for counting your streak as official are running one mile within every 24 hour period. Some documentation will also have to be provided for it to be official... although I have to imagine most streakers keep a running logs like myself.

I am happy to have run 251 days in a row... I have to say the 251st was one of the more difficult, today was the first time that the temperature dipped below 30 degrees F. But, I like the notion of being one of very few people out there. It's the attitude of knowing that you are working harder than the competition. Anyway...

I wish the Running Streak Association had a cool tee shirt or something... I'll wait until I rack up a year of non stop running until I think of joining... until then... Make Mine Marvel.

Runner's World Survey Results

I've been busy lately and haven't had the chance to post in the last couple of days. However, I just got the chance to read Runner's World's 2006 Survey results. (I would link to them if they were online... you'll have to pick up a copy of the December issue to read them in full detail.

I have to say that I am surprised by some of the results. Chariots of Fire is the number one favorite movie, followed by Prefontaine. I'm not shocked by Chariots taking the top spot. It's hard to argue with an Academy Award winning picture. But, Prefontaine? Do people not know about Without Limits, the Prefontaine biopic starring Billy Crudup? I've seen both and have to say that, while it takes some liberties with parts here and there, the racing scenes are much more captivating, using orignal footage from 1972 and Billy plays a much more convincing Rock Star of the 70s, for help check out Almost Famous as well. And I can't forget Donald Sutherland's portrayal of the legendary Bill Bowerman. He manages to convey the man with a hard nosed attitude and yet still show the compassionate side of the man who helped found Nike and mentored many young men into adult in his tenure at the University of Oregon.

Speaking of Nike, I was pleasantly surprised at the results of what Americans wore when running. Asics was the top shoe brand, followed by New Balance, Nike, Brooks, and Saucony. Its refreshing to see that the readers of the magazine are runners who want fit more than flash. Aside from Nike, the other four brands don't run massive campaigns or entice the top runners with multi million dollar sponsorships. They design and produce top quality shoes that meet the needs of the average joe runner and the elite athletes. It ties in to another result: 80% of respondents purchase shoes based on fit.

Again, pick a copy if you are interested in running. The methodology of the survey: Conducted over a 3 month period, worldwide respondents: 10,005, US respondents: 2,975. spilt approx. 51% Female, 49% Male.

Please rent both Prefontaine and Without Limits and tell me which one you think is better...

225 and counting...

So I am very excited to have gone running for 225 days consecutively. It has helped me acheive a certain balance between overzealousness and control. Some days I feel great and want to go 5+ miles and other days I have to restrain myself and do the minumum 2 miles.

What I've learned thus far.

• When you remove the excuses to say No, you acheive greatness.
• Wear comfortable and cushioned shoes. And rotate day to day.
• Not every day is going to feel good during the run, but you'll always feel happier after.

Anyway... I am proud of my accomplishments thus far, and I urge people to find something that they are passionate about, something to be active about, and maybe every day doesn't work for you, and injuries might get in the way, but be healthy and the endorphins will reward you.

Shrugged

In my last post, I finished the last volume of the Age Of Apocalypse on my return flight, had a great roast beef sandwich in Chicago,but that is neither here nor there, and finally retunred to the great city of Boston... I haven't gone back and pulled out my New Age of Apocalypse books to really finish out the set, but I'll get there.

Anyway, I have been reading this fairly new book entitled "Shrugged" by Aspen Comics. Aspen is Michael Turner's solo studio. You might know Michael as an artist and creator of Fathom and Witchblade. As well as is stunning renditions of the famed heroines of comic books (Supergirl, Wonder Woman, and many more..)

"Shrugged" takes the idea of each person having a mini angel and devil on their shoulders, offering advice on what to do and expands the world in which those guiding lights come from and what happens when our world and theirs combine, with some pretty dangerous results.

The book features an artist named Micah Gunnell, who pencils in the new school of style, something I am a big fan of, but you can see a touch of Turner's influence, who has a distinctive style all his own. But that is just my opinion, check out Micah's work on his deviantart page. (I linked to it.)

The story has been good so far, especially when the writers took an old concept and revitalized it with great art and a good plotline. Check it out if you get the chance, otherwise check out some of Turner's work... you'll appreciate it.

Wednesday: Comic Book Day

So I wrote this post at 30,000 feet (I think that is the height at which a plane flies, I never claimed to be an aviations expert) as I was on my way to California for work. NOTE: Confirmed by pilot after landing also of note, it is not sunny here.

Yesterday was one of my favorite day of the week because it is the day that new comics are released. For three reasons I need to go on the day that they come out. I like to be one of the first to read a new issue, I am a creature of habit, and for the small run comics, I don't like to hunt them down, I like to get the last copy!

Because I am travelling, I actually haven't read any of the new releases (mostly because they would get damaged in transit) but I am very happy that the Fourth Volume of The Complete Epic of X-men: Age of the Apocalypse. I have read most of the stories already, and in my collection, I probably own a number of them. But when the event first took place I wasn't as religous in my purchasing. (God bless having discretionary income). I grabbed that, threw it in my bag and preceded to enjoy a great deal of it on my flight. I tear through comics like they are candy on Halloween, but this book is so heavy even I can't finish it in one sitting.

I wish I could link off to something other than the wikipedia article: Age of Apocalypse, not because I have anything against Wikipedia, in fact I think it is a great resource tool. I have spent days researching the backstories of a variety of things. I take everything with a grain of salt, but more often than not, it is because I enjoy the topics that are presented.

I look forward to discussing the new stuff in my next couple posts... especially my favorite artist, Chris Bachalo, who is currently working on the X-Men series, check out his work... I'll bring in more examples.

The State of TAZmania

Welcome to Free Scribbles.

A blog that is part stream of consciousness and part free thoughts on all things of interest to me. Hopefully some of you out there will find what I have to say and the topics I discuss of interest as well. Topics that might be discussed are comic books, cartoons, running, the Patriots, television shows, art, history... the sky is the limit and I don't want to set any restraints. The title of the blog says it all.

A little about myself so that the readers can begin to understand the perspective that my posts are coming from. I am a proud Bostonian and married to a wonderful woman who shares most of my passions and puts up with the rest of my eccentricities. I mean, how many women would put up with a crazy guy who collects comic books and loves to watch cartoons on a Saturday morning?

I work in advertising, specifically in the interactive sector and I am very excited to get up in the morning and go to work. The agency I work for is doing a lot of exciting things and has some very cool projects and clients. The team of creative individuals I interact with are some very talented people who seem to be very passionate about what they do. While I am mentioning this now, anything involving advertising will be posted on my other blog, KP Creative. Free Scribbles is my outlet for all other things.

For my first post, I think that I want to talk about my favorite blog, other than my own! BLOGregard Q. Kazoo. If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend watching Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends on Cartoon Network. It is a highly entertaining and witty show no matter what age you are. It is full of pop culture references, a great soundtrack, and a crazy cast of characters.

The blog of mention is a behind the scenes of creating a show. Craig McCracken and his wife Lauren Faust write about everything that goes into a show, from the outline to the voice work and everything in between. Craig is best known for creating the Powerpuff Girls, a well known cartoon show involving a trio of precocious sisters who save their hometown regularly with their superpowers. Foster's is a unique show as the first ever television show created exclusively with Flash and all about what happens to Imaginary Friends when their creator grows up.

Well, I can't say much more about it now, but give it a chance...