Real Online Hunting!?!

I heard about this story on the radio during my morning commute and before the work day really starts, I had to write something... WHAT!?!

Sure, there are ways to isolate yourself, in fact hunting can be considered one of those ways. Hike to a remote landscape, set yourself up in a tree and track a deer. But now the internet allows you to sit in your pajamas with a cup of coffee, track a deer a thousand miles away, and make a kill.

First, I am not a hunter, not interested, but not against it, provided that the hunter actually uses the animal to the fullest extent. I don't believe that you should hunt a deer just to get the ten point antler to hang on your wall. But that's my perogative.

Who are these lazy hunters who don't even want to do it right but rather sit at home? It seems to me that as we evolve technologically that the simpler things in life will become digitized and we will lose the qualities we had less than 10 years ago. People don't even go outside to ride a bike or run, we can watch TV while running in place, we can play poker and never see the face of the man/woman we are betting against, you want to call his bluff? He's sitting there laughing his ass off, his hand shaking slightly on his mouse as he anticipates getting caught or winning the pot. But you'd never know cause his avatar sits there unwavering.

It's a great world and maybe I am against hunting as it evidently is wasting the lives of nature and man... Thankfully legislation might force the people to go outside and get some fresh air.

Pysch: The Television Show

USA Network debuted the second season of Psych on Friday, January 19th. While I didn't watch it then, thanks to the gloriousness that is DVR, I still got to see it! and I had the ability to fast forward through the commercials. (Nothing like watching an hour show in 42 minutes)

I didn't really start watching the show until the first season was almost over... but had been anticipating the return ever since they closed the last episode by telling the female Police Chief that she shouldn't come back to work until January, as she had just delivered a baby. A very clever line, you have to see it for yourself.

The first episode didn't disappoint either. Guest starring Kurtwood Smith as a man suffering from early onset Alzheimer, Sean and Gus need to help him solve a murder that ties back twenty years. First, if you don't know who Kurtwood Smith is, I suggest checking him out as Red Forman in "That 70's Show" where he played the strict father of Eric, but not without his funny moments... a brownie eating session comes to mind.

But, as many of my posts are about, this time I urge you to watch the show because of the writing and the talented performances of the two leads, James Roday and Dule Hill. The two act as great contrast to one another. James playing the slick and bold Sean, and Dule playing the timid but rational Gus, and how a man pretending to be a psychic can get away with it.

The writing is both witty and clever, and while the premise seems far fetched it delivers in a funny and ultimately fitting way. While the CSIs and Cold Cases are solely dramas that make leaps of logic that baffle the viewer, they still take themselves seriously. Psych pokes fun at the others and itself by making leaps of logic in a strikingly bright and funny way.

I look forward to this season and anticipate that the stories and characters develop. I hope that the writers are up to the task, because if this show loses its fresh and interesting perspective it will lose its viewers... and that would be a shame. While Numbers is in repeats, Psych will be taking viewers, but it will be interesting to see who will win the smart "outside the box" crime shows will match up.

Once again, I thank the geniuses who came up with DVR so I can still watch both.

Superman: Emperor Joker

The trade paperback of the entire Emperor Joker storyline by DC Comics, was released this week and featured some of my favorite covers and my first exposure to the artist Ed McGuiness. Ed is a talented artist who really caught my eye pencilling the Superman/Batman series and Majestic. I would call his style very chiselled and a hybrid between a very cartoon style combined with classic big hero look. His work can be seen in the Thundercats mini as well as many other series. He has signed an exclusive contract with Marvel in May 2006, shifting away from DC, where much of his most notable work has been. His first work was a variant cover for Civil War #3.

Emperor Joker has taken control of the world and "written" in his own way. Rewriting history and the way the world thinks. It has become a completely irrational, much like the psycho genius of the title. It is up to Superman to make things right...

The story was most notably collaborated on by Jeph Loeb, who has produced a prodigious amount of work in comics, tv, and movies as well as Joe Kelly, a favorite partner of Chris Bachalo and his production company, Man of Action.

You've seen Jeph's work everywhere... He has written and produced on Smallville, Lost, and most recently Heroes. (I Love all Three!!) For DC he had two banner years, succesfully writing the Batman: Hush in 2003 and the Superman/Batman series, where he spun-off Supergirl into her own hit series (Who doesn't love Supergirl?)

Joe Kelly has written some of my favorite comic books, although not necessarily critically acclaimed. M. Rex was cancelled after 2 issues. Steampunk, however, was one of my favorite stories, telling the tale of a displaced man with a blast furnace in his chest in a altered Victorian Age. But his most contemporary hit is with Man of Action, with the telvevision series, Ben 10.

Ben 10 is a show about Ben Tennyson and his cousin, Gwen, and grandpa, Max, and his alien watch and the adventures that ensue. The watch allows him to transform into ten alien forms with all their respective powers as he fights threats both terrestrial and beyond.
(SPOILER: He has gained the power to transform into more than ten alien forms, the watch is called the Omnitrix)

The show really progresses well and each of the characters has evolved throughout the show while keeping each half hour episode accessible to first time viewers. In fact, shortly after its debut it was renewed for two more season as it was one of the most popular shows on the Cartoon Network. If you are a fan of comic books and Joe Kelly, Duncan Rouleau, Steven T. Seagle, or Joe Casey, I highly recommend taking a peak, no matter what age you are.

So while I started this post with a graphic novel I picked up, as I typed, I really delved intothe creators and their other works. All of which have left me very satisfied... I can't to go back and read some of them now!

Note: Thank goodness Wikipedia exists, it's a great resource of information for all things, especially for this range of topics. also, just discovered that they redid the Man of Action site, looking forward to catching up!

Personal Discovery... Long delayed.

I was traveling for work a couple weeks ago, before Christmas, and started to work on an entry while flying, but never got the chance to publish. I would like to continue on with those thoughts...

...I find that airplanes have really become a bit of a staging point for thoughts. A time where I can’t do all the other things I need to do, so I have the time to jot down thoughts.

I was updating my daily running log and started to go deeper than I usually do and now that I have an outlet to really stretch my writing “chops” I want to expand upon what I was hitting on in my log.

I began with the normal notes that I make, temperature, weather, time of day, distance and time of run. As I was elaborating, describing how I felt during, I started to think about the fact that it was so cold outside and way to early to be running. Then the comments that others have made began to come from the back to the front of my brain.

I have been identified as a “running freak” and people have cheered and jeered at me for running every day. While some people make comments because it is not their lifestyle, others because they are envious, the whole thing comes down to one question: How do I define myself?

Sure, people’s perception of me certainly adds flavor, but the reality is, I am my own person and I have to accept the decisions that I make, good or bad. Yes, I am a runner. But I am also an advertiser, a designer, and many other things. But it really struck me today. My most prominent identifier to the many people that I interact with on a daily basis is, I am a runner. I may have taken it to a level that people can’t comprehend or think is obsessive, but I don’t feel that is the case, I have become very in tune with my body and have to practice moderation.

But the reality of the situation is, I like it. I am at my very core, a runner. Whether I be running from something, running to something, or taking a break from my day. Even I don’t have the answer. It all revolves around my run. I can’t complete a day without “suiting up” to quote Barney from How I Met Your Mother Granted it does not involve me putting on a suit and tie but rather lacing up my New Balances and hitting the roads. I have scheduled it my work calendar. My colleagues know that come lunch time, I will be gone and off the radar. On those rare chances where I can’t go at lunch, sure enough I probably disappear for a half hour, returning, hair wet and occasionally still sweating. (I do take a shower)

Last Friday, I made a mistake, and it was what I would consider a large one. I was eased by many claiming that it wasn’t a huge one. But even if that was the case, I will not make the same one twice. And while their kind words did help. It wasn’t until I “suited up” and pushed my body to its limit that I was able to see past the mistake. I took a long lunch, and while some might use the opportunity to chat with a friend, have a coffee, whatever a stress reliever is to some. I opted to run 11 miles, which I don’t often do, in fact, I hadn’t run over 7 miles in a year’s time.

And as I kept going and going, I pushed past the anger I had for myself. That feeling of guilt and upsetness and the nauseating tightening of the stomach. The r...

...un cleansed me of all energy, because after a while there is only one thing you can do. Put one foot in front of the other until you make it home. And I still had the day to finish. But I persevered as one could tell, since I am tackling this much later in time.

But letting these thoughts sit for a small amount of time has given me greater clarity. People choose the identifiers for each other based on what they are not. By that I mean that where I work, everyone is a advertiser and everyone is a designer, but not everyone is a runner. Yes, there are some cyclists and people who go to the gym and runners throughout. But they are not the one who see me as a "runner" they see me as a "fellow runner" But my goal of going running everyday has drawn attention to myself... hey who doesn't like attention. And I am torn by the notion of one day my streak will end and I can't say that I have run XXX days in a row... and the fact that it is a difficult thing to do, pushing the body everyday without complete rest.

I salute all who have exercised everyday for however many years, never missing a day. And I urge you all to find something that you love and benefits you and try to do it every day...

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...