I hate Mondays.

Here's some quick comic comments to pass the time at work.

Adam Strange #3 (of 8) - this is just a fun sci-fi action comic. The art is amazing.

Amazing Fantasy #6 - this was just bad. I was disappointed.

Amazing Spider-Man #514 - there's a lot of controversy surrounding this, and I've the mind that change is good. Change is always good. It's what makes good stories, and what makes old stories better.

The Authority: Revolution #2 (of 12) - I've never read an Authority story before this. I picked it up because Ed Brubaker was writing it. It's good. It makes me want to go pack and get the rest of the series and spend more money that I don't have.

Batgirl #58 and Batman #634 - this is what I mean by change. War Games has completely destroyed what the Bat-books have been about for the past couple of years, but it's for the better. Nightwing is out of commission. Batman is all alone. And Robin and Batgirl have been sent to Bludhaven. It's awesome.

Daredevil #67 - this is always good. I've never read an issue of Daredevil I didn't like, especially with Bendis writing it. I'm sad he's leaving eventually, but it's not for another year. Maleev is also a freakin' genius with this book.

The Flash #216 - Geoff Johns's last part to the Identity Crisis tie-in. It's good stuff. I'm very much looking forward to Rogue Wars

Green Lantern: Rebirth #2 (of 6) - awesome stuff. Not much else to say, except reiterate my desire for them not to kill Kyle.

Invincible #17 - this is always good. I want them to get back to main storyline, though.

Marvel Team-Up #2 - this is going to be a cool series. I like how it seems it's going to have an overall story, even though the main characters change every couple of issues.

Powerless #6 (of 6) - the end of this really nice miniseries. Not much else to say. It's good stuff. Buy the trade.

Powers #6 - this is another book that's always good. Again, change is what makes good stories.

Sleeper: Season Two #6 (of 12) - this is sometimes hard to follow, but it's always worth the time it takes to read it.

Supreme Power #13 - good stuff here, although it seems to be falling into a bit of a formula. I think when the event happens that we all know is going to happen, it'll get better. But getting there is half to fun.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #13 - more good stuff. Warren Ellis is just cool.

I still have another hour of work.

Ah. I love having days off. Even with papers to write, it's still good to sleep in until 10:00 or later.

I got Buffy season seven on DVD for $20 at Target on Friday. I was incredibly excited, as it's usually about $30 more. I've been watching the audio commentaries, and now I'm watching episode seven, Conversations With Dead People without the commentary, because it's just such a bad ass episode.

Now I have to work on a Psychology paper.

Yeah, I changed my layout again. I like this one better. And I'm trying my damnedest not to work today. It feels like Friday because I'm off for the rest of the week at 2:00.

Comics for this week: Adam Strange #3 (of 8), which is actually really cool; Amazing Fantasy #6, one which this is my last issue of; Amazing Spider-Man #514, the last part of Sins Past; The Authority: Revolution #2 (of 12), which kicks so much ass it's not even funny; Batgirl #58, the second part to Fresh Blood; Batman #634, an epilogue to War Games; Black Widow #3 (of 6), which is surprisingly awesome; Daredevil #67, which is far to awesome for its own good; The Flash #216, the last part of the Identity Crisis tie-in; Green Lantern: Rebirth #2 (of 6), which is cool; Invincible #17, which is late, but I don't mind; Marvel Team-Up #2, which is just fun; Mystique #21, which is ending in February; New Thunderbolts #2, which is a must buy now because it has Captain freakin' Marvel in it; Powerless #6 (of 6), which was incredibly cool; Powers #6, which always kicks lots of ass; Richard Dragon #7, which shouldn't be as cool as it is; Sleeper: Season Two #6 (of 12), more goodness from Ed Brubaker; Superman #211, which I'm just waiting for to finish; Supreme Power #13, which is back after a hiatus; Ultimate Elektra #4 (of 5), which isn't as good as it should be; and Ultimate Fantastic Four #13, which is always good.

I suck horribly. This is what I'll be doing over the weekend when I'm not working on the three papers I have to write.

COMICS!

Good books this week. Here's what I've read so far:

Adventures of Superman #634 - the second part of storyarc entitled The Healing Touch. This was incredibly strange. I don't know what this is or where this is going. Greg Rucka takes a gigantic sledgehammer to the fourth wall. But it works because it's Myxzptlk, a character that the author has completely revamped into someone we can look at and not laugh. This book is getting lost in the hype of Jim Lee's work on Superman, and it's really a shame, because this is so freakin' good.

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes #2 (of 8) - the second issue of Joe Casey's version of a Year One story. I'm not the world's biggest Avengers fan. In fact, I only started collecting it recently, when Geoff Johns wrote the book, and stuck with it. But I am a Joe Casey fan, and I'm enjoying what I'm reading here. I know the basic history of the team, but it's presented here for people exactly like me, who have never read those original issues and don't want to be bothered with it. This is good stuff, and it'd be even more awesome if it wasn't for the $3.50 price tag that accompanies each issue. But, I'm a geek, and I'll pay it.

Birds of Prey #76 - never in recent memory has a book changed its status quo like this book did last issue. The team has become mobile, and more proactive with a very clear mission, find young metahumans who might be on their way to the dark side. And this they do. This is the first chapter of Hero Hunters, which looks like it might be the best storyarc this book has seen under Gail Simone. Not the knock Chuck Dixon (the book's original writer), but he never shaked things up like this. Simone has taken the fallout of War Games and done something incredibly cool and new with it. This is great stuff here.

Captain America #1 - another relauch from Marvel in the wake of Avengers Disassembled, written by the surprising choice of Ed Brubaker. He's done DC work in the past, and it was something of a shock (to me) that he was going to be doing this book. And I'm not a Cap fan, but with Brubaker writing it, it's something I had to check out. It's good stuff. Cap is despondent after the events of the past few months, and throws himself into his work as much as possible, something his friends and superiors have taken note of. A world away, the Red Skull puts plans into motion to take Cap down once and for all. This is something I'll stick with.

Catwoman #37 - Ed Brubaker's last issue, which is incredibly sad for me. He breathed new life into this character and made Selina his. I think he left for a couple of reasons: 1) he's also writing Gotham Central, The Authority, and Captain America; and 2) I think having to write issues that crossed over into War Games pissed him off a bit (that's just my thinking, though). He leaves the character a bit open for the next writer (Scott Morse for three issues, the Will Pfiefer of H-E-R-O). Selina doesn't know where she's going anymore. Does she continue to act the part of the good guy, keeping the East End as safe as possible? Or does she go back to being a thief, which is so much easier for her to do? Brubaker also does some nice stuff with Slam, one of the coolest supporting characters in any book. It's a good read, and I'm sad he's leaving.

Conan #10 - I read this. It's good. Not much else to say. There's lots of fighting and monosyllabic dialogue. I wish they'd give Conan a shirt or something to wear.

Ex Machina #6 - as the author himself said, "this issue's got jetpacks, school vouchers, golden showers, and facials" (granted, just a discussion of the last two). This is The West Wing with superheroes. It's as much about politics as it is about flying around saving people from death. This is once of my favorite books at the moment, and it will probably stay that way. The awesomeness of Tony Harris's artwork doesn't hurt it, though.

Fantastic Four #520 - the first issue of the last storyarc from the current creative team, which also makes me sad, because they're the only reason I started reading this book. But Marvel promised somebody cool to take their place. Johnny and Sue's powers have been switched, causing Johnny to be taken as Galactus's new herald. Beautiful artwork here, and some cool things going on. I know nothing about the FF beyond this creative team and Marvel Knights 4, so I can't comment if this is rubbish or not. But I dig it, and I'll continue giving them my money.

Madrox #3 (of 5) - Peter David continues a mini-series staring Jamie Madrox. This is such an interesting idea. Jamie has been sending doubles of himself out into different parts of the world, absorbing whatever knowledge they collect once they return. When he absorbs the memories of a double who has been stabbed, he travels to Chicago to find out what the hell is going on. I like this type of stuff. It's a mystery noir type story that knows it's a mystery noir type story. That's Peter David, for you, though.

The Pulse #6 - a tie-in to Secret War, which covers the same amount of ground as three issues of that mini-series. Luke is attacked and put in the hospital, and Jessica is caught in the middle of something involving him, Nick Fury, Captain America, Daredevil, and Wolverine. This is just a different view on what's going on Secret War, which is okay. I don't like the new artist. Anything Brian Bendis does is good, though.

Robin #132 - after the deaths of his father Jack, his girlfriend Stephanie, and his friend Darla, Tim Drake falls deeper into the shell that is his life as Robin. With Nightwing apparently out of commission, he moves to Bludhaven and sets up base. The art in this is amazing, and the writing is up there. Bill Willingham knows what he's doing. I wish there wasn't a crossover with Batgirl this soon after War Games, especially with a new writer coming onto that book, but this is good stuff.

Superman/Batman #14 - the start of Absolute Power, in which history has been altered and Batman and Superman rule the world. I don't know what this is and why this isn't an Elseworlds story done in a different format. This book has gotten old really quickly, because these are all stories that could be told in one of these characters's own books. At the same time I can't stop buying it. Go figure.

Teen Titans #18 - ten years in the future, the groups finds backwards versions of themselves and realize that they are the bad guys. See, this is good stuff. Amazing artwork, and a story that can change the direction of the book. Not to mention I love stuff like this, where we see the result but not the events that lead to them. Of course, when this book is good, it means that Outsiders has to suck horribly.

Ultimate Spider-Man #69 - the second part of a story guest starring the Human Torch. This is awesome. Peter still isn't really Spider-Man again, and he's real reluctant when he has to be. And Johnny is portrayed perfectly. This also sets up the friendship between these two characters that is sure to come later. Again, this is Bendis at his best.

Ultimate X-Men #53 - I'm loving what is going on with this book under Brian Vaughan. This is another book that isn't afraid to shake things up. Rogue and Wolverine both leave to try to find where they belong in the world, and the team itself realizes that they can't always win. Again, more great artwork. And I think that the Ultimate universe might be finding some sense of direction again, especially with Ultimate Nightmare and The Ultimates 2. Awesome stuff here.

Wolverine #22 - part three of Mark Millar's Enemy of the State. This is fun stuff, with Wolverine attacking different heroes in the Marvel universe. But it's going to get old real quickly. Great artwork, but not much else to say.

Wow. That's alot. This day needs to be over.

Nothing interesting to report. I got paid today, but I don't think I got fully paid for that theatre job. The payroll lady is on vacation until next week, so it might wait until then. I'm also trying to get some money from my dad, which is harder than it sounds.

We're doing Thanksgiving at my mom's house with some friends of mine. It should be fun. Or at least tolerable.

The gas meter on my car stopped working, so I've been going off of math figuring how much further I can go. So, of course, that doesn't work, and my car died last night as I was going over to my mom's house, and I had to have her come pick me up. This morning we had to go buy a gas can and try to get the damn thing out from in front of somebody's house. I've named the car Super Karate Monkey Death Car. I find it fitting.

I've been play Sims 2 way to much. I have to finish a paper tonight. And I'm going to pick up my mom's new puppy, who we can't decide a name for.

Comics for today should be good. Here's what's out: Adventures of Superman #634, which is the best Superman book out right now; Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes #2 (of 8), which is really cool stuff from Joe Casey; Birds of Prey #76, the first part of the Hero Hunters arc; Captain America #1, a new relaunch from Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting; Catwoman #37, Ed Brubaker's last issue; Conan #10, which is always good; Ex Machina #6, the first part of the Tag storyline; Fantastic Four #520, the first part of the Rising Storm arc, which is Mark Waid's and Mike Weiringo's last on the book; Gotham Knights #59, a fill-in issue from Robbie Morrison; Hawkman #34, which is always cool; JLA #108, Kurt Busiek's second issue; Kinetic #8, the last issue; Madrox #3 (of 5), cool stuff from Peter David; Manhunter #4, which is really good; The Pulse #6, the first part of a storyline that ties into Secret War; The Punisher #14, which I can't bring myself to drop; PvP #11, which has Savage Dragon in it; Robin #132, the first part of a crossover with Batgirl; Space Ghost #1 (of 6), which I just have to pick up out of curiosity; Superman/Batman #14, the first part of Absolute Power; Ultimate Spider-Man #69, the second part of a story guest starring Johnny Storm; Ultimate X-Men #53, the last part of Cry Wolf; Wolverine #22, which continues Enemy of the State; Wonder Woman #210, which concludes Stoned; and X-Men #164, which is Chuck Austen's last issue.

Good stuff this week.

After a week of trying to get City of Heroes to work, I found out that I have to buy a month of service in order for my free month to work. I can get a play card next week when I get paid.

I did, however, get The Sims 2 to work. Enjoyment abounds.

pain!

My arms are killing me today for some reason. The doctors say it's tendonitus, but I've never done anything to give me that. It's very strange. I'm going to the doctor at some point next week. I need them to do something about this.

I have about fifteen minutes to kill at work before my next class. I overslept this morning and missed a test. The professor is letting me take it tomorrow. I feel like such a dumbass.

I forgot to do my list of comics yesterday. Here's what I picked up: Action Comics #821, featuring the return of Preus; Avengers Finale, which ends Avengers Disassembled and kicks off New Avengers later this month; Bloodhound #5, which ties in with this week's Firestorm; Fables #31, which has gotten really good again now that it's back on track; Gotham Central #25, which ties into the aftermath of War Games; Green Arrow #44, which should be good; Identity Crisis #6 (of 7), which is always good; Iron Man #1, a relaunch from Warren Ellis and Adi Granov; JSA #67, which ties into War Games; Justice League Elite #5 (of 12), which is awesome; Legends of the Dark Knight #185, which has gone back to the rotating creative teams; Marvel Knights 4 #12, which is always good; Marvel Knights Spider-Man #8, with art from Frank Cho; Marvel Team-Up #1, from Robet Kirkman and Scott Kolins; New Thunderbolts #1, which should be cool; Nightcrawler #2, which had an awesome first issue; Nightwing #99, which is always good; Ocean #2 (of 6), also from Warren Ellis; Spectacular Spider-Man #21, which is ending in March; and X-Men: The End Book One #5 (of 6), which confuses me.

I got to read some of these last night. Here's some quick thoughts:

Identity Crisis #6 (of 7) - Tim Drake's father is buried, as Batman and the JLA people try to discover who is coming after their families. Wally learns another secret from Oliver that alters his perceptions of the League, and the autopsy of Sue Dibney points to a suspect no one expected. Good stuff here. READ IT!

Avengers Finale - Brian Bendis's follow-up to Avengers Disassembled that serves as a jumping point for New Avengers. It's very sappy and depressing. The Avengers break up and go their separate ways after being attacked by one of their own. It has alot of pretty art.

Gotham Central #25 - After the events of War Games, the police are still pissed at Batman. At the commissioner’s request, the Bat-signal is taken down. And there's lots of talking. It's good stuff. It's also Michael Lark's last issue as artist, which is incredibly sad.

Green Arrow #44 - Mia, Oliver's psuedo-protege who was a teenaged prostitute, is diagnosed with HIV. There's alot of talking in this issue too. Judd Winick likes to do this real work stuff, and he always makes it work really well. This is one of my favorite books at the moment.

Iron Man #1 - This kicked so much ass. And it's freakin' Iron Man. He's not supposed to be this cool. But it's from the twisted mind of Warren Ellis and has beautiful digital art from a guy named Adi Granov. It's simply amazing stuff. Read this too.

Action Comics #821 - Chuck Austen's follow-up to Michael Turner's Godfall storyarc. Another Kryptonian named Preus sets himself up as a demi-god and gets a bunch of redneck to follow him. Then he beats the crap out of Martian Manhunter. This is just okay. Godfall wasn't that good to begin with; I don't know why they're following up on it.

Firestorm #7 and Bloodhound #5 - God, I hate crossovers. This was totally not nessecarry, other than that both books are written by the same guy. Firestorm gets his ass kicked and is helped out by the guy from Bloodhound. This story could have told in either one of the titles, but not both. It was stupid, because not everybody reads both of them.

Marvel Team-Up #1 - Spider-Man and Wolverine go after some mutant kid. Pretty standard stuff with some nice jokes and really beautiful artwork. And it's from Robert Kirkman, who does some really cool stuff. This should be a really fun book.

All for now. That's what I had time to read last night.

I'm still spent from last weekend. I can't seem to get my mind going. I missed my first class again this morning. And we have a test on Thursday. I think I have something due to one class or another everyday for the rest of the semester. Fun times.

Skull can now constantly remind me to do my homework.

"What are you doin' giving' a fuck when it's not your turn to give a fuck?" --Jimmy McNulty

Ug. I'm taking the day off of work to do this History paper. And now I'm writing in my blog to not work on my History paper.

The rest of Wizard World was fun. We spent the day on the convention Saturday. Chris and Manda played lots of Magic, which is strange, because I haven't played that since fifth grade. I got some more stuff signed (John Cassaday, Scott Kurtz). That night we went out to one of those Movie Taverns where they serve alcohol and saw Rocky Horror, which is always alot of fun. Blake had never seen it before, and especailly not with people yelling stuff at the screen and people acting it out in front of you. I got a little drunk on margaritas and fun was had by all. Except Blake. I think he's been questioning his sexuality right about now.

On Sunday we decided to stay for the rest of the day, mainly because I had never stayed on a con for the full last day. Mainly it was spent waiting in line for me to get stuff signed (Skottie Young, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Ethan Van Scriver (who did a cool sketch of Kyle Rayner for Blake), Joe Casey, and Jim Lee). I got all the stuff signed I wanted to except for those Michael Turner books. The lines for that man were outrgeous.

I was also invited to go see The Incredibles with the folks from Fanboy Radio, but we had to get out of town. We left at about 6:30 and made it back home about 11:00 or so. This morning I couldn't wake up and realized I had a History paper to do. And I feel like crap from travelling, which I always happens.

But I got a ton of cool stuff, aside from all those books I got signed and people I got to meet. I got to flesh out some holes in my collection, including Avengers, Birds of Prey, Black Panther (two issues still allude me), Captain America, The Legion, Robin, and Supergirl. I also got some cool PvP stuff, including a Skull plushie and the two trades, as well as City of Heroes. David Mack sold me the first Kabuki trade, as well. Also, there were lots of free posters. Fun was had by all.

I'm reporting from Blake's apartment in Fort Worth. We got into town about 4:00 and spend a couple of hours at the convention. I got Mark Waid and David Mack to sign my books. We went to the house party hosted by David Hopkins of Fanboy Radio, but could only stay for a couple of hours. It was still fun, though. We ate and everything. Now we're watching Star Wars and being dorks. I bought some Beckett Comics stuff and some Captain America issues. Tomorrow we're going to head out tomorrow and try to get there around 9:30 or so. Hopefully, that will actually happen instead of us being horribly late. The best part is I still have lots of money to spend.

More tomorrow, maybe.

"You're such a bastard." --Me, to Blake (he knows why)

Chris, Amanda, and myself leave for Dallas tomorrow morning at 10:00. We'll miss a bit on this convention, but that's okay. We all get paid tomorrow, and money is needed for lots of comic books. It should be alot of fun. I thought about taking today off to rest, but I had two quizes and a paper due. Stupid school.

I might update from Blake's computer and let everyone know what's going on.

"'Oh well,' my asshole!" --Greg

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/11/03/election.main/index.html

Arg. Oh well.

Fox News sucks. It should burn in hell. Those people are just stupid. Why would anybody trust that channel? They obviously made a mistake last night in calling Ohio, and have yet have to correct the matter. It's almost funny. Listen to CNN. They were here first, assholes.

This is all very interesting. It's not the end of the world. But it might be.

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/

"You deserve no less." --Senator John Edwards

The internet at the dorms went out again this morning. Apparently they can't keep it up for more than seven days without some type of problem. I'm hoping that it will be back up when I'm done with work and school today.

I flooded my car this morning and didn't have time to let it sit and try again. So I had to walk to school in this ungodly cold weather, and then walk across the street to my old junior high so I could vote. Besides the whole walking in the cold and wetness, it was fun. Junior high kids are stupid. They yelled stuff at me.

"I'm just a ganster, I suppose." --Avon Barksdale

So that it's at least stored somewhere in case I lose the list, here is what I plan on getting signed at Wizard World Texas this weekend.

Giuseppe Camuncoli - Robin #129; The Intimates #1 (depends on if I buy it or not this Wednesday).

Joe Casey - Adventures of Superman #588; Adventures of Superman #600; Uncanny X-Men #394; Uncanny X-Men #400; Uncanny X-Men Annual 2001; Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes #1; The Intimates #1.

John Cassaday - Planetary #1 (which I need to find a copy of at the con); Planetary #16; Planetary/Batman: Night on Earth; Captain America #1 (which I also need to find a copy of); Astonishing X-Men #1; Astonishing X-Men #4; Hellboy: Weird Tales #1.

Kody Chamberlain - 30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales #1.

Barry Kitson - Legends of the Dark Knight #146; Empire #1; Avengers/Thunderbolts #1.

Scott Kurtz - PvP #1.

Jim Lee - Superman #204; The Intimates #1.

David Mack - Kabuki #1.

Marc Silvestri - X-Men #151.

Ethan Van Scriver - The Flash: Iron Heights; X-Men #117; X-Men #133; Hawkman #13; Green Lantern: Rebirth #1.

Micheal Turner - Aspen #1; Superman/Batman #8; Soulfire #1; Action Comics #812; Action Comics #813; Adventures of Superman #625; Adventures of Superman #626; Superman #202; Superman #203; Superman/Batman #8.

Mark Waid - JLA #43; JLA #50; Fantastic Four #60; Fantastic Four #500 (71); Superman: Birthright #1; Empire #1; Teen Titans/Legion.

Skottie Young - X-Men Icons: Iceman #3; Venom #14.

Excitement abounds.