Fizzing Sherbetstorms of Light Particles!

July 31st. There's some kind of poetry in it. 7/31. Yes...
Happy birthday to me.

And now for an added bonus, here's William Shatner "singing" Pulp. http://homepage.mac.com/sceldred/.Public/Steve/common_people.mov. Enjoy.

The Return of the Di-Verbal Review Revue!

Hi, kids. Today, returning from a long-distance trip there was a bit of a traffic jam, and the detour around it led to the comic shop, so here's a few more two-word reviews.

Astonishing X-Men #3: Riveting. Smart. 8/10
Fantastic Four #516: Humdrum borecore. 4/10
X-Statix #25: Retro-esque nu-pop. 6/10

See you in the funny pages...

Di-Verbal Review! Or is it Bi-Verbal...?

Time for some two-word reviews of recent comic books I've picked up!

Fantastic Four #515: Traditionally atrocious. 2/10
Gotham Central #21: Pulpy characterization. 7/10
Human Target #12: Cinematically human. 8/10
Seaguy #3: Boombastic psychedelia. 9/10
X-Statix #24: Ludicrous satire. 5/10

Look for a review of the entirety of the three-issue Seaguy mini-series fairly soon. And when I read V for Vendetta, the first volume of the Invisibles, and Essential Thor, I'll be posting some sort of commentary. Also, please note the new links section in the sidebar to your right.

Breathing the electric air of the future!

I'm going into this entry having no idea what to say and no whimsical oblique title to give it. I suppose I'll mention something about the comics world, throw in a few other ditties... I've been in quite a lot of random pain today, so I need something to take my mind off that. Oh, let's just see.

So Warren Ellis is going to be writing Iron Man very shortly, which is quite interesting. I have had absolutely no interest in Iron Man whatsoever since I was a wee lad and loved everything either shiny or in bright colors, and Iron Man's both of those. Anyway, Ellis is one of those patented Crazed British Comic Authors (tm) who is known for doing some really good, experimental, and noteworthy stuff. He redefined super-heroes and brought about the 'widescreen' movement with The Authority, he tackles super-hero anthropology and numerous other interesting elements in Planetary (which I admit that I haven't read, but I plan to get the trades), plus he's done zillions of other projects. Anyway, now he's on Iron Man. I think he'll be a good fit for the technology and sci-fi aspects, and he'd probably write a decent Tony Stark, although I won't be surprised if the character suddenly becomes a chainsmoking British guy, as that archetype appears in nearly all of Ellis's works. So yeah, I'll check that out.

Another bit of news from the San Diego Comicon is that Ed Brubaker is writing Captain America. "Bru" (as he's known) writes Catwoman and Gotham Central right now, and they're both excellent books, so I'll at least check out his Cap run. It promises to be more than silly tradition.

Peter Milligan will be taking over the adjectiveless X-Men comic in five or six issues or so. Milligan writes Human Target for DC's mature Vertigo imprint right now, and it's my favorite ongoing comic on the stands. He also writes X-Statix, which will come to an end next month, and that comic ranged from good to excellent until that whole Princess Diana debacle which ended up shooting quality in the face. Anyway, his X-Men will most likely be good, so check that out, too.

That wraps up this entry, I think. Perhaps another one will be shortly forthcoming. And before I forget, today I will wish a certain person a happy birthday. They know who they are.

Oh, and now I've added a random title. And yeah, I stole it from somewhere. If you correctly identify where it's from, you get a cookie.

Hmm...

No, I haven't forgotten, I just haven't had anything to say. I suppose I could talk about movies and such... maybe later. And next week, expect a review of Seaguy, the best comic to come out this year. (Note: It has come to my attention that next week is suddenly this week. Hmm. So by 'next week' read 'Wednesday or so.')

But right now? Um... Yeah.

But while you're at it, go to http://www.icogitate.com/~luxnatura4/AlanMooreSalon.pdf and read the interview. It's Alan Moore, arguably the greatest comic book writer of all time, and literary mastermind, discussing politics, comics, and how he predicted the future back in the 80's. It's a great read.

Politic-tac-toe?

I'm not a big fan, or follower, of politics. I find them dreadfully boring, and trying to keep up with the political world will probably only lead to frustration and anger. I simply can't fathom the thought processes of our so-called government "officials." I must say, no, I don't like Mr. Bush very much, but Mr. Kerry seems like he took classes at the Al Gore school of elocution. Still, Mr. Kerry, right now, seems like the lesser of two evils. So remember: a vote for Kerry is a vote for someone that isn't Bush.

As far as politics go, I can find myself to be a fan of some politically-charged comic books, however. I wish that Captain America had kept going in that direction, but unfortunately Marvel has decided to regress the title back to simple super-hero fare, something I'm not going to waste my money on. It seems like I'll have to write my own political comic... and I will, surely. I have many ideas for a new title which will serve as a political thesis, as well as a range of other topics, including religion, the military, philosophy, law, and a few other things, I'm sure. Plus it should have some well-rounded (and well-written) characters. We'll see how the scripting, shopping, and publishing processes go, however.

Places to Go...

I've got no idea what to say, but I'll try to say something anyway. I realize no one's reading this, so instead it's actually just my own demented mind talking to itself. Which I suppose is fine, in some stream-of-consciousness writing-skill-building exercise. Or not. But if you're out there, leave a comment. Or I'll be forced to leave comments under assumed names just to satisfy my own demented and soon-to-be-fractured mind. Anyway...

Websites of the Moment:

Tales of the Parodyverse: The people on this board are family. No, not literally, of course, but they very much feel like it for me. I love these people. The board itself is a home for a shared universe of fiction, and many of the posters are writers. Sure, it's super-heroes and parodies of comic books, but it's some great storytelling. There's comedy and drama and action and crime-fic and lots and lots of other genres. It's a great place, and hopefully it's not too hard to get into for new posters. There's a Who's Who, Where's Where, and a When's When (The History of the Parodyverse), and numerous archive sites of previous material. If you like comics, or you're a writer, or both, or even if you're just looking for a place to read some good material, then check it out. (You can find my own story archive here, by the way. I warn you, though, a lot of the very early stories are crap. Trust me, I get better.)

Barbelith: The smartest forums on the 'net. The place covers all of culture and back again, from politics to philosophy to science to books, movies, comics, and music. The posters are very intelligent and witty, and they have the best taste in pop culture.

And that is apparently it for now.

So what the heck is this all aboot?

So... what is The Lithium Age? "Next generation of imagination? Wuzzah?" Allow me to produce exposition for you.

In the comics world, there are several Ages. The Golden Age in the 40's, the Silver Age in the 60's, the Bronze Age in the 70's, and so on. The closer to present time one gets, the harder it is to classify an age. The Silver Age, however, was classified by new ideas and imagination. I see a new trend starting to develop, one which will return things to their imaginative Silver Age roots yet be grounded in the modern era, and so I have dubbed this age The Lithium Age, and I'm allowing you all to get in on the ground floor.

It doesn't necessarily have to apply only to comics, of course. It can apply to prose, music, film, or any part of culture, pop or otherwise. And so I leave it to you to continue the trend and help me develop The Lithium Age.

Hello there, gentle viewer!

So this is what a blog is, eh? I never saw the point of these. Still don't. Yet here I am. This will serve as a place for my ramblings, rantings, and other inane or important things I find myself having to say. I'll discuss the comics medium, writing, and other things, probably involving pop culture in some way. It'll be updated when I remember or if I feel like it.

On with the show.