Flip Floppin’ with the Flag

You know it’s a slow news day when TIME Magazine devotes an entire article to whether or not Obama is wearing a flag pin on the lapel of his suit. I kid you not.

What’s next - how often the dude changes his underwear (and what that says about his patriotism)? Seriously - this is all they have to nit-pick the man about? Why not dredge up Reverend Wright, I’m sure he’s media lonely.

*shakes head*

Hey TIME - sometimes I wear a watch, and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I pull my hair back in a ponytail, and sometimes I don’t. Isn’t that news-worthy enough?

Why don’t you try reporting on any number of ACTUAL new stories occurring today. I guess they didn’t want to have to run this lovely piece of news coverage: Edwards endorses Obama.

Bam.

Much Love, Mindy C

Stop Whining

The Governator gives the automotive industry a one-two punch in the gut and tells those bitches, “Hey - Stop Whining!”

Just like in Kindergarten Cop.

What was most intriguing to me about this article, was the fact that there are actually proposed federal fuel efficiency regulations for 2015 and 2020 - pretty exciting stuff.

Not surprising - the car companies SUING the entire State of California for forcing them to make a change. Even when the state won, Bush is dickering and holding back on what the state needs to do to implement it’s environmental goals.

One of the more telling passages of the post:

The federal plan is expected to add an average cost of $650 per passenger car and $979 per truck by 2015.

So - it’s going to cost MORE money to make vehicles MORE fuel efficient. Huh. Is that a shock? Sort of - kind of. It just seems surprising, as commuter cars (notoriously the most fuel efficient) are generally much cheaper to purchase. Meaning cheaper to make. Right? Am I missing some sort of important element of math here?

The automakers insist that the deadline cannot be met on-time because the technology isn’t there yet. Uhm - cars were MORE fuel efficient 20 years ago…did they lose the technology since the 1980’s?

*shakes head* If people continue using alternate forms of transportation in increasing numbers:

- Carpool

- Public Transportation

- Bicycle commuting

I think the automakers are going to see a dip in the number of people buying new cars.

Folks are already trading their gas-guzzlers for economy cars, lots of folks are doing it in rust-belt cities like Detroit, home of the working class.

The Governator is right. The writing is on the wall, and it’s time for American car companies to step up to the plate.

At least one state is taking those bitches to task.

Much Love, Mindy C

Operation Chaos

This is why I refuse to even consider being a Republican. I was actually tempted to vote for a few Repub platforms I really enjoyed during the state elections this Spring…but shenanigans like this make me bitter and hostile towards any Republican candidate I might have considered.

Rush Limbaugh urges Republicans to “switch sides” and vote for Hillary Clinton to prolong the Democratic Primary.

According to this article - 10% of Republicans who voted for Hillary Clinton in the Indiana Primary will, in reality, vote for McCain in November. This isn’t just paranoiac liberal talking - this is an honest to god “Operation Chaos” being perpetuated here.

I imagine this isn’t the first time this kind of bullshit has happened in politics, but HOW UGLY can you get?

The positive spin that will come from this, I suppose, is that superdelegates are aware of this crap, and are factoring this into their decision making.

The person hardest hit by this information is Hillary Clinton - who just dumped another $6 million of her own money into her faltering campaign.

I echo the notions and sentiments at the end of the TIME article - it would be sad for Clinton to just concede at this point because her run is so historic - but my opinion of her is altered after the vicious ads and attacks she has perpetrated against Obama.

She has a heavy burden on her shoulders at the moment, and is in danger (according to all the pundits) of wrenching the Democratic party in twain. I have nothing but sympathy for her, and I am totally supportive of her as a woman. But she is still not my choice for presidential candidate.

I think a lot of women are afraid that if Hillary doesn’t make it into office -there won’t be another opportunity for a woman to be president in our lifetime. I think that’s incorrect. I would totally support this woman running for president, though at this point I think she’s a little too old to be holding this particular office. As is the current Speaker of the House.

I’ve debated this issue long and hard - having a woman in the White House. And I don’t think the issue is “any old woman will do” as long as she has a vagina. I think she needs to be the right PERSON for the White House. That could be Hillary Clinton, but at the moment, I’m putting my weight behind Barack Obama - he has far less skeletons in the closet for the Karl Rove style of politics to dredge up. And while the Clintons have done nothing NEARLY as atrocious as Bush and Co. (or at least, not so flagrantly) - she is still too shakey for me to support.

The Final Word: Fuck Operation Chaos and Fuck Rush Limbaugh. Republicans fairly screwed themselves out of the White House for at least the next four years. It’s time to swing the spotlight away from whatever the Dems are doing, and see what McCain is about: Here’s some more food for thought.

Much Love, Mindy C

Girls on Film

This one goes out to all the ladies.

I just read a New York Times article, on the advice from another comic obsessed woman blogger, about the lack of good roles for women in Hollywood movies and Hollywood comic movies. I immediately got on board with the idea presented in the article. It’s something that I only really started to notice mid-way through my HS career.

It happened while reading Siddhartha during my senior year of HS. I was trucking along with the material, and then stumbled upon the passage where the male protagonist up and leaves his wife and children to go off and attain enlightenment.

Why? Because he could.

There was no other reason for it. His wife was left alone to tend to the children and the household while he went off on some completely selfish religious journey. Then, it occurred to me that up until that moment, all the folks I was idolizing (writers, artists, philosophers, religious figures) were men.

So what did that mean for me?

That was the final straw. After spending so much of my time in HS learning about the deeds and exploits of men, and reading their collected works - I was done.

That’s when I realized there were a different set of rules for men to operate with in the world. And as a woman - I would have to try harder to find what would be relevant and resonant for me.

8 years later - and I’m still looking.

So a few questions I have: Where are all the women? Where/How are the people who look like me represented in history books, politics and the cinema?

Here are some answers for you…

And some more answers as well - straight from the mouths of the women who are playing second (or third or fourth) fiddle to the Male Heroes in this summer’s biggest blockbusters.

And while men get the heroic pose covers - these talented, intelligent and engaging women are pictured as meek and playful as kittens.

Here’s something to chew on: I was REALLY excited to see “Baby Mama” because it hosts not one, but TWO well known female comedic leads - Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The trailers are hilarious, and guaranteed to get a laugh from me every time. Successful women comedians are rare, and films that brilliantly show-case their talents are just as rare. So, yay right? It seemed like there was nothing that could go wrong…

But then it did. Dan was the first one to notice it as we sat in the darkened theatre, munching on popcorn and red vines. He leaned over and whispered, “there’s something wrong with the projector bulb.” I squinted and then shook my head. “No, there’s not.”

Dan: “Yeah, there is - see how there’s like a soft glow on the screen, and everyone is kinda fuzzy.”

Me: “No - that’s the glow of romantic comedy. There’s nothing wrong with the bulb, that’s the movie.”

And I realized, much to my hearty dismay, that indeed - there was the soft glow of romantic comedy all over Baby Mama. It stank of “rom-com” softness.

Worse than that? The two women sniping at one another over economic and social class differences. This film would have 98% of my Gender, Class and Culture course from last term shrieking obscenities at the screen. *sigh*

I had such high hopes. Can there be a movie tailored to women that does not involve weddings, romance, soft lighting, and jokes about menstruation?

Can there be a film/movie where the woman isn’t seen as the mother, daughter, sister, lover, girlfriend, secretary (uhm, don’t we call them administrative assistants now?), or help-mate of the male lead character. Not this summer, and most likely not this year.

On a different note: I thought it was brave of “Baby Mama” to briefly recognize it’s own stereotypical attitudes towards “white trash,” but it hardly excuses the rest of the insults hurled by the preceeding 3/4’s of the film. I thought Poehler did a lot to really humanize the character she was playing, but all in all - I was turned off by the use of the word white trash, the upper-class-liberal attitude towards children and the lower class, and the deliberate placement of romantic comedy elements in what could have/should have been a film about a woman and her baby mama.

Come on - that concept in and of itself is intriguing.

I’m going to assume that Hollywood “ized” the film towards it’s assumptions of what women would want to see. Whoever cut the trailers was smart enough to leave most of that romantic comedy bullshit on the floor, but it was certainly a kick in the teeth to get to the theatre and realize it was a lot of the same old.

Many men really don’t understand the beef women have with hollywood, comics, and history books.

I can respect that, because they don’t get to see a world (or at least a Hollywood Blockbuster season) that relegates them to less-than-sidekick roles. They’ve never had to preen the history books for the one or two token persons of their gender who’ve possibly invented something clever, led an army, or ruled a kingdom.

It’s easy to brush these supplications off as mere “feminist bullshit.” But I’m tired of having to identify with leading men (yes, even if a token male minority is thrown in for diversity).

I want more WOMEN on film, in film, and making films. And the same goes for the comic industry. I’m tired of having the female body used to sell, sell, sell without any homage being paid to the reality of who women are. We have high pain tolerance, amazing organizational and leadership qualities. We can fly airplanes, hold presidential offices, serve and protect, pump your gas, balance your checkbook, repair your HVAC system, own property, perform your spinal surgery…

But we can’t star in your movies. Not really. Not yet.

And if we do…men won’t come to see us. Unless we’re half naked. Why? Because men don’t like to see strong woman doing the things that men do. Am I wrong? Someone please tell me that I’m wrong about that! Because I would love to be wrong (just this once though, not all the time).

If I didn’t love comic books (and thusly, comic book movies) so much, I would seriously consider boycotting this summer blockbuster season. I really and truly would.

Hollywood really needs to pull it’s act together and get back to what I enjoy most about comic books - team dynamics. There are great books out there (Avengers, X-Factor) and television shows (Lost, Heroes) that show-case strong female characters, without having to subvert the lime-light to men ALL THE TIME.

Well, I mean - for awhile anyway, LOST had that quality going for it. Lately it’s been very male character centric, and decidedly less appealing to me personally.

One of the other film franchises I felt was at least moderately giving women a fair shake, X-Men totally killed off it’s strongest female character (X-Men: The Last Stand) and de-powered the other. Leaving only Storm - whom Halle Berry had already mangled thoroughly.

There’s not much else to say. The status of women in films is especially pitiable at the moment. It seems to fluctuate, with some years being kinder to my gender than others.

I wouldn’t say this is Hollywood’s women-friendliest year, by far.

Much Love, Mindy C

The Bush-McCain Challenge

Now don’t these two crazy characters look super cozy together? I just wanna tweak their cheeks.

But seriously - I highly suggest taking The Bush-McCain Challenge - it’s an online quiz to see if you can tell the difference between George W. Bush and John McCain.
http://Bush-McCainChallenge.com/?rc=challenge-friends&r_id=12570-5277944-II.Eui

It’s an amusing bit of informational time wasting crafted by the loveable leftists at MoveOn.Org. I scored like 2/5 or some such nonsense. It’s the only quiz I failed today!

BTW - I’ve had one medium sized margarita - and I’m feelin fine. Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Much Love, Mindy C

Get Outta The Road

I couldn’t help but laugh hysterically through this entire article, and then reading it again the next day, chuckling glee-fully to myself the entire time.

I am one of those drivers who must contend with an insane amount of pedestrian traffic - pedestrians who will cut across five lanes a traffic on a busy street to avoid walking five more feet to the cross-walk. These are on streets where 45 is the posted speed limit. Not downtown Portland - suburban Powell and Division.

Not just the usual gaggle of teenagers, or your common everyday prostitute/pimp. Sometimes entire families (and women with babies in strollers!) will be stranded in the middle of the four lane highway that is Division street, looking confused and scared. Maybe not quite sure how they ended up there.

Every once in awhile, a compassionate motorist will stop their car and indicate that the pedestrians should continue their cross road journey. That motorist = not me.

Division street, after what I’m assuming must have been several near misses, a few clips and maybe even a fatality - wised up and installed a pedestrian refuge inbetween 122nd and 130th.

It looks something like the above. You know - flashing lights, clearly marked and all that. Do I see many people using it? Well no, cause I try to avoid Division at all costs (we have history). But, do I still see pedestrians racing across the street all up and down Powell, endangering the lives of other motorists and pedestrians?

You bet your sweet fucking ass I do.

Powell is a horrible road. It’s mired with a string of potholes running from 90th down to 181st. It’s piled on all sides with strip clubs, dive bars, and seedy looking apartment complexes. I realize the financial incentive to the city to place a few pedestrian walks in Outer SE Portland is not there.

But seriously - while driving to and fro on Powell every other day, I get this un-nerving feeling that I will probably hit one of those yahoos darting in front of me - one day.

If we could either provide safe walking spaces for them - or campaign for them to “Get the Fuck Outta The Road,” I would be a happy camper. Sadly, neither option looks like it will occur in the near future. Until then, I suppose I will be dodging fleshy bodies while in the safe confines of my car.

*sigh*

On a different note - I’ve seen some vast improvements to the bike lanes on Hawthorne (aka - the most frightening street in the world to drive on). Check ‘em out:

This is an older pic, and now the “Bike Box” has been colored green as well - making the “Wait Here” statement more prominent. Here’s a better example in Downtown PDX.

IMHO - this is a great new development in the battle for the roads taking place in the inner SE area. I would love to see these going up in intersections all over the city, but the cost to tax-payers would be astronomical.

And the bulk of that would be coming from gas tax (aka, road improvement tax) - which commuter bicyclists in Portland, I’m sorry to say, do not pay.

This is a beef I’ve had for awhile with the rabid cycling community in Portland. If you don’t want to put up money for these improvements, you need to shut up.

On the flip-side, I like having cyclist space more clearly demarcated. As a driver, hitting a cyclist is my worst fear (or you know, a pedestrian - but those jay-walkers have it coming!). On Hawthorne, and in Downtown - these fears are definitely more pronounced.

I would say bike boxes in inner-SE and DT first - then radiating out to NoPo - and then to Outer SE. We have the pedestrian problem out here - more so than the cyclist issue. Those fuckers in NW can fend for themselves. J/K - they’ll be the last to get bike boxes though. Just cuz.

Again - I think cyclists need to have some form of responsibility for road improvement, if they are going to be using the roads. I’m not sure what that will look like yet - when discussing with others - a few of my ideas were shot down:

- Making commuter bicyclists take safety classes and become licensed (pay a registration fee)**. They have the authority to pass mandatory licensing in California.

- Taxing new bicycles purchased in the State of Oregon (instead, we have folks lobbying for tax breaks!)

- Making cyclists pay a fee/toll for using roads that are closed to motorized traffic (yes, some of those roads do exist in Portland or will in the near future)

**Having commuter bikes registered would also help out with another issue that cyclists face: theft. Currently, if your bike is stolen, you are shit out of luck. If bicycles were tracked as cars are - police might put forth a little more effort in locating them. Maybe (that’s a bit iffy).

**Also - along with registration/licensing - bicyclists would have to take safety courses, and learn the proper way to interact on the road with vehicles. If they were violating laws, they could be more easily spotted and cited by police officers. Afterall, cyclists have the same rights as motorized vehicles (and more).

Hey - this Willamette Week article explored some of my ideas!

While I fully understand the need for motorist/cyclist safety - having motorists bear the brunt of the cost is irresponsible. Cyclists have the luxury of a city that cares about their safety, in a country that is decidedly car-centric. Bike lanes, IMHO, are a privilege and not a right.

I can foresee bike commuting exploding in the next few years when gasoline prices rise to the heights of being completely unbearable for many. But again - it costs money to make a community safe.

My solutions for this don’t seem to be any good, so I’d love to hear other people’s opinions. Motorists already pay dearly for the privilege and luxury of using the roads. Are cyclists willing to put up and put in as much financial effort? I hear a lot of campaigning and lobbying, but are these organizations willing to leverage any scratch for it? Or are they expecting folks like me to do it for them?

I ask this, as I prepare for a bike trip to my local library.

Much Love, Mindy C

FREE Comics! And Iron Man

Today is one of the happiest days o’ the year: Free Comic Book Day.

The only day of the year that you can wander into your local comic book store and pick up a free book. The idea is to get the kids hooked while receiving a free comic book. There are lots of choices available for the kiddies, but a few that the adults will like too.

My personal favorites are:

AND:

If you don’t believe me, just check out the previews for Hellboy and X-Men.

And while I’ve never been a huge fan of Superman, this one doesn’t look half bad either.

************************************************************************************************

SPOILERS BELOW

Oh, and I watched “Iron Man” last night. It was pretty decent, and I don’t have too much bad to say about it. I wouldn’t say it’s my absolute favorite comic book movie ever (that privilege is saved for “Spiderman 2,” “Hellboy,” “Batman Begins” and “X-Men 2“), but I wouldn’t say it’s the worst comic book movie ever (that privilege is reserved for “Spiderman 3,” “X-Men 3” and some of the made for TV Movie ilk I’ve caught on youtube).

“Iron Man” was entertaining, but not emotionally edifying. I guess that might be my own issue - I’ve never followed the adventures of Tony Stark very thoroughly, and was really only introduced to the character through “Marvel Civil War.” So, it was hard to get truly excited about the origin story, or the creation of the suit. Though, I totally dug the glowy on his chest.

I was trying to get on board with the Pepper Potts character, but as a woman, was having a hard time understanding her motivation for hanging around with a dick-wad like Stark (at least, he was portrayed as a dick wad in the beginning). The dialogue between Pepper and Tony was decent enough, but she was relegated to the “his girl Friday” role and shrieking and running when things really got crazy. Though, she wasn’t a damsel in distress like Mary Jane OR a whiney biznatch like Sue Storm (movie version).

Pepper was a creation of the 60’s, and it’s obvious over the years that her character has not really been updated for society as women are currently portrayed. In the Earth-616 continuity, her biography could be compared to one of those “Women in Refrigerator” types, as she is tortured, experiences a miscarriage, and her husband is killed while in service to Stark Industries.

I could be wrong - and there could be something amazing coming in the next film (oh, there will be another) for this character. But judging from Marvel’s treatment of her, I’d say that could be a stretch.

There were positive aspects of their relationship though - I don’t want to be a total nay-sayer. I kinda dug the non-romance between the two. And Pepper never appeared to be “trying” to get Stark’s attention. Their relationship evolution was very natural, but still - does this chick have a life outside of fulfilling this dude’s needs?

Another issue in the movie: Stark’s character development was present, but didn’t move me as much as I thought it would. There was little sub-plot for me to sink my teeth into. “Batman Begins” had gritty layers of self-discovery, naughty villians, and moodiness. I guess I was kinda hoping for one of those. I don’t suppose there is anything really moody about Stark, at least not yet. They didn’t even bother capitalizing on his alcoholism for dramatic purposes - it was mostly there for amusement.

Dan and Jake really liked it. I have to say - I think it was mostly a “Boy Flick.”

Visually and technically it was exciting and sometimes, quite beautiful. The fluidity of Iron Man moving in the suit - and the colors. It was like watching a comic book come to life - which is the same feeling I got from “Superman Returns.” It was sumptous and lovingly crafted. I do have to give thumbs up to Jon Favreau and the rest of the folks for putting a lot of love into this movie.

What I like about how Marvel is crafting their franchise - is that they are getting together an awesome group of actors to make a wicked cool “Avengers Movie.”

The S.H.I.E.L.D. references made Dan and I giddy almost instantly. I think this bodes well for “The Incredible Hulk” and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”

I’m just sad that we missed the “BEST BONUS SCENE EVER” after the end-credits. But in comic-dom, it’s hard to let a secret that exciting get away, so I’m pretty sure of what I missed. But I won’t spoil it here.

BTW - I’m watching Battlestar Galactica Season 3 right now, and loving every minute of it. I forgot how much I enjoyed this series. But, like every good series which has gone before it, it will end before it’s time - barely answering all the exciting questions and mysteries it posed, no doubt.

Much Love, Mindy C

The Big One

I posted a week ago about the oh-600-or-so smallish earthquakes rumbling off the Oregon Coast. Now here’s an article telling me that an earthquake slated to register 9.0 on the richter scale is a-comin’. Makes me think I should really look into getting that home-owner’s insurance we’ve been putting off.

BTW - that’s bigger than the one predicted for Northern California, in case you were wondering. Our predicted earthquake is about the size and impact of the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake/Tsunami.

But don’t take my word for it.

It’s sad to think that my beloved Oregon Coast is in peril. I suppose that’s why I love visiting it as much as I can - for as long as I can. This type of information worries me though - cause my beloved Robertson family is nestled in Tidewater, Oregon.

I’m assuming that the Tsunami would completely wipe out the coastal towns. And I’m not sure how much further in it would push. I know the earthquake impact zone would include Portland, and could topple building and bridges. The idea of losing our famous bridges… well, I don’t like to think about it. Let alone, the death toll of this event - which would radiate from Northern California up into Victoria BC. It would devastate the Pacific NW.

And for the record - California is FUCKED. The Cascadia Subduction Zone and the San Andreas Fault are destined to basically wipe that whole state off the map.

My thoughts on the totality of these “warnings”: Let’s do something now. Let’s “preemptively strike” our cities and coast for what we know is coming. Let’s avoid being the Hurricane Katrina of the West Coast.

It looks likes we’re already starting - but it’s slow steps. I guess slow steps are the only way the government knows how to address things like natural disasters. National disasters - those happen much quicker.

Much Love, Mindy C

To Serve In Heaven

For the past month or so I’ve been reading through Trade Paperback Novels for “Fallen Angel” written by Peter David. It’s a dark, gritty and noir-ish tale about a fallen angel who takes up residence in a city called Bette Noire - which is one of three cities or so that the world is apparently modeled after. The idea is that, whatever happens in the city - decides the fate of the rest of the world.

Liandra has retained all of her angelic powers, and most likely some of her angelic rationalizing, but is decidedly human in many of her relationships, and her alcoholism.

She is a morally ambiguous character, so right away - it’s hard to determine which and whose side she will be on in any given situation. That’s a key element of any exciting anti-hero.

The first TPB that I read caught my attention right away, and I could barely put it down once I started reading it. The artwork was engaging and the coloring gorgeous - the main character Lee is visually arresting and almost fully covered in a cape - with only her arms and feet (she goes everywhere barefoot) visible most of the time. She looks tough, and talks even tougher. It’s impossible not to be intrigued.

Back when it was first published in 2003 by DC, it was quite a departure for them. And quite a departure for Peter David. I’m excited to see that so much of his talent and ideas have leeched over into his latest run on X-Factor, dark and noir with a hint of moral ambiguity.

“Fallen Angel” of course - is much darker than “X-Factor” could ever hope to be, and the heroism is a little harder to define.

For all the accolades I’ve heaped on the book - there are some issues I need to bring up. The first of that being the artistry.

Because DC dropped the book in 2005 - and it was picked up again by IDW in December 2005 - the artistic work of the book changed hands. And, I’ve unfortunately not been able to read the books in order either - so I got to watch the art switch back and forth between the fine penciling of David Lopez and Fernando Blanco, who had created a beautiful and harsh world in the original 6 issues of the series to the work of J.K. Woodward. Not that Woodward is bad - indeed, his paintings are even more gorgeous than the consistent work of Lopez.

My beef? The consistency. The art of JK Woodward bounces between painting, hand coloring, and the digital coloring that is most prominent in recent comics. Sometimes - in the same book, or on the same panel.

The latest collection - “Heroine Addiction” was probably the most attractive and most consistent throughout the story-line involving Shi and Liandra. Though the art style shifted between pages - I thought it flexed very well to match the story line. In the more dreamier sequences, the color was muted.

Unfortunately - later on in the book, during “Chapter 4″ it took on a rough, sketchy and pixal-ated quality.

I don’t know how I feel about Woodward. I can’t get a handle on how he views the characters, because the style shifts, sometimes in conjunction with the story - other times with what appears to be a mere whim.

To me - consistency in art of the character is just as important as consistency in writing of the character. This is something I’ve taken umbridge with in the other regular books I collect too. It may sound stodgy, and like a strange complaint for someone who loves on-going series comics, but having a regular style of art sets the mood for the reader. The art and the story are integral.

I was going to complain about how jumpy the stories were, but I realize now that’s my own fault for reading out of sequence. Although for the sake of the entire series, it would be beneficial for DC and IDW to better label their books. I couldn’t tell them apart without doing some research on the net.

I will definitely be following the book in the future. The heroine, minor characters and the city itself are compelling…enough for me to overlook the erratic art.

Much Love, Mindy C

Quitters and Lions.

Time for another round of Comic Book/Graphic Novel dorkiness. Today’s installment is featuring yet another Harvey Pekar offering: “The Quitter.” At this point - I’m not sure if I’m on some Harvey Pekar kick - or if the Multnomah County Library is. I snagged this from my local branch while tooling through the graphic novel section…I swear. This wasn’t something I actively sought out.

The first thing that struck me about this book was the artwork, by Dean Haspiel. It was much more stylized than the two most recent Pekar books I reviewed. Of course it’s black and white. But the lines are thicker, darker and moodier - which is perfect for this “coming of age” story about the man himself, Mr. Harvey Pekar.

Thematically - the title captures the subject matter perfectly. It’s about a scruffy kid who’s entire fate is sculpted around his decision to quit important things in his life when they proved to be too difficult for him to achieve. It’s not a heroic story - it’s very anti-heroic, and perfectly suited to Pekar - who is (probably begrudginly) an anti-hero. His whole comic schtick is painting real life portraits of real life people - without all that “superhero crap.”

I’m pretty intrigued by his most recent batch of comic books, which have either offered biographical fare, or historical content. The idea of a comic book is so simple, and IMHO, perfectly suited to telling stories to a modern day audience. I would much rather ingest information with pictures and words. I think there are a lot of folks in my generation who feel that way. Modern day media is all about mixing images and words (and sounds as well) to engage all aspects of learning.

Me - I’m totally a visual person. I think a lot of people respond to PICTURES as opposed to giant chunks of text. I wish there were more of a push for “educational” graphic novels in schools.

End Rant.

But seriously - this book actually gave me more (if that’s even possible) insight into Harvey Pekar - the forces that shaped him into the man he is today. OK - there was a bit of whiney parent bashing, but it wasn’t enough to detract from the main thrust of the story.

And I loved the juxtaposition of the old, balding, sour faced Pekar next to his younger, some-times smiling visage.

BONUS REVIEW!

During my work trip to Orcas Island, WA - I also read through a graphic novel written by Brian K. Vaughn called “Pride of Baghdad.” It’s the true story accounting of four lions who escaped from a city zoo during the 2003 bombing of Baghdad.

It’s a gorgeous book. The coloring is luscious (I’m a sucker for pretty art), and the artist, Niko Henrichon did a great job of capturing human expressions in a feline face.

The writing was excellent as well - the lions spoke and interacted with one another - but Vaughn did not forget to give them what I consider “lion-esque” reasoning.

The ending was abrupt and shocking, but I’m certain for allegorical reasons. In fact the entire book itself is an allegorical look at the idea of “freedom” and “liberation” - who has the power to grant freedom and for what purpose. The fact that it’s a true story adds another layer as well.

I think it’s worth mentioning that the last three comic books I’ve reviewed are a part of the DC Vertigo label, which are known for catering to teenagers and adults. Does that mean that I’ve crossed over to the edgier comics now? I don’t know. It could also be worth noting that Vertigo books are most of the only DC comics I enjoy reading.

Up Next: Fallen Angel (I promise).

Much Love, Mindy C