Letter to Bill Willingham from Brian Bendis (back before he started using his middle name like a serial killer), in the letter column to COVENTRY #2, 1997. "I hope that Coventry runs for as long as you want it to." Mission accomplished, assuming Willingham only wanted it to run for one more issue :(

Grant Morrison & Ed McGuinness, JLA CLASSIFIED #3, 2005

It's time for more... TOM'S SUPER UP-TO-DATE MUSIC OPINIONS THROWING COPPER by Live is a pretty good album! (Listening from start to end for literally the 1st time, even though it came out when I allegedly knew about music. In fact, it's the 25th anniversary edition, which itself is 6 years old)

CHOTINER: So you have no idea what this meme is about? ME: Nope. CHOTINER: And you refuse to look it up. ME: Yep. CHOTINER: ... ME: ... ME: I like Snoopy. CHOTINER: Me too let's be friends :)

If you've only been reading comics for the past few years or so, you might be surprised to learn that Spider-Man and Daredevil used to fight crime

If you've only been reading comics for the past few years or so, you might be surprised to learn that Spider-Man and Daredevil used to fight crime

CHOTINER: So you have no idea what this meme is about? ME: Nope. CHOTINER: And you refuse to look it up. ME: Yep. CHOTINER: ... ME: ... ME: I like Snoopy. CHOTINER: Me too let's be friends :)

CURRENT READING Robertson Davies' FIFTH BUSINESS. Opening pages had me bracing for bleak and unremitting sorrow. It is sad but also a breezy and entertaining read (as of 25% complete). Hope Larson's ALL SUMMER LONG. Love it. Sweet and funny coming-of-age story, delightful art. Almost done!

RECENT READING Graham Greene's THE QUIET AMERICAN. Viet Nam during French occupation but before full American involvement. Great stuff, powerful ending. Mike Drucker's GOOD GAME NO REMATCH. A memoir of a life obsessed with video games. Could've used more humor and video games, less memoir.

AEW had a huge event at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle (linked below) when I worked there, and they were, top to bottom, the nicest, friendliest group we ever had. Compare and contrast Drake a couple weeks earlier, who SUUUUUUUUUCKED

So? What are you going to do about it? Cry to Bluesky? Bitch, we already know they suck but we can't enforce the law, maybe you should wiki ABSCAM and see if that inspires you to get off your fucking ass

Mood

I know people who rely on SNAP. I have used SNAP myself. This is inexcusable. This country once pretended that there was a war on poverty, there is just a war on the poor now

Newsom chastising Kilmeade for the vile garbage he said about the homeless is grotesquely risible considering Newsom has literally caused the deaths of homeless people by destroying their encampments. Newsom is a shit, is my point

CURRENT READING: Graham Greene's THE QUIET AMERICAN. It turns out the Viet Nam war was bad, like a lot. Fascinatingly fucked-up characters in the middle of a fascinatingly fucked-up colonialist debacle. UP NEXT: Robertson Davies's FIFTH BUSINESS. I may have to read something lighter in between

My complaint is you skipped Gen X. You want complaints?? Talk to a Gen Xer, which is apparently all we were ever good for

I'm so on top of boycotting Disney that I cancelled D+ last November

The Trump administration is so hellbent on destroying free speech they actually killed the guy who played Bob Woodward in ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN. Has anyone seen Dustin Hoffman lately?

1. Boddicker, ROBOCOP: "State-of-the-art bang-bang!" 2. Shermy, PEANUTS: "Good ol' Charlie Brown... How I hate him!" 3. Elwood P. Dowd, HARVEY: "Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant." 4. Daltrey, "Won't Get Fooled Again": "YEEEAAAAAAAHHHHH" 5. Hacker T Dog: "We're just innocent men."

I can't believe I only learned today that Bootsy Collins is the vocalist on "Weapon of Choice," which kicks a perfect 10 song up to 11 for me. This Spike Jonze video is from (checks notes) (double checks) 2001. Ouch, my mortality is acting up

Just like ICE belongs in the toilets in hell

In case you were wondering how Rayanne from MY SO-CALLED LIFE was doing (as I just was when I posted about IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW...), uh, well, the Countess of Devon seems to be doing just fine. She lives in a castle!

IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW... Great cast, including Jennifer Grey as herself, and hilariously accurate in its portrayal of turn-of-the-millennium L.A. as viewed by a NYC transplant. Fell victim to the WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE craze; its last half dozen episodes didn't even air.

I didn't know exactly why Reddit kept mentioning Kash Patel and Valhalla so I did a Reddit search and this was the result. AI continues its flawless streak of 100% accuracy! (Please note: Elsa Pataky's character in FURIOSA is not named "Valhalla Patel.")

Gross. Flags at half-staff at the court house. Picture taken from the 9th floor of the awesome Seattle Central Library, which is my comfy place.

Terrifying to see the usual assholes whipping up hatred and hysteria yesterday of all days. MAGA would absolutely LOVE another 9/11-type moment because that was the excuse they used to truly solidify their takeover of every aspect of this country. Anyway I liked the 1st and only issue of RED HOOD.

Knock knock. Who's there? 9/11. 9/11 who? You said you'd never forget!! (Ironically I forgot about my annual posting of this joke yesterday.)

I'm glad to see flags have been ordered at half-mast in honor of today's sad loss. Anyone else who is in the headlines for whatever reason can kiss my grits!

Happy birthday to Sergio Aragonés, a cartoon legend and a heck of a nice guy

I don't know if anyone has ever said, but MASTER AND COMMANDER is a very very good novel. This would make a nice series. What's that? It already is one that is (quick Google search) TWENTY BOOKS LONG?? Kidding about that but DANG I wish it had become a film series too, that first movie is awesome

Pouring one out for Artie Simek

CURRENT READING: Patrick O'Brian's MASTER AND COMMANDER. Just now downloaded from Libby. Loved the movie, never read any of the books. Hoping for high seas adventure, a little worried at the promise of a shitload of minutiae I will hate. I mean, the VERY 1st thing is a list of 21 different sails.

RECENT READING: Dr. Cecil H.H. Mills' GHOST HUNTERS ADVENTURE CLUB AND THE SECRET OF THE GRANDE CHATEAU. A fun, silly meta take on young adult mystery novels, by Arin Hanson of the Game Grumps YouTube channel. If you've watched the latter you'll probably enjoy the former. m.youtube.com/@GameGrumps

RECENT READING: Robert A. Heinlein's STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND. 1st reading in 30+ years. Surprisingly progressive and transgressive for 1961, unsurprisingly regressive in many other ways, mainly about women. Pretty gross overall. This probably brings to an end my interest in rereading Heinlein.

I wonder how long he'd have to be dead before they actually would admit it. I bet they'd Weekend at Bernie's him until at least the midterms.

There are very few things of perfect unassailable beauty in this misbegotten world, so tonight your assignment is to think about Fleetwood Mac's RUMOURS. You don't even have to listen to it, just THINK ABOUT IT, and DON'T STOP UNTIL I TELL YOU. (Tomorrow: ROBOCOP) m.youtube.com/watch?v=-uFU...

Norton Juster's THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH. Never read it as a kid, still wonderful to read as an adult, so if you did read it as a kid, read it again! Also: Becky Chambers' THE LONG WAY TO A SMALL ANGRY PLANET, if you like sci-fi. Louis Sachar's THE MAGICIAN OF TIGER CASTLE, if you like fantasy.

This is the kind of thing that makes me want to change the tagline on my profile page, "This country is bullshit," back to the previous one: "The ocean is bullshit."

Looking for a pop culture project accompanied by a podcast co-hosted by Elliott Kalan, like I CLAUDIUS/I PODIUS? Why not join me in reading THE POWER BROKER and listening to the 99% Invisible podcast hosted by Kalan and Roman Mars? (Starting in 6 weeks, when I can get the book thru the Libby app.)

In the beginning, good always overpowered the evils of all man's sins. But in time the nations grew weak and our cities fell to slums while evil stood strong. ...It has been written that those who have the youth have the future. So come now, children of the beast, be strong, and shout at the devil!

Saw SUPERMAN again. Thought it might make me adjust my Letterboxd score upward, but no. What I love I REALLY love, especially Clark and Lois. But I REALLY don't like some other characters. I don't like Clark's parents as doofy yokels. I hate the clownish ruler of Boravia. And I DESPISE Jimmy Olsen.

New Letterboxd mini reviews of WEREWOLVES WITHIN letterboxd.com/tomthedogoja... and THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN letterboxd.com/tomthedogoja...

Howard Chaykin draws some of the best facial expressions ever. From 1986's THE SHADOW: BLOOD AND JUDGMENT #1.

RECENT READS: Peter David, VENDETTA Michael Moorcock, THE FORTRESS OF THE PEARL, book 2 in an Elric of Melniboné omnibus Norton Juster, THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH John Christopher, THE WHITE MOUNTAINS, book 1 of the TRIPODS series Becky Chambers, THE LONG WAY TO A SMALL ANGRY PLANET (just started)

I'm almost halfway finished. How do you like it so far?

I wonder how Matt Frewer is doing. (quick Google search) He seems fine.

I'm on ep 7 of I, CLAUDIUS. I thought I'd seen it before, but so far it's all new to me. I know I've seen episodes with Caligula as emperor, which is next. I'd seen at least SOME of it by 1991; that's when I saw DEAD AGAIN, and when Derek Jacobi started stuttering in that movie I thought "I get it."

I may have posted this exact panel before on a previous re-read, but Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams absolutely ruled on GREEN ARROW/GREEN LANTERN. (If you can get past what 1970 considered "progressive" in regards to racial politics...)

Before anything else, I knew Tom Lehrer from his wonderful work on THE ELECTRIC COMPANY, like "Silent E," "N Apostrophe T," and my favorite, "L-Y."