Christian

Yes, I believe that all the new "Avengers" line-up is launching next month.

Avengers #1-by Bendis

Iron Man #1-by Ellis

Capt. America #1-by Brubaker

I couldn't see them launching Cap after they relaunched the other books....

Speaking of that, how many freaking Captain America series have they had now?!?!?

Cap is becoming like "Punisher".

Yes! I found it interesting that this store sells 40 COPIES of Hellblazer each month!!!

Every comic shop I've visited (Toronto area, Flint,Michigan), the most they sell on H.B. each month is 6 copies.

Harlan Ellison did one of those "Gotham Knights" B&W back-up features also!

Yeah, it was Jenkins and Phillips who did that "Steps" story-arc on Legends of the Dark Knight, wasn't it?

That was a really good story, I felt!

Originally I liked comics because my cousin wanted to buy them. We were the best of friends in elementary and middle school, and did everything the other one did.

Then, I liked comics because they were an escape for me. I don't know what it is about comics, but I'm not alone in this sob story. "I got teased a lot in school, and didn't have many friends or outside of school interests. I had bad asthma and my grandma was over-protective. Comics were a way to escape the real world, and they helped get me through some really rough times." My best memories of grades 7-9 would be comic books.

Then, though I didn't realize it, i had become anal. I had this urge to collect things with numbers on them, and comics were my best friend. It's still part of the reason why I buy "Uncanny X-Men", along with nostalgia.

Later, when I discovered Vertigo comics, and non-mainstream comics (along with some of the best comic writers), I came to the conclusion that prose fiction had become stagnant. There were very few fiction books written after the 1960s that stood the "test of time", and even fewer writers. Especially when it comes to the American market. the Golden Age died with J.D. Salinger in my opinion. He was the last of the great American writers.

I love F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce (his short fiction mostly), Ernest Hemingway (some of his stuff), J.D. Salinger. Nobody writing today in the field of prose fiction can compare to their work, IMO.

This is where I see comic books as being so important, and why I like them so much! Comic books are the genre taking chances, doing original work, putting out the best characters and stories in our modern age. Books are not doing this very much anymore. Fitzgerald (and his generation of writers) was taking chances, doing something new and original with his stories. Since then, no one has come along and revolutionized the field of novels or short-fiction the way the "expatriate generation" did in the late20s-early40s. And, I feel that Salinger was the last one to really take that model and shape it to his own vision. I feel that most writers since then have just been writing books "by the numbers".

I believe that some day, literature professors will look back at the mid1980s-2000s and come to the conclusion that the best work being done in the field of writing was being done by Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, et al in this medium.

OMG! This series is still going on?!

Wasn't Usagi introduced in the original TMNT comic book? I read the original Ninja Turtles comic, and I seem to remember recognizing this samurai rabbit from that comic book.

No, I feel that Iraq is really not the issue at all in this war. It is really about...

HA HA HA! I tricked you! John didn't have his breakdown YET, although that Brussels thread is the first sign, I do believe....

Anyway, Keeyah likes to be spanked. Which is why she's still with me and not the perverted "toe sucker" of the Forums.

:lol: -My family is from (insert country) here, obviously we must be descended from royalty. :lol:

People have such a high opinion of themselves!

I have family from Rumania, obviously we must be descended from Lord Dracula.

No, actually I believe all we've got is Heinrich Himmler....

Oh good! I was meant to laugh! :)

I agree that Gaiman's children's books are always a good, fun read. I'd hazard that they're the best kid books I've read since C.S. Lewis and Roald Dahl.

Looking at those pics from the Yoga web-site, I realize how unattractive that all looks....

sigh....I remember when it was me and Keeyah....those were the days. Well, enjoy her!

You know what would be funny? If John had a breakdown (no, this isn't the funny part! So, if you're laughing at this part, you're just awful!) and started moving posts into all different unrelated threads, so that none of the threads made any kind of sense except in John's head! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Yeah....this is seriously the kind of stuff I find funny....pity me!

Yeah, but I've always enjoyed Lucifer as a "tragic figure" vs. the incarnation of EVIL. Anytime I use Lucifer in my writing, he is always an anti-hero type figure. I've always thought of Lucifer as a personification of the "rebel".

So, yeah, most modern writers have nicked Milton's original idea; but that's the only Lucifer I see worth working with anymore.

From what I've read, an Incubus is a demon that lives within a human body (i.e. demonic possession). I guess the fact that the Incubus penetrates the human body could be contstrued as a masculine form of sexual intercourse though.

Josh-Actually, Abby is no longer Swamp Thing's wife. They were once married, but they got divorced. Too long a story to go into.

Aye, no one wants to hear about my life, truthfully.

I guess I'll just say in reply to this thread that I haven't had a job in a long while now. I work as a short fiction writer, but that's all fallen apart for me. Besides, you can't make it as a short story writer as a sole income.

So, I really have no source of income anymore.

I've been writing a few political articles for a friend who owns an "underground" press paper, and he's been paying me a little bit generously. Considering that he usually only accepts submissions for publishing credits (not for pay), I'd say he's being generous.

I'm going to Lansing this weekend to meet with a magazine editor about writing for them on a full-time basis. Nothing guaranteed.

Truthfully, I don't know if I even want to. The pay will be crap, and I'm going to have to write essays for the magazine that I don't even want to be writing. The purpose of my writing was to be able to write what I wanted to write. Not sure if it's worth giving up my fiction writing for the forseeable future for the kind of pay they're offering....

:lol:

Sorry Sethos, I think you were being serious....but still, it made me laugh!

"Wolves in the Wall" was a very fun book, and very cute. But, I wouldn't say it's Gaiman's Masterpiece (or anywhere near what Gaiman can do with language and story structure).

I personally consider "Smoke & Mirrors" Gaiman's best prose work. I realize it's short fiction, but my mind-set is geared towards short fiction, as that is my area of expertise. I consider "Dubliners" as Joyce's masterpiece, if that helps you understand my mind-set when judging a writer's works.

I like the looks of this characterization of Tony Stark. This is the natural progression from the alcoholism story-line by Denny O'Neil. Instead, new writers kinda ignored what O'Neil did with the character, until the "Crossing" story-line, where we saw the first signs of Tony Stark's self-hatred. But, of course that was mired under by all the cross-over shite, and something about Kang controlling Stark's mind since their first meeting (back in Avengers vol.1 #8)....

This does look good!

Keeyah-This past "Iron Man" series wasn't worth reading anymore. After Busiek left (around issue #24), it's been a real chore to read (I know I didn't want to waste my time and money reading it, so I dropped it!).

But, "Iron Man" is being relaunched from issue #1 with Warren Ellis writing it. Now's the perfect time for you to jump on an "Iron Man" series!

I believe Kerry is opposed to a Constitutional ban on gay marriage, although he states that he believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

Whereas, W. Bush wants a Constitutional ban and believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

So, yeah, they're both bigots. Only one is more bigoted than the other.

Did Kerry say anything that said he was for a Constitutional ban?

OK, I'm not going to get nit-picky here, as I think Succubi can have babies if Mike Carey says they can have babies!

Religious references are all scewered!

Some sources state that angels and demons are unable to conceive children, as they are genitalia-less. Although, demons can make it look like they have HUGE penises in order to tempt loose women.

In the Bible, if you read the immaculate conception literally, it seems that it was an angel with the seed of God who impregnated Mary.

Also, Medieval Christian teachings changed the original fact I presented into Succubi could impregnant women. Of course, this was just a conveniant way to cover up the fact that someone imporants wife was sleeping around.

As far as a demon or angel giving birth to a child, this is pretty much considered heresy by religious experts. Only humans were "blessed" by God with the ability to procreate due to the fact that humans are mortal, whereas angels and demons are not.

One interpretation of the Fall (or an example of a 2nd Fall, depending on the source) is the tale of Azazel and his flock of angels who went down to Earth to teach mankind how to use tools and make fire. While there, Azazel and some of the angels were overwhelmed by the beauty of human women, and raped them. Their offspring were half-human/half-demon Giants (I forget the name they were given, although it might've been written that they became the Canaanite tribe. Not positive!). God kicked Azazel and any angels involved in sex from Heaven because angels were not meant to experience the pleasure of sex, it was a gift to man (I think in return for the fact that all men die, but not sure again....).

I know, Mark! Fucking Protestant ethics ruined what could've been the masterpiece of literature! As it is, the book pretty much falls apart and becomes dry after Milton figured out that he made Lucifer a "tragic hero" type character, and sets about attempting to make Lucifer seem "evil". Real shame, as I love "Paradise Lost", and feel that the original presentation of Lucifer is the ultimate picture of the "Adversary" as he stands in modern culture.

Wasn't it Joyce who said something to the affect of, "Too bad John Milton figured out what he was accomplishing before he finished 'Paradise Lost'. Otherwise, we'd have a true masterpiece." Something like that....

NOTE:It might not've been Joyce. I'm horrid at figuring out who said quotes....

From what I've read no one is really sure exactly where the modern Halloween came from. I'm guessing it was a bastardization of the pagan celebration done by the Christians in an attempt to keep their New Year's celebration, while perverting it from the original purpose. It's known that Christians combined their own holidays with pagan festivals in order to convert the pagans to Christianity, while allowing them to keep their traditions (to an extent). If you just take their religion away from them and try to shove your own down their throat, they won't accept, but if you make it seem that your religion is compatible with their own, only you replace names and purposes, the people are more likely to convert.

It's pretty much accepted that Samhain was the predecessor for All Hallow's Eve. Samhain is a Celtic holiday which represented their New Year (Nov. 1st).

Here is a quick essay I found on the internet which gives a pretty thorough history of Halloween, up until the Christian era:

It was a day of the dead, a time when it was believed that the souls of those who had died during the year were allowed access to the land of the dead. It was related to the season, by Samhain the crops should be harvested and the animals brought in from the distant fields. Many traditional beliefs and customs were associated with Samhain. Most notable was that night was the time of the wandering dead, the practice of leaving offerings of food and drink to masked and costumed revelers, and the lighting of bonfires, continued to be practiced on October 31, known as the Eve of All Saints, the Eve of All Hallows, or Hallow Even. It is the glossing of the name Hallow Even that has given us the name Hallow e'en. Come evening, evil spirits were everywhere. Charms and spells were said to have more power on the eve of Samhain. The spirits of Samhain, once thought to be wild and powerful, were now said to be something worse: Evil. The church maintained that the gods and goddesses and other spiritual beings of traditional religions were diabolical deceptions, that the spiritual forces that people had experienced were real, but they were manifestations of the Devil, the Prince of Liars, who misled people toward the worship of false idols. Thus, the customs associated with Halloween included representations of ghosts and human skeletons--symbols of the dead--and of the devil and other malevolent, evil creatures, such as witches were said to be. The original festival for the pagan Lord of the Dead became a festival of Christian dead. People went on expecting the arrival of ghosts on Oct. 31st. Halloween has become one of the most widely celebrated festivals on the contemporary American calendar, and it is not even officially a holiday. No day off is given for Halloween, no federal decree is proclaimed establishing it as a national holiday. People just celebrate it!

Then you just like a good book, Akhira! :)

I guess all the mythological stuff could be considered confusing....

"Good Omens" was a really good book! It's hilarious and a fun read! Check it out!

"Stardust" was a good story. It's the type of fantasy I enjoy, and it was an easy read. Just nothing ground breaking.

"Neverwhere" is also a really good book.

All of these books came out before "American Gods" though. And, I don't consider as ambitious as "American Gods", even though all are good books and fine reads.

Let's see....

He's a strange visitor from another planet.

He lives in Antartica or on the moon.

I seriously doubt he has a registed Social Security number under the name "Superman".

If he does not, no one knows who the hell he is (because Clark Kent wears glasses!), and you can't charge taxes to a man without a known identity.

Where does this IRS agent send this bill to?! Superman doesn't have a listed address, for all the govt. knows he's some homeless guy with super powers!

I find so many plot holes with this story! Shame on that editor!

Ah, we had the album thread on the old forums where we each go to put together a WHOLE album. One side is more difficult.

OK, I'll go with....ummm....

OHHHH! I'm going to put two down.....Trust me, it was difficult getting just two!

1.Cranberries-"Yeat's Grave"

2.REM-"Radio Free Europe"

Let the rest of you fight it out as to which of the two should be my ONE pick....

I think John's little social experiment has gone awry. I think he'll be packing up and moving on pretty soon, leaving all of to drift through interspace alone and cold looking for this Forum, which doesn't exist.

Next, we'll hear about John leading a group like Jonestown on the telly.

I think the best reply to these bigots who hide behind religion and pseudo-science as a way to justify their fears and hatreds is to use their own "disguise" against them.

"You say the Bible says homosexuality is wrong?! Well, I refer you to our Lord Jesus Christ who said, and I quote, 'Love your brothers'. I think that homosexuals are doing a hell of a lot better job following Jesus' teaching than we straight MOFOs are doing!"

:lol:

Watch them begin to froth at the mouth, jibber, and start shaking!

RE:"Imagine"

You know, I usually hate covers of classic songs....and originally I was very underwhelmed by Perfect Circle's cover of the song. But, as I've listened to it a few times on the radio, it somehow grows on me. It almost feels more like it's an original song, paying homage to the original "Imagine". I guess I really just like it because the more I listen to it, the more I'm convinced it's a "love song for Communism"....

As far as I'm concerned, "The White Album" was the final Beatles' album.

I think "American Gods" all depends on your feelings about Neil Gaiman. If you worship the guy and his writing style/interests, than it's the ultimate novel. If you were bored or confused or just didn't much care for "Sandman", "American Gods" would be a real chore to read.

I personally feel that "American Gods" was pretty much Gaiman's magnum-opus. I think it was a natural build on what he did for the comic format with "Sandman". I think Neil really said everything he wanted to say/write with those two, because personally, I feel that Neil's been a shell of his former self, treading rusty water after "American Gods".

It's a shame since Neil is so young (early-40s) and obviously not going to die before 40 (I'm NOT saying this part is a shame!!!, I'm referring to Neil having completed his greatest, most personal works.) like Joyce or Fitzgerald, he's not going to want (or maybe even be able?!) to put his pen away and retire for many more years yet. But, he's reached the same stage that Joyce and Fitzgerald were at 10-5 years before their deaths.