News of the Right

Juan Romera sent in his finished pages for Frater Mine #8, “And Thro’ the Field the Road Runs By”, part six of “Here, There and Nowhere”. And I have to say they’re brilliant! Click to enlarge:

The pages are going to be sent off to Ed Brisson for lettering. Look for it to be printed by the end of the year!

I LOVE Weird City Theatre, not only because I’m a company member and because next summer they’re doing a superhero play that I’m writing (!!!), but because they put on some innovative shows, and Hallowe’en is our favorite season. Last year, we did “Night of the Living Dead“, and this year WTC has adapted F. W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu” for the Austin stage (picture to come soon). Early reviews say it’s a hit, and I’ve been fortunate enough to house manage the show, and to provide concessions, particularly, Elvis cupcakes: banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting and candied bacon. So far, people seem to like them.

Since I’ve been asked for the recipe, I’m going to post it here; however, I’m going to start with a disclaimer: these aren’t my recipes. I’m not even sure this is an original idea (I’m actually too scared to google it). The other day I was thinking about what would be a great treat for the show, and this came to mind.

Banana cupcakes:

* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
* 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas), plus 1 whole banana, for garnish (optional)
* 2 large eggs
* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack.

Peanut butter frosting:

* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup creamy peanut butter
* 3 tablespoons milk, or as needed
* 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1. Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.

Candied bacon:

1. Preheat over to 425.
2. Place bacon on a rack inside a cookie sheet and sprinkle liberally with brown sugar.
3. Bake until shiny and crisp (about 25 minutes)

Assemble all the parts. Try them at your next party and let me know how they go over.

Oh. My. Goodness. YES!

Xposted at CPB

At six o’clock the Thursday after Labor Day, I told my students, “It’s new comics day. I love you. Get out.” They probably didn’t believe the “I love you” part, but they knew I meant “Get out.” What could I do? Their young, impressionable, yearning minds were keeping me from getting Absolute New Frontier.

It’s enough to say that I got the ANF (only $75.00 minus an additional 10%, thanks ABC!), but it wasn’t all I got. Of course.

Collecting is a sickness. It is. In order to be a good collector, one needs to feel that unless one has every member of a set, then one is incomplete. One also needs to not care about potential financial ruin or personal relationships (which, contrary to a popular song lyric, do require money to seal the deal; I mean, for anyone with self-esteem) . All that matters is completeness. Completeness is one. If you don’t believe me, go to San Diego for Comic Con one year. You’ll see what I mean.

Having poor impulse control helps, too. It helps a lot.

Here’s what I love about the Absolute editions (besides the annotations): they’re large and heavy, which means they’re important, which means they’re worth having. Seriously, these things have more gravitas than Ian McKellen doing King Lear for the Kennedy family. To further illustrate this, I own the Arkham Horror series of boardgames. All of them. I’ve never played them, but, God help me, together they weigh almost 40 pounds and have over 2,000 playing pieces. That alone is enough for me to have invested close to $300 in them.

Let me say that again: I’ve never played them.

You see where this is going.

Absolute New Frontier is sitting on my shelf. Still in the shrink wrap. Still unread. And going to stay that way. Pristine. My boyfriend expressed dismay about this. And if she knew about it, I’m sure my mother would, too.

Even with a 10% discount (everyday on trade paperback and graphic novels!) $75 seemed a bit steep, but $60 seemed perfectly reasonable and $47 seemed like I was holding a gun to someone’s head, or so I told myself when I saw that’s how much Absolute Crisis on Infinite Earths, Absolute Sandman Volume One and Absolute Kingdom Come cost on Amazon.com respectively. And these weren’t even the New & Used, these were off-the-Amazon-shelves-and-still-shrink-wrapped new. What could I do? I’m a collector what a thing for gravitas and annotations. I got them. And when they arrive they will go to my shelf. Unwrapped. Unread. Pristine.

Billy Mumy’s cornfield was never so wonderfully populated.

In my own defense (sorta), I didn’t buy Seduction of the Innocent as I had originally planned. I researched the book a bit and found that the original publisher cut two pages out of the book (the bibliography) to avoid any possible lawsuit, even if it did destroy the integrity of the book’s research. My goal now is to own a copy with those pages intact. I have some self-control and pride. But only some. And I’m pretty sure even Neil Gaiman doesn’t own this book. So, watch out, Neil; I’m gonna be one up on you yet!

Xposted at CPB

With summer being over, I’m on my own in the evenings more often than not. My boyfriend is back at school, as am I, and living in different counties means casual visits don’t happen on school nights. There is also nothing on TV I have to watch. Yet. This leaves me with the dog and my laptop and my obsessive thoughts. Once I get an idea in my head, it paces from one lobe to another like a caged panther, and though I had more or less dismissed the idea of owning Absolute New Frontier because it was cost prohibitive, well, there’s always Amazon New & Used to check out.

See, the panther finds sneaky ways out of the cage.

The first thing I found out was that Absolute New Frontier was (and still is) OOP. Which meant it was $100. Which meant I needed to get back to ABC before their stock was gone because if there’s one thing that makes me wetter than annotations it’s “OOP”. It’s the bell that undams the drool. Unfortunately, this was late last Tuesday night (like, after midnight late), and I wouldn’t have a real reason to go to ABC until Thursday when the new comics were shelved. But beast had to be fed. Immediately. So, I went back to the beginning: Gaiman’s shelves.

[stage whisper] I have a good word and a bad word for whomever took the pictures of the Gaiman library: the subject matter is rare air, heady and unbelievable; however, the blow-ups are blurry, bad bad quality pics for someone had the pro credentials to get into Neilland. They frustrate the girl with an eye on her own library. Still, before an hour was gone, I had stacked an impressive pile of books in my Amazon cart (my own invisible plane, as it were), including Shadows Over Baker Street, Tonight, Somewhere in New York, The Brand-X Anthology of Poetry, The Brand-X Anthology of Fiction, The Secret Files of the Diogenes Club, The Ten-Cent Plague and Anno-Dracula. I balked at a copy of Seduction of the Innocent, which I’m now reconsidering because, ya know, “OOP”.

Shameless, I know. Actually plagiarizing someone else’s library. There should be a law.

Having successfully spent more money on books than I had on food for the month, I settled on the couch with the dog and considered my spree over with one codicil: I would get Absolute New Frontier the next day, then I could consider the panther at rest.

Right?

To be continued…

Labor Day weekend meant that my local comics shop – Austin Books and Comics – had its annual sale on selected hardcovers, complete series’ sets and trade paperbacks. Being an American and therefore a consumer, I went to see if they had anything I couldn’t live without. At first, there really wasn’t, though I lingered on a complete set of Scurvy Dogs for about twenty minutes longer than was necessary for the staff to come back and check on me several times. Then I saw Absolute New Frontier.

Oh my.


When New Frontier debuted, I looked at the issue, but didn’t really have any abiding interest in the series. It wasn’t until I saw the animated movie that I realized what a work of genius the story was. I got the set on eBay that night. Now, I was confronted with an Absolute edition of this great story, complete with annotations. ooOOOh. Nothing makes me wetter than annotations; they’re like secrets told around the water cooler, historical rumors. And the price of all this deliciousness was $75.00.

And that popped the balloon. There was no way I was gong to spend $75 on this book, no matter how cool. There went my dream of having the Gaiman library. If I wasn’t going to commit the money (my money, at least; should a sugar daddy come along, I’d have no problem spending his money), there was no way I’d be able to fill a single room with books, let alone a whole basement.

That was, until I went to Amazon.com later that week.

To be continued…

Xposted at CPB

I’m going to blame Neil Gaiman.

A few weeks ago, Shelfari posted pictures of Gaiman’s home library, and I simply had to have it. I have never been more envious of anyone of anything ever. Ever. However, not knowing the guy, I can say with some assuredness that he’s not going to bequeath his Lexical Heaven to me ‘cuz I’m such a swell person. So, I invented a fantasy in which it was totally possible for me to have his library and read it too: a Zombie Apocalypse. There’s me, see, a lonely survivor of the Awakening making my way cross country after Austin is mostly decimated (in all actuality, Austin would probably be one of the few cities in the the US to survive a zombie attack; everyone here knows the best ways to defend against them and it’s Texas, so guns and ammo are readily available at any convenience store (though I see myself more as a samurai sword-and-shillelagh kind of survivor)) to Gaiman’s Minnesota abode. There, I meet my family and a handful of other like-minded (i.e., “well-read”) survivors, and we make our way to Gaiman’s basement. He’s not there, nor is his family. I’m not sure where they are in my fantasy. I know they’re not dead because I’m certain I don’t want to live in a post-apocalyptic Gaiman-less world. I mean, that’s just too bleak. Maybe they’re waiting out the Awakening on an island somewhere. It doesn’t matter. They’re not there, and JOY!! the library is also a panic room. So, we lock ourselves in and spend our days reading and telling stories al la The Decameron. The library is mine. The end.

I know what you’re thinking: On what desert island with no hope of rescue will that be happening? Well, of course, it’s a fantasy, but I still couldn’t stop looking at the pictures of what a real home library could be if one happened to be as wealthy, talented and literate as Neil Gaiman. Being none of those, there was really only one option for me: I had to buy every book in his library for myself. Finances be damned!

And don’t think I won’t do it!

To be continued…

Xposted at CPB

…since I’ve been home, I’ve been doing art projects with my nephew and brother, and they’ve shown me the joys of Sculpey. In the past week, I’ve made two characters that hearken back to my Dungeons & Dragons days – a dwarf and a beholder:

The treasure chest below the beholder was actually made by Scott, my brother. It looks exactly how I pictured it in my head, but I had no idea how I was going to shape it. When he was done, I thought, “Oh. Der.” Guess I’m going to trust my instincts from now on and just make the shapes as I see them. Like I don’t have enough to do this summer, right? Now my free time is going to be spent making clay monsters.

Maybe next I’ll do Maggie Gallagher as a harpie, however redundant that may be.

From France, raphaelB’s gives us “the Last Spider-Man Story”. And talk about peripeteia! It’s lightboxed here (click on the graphic to see it in its full glory), but the original is on raphaelB’s site.

My French isn’t strong enough to remember what “Il revient et il bave” means. I’m assuming it’s an idiom because it literally means “He returns and he drools”. Maybe “falls”? Or “drops”? Anyone out there with a French degree that needs put to use? I’m now inspired to re-learn French for two reasons: my boyfriend has taken an interest in doing the same, and the only cartoon I really understood on raphaelB’s site had the punchline, “I’m going to stop peeing on churches.” How will that help me on my next trip to Paris, I ask you?

A few weeks ago, I was interviewed by Neil Ellis Orts of Houston’s OutSmart Magazine for an article about gay Texans in the indy comics scene which was published this week. My fellow gay Texans geeks were Dylan Edwards, Rosendo, and shane patrick boyle. I’m rather pleased to be included in such august company; these guys have been around a lot longer than me and have done a lot more for the scene. I’m not even sure where the scene is and how often it draws all the scene-y people together, yet there I am. Kinda thrilled here.

Click the graphic below to go to OutSmart’s May flip-book (starting on page 35) or click here for the HTML version. Of course, those who live in Houston can pick up a paper copy at all your high and low end gay bars (and if you do, could you send me a copy, please?).

Last week, I sent my brother a link to the now-viral College Humor video, “We Didn’t Start the Flame War”, which we both found to be horrifyingly accurate and therefore hysterical. Then a few days ago, he sent me this email:

I am reading Gorgias and this quote reminded me of the Flame War video you sent along the other day.

Socrates: I suppose Gorgias, that like me you must have been present at many arguments, and have observed how difficult the parties find it to define exactly what the subject is which they have taken in hand and to come away from their discussion mutually enlightened; what usually happens is that, as soon as they disagree and one declares the other to be mistaken or obscure in what he says, they lose their temper and accuse one another of speaking from motives of personal spite and in an endeavour to score a victory rather than to investigate the question at issue; and sometimes they part on the worst possible terms, after such an exchange of abuse that the bystanders feel vexed on their own account that they ever thought it worth their while to listen to such people.

And that in 405 BCE, eh?

Mr. Portokalos was right, everything can be traced back to the Greeks.

I don’t know how many of you are teachers, or have nephews or nieces in high school, or are friends with people who work in the education biz, or (let’s face it) think that the next generation is going to bring the world to ruin, but I have a comic book for you (Hell, I have a comic book for you even if none of this applies): ALL STUDENTS MUST DIE!!

With just a few weeks left in the semester, the faculty of Nicholas County High School is stressed and the students are unruly. How can order be maintained and discipline be restored? Easily, if the teachers are willing to follow the unorthodox Mr. Frietag and sell their souls to the Devil for unimaginable power!

Early reviews say, “Such a touching story–is it my allergies, or has this story brought a tear to my eye? Not since ‘Goodbye, Mr. Chips’ has the bond between student and teacher been so lovingly rendered.”

“…a little scary. It makes me never want to enter a classroom again.”

“A triumph, my friend. A triumph.”

and “You are Satan’s child, McGrath. I will pray for you!”

A six page preview of ALL STUDENTS MUST DIE!!! is available for download by clicking on the graphic above.

It’s TOTALLY SAFE for work (maybe a little violence ) and is the last word in academic revenge fantasies. Art and lettering are by Benjamin Granoff with cover art by Benjamin Matthews and Scott McGrath. Enjoy!

Quite a thing whom one knows and whom they in turn know. Click for the whole taco.

• 5:21 PM Sean McGrath - It’s a bit early as the Sloth-Off doesn’t begin officially until Saturday morning, but it doesn’t hurt to prepare (however contradictory it is to prepare to be slothful).
• 5:47 PM Sean McGrath - OK, I’m going to finish putting the kitchen together (new tiles!!!) and then shower. When Ben gets here it’ll be a trip to HEB to buy junk food, then BSG. More as the evening progresses!
• 6:54 PM Sean McGrath - voila!

Today, GLAAD announced its nominees for the best in LGBTQ representation in all forms of media. According to Joe Palmer, the criteria for nomination are:

1) Fair, Accurate and Inclusive Representations: Rather than portraying the LGBT community in broad stereotypes, the project deals with the characters or themes in a fair, accurate, and multi-dimensional manner. (This is different than a “positive role model.”) Inclusive means that
the diversity of the LGBT community is represented. This includes economic, geographic, and political diversity, as well as people of color, seniors, differently abled, etc.

2) Boldness and Originality: The project breaks new ground by exploring LGBT subject matter in a way not traditionally explored, and handles the LGBT content in a fresh and original
manner. Is this project cutting-edge?

3) Impact: The project impacts society in a significant way. Does this project
dramatically increase the cultural dialogue about LGBT issues? Or, does this project reach an audience that is not regularly exposed to LGBT images and issues?

4) Overall Quality: The overall quality of the project is considered. A project which is of extremely high quality adds impact and significance to the images and issues portrayed. Fair, accurate and inclusive images can sometimes be weakened when they are part of a poor-quality project.

Of course, I went right to this category:

OUTSTANDING COMIC BOOK
The Alcoholic by Jonathan Ames (Vertigo/DC Comics)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Drew Goddard, Jeph Loeb and Joss Whedon (Dark Horse Comics)
Final Crisis: Revelations by Greg Rucka (DC Comics)
Secret Six by Gail Simone (DC Comics)
Young Avengers Presents by Ed Brubaker, Brian Reed, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Paul Cornell, Kevin Grevioux and Matt Fraction (Marvel Comics)

I’ve never read The Alcoholic, so I can’t speak to that, but I’d cast my votes for either Final Crisis: Revelations (because it’s the most comprehensible and exciting of the whole Final Crisis extravaganza) or Secret Six (because I love Gail Simone). Buffy hasn’t been doing it for me the last few issues, so I can’t believe it’s a serious contender (Ooh! The ego!). And if GLAAD nomination refers to the chaste Young Avengers Presents with Wiccan (and a momentary appearance by his “boyfriend” Hulkling), which was a mess on so many levels, then they must really be desperate.

Of all the film nominated:

OUTSTANDING FILM – WIDE RELEASE
Brideshead Revisited (Miramax Films)
Milk (Focus Features)
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (Columbia Pictures)
RocknRolla (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (The Weinstein Company)

OUTSTANDING FILM – LIMITED RELEASE
The Edge of Heaven (Strand Releasing)
Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom (New Open Door Productions)
Save Me (First Run Features)
Shelter (Regent Releasing)
XXY (Film Movement)

I’ve seen two – Milk and Shelter. As much as I loved Milk, Shelter needs to win. I found it to be one of the most honest and moving gay love stories I’ve seen in years. No one died. No one was abused. No one got some random chick pregnant to prove he’s a real man. It avoided all the stereotypes rife in gay media like (dare I say it?) Noah’s ARC. Ugh! Terrible terrible terrible!

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
The L Word (Showtime)
South of Nowhere (The N)
Torchwood (BBC America)
True Blood (HBO)

Go Brothers & Sisters!!!!!

This is almost a “WTF?!” moment for me. I’m waaaay behind in what’s new in children’s literature, but I can’t believe that there wasn’t a book published in 2008 that could have won the Newbery over The Graveyard Book. And this is coming from a Neil Gaiman fan! The concept of the book – an orphaned baby taken in and raised by ghosts as one of their own – is solid and exciting, but its execution lacked the toothiness and strong characterization I’ve come to expect from Gaiman. No one, not even Bod, was treated to the depth they deserved. I wanted to be happy or sad or scared for these characters (especially Silas and Miss Lupescu), but I didn’t. Is that a fault on my part or Gaiman’s? Who knows? Good on him and all, but I found Coraline to be a much more satisfying read, and to the best of my knowledge it didn’t receive any awards (the up-coming feature film notwithstanding).

Mr. Gaiman’s response to the news (as eloquent as ever) is on his blog.

Photo via LATimes

With .4 seconds left in 2008, The World Clock shows us the year in toto: what we’ve done, what we’ve lost, how we’ve grown (lord, how we’ve grown!), and how sick we’ve been.

HAPPY 2009, ALL!! (Make it a better one than 2008, or else!)

Fred Guerra’s January calendar starts the new year in the right way. See who can be on your desktop after the wrinkle!

click for the calendar