Comic for Monday, January 7th, 2008

Posted: 7:35 am, Monday, January 7th

A poll conducted by CNN/WMUR-TV here showed that Mr. Obama had a 10-point lead over Mrs. Clinton, while a USA/Today Gallup poll showed that his lead had grown to 13 percentage points.

Oh, snap! Hopefully this means we get Jeff Tweedy and/or all of Wilco playing rallies across the country like when Pearl Jam was stumping for Nader in '00. Except with Barack winning. By the way, another chance to read that Atlantic article I linked up on Friday, about Barack. It's a really good read, and this is my favorite line:

Consider this hypothetical. It’s November 2008. A young Pakistani Muslim is watching television and sees that this man—Barack Hussein Obama—is the new face of America. In one simple image, America’s soft power has been ratcheted up not a notch, but a logarithm.

"Not a notch, but a logarithm." If I could spell logarithm without having to look it up, you could expect to see that one often. As it is, probably one-and-done.

Hey, how 'bout dem Irish?

By the way, the fourth panel? I have no idea.

I finished reading that Schulz bio yesterday, and, God, I hope nobody ever feels the needs to write such an unblinking account of my life. Does anyone remember (too rushed to look it up now) *who* exactly was upset about this bio? Because it seems like everyone in his life cooperated to the Nth degree.

Why I was reading the comments thread in a several-week old Hater thread is beyond me, but I love the bizarre Northern/Southern jokes that get busted out here. They start after the third comment in white boxes, with this exchange:

Q: What does a 14 year old Southern girl say the first time she has sex?
A: "Get off me, daddy, you're crushing my cigarettes!"

Q: What does a 14 year old Northern girl say the first time she has sex?
A: Thank Satan we elected a democrat president, so this isn't illegal, daddy!

So, as I've said several times around here, I haven't read comic books in years, but I pick up graphic novels and anthologies every once in a while. When I *did* get comic books, my two favorites were the Savage Dragon and Spider-Man. Thankfully, I quit Spider-Man before things got utterly stupid at Marvel. I don't know what the deal was exactly, but there was some storyline where it turned out Peter Parker was a clone or something that basically undid the entire 30+ year run of Spider-Man to that point. I think they've "retconned" that, which is basically they declared a mulligan and erased it. (While keeping everyone's money from the books that have basically gotten the damnatio memoriae.)(I fucking love the damnatio memoriae.) Anyway, evidently they have decided to retcon Peter Parker and Mary Jane's entire marriage (took place in like '87 or so). Evidently, Aunt May (who I thought was dead - I guess that got retconned, too) has been shot, and for some fucked-up reason, Peter and MJ agree to sell their marriage to the Devil to get Aunt May back. I do not have an elderly aunt who raised me from a child, but if I did, I think I would say, "Huh, she's in her late-80s. I love my wife. I think I'm good here. I will buy you a nice headstone, Aunt May." Long story short, I'm glad I don't buy comic books any more. Anyway, if you think that was intolerably long-winded, check out the Websnark dude's take on it if you have half an hour.

I have no particular fondness for the 80s – my parents kept me in a box almost the entire decade – but some of you will no doubt find this article on the films of 1986 to be a walk down memory lane.

This WaPo article is on webcomics, and terribly formatted. I gave up on PhD a long time ago, but maybe his update schedule is better now. And I was about to gripe about Perry Bible Fellowship basically ignoring itself because of the book launch, but then there was a fresh new strip waiting when I checked to make sure I wasn't going to make a blowhard loudmouth ass out of myself (something I do only occasionally)(check first, that is).

Not to be a downer, but MJL would like you to know you're going to die one day, and provides this for you to calculate the odds of the cause of your perish.

Happy Monday! I've got jury duty, discuss amongst yourselves. (I plan on being known as 'The Hanging Jurist.')(Oh, man, that would be a great name for the after-court bar in a lawyer show.. 'Hey, want to meet at the Hung Jury after trial?' 'It's been a rough day. They're going to be pouring me out of the Hung Jury tonight.' Brilliant.)

bullfrog

MNP -- Monday, January 7 2008, 07:49 am

Irish were fantastic Saturday night!! Looks like Brey has hit his stride with this crew. I'm still doubtful on Tory Jackson, though. he just never impresses. and playing with a swollen-shut eye in the 2nd half just seemed stupid.

The song quote - original version or the Me First and the Gimme Gimmes? Gotta love a song about being hung over.

If it takes being mopey to have enough time sit down and re-watch the Evil Dead flicks, well, then I'm going to get mopey. One of my teachers from MSU is in AoD as an extra, he was Raimi's film teacher. After Spiderman 3, he might not want own up to that.

Zero

about the 1986 movies -- i own "labyrinth." not as good in 2008 as in 1986, but still totally rocks

Landri is the new Reggie. Go Irish.

The people who liked Andrew Sullivan's essay on Obama should really start subscribing to his blog, too. I've been reading it for years and still look forward to seeing what he's got to say every day, even if I don't always agree with him.

http://www.andrewsullivan.com

I have emerged from my first go-round with the legal system, having read most of the Yiddish Policeman's Union. I'm back in action the rest of this week, and reporting to court next Monday. So, whatever that may mean.

you are in luck - they called in an extra 200 jurors here to try to get a jury for a 12 week trial.