Saturday Morning Cartoons Great Adventure

Yesterday, I observed the Fortieth Anniversary of Woodstock by participating in gridlock on the New Jersey Turnpike. (Woodstock had some 500,000 attendees, and an estimated 1,000,000 people on the highway trying to get in.)

Why was I in Dodge Neon with five (yes, FIVE) other people? A friend was taking her kids to Six Flags Great Adventure, and I and a friend were invited along. The projected 8 AM start came and went, and we did not leave until about 10:30. The first mistake? Taking the Major Deegan Expressway [sic] instead of the Google Maps recommended Jerome Avenue. Yup... took us forever to get from the Deegan (I-87) to the Cross Bronx (I-95) to New Jersey... and then forever to get to I-195 which leads to Great Adventure. I think we arrived at about 1:30 PM, for a trip which should have taken one hour and thirty-five minutes.

Once there, we had lots of fun, and the lines moved faster than what the posted signs suggested. I had done almost all of the coasters the last time I had visited, except for Batman The Ride (a hanging coaster, I did it with my eyes closed to see how that felt... I think the visual of your horizon twisting adds to the experience.) Bizarro was brand new, so we planned on hitting the lines in the evening. Unfortunately, Sean Hannity was sponsoring a Freedom Alliance Freedom Concert, with lots of country singers (but no Dixie Chicks), and the ride, which is next to the stadium, was shut down while the sold-out concert was held. I suspect this happens whenever a concert was held.

The Dark Knight indoor "coaster" was tepid. Maybe if I had worn my glasses (which I always remove on coasters) it would have been better, but at least the lines moved quickly. (Cars are not linked, making boarding efficient.) Unfortunately, it replaced the Batman & Robin Chiller coaster (based on the movie), my favorite. That ride used maglev technology to rocket you out of the platform, through the tracks, eventually stopping on an incline. Then gravity takes over, and you retrace your trip backwards, with the physics planned so that you almost get stuck at the top of the first loop on the way back. I think the success of the new Batman movies, with the stigma attached to "Batman & Robin" convinced Six Flags to replace it.

The coolest thing? Six Flags is now selling $6 nylon capes with various superhero logos (and other images) on the back! $10 gets you a cape with lights that blink! (There's even a midway game with more, limited edition capes you can't buy, like Batgirl.) As soon as I saw the pink Supergirl cape, I immediately thought of my niece in Denver, who years earlier had gotten her face painted in a pink Spider-Man mask. (Yeah, she loves pink!) Then I saw a pink Wonder Woman belt, and the wheels started spinning... she likes make believe... I and her brother are both comicbook fans... her birthday's in November... but I put off shopping until we left the park. My last ride, Superman: Ultimate Flight, was a blast (arms out front, singing the John Williams theme a cappella), and it exits into a gift shop. They didn't have the capes, but I got that near the entrance, and then there was a superhero store, which had the matching armbands! Alas, the pink Wonder Woman belt was only available at the Hall of Justice shop near The Dark Knight, so I hustled back (the park was closing) and got it. I loved the design of a sweet Supergirl logo... the shield, surrounded by wings and flames, something you'd see as a tattoo... But I'm a guy, so I bought a logo'd coffee cup which is the least girlie version they had.

On the way back, the park exploded an incredible array of fireworks, we met up with our friends, and managed to get out of the parking lot in less than an hour. Traffic was fast until we approached the exit from the Turnpike towards the George Washington bridge. Our chauffeur, the mother, was tiring, and a quick driver change in the middle of I-95 (yes, traffic was that bad) had me riding the brake pedal for the next hour until we got to the toll plaza. (Even with the automated EZ-Pass gates, they were still backed up... why couldn't they just open more?) A few idiots cut in front of me even though there was barely room, but after that, it was quick. Almost had an accident on the George Washington lower deck... I was driving 40 mph in the middle lane at about 2 AM (I saw a sign suggesting that speed limit, and I haven't really driven for three years, and there was no traffic behind me), saw a sign saying that I-95 traffic to the Bronx had to use the right lanes , processed the info in a split second, and swerved to make the lane change, and woke up everyone napping in the back seat. Yes, that sign was posted about thirty yards before the exit... not 200 yards back on the bridge, where it would have been useful. How much gridlock does that sign cause when the bridge is full, and tourists have to change lanes to keep travelling through to the Cross-Bronx? After that melodrama, I opted to avoid the Major Deegan, and drove up Jerome Avenue, where I could take my time. That's where we switched drivers again.

I got to bed at 3:30 AM, 21 hours after I had woken up. Caffeine had kept me going all day, but I was feeling a bit sore from the various rides.

[I'm trying to find a good pic online of the Supergirl cape, but most are personal pics (although Mariah Carey wore one when she celebrated her wedding reception at Six Flags Magic Mountain). "Supergirl pink" on Google image search... WOW! So much stuff! Coolest? The reversable Supergirl/Batgirl cape. Not legit... (lookit the S) but a neat idea. The Sunsmart Supergirl one-piece swimsuit is very cool (the towel is the cape... just like you used to do when you jumped off the garage roof!). There a boy's version as well! Then there are pink and the traditional red-and-blue versions of the costume as well... (Yes, there are pink Batgirl costumes as well...) Amazing... Never thought this stuff might exist... Now if DC would just make some decent comics for 4-8 year-olds...]

A Lazy Summer Saturday

Okay... It's nice outside (mid-80s, when the record for today is 97), but I'll be spending it inside.

First, I must praise Suvudu, the SF/Comics/Fantasy/geek website run by Random House.

Being a big supporter of mainstream publishers publishing comics, I joined their merry band when they first launched. However, it was a distraction among an Internet of distractions, and I did not visit as often as I should.

Recently, they posted a rousing call from the satorial, erudite, and all-around-nice-guy Ali Kokmen. I was so moved, that I had to comment, yet my password was not accepted. Suvudu does not send email reminders, instead asks for a hint. Having just celelbrated the end of my fourth decade on this planet, I of course could not recall. (I'm working on the ear hair. I've started hiking my slacks up towards my naval, but will probably need a different cut of slacks. Preferably in plaid, preferably from Johnny Carson Apparel.)

However, a quick email to the general email address, and in less than an hour, my account was restored, my opinion known, and I added it to my blog reader, so I would not forget them in the future. Currently, they are running video from the Eisner Awards, and talking about zombies.


Let's check my Google News feed...

Bomb scare at Laguardia Airport...

A Chinese cyber attack hits the Melbourne International Film Festival, after Chinese filmmakers left because a Chinese dissident and a documentary about her are to be featured...

The Space Shuttle Endeavour has landed safely. Only seven flights remain before the Shuttle fleet is grounded. Not a bad record for almost thirty years of operation. Too bad they didn't build it this way... (Man! That's a pretty cool history! An origami space station, folded atop a Saturn V!)

NASA is also presenting a challenge: develop an airplane which flies at a speed of at least 100 miles per hour, and flies at least 200 miles per gallon per passenger. (The A380 could reach 80 MPG/P, if filled with 800 (!) passengers.) The prize? $1.653 Million. (Not to mention the numerous contracts from the commercial production of the technology.)

And although the STS-127 patch is in the public domain, I did grab the graphic from CollectSpace.com, which has an incredible discussion on this and many other patches. (Search and you'll find a future connection between NASA and Star Trek!)

What else? Oxygen was discovered today, in 1774, for the third and last time. As with most product development, it would not be properly named until 1777. Oxygen is a chalcogen. (No idea what the root "chalcho-" means.)

The Swiss Confederation was created today in 1291. It has not been at war since 1815, it has the sixth highest GDP per population, it's an easy place to do business, has low taxes, and high life expectancy due to federally funded health care. And it is practices a form of government which is more democratic than the United States of America.


Oh, yes... almost forgot... MTV began broadcasting today in 1981. The first video played on MTV? The Space Shuttle Columbia preparing for liftoff, which lasted one hour, culminating in the iconic "spaceman" logo and The Buggles. (The original footage is available for viewing at the Paley Center for Media.)

And for more history from today, Try the BBC.

San Diego Sunday

Okay... rambling today... not much rhymer reason, just some cool geek goodness from the West Coast:

First, The Examiner has the trailer for Tron: Legacy. Looks cool, even without sound, at credit card size. I think the set design will gain an Oscar nod, as will probably the score. After you watch the YouTube file, there are seven other video links underneath. Nothing much to see. Oh, did I mention it will be Disney 3-D? In IMAX? Yeah... Hope they clean up the original and show that first.

Today's photo montage comes from the New York Daily News... goats outshine a giant rabbit, an awesome eclipse in Asia gives a shout-out to Heroes, Lady GaGa upsets Sesame Street and PETA simultaneously, and I-don't-know-how-to-describe-it.

Here's another cool video... a game called "Ratchet & Clank" involving time travel recording to solve puzzles. Just watch... pretty cool idea. You play with yourself. (No, not that way...geez...)

And another, more fanboy centric photo gallery. Lots of cheesecake, some terrible photography. (Really... you've got a digital camera...you can see the result instantly. If it's out of focus or blurred, take another.)

There are lots of cool exclusives available at the Con, but the coolest is from Gentle Giant. A bubble-gum pink Darth Vader helmet! From their site:

A pop culture icon, if there ever was one. The classic Darth Vader helmet gets an overhaul, and a new PINK paint job for a very important cause. For every pink Darth Vader helmet sold from July 1 - July 26, 2009, Gentle Giant Ltd. will donate 10% of the retail sales price to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® with a minimum guaranteed donation of $5,000, in support of Komen's promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever.

This reminds me of another "limited edition", when Kenner ran one hundred of the Darth Vader Collector's Case through the assembly line to see if the gold coating for the See-Threepio (C3-PO) Collector's Case would work. Yeah, it looks cool.

Geek Dad, over on Wired's website, didn't go to Comic-Con this year, and posts ten excuses. Even better, 100 things today's kids will never experience. The comments list is worth reading.

(Bad thought... slash fiction featuring Quinto Spock/Nimoy Spock.)

I hereby dub Comic-Con International: San Diego 2009 "Cherry Con". So many "Geek Gods" attended for the first time: Peter Jackson, James Cameron, John Lasseter, Hayao Miyazaki, Tim Burton... as well as actors like Tom Welling.

Many noted the "Revenge of Moore" squids off the coast of San Diego. A few days later, I discovered a similar news item of a shark in Miami, which reminded me of an early Astro City story.

And while I'm using Google News, here's the earliest citation I can find for a mention of the San Diego Comic-Con: a UPI dispatch from August 4, 1974. Whatever happened to "Captain Sticky"? His obituary.

And remember all that fuss about how Twilight and girls were ruining Comic-Con? Here's an AP article about a (then) young female fan from Washington State.

It was at the San Diego convention where she purchased her most valuable book, a copy of of the first issue of Spiderman [sic], which sold in the early '60s for 10 cents. She paid $75 for her copy.

"I couldn't pass it up for that price," she said, adding that it will be worth a couple hundred dollars someday.

It originally cost twelve cents. According to Heritage Auctions, a 2/10 rated issue is worth $2400. You can buy one here.

Okay... it's 5:45 PM, and I'm calling it a day... nothing new on Google News.

San Diego, Day Three

Over at the Huffington Post, Andy Borowitz trots out the old joke: Comic-Con Offers Attendees Rare Glimpse of Women:

SAN DIEGO (The Borowitz Report) -- Thousands of comic book and sci-fi aficionados descended on San Diego for Comic-Con this week, all vying for the opportunity to look at or even stand near a real woman.

Ha. Not only is this joke about as stale as the "Pow! Biff! Holy [insert bad pun here], Batman!" headlines, his version is rather lame and lazy. Of course, the Onion did it much better, back in 1996.

How about "Comic Book Fan, Dressed as Normal Human Being, Wins Cosplay Award"?


In other news...

KPBS, the San Diego PBS affiliate, discusses the economic impact of Comic-Con on San Diego.


UPI reports that spending by fans is more restrained this year. Comic-Con visitor Joe Ries said, "People don't want the everyday stuff, but the high-end collectibles or exclusives."

To which I say, "DUH." The everyday stuff I can find at my local shop or eBay. When I visit a convention, I want stuff I've never seen. A complete run of Marvel Age magazine. (Worth the price for "Mark's Remarks" alone, as well as a historical time capsule.) A bottle cap with Uncle Scrooge on the inside liner. Bizarre comics from the newsstand era, like "Superman Meets the Quik Bunny". Graphitti editions from the 1980s. Eclipse hardcovers. I want Wong's Lost and Found Emporium, not Wal*Mart.

Instead, I usually see the same clearance items, the same hardcovers and trade paperbacks at each retailer. I understand that conventions bring in a lot of customers into a small area, I realize that it's a great way to move unwanted merchandise, but I'm looking for the interesting. I've actually had trouble fulfilling the 3-for-2 specials at these vendors... that third volume, I have to search for something that's worthwhile.



Reuters reports that more families are attending Comic-Con. The traditional generational shift is one reason (fans involve their children in activities), as is Hollywood's presence at San Diego.
(At left, an image from the Reuters article, showing fans lining up Friday morning.)


Here's the link to AP photos. Most are celebrity photos, but there are a few cosplayers. (Angela Min, enjoy your fifteen minutes. Or is it Lorie Wheeler?) Yahoo News has a wider selection (Reuters and AP)


MGM is remaking "Red Dawn"? And fans are excited that Kurt Russell (The King of the B-Movies) is involved? Okay. If it makes you happy, enjoy. At the very least, he has more geek-cred than most actors appearing at San Diego this weekend. (And here is the Comic-Con coverage from IMDB.)


Lev Grossman, over at Time's Nerd World blog, reports on the Warner Bros. panel, and other aspects of San Diego. An enjoyable blog; I shall follow.


Friends of Lulu Legacy: Lindze Merritt turns cosplay experience into successful fan business! (Lots of cheesecake photos of Ms. Merritt, wearing her own creations. Do read the words next to the pretty pictures!) (If you want REALLY sexy fangirl cheescake, try this.)


Toy Story 1 and 2 will be screened as a 3-D double feature this Fall before Toy Story 3 premieres next Summer. Beauty & the Beast will be 3-D'd (3'd?) as well, and Pixar will air a Christmas special on ABC! (And Thursday, Tron: Legacy was presented.)


And, of course, fair and balanced reporting from the Onion. Who knew J.D. Salinger was a Terminator fanboy? (And if you live in China, please to click here.)

Real Life is for Those Who Can't Handle San Diego

Again, I was scanning Google News today for news from San Diego, but nothing really excited me.

Until... I saw a link from the Wall Street Journal featuring a photo from the San Diego Comic-Con. Curious, I clicked the link.

And discovered many photos which could have been from San Diego, but were actual news photos from around the world.

Which shows just how unusual the world is.

San Diego Comic-Con 2009

Two years ago, I read about the craziness surrounding Hall H at the San Diego Comic-Con (I expected the Red Cross to show up with relief supplies). Last year, like this year, I avoided the Con because it was too crowded, I had no business to discuss, and there were other, more local conventions to attend. Also this year, like last, while working, I periodically updated Google News ("san diego" comics) to see what was new and exciting. (I'll repeat my other strategy, of using the money saved on airfares and hotel rooms to purchase swag on eBay without having to fight for Con exclusives, next week.)

Here are today's interesting points:

• Tim Burton next movie will be "Dark Shadows".
• Tron: Legacy (AKA TR2N) will be in 3-D.
• Google is offering an incredible array of comics themes for iGoogle. (They are also sponsoring Wi-Fi for the Con, and had Jim Lee do this cool logo.)
• The Comics Riffs blog at the Washington Post ponders over a nickname for Comic-Con International: San Diego. I offer a few suggestions.
• Wired Magazine's Underwire page covers Comic-Con, as well as other cool pop culture thingamajigs.
• Robert Zemeckis discussed the possibility of a sequel to Roger Rabbit during the Disney 3-D panel (his next film will be "A Christmas Carol").
• And the coolest news, Jeff Smith will draw new Bone stories for Scholastic!

When the moon shone, we did not see the candle.

I am a bit of a space geek. While I never launched model rockets, or memorized constellations or mission data, I do have an interest greater than most people. (Although I did wear space patches on my jean jacket in high school.)

Born two weeks before Apollo XI landed on the Moon, it always held a fascination. I think Star Wars and Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica fueled that somewhat, but the achievement and the promise of space exploration really grabbed my imagination.

So... a few links to touch upon this historic event. I hope you remember where you were forty years ago today, and I wish that we will see a return trip to the lunar surface soon.

(And to the thousands of people who made the Apollo program a success, thank you.)

First, CNN reports how a ten-year-old living in Guam made a quick repair to a NASA communications antenna just before splashdown.

Over at the New York Times, Tom Wolfe reflects on how the succes of Apollo XI was also NASA's greatest failure. The Times also chronicles those who consider the entire mission a hoax.

An interesting counter-point to the nay-sayers, is the Bad Astronomy blog. I discovered this blog last February, when "archival" photos from the Watchmen movie were posted, and the blog began to critique and correct problems of the picture showing Dr. Manhattan taking a picture of an astronaut on the Moon.

Wonder how powerful the computer was aboard Apollo XI? Dr. Dobb's has a nice analysis of the pioneering technology. Of particular note:

Simpler systems are inherently easier to program, maintain, and fail less often. As Gordon Bell, father of the minicomputer at DEC has often noted: "The most reliable components are the ones you leave out."

The Charles M. Schulz Museum showcases Peanuts contribution to NASA with a special exhibit. Many know of Snoopy and Charlie Brown's involvement with Apollo X. Fewer know that Snoopy also sponsors one of the most prestigious awards that NASA bestows.

And, a look to the future of manned space flight. And a message in a bottle.