PeterDavid.net

You have to give them credit

When you think of the vast percentage of Americans who can't be bothered to come out and vote...and that musicians develop an overwrought campaign called "Vote Or Die," which really doesn't mean much of anything, as opposed to the "Vote And Die" message being spread by Iraqi terrorists...

It's just pretty damned impressive, the Iraqis turning out to vote in their first election. Make no mistake, it's still a horror show, we still shouldn't be over there, Bush lied to America, and Bush's List continues to grow. But at least Iraqis are braving all manner of risk to vote, as opposed to many Americans who are so cavalier about a right they never earned or had to fight for.

PAD

A quick quiz of what's really important

With the Super Bowl coming up next week, I thought it'd be interesting to ask you four questions. Don't bother posting the answers: These are only for your amusement and edification. Some folks will know a few of them. Some will know them all. But I'm guessing that, of the four, there's only going to be one that absolutely everyone is going to be able to answer quickly and confidently. Here we go:

1) Which two teams played in last year's Superbowl?

2) Who won?

3) What was the final score?

4) Which of Janet Jackson's breasts was exposed, her right or her left?

PAD

Caroline's Viewing Habits

So Kathleen was reading Caroline a book yesterday, and on one page a beach scene was pictured. Seagulls were depicted fluttering around.

One of the things you do with picture books is, naturally, see if the child can name the things pictured. So Kathleen pointed at the seagulls and said, "What are these?"

"Birds," Caroline said.

"Very good."

Then Caroline took another look at the seagulls. Her eyes widened, and suddenly she started saying, "Mine? Mine? Mine mine mine?"

So now I'm wondering if letting her watch "Finding Nemo," like, eighty seven times, wasn't the world's best idea.

PAD

Caroline in the Snow

For those interested, Kath has pictures up of Caroline cavorting in the snow.

http://homepage.mac.com/kathodavid/PhotoAlbum20.html

For those not interested, you can go back and look at the Hulk cover some more.

PAD

Who knew?

Years ago, as a gag for Marvel's "What Th--?!" I created a female Wolverine clone called Wolverina.

Who knew that if I'd waited a few years and pitched it seriously and given her a more straightforward designation such as X-23, I'd've created the new hot character?

PAD

Hulk #81 cover in color

You sitting down? I sure hope so because if you're standing and typing, that's just kinda weird.

Behold the finalized cover to Hulk #81:

The major evil guys of "LOTR"

After watching LOTR during the snow days, it really underscored a major failing for me.

The villains never won a battle.

They lost the battle of Helm's Deep. They lost the battle of Minas Tirith (pardon the spelling if that's wrong.) They lost the battle at the Black Gate (ran away from it, actually, even though they outnumbered the forces of man by a hundred to one.) They lost the battle of the Ents vs. Isengard. Even when they did succeed, it was overthrown in short order. The Orcs made off with the Halflings, but it was the wrong Halflings and they got slaughtered later anyway. Saruman manipulated events in order to get rid of Gandalf in the mines of Moria, but he came back even more powerful. The Orcs took that port city, but that was taken back by Aragorn and his ghost army.

And Sauron, for pity's sake, should have had guards on Mt. Doom 24/7. If that was the only place where the ring could be destroyed, wouldn't you want the ringbearer to walk into an ambush instead of a clear shot at the lava flow?

Twelve hours of movies and the villains never did a damned thing right. Sheesh.

PAD

Just so we're all clear...

1) Outraged conservatives who think they're going to bother me when they announce that they're going to stop reading my books can forget it. I don't worry about whether saying what I think is going to cost me money because I don't put a dollar value on speaking the truth as I see it.

2) I will henceforth be treating some of the more belligerent conservatives in the spirit they're treating me. Specifically, there seems to be this belief that liberals should just shut up even though they don't like the way things are. So any conservative postings that I don't like, I will shut up for them, thus enabling me to practice on their behalf what they preach on mine. Particularly postings that consist mainly of insults pertaining to race, color, creed and national origin.

Back to the snow.

PAD

The Freedom Clock

Since freedom is so important to the President that he felt the need to mention the word over two dozen times in his speech, we here at peterdavid.net felt that--in the interest of a new spirit of bipartisanship and cooperation--we should try to spread the concept of freedom wherever and whenever possible.

Hence the "Freedom Clock," which is either at the side of the page or at the bottom, depending upon your browser. The Freedom Clock will be ticking down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until this country is finally free of George W. Bush...barring premature departure such as impeachment or being tried for war crimes, or an extended stay should some bright Republicans try to repeal Section one of the 22nd Amendment (which I doubt they'd do since it would free up Clinton to run again, and they won't want to risk that.)

So as the bad news continues, check in every so often to remind yourself that, like any bad meal, this too shall pass.

PAD

Oy

And as I look outside, the snow is coming down in waves. This isn't boding well for the weekend.

Fortunately, we have a cunning plan. We're going to crack out our director's cut editions of the "Lord of the Rings" and watch the entire trilogy. That'll kill twelve hours right there, not even counting the extras. We got popcorn, we've got cookies to bake, I've got a novelization to finish. Should be a quiet weekend.

PAD

Hulk the Barbarian...

Behold Lee Weeks original pencils of the cover for issue #81. A tribute to Frazetta's oft-hommaged Molly Hatchet cover, it gets my vote as "Cover Most Likely To Be a t-shirt by next year."

PAD

Out this week--Madrox #5

The concluding issue of our little miniseries. Whad'ja think?

PAD

Bush's List

On this national day of mourning, a.k.a. Inauguration Day, I am going to offer a radical idea on how to fix Social Security. Ready? Here it is.

We stop sending Americans to get killed.

Consider: At the end of "Schindler's List," it is stated that due to the 1100 Jews saved because of Schindler, the result was 6000 Jews who lived that would never have been born.

So over a period of ten years back in the 1960s, we lost 50,000 Americans. I'm not mathematician enough to calculate the number of Americans who were never born as a result: Americans added to the workforce, whose salaries would have contributed to social security, or who would have founded companies to hire people whose salaries, etc. But I would not hesitate to guess that would be a lot of warm bodies, all paying in to the program.

But they were killed or never existed. If, as Bush and Company believe, life begins at conception, then certainly they must give a nod toward conception that won't occur.

Apparently, though, not so much. Because there's already 1300 names on Bush's list. So that's...what? Another 6500 Americans who won't be born over the next thirty years? We can't even begin to wrap ourselves around the immensity of the tragedy involved in the sheer waste of young life. We can barely comprehend the "Daily News" headline that reads "Iran Next! Secret US commando teams already inside to identify potential targets, report claims." So instead we must dwell on the pragmatic aspects, because the human horror and waste of American lives (not to mention Iraqi lives ranging anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000) is just too ghastly to contemplate.

Fix Social Security. Stop Bush's list from growing.

PAD

Check it out, Hulk fans

The following will give you a link over to Lee Weeks' cover for Hulk #80.

http://users.rcn.com/lweeks/images/Hulk080_cvr_72.jpg

Within the next day or so I'll also be putting up Lee's pencils for the cover of issue #81 which will be--I'm willing to bet--a t-shirt before the year is out.

PAD

U-Decide

Okay, a friend of mine thought that the following new toy based on Darth Vader represented the absolute nadir of Lucasfilm licensing.

http://www.starwars.com/collecting/news/hasbro/news20050113.html

I, on the other hand, saw it and immediately wanted to run out and buy one.

U-Decide: Low point or irresistable kitsch?

PAD

(Update: I've added a picture of Darth Tater. Eeek. --GH)

"And laugh with a fiendish yell..."

They've been having "Pirates of the Caribbean" in heavy rotation on cable, so I've seen it a few times. And listening to Geoffrey Rush laugh--particularly at the point where his undead condition is first revealed and he's just slammed the doors on Elizabeth, and he cackles dementedly to his crew--I've decided he'd be absolutely perfect if anyone ever decides to do a remake of "Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow" or, as it was called by Disney, "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh." Rush has this nice, peaceful demeanor that would do wonderfully for Dr. Syn, the Vicar of Dimchurch, but he can do great stuff with his voice to portray his alter ego of the Scarecrow (last seen in a painting in "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.")

I wish Disney would release the Patrick McGoohan three-parter on DVD. Not the shortened movie version, but the whole series.

PAD

Even *I* don't know what's going on anymore

Heidi over on Comicon's "The Beat" stated that she was unable to get confirmation from DC that issue #20 of "Fallen Angel" will be the last one. Which has prompted a plethora of e-mail and sparking of hope from various fans, whereas I'm just left shaking my head and wondering what the hell is going on. All I can do is pass on what's told to me. I swear to you, right hand to God, if I hear anything different from what I've been told, I'll let you know...although it could wind up being contradicted 24 hours later...

PAD

Prescription Research

A rather unique review site was brought to my attention, wherein "Fallen Angel #18" and "Madrox #3" were reviewed at http://politedissent.com/archives/503/, solely on the basis of the medical situations (Boxer's mom losing the baby, Madrox breaking someone's fingers.) The reviewer stated in both cases that I got it right. I'm pleased, especially in the case of Madrox, since I really did take the time to do the research and discover which fingers in the hand were the easiest to break. The color of shark's blood underwater aside, I always try to write for the experts, so it's nice when the experts notice.

PAD

Cowboy Pete's "Elektra" Complex

First question: Was it better than "Daredevil?" Answer--Yes and no.

Second question: Worth your money? Answer--yes and no.

Here's the bottom line (confusingly, I'm placing it near the top). Bottom line is, THIS is the Marvel movie that Ang Lee should have directed. This is the movie that sought to have a dreamlike quality to it, with amazing aerial kung fu acrobatics and extended battle scenes that should leave you breathless.

But the script and director didn't deliver that. I don't know whether it was lack of time, lack of budget, lack of ability, or a combination thereof, but it just wasn't there.

It held my attention, I'll give it that. I didn't fall asleep or get bored and mentally wander off and watch "Casablanca" in my head, which is what I do with films that aren't grabbing me. Then again--sorry, purely personal thing--I'm a sucker for Jennifer Garner, and she was in practically every scene. Indeed, the few scenes she wasn't in were the ones where my attention did start to wander until she came back.

Even with my fondness for the actress, I am forced to admit that, to use the words of Dorothy Parker, she ran the emotional gamut from A to B. The story, such as it is, involves Elektra protecting a desirable young martial arts prodigy from the clutches of the Hand (no pun intended.) If you want to see a top notch film about a deadly woman protecting a young charge, go watch Gena Rowlands in "Gloria."

People were coming out of the film wondering why Elektra felt inspired to protect the girl. The answer to that is actually in the script, pretty clearly. It's not even subtext; it's subtle as a brick. Elektra sees much of herself in the girl and wants to try and keep her out of the clutches of the Hand so that the girl won't turn out like Elektra. In saving the girl, Elektra would be in some measure saving herself. Which might kinda sorta track if, say, Elektra had once actually been IN the Hand and the Hand had made her the way she was. Since she wasn't and they didn't and we're not entirely sure why she is the way she is, we're left with no touchstone or frame of reference. Garner is a good actress, but she doesn't seem capable of bringing layers, shading and meanings that aren't in the page. What she sees is what you get. So when people are wondering "why" she would care, it's not because the script doesn't explain, but because Garner doesn't convey enough passion about what's in the script to make it believable, mostly because Garner doesn't get to act the key motivational scenes, but instead experience them in flashback to when she was a child. So she's distanced, we're distanced, and Garner doesn't have the chops to make the jump and link us emotionally with the girl she was and the woman she is.

The places where the film really kick starts is anything with Terrance Stamp as Stick. I'd always seen stick more as a Burgess Meredith type, but Meredith is dead, and anyway Terrance brings his own stamp to the role (okay, THAT pun was intended) and invests all his scenes with such authority that--even though his part is even more underwritten than Garner's--you don't care.

Better than Daredevil? Well, yes in the sense that it's not relentlessly depressing and wasn't edited with a salad shooter (although I seem to be the only person on the planet who liked Ben Affleck as Matt Murdock). But no in that "Daredevil" had an okay villain in the Kingpin and an incredible villain in Bullseye. "Elektra" screamed for a bad guy with the sass and swagger of Colin Farrell. (At one point a group of Hand operatives, clad in civvies, shows up on their way to try and kill Elektra's charges, and I swear to God, one of them looked so familiar--in shaggy black hair, sunglasses and black leather jacket--that I actually said out loud, "Good Lord, the Hand is sending in Neil Gaiman." Which got some laughs from nearby, but now that I think on it, I believe Neil would actually make a crackerjack movie villain, and he might want to look into it if the whole writing thing doesn't work out for him.)

Instead there's something like five major bad guys, each of whom are only as interesting as the special effects that accompanies them or their powers (although fanboys are gonna go nuts for the thirty second sequence of Typhoid sucking face with Elektra for no reason other than to provoke fan boys into going nuts). Having five times the assassins that "Daredevil" had doesn't make the film five times as interesting. Hell, I'd've been happy to see Elektra have a throw down with someone on par with Crispin Glover's screaming looney from the "Charlie's Angels" films.

So it's worth your money if you're seeing it at matinee prices, and it's worth it for Terrance Stamp. If I'd paid matinee prices to see it, I'm come out feeling it wasn't the best film I'd ever seen, but worth the investment of time and money. Your opinion will probably vary based upon how big fans you are of Frank Miller, Jennifer Garner and Terrance Stamp. And red leather and lesbian kissing scenes.

Oh, as we emerged from the theater, we were greeted with huge posters advertising the film of Frank Miller's "Sin City." Now THAT looks interesting.

PAD

What I've Been Up To

Had a phone conference the other day with Brian Bendis (as he mentioned on his own website) to discuss some matters tying in with both a project of his and a new project of mine. Went extremely well.

Went into Marvel today for further conferences about the Abomination limited series and talked with the editor of the new series I'll be doing later in the year. It's shaping up pretty well, I think. In a rare double-feature, I'll be heading back into the city tomorrow for an advance Marvel screening of "Elektra."

PAD

More Censorship

Why do these people hate America?

Yahoo! News - Some Miss. Libraries Ban Jon Stewart Book

GULFPORT, Miss. - Library officials in two southern Mississippi counties have banned Jon Stewart's best-selling "America (The Book)" over the satirical textbook's nude depictions of the nine U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) justices.

"I've been a librarian for 40 years and this is the only book I've objected to so strongly that I wouldn't allow it to circulate," said Robert Willits, director of the Jackson-George Regional Library System of eight libraries in Jackson and George counties.

"We're not an adult bookstore. Our entire collection is open to the entire public," Willits said. "If they had published the book without that one picture, that one page, we'd have the book."

Wal-Mart has declined to stock the book because of the page, which features the faces of the nine Supreme Court justices superimposed over naked bodies. The facing page has cutouts of the justices' robes, complete with a caption asking readers to "restore their dignity by matching each justice with his or her respective robe."

Fanboy radio (note corrected time)

I'll be doing an appearance tomorrow, Sunday, on Fanboyradio.com at 7 PM EST, 6 PM Central time.

I'll be announcing some stuff.

PAD

Okay...you know you want it. Here it is...

It's the official comments thread for "Hulk #77," out this week.

Whad'ja think?

Let's clock it with an egg timer

You know the letters that start off like this:

Naturally, this letter will come to you as a surprise since
we have not met, permit me however to introduce myself; I
am Paul Rhodes, a white Zimbabwean Farmer, currently in
hiding in Zimbabwe.

Or it's some variation thereof in which they go on to say how they need your help in getting money into the country?

So how long before we start seeing them that begin with, "I am (fill in name), and my entire family's assets were wiped out by the tsunami in Indonesia...except for $15 million in a Swiss bank account..."

PAD

DAMMIT

Newsarama is reporting that Will Eisner passed away from complications related to his recent quadruple bypass.

Eisner, Kelly Freas...God, is this year off to a crappy start.

I'm looking right at the Eisner Award plaque I got back in 1992, which I had him autograph on the back. What a great moment that was in my life.

I know they both had good runs and left behind an incredible body of work, but that just doesn't really mollify it, y'know?

PAD

Darn it

I got an invite from the Writers Guild announcing a special screening of "Fahrenheit 9/11" this Wednesday that's going to be followed by a Q&A with Michael Moore. Unfortunately, that's my bowling night, I'm just starting with a new league, and one has to prioritize.

Has anyone heard anything or any interviews with Moore post-calamity (or, as it's also called, election day?)

PAD

Moviepoopshoot.com on "Fallen Angel"

Moviepoopshoot.com listed "Fallen Angel" in their 2004 round-up as "The Best Book You're Not Reading." Which I guess is pretty good, except for the "Not Reading" part. You can check it out or, if you wish, here's an excerpt. Interestingly, they featured the cover of issue #14 about which I just got an e-mail from a frustrated fan who can't find it in any local store.

"It’s a good thing, as FALLEN ANGEL is probably some of Peter David’s best work in comics, definitely his best since his award-winning run on THE INCREDIBLE HULK in the ‘90s. FALLEN ANGEL is unlike anything David has written in the past, a moody supernatural thriller that eschews the writer’s trademark puns and wordplay and replaces it with genuine tension and a slowly dawning comprehension of the intricacies of Bete Noire, the mysterious city where Lee, the series’ titular Fallen Angel, makes her home and offers her services to those who come to her asking for help, so long as she feels they deserve it. Go pick up the trade paperback – you won’t be disappointed."

PAD

Happy New Year

We spent the evening at Cirque Du Soleil, where I discovered that Caroline is definitely her mother's daughter when it comes to Cirque. Even though it was late at night, she watched with wide-eyed rapture, shouting, "Up! Up!" during the high wire acts and bouncing during the Chinese girls with the killer yo yo tricks (if you've seen it, you know what I mean.) A little over halfway through, she was literally fighting to stay awake before she twisted around (she was in my lap) and looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes and moaned softly, because she knew she wasn't going to make it. I turned her away from the performance and put her head against my shoulder, and she was out cold in about sixty seconds.

We went back to the hotel after that and all of us (except sleeping Caroline) watched fireworks blasting over Lake Buena Vista.

We head back home tomorrow evening (we make spectacular time when I drive through the night.)

PAD