PeterDavid.net

OUT LAST WEEK: FNSM ANNUAL,X-FACTOR #19

Sorry; a bit belated.

Whad'ja think?

PAD

More coverage for FNSM #20

This one in the Detroit Free Press.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070529/SPORTS18/705290315/1048/SPORTS

Boy, this is as much if not more coverage than "Dark Tower" generated.

PAD

How could the Dems have not seen it coming?

Look, I'm not the brightest penny in the drawer, but even *I* knew that Bush had no reason to compromise in his Iraq stance. I said so right here, weeks ago. So if *I* was able to figure it out, certainly professional politicians should have been able to do likewise and been prepared to be as stubborn and intransigent as Bush. That the only thing they could do was *give* him a reason to compromise on the issue of deadlines through a show of strength and concerted spin of his veto to their advantage.

Instead, in a monumental collapse of will and a total ignoring of the nationwide "we're sick of this war" mandate that gave them success in the election, the Dems folded and gave Bush everything he wanted. Continued funding with no strings attached, unless you count the nonbinding benchmarks which Bush can ignore. Of COURSE he's going to ignore them. He's ignored the will of the people and the Constitution; what makes anyone think he's going to attend to nonbinding benchmarks. And they've basically thrown away any future possibility that they'll be able to rein him in, because they've sent him a firm message: Hang tough and we'll cave.

The time to make the point, to hang tough, to get it done, was now. Not three months from now or six months from now. All they've managed to do is send a message to Bush that he can continue to do exactly as he pleases, and a message to the American people that they're incapable of standing up to the president and making it stick.

PAD

One Picture is worth....

Hail Emperor Bush

Kath just brought this to my attention.

http://progressive.org/mag_wx051807

If I'm reading this correctly, Bush has very quietly granted himself emergency powers not dissimilar from what Palpatine did. In one shot he has eliminated checks and balances that have stood this country in good stead for centuries--not just for himself, but for all presidents. And considering the definition of "emergency" is broad and vague...am I the only one creeped out by this?

With Cheney as the Sith master and Bush as the apprentice, this is a hell of a way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of "Star Wars."

PAD

Today's New York Times

The sports section has an article about pro-bowler Kelly Kulick and discusses, among other things, her appearance in "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man." I'm mentioned, as is Ariel, and even Todd Nauck. They even have artwork from the issue, although for some reason they used a page that DOESN'T feature Kelly. Go figure.

PAD

COWBOY PETE'S FINALE ROUND-UP: HEROES, LOST, SMALLVILLE, AMERICAN IDOL

Four major series wrap-up their seasons. Spoilers below. I mean it: Real spoilers. No way to discuss the shows in any meaningful way otherwise.

HEROES: After 22 episodes of build-up, "Heroes" was faced with the almost insurmountable task of providing a climax that on the one hand is surprising and unexpected, but at the same time conforms to the many visions that we've already had of what will happen (Peter going thermonuclear, Hiro killing Sylar, the Cheerleader's being saved resulting in saving the world, etc.)

In my view, they came about ninety percent of the way toward pulling it off.

The episode was by turns compelling, gripping, and rife with unexpected moments. Ando survived, which was a relief, because as high as his coolness factor was, I wasn't looking forward to seeing our Hiro transform into his future version courtesy of Ando's demise (although one wonders, considering how easily he saved him, how the alt future Ando wound up dead.) And I was taken with the notion that saving Claire resulted in New York's salvation, not because of any physical action she took, but rather because of a compelling emotional presence she presented.

Still, I find myself left with disturbing questions. If the solution to the problem was something as simple as taking Peter into the stratosphere so he could detonate there, why couldn't he just fly himself? Is he only capable of using a single power at a time, and because he was heating up, that precluded his using other powers? Okay, I can buy that, but it would have been nice if they'd spelled it out. Did Peter survive the explosion? If so, what's to prevent the same thing from happening again? For that matter, since Sylar survived, there's nothing to stop HIM from going nuclear as well. When you give it some thought, nothing was really resolved; merely delayed, like "The Terminator's" Judgment Day. I'm just saying that, after a season of time invested, it would have been nice to feel like I'd witnessed something other than a stopgap measure. Which doesn't mean I'm at all deterred from tuning in next season. Hiro jumping back three hundred years really does seem to be underscoring the idea that he's under the control of some sort of unseen hand of destiny, moving him around to various points in time where he's needed. I wonder if we'll ever actually see that hand.

LOST: High marks for turning the season around. I pity folks who tuned out months ago and have missed out on a series that has totally recaptured its mojo in the past seven weeks. The season ender was no exception, accomplishing with even more confidence that which "Heroes" was a bit hit-or-miss on: Addressing what seems inevitable while simultaneously surprising and shocking.

Milking what appears to be the long-established formula, "Lost" contrasts the castaways seemingly doomed-to-fail escape attempt...because if they get off the island, one figures, the show's over, so it must be hopeless--with yet another flashback, this time focusing on a dissolute, suicidal Jack. It's only in the brilliant final minutes that we realize, oh my God, it's a flashforward, as we learn that Jack, Kate et al have in fact escaped the island, and he's literally "Lost" even though he's returned home. How tired are we of promos that claim "This episode, everything changes," but this time out the episode lives up to the advance billing.

Only downside: The death of Charlie. Now I'm all for the notion of "Ha! We defied fate!" only to discover that, crap no, fate will have its way. But the way in which it happened made no sense. Faced with an imminent explosion and flood, Charlie slams the door to the communications chamber with HIMSELF on the INSIDE? It was like watching Daffy Duck sawing off a tree branch to drop it on Elmer Fudd, only to realize that he's sitting on the section of the branch that's going to fall. Two seconds for Charlie to step to the other side and pull the door shut behind him, and instead he locks himself in with impending disaster? It was one of those awful moments that comes from writing necessity rather than intelligent character action (as we saw Hurley display earlier, nonchalantly saving the day.) In a series as clever as "Lost" has proven itself to be, one wishes we'd seen such cleverness displayed regarding Charlie's fate. He deserved better.

SMALLVILLE: "I know you've had a rough year," Mom Kent consoles Clark. Yeah, like this year is different from any other. Events of the season rocket toward an unexpected conclusion, and once again the fates of a half dozen regulars is left teetering on the brink.

The only thing I find disconcerting is that, after numerous season cliffhangers, I find myself kind of going, "Okay, yeah, but two or three episodes into the next season, the status quo will be reset."

Ohmigod! Lana's dead! Killed in a car explosion! Yeah, except Chloe--a far more disposable character considering she doesn't appear in Superman continuity--had a whole house blown up around her, and she survived. Notice that a delivery truck blocked Lana from Lionel's view at a crucial moment. My guess? Her seeming "death" was arranged by the neo-JLA, the truck driven by Cyborg, the explosion courtesy of a concussive arrow, and Lana whisked away by the Flash. In one stroke they get her out from under Luthor's thumb and set Lex up to take the fall for her supposed death.

Ohmigod! Chloe's passed out, maybe dead! Well, probably not.

Ohmigod! Lionel's in danger of imminent demise! Well, probably not.

None of which detracts from the fact that this has been one of the best seasons of "Smallville" thus far, as Clark takes more steps toward a destiny of superheroing that STILL makes no sense since in this continuity, people will take one look at Superman and say, "Hey, that's Clark Kent" unless he manages to totally change his face somehow.

And I will say that they definitely got me with the end. I did a 180 as my initial thought of, "Oh jeez, ANOTHER iteration of Evil Clark Kent" gave way to, "Wait...Bizarro?! How cool is that!" I'm definitely aboard for next season, even though I'm still expecting the restore status quo button to be pushed.

AMERICAN IDOL: Someone named Jordin won.

PAD

World War Madrox

My concerns about tonight's Mets game

For the third day in a row, we are seeing precipitation. Last night's Mets/Yankees game was concluded in a deluge. We had sunny skies for a while, but now more moisture is coming down. This is particularly of concern because John Maine is pitching, I'm quite worried that continuing inclement weather could obviously be a real hardship for him.

In other words...

The rain on Maine is plainly quite a pain.

PAD

For those interested

ESPN will be rebroadcasting the Queens Tournament in which FNSM was discussed. The tournament airs at 1 PM EST tomorrow, Sunday, the 20th. The comic is brought up about 54 minutes into the broadcast. Both myself and Ariel are mentioned and Todd's artwork appears on screen.

PAD

FNSM

I wasn't aware that Steve Wacker was going to announce on Newsarama that my run on FNSM was going to be coming to an end until my e-mail box lit up.

The fact is, I've known about it for months. It's one of the reasons I've been writing some of the stories they way I have. I never intended, for instance, to combine the Uncle Ben storyline with the Sandman story. But Marvel's new plans for the series meant that I had to do some fast shuffling and compression, so I took a deep breath, squished the two of them together so that I wouldn't leave the Ben story thread dangling, and did my best. But the upcoming resolution to the Miss Arrow story and the following issue's smackdown with Jonah Jameson are all at the ideal length, so ultimately I'm happier with those endeavors.

And all I can tell you is that no, I don't have any holes in my schedule because I've picked up several new projects--both of which I'm very excited about--to pick up the slack which I'm hoping will be announced shortly. As for Spider-Man, as Steve kind of hinted, the other shoe hasn't dropped yet.

PAD

Hip Hip Harry

It has been decided by British high command that Harry will not, in fact, be shipping out to Iraq with his troops.

Good move.

Harry should be focusing his attention on places where he can really be of use...such as combating Lord Voldemort.

PAD

Sword Swallowing

Does anyone think that the resignation of assistant AG John McNulty is anything other than an act of a subordinate throwing himself on his sword so that Alberto "At the end of the day" Gonzales and the Bush hierarchy can survive the current investigation?

I mean, granted, this adminstration has set a new record for the philosophy that the buck stops just about anywhere except on the desk of those who should really be answering for decisions that are made about everything from employee firings to mismangement of wars. But this really sets a new low in terms of obviousness and just-how-stupid-do-they-think-the-American-public-is-ism (a brand new hyphenated word, TM).

PAD

Store appearance

A New England Comics press release:

This Saturday May 19th Super star writer Peter David will be appearing at both our Quincy and Brockton locations. Mr. David will there to promote the highly successful Dark Tower series, adapted from the Stephen King novels, from Marvel Comics. As well as promote his other comic series Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, X-Factor, and Fallen Angel. Mr. David has been a prolific writer in both comics and books for over 25 years. Working on such high profile titles as Star Trek, Spectacular Spider-Man, Web of Spider-Man, Supergirl, Captain Marvel, Spyboy, Aquaman, Spider-man 2099, X-Factor, and most notably his 10 year run on Incredible Hulk. All are invited to come down and meet and greet with this legend of the comic industry this Saturday May 19th. Times for Mr. David's appearance are as follows:

Brockton 12:00 to 2:00 P.M.
Quincy 4:00 to 6:00 P.M.

PAD

Offered without Comment

Sometimes networks get it right

NBC has announced that it's renewing the low-rated but high quality, critically acclaimed "Friday Night Lights."

Interestingly, its numbers are around six million, which puts it right around the numbers "Drive" drew in its debut.

PAD

SPIDEY 3 THREAD--SPOILERS OKAY

I asked everyone to wait a week before discussing SM3 with spoilers, and for the most part everyone has obliged. So if you guys want to chat about the film with spoilers--discussing specific plot point--here's where to do it.

PAD

FNSM on a roll

FNSM #20 and the Kelly Kulick appearance attracted the notice of www.bowl.com, one of the premiere bowling websites. Check it out. My only regret is that there's no mention of Todd Nauck; it sounds as if I drew the book.

http://www.bowl.com/articleView.aspx?i=13018&f=1

Gee, I wonder if journalista! will pick it up? A Gary Groth product featuring something about me that's not negative? I'm thinking not.

PAD

Guns don't get people fired...

...people get people fired.

I'm a free speech advocate and also I'm against undeterred gun ownership, so the item below really brings my two Constitutional priorities into conflict.

http://jinwicked.livejournal.com/156836.html

I'm definitely going to have to give priority to the First Amendment here: This is completely ludicrous. That a guy is fired simply for talking about acquiring a rifle, and that his depiction of it in a webcomic gets a police investigation, for crying out loud? Insanity.

PAD

Spider-Man gets cheesy

My daughter Shana brought the following to my attention: An actual poster that's all over Paris. Zut!

http://bp3.blogger.com/__XCWUd8FFjQ/RkB7BxtieTI/AAAAAAAAA0o/22Q5MIAshpM/s1600-h/cheeseweb.jpg

Personally, I think it'd go down great with a side of Fantastic Fries. Maybe wash it down with a Silver Slurpee.

PAD

The Cell That Couldn't Shoot Straight

Congrats to the FBI. With nary an illegal wiretap or any of the other intrusions on civil liberties that the administration seems to believe is the only way to fight terrorism, the FBI arrested a home-grown terrorist cell composed of amateurs and incompetents. I don't phrase it that way to diminish the accomplishment, because even morons with rocket launchers can still inflict serious damage, and it's not like the Virginia Tech guy was an experienced merc. It's just a factual description of a group of would-be terrorists so stupid that their cell was infiltrated practically from the begining because they wanted to transfer a training video from VHS to DVD, couldn't figure out how to do it, and wound up with an alert video store clerk tipping the FBI.

The Feds then effortlessly infiltrated them and, sixteen months later, busted them when they tried to buy weapons for an intended strike on a military base. Dix: It's not just a name for an army post. They're now dubbed the Fort Dix Six. I'm hoping that someone does indeed try to make a movie about them called "The Cell That Couldn't Shoot Straight," which they would then turn down, so that Variety could run a headline that says, "Dix Six Nix Pix."

PAD

In case you can't get in to see Spider-Man 3...

...go see "Hot Fuzz," the newest film from the creators of "Shawn of the Dead."

An absolutely brilliant send-up of police action films, it tells the tale of Nick Angel (Simon Pegg of "Shawn") who's a hyperefficient London supercop reassigned to the British countryside because he's making everyone else on the force look bad in comparison. In the sleepy town of Sanford where there hasn't been a violent crime in twenty years, it's figured that Angel will be nicely tucked away. But when the bodies start piling up in a series of increasingly unlikely "accidents," Angel is drawn into an involved conspiracy in a town where (in classic tradition) nothing is as it seems.

Much better film than SM3, honestly. Rated "R" for some explicit gore and profanity (mostly by people witnessing the gore.)

PAD

OUT THIS WEEK: FNSM #20, WONDER MAN #5, DARK TOWER #4, HULK: WORLD BREAKER 1-SHOT

Holy crow. Where do I get the time?

Whad'ja think?

PAD

Finally a spoof to top "Hardware Wars"

I've just GOT to get a t-shirt that says, "What the hell is an aluminum falcon?!"

PAD

Spidey 3 (no spoilers)

I had to pass on the Marvel screening Wednesday night because it conflicted with two bowling leagues of mine. So there I was doing a signing at Midtown Comics yesterday, along with fellow Spider-writer Roberto, and a fellow named Shane from Columbia pictures asked if I was interested in seeing a screening at 7 PM that evening.

Hell yeah.

Did I like the film? Yup.

I didn't quite like it as unabashedly as others, but when you've written the novelization of a screenplay, you can't really enjoy the film the way other people do. For most viewers, the burning question is, "What's going to happen?" Well, I knew pretty much what was going to happen, so I had instead my own sets of questions.

How were the ambitious action scenes going to play? Answer: Very well. The intercutting between live action and CGI has become nearly seamless; technically it's light years ahead from the first film (which I have to admit remains my favorite.)

How were the scenes in the script that didn't do jack to advance the plot going to impact on the film's flow? Answer: Not at all, because they cut them all. (I was seated next to Heidi MacDonald and a friend of hers, Ken, and at one point Ken was muttering to me that the film was dragging. I muttered back, "Trust me: It could have been a lot worse.")

How were the actors going to handle some of the dialogue that I felt was wince-worthy? Answer: Hit and miss. Some places provoked unwanted laughter from the audience. Other places worked very well, so kudos to them.

Since the script was a little fuzzy on it, how many times was Spidey going to lose his mask? Answer: I lost count. When it comes out on DVD you may want to turn it into a drinking game. If you really want to get hammered, you can toss down a shot whenever Venom loses his mask as well.

How in the world were they going to make the climax work, considering that some aspects were so filled with schmaltz that all it needed was Patrick Swayze to intone, "Nobody puts Spidey in a corner." Answer: They changed it. Thank God, they changed it. I was really concerned that certain elements would have the audience cringing or howling. As it turned out, Sam Raimi or maybe a test audience or someone obviously shared my concerns because the filmed ending works much better.

Of couse, for those interested in seeing the original ending (with which I did the best I could; I think it actually works better in print than it would have on the screen) plus all the deleted scenes, it's in the novelization. But see the movie first.

Have to say, for me, the acting standout in the film was Thomas Hayden Church's Sandman. I wasn't sure how it was going to play on screen, but as opposed to the somewhat over-the-top histrionics of the other "villains," Church puts forward a perpetual sense of quiet desperation and even--believe it or not--dignity. Brilliant job, I thought.

PAD

FNSM #20 mentioned on ESPN2

The latest issue of "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" features a guest appearance by a real-life individual: Kelly Kulick, one of the country's top female bowlers and Ariel's favorite. Ariel wanted me to have Kelly show up in an issue of FNSM, and I obliged her, with Kelly's cooperation (having met her at a Pro/Am a few months back.)

Well, by astounding serendipity, the issue came out today while Kelly was slated to bowl down in Charlotte, NC, in the USBC Queens Tournament. It was being broadcast live on ESPN2. Upon learning that she was down there, I contacted the heroic Shelton Drum of "Heroes Aren't Hard to Find." Shelton agreed to bring a few copies of the latest issue over to where Kelly was bowling at AMF Carolina Lanes. He met her, gave her the comics (and she offered him the opportunity to stay and watch, but it was new comics day so he had to get back to work.)

Kelly was so jazzed that she gave copies to the announcers, and fifty four minutes into the broadcast they suddenly started talking about Kelly's appearance in the book, complete with showing the cover and pages of Todd's art. Best of all, they mentioned it was Ariel's idea, and Ariel was absolutely flying.

For those interested in seeing it, they're rebroadcasting the competition Sunday, May 20 at 1 PM on ESPN. And thanks again to Shelton: Unfortunately they didn't mention on air where the comic had come from, but he busted ass to get the comic over there, so I figured I'd emphasize it here.

PAD

What part of "Why Bush Won't Compromise" was unclear?

Back on April 4 I wrote:

"The essence of compromise boils down to five words: "What's in it for me?"

So with Bush facing a congressional war-funding bill with deadlines attached--benchmarks that he himself mentioned earlier this year, and is now being asked to hew to--congress is hoping that he will compromise on withdrawal dates rather than veto the entire bill.

What's in it for him to do so?

Nothing."

And naturally he didn't compromise. Which, of course, the Democrats should have seen coming (I mean, if I saw it coming, they should have been able to) and one would hope that a Plan B was in effect.

Well, it's appearing...not so much.

Now it's the Democrats who need to stay the course. The Democrats who need to dig in and say, "This or nothing." Unfortunately, they don't appear ready, willing or able to do that. There is concern that they will be accused of refusing to fund the troops in time of war.

Well...yeah. Obviously that's going to be the spin. And the spin in response should be "Who's more concerned about the troops, the Democrats or the White House? Obviously it's the Democrats." Unfortunately for the Democrats, the GOP spin machine is simply more efficient, and Bush more intransigent, than the Democratic leadership. They haven't yet realized, apparently, that they're dealing with a mindset that's as uncompromising as any other extremist. You can't compromise with extremists. Bush understands that because that's what he himself is. The Democrats are approaching the issue with the mindset of rational people, which is why they're in trouble.

We can't announce a pull out date because we'd be giving information to our enemies? Well, maybe, but more relevant is that we'd be giving information to our supposed allies--the Iraqi government--telling them that the whole "they stand up so we can stand down" thing finally has a timeclock. By me, that's a good thing.

PAD

COWBOY PETE'S TV ROUND-UP: HEROES

A serialized drama that's a genuine quadruple threat: Great writing, great acting, great directing, and it's not on Fox.

If any of you ever wondered what one of the X-Men films would have been like if they'd adapted "Days of Future Past," last night's episode answers that. Spoilers below...

As has often been the case ever since the show's "title character," Hiro, was introduced, Hiro serves as the moral center for the series. But in this outing, the world has gone dark, bleak and immoral, and whether Hiro's transformation is a reflection of that or, in some small way, the cause, is open to debate. For all the chilling moments that we witness in this episode set five years hence, the one that got me most was this: Confronted with armed opposition and a means of simply walking past them via freezing time, Hiro and Peter instead choose to take them on directly, slicing and dicing their way through the hopelessly overmatched guards because they "haven't had a good fight in a while."

Frankly, I'd been a little dubious about taking a future digression at such a late date in the story arc, but I needn't have worried. Essential information was passed along, and the Christmas Carol-ish second chance presented Ando and Hiro ("I will save you, New York!") was especially uplifting given the overall grimness of the preceding hour. Plus I was, frankly, torqued with myself that I didn't see the reveal with Nathan coming. It's the best kind of blindsiding: The reveal that on the one hand was shocking, but on the other was natural and made perfect sense given the set up. That throwdown between Peter and his "brother" toward the end looked so kickin' that I'm almost sorry that future will (hopefully) never happen, 'cause I'd love to see how it would have played out.

At the end we're asked who will stop Sylar. Personally, I'm betting Ando. I mean, yeah, there's the illustration that shows Hiro doing it, but Sylar absorbed Isaac's abilities; for all we know, Sylar himself did the drawing as a means of luring in Hiro with a false prophecy. Having the non-powered sidekick take down the main villain...I kind of like that notion.

My one concern is the announcement of the introduction of a new character: Molly, with a formidable power all her own. If she plays heavily into the resolution, I won't be thrilled by that. Introducing some young girl into an alternate-world storyline as a deus ex machina...that trick never works.

PAD