Section Zero

There is no Section Zero.

That’s the tag line for the comic book series from writer/inker Karl Kesel and penciler Tom Grummett. The book tells the story of a team of United Nations operatives tasked with investigating the weird and unexplained. It’s kind of like the X-Files, if the X-Files had been created by Jack Kirby along the lines of Challengers of the Unknown and Fantastic Four. It’s a big, bold, beautiful comic full of intriguing characters, larger than life monsters, high adventure, drama, mystery, and humor. And, for too long, it felt like “There is no Section Zero” was sadly more than an apt tag line.

October Treats at Disneyland

Obviously, it’s been more than a week since my last post. And this post isn’t going to be about our late cat, Penelope, as promised a month ago. It’s been a busy, frustrating month for me, and when I didn’t have other obligations getting in the way of blogging, I just didn’t have the energy for it. 

One thing we recently did that wasn’t so frustrating was spending a few days at Disneyland. We had planned on our trip last January being our last trip to Disneyland for at least a year, but circumstances conspired to bring us to the LA area a couple more times, making this latest visit our third one this year. And I’m going back in a few weeks for a fourth, but that really will be the last one until 2020. Unless it isn’t. This time, we set a specific goal of trying as many of the Halloween special snacks the parks are currently serving, so this week, I’ll be talking about which ones we ate and what we thought of them.

The Bozz Chronicles

In today’s comics industry, most creators working for Marvel or DC come there after proving themselves working on their own creations. That wasn’t so much the case in the 1980s, when I became a comics fan. At the time, I was fascinated to see what the creators working on corporate-owned superhero characters did when they had the opportunity to do their own creations. Surprisingly to me at the time, most of them didn’t choose to create their own superheroes, instead creating work in other genres. Jim Starlin and Bill Mantlo did science fiction epics like Dreadstar and Swords of the Swashbucklers. Chris Claremont did historical fantasy like Marada the She-Wolf and The Black Dragon. Walter Simonson also did science fiction with the Star Slammers. And David Michelinie, perhaps best known at the time for his work on Iron Man, fused the Victorian mystery genre with science fiction, creating one of my favorite series of the time, in collaboration with artist Bret Blevins: The Bozz Chronicles.

Neil the Horse

I don’t believe in “best” lists, at least not the way they are presented as some sort of objective final word. I get that we all understand that they just represent someone’s opinion anyway, but even the notion that somehow you can compare, say, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen to Carl Barks’ Uncle Scrooge to Art Spiegelman’s Maus to Walt Simonson’s Thor to fill in whatever comic you think is the best comic ever is ludicrous. Having said that, if we are going to have lists of the best comics ever, one that should always be on those lists is Neil the Horse, created by Katherine Collins

Matinee

I love the 1993 movie Matinee, starring John Goodman, directed by Joe Dante, and written by Jericho and Charlie Haas. I saw it in its original theatrical release (one of the few who did, it turns out), and owned it on videocassette and laser disc. However, I hadn’t seen it in quite a few years, until Shout Factory released a special edition blu-ray. When it arrived, my wife and I watched it together. It was her first time viewing it, and I can’t remember how many times I’ve seen it. It absolutely held up to my memories, and she really enjoyed it as well.

Ron Randall's Trekker

Recently, I was trying to remember how many creator-owned comics from the 1980s are still being produced today, still being created by their original creators. I could only remember a handful, and I was embarrassed to see that not only had I forgotten quite a number of them, like Mage by Matt Wagner and Elfquest by Wendy and Richard Pini, but they were all titles I am still buying and reading. What prompted this question? The launch of a new Kickstarter campaign to bring the latest volume of Ron Randall’s Trekker into print. I’ve enjoyed Ron Randall’s work since his early days, on a science fiction backup in the pages of DC’s Warlord, called The Barren Earth. And I’ve been a fan of his series Trekker, featuring a female bounty hunter in the future, since it first appeared in Dark Horse Comics Presents #4, from 1987. Seeing new stories coming out today, over 30 years later, makes me extremely happy, and I want to share some of that joy with you.

My Valentine's Day Dinner

Recently, I’ve been writing about restaurant and theme park food. We enjoy going out to eat, but we also enjoy staying in and eating. And the more confident I become with my cooking skills, the less interested I am in going out to eat. Too often, that involves driving down to the Strip, walking through a smelly casino, and paying tourist prices for good food and mediocre service. So, for the last couple of Valentine’s Days, instead of going out for disappointing meals, we’ve been staying in. The last two years, we had the exact same meal, and both times, it turned out great.

Winner, Winner, Chicken... Sandwich: Jack in the Box's Asian Fried Chicken Food Truck Series Sandwich

While we had a great time on our recent Disneyland trip, things have been a bit stressful since we returned. In addition to dealing with some health issues, we also learned that the wiring in our house was done pretty cheaply and shoddily. The repair guys we hired said we were lucky that a fire hadn’t been started in our house… and then they found evidence of a fire in the attic. So, having dealt with all that, I don’t have the energy for a big entry this week. Fortunately, Jack in the Box has come to my rescue, with a brand-new, limited-time chicken sandwich: the Asian Fried Chicken sandwich, part of their Food Truck series. 

Dining at Disneyland: Table Service Restaurants

Welcome back to my series of posts about Disneyland food! In the first of three parts, I wrote about Eat Like Walt, a book about food at Disneyland while Walt Disney was still alive. Last week, I wrote about the quick service meals we ate on our recent trip. This week, I’ll talk about the table service meals we had this time around. How do those experiences compare to our quick service meals? The answer may surprise you!

Catalyst Prime for August: Incidentals #1, Noble #4, Accell #3, and Superb #2

After a couple of false starts, I’ve been rethinking how to approach my planned monthly posts about Lion Forge’s Catalyst Prime comics. I was starting to veer too far into (too) lengthy recaps of the various issues, and that’s never been my plan. So, starting this month, I’m just going to talk about what I liked about the comics, and hopefully that will whet your appetites enough to check out the actual issues.

Bob Taylor's Original Ranch House

As I’ve said before, I love prime rib. One of the best places in town I’ve had it is Lawry’s, but that’s all the way down near the Strip. Another of our favorite houses of beef is a great deal closer to home: Bob Taylor’s Original Ranch House. They’ve been around since 1955, and I’ve read that they are the oldest steak house in Las Vegas.

Catalyst Prime for July: Superb #1, Accell #2 and Noble #3

I would like to begin this month’s review of the Catalyst Prime comics from Lion Forge with the first issue of their latest series, Superb. The writers are David F. Walker and Sheena C. Howard. I had enjoyed Walker’s work on both Power Man & Iron Fist and Luke Cage from Marvel. I particularly appreciated how, while both series featured Netflix breakout star Luke Cage, they represented very different tones and styles from the same writer. I am not familiar with Sheena C. Howard’s work; I understand that she is an academic who studies comic books and popular culture (which is what my own educational background is in), and that this is her first comic book.

Drama in My Ears: Big Finish Productions Listened to May-July

While I had the best of intentions of blogging about the audio dramas from Big Finish Productions as I listened to them, it look like I’ve been falling down on the job. Rather than try to remember my reactions to everything I’ve listened to since March (my last Big Finish post, I think), I’m just going to jump back on the bandwagon with stuff I’ve been listening to more recently. 

Catalyst Prime for June: Noble #2 and Accell #1

Last month, I enthusiastically discussed at length how much I enjoyed the first comics from Lion Forge Publishing’s Catalyst Prime superhero universe. I’m pleased to say that in their second month, I’m still a big fan. I want to share my excitement, because it’s hard for any company to launch a superhero line, especially a smaller company. These books deserve to find success, and if I can help spread the word to my loyal readers (well, my wife), then that’s what I will try to do.

Cloak and Dagger: Shadows and Light

I didn't realize it until recently, but I am a huge fan of Bill Mantlo's Cloak and Dagger series from Marvel Comics. To be honest, until recently, I didn't even give Mantlo his due as a creator. He wrote so many comics for Marvel, and quietly did them well, I took him for granted. I think I also unfairly judged him for his work on licensed comics based on toys like Micronauts and Rom: Spaceknight. Today, however, I realize what a truly creative writer he was, and I'm really happy to see his creations getting their due, in the movies and on TV, as well as comics. And while I love seeing his Rocket Raccoon on the big screen, I may be even more excited about the upcoming Cloak & Dagger TV series on Freeform.

Being able to write about more Big Finish audio dramas makes me happy for a number of reasons. For one, listening to them makes me happy, because they are entertaining and engaging. For another, I listen to them while I walk on the treadmill, so the more Big Finish I listen to, the more I must be walking on the treadmill. 

(I’ve listened to a few more since writing this, but those will have to wait for another week.)

Trailers for the stories are at the end of the post.

Doctor Who: The Star Men (Doctor Who Main Range)

The Star Men, telling the tale of the Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan, and Adric's adventures at a research base, Gallius Ultra, caught in the throes of an invasion from the mysterious Star Men, is a lot of fun. Written by Andrew Smith, the young screenwriter who wrote Adric's debut back in 1980, it brings the young Alzarian to the fore, giving him plenty of opportunities to use his vaunted mathematical prowess to help save the day. 

Wanyama Safari at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge: A Photo Gallery

This week’s blog is another photo gallery from our trip to Walt Disney World. We stayed at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, which is our favorite Disney hotel anywhere. We love being able to look out the window in the morning and see the animals out on the savannas surrounding the hotel.

Not too long ago, they introduced a new experience at the hotel: the Wanyama Safari. This was a tour by truck through the savannas to see the animals up close, beyond what we could see from our room or walking the trails around the hotel. At the time, it was open only to guests at Animal Kingdom Lodge; it has since been made available to all Walt Disney World guests. 

Dinner at Victoria & Albert's: A Photo Gallery

Last fall, my wife and I went to Walt Disney World for our sixth anniversary. As we always do, we made a point of dining at Victoria & Albert’s, the highest of high-end restaurants at the resort, located in Disney’s Grand Floridian Hotel.

Drama in My Ears! Big Finish Productions February 2017

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts about Big Finish Productions, I used to listen to their stuff regularly while walking on the treadmill. I fell behind on my exercise routine, and consequently on listening to Big Finish audio plays. I’m back on the treadmill now, though, so I thought I would start blogging about the Big Finish plays I’m listening to as I walk.

(Note: I have added the trailers for the stories at the end of this post. I don't like the way imbedded clips from Soundcloud look on my posts, and am too lazy to figure out how to do it better.)

Cicero

While the series Big Finish licenses from other media are tons of fun, I love it when they create something that is completely their own. After years of quality products, they have earned my faith to the point that I will buy almost anything they produce, and so I was perfectly happy to order this legal drama set in ancient Rome, starring the historical figure Cicero (about whom I know almost nothing).