Shameless Wife-Promotion

Well, another semester is over, and once again, my wife Veronica has produced some amazing work. Unlike in semesters past, however, this work is digital video, so I can show it off! I would have liked to have shown it sooner, but one of the videos is for display in a national museum, so I had to wait until after the opening.

The first she did for her HD film class. It's her imagining of Lewis Carrol's poem "The Jabberwocky." The cast includes one of her fellow actors from the play she did earlier this semester as The Jabberwocky, the little boy we babysit as the boy, and myself as The Storyteller.

This next video my wife did as part of a series of courses that designed and set-up an exhibit on period fashion for the New Mexico History Museum. It's a small part of a much larger exhibit and represents hours of work (seriously, I barely saw my wife this semester).

Needless to say, I'm incredibly proud of my wife. She's so awesome. Strangely enough, I think the thing I like most about these is that she composed the music. I didn't even know she could do that. I love that after two years of marriage, I'm still learning new things about my wife.

Questions? Quibbles? Controversies?

My Induction into the World of "Scott Pilgrim"

My Canadian education must be coming back to haunt me. I've been unavoidably/unwittingly drawn to Canadian graphic novels and French literature. My latest foray involved trying to kill some time while my wife got her haircut at the only place she'll let touch it for her annual cut. So I headed to the comfort of Borders. And as if by Providence, what should be on display but the Scott Pilgrim series of Canadian manga.

Now this struck me as odd, as this was the third time I've recently come across/read about the series. So I picked it up, sat down, and started to read the first volume. And then I finished the first volume, a smile on my face that only a good book can bring, and every intention of buying the second volume.

Sold Out!

It seems Fate is teasing me. regardless, I got to read a great comic. Admittedly, I wasn't terribly impressed with what appeared to just be another teen drama in imitation manga form (I'm looking at you James Patterson and Dean Koontz; shame on you!). But then, just as though these things happen everyday in Toronto, characters are using hyperspace wormholes to deliver mail and engaging in epic Dragon Ball-style battles where defeated foes drop money after dying like in RPGs.

Now, with my high-priced education in literature, I'm tempted to call this magical realism. But this isn't like 100 Years of Solitude where a gypsy caravan strolls through a small, South American town long enough for all the kids to have a go on their magic, flying carpet. No, this is more like nerd realism, fueled by video games and anime. And--similar to what Faith Erin Hicks has going on in Zombie Calling and The War at Ellsmere--it is awesome.

The art is manga-esque with Western simplification rather than Japanese (stick figures instead of "super-deformed" baby incarnations; stylistic onomatopoeia instead of background "zoom" lines). Admittedly, at first I thought it was trying too hard to appear quirky, but by the end I was sold.

Now I'm on the hunt for that second volume, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, with every intention of savoring.

Questions? Quibbles? Controversies?

What's in the Little Blue Bag?--Free Comic Book Day

Well, another Free Comic Book Day has come and gone, and I finally got around to reading all the great comics I picked up. For those of you unfamiliar with FCBD (or as I like to call it, Christmas in May), local comic book stores give away at least one free comic book from a collection specially published for the day. Depending on the size of the store, you can usually get more should you spend a little money on their regular comics. And to boot, most comic book stores have crazy sales on that day too. It's not hard to rack up a ton of comics for half the price you'd usually spend, which is exactly what I did.

The War at Ellsmere by Faith Erin Hicks:

I first picked up Hicks' work when I stumbled across a copy of Zombie Calling at my local comic book store. The cover featured a teenage girl in a Union Jack T-shirt impaling a zombie with a spork! I had to have it.

Such is Hicks' style, and I like it. This book's a little different, as it follows a scholarship student's first year at a posh, all-girls boarding school. And while it might sound like "chick-lit" (and, yeah, it kind of is), I have to say something I really appreciate about her work. Hicks can actually write. In an industry where an increasing emphasis is placed on drawing super-realistic biceps and disproportionate breast to hip ratios, I just love a good story with good characters. And Hicks accomplishes that.

Of course, her art isn't bad either. I really like her quirky style, and it's definitely unique (something else increasingly difficult to find in this industry). But for me, Hicks' genius lies in being able to just tell a good story.

Michael Turner's Executive Assistant: Iris #0:

I first read about this comic in Aspen Comics' seasonal sampler from last year's Free Comic Book Day. At first, all of the titles seemed like your run-off-the-mill comics starring scantily

clad female protagonists for teenage boys. Imagine my surprise shortly thereafter to find out that the comics' readership was mostly teenage girls!

So I gave some of the titles another look, and this one looked promising--different from the usual fantasy/romance titles of the publisher's late creator--Michael Turner. The story here follows an "executive assistant" named Iris who works for a rich and powerful Japanese CEO. Trained from a young age (in the similar style of traditional geisha) in etiquette, secretarial duties, as well as martial arts, combat skills, and *ahem* romantic servitude. Now, while the series is undoubtedly also aimed at teenage boys, it also seems it might touch on the subject of childhood slavery. With the series' creator having passed on, however, it's likely the series may not maintain what might have been the original message.

Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Probably one of the best offering's this year was free copy of the first issue of the originalTMNT comic to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Despite my love for the cartoon and movies as a kid, I'd never read their original incarnation. It's interesting that the book is dedicated to Jack Kirby and Frank Miller, seeing as the TV shows were so kid-friendly. But I can definitely see Miller's influence--this comic is incredibly violent. The turtles get beat up, kill members of the Foot Clan, and sort of dishonorably gang up on and kill the Shredder.

That said, I loved this comic, and plan on looking for the upcoming first volume of the collected series. The art is amazing, and the more accurate depiction of the way of the ninja, while kinda dark, is really cool when juxtaposed to 20th century American lifestyles. I will say one thing: it's interesting to see how the addition of pizza and toned down violence can take a mature comic and turn it into a children's phenomenon.

Zorro #12:

A missed an issue in this series, but that doesn't upset me. It means it's garnering attention, which makes me happy. I've often said this series has tons of potential. And while the last couple of issues seemed to be getting too cliché (a little bit is okay for a long standing myth like this one), this one's getting the coolness back on track. One of Zorro's nemesis has donned a similar cape and mask in hopes of tarnishing The Fox's good name! I still have hopes for this series.

B.P.R.D.: The Black Goddess #4:

I've not made been terribly impressed with Mike Mignola's spin-off series. But this mini-series has grown on me. Huge battles reminiscent of epic games of Heroscape; a seemingly evil antagonist trying to save the world; and a hero dancing the line of the dark side. Yeah, it sounds silly (and it really is) but Mignola makes it cool.

The Umbrella Academy: Dallas #2:

I'm still not sure what to think of this series. It's interesting in the way that Law & Order: SVU is (which I watched for the first time ever this week just because it was on and sucked me in). But just like I don't plan on watching LOSVU regularly, I'm not sure I'll keep reading this comic. It's not that it's bad--the art and story are very unique--but it just doesn't seem worth my time for some reason. Then again, I just like supporting Dark Horse Comics!

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #5:

The Wizard of Oz is a prick. I'm sure of it. I've never read the book, but the character here is clearly aware that Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Woodsman, and the Scarecrow are already in possession of the things they want. But instead of pointing that out to them, he sends them on a deadly journey! What a jerk! Now, I'm all for teaching people how to do things for themselves, but this seems sorta like teaching a kid not to put a fork in a light-socket by letting him do it.

Now, granted, their dangerous journey is really cool with fantastic use of fairy tale elements. A dark castle? Check. Evil witch? Check. She controls evil animals sent to kill the heroes? Check. A little girl with unspeakable power forced into her servitude? Check. Witch beaten at her own game? Check. I'm starting to like this series...finally.

Love and Rockets: New Stores by the Hernandez Brothers:

I've been reading really good things about this series for a really long time. But it's hard to just jump into a running series, and perhaps this issue wasn't the place for me to do that...because it's really weird, even for me. Four separate stories follow a jilted lover/failed actress, a team of female superheroes trying to accomplish who knows what, a little girl who follows a little robot into a parallel dimension only to be forever marooned on a strange planet, and a couple of super fast children thieves snatching things all over town. Yeah...weird...

"ASNMHU Senate Elections or NMHU Idol?"--"La Mecha" May. 1, 2009

Note: This is the original draft of this editorial.

Well, student election season has once again passed NMHU. As usual, candidates were out in full force, plastering flyers on every wall, and soliciting students and faculty with candy with “Vote for Me” stickers. Now, as a teacher, I’m all for seeing students put a little effort into campus activities. So I thought I’d entertain one senator running for office.

“Vote for Me” he said, extending a hand to shake, not knowing I’m no longer a student.

“Okay, what’s your platform? What do you plan to do in office?”

“Um…well…I’m going to make decisions that will benefit Highlands!”

Well, I hardly expect him (or his challenger) to make decisions that would hurt the university. I didn’t say that, but it brought into stark realization what his expectations were regarding why he wanted the student body to vote for him: popularity. He was out there, meeting students, giving them candy, a handshake, and a name he hoped the candy and handshake would help them remember come voting day.

And I realized he wasn’t the only one with such expectations. Not a single flyer I saw put up on campus made any mention of what the candidates planned to bring to student senate. Some of them had only the candidates’ names, and most of those only had a first name. But they all had a picture. Yep, the ASNMHU senate elections have become a popularity contest—our own version of American Idol.

The way I see it, these candidates are making one of three statements: 1) The general student body is too unintelligent to think about who would be best suited to represent them; 2) The candidates are too unintelligent to think that being on student senate comes with a certain amount of responsibility concerning the decisions they’re going to have to make; 3) Both the candidates and the general student body are unintelligent, but the rest of the university is okay with that.

Case in point: I walked by the flyer of one senator running for office and recognized him. Just four months ago, he’d been censured—indeed, almost impeached—for, essentially stealing from a high school whose students were touring NMHU. I laughed, thinking to myself, “There’s no way he’ll be voted in!” And of course, he won his seat. Really, Highlands? You’re okay with that? That’s who you want to be in office when/if any students from that high school come to our university? “Hey, don’t worry about stealing on campus! You can still be an ASNMHU officer!”

Of course, I’m not suggesting that all of the new student senate positions are currently filled by senators voted in only for their popularity. In fact, I like to think that it’s no coincidence that more than a couple of those senators are past or current students of mine. But I am bothered by those who recommended that that officer’s impeachment be lessened to a censure (essentially a slap on the wrist and strong warning not to do it again). I’m bothered the senate has no stipulation disallowing censured senators from running for office. I’m bothered that new candidates don’t seem to hold the position in high enough regards as to even put their full name on their candidacy flyers. But mostly I’m bothered by the apathy the university has towards all this—the students who fell for the popularity ploy and the ones who didn’t even vote. Come one, Highlands; we’re better than this. Let’s try to show it next year.