We Believe

They’ve been called a lot of things in 43 years. Everything from the ‘Aints to the Bless You Boys. Today, they’re being called something for the first time.

Champions.

Two weeks ago, I blogged about the New Orleans Saints bringing home the first NFC Championship in franchise history, and while we all had hopes for the Super Bowl, I was the sort to not really voice them for fear of jinxing the whole thing. But a lot of other people were a lot more vocal than I was, and yesterday, Drew Brees and the boys took it all home for a city that has totally fallen in love with them.

Perhaps best of all is the fact that it was truly a clean win. No controversial calls, no questionable flags, nothing that the armchair pundits can point at and try to claim that the refs screwed up or cheated or did anything to “take” the trophy away from Manning and the Colts. It wasn’t taken from them. It was earned by the Saints, through a series of good play calling, fundamental excellence, and — let’s be honest here — some of the gutsiest moves I have ever seen in a football game. Just seconds into the second half, when a surprise onside kick left the Colts (and the rest of the world) stunned, someone at our Super Bowl party screamed, “You can DO THAT on a kickoff?”

I’m not ashamed to admit, that was me.

Tomorrow the city of New Orleans is throwing a victory parade for our boys, with floats donated by the five biggest Mardi Gras Krewes who are going to use them again next weekend. My sister Heather (who was at the game, damn her) is in Disney World right now watching a parade in Brees’ honor, while over 20,000 Saints fans are swarming Louis Armstrong International Airport to watch the rest of the team get off the plane back home.

That’s not a typo. Over TWENTY. THOUSAND.

When I finally went to bed at 1 a.m., the TV news was still showing the party on Bourbon Street. And when I woke up at 5 a.m. to go to work, there were still people out there. Many of the revelers, no doubt, walked down the road to camp out for a spot at the parade. Half the city didn’t come in to work today, including a lot of teachers at my school. But that was okay. Out of my 80 students, I had 28 absent.

We’re partying.

Tomorrow the work begins. Not necessarily for the Saints — they deserve a long break — but for the rest of us. For the past week, the eyes of the world have been on New Orleans. Governor Bobby Jindal said during an interview last night that the assembled media of the world have been given packets outlining the positive things that have been happening in Louisiana. This is our chance to convince people to come here — not just with their tourist dollars, but with their businesses. With their jobs. This is a chance to make a quantum leap in the progress we’ve been making ever since that bitch of a storm a few years ago.

But that’s on us. Our boys got us there. So thank you, Sean Peyton, Drew Brees, Pierre Thomas, Garrett Hartley, and all the rest. Thank you for putting yourselves — and us — in the spotlight. And don’t even think about next year yet. Enjoy this moment until the time comes to really think about it. Don’t worry about tomorrow yet. Don’t worry about the free agency and the draft, spring training or the pre-season. Don’t worry about 16 more games that count and don’t even think about 45. For now, 44 is all ours, and nobody will ever take that away from us. For the next few months, just just celebrate the fact that you’ve done something no other Saints team in history has done.

For the next few months, just celebrate.

And leave the hard work to all of us.

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 157: The iPad and the Digital Comic

Apple’s newest announcement, the new iPad, has captured the attention of the comic book world. Is it the future of comics, a stepping stone to that future, or much ado about nothing? This week, Blake and Heather talk comics, computers, digital content, webcomics, creator response, and for some reason, Sookie Stackhouse. In the picks this week, Blake serves up a two-fer: Astro City: The Dark Age Book Four #1, and for the graphic novel review, Star Comics All-Stars Vol. 1. Contact us with comments, suggestions, or anything else at Showcase@comixtreme.com!

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 157: The iPad and the Digital Comic
Inside This Episode:

What I’m Reading: The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Carrie Ryan makes her noveling debut with this young adult offering, The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Mary is a young woman almost of age who lives in a village surrounded by fences. Nobody ever goes in or out of the village, because outside the fences is the Forest, the roaming grounds of countless numbers of “Unconsecrated.” The Unconsecrated used to be regular human beings, but when infected, they die and are reborn as mindless, murderous creatures intent on consuming human flesh. And if you’re bitten and infected, you are given a choice: immediate death, or be turned loose into the forest with the Unconsecrated.

Obviously, this is a zombie novel (although the word “zombie” is never actually used), but it’s one of the most original interpretations of the zombie archetype I’ve seen in a long time. Most zombie stories focus on the actual apocalypse itself — the zombie breakout, the fight for survival. Others focus on a small group of people surviving in a world that has been destroyed by the undead but which is still fundamentally recognizable as our own. In this novel, we’re generations into the future, generations after the end of the world, and the world that Mary inhabits is very, very different from that in most zombie novels. There are traces of the old world, of course, but only traces. Even things like the ocean are considered legends, fairy tales of what the world was like before the Return.

Parts of this book do tend to drift towards the angsty teen romance novel, but Ryan is a good enough writer to pull that off without making the characters look like caricatures. In Mary, we have a protagonist that seems to struggle between the world she has always known and the world she dreams about. She’s scared but not weak, ignorant of the greater universe but unwilling to let that drag her down.

Ryan also introduces a number of subplots involving the world itself — the cause of the “return,” the existence of a single “Fast” Unconsecrated while most are slow, the truth about the mysterious Sisters, that are not resolved during the course of the novel. It’s not surprising, therefore, to discover that a sequel will be coming out in a few months. I liked this book enough to keep an eye on The Dead-Tossed Waves and pick it up when it comes out. (Or, more accurately, download it to my Kindle.)

It’s not your typical zombie novel, but that’s what I like about it.

We’re Marching In…

My sister and brother-in-law, Heather and Will, are in Florida right now. They planned a trip some weeks ago because Will wanted to watch a space shuttle launch in person before NASA retires the program. My sister, being the shrewd negotiator that she is, suggested that they add on a few days in Disney World while they were in the state anyway. And then, when the Saints cracked into the big dance, they decided to make it a three-fer. My brother is on the road right now with some friends of his, all of whom got tickets, none of whom (I think) are actually sitting together. They took what they could get. A lot of teachers from my school are going. My uncle is going. Emeril Lagasse is going. I thought these tickets were supposed to be hard to get.

I’ll be watching at my family’s annual Bowl Bash, but even though we’ll be a few people short this year, something tells me the game is going to be a hell of a lot more meaningful than it usually is. So while we spend these last two days gearing up for the game, let’s remember those last few moments of awesome that got us there. My brother alerted me to this NFL Films video, and it’s already the best movie I’ve seen all year.

What I’m Reading: The Question & Wonder Woman in Blackest Night

Two more Blackest Night entries this week, both written by the awesome Greg Rucka. Let’s get right into ‘em.

The Question #37: The last of the eight “back from the dead” titles once belonged to Charles Victor Szasz, a.k.a. Vic Sage, a.k.a. the faceless vigilante called The Question. In 52, Vic died and passed his mask on to former Gotham City Police Officer Renee Montoya. Montoya, the new Question, is with Vic’s old friend Professor Rodor when Lady Shiva arrives. The greatest martial artist in the world is out to test her mettle against the new Question, but with the dead rising, the old Question is seeking out his old companions.

Rucka co-writes this issue with Dennis O’Neil, writer of the original Question series. As Rucka himself has pretty much shepherded Renee’s adventures, it’s safe to say that no one in comics is more qualified to write this issue than these two guys. The bit with Shiva feels a little superfluous, but the interaction between Renee and Vic is wonderful. Although she’s interacted with them, the Question (neither of them) has ever really been a traditional “superhero” like most of the DC Universe, so making them fit in a story of this nature is an impressive feat. Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz on the artwork give the book a rather disjointed, confused feeling that’s very appropriate for these characters. This wasn’t my favorite of the “back from the dead” books, but it was a good way to bring these characters into the event.

Rating: 7/10

Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #3: This book is by Rucka and the fantastic Nicola Scott, and takes place shortly after Blackest Night #6. Wonder Woman was in the clutches of the Black Lanterns, but when Carol Ferris’s Star Sapphire ring was duplicated, it chose Diana as its deputy. This issue shows Diana’s first few minutes as a Star Sapphire, and how wielding that power is going to force her into combat with a friend.

I have the same issue with this issue as I did with the last one. It’s technically very good. Rucka knows this character very well and does a great job of showing how she’s dealing with her sudden influx of power. Plus, Nicola Scott’s artwork is magnificent as ever. She’s one of the finest artists working at DC today, and I love her interpretation of Diana, the other Lanterns, the undead monstrosities that are attacking and everything else. And how ’bout that spiffy Greg Horn cover? Just a great cover.

The problem is that the three issues of Blackest Night: Wonder Woman together don’t really make for a cohesive storyline. The Superman, Batman and Titans miniseries all told their own story — related to the main crossover, but pretty much self-contained. The Wonder Woman issues don’t really tell one story, but rather fill in the blanks between pages of the main storyline. I guess it’s personal taste. If that’s what a story is going to do, I don’t know if it merits a spin-off. It wouldn’t bother me if these were actual issues of the Wonder Woman title, but a miniseries should stand on its own.

It’s not bad. It’s just not independent enough for my tastes.

Rating: 6/10

Everything But Imaginary #339: How to Make an Exit

The new season of Lost began last night… the final season of Lost. And as a longtime fan, I’m excited. But this isn’t the first time I’ve felt something like this as the end of a story approaches. In this week’s Everything But Imaginary, we look at what it means when a favorite approaches the end.

Everything But Imaginary #339: How to Make an Exit

Where I Find Free eBooks

As I often mention my Kindle (the eReader of my dreams), I’ve often found myself explaining that an awful lot of the content on my particular device — 375 different files at present, most of them full-length books  — was come by perfectly legally, and totally free of charge. I’m A bit of a fanatic about this. It comes from being a writer myself, I suppose, but I refuse to support illegal downloading — books, movies, music, what have you. Every eBook that I’ve downloaded for free falls into one of two categories. Either it’s offered legitimately by the author or publisher, or it’s a book in the public domain and no longer under copyright by anybody. And if you think this would limit my options, you’re very mistaken. Here are some of the sites where I find my eBooks, totally for free.

• Amazon.com – Surprisingly, there are an awful lot of books available free of charge from Amazon. Many of them are public domain books, others are the first book in a series which is about to launch a new volume, and others are simply unknown authors trying to get an audience built. I’ve found some gems here.
• Online Novels – This page is a directory of books available for free online, and links to many, many other sources. It’s good if you’re looking for a specific book or genre.
• Lulu.com – The self-publisher’s best friend, Lulu.com, offers several books as a free PDF download. By the nature of the site, pretty much all of the authors are unknown, but you can find good stuff if you look.
• Smashwords.com – The site that hosts my own eBook, A Long November, hosts books both by self-publishing authors and by several small publishers. Many of them are free, and others are labelled “you set the price,” which basically means the download is free, but they accept tips.
• Free Kindle Books.org – This site takes versions of books created by Project Gutenberg and releases them in Kindle format. The PG books are public domain, and I’ve gotten a lot of classics here. Frankenstein, Dracula, Charles Dickens, Williams Shakespeare — lots of old, good stuff.
• Feedbooks.com – Like Smashwords, this site hosts a lot of self-published authors. Like Free Kindle Books, it has a lot of stuff in the public domain. Not every book, however, is available in every format. So make sure you’re downloading a book that will work on your device, whatever that happens to be.
• Podiobooks.com – Not actually an eBook site, but partnered with Smashwords, Podiobooks.com is the place where authors go to distribute their work as free audiobooks, in podcast form. My first podcast novel (also A Long November) came out through Podiobooks, and I hope that when I’ve got Cross-Purposes ready to go, it will find a home there too.

Classroom Conversations: “And His Brother Was in New Kids on the Block”

Two of my students made me feel really old today. It was the end of class, right before lunch, and they were waiting for the bell to ring. I heard two of them having a conversation.*

STUDENT 1: Hey, you know that actor Mark Wahlberg?

STUDENT 2: Who?

STUDENT 1: The one from Invincible?

STUDENT 2: Aw yeah, him.

STUDENT 1: Did you know he used to rap?

STUDENT 2: What? Dude, no way.

I felt compelled to step into the conversation at this point.

ME: You guys are killing me. I remember when I was saying to people, ‘Can you believe that Marky Mark is going to try to act?

STUDENT 2: No way, he didn’t call himself that, did he?

I decided not to risk blowing their minds my introducing the concept of “The Funky Bunch.”

* Conversations are not transcribed verbatim. They are altered for length, to provide appropriate context, and to make them funnier whenever necessary. Frankly, all you can count on in these posts is that at some point, I had a conversation with somebody about some subject.

What I’m Reading: Still More Blackest Night

It’s been a couple of weeks, so I’m back with a few more Blackest Night reviews for you guys. Although there was no issue of the miniseries proper in the month of January, that doesn’t mean nothing happened. We’ve got a few more “dead” series back from the grave, a few more spin-off miniseries, and a few more crossovers — including a couple of big ones. So let’s do it, again, roughly in order of release…

Blackest Night: The Flash #2

The Rogues, expecting their dead teammates (and, in some cases, predecessors) to come gunning for them, decide they’re going to go on the offensive, heading to Iron Heights penitentiary to hunt down the dead villains. Meanwhile, Wally and Barry — now complete with his new Blue Lantern ring — begin facing off against their own Black Lanterns, including Kid Flash, Professor Zoom, and the once-benevolent ape named Solovar. This issue is a bit of a mixed bag for me. The Rogues stuff is great, which is no surprise, as Geoff Johns has been taking lame villains and making them bad-ass ever since his original Flash run years ago. The fact that many of these characters have any sort of personality at all is directly attributable to him. And amazingly, while he hasn’t turned them into heroes, he’s somehow made villains you want to root for, especially in these circumstances. Villain-themed books rarely work. The only exceptions I can think of, Suicide Squad and Secret Six, work because the writers don’t try to turn them into heroes. (Thunderbolts, on the other hand, worked precisely because the writers turned them into heroes). But if Johns were to take on the Rogues for an ongoing, or even a series of miniseries, I really think it could work. The scenes with the Flashes aren’t bad, but much like Blackest Night: Wonder Woman, I get the impression that these pages merely fill in the blanks between pages of the main series rather than tell an independent story. That brings down my enjoyment of this book. But only a little.

Rating: 7/10

Green Lantern Corps #44

Kyle Rayner died, then came back to life thanks to his lover Soranik Natu and the intercession of a member of the Star Sapphires. During the brief period he was dead, however, his partner Guy Gardner went wild with rage, shifting from Green Lantern to Red. Kyle wants to rip the Red off Guy’s hand, but the rest of the Corps realizes something important. The power-mad Guy Gardner is the only thing proving effective against the Black Lanterns invading Oa. Peter Tomasi has worked in a heck of a lot of great stuff into this issue. You’ve got the moral dilemma about what to do with Guy, excellent character moments for Kyle and the rest of the Corps (including Mogo, one of the coolest GLs ever), and a ton of great action scenes, including full- and double-page spreads by Patrick Gleason, doing some of his finest work on this series to date. The last few pages bring us to a cliffhanger almost as engaging as Kyle’s “death” a few issues ago. Sometimes this book gets lost in the shadow of its parent title, but consistently, Green Lantern Corps has provided some of the best science fiction comics we’ve seen in many years.

Rating: 8/10

The Phantom Stranger #42

One of the “back from the dead” titles, this issue of Phantom Stranger could almost serve equally well as a resurrected issue of The Spectre, Deadman, or even Shadowpact. Flipping back a few months, we saw the Spectre’s human host, Crispus Allen, transformed into a Black Lantern. The real downside here? That means you’ve got a Black Lantern with the power of God’s spirit of vengeance. Here we see the Phantom Stranger lead the charge to save him as he invades the city of Nanda Parbat. Tomasi is back, this time with some beautiful artwork by Ardian Syaf to boot. If you’re looking for a spotlight on the Phantom Stranger, this issue will probably disappoint, but if you want a sort of overview of the DC Universe’s most powerful magic users in this time of crisis, this issue really does fit the bill. The issue even gives us a glimpse of the “possible” origins of the Stranger, as revealed years ago in an issue of Secret Origins, while still providing us no solid clues that confirm of invalidate any of them. I rather doubt DC will ever give us the firm truth behind the Stranger, and to be honest, I hope they don’t. He’s the sort of character that works best shrouded in mystery.

Rating: 7/10

Starman #81

Writer James Robinson returned to the series that shot him to comic book stardom with this issue. Of course, the Starman that starred in this series is retired and living peacefully in San Diego, and Robinson had no intention of pulling Jack Knight out of retirement. But when Jack’s dead brother, David, returns as a Black Lantern, somebody is going to have to step up. That someone, as it turns out, is the Shade, a golden age villain who became a much more complex and entertaining character under Robinson’s pen. The Shade moves to protect Opal City from David Knight, and in the process proves just how much life is left in this franchise. Even with Jack out of the picture, the Shade and the O’Dares of Opal City are wonderful, fascinating characters. While you still couldn’t go so far as to classify the Shade as a hero, he’s certainly not the villain he once was. This was without a doubt the best of the “back from the dead” comics that DC released in January, and it has me hoping like hell that Robinson does return to the Shade in some way — a miniseries, a part in an ensemble title… dare I hope an ongoing? It would make me deliriously happy, and I know I wouldn’t be alone.

Rating: 10/10

The Atom and Hawkman #46

This issue focuses more on the Atom than the (current Black Lantern) Hawkman, but as the two of these heroes used to share a book, it seems fitting that they share the billing here as well. The Atom, like the Flash, has been deputized as a Lantern. In the Atom’s case, he’s Indigo. While most of the others were pretty obvious (Barry in Hope Blue, Lex Luthor in Avarice Orange and so on), the Atom in the Indigo light of Compassion needed a bit of justification. Geoff Johns really pulls it off with this issue. As the Atom faces the dead form of his best friend, he’s forced down memory lane, remembering all the tragedy his ex-wife Jean (also a Black Lantern) forced upon him during their life together, how it led to one tragedy after another… and ultimately, how he still managed to feel for her. A lot of characterization is in how that character is portrayed. Johns managed to take everything that’s happened to the Atom — and more important, how he reacted to everything that happened to him — and used it to explain why he was chosen for the Indigo Lanterns without contradicting a thing. It’s one of the things that makes him such a fantastic writer. Out of all the “Back From the Dead” comics, this is the one most pertinent to the ongoing tale of Blackest Night — and it’s a can’t-miss book to boot.

Rating: 9/10

Green Lantern #50

It’s probably a coincidence that the 50th issue (traditionally a spot reserved for an anniversary special) of Green Lantern fell during the Blackest Night crossover, but Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke make full use of the extra pages they’re granted this month. Picking up moments after the conclusion of Blackest Night #6, Hal and the New Guardians join up with the deputy Lanterns to face the Black Lantern scourge. As they do battle, the Black Lantern Spectre returns, and he’s gunning for Hal. Realizing the power of the being he faces, Hal Jordan understands the only horrific way he could stand a chance of victory — he will once again have to take on the power of the dark entity that once turned him into a madman, the Yellow Lantern entity called Parallax. Except for Barry and the Atom in their respective spin-offs, this issue is the only time we’ve really gotten to see the Deputy Lanterns in action yet, and it’s really great stuff. The Sinestro Scarecrow is creepier than ever, and the moments between Atrocitous and Mera, Hal and Carol Ferris, are fantastic. I’ve only got one real beef with this issue, but it’s one I’ve had to voice time and again. If you’re going to do a last-page reveal, why do you spoil it on the bloody cover?

Rating: 8/10

Blackest Night: JSA #2

The Justice Society is under siege by its fallen members from multiple worlds, but many of the Black Lanterns don’t seem to be out for blood. They’re seeking compassion, the love of their family members… and how could anybody begrudge them that? On the other hand, how could anybody trust them, either? The original superheroes were no slouches, and as this issue shows, if anything, death has made them more shrewd. James Robinson and Tony Bedard share the writing chores here, with the pencil work shared by Eddy Barrows and Marcos Marz. You can definitely tell that more than one artist worked on this book, which can be a little distracting during the more noticeable shifts. I imagine that the extra hands were needed to get this book done on time, which I’m okay with in principle, but when that happens it seems incumbent to try to match the artists’ styles, and that didn’t really happen here. It hurts the issue, but only a bit.

Rating: 7/10

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 156: Mike’s Mom, You’re Amusing

Mike isn’t even here this week, but his mom somehow gets the title of this free-for-all, tangent-style episode. Blake and Kenny answer more of your e-mails and talk about more comic news, including the dollar comics for Free Comic Book Day, the state of the Avengers after Siege, the Blackest Night ring/Siege variant controversy, and much more! In the picks, Blake loves the finale of G-Man: Cape Crisis, and Kenny still has mad love for Power Girl. Contact us with comments, suggestions, or anything else at Showcase@comixtreme.com!

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 156: Mike’s Mom, You’re Amusing
Inside This Episode: