Strollerderby : comics

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles No Longer Teenaged

JeanneSager — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 18:21:00 GMT

Dude! Our kids are watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and we were around when they came out. Cowabunga, we're old.

The TMNT were on top of the Empire State Building this past week because apparently that's how turtles celebrate their twenty-fifth birthdays.

Wait, twenty-five? I know! Somehow, this one is really getting to me. It's only a quarter of a century, but I distinctly remember being sucked into my baby brother's TMNT sword fights (I was always April O'Neil, the grown-up, wisecracking reporter . . . go figure, huh?) and trying desperately to return the TV to something more my speed after he'd commandeered the VCR with yet another showing of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with an as yet relatively unknown Sam Rockwell.

A prankster to this day, his first "joke" came when he was three - about a turtle talking on his turtle-com. So unfunny it can ONLY be the stuff of family legend, it was rooted in his love of all things green and half-shelled.

So check out the picture gallery over at the Best Week Ever, and call in your kids. They'll be impressed when you can name all four . . . and their favorite food. Throw in a "cowabunga, dude," and you might even earn some serious street cred.

Image: Best Week Ever

Superman Comic Sells For Over 300k

Brett Singer — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Action Comics #1, featuring the first appearance of Superman, sold for $317,200. It was first published in 1938, with a cover price of 10 cents. The owner bought it in 1950 for 35 cents. Amazingly, the issue is still in mint condition, hence the high price it brought at auction. There are only 100 copies of Action Comics #1 in existence. Many of the original issues were probably thrown away by somebody's mom. Oops.

The buyer was John Dolmayan, drummer for System of a Down. He said he bought it "for a client." (That's the kind of thing guys tell their wives when they spend this kind of cash on a comic book. I kid. Sort of.) Dolmayan has a huge comics collection and is also a dealer.

When I was about 10 years old, I was in a comic book store (Dragon's Den on Central Avenue in Yonkers) and saw a copy of Incredible Hulk #181, which features the first appearance of Wolverine. (Note: technically Wolverine's first appearance is in Hulk #180, but he only appears in one panel and #181 is worth more to collectors. For a very nerdy discussion of this important topic, click here.) The price was 10 dollars. I decided that was too high and didn't bother. Today that comic book sells for between $1,000 and $2,000, depending on condition.

Save those comics, kids. Don't let mom throw them out. You never know - they could be worth big money some day. Heck, at this point, it beats the stock market, right?

Image/Source: Daily News

Power Ranger Toys For Babies And Adults

Teen Dad's Father Wearing Halloween Mask In Public

Interview - Disney Princesses Toy Designer

Photo - Obama Shocked by Schoolkids

Fun Stuff To Do When The Kids Get Older

FOURTH Printing For Obama/Spider-man Comic Book

Brett Singer — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:30:00 GMT

UPDATE 4: Yes, Virginia, Marvel did a fourth printing of Amazing Spider-Man #583. Amazing, really. To paraphrase Mary Jane Watson (no longer Parker, now that they retconned away her marriage to Peter), "Tiger, Marvel just hit the jackpot." The latest printing is now available in comic shops. (Tip: don't overpay for this thing on eBay; 4th printings are rarely, if ever, worth anything. Neither are second or thirds, frankly.)

Another thought on my kid and this comic -- he definitely wanted it, and he doesn't read the regular Spidey series. (Despite the fact that they dumbed it down when they rebooted the book, Amazing Spider-Man is still not for kids; he reads the Marvel Adventures version, however.) I think he was just curious to have it because it had Obama on the cover, and had Obama in an actual story. I would say that this proves that even kids are fascinated by our new prez, but up until now that wasn't the case for my son. While I think part of his interest of course stems from the fact that the President is in a Spider-Man comic book, I'm wondering if part of it is simply the fact that a real person showed up in the pages of a comic book. I doubt another famous person would generate the same level of excitement that Barack did but maybe Marvel should try this with other people. It's not unprecedented -- Superman fought Muhammad Ali, for example. That was REALLY gimmicky but so was the Obama/Spidey meeting.

So: Rush Limbaugh working with J. Jonah Jameson to expose Spiderman as a dirty rotten liberal? Captain Chesley of US Airways Flight 1549 fame (the one that he landed in the water) shows superheroes a thing or two about being a hero without powers? I've read worse comics, believe me. Anyone with other ideas, let us know in the comments.

*-*-*-*-*

UPDATE 3: Demand for even the second printing of Amazing Spider-Man #583 was so high that Marvel is going back to press for a THIRD PRINTING of the comic book. For those of you who don't know much about comic book collecting, the third printing is rarely worth much money in the long run. (Neither is the second printing, actually.) In this case, people seem to just want this book. Because it has Obama on the cover. And inside, actually.

If anyone is curious, the 8-page story is mildly amusing and fine for kids to read. (Yes, I bought it. I even bought a second printing to give to my son. The first printing I'm saving. Yes. I'm nerdy. WhatEVER.) The main part of the book, which is part of this revamped, rebooted "Brand New Day" Spider-Man storyline, is really dumb and should not be read by anyone. Is it kid-friendly? Not really. There's nothing all that inappropriate, but it's all about Betty Brant and whether or not she really likes Peter Parker as more than a friend, and whether she sold out her principles by working at the new Daily Bugle, which is now called the DB! (yes, with the exclamation point)... I'm getting sleepy just typing this, it's so dull. So get the book for the kids if they want it, and tell them to skip to the back where the Obama story is. Trust me. That's the best part.

*-*-*-*-*

UPDATE 2: This comic is sold out at MidtownComics.com, although there's a chance you can still get one if you go to the store. I already reserved my copy, so nyah-nyah. There will be a reprint. You're shocked, I know.

Original posts are below.

*-*-*

UPDATE: here's a new image from the Spider-Man story that will feature an appearance by Barack Obama.

Via Marvel.com, which features an interview with Spider-Man editor Steve Wacker.

Original post, with an update about what my son said about this comic, follows below:

*-*-*-*-*

Marvel Comics will release a special story featuring President-elect Barack Obama and everyone's favorite arachnid-powered superhero. (That's Spider-Man, in case you didn't know.)

According to Huffington Post, "The comic starts with Spider-Man's alter-ego Peter Parker taking photographs at the inauguration, before spotting two identical Obamas. Parker decides 'the future president's gonna need Spider-Man,' and springs into action, using basketball to determine the real Obama and punching out the impostor. Obama thanks him with a fist-bump." Wow. Daring.

Earlier this year, both Obama and John McCain were the subject of biographies in comic book form (reviewed by yours truly right here). And Harry S. Truman published a propaganda-style graphical rendition of his life back in 1948. Neither of those funny books featured anyone with super-powers, however.

Barack Obama's enjoyment of comics has been mentioned before. In the announcement, Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada referred to the incoming President as the "nerd in chief", and said that the story was Marvel's way of giving him a "shout-out back". With all due respect to Joe, I don't think Mr. Obama was offering up a "shout-out" when it was revealed that he used to collect comic books and that Spider-Man was his favorite character, but who knows.

In further proof of his potential nerdiness, Obama joked at the Al Smith dinner that was actually sent here from the planet Krypton by his father Jor-El to "save the planet Earth."

(Jor-El is Superman's father, and Krypton is the planet that he came from. I'm not going to bother with a link, since if you needed me to explain that to you, you don't really want to know. That's OK, by the way. Just saying.)

I think it's fine that the incoming President is going to appear in a comic book, even if comics aren't as important to kids as they used to be. Kids are still into superheroes, but there is much more competition for their time then there was when I was young(er).

While this comic could be pitched as a way to get kids interested in current events, it's really a collectible that will be snatched up by adults, who will place it in a mylar bag with an acid-free backing board and hope that it goes up in value someday. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose. I'll be buying a copy just to put it in a bag, since "Spider-Man" is unreadable after they wiped out 20 years of continuity via a ridiculous bit of retconning where Peter Parker's marriage to Mary Jane no longer existed and he never revealed his secret identity. (Again, if you don't already know what I'm talking about, you probably don't want to.) But it would be cooler if there were a kid-friendly book that featured the President-elect. Maybe something that actually discussed how government worked. "Mr. Spidey Goes To Washington." They could even do both. Since I buy comics for my son every week (and yes, for myself as well; you got a problem with that?), I wouldn't mind a book that addressed what was going on in the world – in a fun way – sneaking into the weekly stack.

HuffPo says, "The Obama story is a bonus in Marvel Comic's Amazing Spider-Man #583, available in comic book shops nationwide on Jan. 14 for $3.99." It'll sell out, since kooks like me will buy it even if they don't want to read it. But if you get to your local comic shop early enough, you can probably snag a copy.

UPDATE: So my son comes home and tells me that he heard there was going to be a comic book with Barack Obama and Spider-Man. Could I please get it for him? What I said about kids not caring so much about comics, particularly this one, was clearly incorrect. I think this time that's a good thing.

Source: HuffPo

The Obama Kids First Day Of School

They Say – Raise Kids Who Care

Working Parents Smackdown Part 2 – Dads With Jobs vs Moms With Jobs

Bronx Students Question Obama Through Poetry

Brett Singer — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 22:16:00 GMT

It's one thing when Rush Limbaugh attacks the idea that Obama is going to bring "change" to our country. Of course Limbaugh doesn't want change – as far as he's concerned, everything is fine. But it's a little different when high school students from the Bronx wonder whether or not our new President is really going to be all that different from those who held the office before he did.

These kids are a little bit older than those we usually talk about on Babble, but this video kept my attention from beginning to end. The poetry the students recite is pretty raw; to put it mildly, this isn't exactly Robert Frost territory:

Calling Mr. Obama, Calling Mr. Obama
Please Mr. President
Come In
…
Do you understand where I'm coming from Mr. President?

When one student says this in an interview:

"Just because your skin is dark doesn't mean your morality, your ethics are different from any other person."

That got to me. It's not cynicism, it's reality. When life isn't good, and everyone is talking about "change" this and "change" that, it's not unreasonable to wonder whether or not the problems in your life are going to get some of that "change." Combine that feeling with the general angst of being a teenager, and you get some pretty strong words.

The video isn't embeddable, so click here to watch it. If nothing else, it's certainly a different perspective on Obama's election.

Obama/Spider-man Comic Book Sold Out, Reprint Planned

Obama Says His Kids Are Cooler Than He Is

The Obama Kids First Day Of School

Kids to Obama: Read Books, Eat More Ice Cream

It's Official: White House To House First Grandmother

Morning News – Drunken Jokers With Bionic Limbs And Flying Cars

Brett Singer — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Happy Friday, everyone!

Comments on yesterday's Morning News got pretty heated. I considered doing nothing but stories about puppies, rainbows and sunshine today, but decided that was no fun. And as it turns out, the "Crossfire"-esque commenting has morphed into an interesting back and forth between persons of differing political persuasions. Thank you to everyone from both sides of the aisle who weighed in; check out the debate here.

Diane Sawyer appeared to be drunk during the Inauguration coverage on ABC. Was she celebrating Obama's victory? Is she a McCain voter trying to forget? No one knows. While it's not completely certain that she was nipping at the sauce, this video makes a darn good case for it.

Caroline Kennedy (Schlossberg) did indeed bail on her quest to be a Senator without the hassle of actually winning an election. The New York Times is reporting that "Problems involving taxes and a household employee" were uncovered during the vetting process, so she bowed out. Whenever information like this is "suddenly" discovered, I always wonder how it is that nobody knew about it until it was too late. As in, Ms. Kennedy (Schlossberg) must have known that she had a tax issue, right? Also, it's still unclear if New York Governor David Paterson would have picked Kennedy (Schlossberg) or not. Um, it kind of doesn't matter anymore, folks. Let it go. Paterson will reportedly announce his choice today; convention wisdom says Andrew "HUD? What's a HUD?" Cuomo will get Hillary Clinton's old seat. (Hillary is now officially Secretary of State, by the way – she started work yesterday.) UPDATE: I was wrong, wrong, wrong -- the Times is reporting that Governor Paterson has selected Kirsten Gillibrand as Hillary Clinton's replacement in the Senate. Ms. Gillibrand is a congresswoman from upstate NY who is mother to two young children and has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association, according to the Times. I'm mentioning the mom thing because this is a parenting web site, and the NRA endorsement because that makes her a potentially controversial choice, since most Democrats aren't big NRA folks. (Gillibrand's official bio page is getting jammed with web traffic, but here's Google's cached version.)

Interesting tidbit about the Roberts Oath Flub (Flubgate, anyone?) – a certain Senator Barack Obama voted against the Chief Justice's confirmation in 2005.

In business news, the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the "conflicting reports" regarding Steve Jobs health. First he said he wasn't that sick, then he said he was leaving for six months, blah blah blah. Personally, I thought "hormone imbalance" sounded pretty serious when it was first announced. If only the SEC had been equally diligent about Bernie Madoff, poor Kevin Bacon wouldn't be reading the script for "Footloose 2". (I'm only joking about "Footloose 2." I hope. Kevin is looking for work though, so if you hear of anything, give him a ring.)

A very cool medical story from England: 19-year-old British college student Evan Reynolds now has a bionic hand. Reynolds lost his appendage three years ago, and can operate his new prosthetic limb by thought. ''It's so sensitive I can grip a bottle of water or a paper cup without crushing it and even swing a racket," he says. ''All I have to do is imagine picking something up or gripping it and the fingers and thumb move automatically." Like I said: very cool.

Oh, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominations for the 81st Academy Awards. Some were surprised that Heath Ledger got a Best Supporting Actor nod for his performance as The Joker in "The Dark Knight", but the real surprise to me was Robert Downey Jr.'s nomination for "Tropic Thunder." Not only is it a comedy, it was also a controversial one as I recall (that whole "retard" thing). Personally, I think Ledger will win. If he does, it won't be undeserved -- he gave an incredible performance. Brad Brevet says that Kate Winslet's nomination for "The Reader" is "fishy"; I admit that I couldn't read the full post, which actually quotes Academy voting rules. I was surprised that Clint Eastwood didn't get some love for "Gran Torino," but hey, you can't win 'em all.

The mother who named one of her children Adolf Hitler wants her kids back. "The parents insist they're not racists and want only to honor the heritage of the Third Reich," says the Daily News. What can one say to that?

Finally, someone has actually made a flying car! Terrafugia, the company that makes the vehicle (called the "Transition") calls it a "roadable aircraft," which doesn't exactly trip off the tongue. It goes 500 miles on a full tank of regular unleaded gasoline, and features folding wings. Bottom line: IT IS A CAR THAT FLIES. It also costs $194,000 and probably requires a good-sized garage with access to a ready supply of fuel. So it's not exactly ready for mass consumption. However, IT IS A CAR THAT FLIES. Did I mention that?

Have a great weekend!

Image: Times Online

(Late) Morning News: Finally!

Sasha and Malia Get Bored

Live Inaugural Tweets From A Working Mom, And Video

A Prom? At the White House? Awesome!

Video and Pics: Lego Inauguration

Malia & Sasha Obama Sporting Some Recessionista Style

Obama/Spider-man Comic Book Sold Out, Reprint Planned

Sarah Palin Says Leave My Kids Alone

Obama Wants Kids To Have a Normal Life – Good Luck With That

Sasha and Malia Beanie Baby Dolls

Brett Singer — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Here's a good one. Ty Inc., maker of the once-insanely popular Beanie Babies, has introduced two new Beanies – Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia.

The good part? The company claims it's just a coincidence. Company spokeswoman Tania Lundeen says the names were chosen because they are "beautiful," according to US Weekly.

Do you buy it? I don't. A commenter on USWeekly.com points out that the dolls don't look much like the First Daughters. But no one ever mistook a Beanie Penguin for a real-life fish-eating bird that can't fly.

The dolls were released this month to retailers; I'm sure the timing was also just a coincidence. Supplies are limited, so if you see 'em, BUY BUY BUY. They could be worth more than the Obama/Spider-man comic book.

UPDATE: Mama Obama is none too happy about the dolls.

Source: US Weekly

Video and Pics: Lego Inauguration

Malia & Sasha Obama Sporting Some Recessionista Style

Obama/Spider-man Comic Book Sold Out, Reprint Planned

Michelle Obama Objects to Sasha and Malia Dolls

Obama Wants Kids To Have a Normal Life – Good Luck With That

Sasha and Malia Get Bored

Babies Understand Presidential Material

Morning News - Obama, Limbaugh, Cheese

Brett Singer — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Hello and welcome to Morning News! I'll be your Morning Newsperson for today, and possibly for tomorrow as well. Madeline will return after that.

I don't know if you heard anything about it, but we had one of those peaceful transfers of power on Tuesday. We do it every four years whether we want to or not. This time around there was a tad more pomp and circumstance, with 10 Inaugural Balls. I only saw the Neighborhood Ball, where Jay-Z had the most powerful performance of the night; Sting also sang well but looked like he slept in an alley. Note to Gordon Sumner: if you are performing at a public event of this magnitude, at least TRIM the beard, 'k?

Adorable first daughters Sasha and Malia spent the big night watching "High School Musical 3" and getting a scavenger hunt-tour of the White House; the final clue led them to the real-life Jonas Brothers, who were hiding in a closet. So much for that normal childhood thing. Today it's back to school for both; they were allowed to sleep in on Wednesday.

President Obama did not take the day of and got right to work on Wednesday, signing executive orders to close Guantánamo Bay "within a year", and also putting a freeze on salaries for many White House aides. Smart move -- in this economy, he's not likely to lose anyone to the private sector.

Speaking of the economy, the financial markets ended the day up slightly after a big drop on Inauguration Day. Some say this is because "the market" doesn't like our new President, others blame "macro forces", and use big scary finance words that I don't fully understand. Bottom line: the economy still sucks, and it's going to take time for it to recover.

Folks who thought Sarah Palin would shrink from view after the election were wrong, wrong, wrong. The AP has an article about how the Alaska Governor would like some privacy for her children and the L.A. Times reports on a new energy plan she is proposing in the Alaska State legislature. Bonus: if you read the comments you will see that Palin still has plenty of supporters out there. Palin 2012, anyone?

In other political news, Caroline Kennedy may or may not have withdrawn from the race to replace Hillary Clinton as the junior Senator from New York. (Is it a race if its just one guy deciding who wins?) The New York Post (an ultra-conservative tabloid owned Rupert "Fox News" Murdoch) is reporting that Kennedy (what happened to "Kennedy Schlossberg?") pulled herself out of the running because she heard that New York Governor David "SNL Hasn't Been Funny Since John Belushi Left" Paterson was going to pick someone else. BUT the New York Daily News (a less conservative tabloid owned by Mort "I Gave My Money to Bernie Madoff and All I Got Was This Lousy T-shirt" Zuckerman) is reporting that sources close to Caroline whose last names are also Kennedy say that she hasn't dropped out at all. UPDATE: NY1 is reporting that it is indeed official -- Caroline Kennedy will not take Hillary Clinton's place in the Senate. Whether or not she will start using the last name "Schlossberg" again has not been determined. In the words of the great Kent Brockman, only time will tell.

Glenn Harlan Reynolds writes in the Wall Street Journal that he appreciates the "tone" our newly minted President has displayed; Reynolds says that by "reaching out to conservative columnists, and by going out of his way to say that he thinks George W. Bush is 'a good man,' Mr. Obama has made some efforts to transcend the nastiness that has emanated from much of the Democratic Party over the past eight years." Hey, if Obama can be gracious about Chief Justice Roberts messing up the Oath of Office, I think he can be kind to just about anyone. (The President re-took the Oath, by the way. Can't be too careful these days.)

Speaking of nastiness, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh isn't hopping on the Peace Train. He says that he has four words to describe how he feels about the leader of the free world: "I hope he fails." No really, that's what he said. Listen in:

And just to get away from politics and all things Inaugural, we leave you with this: French officials are investigating a possible scam by a woman in Paris who was selling "magic cheese" that she claimed could be used as cosmetics. Those French. Always good for a laugh.

Read more:

(Late) Morning News: Finally!

Sasha and Malia Get Bored

Live Inaugural Tweets From A Working Mom, And Video

A Prom? At the White House? Awesome!

Video and Pics: Lego Inauguration

Malia & Sasha Obama Sporting Some Recessionista Style

Obama/Spider-man Comic Book Sold Out, Reprint Planned

Sarah Palin Says Leave My Kids Alone

Obama Wants Kids To Have a Normal Life – Good Luck With That

Sasha and Malia Get Bored

Brett Singer — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:00:00 GMT

One of the things I've grown to like about the Obamas is that I find them relatable as a family. Barack and Michelle take the kids to school in the morning. They appear to be involved in their daughter's lives in a positive way. The girls give their dad a hard time. It's very sweet.

Adding to their overall normalness, Sasha and Malia got bored at the HBO Concert on Sunday. From NYMag.com:

"…while our president-elect, seated stage right, showed steely resolve by nodding and singing along through even the most terrible performances, heroes Sasha and Malia Obama bravely broadcast their non-enjoyment by looking completely bored (Malia) or falling asleep on their mom's lap (Sasha)."

New York Magazine even calls the First Daughters "America’s Adorable New Statler and Waldorf." Cute.

In other Sasha and Malia at the HBO Concert news:

- Sasha was seen "squirming and then having a chat with Michelle before they both disappeared for the duration of John Mellencamp’s 'Ain’t That America.' We’re guessing potty break." (It also doesn't appear to be a song that she cares too much about, although both are reportedly "big fans of Beyoncé, Usher, and Kal Penn.")
- Denzel Washington waved to the girls after his speech.
- "Michelle tried unsuccessfully to get Malia and Sasha to sing along" to Garth Brooks’s censored rendition of "American Pie" ("good ol' boys SINGING whiskey and rye"? I don't think so.) NYMag says, "Think it’s a little before their time?" Maybe, but my 3 year old knows that tune.

Anyway, for the moment, I can't get enough of these two kids. It'll fade but let's enjoy it for now.

Source: NYMag (1, 2)

Inauguration Coverage Information

Linda Ellerbee Says Kids Should Skip School To Watch Inauguration

Parents Criticize Schools for Celebrating Inauguration

Obama/Spider-man Comic Book Sold Out, Reprint Planned

Obama Says His Kids Are Cooler Than He Is

The Obama Kids First Day Of School

Sasha & Malia Had Their Own Ball on Inauguration Night

Live Inaugural Tweets From A Working Mom, And Video

Brett Singer — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:22:00 GMT

I wrote about this already but I'm following the stream now while I watch the coverage on television so I thought I'd point it out again.

JuJu Chang from ABC News is posting tweets (is it "tweeting"? If you know, tell me. I feel old.) live from the Capitol. It's fun to get a perspective from someone on the ground. For example:

people r standing on newspapers or cardboard to keep their feet warm in the crowd

It gives a personal touch, adding a nice element to the proceedings. Plus you can check out the tweets periodically, or just watch the TV coverage and then catch up when its all over. You can also read blog posts from JuJu Chang at ABC.com.

I'm tweeting (man, does that need a new term - can I say "twittering"?) while I watch, but I'm just in my living room, which is inherently less interesting.

UPDATE: here's a video report from the Mall:

If anyone wants to share their feelings about this while they watch, please do. We'd love to hear from you.

Linda Ellerbee Says Kids Should Skip School To Watch Inauguration

Parents Criticize Schools for Celebrating Inauguration

Obama/Spider-man Comic Book Sold Out, Reprint Planned

Obama Says His Kids Are Cooler Than He Is

The Obama Kids First Day Of School

Kids to Obama: Read Books, Eat More Ice Cream

Morning News: Bush Says "We had fun!"

It's Official: White House To House First Grandmother

Video and Pics: Lego Inauguration

Brett Singer — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:00:00 GMT

This is cute.

Legoland California (the Lego theme park) has created a full Lego version of the Inauguration Ceremonies, complete with Lego versions of various folks, including outgoing President George W. Bush and his wife Laura, the Cheneys, and of course, Barack and Michelle Obama.

Here's a video featuring spectator reactions and a British reporter using the word "loo":

And SFWeekly.com has a nice slideshow of images, including this one, which depicts the swearing-in ceremony:

And the lines for "The dreaded inauguration Porta Potties." (All Porta Potties fall into the "dreaded" category as far as I'm concerned.)

One more: Lego Aretha Franklin, who appears to have a large, um, Lego chest:

As the blog Feministe puts it -- "All hail the Lego-in-Chief!"

You can get information about the real-life Inauguration here.

Source: LA Times, Feministe, SFWeekly

Linda Ellerbee Says Kids Should Skip School To Watch Inauguration

Parents Criticize Schools for Celebrating Inauguration

Obama Says His Kids Are Cooler Than He Is

Inauguration Coverage Information

Brett Singer — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 03:48:00 GMT

Like most people (except for maybe Ann Coulter) I plan to watch the Inauguration tomorrow (or today, depending on when you are reading this). The thing is, I don't feel like watching the build-up. (Think of it like the Super Bowl – the game is more important than the people talking about the game for hours on end. The Inauguration is more important, of course, although Arizona Cardinals fans might disagree. But I digress.) I realized that I didn't know exactly what time the swearing-in ceremony was. It wasn't too tough to find, but I wanted to share the information with our readers, along with a couple of other tidbits that I thought you might find interesting.

Anyway, whether you are keeping the kids home to watch the ceremony or if you are at work and they are at school, I thought it would be helpful to provide a quick roundup of the event and also tell you what time Barack Hussein Obama (that's his official Presidential name, not a political commentary – I actually kind of like saying it now that he's won) will be sworn in using the Lincoln Bible.

1. What Time Is The Swearing In Ceremony?
If you only want to see the Big Event, it is scheduled for 11:30am. I would suggest leaving the TV on in case it starts a little later than that, but according to pic2009.org, the swearing-in starts at 11:30am. Before the President-elect becomes the President there will be musical performances by The United States Marine Band, Aretha Franklin, and the Boys and Girls Choruses of San Francisco. Biden gets sworn in as Veep, and then Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma Gabriela Montero and Anthony McGill will play music by John Williams. (I don't think they will play the Star Wars theme, but that would be fun.) THEN Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. will make it official using Lincoln's Bible from 1861.

2. Can people bring strollers to the ceremony?
To coin a phrase – No You Can't. Strollers are actually the only item that relates to babies and/or children that is on the Prohibited list. Personally, I can't imagine going anywhere near the Capitol tomorrow, but I don't even like parades. Bringing little kids there would make me very nervous, but you won't be alone if you do decide to bring the kinderfolk – there are reportedly quite a lot of families and children making the trip. Also worth noting: cameras are fine, but tripods and camera bags are not.

3. The Inaugural Poet Is a Mom
Elizabeth Alexander will read an Inaugural Poem. In December, she was asked how she planned to avoid having her text blow away in the wind, something that happened to Robert Frost, the first Inaugural Poet, at John F. Kennedy's 1961 Inauguration. (According to the Times, the poem was "awful" – "Summoning artists to participate / In the august occasions of the state / Seems something artists ought to celebrate".) Frost's work, "Dedication", was written on a piece of paper that literally blew away, so the poet had to go with "Gift Outright." Anyway, when asked what she planned to do, Ms. Alexander said, "I am going to have many copies of the poem tucked away. I really am. In a boot. I’m serious. I will have backups. I’m a mom." That made me smile. (Source: NY Times)

4. Inauguration Coverage From a Working Mother
ABC News Correspondent JuJu Chang is blogging about her experience covering the Inauguration and various balls at JuJu Juggles. Updates are also being posted (or "tweeted", as the kids like to say) at twitter.com/jujujuggles, where I found out that outgoing Vice President Cheney hurt his back moving boxes and will attend the ceremonies in a wheelchair. (Why was he moving his own boxes?) JuJu is also a mom, and on the blog you get to see her very cute son helping her pack. You can read more about JuJu at TVNewser.

So there you have it – a little info about the events and some mom-related angles as well. Despite what some commenters said at this post, I am excited about Obama's election and do feel that this is a historic occasion. I'm not keeping my kids home from school, but if you choose to do so, have fun. Wherever you are, make sure you're watching TV at 11:30am. That's when the real history will be made.

Parents Criticize Schools for Celebrating Inauguration

Obama/Spider-man Comic Book Sold Out, Reprint Planned

Obama Says His Kids Are Cooler Than He Is

The Obama Kids First Day Of School

Kids to Obama: Read Books, Eat More Ice Cream

Morning News: Bush Says "We had fun!"

It's Official: White House To House First Grandmother

Kid Sells Mom's Diamond Ring to Buy Comic Books

JeanneSager — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 21:31:00 GMT

Note to self: always put engagement ring on a high shelf. A VERY high shelf.

A Chinese kid whose parents wouldn't buy him comic books decided he'd do it himself. But he didn't have any money. He did, however, have Mom's diamond ring.

Which he took to a pawn shop. Where they gave him two hundred yaun (about twenty-nine dollars).

The kid bought himself some comic books, but his parents were none too happy. Especially when the pawn shop told them they couldn't have the ring back. His father, Wang Wei, eventually had to call on the local administration of industry and commerce to step in. The governmental agency stated the child was too young to make a deal with the shop, and forced them to sell it back to Wei for the same price.

The happy ending would make this whole story a lot funnier if the kid in question weren't fifteen. By the time our kids hit the double digits, I think most of us would be appalled to learn we couldn't trust them around our valuables. If anything, this kid is nothing more than a petty thief, and a petulant one at that (poor baby, Daddy won't buy me comic books). I'd be a little more impressed if he showed some industry in making the cash to get his hands on Spiderman and the X-Men.

But I'm still mentally wandering around my house, wondering what I need to keep a little safer with the kid around . . . any ideas?

Image: Engagement Ring Pictures

Think Your Kids Are Driving You Crazy? Caffeine Tied to Hallucinations

Mystery Solved: Dog Swallowed Fifteen Pacifiers

Smackdown: Aw, Just Let Her Have a Barbie

Obama/Spider-man Comic Book Sold Out, Reprint Planned

Linda Ellerbee Says Kids Should Skip School To Watch Inauguration

Brett Singer — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:16:00 GMT

ParentDish spoke to Linda Ellerbee of Nick News about this Tuesday's swearing in of President Barack Obama. (You may have heard of it. It was in all the papers.) Ellerbee tells AOL's parenting hub that parents should, "Keep the kids home from school, spread out some yummies and settle in to watch the peaceful transfer of power from one opposing party to another… Missing school to stay home and watch the parades and the swearing in is just as good or better than any history or civics lesson your kids might get in the classroom that day."

Man, do I disagree with that.

I have nothing but respect for Linda Ellerbee. She's a cancer survivor, and as far as I know has done some good in this world with her news programs aimed at children. But on this one, I think she's completely wrong.

First of all, a lot of schools are going to broadcast the Inauguration ceremonies during the school day. Some parents are keeping their kids home from school because of this. I don't agree with that either, but I understand it.

Why? What's wrong with letting kids watch the Inauguration? Ellberbee says families should treat "the event like the Fourth of July. It is, after all, just as significant."

Except that I don't think kids would be watching the Inauguration at school if John McCain had won.

There is, of course, a huge reason why the Inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States is more historically significant than previous Presidential swearing ins. (No, it's not because he's a comic book fan, although that is probably a first.) He's an African-American and that is a very important historical fact. But I don't believe that this is why so many schools are having kids watch the ceremony, and I don't think that's why so many people are traveling to D.C. to experience the event in person. At least, it's not the only reason. Part of it is that "our guy won." Another part of it is that "George W. Bush has been a terrible President."

(I should point out that I agree with both of those statements. I voted for Obama, and will probably do so again in 2012. And the 27 percent of Americans who believe that George Bush has done a good job in his eight years as President must be looking at very different news reports than I am. And by "different", I don't mean Fox News. Even they thought the federal response to Hurricane Katrina was abysmal, whereas Bush recently defended it. But I digress.)

If you regularly keep your kids home from school to watch the Inauguration, I suppose it makes sense to do so now. But I don't know anyone who does this, nor have I heard of anyone who does this. As an example, my mother took me to Opening Day at Yankee Stadium for many years when I was younger. I was the only kid whose mother did that. The school was a little perplexed but they eventually learned to deal with it since it was something my mom did regularly. It didn't matter if the Yankees had just won the World Series or not. We were big fans and wanted to go to the game. As I got older, this stopped happening.

Of course, a new President isn't a baseball game. It's more important. Which is why I think it should be treated with more respect, not less. What kind of message is being sent if you keep your kid home from school to watch television? The younger they are, the more likely it is that they don't fully understand the significance of Obama's election. Should we talk to our kids about how significant this is? Of course. Is there anything wrong with passing your political beliefs on to your children? No way. (Without that, I don't think anyone would ever be a Republican – ah, just kidding. Sort of.) But treating this January 20th as so much more important than any other January 20th is a bad idea.

While I think it's terrific that Barack Obama won, I also think that life goes on. We have no idea what kind of President he will be, and even if we did, we still have to go to work (assuming we aren't one of the millions who have lost our jobs in this economy). And for our children, school is their job. If the school chooses to spend time during the day watching the Inauguration, I suppose that's fine. If you don't think that's fine, you should complain. But keeping them home for that reason is a bad idea as well. It feels too much like pouting.

Another thing – both reasons to keep your children home from school this Tuesday add to the political divisiveness that is becoming a huge problem in this country. Civil discourse is all but gone, especially online, where name-calling, race baiting and anger have taken their place. Why add to that by putting your children on one political side or the other? Admittedly, "keep the kids home to watch the Inauguration" is more positive than "keep them home because I don't want them to feel good about the incoming President." But in both cases the message is "school is less important than who won an election." And while that's true in the big picture, I'm not so sure I want to give my kids another reason to think that school isn't such a big deal.

Ellerbee says that "the swearing in is just as good or better than any history or civics lesson your kids might get in the classroom that day." I hope that isn't true. If so, whatever my kids are learning at school must be pretty lame.

Source: ParentDish

New Pro Vaccine Book Author Getting Death Threats

Obama/Spider-man Comic Book Sold Out, Reprint Planned

Obama Says His Kids Are Cooler Than He Is

The Obama Kids First Day Of School

Morning News: Goodbye to the Decider

Berkeley Breathed Retires Opus (Again)

Shannon LC Cate — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:26:00 GMT

After three incarnations, Opus the penguin is biting the dust for the last time. Berkeley Breathed has announced he will retire from comic strip writing for good and focus on his children's books from now on. According to Breathed, Opus the penguin might actually die, making it impossible to bring him back yet again, as Breathed did with "Outland" and then "Opus" after ending "Bloom County" in 1989.

Breathed told Editor and Publisher that retiring from comics is a patriotic act, suggesting that the best thing he can do for his country in such difficult times is "write funny stories for America's kids. I call on John McCain to join me."

His latest kids' book began as a drawing by his daughter at age five. It's called Pete and Pickles and will be in bookstores on 16 October 2008.

Image: JimHillMedia.com

The Dark Knight -- parents strongly cautioned (to go see it)

Brett Singer — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Let's get one thing out of the way right now – you shouldn't bring your children. They might want to go, but unless they have a very high tolerance for a long movie (2 and half hours) and an abnormally high tolerance for what might be the most frightening performance ever (Heath Ledger's Joker), I'd get a sitter.

Now: this is some incredible movie. At first, I was a little bit apprehensive. Part of that feeling was the hype, which was so intense that it seemed impossible anything could live up to it. (Part of it was also that the movie didn't start until almost 1am because we had to sit through 7 commercials, none of which I remember at all – money well spent, advertisers. But I digress.) There are some slow spots, especially in the beginning, and I think the director, Christopher Nolan, could have cut 10 or 15 minutes of film and made it a tighter movie. But that's nitpicking, because there are several scenes, some just quick moments and some long, exciting action sequences, that will put your jaw on the floor.

The saddest thing about Heath Ledger's death is that his daughter will never know her father. But it's fair to say that if an actor had to go out with one performance, this is that performance. He's so good that I completely forgot I was watching an actor, which, for me, almost never happens. (It's worth pointing out that Gary Oldman as James Gordon, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, do the same thing in smaller and less flashy roles.) He's frightening, but not the way a horror movie villain is frightening. It's not shock value, although there is some of that (there's a bit with a pencil that might be the best 5-second description of a character in the history of cinema.) Without giving anything away, The Joker is referred to as a "terrorist" a couple of times, but unlike the terrorists in our world, this one has no cause that he fights for. He's just… mad. Not angry-mad, just flat out crazy. And Ledger captures that in every possible way. You could teach an acting class using this movie – what he does physically, vocally, emotionally; it's all stunning to watch.

The rest of it is, for the most part, equally good. I don't care about the love story, but it's fine I suppose and does serve the story. Aaron Eckhart is a solid actor and he does a good job as Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent. Christian Bale is by far the best Batman yet, although Ledger is so good that he really takes over the movie. Michael Caine is a good Alfred Pennyworth, Maggie Gyllenhaal is fine as token love interest Rachel Dawes; she's more than that, I guess, but it's not her movie. Gary Oldman is amazing; as in "Batman Begins," he somehow manages to completely capture the essence of a fictional comic book character that isn't a superhero, meaning that, as an actor, he has fewer details available to work with. I can't explain it but he IS Jim Gordon.

The nits to pick if you want to go there: some of the dialog is hokey (although the lines written for Ledger are brilliant.) There are a few slow spots. At times the action sequences are a tad frenetic, here and there. But it really doesn't matter. You'll read a lot about the surprising depth of this movie, and this is true to an extent. "The Dark Knight" is incredibly entertaining and does have some thoughtful moments amid the comic-book chaos, but there's no need to over think them. I would say just relax and enjoy it, but it's not a relaxing experience. Ledger's Joker is uncomfortable to watch, but in a good way. I don't want to give anything away, so you'll have to see it for yourself (but, as I said, get your tickets early; even the 12:30am showing was completely sold out.)

Now, despite the fact that there isn't much in the way of blood, this is not a film that you should take your children to see. Obviously, you know your offspring better than I, so if you think they can handle it, that's your call. And of course older kids will be fine. I hesitate to suggest an age-range, but I recommend seeing it yourself first if you're not sure. Worst-case scenario – you get to see it twice. Believe me, that's not a bad thing.

image: Reuters

Batman: get your tickets now

Set Your Alarm for a Romp Through LEGO Batman: The Video Game

Maggie Gyllenhaal on Letterman- He Wishes

Spying on the Neighbors: 7-17-08

Sexy Superhero Parents: The Top 10

Little Matilda Had Heath's Heart

Batman: get your tickets now

Brett Singer — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:42:00 GMT

So, being a guy who sees superhero movies, I wanted to see the new Batman movie. Today.

A friend wanted to come with me, so I couldn't pull my usual "go during the day when it's not busy" thing. So OK, let's see when its playing… What? Sold out? You gotta be kidding me.

Well, I'm not. If you're planning on seeing The Dark Knight this weekend, you'd better get your tickets in advance. This is unbelievably annoying. I tried at 2pm to get tickets to a 10:30pm showing, and it was already sold out. The reviews so far are over the top in their praise. Over at Rotten Tomatoes, a site that aggregates reviews from various sources, the rating is a whopping 94% positive (the only film with a higher rating is Wall-E.). If you go to the "top critics" section (print outlets and sites like salon.com), only a couple of the reviews are negative, which is extremely unusual for a comic book flick.

A lot of the interest in this film is because of Heath Ledger's death, but I've never seen anything like this. A movie that you can't get tickets to unless you go at midnight, which is what I'm doing? Come on. (And yes, I know I'm nuts.)

I'll let you know what I think of the film, and whether or not it's appropriate for children, later tonight. But for now, if you plan on going, order those tickets early, Bat-fans. Otherwise, you ain't getting in.

See you tonight -- different Bat-time, same Bat-channel...

image: Rotten Tomatoes

Set Your Alarm for a Romp Through LEGO Batman: The Video Game

Maggie Gyllenhaal on Letterman- He Wishes

Spying on the Neighbors: 7-17-08

Sexy Superhero Parents: The Top 10

Little Matilda Had Heath's Heart

S&M Barbie

Brett Singer — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Let me take you through my reactions to this story.

Hello, what's this? S&M Barbie? The toy? The overdeveloped, underfed doll? The one dating a man with no genitals? That seems… odd. Let's take a look.

Yowza! Barbie in fishnets! F'real! All right. We had the high heels for babies. But those were supposed to be a joke (not a funny one, but still). This is just bizarre. I hate agreeing with the Christian Right, but when they say, "Barbie has always been on the tarty side and this is taking it too far," I'm tempted to agree.

I have to admit, though, that she sort of looks like Black Canary from DC Comics…

Wait a minute! That IS Black Canary! So it's Barbie, dressed up like Black Canary. That… still seems odd. Why would they choose her? For a non-JLA fan (that's Justice League of America, in case you are yourself one of those non-fans), she's a bit of an obscure character. Why not someone better known, like Wonder Woman? Black Canary is a blonde, I guess. Well, actually she's a brunette but she wears a wig instead of a mask… I'm sorry, did you fall asleep? OK, I'll stop geeking out.

So it's Black Canary, which makes it an action figure. But there already is a Black Canary action figure. Actually, there are several, but here's one for comparison purposes:
Source: flickr

For what it's worth (excuse me while I geek out again) Black Canary is, despite her appearance, a fairly positive female role model. She's considered one of the best hand-to-hand fighters, male or female, in the DCU (that's "DC comics Universe") and is currently the leader of the Justice League. She takes no crap, kicks major ass, and asks questions later. Barbie once said, "Math class is tough!" (source) So you could make an argument that Black Canary is a better role model than Barbie, and therefore the doll is empowering.

I don't really see the point of doing this, especially since Barbie's target audience is young girls. So while I think the Vast Christian Right Wing Conspiracy is a bit over the top, I do think it's kind of an odd choice for a Barbie doll. What's next, Big Gay Ken? Oh wait, they did that already.

Source: flickr

A commenter on Boing Boing says that this is a collectible meant for an "older" audience and that young girls don't play with such things. Another commenter says "uh-uh, they totally do." (Not a direct quote.)

So there you go.

It's weird, but is it really offensive? Would you buy one of these for your daughter? Is this sexist, empowering, just a bad choice for a doll?

image: boingboing.net

Jim Abbott is a ballplayer you can look up to

Hulk want puny blogger to review Hulk movie

Breast Self-Exams May Do More Harm Than Good

Foster Care Worker Pregnant with Teen's Baby

Topless Barbie Leads to Man's Arrest

Top 5 Worst Sweet-to-Sexy Toy Makeovers

The Latest on Barbie v. Bratz

Hulk want puny blogger to review Hulk movie

Brett Singer — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Yesterday I received the following email:

To: Puny Blogger
From: Hulk
Subject: Hulk Movie

Hulk get right to point, Puny Blogger. Why Puny Blogger not review Hulk's movie? Puny Blogger wrote about Metal Man movie. Hulk hate Metal Man! Hulk smash!

Hulk know last movie had stupid plot and gamma-charged poodle. Hulk tell stupid producers about script problems at first table read, and Hulk not hire Ang Lee. (Hulk think Tiger/Dragon movie highly over-rated.) But Hulk feel good about latest big screen effort. New movie tell Hulk story in entertaining and emotionally satisfying way. Hulk see movie. Hulk happy with final cut.

Hulk angry that Puny Blogger not write about Hulk movie! Hulk just trying to get something going with career. Hulk father now, need to get ducks in row. Has Puny Blogger seen price of tuition? Hulk need start saving now. Hulk finally get big movie with big opening weekend gross, and Puny Blogger not care.

Write review of Hulk movie, Puny Blogger – or Hulk smash!

Cordially,

Hulk

Hulk, please accept our apologies for not reviewing your film sooner. I've just been busy with other projects, and of course, my family. As a new father, I'm sure you can understand. Please, do not smash me, my computer, or anything else for that matter. Here is my review of "The Incredible Hulk."

The last time Marvel brought ol' Greenskin to the big screen, it was a disaster. Too long, bad CGI effects, and a gamma irradiated poodle were only some of the problems. Bruce Banner becomes the Hulk because his father was mean to him, injecting him with some experimental serum, which is triggered by a blast of gamma radiation? Oookay. No disrespect to Ang Lee, but he was a bad choice.

For this latest effort, Marvel took over the producing reins and went back to basics. The story actually picks up where Lee's film leaves off; five years have passed, both in the film and in actual reality (Ang Lee's "Hulk" was released in 2003.) Ed Norton is a good Banner, although there are too many scenes that are clearly meant to "deepen" the character. When the Hulk shows up, it's great. The CGI isn't perfect, and it's not nearly as seamless as "Iron Man", which almost made you believe someone could build a shiny flying super-hero suit. But this new "Hulk" is 1000% better than the last one.

One interesting choice the director Louis Leterrier (the "Transporter" movies) and screenwriter Zak Penn (the last 2 "X-Men" flicks, as well as the upcoming "Captain America" and "Avengers" films) made was to go back to the much-beloved television series. They use a new version of the intro, the music shows up a couple of times, and some of the feeling of Banner wandering the globe looking for a cure is very much a part of this new "Hulk". (They did do away with the amazingly bad choice of renaming Hulk's alter ego "David Banner", although Bruce does use that name as an alias at one point.) I'm one of the millions of people who fondly recall the old "Hulk" series, which starred Bill Bixby and Lou Ferigno. (Lou has a cameo as a security guard and is still in body-builder shape.) That show, hokey and mopey though it was, had something that the first "Hulk" movie didn't, which was a sense of reality. Having a real person (Ferigno) play the Green Goliath made it feel more like it could actually happen. Part of what the new "Hulk" does better is to just have better CGI effects. But part of it is keeping things simple. Somehow going back to something that worked – the TV show – made this easier to pull off.

It's not a great movie. But it was so much better than I expected. Also, it sets up for future Marvel super-hero movies featuring multiple characters: Robert Downey Jr. shows up at the end to do his Tony Stark thing; this time you don't have to wait until after the credits. There's even a hint at a villain for a "Hulk" sequel. Part of the fun of watching our beloved funny books turned into movies is the recognition factor: "Hey! There's General Ross! Talking to Tony Stark! And they said something about a team!" Avengers! Yes!

"The Incredible Hulk" is still in theaters, so go check it out. It's a fun popcorn flick, and besides, Hulk needs the cash for Hulk Jr.'s college fund.

image: EOnline

Five Forgotten Fictional Fathers (Hulk mentioned here)

Stay out of my room or I'll pee on your tree (Hulk not mentioned here, but Hulk think story funny)

Here's to the laddies who lunch (Hulk not want have coffee with fellow dads)

Sexy Superhero Parents: The Top 10 (Why Hulk not mentioned? Hulk very attractive! Look at Hulk's abs!)

Hancock Tops U.S. Box Office for Holiday Weekend (Hulk knocked from top spot, but Hulk OK with that. Will Smith box office gold. Hulk relative newbie in movies)

An American Girl: Lisa Kudrow (Story mentions Hulk)

It's time again to play: Guess The Photo!

Brett Singer — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:00:00 GMT

This is:

a)   Me, after Burning Man
b)   The other Olsen sibling (you know, the one they keep locked in the basement)
c)   Rejected Sesame Street character Scary McNightmare
d)   The other Jonas brother
e)   The offspring of a superhero

It's e).

For those of you who always wondered, "What if the Hulk was sent to a strange planet and had a child with an alien woman who has some sort of power that connects her to the life-force of the planet itself?" Your question has been answered.

That's right, True Believers, this is Skaar: Son of Hulk. The new Hulk movie hits theaters today, which means a ton of Hulk-themed comic books will be released in an attempt to entice old and new fans to part with more of their nerdy money.

For the uninitiated and/or those who could not care any less, here's the scoop on Hulk's kid:

(Note: if for some reason you haven't read Planet Hulk / World War Hulk but are planning too, the next paragraph gives away the ending. So skip it if you don't want to be "spoiled.")

The Hulk is often a major league pain in the tuchas. All that, "Hulk is strongest one there is! Hulk smash!" can get real old after awhile. So The Illuminati – a group of self-appointed ultra-important superheroes (Iron Man, Namor, Doctor Strange, Professor Xavier, Reed Richards and Black Bolt) – decide to send Greenskin to an unpopulated planet where he can live out his days in peace and not hurt anyone. But they screw up and send him to a populated planet called Sakaar. While there, Hulk saves the people of Sakaar from an evil warlord and eventually becomes king. There is peace. There is happiness. There is even some Gamma-irradiated sex between the Hulk and his newfound ladyfriend, Caiera the Oldstrong. Then the ship that brought Hulk to Sakaar explodes, killing Caiera and his unborn child. OR SO HE THINKS. Hulk returns to Earth to wreak horrible Hulky vengeance on the "puny humans" that he thinks caused the explosion and the death of his happy alien family life.

This all happens in a series called Planet Hulk, which led to World War Hulk. It's good if you like that kind of thing.

HOWEVER! Hulk's son was not killed! In typical comic-book-nonsense fashion, Caiera has something called the Old Power, which connects her to the planet in a mystical way. Because of this, she is able to protect her child, who becomes a savage beast/teenager (same thing, right?). Or something along those lines.

Anyway, issue #1 of Skaar: Son of Hulk is available now in comic book shops. Is it any good? Eh. It's OK. Will I buy issue #2? Yeah. I will. Cuz I'm a sucker.

image: comiclist.com

Related posts:

Scientists Discover Missing Jonas Brother

Mary-Kate Olsen Getting Death Threats From Heath Fans

10 Childish (and Childless) Things We Wish We Could Do Now

Real Life Wonder Woman saves her twins

Last minute Father's Day gift idea

Marvel's greatest sh*t

Let's Play Guess The Photo

This Is What Happens When Geeks Mate

Marvel's greatest sh*t

Brett Singer — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:00:00 GMT

The latest attempt at a film version of "The Incredible Hulk" hits theaters on June 13. Hopes are not high among True Believers, but it can't be as bad as the Ang Lee stinker that came out in 2003, right? Marvel is riding high on the massive success of "Iron Man", and the fine ferrous fellow has a cameo in the new "Hulk", which should bring out a few more folks on opening weekend.

"Hulk" is the second film that Marvel has produced on their own. Before "Spider-Man" was a massive hit, Marvel licensed out their characters to seemingly anyone, often with very little success.

So in honor of this momentous occasion, here is a list of some of Marvel's failed movie offerings.

Roger Corman's Fantastic Four

This was supposed to be released in theaters, I even remember seeing the trailer. The word is that Roger, the king of schlocky flicks, spent most of his budget on a costume for The Thing, then had to piece together the rest of the film with almost no money. Somebody looked at his effort and said, "No way are we releasing this." It never saw the light of day but bootlegged versions can be found in video stores and online. Here's somebody who thinks this version is better than the 2005 film. YouTube has clips, 'natch; here is the trailer and the ending.

Fantastic Four - 1994 Roger Corman Original Movie Trailer!

1994 Fantastic Four ending

The Punisher

This one never made it to theaters either. Dolph Lundgren plays Frank Castle, the man whose family was killed by gangsters and then he devotes his life to killing every criminal he can find (hey, not all comics are for kids, you know). This was a bad idea from the start; the final product isn't any better. There was another Punisher film that was released, but it got pretty bad reviews.

Punisher 1989 Witty Comments

The Punisher (1989) trailer

Nick Fury

A TV movie starring David Hasselhoff. Was there ever a chance this would be watchable? It is worth noting that when Nick Fury appears in the new Iron Man movie (you gotta stay for the credits, dude) he's played by Samuel L. Jackson. So they, you know, decided to go in a different direction. I couldn't find video for this one but here's a photo.

(image: David Hasselhoff Online)

Captain America

In a lot of ways this one is the most tragic. Marvel has announced a new Cap film, which is good, but this one has to be seen to be believed. It almost looks like a home movie. Here's a video of Cap versus the Red Skull. The dubbing is in Italian but it should give you an idea of the low-quality filmmaking going on.

Capitan America vs. Red Skull

There are more stinkers out there; if you know of any good/bad ones that I missed, leave it in the comments.

New York Comic Con Photos - Part 2

5 Best Discoveries from the NY Comic Con, by Ayun Halliday

Gwyneth Paltrow Leaves Family For Robert Downey Jr.

This Is What Happens When Geeks Mate

Gwyneth Paltrow's Traumatic Experience

Iron Man Meets Lactacting Woman

Little Rivets in the Future for Iron Man Robert Downey Jr.?

Family Circus Inspiration Dies; Procession Follows Winding, Dotted Path

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Mon, 26 May 2008 14:35:00 GMT

The inspiration behind the worst comic strip ever passed away this weekend, bringing what could only be considered the sweetest relief known to humanity: The inability to read Family Circus.

Thelma Keane, wife to Family Circus creator and habitual bore Bil, died of Alzheimer's disease. She was 82. Bil said she was the inspiration for the "Mommy" character in the strip and looked so much like the character that she would often be stopped and asked how she lived with that kind of pain.

Sadly, Bil continues to produce the Family Circus with his son, Jeff, and the thing appears in 1,500 newspapers. People say it a lot when someone passes away, but this time they're going to mean it. Mommy is truly, thankfully, in a better place.

New York Comic Con Photos - Part 2

Brett Singer — Mon, 26 May 2008 13:30:00 GMT

Now that Iron Man has crushed all comers in the summer movie department (sorry, Speed Racer), let us all revel in the great geekiness that was this year's NY Comic Con. Here is the second set of pics from the Con; check out Part 1 here.

Let's start with the coolest item there: lightsaber. At $100, it was too rich for my blood. But oh, was I tempted.

This set of photos was also the only one that made Thing 1 mad; "Dad! Why didn't you buy that?" Now that I've had time to reflect, I kinda wish I had shelled out the cash for a couple of these. They're fun.
The sword was cool, but I preferred the lightsaber.
Geekin' ain't easy! Actually, it was really tiring walking the convention floor. I didn't realize how long I'd been standing until the end of the day when I just wanted to lie down.
Me and one of the Emotes. Not sure which one this is. I was Cranky by this point.
Back to characters I know: Boba Fett from Star Wars. This was a female version, however.
One difference this year was the higher number of female attendees, more specifically female attendees who (a) were not employed by Con exhibitors and (b) did not look like they spent the rest of the year locked in a basement somewhere as a prisoner of geekery.
Comic legend Neal Adams. I spent about an hour with him; I should have the interview ready later this week.
Indiana Jones and his dad (and some other guy.)
I believe these guys were from the NYC chapter of the Jedi Knights. No. I'm not kidding.
Once again -- no idea. Best guess is Final Fantasy or some other video game I don't play. As you can see, a lot of these costumes were very involved. Amazingly, no one seemed remotely interested in taking a break, at least not that I saw. Most of the heavily costumed folks were regular attendees who just wanted to be photographed. Again, harness that energy and you could do almost anything.
The answer to the question, "What if Spidey ate way too many donuts?"
Quick! A girl! Don't let her get away! (Just kidding guys, don't use the choke force on me!) That's a group of Jedi with Princess Lea in her slave-girl outfit.
"Honey, smile. Daddy wants to get his picture on a comic book blog." Again, just kidding. This kid was adorable and seemed to be having a great time.
Superman cheating on Lois with Princess Lea? Say it ain't so, Clark.
Princess Lea was a popular choice. This young lady appears to have answered the question, "What if Princess Lea had been played by Shelley Duvall?"
That's a different Princess Lea (we're up to four, and believe me, there were a lot more), hanging with Boba Fett. When asked why she was palling around with a bounty hunter, she said, "He works for me now."
And we finish with this guy: The King of Burgers meets Star Wars stormtrooper. Just... wrong. And yet, so right.

photos taken by Michael Messer

New York Comic Con Photos - Part 1

Brett Singer — Sun, 25 May 2008 13:30:00 GMT

Now that Iron Man has crushed all comers in the summer movie department (sorry, Speed Racer), let us all revel in the great geekiness that was this year's NY Comic Con. Here are some photos; more to come tomorrow.

Me and Supes (he lets me call him "Supes")
As my wife said, "Honey? You know those statues aren't real, right?"
Hulk! I'm crushing your head! I'M CRUSHING YOUR HEAD!
Ed Norton has nothing on me. Oh wait, he's playing Bruce Banner, not Hulk. And he's an insanely successful actor. Okay, maybe he's got a little something on me.
For some reason this bothered me, I don't know why. Biggie's mom licenses these dolls, so at least she gets money for them. There's something morbid about it, though. I asked the guy at the booth about it and he said they had done lots of rappers, but he admitted that this was the only dead rapper action figure he knew about.
This is me being very confused at the rules for Chaotic, a card/bead/role-playing game. I'll be posting my experience with it soon.
Swear Bear has a filthy mouth and is not for kids. He also has the power to make anyone standing next to him supremely blurry!
Wrong convention, guys. The SCA meeting is next week.
This is what it looked like when they let the general public in (note that this means the earlier shots here are the VIP's.) It was a stampede. If you could harness the energy and excitement for something like the Presidential election, you could make the world a better place. Clearly Obama needs to start campaigning in a cape with a giant "O" on his shirt.
Anyone know what these folks are dressed up as? I don't.
Again: no idea.
This one I know: Nightwing. For the unitiated, Nightwing is who Robin grows up to become when he gets tired of being Batman's sidekick. Then Batman gets a new Robin, who gets himself killed, at which point he gets another new Robin.

Part 2, featuring four different versions of Princess Lea, me holding a lightsaber, and guys in stormtrooper costumes, coming tomorrow.

photos taken by Michael Messer

More Superhero Movies to Come

Brett Singer — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:30:00 GMT

In the wake of Iron Man's massive domination of all things box office this past weekend, Marvel has officially announced their next crop of comic book flicks. Here you go, true believers:

- Iron Man 2, April 30, 2010: I have to admit that despite my non-rave review, I don't want to wait this long. Yes, I'm a fanboy. Sue me.

- Thor, June 4, 2010: the last time a live action Thor was on screen was in a TV movie that also featured the Incredible Hulk and Daredevil. It wasn't very good. Here's a clip from YouTube. Dig those furry shoulder pads. Very godlike. Not.

- The First Avenger: Captain America, May 6, 2011: If you haven't seen the never released in theaters version of Captain America, get very drunk and do so. It's astonishingly bad. There were actually posters announcing the release; then somebody saw it and it went straight to video immediately.

- The Avengers, July 2011: EW.com says that this film will include "Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, and Thor". Stay for the end of the credits for a teeny sneak preview of this (or just read this: SPOILER ALERT). That's four of the original Avengers, but they left out Ant-Man and the Wasp. But wait…

- Ant-Man, in development: I'm surprised that they would make a separate Ant-Man movie. The part of the character that's interesting is Henry Pym, who's a genius but also kind of jerk. Depending on which version of the character he's either an egomaniac or an egomaniac, alcoholic and wife-beater. The whole story is much too long and complicated for a feature film, and as a straight-up superhero, he's not exactly first-tier. I predict this will never actually get made.

Those who can't wait (like me) will have to settle for the new Hulk movie, coming on June 13. From the DC side of the comics world, we also have the new Batman, coming on July 13. Trailers for both are below. Indie-comics fans can make do with Hellboy II and Wanted. Yes, it's a great time to be nerdy.

image: FirstShowing.net

Free Comic Book Day

Brett Singer — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:30:00 GMT

I love me some comic books, but they are way too expensive. (Not that this stops me from buying them, mind you.) And if they cost too much for me, they definitely cost too much for the average kid.

That's one of the reasons for Free Comic Book Day, which is tomorrow (Saturday, May 3rd). Stores all over the world give away free comics in the hopes of getting more kids interested in funny books. With the "Iron Man" movie opening this weekend, stores will probably be packed, but they usually have a lot of product to give away, so stop by your local shop and see what they've got. By the way, I do mean "all over the world" -- the website lists a store in Malaysia, among other faraway places.

Kid-friendly books include Tiny Titans, Sonic the Hedgehog and The Simpsons.

Age ranges vary, although personally I can say that Tiny Titans is a true all-ages title. It helps if you are into the Teen Titans cartoon and/or the original comics, but Robin riding in the back of the Batmobile asking Alfred if they can stop for ice cream is the level of humor we're talking about. (If you have no idea what that last sentence means, don't bother picking up this one, although your kid might like it.) A nice touch is that the website has PDF previews of most of the books so you can check them out beforehand if you like. Note that not every title being given away is necessarily for young readers. Also note that some stores are even giving away Star Wars and Iron Man toys! For the kids. Not for me. For the kids...

Giveaways vary by location, check freecomicbookday.com for details.

images: freecomicbookday.com