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It’s barely 2:30 and we’re already getting trick or treaters. Our house has something of a rep since we give out comic books every year.

It’s way better than the days when I was living in Queens, where we would get zero kids coming by. People were so paranoid that kids were only allowed to go around on their own block and only get candy from people they knew.

When I was a kid, I would range far and wide, with groups or solo. My parents had rules, sure: If I was eating en route, only packaged stuff. Anything unpackaged such as cookies or fruit or candy apples (yes, some people gave those out) were to be held until I got home, and if it was from someone I didn’t know really well, into the garbage it went. But there was a lot more freedom.

Is the world really that much more dangerous? Or is everyone just way more paranoid?

PAD

NOTE FROM PAD:  After being out of the country for several weeks with limited access, not to mention a few no-shows in the rotation, we’ve got “Potato Moon” back up and running…kinda.  Let’s see where we go from here.

Bela woke up.
She blinked.  Once. Twice. Thrice.  Then, still unsure she wasn’t hallucinating, Bela sat up and looked around the strange room she now found herself in. (more…)

Mets fans of course are faced with a problem concerning the fall classic.  On the one hand there’s the Yankees, who we can’t stand.  On the other hand, there’s the Phillies, who we can’t stand (if nothing else, they deprived us of an epic confrontation with the return of a former NY team helmed by a former Yankee manager.)  So who to root for?

Well, I think this clip summarizes my feelings on not only this topic, but how Mets fans feel about the entire season in general.

PAD

Why is no one discussing the fact that Len Wein’s wife, Chris Valada, is on Jeopardy as the defending champion right now?

UPDATED AS OF 10/29–How did Christine do?  Answer below.

PAD (more…)

And I figure you guys are the sort who will take up this challenge. Here it is:

What are the best reasons for a girl to date a guy who’s an SF/Comic Geek?

PAD

X-Factor #50 is out this week, plus I hear some other comic books came out this week as well.

PAD

Tonight is the first night of Ariel David and Shayna Kessler’s new radio show AS If. Go to whrtradio.com at 9 PM. They will be taking requests and call ins as they come. The show will be every Monday night from 9-11PM.  The call-in/request number is (203) 365-4747.

Go and listen. Or else.

Monday is the final day of our convention excursion that has taken in both Melbourne, Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand. To say we’ve been busy is an understatement. We’ve seen penguins by the hundreds come marching in at the end of a long day of fishing. We hand-fed kangaroos and baby lambs. We hiked up the side of an inactive volcano. We walked around in Bag End at Hobbiton and hugged the Party Tree. And, oh yes, we met a slew of new fans and friends from all walks of life.

It’s been an exciting and exhausting trip, and I’m looking forward to getting home.

PAD

Because we were traveling from Australia to New Zealand.

We hiked up a volcano today.

So what did you buy and what summer movies for 2010 have already got your interest?

Embarking on the second day of Armageddon Convention. A few days ago I thought Armageddon was coming as, upon nightfall, blasts of flame erupted along the street and I thought someone was blowing up Melbourne. But no, it turns out to be a nightly show involving natural gas displays.

All the comic book guests are seated in a row for much of the day in the dealer’s room, signing away. Morning was busy; afternoon less so. Fans are uniformly friendly and appreciative that we’ve made the trip down here (in our case, a six hour flight cross country followed by a fifteen hour flight cross globe.)

Caroline has discovered a new fascination: Wrestling. They have a ring set up and pro wrestlers put on demonstrations every few hours. Kathleen was thinking of taking Caroline to some local gardens today that are supposed to be magnificent. Caroline will have none of it; she wants to go back to the convention to see the 11 AM wrestling demonstration. At one point yesterday a wrestler, in character, snarled at her. She snarled right back, baring her little chompers with the front teeth missing, and totally caused the wrestler to break character and start laughing.

It’s also interesting to read the local newspapers to see how Americans are viewed. The columnists seem to be rhapsodic about Obama.

PAD

Because we didn’t have a Wednesday due to our travel to Australia and crossing the International Dateline.

So what did you get and what is coming out in the future that has your interest?

Kath

I think what we’re seeing is a deliberate attempt by the Nobel Committee to implement the Hawthorne Effect–that aspect of reactivity which states that a subject being observed changes its behavior simply because it knows it’s being observed.  More broadly, the mere act of observing an experiment can lead to having an impact upon that experiment.

Typically the Nobel is awarded after the fact, or at the very least, later into the process.  I think the Nobel Committee–rightly or wrongly–is endeavoring to change the conditions of the experiment by giving President Obama their equivalent of the Seal of Approval.  And it’s not just Obama who is being notified that he’s being observed.  It’s a signal to the legislative branch and to Americans that the world is watching and has hope for the President even if that hope been waning at home (as polls would indicate).  And it’s a signal to the rest of the world that the Nobel Committee thinks that Obama is the real deal.  (And admittedly it’s a slap at the Birthers who still believe that Obama is a secret evil Muslim planning to send the world into flames, but I’ve got no problem with that.)

I can see the argument that the Nobels should have waited until he had actually accomplished something.  But as Margaret Mead said, Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.  And I think the Committee sees itself, in this instance, as that small, thoughtful group, and they’re trying to change the world into somewhere that’s more peaceful.  You can challenge the thinking if you want, but not the positive nature of their attentions, and I applaud the decision.

PAD

Barack Obama wins Nobel Prize for not being George W. Bush.

(Observation by Kathleen)

Just imagine the conversation:

OBAMA:  I got a Grammy and a Nobel Peace Prize.

GORE:  I got a Grammy, a Nobel Peace Prize, and an Oscar and an Emmy.

BUSH:  I got Iraq.

PAD

(Update from the webmaster: Wow, so many first time commenters on a post about Barack Obama! What are the odds? First time commenters are often automatically held in a queue for moderation, so stop complaining that we’re picking on you just because you’re saying unpopular things about Obama or wondering why George W. Bush didn’t get the Nobel Peace Prize (hint: he has to stop spelling it “Noble”). Trust us– it’s often more fun to let your comment go up and then point and laugh reply appropriately.)

Marvel freelancers over the Marvel editors. It was a reasonably close game: We had 900 total pinfall, and they had something like 873. Axel Alonso then informed us we were all fired. He was kidding…I think.

I had the high score with 177, which wasn’t bad considering the disco lighting made it hard for me to see my mark.

PAD

It’s been a good long while since “Heroes” was watercooler television, and they really had no one to blame but themselves.  Overcomplicating their own concept with byzantine storylines about corporate schemes and government conspiracies, plus excessive time-jumping and world saving, they drove away their core audience faster than Glenn Beck suddenly advocating a second term for Obama.

Now reenergized and refocused, “Heroes” is three episodes into the new season and seems back on track. (more…)

I’ll be attending the NYCC One Year party which celebrates the fact that the next con will be one year from tomorrow. It’s going to be at Bowlmor Lanes in New York City starting at 6 PM. Part of the festivities will include a bowl off between Marvel editorial and freelancers, in which I’ll be participating.

See you there.

PAD

So what’d you get this week?

PAD

Check this out. All the details are below.

Project Zambi

PAD

Beyond the fourth wall, the almighty editor PAD stretched his arms and yawned. He’d been sitting at the computer reading this stupid thing for so long that his butt has taken root to his chair. Looking around for a crowbar to pry himself free, he paused to check and see who the next participant was in this farce.

And then he groaned. “Oh no… Not HIM…”

At that same moment, many miles away in Ohio, the next participant began to practice his evil laugh.

“Oh, this is gonna be GOOD…” (more…)

I think it’s having a secondary effect that’s a positive one that was unintended by its developers. Once people put the glasses on, they tend to focus on the screen.

This may seem self-evident, and I admit my experience is purely anecdotal, but it appears to be cutting down on the increasing rudeness in movie theaters. The theater wasn’t illuminated with the countless glowing screens of people texting or playing video games (seriously). There’s way less of mindless talking and commentary as if people were in their own living rooms. Even smaller children, from whom at least chattering is understandable because they don’t know any better, are quieter and more involved.

That alone makes the format attractive to me.

PAD