I will be doing an in-store appearance at the Borders Books in Riverhead, Long Island this weekend because it’s their grand opening. The signing will be Sunday from 3 to 4 PM. Take the Long Island Expressway until it ends and I think they said it’s on the left. Come on out, get your books signed, and besides, there’s a Krispy Kreme donuts next door, so how wrong can you go, really?

PAD

Coming soon on DVD is the documentary “Comic Book: The Movie,” and there’s a clip of me being interviewed by the documentary’s director, Mr. Swan (who, by the way, is tired of being told he looks like Mark Hamill and doesn’t see the resemblance.) It’s at the following website:

http://www.comicbookthemovie.com/video.shtml

PAD

Tonight’s ALCS score is going to be…

Lopsided.

I’m not sure who is going to win. I’d like to say Sox, just to wipe the smug expressions off Yankees fans who keep saying they’re not worried (man, could you picture Steinbrenner if it was the Sox in 4? Oh my God.) But whoever wins, I’m thinking the score will be a lopsided one.

Why?

No clue. But considering I’ve been reading various sports writers who supposedly do this for a living be all over the map in their predictions, I’m thinking, hey? Why not?

So I think it won’t be a close game.

PAD

People are trying to drag me into the middle of a dispute between Bulldog Comics and DC, and I’m not entirely sure why. I’ve gotten e-mails on it, and someone asked about it on this blog in a manner not only off-topic, but out of the clear blue.

Basically DC is saying Bulldog was violating DC’s trade terms and wasn’t going to sell comics to them. Bulldog doesn’t deny it but seems torqued because DC was turning a blind eye to it and now isn’t anymore. Apparently Bulldog was finding ways to undercut DC’s claims of selling out of various titles. I’m not sure how they were violating the trade terms, but if they were, and DC doesn’t want to let them anymore, that seems pretty much that to me.

In essence, Bulldog appears annoyed because DC isn’t being Mr. Nice Guy anymore. Guys, gals: In my opinion, you better get used to it. DC sat back and watched Marvel heap abuse on retailers, insulting their intelligence and introducing unpopular no-reorder, no-reprint policies. DC deplored Marvel’s activities and was the nice cop to Marvel’s tough cop. Result? Marvel, roundly criticized, neverthless got increased sales and DC, so accommodating they were taken for granted, watched their sales drop. What, did you think they were going to let that keep happening? What do you think all the DC press releases about sellouts are for? They’re sending a message: Don’t count on us to keep books available. We’re not being Mr. Nice Guy anymore, because we know where Nice Guys end up.

And if they’re now stepping on retailers to get things done, a la Marvel, well…they’re obviously prepared to do so. I’d been hearing rumors that DC was going to start drawing lines in the sand. Seems to be the case.

PAD

In the stores this week. What’d’ja think?

PAD

The moment Arnold entered the ring, it was all over…much to the chagrin of Issa, the GOP millionaire who set the entire recall into motion so he could become governor without having to bother with messy things like the Republican primary.

And now we’re faced with the reality that eighteen other states have recall provisions. Now that wealthy politicos have seen how the process can be abused, you can bet that governing in those other states is going to be that much more problematic. When you govern, sooner or later you’re going to wind up making decisions that won’t be embraced by the populace. These are the tough decisions, the ones that separate the leaders from the tentative and cautious. But now any governor serving in a recall state is going to have to spend as much time watching his back as doing his job, because now–thanks to California–every year is an election year, and every decision is going to have to be scrutinized six ways from Sunday as to how it could backfire.

Look how quickly and emphatically the government can get things done when they’re sure voters won’t protest, such as the law against telemarketers…which, by the way, I think just might fly in the face of the First Amendment. I mean, isn’t this a classic example of congress making a law infringing? Not only does Congress not have the power to tell someone they can’t call someone else, but they specifically *don’t* have that power. Doesn’t matter. It’s a popular move, so they embrace it.

The California recall is a giant step toward making governing what it should never be: An incessant drive to win a popularity contest. And when one considers the words of Thomas Jefferson about a people getting the kind of government they deserve, well…’nuff said.

PAD