Well, here we go. Not sure how often I’ll want to do this, but might as well try it out. Here’s the comics I picked up this here week!

DC: Majority stockholder this week!

Batman and Robin #6
Booster Gold #26
Green Lantern Corps #42
Unwritten #7

Marvel: Sorry, House of Ideas.

Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #1

If you’re a fan of Batman & Robin, stop reading this paragraph, because I think I’m going to stop picking up this title. I don’t know if it’s Morrison’s writing, or Tan’s replacing of Frank Quitely starting this issue, but it’s just not a fun read for me. I think that I was done with the book anyway, after being generally sick of everyone ever thinking that Grant Morrison’s work is perfect. Maybe it is. But I’m a casual reader at best, so I don’t want every line on every page referencing back to some book from the 60’s that I’ve never read. GM’s work just isn’t my cup o’ tea. Maybe this is because I didn’t really “get” Final Crisis. And Tan, sorry, but if I was unsure based on Grant’s text alone, your addition to the book sealed my departure. Also who gives a shit about Scarlet?

—–

Booster Gold is a sold title every month (in my humble opinion, of course). A few years ago, you wouldn’t see me holding a BG book with a ten-foot pole. I love the “idiot-secretly-saves-the-world-and-all-time-and-space” angle, and having the recently-cancelled Blue Beetle (boo!) show up as a backup story every ish doesn’t hurt. This issue was relatively slow until the last few pages, as it dealt mostly with Booster’s grief over Ted Kord’s (the previous Blue Beetle) death. Yes, he’s STILL grieving – and rightly so, because Ted was awesome. Anyway, this sets up this Blackest Night tie-in story with Zombie-Black-Lantern-Ted rising from the grave to torment the living! Was nice to see the return of another BG character – Supernova – this ish, and I hope DC starts using him more.

—–

The Green Lantern Corps is another monthly I wouldn’t have guessed I’d ever be into, but I can thank Marvel – yes, Marvel – for getting me back into cosmic-related stories with Annihilation, Conquest, and Nova. That made me want to see what DC had to offer in the same vein, and now GLC is one of the few titles – along with Green Lantern – that I’m collecting in both single issues and trades. This book only really has two major story moments, with the first being the Black Lanterns’ apparent need to completely devour the various power batteries immediately upon reaching 100% power with their black rings. The second, which I refuse to spoil, made me say “oh, shit.” It was one of those last page shocks, so we’ll have to see how it plays out next ish.

—–

I can’t really talk about and/or review this week’s Unwritten, because I only managed to skim through it earlier on break from work. Here’s the only way I can think to describe this book: it’s a little bit of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (only a little), a dash of Fables, and a whole hell of a lot of Harry Potter. Imagine: There’s an author that creates a Harry Potter-style book that becomes a world famous series of tales, and the author’s son Tommy is the basis for the main character, and Tommy – now a grown man, and his father long since passed on – is now experiencing things that only “Harry” would, except Tommy is a bit unwilling to accept this really happening and is a bit of an asshole. This issue features a ghost, a flying cat, an attempted assassination, and Frankenstein’s monster. Tommy – it’s real. Get with it quick or you’re going to get killed. I think as this book continues we’ll see many more fictional characters stepping into the light as Tommy realizes that fiction might be fact after all. Waiting on Dracula or the Invisible Man.

—–

Hot off the heels of War of Kings – which by the way I didn’t like as much as I thought I would – comes Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard. This marks the first major tie-in to the new cosmic-arc from Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, and based on the promo ad for the storyline alone I’m already pretty pumped. If you didn’t read War of Kings, it ended with Black Bolt and Vulcan killing each other (unconfirmed, I would hate it if either one actually died!) in a massive explosion that ripped a whole in space/time. Fail, right? Well, this rip in the universe – now simply called the “fault” – can and will cause trouble (I know because I read comics and you can tell when shit’s going down). Gladiator, who has now reluctantly taken over leadership of the Shi’ar, is commanding his Imperial Guard to investigate the fault first-hand. The issue really served two purposes: to quickly acquaint the reader with some Shi’ar superbeings they’ve probably never would know or care about otherwise, and to show how Kallark is struggling to his people unified while some sections want to depart the Empire following Vulcan’s tyrannical rule. That was a long sentence. If you’ve read this far, check your mail – the cookies on the way. Also the Starjammers (two of them at least) make a cameo. Yay!

Thanks, kids! We should do this more often!

- Brent

I have already resigned myself to a significant fall-off in hits today, after yesterday’s 59-view extravaganza (okay, so I’m not Daily Kos). That’s fine. As if to make up for last week’s spare offering of one, this week was a bumper crop of titles.

I’ll be a little briefer on some (hopefully), and others I’m going to go into greater depth on in future Start Reading This installments. Comics nerds, let’s talk.

Blackest Night – REBELS #10 ($3.99) – Wait, I paid $3.99 for that? Christ. I forgot the Big Two had started printing on original pages of the Bhagavad-Gita. This isn’t a book that I read, and it’s not one that I’m going to read again – it’s here because it’s got the Blackest Night stamp at the top and I’m following my own rules. Not that it’s a bad book. DC recognizes that many readers are going to be stopping in for the same reason, and they do a good job bringing you up to speed. The little callouts describing each character as they show up, Pop-Up Video style, are a nice touch. Is this something the book always does?

They give you one of these with REBELS #10. I used mine to make smores.

Braniac’s son Vril Dox (Braniac 2) is set in a skirmish against Starro (DC, you continue to kill me with names that are either goofy or sound like they were invented in eighth grade detention) while in search of his son, Lyrl, also a 12th-level intelligence, whom he has effectively lobotomized until he can handle his own big brain maturely. Starro finds Lyrl, and Vril’s dead, Lanternized girlfriend Stealth finds him, along with another Black Lantern hunting a bunch of Yellows. Somewhere in that sentence is a clue to the twist that comes at the end of the issue, which could (!) factor into the larger continuity. I had forgotten how exhausting crossovers can get.

BPRD – 1947 #5 of 5 ($2.99) – Two big finishes this week from the Hellboy universe. 1947 wraps up mostly in a single room, the scene of a mostly effective exorcism. What’s nice about the story for me, though, is the young Hellboy bits in the margins. While this first proto-BPRD case is being closed, Dr. Bruttenholm is given some friendly advice about the wisdom of adopting the Beast of the Apocalypse as your son. Some nice further characterization for a key figure who’s been dead since Hellboy’s very first issues. Plus, I’m a sucker for Hellboy Junior and his dog.

Hellboy – The Wild Hunt #8 of 8 ($2.99) – Hellboy was left last time deciding whether to pull Excalibur (see, it turns out he’s King Arthur’s son). This issue he decides. And in the MIDDLE OF THE ISSUE, leaving the rest to really get the next story wound up. This is the last installment of this one, but it’s not a finish so much as a setup for what’s to come – editor Scott Allie calls it the end of “the second arc of Duncan and Mike’s Hellboy saga” (Fegredo gets top billing?). The pieces are literally getting put into place for a new kind of war, and not one on frogs, either.

I'll get you, Hulk!

The Incredible Hulk #603 ($3.99) – I picked this up because I thought it was recommended in Gary’s emailer this week. Turns out they were recommending Assault on New Olympus, and this was mentioned in passing. Regardless, I’ve always read Hulk on and off, and although this is part of a larger story, it works well as a standalone. Bruce Banner can’t become Hulk anymore; Hulk’s son Skaar is here to kill Banner; Banner convinces him to train first so he’s ready to kill him; Skaar starts beating on Wolverine. In this issue, Banner sends Skaar after Wolverine’s own hostile spawn, Daken. The two drink, beat on each other, and talk about their feelings a bit, then go their separate ways with dads in tow. The Leader may or may not be involved.

Sweet Tooth #3 ($2.99) – Haven’t started it yet, but I’ll get to it. Short story: It’s been pretty cool so far.

Transformers Continuum – The Definitive Chronology ($3.99) – This book is pretty much all text, serving only to review EVERYTHING that’s happened so far (hence the name). Only buy it if you are a colossal nerd who wants to hear more about your precious 1980s robot toys. Like me.

The Unwritten #7 ($2.99) – Man, I’m loving this book. Tom’s still in jail, Lizzie Hexam gets sent to women’s prison, and Tom’s somehow making literary creatures appear (the Frankenstein cameo from last ish? kinda anticlimactic.). Things end with a flying cat and the promise of bloodshed. I’ll have more depth in a piece to come.

(Also, there’s a nice preview for Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon’s Daytripper. I like these guys.)

The Walking Dead #67 ($2.99) – This starts off feeling like a beat, one of the Talkers that drive a certain class of Walking Dead fans batty. I kinda like those – they’re why I read this book and not other zombie titles. Carl and Rick turn back from their forage after encountering a zombie town, and Carl comes clean about killing Ben. On returning to camp, Rick gets the idea to try the radio again since they’re getting close to their destination, DC. Eugene, who until now has been in sole control of the radio (I had not realized this), is not happy with the plan. Then, as they so often do, things go bad – not because of the bloodthirsty undead, but because of the still-living and the choices they’ve made. Kirkman drops another Deus Ex on us at the end (I KNOW I’ve seen this last page at least once before), but it’s the drama from beforehand that makes me want to read more.

Wow, THREE $3.99 books, one of them not even from the Big Two. I knew it would happen eventually, but am I really getting more from the Hulk than I am from Unwritten and the Walking Dead? Yet another reminder why I walked away in the 1990s, only to be brought back by Image and Dark Horse ten years later. You better be worth it, Blackest Night.

Today was a good day.  Slept super late before starting the weekly grocery run.  Got a new wallet so my stuff’s not falling out everywhere anymore.  Had homecooked curry lunch.  Went to the driving range (although today, that was totally off and not working well).  Was treated with this pretty, pintucked sweater jacket, which I’ll wear in Nagano (nice and warm).  Went out to a suprise dinner near the end of N Judah at Thanh Long and had the best garlic noodles.. everything else was good, but the noodles were amazing.  Next time there is a reason to go back (was nicer than just a casual bite), the fresh market crab looked amazing… was fun watching people make a mess of it though.  Enjoyed the drive down the Great Highway and the romanticism of the night ocean.  Ran another errand but ended at the comic book store where we bought a Kanu Unchou figurine for my spouse (the last pick was mine, and so it was really his turn).  As obnoxiously boobalicious as this is, it’s more tame than some of the Kanu figures (as the person behind the counter remarked, “it’s tame, the top doesn’t come off to show her boobs.  I buy ***** figures because I can take all of their clothes off.”)  Picked up issues of Air, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead@17 and the Unwritten.  If I was good, I’d follow things more regularly.  Unfortunately…I am lazy.

After getting home, I’ve been studying a bit and that’s going ok.  I’m ready to take a break as I think I’ll be able to actually get more studying done in the morning.  I haven’t found my book, but my software works and I have a decent backup strategy now.

Se non avete cantato a squarciagola prima inseguendo le parole dei  Maroon 5, scommetto che lo farete adesso. La prossima canzone è la sigla di “The Hills”, programma in onda su Mtv. Vi sto parlando di Natasha Bedingfield con Unwritten. Tanto per cambiare, Natasha è inglese.
Piccola curiosità, nel 2005 ha partecipato ai Brits Award cantando con il fratello, ed è così entrata nel guinnes dei primati come unici fratelli primi in classifica. Vizio di famiglia eh?
Vi ricordo l’indirizzo email qualora vi venisse in mente di partecipare al radio-blog, scrivete a radioblog235@live.it spiegando quale tipo di programma vi piacerebbe condurre.
Siamo in diretta da Bologna, su RadioBlog 235 e adesso ci vediamo Unwritten!

I am Unwritten

Can’t read my mind

I’m undefined

I’m just beginning

The pen’s in my hand

Ending unplanned

Staring at the blank page before you

Open up the dirty window

Let the sun illuminate the words

That you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance

So close you can almost taste it

Release your inhibitions

I just LOVE Unwritten (natasha bedingfeild). I can’t find the right words to describe it. Tell moi if u like it <3

Elvis Costello – it fit

Claire’s favorite

It’s the Beatles – man how could I go wrong

So it’s writing letters. I love it. lol

another one of my favorite singers. truth is, she’s my most favorite international singer!!!

love her songs. so here are some lyrics of her songs:

Unwritten lyrics

I am unwritten, can’t read my mind, I’m undefined
I’m just beginning, the pen’s in my hand, ending unplanned

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

Oh, oh, oh

I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines
We’ve been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can’t live that way

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten
Oh, yeah, yeah

A.N.G.E.L. lyrics

A.n.g.e.l
A.n.g.e.l

Just like a shadow
I’ll be beside you
I’ll be your comfort
I’m there to guide you home
I will provide you
A place of shelter
I want a be your stone
What am I supposed to do
Tell me what you wanted me to do
I’ll make you great to be a man
With a woman who can stand
On every promise given
Making vows to please her man

If I could be your angel
Your angel, Your angel
Protect you from the pain
(from the pain)
I’ll keep you safe from danger
from danger, from danger
You’ll never hurt again
I’ll be your a.n.g.e.l
a.n.g.e.l, a.n.g.e.l
I’m gonna be your a.n.g.e.l
I’ll be your angel

Just like the moon
I’ll step aside
And let your sun shine
While I follow behind
Cause baby what ya got
You deserve all the props
With everything I’m not
and I’m so glad your mine
Tell me what you wanted me to do
I’ll make you great to be a man
With a woman who can stand
On every promise given
Making vows to please her man

If I could be your angel
Your angel, Your angel
Protect you from the pain
(from the pain)
I’ll keep you safe from danger
from danger, from danger
You’ll never hurt again
I’ll be your a.n.g.e.l
a.n.g.e.l, a.n.g.e.l
I’m gonna be your a.n.g.e.l
I’ll be your angel

Tell me why there’s so many good men
And the world’s misunderstood
He’s a dog, he’s no good
I wish somebody would
Disrespect my man
You’re gon’ have to come see me
I go hard for my baby
He’s all that I need

So if you got a good one
Put your hands up,
Come on girl and stand up
Go ahead lift your man up
Get up
If you got a good one
Put your hands up
Come on girl and stand up
Go ahead lift your man up
Get up

If I could be your angel
Your angel, Your angel
Protect you from the pain
(from the pain)
I’ll keep you safe from danger
You’ll never hurt again
I’ll be your a.n.g.e.l
a.n.g.e.l, a.n.g.e.l
I’m gona be your a.n.g.e.l
I’ll be your angel

Freckles lyrics

I used to care so much about what others think about
Almost didn’t have a thought of my own
The slightest remark would make me embark
On the journey of self doubt
But that was a while ago
This girl has got stronger
If I knew then what I know now
I would have told myself don’t worry any longer it’s OK

[Chorus:]
’cause a face without freckles is like a sky without stars
Why waste a second not loving who you are
Those little imperfections make you beautiful, lovable, valuable,
They show your personality inside your heart
Reflecting who you are

Who you are
Who you are
Who you are

I wondered if I could trade my body with somebody else in magazines
With the whole world full at my feet
I phantom worthy and would blame my failures on the ugliness I could see
When the mirror looked at me
Sometimes I feel like the little girl who doesn’t belong in her own world
But I’m getting better
And I’m reminding myself

[Chorus]
Reflecting who you are
Reflecting who you are
Hmmm
Whoooooo whoa hmmmm oooooo
[Chorus]

Pirate Bones lyrics

What if I squeeze myself into any shape
And I still don’t fit?
What if I bend myself so much that I break
And I can’t mend it?
What if I burn so bright that the fire goes out
And I can’t stay lit?
What’s the point in it?
I could get good at crying crocodile tears
Just to get along
I could carry on telling you wanna hear
’til my voice is gone
But if I finally get to the place that I think is home
And I don’t belong
What’s the point in it?
Where’s the benefit?
When I’m gaining all but I’m losing it

[Chorus:]
It’s not worth having
If it’s too much to hold
You can dig so deep
That you’re left with a hole
Thirsty in a desert with a bag full of gold
Don’t wanna end up like pirate bones
What I thought was precious was just a pile o’ stones
I might have the treasure but I’d be lying alone
Just a pile of pirate bones
If I forfeit my soul it ain’t worth having
If it’s something I stole it ain’t worth having

What if I stake everything I am on a dream
And it’s counterfeit?
If I reach the end that justifies the means
Could I live with it?
And if it’s true that having too much of any good thing
Could only make me sick
What’s the point in it
Where’s the benefit
When I’m gaining all but I’m losing it
Oh, oh

[Chorus]

It’s not wroth that much to me
If losing out is what it means
To swim in shallow victory
Is empty, empty
It’s just not worth the price
It’s only a fools paradise
If it’s draining every drop of life ’til I’m dry like pirate bones

[Chorus]

Pocketful Of Sunshine lyrics

I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine
I got a love and I know that it’s all mine, oh, oh oh oh
Do what you want but you’re never gonna break me
Sticks and stones are never gonna shake me, oh, oh oh oh

Take me away, a secret place
A sweet escape, take me away
Take me away to better days
Take me away, a hiding place

I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine
I got a love and I know that it’s all mine, oh, oh oh oh
Do what you want but you’re never gonna break me
Sticks and stones are never gonna shake me, oh, oh oh oh

I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine
I got a love and I know that it’s all mine, oh, oh oh oh
Wish that you could but you ain’t gonna own me
Do anything you can to control me, oh, oh no

Take me away, a secret place
A sweet escape, take me away
Take me away to better days
Take me away, a hiding place

There’s a place that I go that nobody knows
Where the rivers flow and I call it home
And there’s no more lies in the darkness there’s light
And nobody cries, there’s only butterflies

Take me away, a secret place
A sweet escape, take me away
Take me away to better days
Take me away, a hiding place

Take me away, a secret place
A sweet escape, take me away
Take me away to better days
Take me away, a hiding place

Take me away
(I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine)
A secret place
(I got a love and I know that it’s all mine)
To better days take me away
Take me away
(I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine)
A secret place
(I got a love and I know that it’s all mine)
Take me away, a hiding place

The sun is on my side and takes me for a ride
I smile up to the sky, I know I’ll be alright
The sun is on my side and takes me for a ride
I smile up to the sky, I know I’ll be alright

Silent Movie lyrics

We’re in a picture black and white
Who took the light out of my life
When you, gave in
We’re playing out of different roles
We should be wanting the same goals
Listening, forgiving

Oh, why can’t we communicate
When the main feature is just begining
In the silent movie there’s no talking
You’re just an actor
So break into my story
Take it over
Paint me with colour

Everybody’s speaking, but you don’t know what they’re saying
You’re jus guessing meanings
Interpreting emotion through a window that is broken
We’re jus testing feelings

Oh, why can’t we communicate
When the main feature is just begining
In the silent movie there’s no talking
You’re just an actor
So break into my story
Take it over
Paint me with colour

Step into the movie, you can be my leading man
Break into the silence, so your heart can understand
Step into the movie, we could walk along the sand
Let me stand beside you, put ur life into my hand

Don’t you know you love me, like you never love yourself
Don’t you know you love me, like you never love yourself
Don’t you know you love me, like you never love yourself
Don’t you know you love me, like you never love yourself

In the silent movie there’s no talking
You’re just an actor
So break into my story
Take it over
Paint me with colour

In the silent movie there’s no talking
You’re just an actor
So break into my story
Take it over
Paint me with colour

Sorry for the silence.
I’ve been a little bit busy these days…

But, i really love these videos:X

by Mike Carey (writer), Peter Gross (art), Chris Chuckry (colors), and Todd Klein (letters)

The Story: We go back in time, witnessing Rudyard Kipling’s encounters with the shadowy, villainous group hounding Tom Taylor.

What’s Good: Well-researched and a clear labor of love, this issue is really quite the achievement on Carey’s part. This is in no small part thanks to the entire issue’s being heavily narrated by Kipling, himself.  Carey carves out a distinctive and engaging voice that really colors the entire book. This is no small feat, given that Carey is working with a real historical figure. Thus, Carey not only has to deliver a believable voice, but also a believable Kipling. Kipling’s voice sounds like one might imagine it, and it is distinctly human, never bland and not once expository. The voice adds color, emotion, and humanity, with the narration being used to add to the story’s impact, not merely telling rather than showing.

Revisionist history stories are always difficult to execute and are often a big pill to swallow, but Carey manages to pull it off, telling a story that gives off the feel of the era it describes while making the presence of real historical figures fun and intriguing, as opposed to head-scratchingly illogical or unbelievable.  Carey, in other words, successfully applies his wacky, physical, pseudo-magical manifestations of the power of writing to actual writers, legitimizing his world, and all its phenomena, by injecting it into human history.  What’s better is that we also finally get some much needed, though still hazy, background info regarding Taylor’s mysterious Illumaniti foes.

Peter Gross meanwhile puts out what may be the best looking issue of the Unwritten thus far, and that’s saying a lot. Gross manages to give the book a definite “old-timey” European feel, going a bit heavier on the shading, or at least the linework, and a lot lighter on the inks. The comic, though still recognizably “Unwritten,” looks nothing like any issue thus far. The sheer amount of creativity that went into this issue also cannot be understated. The panel layouts are at times completely bonkers, images often metaphorical or abstract to go along with the abstract paneling. Gross also makes endlessly creative use with the gutters and borders surrounding the panels. Ultimately, the comic feels like a free, dynamic swirl more than anything else.

What’s Not So Good: Well, the obvious point is that it’s a sudden, jarring departure from Tom Taylor’s adventures and the cliffhanger ending of last month. This issue is all backstory and history. It’s very good, but be aware.

Also, I really enjoyed Carey’s re-reading of Kipling’s Just So Stories into a metaphor for Kipling’s struggles with the Illuminati. It would’ve been the best part of the issue for me, were it not for Carey’s need to spoil it by heavy handedly explaining  just what the metaphor meant and how to read it. It would’ve been far better if we were free to interpret the meaning for ourselves, rather than have it hammered home directly.  Kipling’s whale story became simplified, losing a lot of its impact when it was explained at length on the next page. It felt like a rare misstep on Carey’s part.

Conclusion: As long as you go in knowing that this is a break from Taylor, this is yet another mind-blowing good issue of the most intelligent book on the stands.

Grade: A-

-Alex Evans

Ephesians 4:25, Ephesians 5:2

Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us. Ephesians 5:2

To “walk in love” means that we continually do the little acts of kindness that can make life bearable and better for another person.

One practical way to express our love costs only the price of a postage stamp — plus paper, ink, and a little thought.

All of us have felt the nudge to write a letter — an unexpected note that could brighten another person’s day. Perhaps it is a note of appreciation, an expression of concern, or a compliment for a task well done. Too often the letter goes unwritten and the impulse is unexpressed. We convince ourselves that we don’t have time or that our letter won’t matter.

A young minister cherished a note he received from a busy architect in his congregation. The letter said simply, “Your sermon met me where I was on Sunday — at the crossroads of confusion and hurt. Thanks for preaching it!” Those 20 words met the pastor where he lived — at the intersection of discouragement and pain — took less than 5 minutes to write.

Can you think of someone who needs a word of encouragement, thanks, or a reminder that you are praying for him or her? “Walk in love” to the mailbox today. —hwr

It was only a brief little note, or a word that was prayerfully spoken, yet not in vain, for it soothed the pain of a heart that was nearly broken. —anon

It takes only a moment to be kind, but the result can last a lifetime.

It has been a few months since I post here on my blog. I have been busy and time is always limited! But, I want to share a few great comic bits here and there. First, The Unwritten has finished the series first arc and it was epic indeed. I LOVE this Vertigo book, and this week The Unwritten #5 one-shot will come out and I’m really looking forward to the read myself.

“Written by Mike Carey; Art by Peter Gross; Cover by Yuko Shimizu

“Carey and Gross perfectly capture the zeitgeist of our Harry Potter-obsessed-chaotic-apocalyptic-times with a depth and whimsy that makes me jealous, and I can’t wait to read more of THE UNWRITTEN.” — Ed Brubaker

In the India of the British Raj, young journalist and would-be novelist Rudyard Kipling gets an offer he can’t refuse. It’s an offer that will catapult him to fame, fortune and inexorable destruction. The secret history of the Unwritten begins in this stand-alone story…”

Interesting stuff I tell ya. I wonder what we will learn about the history of the Unwritten in this issue. Only a few more days to wait tho! DC Comics is shipping tomorrow and will be in stores on Thursday.

Oh my whole 2.7 readers you must have missed me while I was away on holiday in the UK for the Annual Buddhist Summer Festival. Wipe your pretty little eyes and know that I was surrounded by great country air, saffron robes, and comic books.

Yes, I may have been roughing it for the week by sleeping in a tent but no good Nerd Grrl would be caught without her reading sustenance known as The Comic Book.

So there I was surrounded by trees, the English shore and stars at the end of each evenings meditation sessions with a tiny LED flashlight to lead me to my mansion of a tent— all 4ft x 9ft – to read the first 3 installments of ‘The Unwritten’ by Vertigo. I love a good mystery and the fact that so far the main character writes fantasy à la tongue-in-cheek Harry Potter makes me squee! at random intervals.

I wasn’t focused completely on comic books and made sure to catch a few sights of Cambria. A few nights before my trip back I spent the evening discussing sci-fi movies, comic books, and detailing the American dessert known as the S’more— which made me feel like a Chocolate Ambassador since they don’t have anything that’s the equivalent in the UK.

Anyhow, I talked about comic books and movies and how the increasing adaption to the big screen is justly legitimizing the comic/graphic novel industry. I was answered with resounding blinks and the reply that the guys around me really didn’t read comics.

Are you kiddin’ me?! What are they teaching in schools today?

In the UK, just like back home, I tried conversing with other people about comics, etc. I was met with the same response but one bold soul pointed out, “You really don’t look like the type of grrl that would be into that kind of stuff.”

Before I could make assumptions and say something snarky I remembered to ask the same question one should always ask when a rude/backhanded compliment is thrown:

“Why would you say that?”

BOOM!

Now they’re on the spot and I haven’t raised my voice nor gotten ethnic in a public place. (Score 2 points for me!)

Their response was a shrug but the incident got me thinking but I had no one to converse with until I met Wash on my last stay at the Festival. Okay, it wasn’t Alan Tudyk but the guy did look like a combination of Wash from Firefly and Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. (“I’m a leaf on the wind; watch how I soar…ZOINKS!”)

Nevertheless, seeing a guy sporting a powder blue shirt with tropical flowers, wearing shorts, and blatantly resembling my favorite Firefly character made me smirk. Too bad no one told the guy that it was England and a whole 65 degrees out but here he was sitting next to me waiting his turn in the registration queue. I turned to him and told him he reminded me of a character from a Joss Whedon show and wondered if he had ever heard of a guy named…

“Wash!” we said in unison. (Nerd Grrl meet your male equal.)

Well I’ll be. I come across the pond to find a fellow Browncoat that lives only a couple of hours away from me in the States. What are the odds? We talked about the show and I told Shwash (Shaggy and Wash) that I was a writer and looking to get my foot in the comic book/graphic novel publishing world. Shwash revealed that he worked with a guy that works on multiple sci-fi projects including Serenity/Firefly and so we exchanged email addys and I was on my way.

A week after I returned I got the chance to meet Shwash’s friend Ben and he was able to give me a few leads and let me know that I had an ally and to send work my articles to him ASAP. The point being that no one can know I exist if I don’t post. (Good point Ben.)

Wow, all this happened because I opened my mouth and started a conversation about a topic I love.

As writers we often wonder where a big break will come from but we fail to make the simple connection that we must still have a life and interact with other people, sometimes in non-work related things.

In my quest for further spiritual knowledge I met more people from NYC and CT that I never would have met nor had the courage to just talk to them. I think this lesson can be used during a writers meeting with an Editor at Comic Con and other Sci-Fi/Comic Book conventions.

By searching to find something you have in common with someone you can let go of your obsessive worry/fragile ego to step back and watch what happens when you speak to other people about your passions.

So far I’d say my experience has been mighty Shiny.

By Mike Carey (Writer), Peter Gross (Art), and Chris Chuckry & Jeanne McGee (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Each issue of Unwritten has been intelligent and thought-provoking in a way that few comics are. Here’s to hoping that the trend continues…

The Story: Tom Taylor gains access to his father’s room while Pullman goes on a relatively calm, collected killing spree…

What’s Good: If you like horror movies, then Unwritten #4 is going to be a real treat for you. From the gruesome Tommy Taylor opening to the slasher movie gore, it cleverly comments on (and plays into/with) genre conventions in so many ways that I couldn’t help but have a big stupid grin on my face the whole time I was reading it. But that’s not all that’s good about Unwritten #4. What really makes the issue something special is how all the gore and clever dialogue works in service of a mystery that keeps getting more compelling as the series gets older.

As far as the technical stuff goes, the latest Unwritten basically stays the course. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not! Peter Gross’ artwork effectively captures the horror flick vibe that runs through the entire issue. From the slick panel work to the lightning bolt framing that’s used, nearly everything looks great. As for the writing, Mike Carey’s work is as intelligent as ever. It’s clear that he “gets” horror and the line between a good genre convention and a bad one.

What’s Not So Good: This really isn’t a true problem, but I’m starting to miss the news clips, blogs, and commentaries that were sprinkled throughout the first few issues of Unwritten. Mike Carey handled them spectacularly and it made Unwritten really feel like nothing else on my pull list. One other thing worth mentioning is that a few panels just look a bit “off.” Either characters look a bit odd or the action comes across in a way that seems a bit unnatural (the scene with Pullman punching through glass comes to mind).

Conclusion: One of my favorite series having fun with my favorite genre?! Oh yeah, Unwritten #4 is good. Very Good.

Grade: A-

-Kyle Posluszny

First line from “Fault Lines a Memoir” by Meena Alexander.

What would it mean for one such as I to pick up a mirror and try to see his face in it?

In times of solitude, when my eyes are willing and my mind ready I am able to peek into the encased abyss that is I. Having lived now for eighteen years, what has my experiences, relationships, and my own mental and physical struggle to get somewhere, anywhere, conjured up to?

*

Was that heart elating yet heart crushing teenage infatuation, which felt extremely close to what I thought was love, a waste of time? Was getting drunker than drunk and watching friends get higher than high mere insolence and stupidity of youth? Was refusing and walking away from my God – the creator of the grandiose, the creative, the meticulous – utter foolishness? Was my return to Him inevitable? Was my discovery of the beauty and brilliance of Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Woody Guthrie, and Elliot Smith only a refusal from me to not conform and be outside of the crowd? Was my revelation of the feeling of empowerment to control emotions, ideas, and love that came from a guitar the result of disillusionment and loneliness? I think back upon my memories for all its glory and its many disappointments and am forced to feel that there must be something tying it all together – some glue, some wire, maybe someone. And by having the vignettes of my life connected and relate to each other like how the dark distance of a middle C note and the 6th octave B note are connected by the C major scale, then am I only able to begin to tell you or tell myself who I am and what I have become and hopefully will become in the caverns of tomorrow and finally offer whoever willing to listen, the song that has come out of me and still has still yet to reach the double bar line. Because when one listens to a piece of music, individual notes are of no significance – it is when the notes are brought together in the mind or on a sheet of paper that the beauty of it all makes sense.

*

Though I wish “I” was as simple as just adjoining the things that have been in contact with me and then view the created object from afar, it is not so. I am not simply just defined by the notes on the lined page which guides me from measure to measure – the highs, the lows, and the time in between. But I am also delineated by the potential and possibilities that “I” represents.  I once heard it explained like this:

“I equals all the ‘ifs’ over time. The ‘ifs,’ those are the possibilities, that’s infinite for all of us – everyday there are just millions of them. Time – that’s finite for each of us, no question there. Maybe if you divide the choices (the ifs) by the amount of time you have, the real ‘I’ can emerge depending on those choices.”

This idea that I am not just made of the choices that I have chosen, but also the choices I have not chosen has confused me. I am not merely just the joyful song you hear that is coming out of me, but I am also the dirge that can be potentially played. Can this be? That “I” is not just me, the individual in the present, but also the potential of the me to come? That my future – with my hopes of being a bona fide songwriter, writer, and human being – though still unwritten, is also the “I?”

*

So what is it that I see in the mirror?

I see the sweat and ambitions of a meticulous craftsman who has chosen to use various types of woods – mahogany, koa, rosewood, maple, ebony. I see hints of the fine curves that have taken eighteen long years to manifest from ridged edges and splinters, as a result of His adamant work and desire for perfection in me. I feel tensions growing, growing, growing as time passes and the strings that defines me attempts to tune into harmony with each other and eventually go out of tune and attempt to retune and again go out of tune, etc. I see the craftsman’s eyes watching and his hands caressing in full admiration of His art. Then I see and begin to hear the craftsman playing his piece of work, producing a composition so epic it touches upon the full spectrum of emotions – the crescendos of joy – the decrescendos of devastations – and the fermatas of contentment. Every new measure He plays is unfamiliar to me and requires me to adjust in order to produce the best sounds. The upcoming measures are unknown to me, compelling me to fully depend on Him to continue playing and play what is sound. And though some strings are unable to cope with the strain and snap while others bend out of tune, and furthermore the neck bends away forcing all chaos, He has been patient and has re-stringed, retuned, and re-assembled His piece of art and still – He continues to play -

]]> http://projectbword.com/2009/07/17/today-is-where-your-book-begins/ Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:37:07 +0000 jocelyneatsfresh http://projectbword.com/2009/07/17/today-is-where-your-book-begins/

A little Friday inspiration! Pass it on!

I am unwritten, can’t read my mind, I’m undefined I’m just beginning, the pen’s in my hand, ending unplanned

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

Oh, oh, oh

I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines
We’ve been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can’t live that way

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten

Have a beautiful weekend! Thanks to everyone who have been reading and supporting this project! You are all beautiful! <3

Jocelyn