Hi-Yo, Silver!

One of the better comic books being published today, by Dynamite Entertainment, is The Lone Ranger. Written by Brett Matthews with Art by Sergio Cariello the book has been coming out for about a year and a half now. There are trade paperbacks which collect a handful of issues in one volume that you should be able to find at your local Barnes & Noble. If it's not on their shelf, order it.

Now, when you think of the Lone Ranger, you think of the classic Clayton Moore/Jay Silverheels Saturday morning kiddie stuff. This current comic book is a more modern, up-to-date version. Yes, the setting is still the old wild west (and Mr. Cariello does an excellent job of drawing it like he actually lived there!) but the comic gives you answers that I don't think that old show ever did like exactly where did he get his horse, Silver? What's with the mask? Where DID he get all that silver to make the bullets out of, anyway???

The latest issues of the run even give The Masked Man a slight, possible, supernatural slant.

Good stuff! Now go buy!

Here is the cover to the first Trade--

And the cover to the 2nd Trade--

Broken Government, Part 2

Now, where was I? Oh, yes...

Some other books that I'm currently reading about our Government, that might interest you, are The Federalist Papers, The Anti-Federalist Papers and the Constitutional Convention Debates of 1787.

The Federalist Papers are a series of essays that were originally published anonymously in New York newspapers to try and convince the people that this new Democratic form of Government was the next best thing and to vote FOR it. We have since learned that the authors of these essays were Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay, important historical figures and die-hard Federalists.

The Anti-Federalist Papers were dissenting opinions about possible dangers to true freedom this new Constitution posed. These were the views of such people as Patrick Henry and "John DeWitt." You have to remember that, at that time, each state was basically its own country. That was why Britain figured the Revolutionary War would be a cakewalk. There wasn't one large U.S. Army to oppose the mighty Brits. There were just a bunch of State Militias, that were more policemen then Army. Because each state was its own country, each state had its own set of laws and, for the most part, operated independantly of each other. But I'm digressing...

The Constitutional Convention Debates are especially interesting for several reasons; you get a good idea of just how difficult it was for these men to come up with and agree on a truly new system of Government that was "OF the people and FOR the people." It is also interesting to note that they used Britain's Government as a base and then came up with checks that would prevent this Government from becoming a Monarchy or Dictatorship. What is especially chilling are the words of 81 year-old Dr. Benjamin Franklin, who was prescient enough to see what was coming. Truly, a man so far ahead of his time that his words actually did send chills up my spine. Brrr.

You see, the Federal Government began as a support system for the United States, with the States themselves still holding on to their power. Slowly, over time, something changed. It was probably all due to the fact that, well, we grew as a country. We became this huge monstrosity that, without the Federal Government taking a more active role, would just collapse under the weight of itself. Although we seemed to be heading in that direction anyway.

You could probably point to the 16th Amendment as the beginning of the end. Without getting into the boring details, the 16th Amendment, ratified in 1913, basically opened the door for a Federal Income Tax that did not have to be apportioned by census.

FDR's "New Deal" can also be seen as a radical step that took the Federal Government one step closer to becoming something other than what the original Founders of the Constitution meant it to be.

So, the U.S. Government is broken. Can it be fixed? It can but it won't be until things get so bad that the people are on the road to rebellion because that's what history teaches us. I'll end with some words of wisdom from Dr. Benjamin Franklin, "The more the people are discontented with the oppression of taxes; the greater need the prince has of money to distribute among his partizans and pay the troops that are to suppress all resistance, and enable him to plunder at pleasure. There is scarce a king in a hundred who would not, if he could, follow the example of Pharaoh, get first all the peoples money, then all their lands, and then make them and their children servants for ever."

Broken Government, Part 1

I've been voraciously reading books concerning Government, the history of our Government and the type of people that eventually make up our Government. It's obvious that the U.S. Gov't is broken and has been for some 75+ years now. It's become the big, controll-all type of Gov't that we originally fought to get rid of in the American Revolution!

One interesting book I've been reading is To Save America: How to Prevent Our Coming Federal Bankruptcy by Martin L. Buchanan. You can read it online for free on Wowio. Mr. Buchanan has a pretty interesting plan on how to save a trillion dollars a year (that's right, a trillion), restructure Gov't and get the country out of debt. I found only one problem with Mr. Buchanan's plan.

It's not realistic.

Martin Buchanan's plan hinges upon one fantasy; that the Gov't will change. The U.S. Gov't operates under a system and the "system" is repeated in perpuity until something drastic happens. I guess the easiest way to explain it is their motto isn't "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" but "Wait until it breaks, THEN we'll fix it." Of course, money also has a lot to do with it.

Mr. Buchanan proposes doing away with farm subsidies. We, the people, are led to believe that farm subsidies help the poor, small, struggling Farmer. I'm sure some of it does. MOST of it probably goes to the larger farms, owned by Corporations, who, in turn, give that money back to that State's Representatives in the form of lobby money. The Reps turn around and get more subsidy money for the large farms and the vicious circle begins anew. So, you see, to change the "System", Gov't Reps would lose money and that just isn't going to happen.

Well, until the United States go bankrupt. Then it might happen.

Another interesting little book is the 2007 Congressional Pig Book Summary, which summarizes all the pork barrel spending for 2007. It's put together by the Citizens Against Government Waste. The 2008 book has just come out as well.

2007 was a good year for taxpayers as pork projects and money had some of the lowest totals in a decade. Unfortunately, the Government Reps came back with a vengeance in 2008 and recorded their 2nd highest total in projects and spending.

The thing about earmarks and pork is that Reps put earmarks for a project under Agriculture or Homeland Security and that project has absolutely nothing to do with Agriculture or Homeland Security. The amounts are obscene. So, where does the money go if not all to the project? No one seems to be asking that question. Except me, of course. I would assume that once that Fed money hits the state, a few dollars are thrown at the project and the rest is kept by the state to be spent on whatever. Probably the Governor's salary and electric bill.

I like the CAGW web site because you can check on your state's Rep and Senator's on where they rank in requesting pork. My Rep Rosa DeLauro, ranks 49th. Pretty high up. The Senators of CT are no better. Lieberman ranks 44th. Dodd 54th.

Just for kicks I looked up the 3 front runners for President. Hilary Clinton ranked 13th, adding 281 projects totalling over 296 million dollars! Barack Obama ranks 70th, adding 53 projects and over 97 million dollars. John McCain? Dead last. 0 projects for 0 dollars.

Interesting...

Interlude 2

And in the truth is stranger than fiction category;

Clay Aiken becomes a dad!

What? Hmm, I thought he was gay! Well, the mother's name is Jaymes.

So, now it appears that John Edwards' affair is true! Wow, big surprise there. "I had hoped that it would never become public," said John Edwards. Come on, John. You're a bloody politician!
Apparently, this woman became pregnant and gave birth to a girl. Edwards denied being the father and has said that he'd take a paternity test to prove it. Since then, a former Edwards campaign staff member has come forward to say the child is his. If that's true, how many other members was this woman on top of??

It seems there's some tension between Russia and Georgia. That's the country Georgia, not the state. Georgia, though, is an ally of the U.S. so forget the Cold War, this could escalate into real war! It also seems that oil facilities were hit by warplanes. Just as the price of oil is plummeting. Gee, what a coincidence.

Yeah, and I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you also.

Homework

Your homework assignment is to watch two movies; Lord of War with Nicolas Cage and Syriana with George Clooney & Co.

While the story in Lord of War is, I assume, fictional, it is a great present-day commentary that countries (yes, including the USA) are the biggest illegal Arms Dealers in the world! Which makes sense. We are constantly developing new weapons that kill other humans more and more efficiently. What to do with the old weapons? Why, sell them, of course! It's not quite the thing you can put on e-bay, though (15,000 M-16's, slightly used, sold as is, buyer pays shipping). So, we sell them to third world countries so THEY can kill other humans with them. Of course, it may or may not enter into the US Gov't thought that one day these weapons may be used to kill American soldiers. Maybe they figure that by selling them the weapons they gain an ally. Or maybe they just don't give a shit. It's no secret, by the way. It's public knowledge that the US Government is one of the biggest illegal arms dealers in the world. They know that you know. They also know that there's nothing you can do about it. As long as the masses remain happy they can do what they want. It may not be morally right but since when has Business and Morals ever co-existed?

Syriana is about oil. Even though Clooney (who was also one of the Producers) in his interview states that it's just a set of fictional stories that don't point any finger of blame on anyone, if you have at least 2 brain cells you can pretty much connect the dots and see where the blame falls. And who pulls the strings in the White House. Don't fuck with Big Oil! This makes sense also. Why don't we have a huge push to develop cars that run on water or Hydrogen? Because there's still plenty of oil. Plenty of money to be made. When the oil finally begins to run out, THEN the companies will pull out their plans for these water cars, which they already have (I can see it now; the Ford Wave or the Toyota Tsunami. Buy yours today!). Syriana even ties Middle East suicide bombers into it and while the circumstances that lead to it may be true on a very small scale, the fact is that Middle East Hardcore Muslims hate the West. Our religious differences are too great. We are Godless Materialist Heathens to them and they are Religious Fanatics (i.e. Terrorists) to us. It's pretty much been this way for thousands of years so I doubt it'll change anytime soon. If ever.

Two good movies that, by the end, will really have you thinking. And it should.

Comics - First & Foremost

Everyone needs a hobby.

Mine happens to be collecting comic books. I don't only collect them, though, I also read them (because why would someone collect something like a comic book, designed to be read, and NOT read it! Preposterous!). My collection currently numbers around 12,000 books. I'm quite proud of my collection and what I've accomplished but I've got a way to go. My wife has said that if there were a fire in the house I'd save my comics first, her and the kids second. I'm not sure I agree with that. It would depend on the severity and location of the fire. ;-)

I was introduced to comics by a friend of mine, Steve Irby (and Steve, if you're reading this, thanks, Man), who originally intended just to show me the interior of a space ship he thought looked cool. After I pummeled him with questions on where he got the comics, I was soon journeying with him to the newsstand in the center of town on a bi-weekly basis. I was hooked. Now I know how drug addicts feel when they need their 'fix'.

Why comics? Comic books flex the imagination muscle of the brain. The only limitation in a comic book is that of the Writer and Artist's imagination. There is no Special Effects budget in a comic book. The story could go anywhere and do anything.

People back in the late '70's, and even a lot of people today, think of Archie, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and the '60's Batman TV show when you mention comic books. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most comics in the '80's and pretty much all comics today are made by adults for adults. Like the Bugs Bunny cartoons of the '40's, they were originally made for adults and shown in theaters with the serials and newsreels. Later, they were edited and 'dumbed down' and shown to kids on TV in the '60's and '70's. They still make comics for kids, sure, but the bulk of books are for their target audience, Men. Women watch their Soaps, Men read their comics. Same thing. Each issue of a title is a serialized chapter in the life of the Hero and the Supporting Characters. In other words, a soap opera for men.

Now, comics have become a gold mine for Hollywood. 30 Days of Night? Based on a comic. Johnny Depp's From Hell? Based on a comic. Hellboy? Based on a comic. V for Vendetta? Yep, based on a comic. It's gotten to the point now that Creator's in small companies are developing properties in hope that it'll get a movie option. That's "fenced in" Creators in developing properties that only look good on screen. How about just developing an engaging story with good characters? Let Hollywood worry about developing the property for the screen.

My favorite character? Spider-Man. Hands down. Cool costume. Cool powers.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I have been published. I've written many a script that has not been published. I've written scripts and been paid and they haven't been published. I'd rather get published and not make a cent, to be honest.

I've also self-published. Let me tell you, I have newfound respect for self-publishers after doing that. It is a ton of work. In the end, though, it was worth every droplet of sweat. A labor of love and all that. The book is called The Elvis Files and it was originally going to be 3 issues. After some debating (some people call me a Master Debater :-)), I decided to combine the issues and turn it into a graphic novel. It has great Art by Peter Deluca and I lettered the first chapter before a looming personal deadline made me farm out the lettering on the next two chapters. I guess you can say that the book is patterned as if it were an episode of the X-Files TV show that featured Elvis as the FBI Agent. It did garner some favorable reviews but didn't sell much. I have plenty of copies so if you're interested then shoot me an e-mail and I'll send you a copy.

Above is the cover by Gil Sanchez. It was my idea but Gil drew it perfectly.