Fox News: wholly owned subsidiary of the RNC

Here's something cute and scary. Talking Points Memo noticed that all of the video links on the GOP Senate multimedia page are Fox News videos. It's a big page so they weren't able to capture the whole page in one image. But I have some nice graphics software so I'm posting the images as a public service. Just in case if you wondered whether a 'news' channel run by Nixon and Reagan's media strategist has cut its links to the Republican party.

300

Yeah, I know. Two months late and $100 short. I only last week saw 300 the movie. I'd read the graphic novel years ago.

As an amateur classicist I found Miller's view of the Spartans to be sappy. They weren't simple family men defending all of Greece from slavery. Having the famously gay Spartans call the prostitute addicted Athenians "boy lovers" was bass awkward.

Here's another blogger commenting on Spartan culture:

"Fact: Sparta was about as romantic as North Korea. Give or take a little egalitarianism, Sparta WAS North Korea. Spartan laws did everything they could to break down the family. Sparta was more anti-nuclear family than any Hollywood liberal could ever be.

Wanna know what a Spartan wedding night was really like? It's pretty hilarious, in an insane way. As soon as a Spartan girl got her first period, they grabbed her, shaved her head, dressed her as a boy, threw her down on her new husband's bed, and then, well, he had his way with her. What way was that? Since hubby had been in an all-male dorm since age seven, I'm betting that that night of lovin' was more like a skinny white boy's introduction to San Quentin after lights-out than it was like a chick flick. So when this movie shows the Spartan hero saying to his wife, "Goodbye, my love," I just had to laugh." [My emphasis, gh]

Sparta was a totalitarian city state that enslaved its neighbors. Conquered neighbors i.e. Helots became communally owned slaves. Spartan men lived in dorms where pedophilia was part of military training. Women ran the Spartan household and slept more with their slaves than their husbands. Sounds like the ads the GOP attacks Nancy Pelosi with, no?

Some folks hate gays. I wouldn't say they're homophobic (fear of gay people), they're hateful. Frank Miller is homophobic. He also has long running issues about tall muscular dark skinned men. He likes stories about half naked white guys fighting big black guys.

That said, 300 is a spectacular action comic and movie.

Get yourself some learning!

Zander Cannon has posted another lesson on his Big Time Attic blog. Check 'em all out!

Zander is the single most important teacher I've had in my comics career. While I was able to figure out a lot of the basics through common sense and Scott McCloud, a few good conversations with Zander have been the only quantum leaps I've had since then. I read these posts and continue to learn too.

Extra: here's a link to all of Zander's Tips and Tricks.

Seattle's Emerald City Comic Con

Today I got back to work after the frenetic ECCC. I arrived on Friday and got to hang out with my pals Cole, David, and I finally got to see my Bender high school chum Jake Stratton in concert. Which all left me wiped out for the con on Saturday.

Here's the detailed rundown of how I spent Friday.



Cole picked me up from my hotel and made me walk around Seattle. Here's a picture from a sculpture garden. Unlike Chicago, the Pacific coast has topography. You know, hills and such. My calves are poor sheltered muscles. I needed some time to recover.



Right after I get back to my hotel room I get a call from Dave Campbell. He's the writer of my first and second favorite superhero blogs, The Velvet Marauder and Dave's Long Box (only one is fictional). I'm not going to pass up a chance to hang out with him and steal his best ideas. By the end of the evening Dave and I are trying to outdrink this longshoreman. Dave does pretty good, I get my ass whupped.



After that Cole and I join forces again to see the BloodHag concert. Yes, they really do whip paperback novels at the crowd. Specifically at our heads. Fortunately I recovered from my drunk by the time the book contacts my skull.



Seriously, a great concert. Everyone was going crazy. I'm sad I couldn't see Jake for his Saturday gig: emceeing a roller derby league!

After a sleepless work week, over drinking and literary punk death metal I was pretty useless Saturday. I did perk up when I got the chance to meet a creature from Alan Moore's imagination. Everyone, meet Toybox!





After leaving Alan's stories she set up shop in the Seattle area. She's pretty damn charming. All you Moore fanatics will recognize the outfit from issue 2 of Top 10. She gave me the T rex headed Barbie and I gave her a page featuring her from ABC: A2Z.



In real life she's not quite as tall as I drew her. But she's still a bit taller than me.

I actually felt pretty good on Sunday. I had breakfast with Eugene Cho, who let me read all his classic Marvel and DC comics back in grade school. Big influence. He also taught me to love classic scifi before I had rock stars throwing it at my head. Very quick witted and fun guy.

Got some good sketches out, talked to fans, and chatted with Frank Cho and Tim Sale. I had to leave around the time I realized John Layman was seated behind me. That's what I get for not turning around.



Finishing off with a Spirit sketch from the con. Someone donated to $200 to the Hero Initiative to get this one! I don't know if the sketch was worth that much but it was for a good cause.

Thanks to Jim for flying me out to Seattle. And thanks to everyone who showed up, especially in costume!