Planet Hulk - Brief Review

With all that's been going on in my life lately I have actually been able to find some time to read comics. One comic that I've really come to look forward to getting in the mail is the Incredible Hulk. Anyone who knows my reading habits knows that the Hulk is one of my favorite characters in comic books. When his title is fortunate enough to have a talented writer assigned to it the characters Bruce Banner and The Hulk really get a chance to shine. My love for the title and character really started after issue 300 when a savage, out of control Hulk is banished from Earth by Doctor Strange to the Crossroads dimension after an all out battle with a who's who of the early 80's Marvel superhero. From this dimension the Hulk and a small band of other dimensional partners explore different dimensions until the Hulk eventually finds his way back home to Earth. These stories were a great change and the different settings really gave a fresheness to the book.

The current "Planet Hulk" storyline that has just really gotten underway this spring reminds me a great deal of "The Crossroads" storyline except with much more of a science fiction bent. The storytelling and artwork are consistently solid. The pace set by the writer offers a great deal of story progression in each issue. A welcome change in this age where writers more often have a much slower pace that seems more suited for the writing of a larger tradepaper back instead of a monthly book.

In a nutshell, the Hulk has been jettisoned off to another planet after he assisted SHEILD in disarming a killer satellite orbiting Earth. The SHEILD leadership and some of the heavies in the Marvel superhero crowd thought it was best to take advantage of the opportunity of having the Hulk offplanet...and decided to keep that way by double-crossing him and changing the course of the spacecraft he was on. Now Hulk finds himself on a planet ruled by the alien equivalent of the Roman Empire, where he has been sold into slavery to serve as a gladiator for the entertainment of the rulers and paying rabble.

It's the best book Marvel is putting out now. Even if you aren't a Hulk fan, this book is undeniably great. A classic tale in the making. Each story offers a twist as the Hulk makes his way in this new world, carving out a new life for himself. How he operates in the systems set in place on this planet offers some great story potential. The new characters we are introduced to are also strong, with their own continuing developements. I've actually re-read each of the Planet Hulk stories a couple times, they are that good. I haven't re-read a comic book in years.

It's Fiction... Not Fact... It's a story for entertainment

Holy crap, I am sick to death of hearing about Dan Brown and his Da Vinci Code book. I swear you can't get away from some kind of news about this guy or his story. The guy is getting sued for and cleared of plagarism, numerous Christian organizations Catholic and Protestant alike are denouncing the book, and numerous news magazine shows and cable specials are exploring the possiblities raised in the book regarding Mary Magdalene and Jesus' relationship. The books is still selling like hotcakes and a movie is coming out very soon so Da Vinci Code hype is reaching a fevered pitch.

But what annoys me is the way a lot of people are treating Mr. Brown's novel, like it's a textbook. Its fiction wrapped up in theories regarding Christ that have been around for decades, and honestly the story is just okay. I've read the story and found it to be patronizing and simplistic often mediocre. It was okay, not great. Definitely not worth all the energy its generated.

It just amazes me how people are using this novel as their main source of information to become an IFE in Christian history. If you want to know what an IFE is e-mail me, despite my current level of venom I still want to keep the air of this blog from going blue. I also don't find the book worthy of the attention real Christian journalist and historian are giving it. Maybe once the DVD of the movie comes out the hype will finally die down.

I'm not giving a link to the book or movie. Use Google or visit your local used book store.

Google Calendar - Me Like

Google continues to grow with another service in beta, the Google Calendar. Initially, I wasn't even motivated to check it out, there are a lot of calendar services out there already. But so far Google's is one of the better ones. It offers iCalendar support for Mac users, like me. The interface is great, very smooth for an Internet app. Offering invitations via the calendar saves me from having to jump over to Evite to make online invitations.

All in all it's not bad. Google has been hit or miss with their expanding range of services. The only thing that has me leary of using Google Calendar, is that it stores another batch of information about my life on their servers. Already my blog, some of my e-mail, my search history are being collected by them...now they can track my life events in my calendar... eh. I'm not that paranoid, so it doesn't bother me too much.

Bob Ross Lives --- On YouTube

If you couldn't tell already, I love YouTube. It's everything Google Video isn't. I also loved watching Bob Ross on PBS. Some folks have posted some of his segments on YouTube.

Slowly getting back into the routine

Asher at Home
Originally uploaded by lloydpier1.

The kid has been doing great at home. Aside from one or two nights where he wasn't quite ready for bed, he's been a very quiet sleeper.

I'm back at work this week after spending a little over a week at home with him and the Lady. I'm digging the father gig, changing the diapers and late night feedings are fine by me. Fortunately the first couple of days at work haven't been too brutal so I'm not totally drained by work when I get home.

This blog will be getting on track again as well. I have plenty that I'm storing up rants against and comic book reviews a plenty.

Adventures in Fatherhood

It's been a few days since I'd had a chance to sit, let alone sit in front of the computer. Our son is officially a whole week old and still doing great. Yesterday was his first visit to the pediatrician, everything checked out alright with him. Basically he's in perfect health inspite of his being born weeks ahead of schedule.

The major challenges for the week are, catching up on rest somewhere in the day. After our week in the hospital, recovery rest at home has been much needed but tough to find. Lady is healing nicely, but she is exhausted. Recovering from major surgery and adjusting to the feeding needs of a newborn is a bad combo for resting and taking it easy. Fortunately I'm able to stay at home through this week. One of the other challenges is figuring out what to do with his nursery, we have the basic decorative pieces but are still stymied by what to actually paint the room. It'll all get figured out.

My head is finally adjusted to the fact that I'm a father now. The shock resulting from the suddeness of his arrival into this world and the major concern over the wife going through the c-section has subsided. He's a fantastic kid, very bright and alert for someone who sleeps through over 85% of the day. And just cute...one of the few times you'll see the word cute in this blog, but when describing my newborn son, its fitting. The kid is adorable, you've all the seen the photos, you know it to be true. I haven't had as much time as I would've liked with him. I'm often running around doing one thing or another. I think things have settled down to a point that I should get some more time with him these upcoming days... maybe... somehow I think I just jinxed myself by saying my days are settling down a bit.