Nevada has early voting, so I cast my ballot today.

The place was packed around two in the afternoon, and had been that way, one poll worker said, all day. I suspect there’s going to be a far bigger turnout this year than is typical for a midterm election.

Oh — before I forget, a word of appreciation to John Kerry for *almost* proving me right about the Dems finding a way to blow this election. You didn’t quite hit it out of the park, John, but it was a commendable effort. You’ve gotta wonder who’ll try to top it before the polls open Tuesday morning…

If you’ve been following the flap over the RNC’s anti-Harold Ford campaign ad, you may find this video amusing:

(By the way, I *still* think the Democrats will find some way to blow this election, and I won’t be convinced otherwise until we get the results straight from Diebold — or is it Venezuela?)

Went to the hospital Tuesday for what was expected to be a routine test — an angiogram — preparatory to dealing with a larger health problem.

No such luck.

Blockages in three major arteries to the heart. Two stents inserted. One more to go, sometime in December. Spent a day and a half in the hospital for observation (standard procedure).

I’m okay. A little weak, which the doctors told me to expect, but otherwise getting along.

I’ll get back to the subject of doctors *named* Fate shortly.

Keith Olbermann on the death of habeus corpus. Read the transcript or watch the video on CrooksandLiars.com.

DC has officially announced the new Doctor Fate series on Newsarama, so I’m free to discuss it now — and I will, after the weekend.

Have to deal with a deadline first.

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A week or two ago, Mark Evanier called his readers’ attention to this utterly fascinating essay. If you’re at all interested in the history of DC Comics, it’s time you found out who Ira Schnapp is and what part he played in forming the aesthetic of every DC reader.

Yes, I know about it.

It irks me to precisely this extent: I wish I’d been given the chance to do the character right, with the right artistic team, and with some real promotion behind the book. (The first issue of the Foolkiller limited series came out the same month as Todd McFarlane’s *Spider-Man* #1. Gee, where do you suppose the promotional dollars and critical attention were focused?)

That’s as far as the irk goes, though. Marvel and I have managed to reach an accommodation of sorts on some of these matters.

I do hope the new book results in the reprinting of the limited series — which, despite the art problems, remains one of my favorite pieces of work — and the earlier Foolkiller material, dating back to the original Man-Thing story. It would be nice to have that stuff back in print.

Where I’ve been. What I’ve been up to. What I haven’t been up to.

Plus — several highly creative excuses for same!

Plus-plus — some news on the new DC project.

Check in again soon.

In a word: Democrats.

They can’t be this stupid, can they?

*CAN THEY–?!?*

Still recovering from the pneumonia, but I need to make note of this one event before any more time goes by:

Last Friday, September 15th, was among the most important days of my life. I saw my daughter Samantha that day for the first time in eighteen years.

What separated us for so long isn’t open for discussion here. I only want to report that Sam is a remarkable young woman whom I love very much, and of whom I am very, very proud.