In a few hours, we’ll officially be out of the realm of the theoretical. It’ll be interesting to hear what all of you have to say once you’ve read COUNTDOWN TO MYSTERY #1. Feel free to comment here.
As you may have heard, Rudy Giuliani got up a fine dudgeon over MoveOn.org’s “General Betray Us” ad and took out an ad of his own in the *New York Times* attacking both MoveOn and Hillary Clinton, who had nothing to do with the ad but, in Giuliani’s view, failed to condemn it enough.
Okay, my take, very quickly: MoveOn really should leave the schoolyard name-calling to right-wing talk radio. The left should make every effort never to sink to Rush Limbaugh’s level. There were ways to make use of the same idea (and even the phrase “betray us”) without calling names.
On the other hand, MoveOn has now produced a TV spot on Rudy Giuliani that is pure brilliance (and all true). This is the kind of stuff they *should* be doing:
Starocotes reports that Newsarama has already posted a six-page preview of the first Doctor Fate chapter.
I strongly suspect that in his final attempt to have all things his way until 1/20/09, George Bush grossly overplayed his hand Thursday night. I also have a horrible hunch that a lot of people whose names aren’t Bush may pay for his arrogance, cowardice, and messianic zeal with their lives.
I hope to fucking hell I’m wrong.
I’ve done interviews on Doctor Fate for Newsarama and Wizard’s website.
I’ll let you know when they’re posted.
It’s been an odd time. I’ve been dealing with a new antidepressant, a creative crisis, a painful realization or two (some wounds really don’t heal), and, as of last night, a combination computer and financial meltdown.
Loads of fun, not your problem.
I’ll resurface sooner or later.
How you get from Take 1 to Take 12 (not the final) of “Help!”.
And other ditties.
Apparently, I’m one of the eleven people not employed by the production who regret that HBO has canceled “John from Cincinnati”. So it goes.
Even if you despised the show, though, there are two songs from the soundtrack that you have to check out if you’ve never heard them before. One is the opening theme, “Johnny Appleseed”, by Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros. The other is Bob Dylan’s “Series of Dreams”, which is used in the opening scene of the final episode. Follow the links above to hear them on Rhapsody.com. (You’ll need to sign up for a free introductory account.)
You can find the lyrics — which are every bit as powerful as the music — here for “Johnny Appleseed” and here for “Series of Dreams”.
The overall title of the eight-part Doctor Fate story arc in COUNTDOWN TO MYSTERY is “More Pain Comics”, a mildly perverse tip of the helmet to the title in which Fate made his 1940s debut:
