T-shirt #323 - Robin #3 - Tim Drake - Logo

T-shirt #323 - Robin #3 - Tim Drake - Logo

This shirt was released when Tim Drake became Robin (Robin #3) in 1994, making it currently one of my oldest T-shirts still in closet and that still gets worn from time to time.

I have always been a huge fan of Robin, but more a fan of Richard "Dick" Grayson than of the Robin identity in particular.

As you can see two of my original MEGO Robin figures, seen in the pictures to the left, have seen better days. One is in an Aquaman costume and the other in some turtleneck from another action figure set entirely, though missing part of one leg.

I could not find a figure in an actual Robin costume in my stash of toys.

Though this shirt, and thus this blog, will be mostly about Tim Drake, I need to expend some content on the original Robin first.

I explained my fandom of Dick Grayson in what has become one of my most popular blog entries so far in the history of this little project: T-shirt #62: Nightwing.

Since its debut on May 22 (exactly two months since the debut of the blog) , my Nightwing page has received 129 visitors ("page views," which may not represent 129 different people and some are not people at all). This makes it fourth in the top five entries with the most page views.

Dick Grayson as Robin was the original leader of the Teen Titans, a team of superhero sidekicks and the adventures they had when not doing the sidekick bit.

As seen in these photos, and explained in the weekly comic list, I just used a gift certificate to buy the items I can be seen holding in the first picture. One is a book collecting Jim Starlin's Adam Warlock, which I will discuss in a future blog, and the other is the second volume (I already own the first) of the Silver Age stories of the Teen Titans.

I love the Teen Titans as I have already remarked on other occasions and will remark on again in the future. For now, I am working my way around to discussing Tim Drake Robin.

From the start, Bruce Wayne took in Dick Grayson (though he never adopted him officially, which has always rankled many fans) because the boy had suffered a similar tragedy, losing his parents. Bruce trained Robin not just to get revenge on his parents' killers but really as his replacement. Someday Batman would have to retire and Robin would take over as Batman.



But since Robin could not continue to be a "boy wonder" as an adult, eventually he gave up his identity as Robin and became Nightwing (as explained in my post T-shirt #62: Nightwing). Batman took on another boy, Jason Todd, as Robin, universally hated by comic fans, they all voted that he should be killed, and so DC killed him off. I never overly liked Jason Todd, but the whole story seemed motivated by selling comic books more than telling a good story.

From the WIKIPEDIA PAGE FOR JASON TODD: (highlights by me)

The vote was set up in the four-part story "A Death in the Family" that was published in Batman #426–429 in 1988. At the end of Batman #427, Todd was beaten by the Joker and left to die in an explosion. The inside back cover of the issue listed two 1-900 numbers that readers could call to vote for the character's death or survival. Within the 36-hour period allotted for voting, the poll received 10,614 votes. The verdict in favor of the character's death won by a slim margin of 5,343 votes to 5,271.^[10] The following issue of Batman, issue 428, was published featuring Todd's death. Years later, O'Neil would admit hundreds of votes in the "Jason Dies" line came from a single person, adding a large degree of uncertainty to the honesty of results regarding a poll designed to determine the character's popularity. "I heard it was one guy, who programmed his computer to dial the thumbs down number every ninety seconds for eight hours, who made the difference", O'Neil said in a Newsarama interview conducted alongside writer Judd Winick during the "Under The Hood" arc.^[11] Based on O'Neil's information, that figures out to 320 votes over eight hours from one person or roughly six percent of the death line's total calls. O'Neil would later repeat the claim with further specifics: "I heard it was a lawyer who was using a MacIntosh and lived in California — I obviously don’t have hard information on this, but I heard someone out there programmed his computer to dial it every couple of minutes, and since there was only about 65 votes that made the difference, if that story is true, that guy, that guy killed Jason Todd!"^[12]

Interior art of Batman #428 (1988): "A Death in the Family". Art by Jim Aparo.

Despite the poll results, O'Neil noted, "We did the deed, and we got a blast of hate mail and a blast of negative commentary in the press."^[13] A few comics creators voiced their displeasure at the event. Writer/artist Frank Miller, who had worked onBatman: The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One, said, "To me the whole killing of Robin thing was probably the ugliest thing I've seen in comics, and the most cynical."^[14] However, DC stood behind the outcome of the poll. O'Neil was quoted on the back cover of A Death in the Family trade paperback collecting the story with Todd's death as saying, "It would be a really sleazy stunt to bring him back."^[15] O'Neil would later regret his comment.^[16]

There was a degree of discontinuity between the Batman and Detective Comics titles with regards to the portrayal of Jason Todd. A great deal of adventures occurred post-Crisis which fit with the circus acrobat era and in some cases ran simultaneously in Detective as the street kid origin was being laid out in Batman. This led to a blackout of almost any Robin appearances in Detective. This became especially apparent after his death. Eleven months passed between Jason's death in Batman #428 and the first mention of his passing in Detective Comics #606.

In 1989 Denny O'Neil, Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick would introduce Tim Drake, who would later go on as the third Robin. Mindful of the poor reception Jason received from readers, O'Neil arranged for a more nuanced introduction in which Tim first introduced himself to Dick Grayson and impressed the former Robin with his skills and was revealed to share a history with Grayson. Batman himself would slowly grow to accept Tim as his new partner, although the memory of Jason would continue to play a heavy part in his behavior towards partners and how he trained Tim in the months building up to his official appearance as Robin.^[17][18]

Tim Drake, the subject of today's blog became the third Robin, and though two girls have filled in as Robin and one link farther below purports TEN different Robin characters (which seems a bit contrived simply to get a top ten list), there are technically only four, the fourth being Batman's actual son, Damian, who was recently killed in a Batman spin off book as I reported in T-shirt #7: Batman Incorporated.

But since Jason Todd was dead and brought back to life, it's likely that Damian Wayne will be resurrected at some point as well.

One last thing about Dick Grayson, I liked that while Batman was presumed dead after Final Crisis, Dick Grayson assumes the mantle, dons the cowl, and takes on the role of Batman for a time with young Damian as his sidekick. A new comic titled Batman and Robin was the main title examining Dick Grayson's work as Batman.

In the new 52, Nightwing (Dick Grayson) is in dire straits as a victim of the Crime Syndicate of Forever Evil. Damian Wayne is dead. Bruce Wayne is Batman. Jason Todd is the Red Hood leading a team of anti-heroes known as the Outlaws, and Tim Drake is Red Robin and leads the Teen Titans.





It's important to note that DC has re-launched its heroes line calling its comics THE NEW 52 (because the company released fifty-two new comics titles in a single month in in September of 2011. DC's NEW 52 is very selective about what history its keeping from its more recent post-Crisis stories (1985-2011) and its deeper past pre-Crisis stories (pre-1985).

The Batman stories are one area that the company has been more faithful to its history, accounting for all the previous Robin incarnations and histories, minus Stephanie Brown (seen in this blog as Tim Drake's girlfriend and briefly as Robin) and Cassandra Cain, whose histories have been erased.

Though I have enjoyed the run of Robin issues that told the story of Tim Drake (pre-the new 52), I am still a devoted and loyal, number one Richard Grayson as Robin/Nightwing (even as Batman) fan. I am unclear the status of the different characters to be Robin in Batman's life in the New 52. In the previous incarnation, Bruce Wayne never adopted any of the boys, and I do believe that Richard Grayson in recent issues of Forever Evil was referred to as Bruce Wayne's "ward." But in the previous incarnation, Bruce Wayne officially adopted Tim Drake, which the family angle that fans wanted to see with Grayson and even with Jason Todd.

And now a variety of links....

MY BATMAN RELATED ENTRIES SO FAR
These show entries in which Batman is in some way related to the shirt's image and/or text not entries in which I write about Batman, such as those in which I have reviewed the Batman comic book.

T-shirt #294 - The New Shirt - Darth Knight

T-shirt #232 - We Can Be Heroes - a DC Org

T-shirt #204 - Gotham City Police Department - SWAT

T-shirt #155: Batman by Alex Ross

T-shirt #94: Batman: The 1960s TV Show

T-shirt #62: Nightwing

T-shirt #57: Batman the Animated Series and my Mimobot

T-shirt #28: Batgirl (spoiler alerts)

T-Shirt #7: Batman Incorporated (Spoiler Alert!)

TIM DRAKE AS ROBIN RESOURCES
If you want further reading, the Comic Vine pages are much more extensive and complete than the Wikipedia pages.

TIM DRAKE ON WIKIPEDIA

TIM DRAKE ROBIN - COMIC VINE

TIM DRAKE ROBIN COMICS AT COMIC VINE

RATING THE BEST ROBIN - THREE TAKES ON THAT SCORE
I am not the only one ranking Robins. This seems to be a popular past time. I am amazed at the power of the Internet. I rarely fail to find an article addressing some idea I have. However, sadly, Richard Grayson is not number one in all of these polls, which is rather dubious.

WHO IS THE BEST ROBIN? - COMIC VINE

RANKING ROBINS - Newsarama

RANKING ROBINS - WHAT CULTURE

With the exception of a huge cover gallery this the extent of my Robin content for this post. There is so much history that I could write several more volumes. However, given that I am typing these words on 1402.23, sixteen days after I originally published this entry, my goal is just to have something completed that I can post via social media announcing it's complete.

WEEKLY COMICS LIST

Tough call this week with the rankings. When there's a comic book issue featuring Doctor Strange on the cover, I am strongly tempted to rank it very highly. After all, I LOVE Doctor Strange as described in T-shirt #119. But Simon Bianchi is not one of my favorite artists. If it had been Deodato or Greg Land, the New Avengers issue would have topped the list. But Bianchi's work drops it to the fifth place.

Here's a so-so review of the comic.

AVENGERS 014 REVIEW

Here's a nifty feature showing all the Marvel comics as they come out, week-to-week. There are other such pages hosted by other Internet sites.

MARVEL.COM-CALENDAR

Lazarus almost took the top slot. But both Green Arrow and Black Widow edge the Carlyle Lazarus because both comics are just a wee bit easier to read.

Really, the top three from this week are all more or less tied, but I have to read them in some order. In the end, the choice is somewhat arbitrary.

By fandom, I would have read the New Avengers first due to it Doctor Strange content. The issue was excellent despite my misgivings about the art. My main complaint with Hickman's Avengers is that he's trying to do too much. I do like huge earth shattering, potentially apocalyptic, conflicts, but not all the time. The strength of the Avengers has always been the human melodrama going on around the cosmic battles as well as a good mix of different conflicts and different kinds of stories. Hickman is over indulging in the space-faring, world-shattering, end of everything type scenarios to the exclusion of the characters, their stories, and some smaller less cataclysmic stories.

One of the strengths of New Avengers #014 is that it focused for the most part just on what Doctor Strange is doing to save the earth from complete destruction. Though it could have been more character focused, the story revealed a new piece of the plot, which could have serious and impressive consequences. Despite my criticisms, it's not like I am going to stop reading! :-)

COMICS FOR 1402.05

Green Arrow #28
Black Widow #003
Lazarus #6
Forever Evil #5 (of 7)
New Avengers #014
Mighty Avengers #006
All New Invaders #002
Captain America #016.NOW
Avengers AI #009
Iron Man #021
The Punisher #001
God is Dead #6
Codename: Action #5
Earth Two #20
Ms. Marvel #001
X-Men (Ghosts #1) #010.NOW
Batman: Detective Comics (Gothtopia) #28
Green Lantern #28 (flips with Red Lantern #28)
Sidekick #5
Apocalypse Al #1

BACKLOG

Action Comics #28
Fairest #23
Trillium #6

SPECIAL PURCHASES
- Using a gift certificate given to me by a close friend.

Warlock - The Complete Collection by Jim Starlin (trade paperback)

The Silver Age Teen Titans Archive - Volume Two

The Walking Dead Ten Year Anniversary T-shirt

ROBIN COVER GALLERY

COUNTDOWN TO END OF THE BLOG YEAR - 42 shirts remaining

- chris tower - first published - 1402.07 - 19:50
final publication - 1402.23 - 7:48

T-shirt #322 - Curious George Space Monkey

T-shirt #322 - Curious George Space Monkey

I clicked on the 1970s Nostalgia simply because I discovered Curious George with my sister when she was little starting in 1969. I do not recall having Curious George stories prior to her birth (though I may have) even though Curious George was published from 1941-1966 by "H.A. Rey," aka Hans Augusto Rey and Margret Rey.

I was never a huge fan of the TV adaptations or films.



But I do rather like the Jack Johnson album Sing-a-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George (2008). This is actually a good impetus to post some videos. Check them out farther below. I was a fan of this album even before meeting my wife, though she is a huge fan because is from Hawaii.


I have been in delay mode because my friend the Lord of Chaos has been visiting (seen in in pictures today and yesterday).

Because of his ties to the chaos realms, the Lord of Chaos also likes Curious George. When he was last here we reveled in our mutual affection of Underdog -- T-shirt #288 -- and it was from him that I obtained my QUISP shirt -- T-shirt #90. I group Curious George in a similar category of these types of childhood things.

Once again, I add to my category about letting go and growing up. Being adult does not mean that I stop liking Curious George.

In fact, Curious George is an excellent template FOR BEING ADULT. Many of the lessons that we need to guide us in life our found in our stories that are enjoyed by BOTH children and adults: Curious George, Winnie the Pooh, and Calvin and Hobbes.

Today's entry (mostly written two days later) is dedicated to things about which I am CURIOUS. Or more accurately, things about which I have been curious and sated my curiosity by investigating.

Or another way to express this theme is just all the stuff open in my browser right now and a few comic book covers.

Because there always must be comic book covers on this blog.

Is that a surprise?

Various thoughts....

I like pictures of the stuffed animals in the extreme foreground.

Liesel already owned a Christmas Tree ornament of the picture on the back of this T-shirt.

Right now, I feel like typing the following title because it pooped in my head (a typo I am not fixing):

The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

My dog just barked randomly. This happens sometimes. It should not happen when I am trying to take a drink of a full glass of liquid.

I am easily startled.

I have a spilling disorder.

I do not like dishes in the sink.

I often do not like to go buy groceries.

Today, the day I am writing this, which is Saturday, I had a massage.

The little stuffed Curious George has been stationed atop the daredevil toy box to the right of my current position in my office for sometime.

The larger Gund Curious George now sits atop the Kingdom Come Hawkman toy the left of my position.

I need little shelves high on the walls of my office to perch these toys. Once perched with toys, I will need the spray cans of air to blow dust off the toys.

I have not yet unpacked my small bobble head and plush beanie collection.

I have four bobble heads in my office: A Sleestak from The Land of the Lost, the Vision from The Avengers, Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet, and The B-9 Robot from Lost in Space (mint in box). I have a Harry Houdini and an Albert Einstein bobble among those packed in a box downstairs.

And now more curious items.

AMC Sets ‘Preacher’ Drama Adaptation With Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg & Sony TV

I have not read Preacher, so I am not sure how I feel about this. The news item simply provokes me to read Preacher. I have the first volume around here somewhere.

From the link above: "Preacher follows Reverend Jesse Custer, a tough Texas preacher who has lost his faith, has learned that God has left Heaven and goldbergrogenabandoned His responsibilities. He finds himself the only person capable of tracking God down, demanding answers, and making Him answer for His dereliction of duty. Accompanying Jesse on his journey is his former girlfriend and a friendly vampire who seems to prefer a pint in the pub to the blood of the innocent. On his tail is an immortal, unstoppable killing machine named the Saint of Killers – a western lone gunman archetype whose sole purpose is to hunt and kill Jesse."

Did I mention The Vision already?

Paul Bettany Cast as The Vision in THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

I am super excited that the VISION is going to be in the next Avengers movie. As I have already claimed, the Vision is one of my top five favorite non-franchise Marvel heroes.

As explained here: T-shirt #119: Doctor Strange.

The Doctor Strange blog entry was so huge that it bears repeating.
 The superhero list I made in that blog is important to this item and my excitement about the prospect of the Vision in the Avengers movie.

The story of the Vision and the Scarlet Witch falling in love and all the ramifications this pairing had in the Marvel Universe is the kind of story that the current Avengers comics are all lacking.

Trusting Joss Whedon to execute this properly as I do, I am thrilled to learn that these characters (plus the Witch's brother Quicksilver) will be in the movie as reported by your source for all that is nerd (and more): the blog of Charles Skaggs as linked above.

MARVEL TOP TWENTY NON-FLAGSHIP SUPERHEROES - MEN
Yes, here it is, the list you have been waiting for. It was difficult to make this list. I had to confine myself to male Marvel heroes who either did not have their own books or who had/have solo books but are not considered the pillars of the Franchise (like Spider-Man and Captain America). Doctor Strange heads the list.

1. Doctor Strange
2. The Silver Surfer
3. The Black Panther
4. The Vision
5. Adam Warlock
6. The Black Knight
7. Son of Satan
8. Iron Fist
9. Killraven
10. Falcon
11. Ka-Zar
12. Deathlok
13. Hawkeye
14. Black Bolt
15. Ghost Rider
16. 3D Man
17. Machine Man
18. Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu
19. Quasar
20. Captain Marvel

While I am delving, I noticed that the entry for  T-shirt #119: Doctor Strange also contained some content about the great game Magic the Gathering, which I have played three times in the last week due to the visit of the Lord of Chaos and my step-son Ivan's enjoyment of this particular game. I think that content bears repeating too.

MAGIC NOT MAGIC THE GATHERING

Given that I have written about my affection for and current playing of Dungeons and Dragons on this blog before, it should come as no surprise that I also played Magic the Gathering, the customizable "trading card" game. Though I think re-sale is a more accurate term as I have not seen so much trading where this game is concerned. I am not going to write about also playing Magic the Gathering, at least not today. In the mid-1990s, I was quite obsessed with the game. I made decks. I planned strategies. It all ruined a relationship (which was best in the long run).

So, at this point, I do not own a Magic the Gathering shirt, but you never know. If you have not figured this out, I like T-shirts.

Now, why am I mentioning MTG? Well, Dr. Strange is one of the most magic-oriented of superheroes, and magic makes me think of Magic The Gathering as well as the magic spells in D&D, the latter I borrowed many of the greater spellcaster/creators, such as Oshtur, Hoggoth, and the Vishanti for magic in the game. I mean, really, the "Crimson Bands of Cyttorak" and the "Flames of Faltine" are just too cool not to swipe and use in D&D.


DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING LINK OR CONTENT IF YOU HAVE NOT READ RED SHIRTS.

FX Adapting Sci-Fi Novel ‘Redshirts’ As Limited Series

I am very amused that Scalzi's book about how a 21st century TV show warps the reality of a future starship and its crew will be made into a 21st century TV show.

Is your mind blown, too?

OKAY YOU CAN START READING AGAIN.

For safe content on Red Shirts, check T-shirt #13 or read on. I am reprinting again.

If you have read to this point, then you are to be thanked. Whether you are a new reader or a returning reader, I am thankful for your patronage and for following my project. I promise not to keep you too much longer.

Scrolling back through the blog, you will find T-shirt #4 (The Gold Command shirt) and T-shirt #11 (The Blue Science/Medical shirt). As I confessed in those blogs, when the ad from NoMoreRack on Facebook snared me, I bought all three shirts. And, so, today April third, I feature the red shirt.

This shirt has special importance as I am just now finishing the audio edition of John Scalzi'sRed Shirts, which is  narrated by Wil Wheaton. The novel has been nominated for one of SF's most prestigious awards: the Hugo Award for Best Novel. Scalzi is an excellent writer. With a fusion of influences from Star Trek to Heinlein, he is a funny, original, entertaining, and deftly-skilled writer of some of the best science fiction being published today. He is releasing his latest novel, The Human Division, as a multi-part series of episodes released via Kindle each week on Tuesday. I am also reading those and enjoying them immensely. Check out my Good Reads page for more information and mini-reviews.

Red Shirts, the novel, is hilarious on its own. Wil Wheaton's narration amps up the hilarity to 11 (on a scale of 1-10). If you take my recommendation and check out this book (and audio), then you may also love the retread of the inspiration for the Ewoks: Fuzzy Nation (also by Scalzi and also narrated by Wheaton).

For more from SCALZI himself and his fun blog called "Whatever" (and please note, Scalzi enjoys pie), look here:

SCALZI ON RED SHIRTS TV SHOW

It's actually safe to read the Scalzi bits if you have not read Red Shirts because Scalzi, unlike FX, does not SPOIL plot elements of Red Shirts in his blog post.

Okay, here's the last thing. I am burying this here because I am concerned about offending people. I don't think what I share should offend people. But I did not post to Facebook because I am just not interested in comments or fall out. Though do not let such an admission stop you, if you want to leave a comment here. I get so few.

I am just being lazy and pasting in the Wikipedia entry on Porpentine (which is archaic for porcupine).
It also provides contrast to break up my sections as it's the Wiki page. For references, follow the link to Wikipedia.

Porpentine (game designer)From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Porpentine is a feminist video game designer, writer and curator. She is primarily a developer of hypertext games and interactive fiction.^[1] Alongside VVVVVV developer Terry Cavanagh and several others, she is an editor for freeindiegam.es, a curated collection of free, independently produced games.^[2][3] She is a columnist for online PC gaming magazine Rock, Paper, Shotgun.^[4]Game design[edit]Porpentine's games are mainly built using Twine.
Howling Dogs[edit]Porpentine's 2012 Twine game Howling Dogs incorporates themes of escapism, violence and religious experience, though she has stated that it should be open to interpretation.^[5] It won the 2012 XYZZY awards in the "Best story" and "Best writing" categories.^[6] The Boston Phoenix listed it as one of their "Top 5 indie games of 2012".^[7]During the 2013 Game Developers Conference, game designer Richard Hofmeier vandalised the booth he had been given to showcase his award-winning game Cart Life, spray-painting the words "Howling Dogs". He stated he wished to give greater exposure to Porpentine's game.^[8][9]Jump up

I came across the following via, who else, WARREN ELLIS. This person, who goes by the Twitter handle of PORPENTINE is selling a "cute cyber book" called MY WITCH ANCESTORS DIED FOR MY RIGHT TO FUCK SATAN, I think, mainly, just to get your attention. Did it work?

The book itself (at least so far) is a strange collection of art images and writings that meld computer game lingo, strange colors, sex talk, and other ephemera into an eclectic and quite strange whole. I was curious so I purchased.

Check it here: LINK TO CUTE CYBER BOOK.

"WRONG TURN" - JACK JOHNSON

"THE SHARING SONG"- JACK JOHNSON

HIATUS TEXT: I am taking a short hiatus. A "hiatus" for the 365 T-shirts Blog does not mean that there will not be shirts or that I will skip posting on any forthcoming day. There will be shirts. But the shirts will not be exciting or the featured shirts will not require me to write a small novel to properly generate the content I feel is sufficient. I created a category for my hiatus so as to group together those "easy" shirts that I consider to be "hiatus shirts." The goal of the hiatus is to fill in many blog days with easy shirts in order to complete longer love letters to beloved popular culture icons on more special shirts and to write more complex entries AHEAD OF TIME. The daily grind is becoming too much and causing me to fall behind and to be forced to post incomplete entries. I am hoping that a series of hiatus shirts will allow me to catch up, get ahead, and stay ahead. Ideally, I would like to be writing the bulk of each entry three days ahead while always working on at least one other. I have a lot of great shirts to share before the end of my blog year (after all I was just given SIXTEEN shirts for my birthday). Stay tuned. I promise to post the more interesting and longer T-shirt entries as I finish them. Thanks for reading. BTW, this is the standard HIATUS TEXT that I will include in every "hiatus shirt" entry.

COVER GALLERY

These are just covers (and one splash page) that I downloaded lately from various sources. Random set. No theme. CURIOUS? Enjoy.

Iron Fist #11 - John Byrne art - today's posts - Blogger

Jan 20, 2014

Iron Fist v1 #11 - John Byrne art: Rating and review by Pencil Ink, a vintage comic book artists blog & checklist.

http://pencilink.blogspot.com/

NEW AVENGERS (2010) #11 (THOR HOLLYWOOD VARIANT)
Published: April 13, 2011
Rating: T+
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Cover Artist: Amanda Conner
The past comes crashing into the present as the secret history of Nick Fury and the Avenger Initiative has come to haunt the New Avengers in the modern day. As one of the Avengers lays near death ... more

Power Man and Iron Fist #50 - John Byrne art - today's posts - Blogger

May 10, 2013

Power Man v1 #50, 1978 - The masthead heralds the beginning of a new partnership between the two heroes. Having his innocence finally proven, this special issue briefly retells Power Man's origin from Luke Cage, Hero for ...

http://pencilink.blogspot.com/

X-men #63 - Neal Adams art & cover - today's posts - Blogger

Feb 03, 2014

X-men v1 #63, 1969 - Magneto reveals himself as he begins his conquest of the Savage Land. In response, the X-men join forces with the jungle lord Ka-Zar. Neal Adams' cover hints at the birth of a newly created mutant ...

http://pencilink.blogspot.com/

Jim Starlin cover - today's posts - Blogger

Nov 23, 2011

Astonishing Tales v1 #16 featuring Ka-Zar, 1972 - Bursting through a comics page, Ka-Zar and his saber-tooth tiger Zabu reach out towards the reader in true heroic fashion. Jim Starlin's figures appear more cohesive due to ...

http://pencilink.blogspot.com/

House of Mystery #203 - Nestor Redondo, Bernie ... - today's posts

Jun 08, 2008

House of Mystery v1 #203, 1972 - Nestor Redondo's lengthiest DC tale yet tells of a crooked real estate tycoon and a rotund, mysterious old woman. Nicely illustrated in his classical style, the story's highlight is a montage ...

http://pencilink.blogspot.com/

Iron Fist #10 - John Byrne art - today's posts - Blogger

Jan 30, 2014

Iron Fist v1 #10 - John Byrne art: Rating and review by Pencil Ink, a vintage comic book artists blog & checklist.

http://pencilink.blogspot.com/

Witching Hour #21 - non-attributed Nestor Redondo art - today's posts

Jan 28, 2014

Witching Hour v1 #21, 1972 - After finding treasure in an old Italian church, two GIs vow to return after the war to claim it. Nestor Redondo opens with an exceptional opening splash. The incessant barrage of enemy artillery ...

http://pencilink.blogspot.com/

COUNTDOWN TO END OF THE BLOG YEAR - 43 shirts remaining

- chris tower - first published - 1402.06 - 9:59
Final Publication - 1402.08 - 20:22

T-shirt #321 - Zoo: Kalamazoo College

T-shirt #321 - Zoo: Kalamazoo College

Eventually, there have to be some short entries.

My best friend the Lord of Chaos, also known as Tom Meyers, has been visiting, again, for the last week, which means less time for work, for blog, but more play time and time for family.

For instance, yesterday, after we visited my parents, Tom and I played Magic the Gathering with Ivan.

We already managed one stint of Dungeons and Dragons (IE. Pathfinder) as noted in Sunday's short blog entry. Assuming I can blow through my work in record time, I am hoping to secure time to play more tomorrow before he flies back east (Massachusetts) on Friday.

Tom and I went to Kalamazoo College together, and even though I am a year older, we graduated together in 1985.

It was meant to be. I was meant to graduate with the 1985 class. They were the better class (sorry Elaine! Not you, obviously...).

I have written about Kalamazoo College already, and I will surely write about it again as I have more K shirts to share. So that's all for now.

T-shirt #100 - Kalamazoo College

T-shirt #258 - Kalamazoo College Grey Under Armor

More to come...

HIATUS TEXT: I am taking a short hiatus. A "hiatus" for the 365 T-shirts Blog does not mean that there will not be shirts or that I will skip posting on any forthcoming day. There will be shirts. But the shirts will not be exciting or the featured shirts will not require me to write a small novel to properly generate the content I feel is sufficient. I created a category for my hiatus so as to group together those "easy" shirts that I consider to be "hiatus shirts." The goal of the hiatus is to fill in many blog days with easy shirts in order to complete longer love letters to beloved popular culture icons on more special shirts and to write more complex entries AHEAD OF TIME. The daily grind is becoming too much and causing me to fall behind and to be forced to post incomplete entries. I am hoping that a series of hiatus shirts will allow me to catch up, get ahead, and stay ahead. Ideally, I would like to be writing the bulk of each entry three days ahead while always working on at least one other. I have a lot of great shirts to share before the end of my blog year (after all I was just given SIXTEEN shirts for my birthday). Stay tuned. I promise to post the more interesting and longer T-shirt entries as I finish them. Thanks for reading. BTW, this is the standard HIATUS TEXT that I will include in every "hiatus shirt" entry.

COUNTDOWN TO END OF THE BLOG YEAR - 44 shirts remaining

- chris tower - 1402.05 - 19:03

T-shirt #320 - Back-to-Back-Dogwood-Updike&Oates

T-shirt #320 - Back-to-Back - the Dogwood Festival - John Updike & Joyce Carol Oates


Today's shirt comes from an event held by the Dogwood Fine Arts Festival in 1994, which means the shirt is now twenty years old. The Dogwood Festival is a great arts event that is primarily known for its annual writer in residence program, in which a famous and well-published writer is brought in to give a talk and participate in various community events, including some classroom visits in the schools of Dowagiac, Michigan, where the festival is located. This feature a back-to-back event the Dogwood hosted in 1994 hosting both John Updike and Joyce Carol Oates within days of each other. I was lucky enough to attend and to write coverage for the Kalamazoo Gazette. The Dogwood gave me this T-shirt as part of the promotional materials to help me write my features and reviews.

Over the years, I have enjoyed the privilege of seeing many great writers at Dogwood, including Kurt Vonnegut, Michael Cunningham, Jonathan Franzen, Sara Paretsky, Michael Chabon, and my favorite author Margaret Atwood. One of the things I LOVE about the Dogwood Festival is that the authors are not allowed to read from their work in their public address presentation. The only caveat is that the talk must be about something of interest to the author.

Vonnegut's talk is one of the most memorable. He explained that we are put on this earth to fart around. He gave many examples of running errands in his neighborhood in New York, chatting up the store owners and postal workers and others he encounters in his stroll around the few blocks near his apartment. Because of her father's career and background, Atwood talked about science, mainly entomology, which was wonderful. Peppered with her experiences taking summer vacations deep in the northern Canadian "bush," Atwood painted lovely pictures and provoked all kinds of interesting things to think about.

I was disappointed with Michael Chabon's talk as he pontificated about his achievement of reading James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake and his study and contemplation about its slippery meaning. I was not very engaged with his content, which had little resonance for those of us (and I would guess nearly everyone if not strictly everyone in the room) who had not read Finnegan's Wake. Like most English literature students, I had tried to read it in college but soon gave up because of the daunting, seemingly indecipherable, text.

Throughout Chabon's twisty, erudite, somewhat inscrutable lecture, I kept thinking to Vonnegut, who had made us laugh with his simple and very true aphorism: we are here on this earth to fart around.

I was going to write about more books, but I am keeping with the shortness.

A WONDERFUL BOOK I HAVE READ RECENTLY

I just finished Gadget Girl by my friend Suzanne Kamata. It's a year for friends with books as another friend, Helene Dunbar, has a book coming out this spring, and then Suzanne has a second book coming out. I was excited to find out from Suzanne that she is already working on another book following the success of this one, a sequel of sorts.

I loved Gadget Girl. Once I really got going with the book, it was a real page turner, and I could not put it down. Aiko Cassidy is smart and sassy, and a real inspiration for young artists finding themselves. The story moves along, and Kamata's deft, literary sensibilities craft a riveting yet well-told story.

Here's text from Suzanne Kamata's website about Gadget Girl:

Aiko Cassidy is fourteen and lives with her sculptor mother in a small Midwestern town. For most of her young life Aiko, who has cerebral palsy, has been her mother's muse. But now, she no longer wants to pose for the sculptures that have made her mother famous and have put food on the table. Aiko works hard on her own dream of becoming a great manga artist with a secret identity. When Aiko's mother invites her to Paris for a major exhibition of her work, Aiko at first resists. She'd much rather go to Japan, Manga Capital of the World, where she might be able to finally meet her father, the indigo farmer. When she gets to France, however, a hot waiter with a passion for manga and an interest in Aiko makes her wonder if being invisible is such a great thing after all. And a side trip to Lourdes, ridiculous as it seems to her, might just change her life.

Gadget Girl began as a novella published in Cicada. The story won the SCBWI Magazine Merit Award in Fiction and was included in an anthology of the best stories published in Cicada over the past ten years.

"With GADGET GIRL, Suzanne Kamata beautifully captures the essence of what it feels like when you're learning to be who you already are."
                                 --Andrea J. Buchanan, author of GIFT and coauthor of NY TIMES best-seller THE                                                                                                                    DARING BOOK FOR GIRLS

"Anyone who has ever longed to come into their own will love Gadget Girl."
                                                                              -Leza Lowitz, author of Jet Black and The Ninja Wind

THE BOOKS I AM READING NOW

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Story - Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee

Rama II - The Sequel to Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee

BOOKS I AM PLANNING TO READ

For the Win by Cory Doctorow

BOOKS I AM PLANNING TO RE-READ

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Children of Dune by Frank Herbert

Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

HIATUS TEXT: I am taking a short hiatus. A "hiatus" for the 365 T-shirts Blog does not mean that there will not be shirts or that I will skip posting on any forthcoming day. There will be shirts. But the shirts will not be exciting or the featured shirts will not require me to write a small novel to properly generate the content I feel is sufficient. I created a category for my hiatus so as to group together those "easy" shirts that I consider to be "hiatus shirts." The goal of the hiatus is to fill in many blog days with easy shirts in order to complete longer love letters to beloved popular culture icons on more special shirts and to write more complex entries AHEAD OF TIME. The daily grind is becoming too much and causing me to fall behind and to be forced to post incomplete entries. I am hoping that a series of hiatus shirts will allow me to catch up, get ahead, and stay ahead. Ideally, I would like to be writing the bulk of each entry three days ahead while always working on at least one other. I have a lot of great shirts to share before the end of my blog year (after all I was just given SIXTEEN shirts for my birthday). Stay tuned. I promise to post the more interesting and longer T-shirt entries as I finish them. Thanks for reading. BTW, this is the standard HIATUS TEXT that I will include in every "hiatus shirt" entry.

COUNTDOWN TO END OF THE BLOG YEAR - 45 shirts remaining

- chris tower - FIRST PUBLISHED - 1402.04 - 19:46
Final Publication - 1402.05 - 19:26

T-shirt #319 - Ultimate Centrals Regionals 2001 Orange Shirt

T-shirt #319 - Ultimate Centrals Regionals 2001 Orange Shirt

Yes, another Ultimate shirt. And why not? It's Ultimate Mondays.

I featured the blue version and long sleeved shirt of this design and from this tournament in T-shirt #277.


I am still in hiatus mode. But I am also still behind schedule and struggling to work ahead.

Is there really anything to say about this shirt? Not really. It's a nice burnt orange color, unlike the blue one I shared in T-shirt #277.

Today, a bit of text to make a post-Super Bowl point and a bunch of pictures. Atop the blog today, a stack of shirts waiting to be photographed (with me in them). Just a little preview of what's to come because this is the 365 T-shirts blog. I like having a lot of pictures in the folder ready to go. I also like choosing a shirt just for that day and getting the photos once the inspiration strikes. But as I close in on the end of the blog year, I suspect I will be a little less motivated by inspiration. In fact, soon, I may have an accurate count of how many shirts I have left. I suspect I have more than the number remaining in my year, which is forty-six.

On winning and attracting and receiving

The Super Bowl from last night was very disappointing, especially since I picked Denver, and Seattle spanked them 43-8. I feel badly for Peyton Manning.

People claim that prayer works. There's actual evidence that focusing positive energy on an outcome affects the outcome. This concept reminds me of a movie called The Secret, which I have seen several times. The film purports to be a documentary about the secret to prosperity, which is the law of attraction. There's some good content in the movie, and I have written about it the times I have written about gratitude (such as here in T-shirt #252).

I am more interested in the way to attract love and positive things rather using this secret to attract money. However, one person interviewed described envisioning checks in the mail rather than bills, and when he did, checks started to arrive, money for him in his mailbox, rather than bills to pay. I always thought this was an  stupid example, especially since the guy is an INVESTMENT BANKER.
So, of course, he's going to get checks in the mail.

Lately, I have been waiting for a check to arrive. I visualized daily, and ever day, for over a month, there were no checks. Then finally, today, there was a check. I think this shows that the mind attracts when it is NOT FOCUSED on the thing desired. Serendipity is much more powerful than visualizing and attracting and receiving consciously. This connects to how I met Liesel. I had been looking for love so much and had received so little. And then, when I did not expect it, when I was not looking, my life totally changed.

There's a power of the Collective Unconscious at work here, but the attraction, the magic, happens as a result of the consciousness turning AWAY from the thing desired and not actively desiring it. Only when the mind is occupied elsewhere can the thing materialize.

This also proves that Denver may win the Super Bowl next year.

And now some pictures.

On the left, a "selfie" from today. This is the shirt I am actually wearing. I am anticipating the release of the Veronica Mars movie, which is March 14.

Below, I have included a picture of my pal Tom Meyers (the Loc or Lord of Chaos), my wife Liesel, and me at Food Dance from Friday night January 31st celebrating good news that Liesel received that day (which may not yet be for public transmission) and Tom's imminent interview with a prospective employer.




Next, because I am a bit obsessive about documentation, I have several pictures of my birthday cards (also Ivan's cards as he is a "grandson"). My family has always been big on cards. I wrote about the card Liesel gave me in T-shirt #302: Green Lantern.

The next two pictures document the upcoming T-shirts to some extent. The first picture shows the stacks in my office and the recent gifts of cool, retro, re-issue toys and a Star Trek game.

There are not enough Satchel pictures on my blog. The last image is one that I found on the Internet to go in my first computer program in my C# programming class.

HIATUS TEXT: I am taking a short hiatus. A "hiatus" for the 365 T-shirts Blog does not mean that there will not be shirts or that I will skip posting on any forthcoming day. There will be shirts. But the shirts will not be exciting or the featured shirts will not require me to write a small novel to properly generate the content I feel is sufficient. I created a category for my hiatus so as to group together those "easy" shirts that I consider to be "hiatus shirts." The goal of the hiatus is to fill in many blog days with easy shirts in order to complete longer love letters to beloved popular culture icons on more special shirts and to write more complex entries AHEAD OF TIME. The daily grind is becoming too much and causing me to fall behind and to be forced to post incomplete entries. I am hoping that a series of hiatus shirts will allow me to catch up, get ahead, and stay ahead. Ideally, I would like to be writing the bulk of each entry three days ahead while always working on at least one other. I have a lot of great shirts to share before the end of my blog year (after all I was just given SIXTEEN shirts for my birthday). Stay tuned. I promise to post the more interesting and longer T-shirt entries as I finish them. Thanks for reading. BTW, this is the standard HIATUS TEXT that I will include in every "hiatus shirt" entry.

COUNTDOWN TO END OF THE BLOG YEAR - 46 shirts remaining

- chris tower - first published - 1402.03 - 20:11
final publication - 1402.04 - 8:11
(ooooh... weird synchronicity. Blog entry and update published 12 hours apart!)