Monday, May 30, 2016

KILL IT WITH FIRE!



My apologies to everyone on the Eastern Seaboard. At approximately 7:45 PM on May 30th you heard a series of startled cries calling forth the whole of humanity to save the human issuing them. The cries, no doubt, stirred within you the image of what it might sound like for a child to watch in horror as a monster drags itself from under its bed. A bed its parents, only minutes before, had looked under to assure the child he or she was safe.

That was me. 

I was mowing in my back field. I had just guided my riding mower around a pine tree and in doing so I also guided my face directly into a large, thick spider web. The web, my mind had made quick note of, was occupied. 

Totally as I pictured it.

The probable reality of the situation. Sorry little spider!


The next few seconds are a blur. I know I yelled. I know my years of martial arts training kicked in because I was suddenly being struck in the face. In hindsight, I was hitting myself. In fairness, I was very certain my strikes were too late and the arachnid was already digging into my flesh to lay its hellish eggs in my nasal cavity. And I am pretty sure it had a gun. BUT! If I could save myself, then black eyes were a small price to pay. I’m typing this so I can only assume the blows worked and I saved myself a terrible fate.

I just thought you would want to know what all the yelling (flavored with a pinch of laughing) was about. 

Be seeing you,

Sam

PS. My thanks to the creators of the memes, whomever they may be.

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Settle down, fellow nerds. (Updated August 2017)

 This is what I have to about say a certain piece of recent comics buzz.


turns into


Ants. Why did it have to be Ants.

in no time flat before being replaced by yet another new twist to the character's canon.

Comics are a business. Businesses thrive on buzz because buzz = free adverting and attention.  Villains turn into heroes. Heroes turn into villains. New angles are measured and new paths are worn clear. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes the goal is trying something new. Sometimes the goal is sales and attention with logic and quality thrown overboard to hungry sharks. Classic characters generally gravitate back toward the classic, my fiends. 

Relax. Be patient. 

Cap is a hot property right now so he's going to get attention and he's going to be a tool of getting YOUR attention. Remember how dead Superman stayed?

Let the story play out. If it sells you can expect more. If not, then so long and don't let the door hit you on the way out. Maybe the story will all make sense and be worth your time. Maybe Nick Spencer knows what he is doing.

Personally, all I care about is quality and originally. Those two words are the key to my wallet. I'm holding judgement until I know more. If it is a good story I will buy it. If it is BUZZ for the sake of BUZZ then you won't pull a dime from my cold, dead fingers.

Just saying.

Be seeing you,

Sam

!UPDATE! Yes, I am fully aware of the social and historical reasons for Captain America's creation and how this "change" is a huge affront to it. I've seen posts that go into depth about on this point and yes the historical aspect leaves a poor taste in my mouth. I'm just not convinced this is a real change. This smacks to me of BUZZ for the sake of BUZZ. And those changes never last, folks. Especially when the negative reactions pile up thick and deep. This may remembered in the future largely thanks to some "Top Ten Worst Changes to a Comic Character" list.

Here's an article I found today which delves into the heart of the matter. 

 MARVEL On CAPTAIN AMERICA/HYDRA Hubbub: 'Not Every Story Is For Every Reader'

8/30/17 UPDATE! - See? What did I tell you? Order is restored. God-like character fixed what God-like character broke. 'Nuff said, true believer! Excelsior!

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Many thanks to all my readers.

Every milestone my blog hits is most appreciated and some days very unexpected. The internet is an ocean. I don't think it is hyperbole to use such an analogy. I am always thrilled when someone finds their way to the shores of my island. I hope they enjoy their stay. I hope they laugh and learn or just feel they aren't wasting their time online.

So...THANK YOU!

And thank you for making this reference apply to more than just my own personal power level.



Be seeing you.
-Sam
 

Friday, May 20, 2016

The World is but a Stage(coach) for Mary



On April 16, 2016 the US Treasury announced Harriet Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill. You may have caught a news blip about it or saw a meme or two flitter across your social media steam. Originally, the Treasury was considering a redesign and persona change on the $10 bill, but it turns out Alexander Hamilton is still popular. (Suck it, Aaron Burr.) Andrew Jackson on the other hand, well, not so much.  

 
Agent Smith?


Or Aaron Burr? You decide.

Back to Harriet.

As news of the resign spread over the Interwebs, so did images of Harriet. Including this one, which made into to my own social media feeds and immediately caught my eye.


You see, this is not Harriet Tubman. 

Meet Mary Fields, or as she was became known during her life, Stagecoach Mary. Mary has been enjoying a bit of a popularity spike these last few years. I suspect that’s why her photo accidentally made it into the mix of a much more widely known historical figure. For example, most of the online articles I found detailing her life were written within the last few years. I take this as a good thing. It means more people are learning about this interesting and very tough woman. And it doesn’t hurt that AMC’s post-Civil War western Hell on Wheels featured Mary in their final season, as portrayed by Amber Chardae Robinson. I’ll give you a bit of her life story so you’ll understand what I mean.

I read several conflicting versions of her life so please don’t take my summary as etched in stone, or etched in blog as the case may be. Most of my keyboard research found slight variations of the same generic narrative. Search “Stagecoach Mary” on your engine of choice and you’ll see what I mean. At the end of the piece I’ll list a few sites that had quite a lot to say about her that the others did not. Much of that I did not include because I have no way of knowing if their information is sound.  

Mary, like Harriet, was born into slavery. Most sites put her DOB as the year 1832. What is generally agreed upon is that after the Civil War Mary moved to Toledo, Ohio and began working in a Catholic convent of the Ursuline order. Here Mary befriended Mother Mary Amadeus (what a great name) who was the head or Mother Superior of the convent.

They can see in dark. No joke.


Here’s where things get a bit interesting. Most sites state Mary was employed by Edmund Dunne in Mississippi in the early 1880’s. Mother Amadeus was Edmund’s sister. When Mrs. Dunne died of pneumonia, Mary brought their five children to Toledo, Ohio to live with Mother Amadeus and the two became friends. I found this story on many sites. However, some hinted at a much earlier, much less comfortable connection between Mary and the Dunne’s. According to some sites Mary and Mother Amadeus (a white woman) were childhood friends. That would have meant from when Mary was a slave. In fact, according to Ursuline archives, Mary met Mother Amadeus when the Warner family who owned her (I hate typing sentences like that, but history is what history is.) married into the Dunne’s[i]. The girls then may have stayed in contact even after slavery was ended. We have no primary resource from either party that I could find so I can’t say if the two met before 1883. That’s the problem with oral history. Not very reliable.

What is known with fair certainty is that both women were fond of each other for years to come. By 1884 Mother Amadeus had been sent to the Cascade, Montana area to help establish missionary schools when she became ill from pneumonia. Mother Amadeus sent word to Mary of her condition and Mary rushed to her side. Mary settled in the area and was employed at the mission for almost ten years. At six feet tall and 200 lbs., Mary was a force to be reckoned with. Anecdotes abound around her cigar smoking, gun carrying, wolf killing, fist fighting, whiskey enjoying ways, but just as many exist around her remarkable work ethic. She was said to be highly organized, well respected by most of the local men and laborers, versed in resource management, a decent carpenter, fond of wearing pants, routinely traveled a 100+ mile route for supplies, and more than willing to do whatever was needed to get the job done. Still, not everyone liked her.

Her decade of service came to an end after a worker became angry at a woman giving him orders (And in some accounts being paid less than her. Poor baby.). He got in Mary’s face and made threats. Bad move. It was commonly know that Mary carried a pistol and was a good shot. The man fled after a well-placed bullet whizzed past his face. When the Bishop heard the tale of gunplay at his mission, he demanded Mary be dismissed despite none of the locals finding fault with her action. Nevertheless, she was let go. She did not go far, however, as Mother Amadeus helped her open a restaurant in Cascade. It only lasted about eight to ten months, according to most tellings, because Mary never refused service for lack of money. At approximately 60 years of age, Mary suddenly needed a job. Enter the US Postal Service.

By most accounts, the job requirements were 1. Reliability 2. Trustworthiness 3. The ability to hitch a team of horses faster than any of the other applicants. She beat all the men who vied for the job and wrote her name in the history books as the first African American woman to work for the US Postal Service. It was here she earned her nickname Stagecoach over about eight years of stellar service. It was said when the snow was too deep she carried the mail over her shoulder and used snowshoes. It was definitely known was that when Montana passed a law forbidding women in saloons, the mayor granted her an exception.[ii]

By the time she was about 70 (she never knew her real birthdate) age was catching up to even her tough frame. It was 1903 and her lifelong friend Mother Amadeus had been sent to Alaska to continue her missionary work. She opened a laundry for a time, babysat, and reportedly became a huge fan of the local baseball team. She passed away in 1914 to the sadness of the community and her many friends. 



Stagecoach Mary. The name is custom made for admission into the mythology of the West. Her story is dashed with nearly superhuman feats -depending on who your choice of sources- coupled with very real, very human loyalty and generosity to those around her. Forget the guns, booze, and the ability to out-work, and out-fight anyone in the territory. Mary Fields was born into a horrible, evil situation and rose to become a living legend by being herself. That’s why I remember her. Perhaps as you read more about her and the stories surrounding her you’ll find a different reason to remember her. A reason that speaks to you. It really doesn’t matter which one, as long as she is remembered and her lessons are passed on.

Be seeing you,
Sam

P.S. Here are some of the sites I mentioned earlier. Enjoy.


Sunday, May 8, 2016

Happy Mother's Day!



Happy Mothers' Day to all the Mom's everywhere. You know who you are. You cleaned up puke swearing under your breath and not out loud. You spent years cutting the crust off bread. You are currently trying your hardest to help your child with a subject you hated in school and which only brings back memories of a teacher you hated even more than the subject. You never walk away for more than a few minutes and that's only for the safety of the child who just wiped poop on the wall, and floor, and couch, and television. You'd kill to save your child and sleep well knowing tomorrow you'd do it again despite the temper tantrums your child seems to LOVE throwing in the grocery store. You give hugs, kiss ouches, make yucky medicine taste good, and are the ones kids cry for in the night when they have bad dreams. You are MOM. You make life happen even if that life didn't come from you. 

You. Rock.

Monday, May 2, 2016

I'd buy that for a dollar!

This was a pleasant surprise after a very unpleasant day.

http://www.ebay.com/dsc/cyberspacecomics/m.html?_nkw=%22strongarm+labs%22&LH_TitleDesc=1&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25&_mPrRngCbx=1&_udhi=&_udlo=

What's this, you ask? Why an eBay listing for three of the first comics Mark and I produced in the late 2000's! Where and how eBay seller http://www.ebay.com/usr/cyberspacecomics found these I have no idea.

Did they come from one collection? I'm assuming so. We had a very small run of these produced. We did end up with a few more thanks to the local Kinko's who printed them. The thick card stock we selected for these ashcan sized books was difficult to work with and the manager gave us more copies due to the number of misprints and binding issues.

Did they come from our very first show in Philly?

NERD!
Impossible. This Wizard World show featured but one book and a few of Mark's posters. I love how barren and colorless our first table looked.

Hey everyone! It's Mark! WORK FASTER, DAMN YOU!
I'm guessing it was from someone who stopped but the table at The New York Comic Con.

That's better.
I'm assuming this because the eBay vendor is out of New Jersey.

What has me full of wonder is how the prices came about? Why are they priced differently?! Ha! I mean, The Haunting House is our favorite on several levels, but that should make no difference to the vendor even if they somehow knew that. Sure, we get killed in it, but I don't see that making for a higher price. What? You never wrote a story where you and your BFF get offed by ghosts in a allegorical examination of the logical paradoxes of a haunted structure?

Anyway, thank you for indulging me in this brief skip down memory lane. Have a great night, everyone.

Be seeing you,

-Sam

Sunday, May 1, 2016

And on a confusing note...


As seen in Saratoga Springs.

Under a second floor window.

If you can unravel this mystery wrapped in an enigma before whatever emergency might arise that requires a window ledge to save us all then please let the rest of us know. Thank you.

Be seeing you,

-Sam

Geek Moms and Geek Dads

Hi Everyone!

 I want to pass along two intertwined blog sites I stumbled across that have been spreading Geek Goodness to Geek Moms and Geek Dads for almost ten years.

Geek Dad



And


They offer news, reviews, and up to date information on subjects that make a Geek's heart beat. Check them out if they are new to you.

Be seeing you,

Sam