Evil, Inc.: How to raise funds for global conquest.

Here's the 1st EVIL, INC strip. The next few weeks of material introduce the major characters and give you a good idea if you'll enjoy what Brad Guigar is up to. If you enjoy comics and have a sense of humor about super-heroes I think, like me, the strip will quickly become a favorite.

If you click on the headline it will bring you to the homepage, but you can also head over to www.evil-comic.com and see where it takes you. I'll be adding a permanent link over on the side later today.

What Kryptonite?

I know I shouldn't keep posting the strips from Sheldon Comics, but I couldn't resist.

Again, follow the link on the Right to the actual Sheldon Comics webpage. You might also want to check out EVIL, INC., a great strip for comic & super-hero fans.

I hope you can click on today's SHELDON. Nothing like bursting that fanboy bubble!

Oh, you might also want to go over to the artist's website: www.sheldoncomics.com and check out his blog and products and past strips.

Hat tip to the guys at Unshelved for passing along information on Sheldon.

Chuck Jones "Read To Succeed" Exhibit

The following exhibit will be held at the new library in the City of Orange, CA. Since I'm working there and was thrilled to see the stuff being put up I wanted to pass this along to folks who may be in the area.

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Chuck Jones “Read To Succeed®” Art Exhibition
Displayed at New Orange Public Library & History Center

Orange, CA – A special art and animation display planned to coincide with the grand re-opening of the new Orange Public Library & History Center began on Saturday, April 21, and will run through mid-September of 2007.

The Read To Succeed® art exhibition, part of Orange’s “Year of the Library” celebrations, was enthusiastically announced today by officials of Chuck Jones Center for Creativity and Orange Public Library. It will be on display at the new Orange Public Library & History Center during the following schedule of regular library service hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
(Closed Sunday)

The Read To Succeed® art was created in 1988 by Chuck Jones, four-time Academy-Award winner; internationally renowned animator, director, artist, and author; and graduate of Chouinard Art Institute (now California Institute of the Arts) as part of a still‑active program designed to encourage young people to read. A voracious reader himself, Chuck relished the opportunity to sketch and paint a variety of colorful works showing Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, Porky Pig, Sylvester, Tweety, Pepé Le Pew, and other characters finding knowledge, fun, and adventure in the pages of books.

The library exhibition includes the initial, rarely seen series of nineteen-year-old posters, as well as original, hand‑painted animation cels which have never before been available for public viewing. Chuck Jones Center for Creativity and Orange Public Library consider this display of art, free to all, to be a unique opportunity for library visitors of all ages to immerse themselves in Chuck Jones’ vision of the world: A place where everyone opens their minds to the unparalleled joy of reading.
Chuck Jones “Read To Succeed®” Art Exhibition at Library, ADD 1-1-1


Chuck Jones Center for Creativity (sharing space with Chuck Jones Gallery and Archive) and the new Orange Public Library & History Center are both located in historic, pedestrian-friendly Old Towne Orange. The Read To Succeed® art exhibition represents the first of what both organizations hope to be many cultural collaborations benefiting the residents of Orange, Orange County, and beyond.

Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, a nonprofit private operating foundation, is dedicated to fostering and encouraging creativity, especially in young people, using the drawings, films, and writings of legendary animation director Chuck Jones as inspiration. For more information about Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, go to www.ChuckJonesCenter.org or call (714) 516-9540.

The mission of Orange Public Library is to welcome and support all people in their enjoyment of reading and pursuit of lifelong learning, to preserve local history, and to provide equal access to information, ideas and knowledge through books, programs and technology. For more information about Orange Public Library, go to www.cityoforange.org/library or call (714) 288-2471.

Read To Succeed® is a registered trademark of Six Flags Theme Parks Inc.

No Flying, No Tights: graphic novel reviews for all ages

NO FLYING, NO TIGHTS was created by Robin Brenner a librarian at Cary Memorial Library in Lexington, Massachusetts. It's a great site for those librarians (and the public) who don't know a whole heck of a lot about graphic novels. Robin was actually named one of the "Movers & Shakers" of the year by the Library Journal, just missing being in the Top Ten.

She and her fellow comics reviewers seek out some of the best material being published, review it and then decide for which age level it is best suited. While NFNT was created for teens (and those YA librarians without a four-color clue), Robin has started two additional sites aimed at both older and younger readers (The Lair, for older teens and adults; Sidekick, for kids).
All three sites give the reader basic information on just what 'graphic novels' are, some of the terms used in reviews and even the Name Dropping section listing some of the major creators in the field.

I was going to add this link to Parting Shots, along with some other Library/book related links, but decided that it was probably more appropriate here. Set aside an hour or so and check all three sites. Even jaded fans may discover some titles with which they are not familiar.

WHO is that guy anyway?

DOCTOR WHO was a show that didn’t really capture my attention when I first saw it. If I recall correctly, it was back in the mid-1970s, while stationed out here in San Diego. These were the shows with Jon Pertwee, as the Third Doctor. From Pertwee’s costume, gadgets and flashy automobile it struck me more as a strange James Bond-ish thing with monsters. Hardly something that caught my interest and only seeing an occasional episode didn’t make it any easier to understand.

As a kid I had seen the two DW movies with Peter Cushing, probably either at the local drive-in or on a Saturday afternoon matinee, but neither really did much for me. I remember them being rather confusing, perhaps because DW was totally unknown here in the states. At least he was to me, although it’s possible I may have read of him in an article in FAMOUS MONTERS OF FILMLAND or one of many similar magazines I read ‘religiously’ growing up. It was only years later, while living in Westport that I began seeing the Tom Baker episodes, which turned me into a fan of the character. During fund-raising marathons the various PBS stations would sometimes show older programs featuring the earlier regenerations. It was then that I began to have an appreciation of what each actor had brought to the role.

I’ve rediscovered DOCTOR WHO, or rather discovered the Ninth Doctor. Christopher Eccleston was a nice surprise when I first happened upon a recent DW marathon on BBC-America. I haven’t regularly watched the series for several years, only dimly remembering the attempt to bring the show here to the U.S. with Paul McGann back in ’96. Ill received as I recall by fans and non-fans it seemed to be the sad end of a wonderful series. Several friends had mentioned the new show, but I hadn’t had a chance to see it until Donna was away and BBC-America ran a mini-marathon of Eccleston’s last few story arcs. I think the thing that got me hooked was Eccleston’s similar approach to the character that Tom Baker had brought. He seemed to be enjoying himself and had a sense of humor no matter the chaos happening around him. I also found that after the first few episodes I began to grow fond of Billie Piper as the Doctor’s companion Rose Tyler.

This weekend I caught the initial outing of the Tenth Doctor, played by David Tennant. I think I’ll have to catch a few more with this ‘new’ Doctor before I can judge how much I like him. While I do miss Eccleston I’m willing to give the new guy a chance.

KDOC: Retro Classic TV in the OC

While Donna was away and now when she’s at work, until I’m working regularly, I have a lot of free time to watch way too much television. Thanks to COX Digital we get the Encore series of channels so there is always something I haven’t seen before. Also, AMC and Turner Classics will sometimes show an old favorite.

When there’s nothing there I can generally find something on TV Land, but recently I’ve discovered a channel out of Irvine, near the John Wayne Airport. KDOC is broadcast over Channel 12 here on Cox Cable and I love it. The station’s tag line is “Endless Classics” or what the announcer calls “Retro Classics”. Basically, it seems to show stuff that TV Land isn’t currently running. This includes “Carson’s Classics” at 10:00pm, consisting of various bits from the old Johnny Carson show. While you do see some guests on the coach, the program mostly is made of the things Johnny would do either in character or with whatever guest happened to be on that night.

My other faves over on KDOC are Perry Mason, Quincy, Magnum P.I., The Untouchables, Mission: Impossible and the great Vic Morrow WWII series Combat.