(no subject)

I got a lot more comments on my Bill the Butcher costume at Ren Fest than I did last year. I credit the addition of a spiffy top hat. One man said, "My friend, I think you're in the wrong time period." My reply? "I'm not the only one!"

It's always fun seeing who you're going to run into. It was good seeing Jay, Elise, Heather, Lissa, and Kevin. I heard Tammy was there too, and as much as I was anxious to say hi, I wasn't about to drag Kristen all over the grounds to seek out my ex-girlfriend. So I never did end up seeing her (and the way I was dressed, I wonder how she could have not seen me? I hope she didn't purposely avoid me or anything. It's not like we're twelve years old and can't deal with this as adults, nor is it like I'm not over her. Or distracted by other matters.), but hopefully she'll come to King John. Y'know, to support Erin.

My costume caught many eyes, and for that I am very happy. Except for my pants, which the tailor made a little too exact to my body, and bear in mind we're talking about me a year ago when I was 150 lbs emaciated boy (heartbreak and stomach flu, what a magical combination for sexiness!). So now that I'm back up to 170-175, the pants... well, they fit just fine as long as I don't try sitting. Or going up steps. So yeah, at the end of the day, a big hole was torn in the crotch of my specially-tailored Bill the Butcher pants. Time to bust out the sewing kit. And beg my mother to sew it back up.

from the blog of writer Peter David (www.peterdavid.net)...

"I was at a playground yesterday with Caroline. There was a little boy there, seven years old, named Steven. He was talking to other kids about Spider-Man, and what a big Spider-Man fan he was. He was showing off his Spidey sneakers very proudly.

And I said to him, "Do you read Spider-Man comics?"

He looked at me oddly and said, "No."

"Why not?"

"I watch the movies," he said. "And I play the video game. I beat Doc Ock," he added proudly.

"Okay, but...Spider-Man's a comic book character. Aren't you at all interested in reading the comic?"

He shook his head. His ten year old brother said, "Why should he?"

I said, "Well, because you keep watching the movies, it's the same story. What about new adventures, new stories about Spider-Man?"

The big brother shrugged and said, "He watches the cartoon."

"I watch the cartoon," Steve echoed. "And the movies. And play the game. I'm a Spider-Man fan!"

Spidey's biggest fan...except for, y'know, the whole comic book thing. That he really doesn't care about.

And why should he? How many have you, in the past five years, have seen a James Bond movie or played the video game? Now...how many of you have read a James Bond book? Seen a Sherlock Holmes film or a repeat of the Jeremy Brett TV series? As opposed to reading Conan Doyle or any of the many pastiches?

Comics used to be the only venue for following the adventures of iconic heroes, just as books were once the only means of keeping up with literary heroes. And now the heroes' popularity has outstripped any need for literature...or readers.

And you wonder why comics are hemorrhaging readers."

I was thinking about adding come comment on my feelings regarding this matter, but I just can't quite put it into words. I hope y'all can kinda figure it out for yourselves. All I can think about is a blurb the washington post put out saying how more Spider-Man toothbrushes and toys were sold than actual comics. I want to fucking smash something.