(no subject)

Against my better judgement, I told my father the Hefner Monologue about My Grandfather's Last Words. I didn't think he'd find any humor in it. I thought he was shake his head, smile humorlessly, and remark on how nasty and sad and pathetic the whole situation was.

Instead, he laughed. He laughed and laughed and laughed harder and longer than I'd ever seen him laugh before. He laughed joyously, as if it was the first truly wonderful thing to happen to him in years. There were tears coming to his eyes, and I realized, watching this, that there were tears coming to mine too.

I cannot yet put into words the weight, the importance of what happened. Maybe some of who who have known about his history can understand what I mean, but I'm not sure of even that. All I know is that in that moment, my father and I shared one of the most beautiful, tender moments of our lives together. I am fairly certain nothing like that will ever happen again, nor shall I ever forget it.

I think when I do The Hefner Monologues, I'll tell My Grandfather's Last Words in the context of this day. After I write the essays about him, in the hopes of conveying finally what it really is like to live with this man.

I still don't know what to think. I just know I am moved beyond what words can say. For now.

(no subject)

Was it too much for me to expect the name Lex Luthor to be common knowledge?

I mean, I just assume that the vast, vast, VAST majority of people I'll meet in my normal-world travels wouldn't know most things about superhero comics. Which is one of the reasons why I never talk about comics with someone who doesn't read them; I'm rather sick of the "I have no idea what you're talking about" look I get. My college roommate of two years was actually surprised to realize that I hadn't even mentioned the Green Lantern around him. At WAC, with the exception of a select handful of people like Dave and even Clancy, people couldn't tell the difference between Green Lantern and Green Hornet (why do so many people get that one confused? Green Hornet was hardly a presence even when he was a TV show, for fuck's sake!)

But when someone doesn't know who Lex Luthor is, as was the case not too very long ago, I get kind of exasperated.

Superman as transcended being a "comic book character," and so much of him has achieved iconic status. "Clark Kent" is synonymous with the face we put on for others, hiding our real selves. "Kryptonite" with our personal weakness, with that which more than anything else can bring us to our knees in an instant. "Krypton" with the home to which he can never return. "Lex Luthor" with our greatest enemy, bald or not. Superman has transcended pop storytelling and achieved what all superheroes theoretically should and do to some extent: modern mythology.

Then again, I've known people who didn't know who "John, Paul, George, and Ringo" were. Things like this inch me ever so much closer to the Dark Side of becoming the Comic Book Guy. Fat, bitter, lonely, and sarcastic. ... well, at least I'm not fat. Anymore. Yet.

Well, we've got a new Superman movie out. I am hesitant, based on some of the odder creative decisions behind it (the costume needs brighter reds and a bigger S symbol to work, it really, really does), but the one thing that absolutely, totally works for me is the casting of Kevin Spacey. And now they've released the first promo image of him as Lex.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is Lex motherfucking Luthor.

(no subject)

An agent of some prominence is interested in reading my novel. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.

I must find some Krank'd energy drink (a drink I had during exams, the effect of which I would describe in one word as "nyarg") and stay up all night super-editing the manuscript. Mom has been scouring over the book, meticulously tightening it up. Which is good, because it's a bad sign when I've send the book to several people now and not a single one of them have made it past the 30 pages, no matter how much they claimed to have liked it to far.

ohmygodohmygodohmygod. Must make novel better. Must make novel better. Must make novel better.

For no reason, I shall quote Deadpool: Ah! At last! The transformation is complete! For years they mocked me! Took the name Emmanuel Lewis in vain! But tonight, retribibution will be mine! For I am reborn... as WEBSTER, the adorable scamp of DOOM! Ma'ams and Georges beware! Webster walks the Earth, and he's got a hankerin' for some spankerin'!