August 31 - Hey! I guess I
had a brain-drain last night, because I didn't think about the ol' WOMP-Blog
until just as I went to bed at about 6:00AM. Oh, well. I was so full
of ideas that I wouldn't have survived the typing of them anyway. Tonight,
I can't remember a single topic that I'd thought about yesterday. Worse,
I'm exhausted from a long day of running all over the place, so I don't have
much energy to post much tonight either. I had the day off from the dumb
"real" job, so I ran lots of odd errands, including making a trip to La Crosse,
Wisconsin, to visit River City
Hobbies, which is easily the best comics shop within 100 miles of WOMP
H.Q. (of course, it's one of only two that I know of within 100 miles).
There, I picked up the last few issues of 52.
Someday I even hope to read all of them. Now (at 2:00AM on the 1st), I am
hoping to get just a few more tasks completed before I pass out. I did
want to mention two things first, though. One is that Fallfire
2006 will be starting in two weeks
(watch for some exciting announcements about that). The other is that
no-one sent any suggestions for the last comic book alien race of the day.
Because of this, I am stuck with my back-up, a race which, to the best of my
knowledge, has only ever been represented by a single member...GALACTUS!
So, here's your last Comic Book Alien Race Of
The Day - Taans!
August 30 - Yoips! No entry
tonight, I guess. Here's your Comic Book Alien Race Of
The Day - Coluans!
August 29 - Well, like I said, my
movie concept, Green
States, was a spur of the moment impulse. I put about as much
thought behind it as I might in choosing a sandwich from a menu. Even so,
that original idea has been swirling around in my fevered brainpan all
day. Apparently, I'm not the only one who was thinking about it.
First, I got a brief e-message from O.F.O.WOMP Greg
Feiwel, who wrote -
I do like it. But why [is] it called Green
States?
Then, I received this lengthier e-note from O.F.O.WOMP Eric Gillitzer -
Caution- all of the below assumes you are referring to the pairing
of Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen.
The largest issue I see is the fact that the characters seem so
completely incompatible in terms of both scope and background. One is an
epic intergalactic champion of law and order, gifted with a super weapon of mass
destruction. The other is a playboy/ libertarian Robin Hood who happens to
be the greatest archer on Earth.
My question is this- what could possibly draw the two
together? The only thing that leaps immediately to mind is that Arrow has
connections and an approach that Lantern would never dream of employing.
That’s valid, but the trick is that it doesn’t make for a good cinematic
story.
What kind of story did you have in mind?
Hmm. Uh, I really had only a slight idea of how Green
States would actually play out. My initial impression was that the
"new, horrifying threat" would be some sort of cross between al Qaeda and Space
Invaders, and that the "Green States" theme would refer to three things;
1) the coming together of
ideologic representatives of so-called "Red" and "Blue" states in a new kind of
"state color," 2) the different "states" of the
green-clad heroes, and 3) some sort
of specific, "green" story element, like an environmental angle. As for
getting these two disparate characters together (and, yes, I was thinking about
the Jordan/GL and Queen/GA versions), these kinds of "buddy films" have featured
MILLIONS of plot contrivances that compel complete opposites to work
together. In fact, I can't think of a "buddy film" that wasn't about complete opposites
working together...except for the Bill and Ted's Excellent
Adventure series, of course. Here
are some possibilities -
A) The "threat" has an intergalactic origin, as well as a
street-level, criminal presence...much like the Intergang crime syndicate being
an Earthly front for Darkseid. As GL follows the universe-spanning
evidence trail, imagine his shock to learn that it leads to his own home
planet. Because events are coming to a boil, he must work with GA, who has
invaluable working knowledge of the players on the ground (something like an
F.B.I. agent working with local cops).
B) The "threat" is from some sort of well-funded
eco-terrorists who plan to detonate a sort of "Green Bomb," like the Genesis
device in the early Star Trek films. While it
will restore the Earth to it's original green state, it will also
wipe all evidence of humanity from the planet. Worse, the Green Bomb is
powered by Abin Sur's original power lantern! GA has been tracking down
the terrorists via traditional means, but he knows that he'll need GL to deal
with he cosmic power angle, and GL has been sent by The Guardians to retrieve
the lost lantern...but it has been corrupted, causing his own ring to lose power
the closer he gets to the Green Bomb. Eventually, he will have to rely on
GA to help him.
And here's the one I thought of that I like best, although it is
easily the dumbest;
C) The Guardians have lost faith in the concept of an
Earthling Green Lantern. How can a being from such a conflicted world ever
hope to police others? GL is ordered to go back to Earth to attempt to
help solve our many, many problems...but, in actuality, he is secretly being
evaluated from afar. After a couple of quick, unsuccessful attempts to
"restore order," he makes things worse...which draws the ire of GA. In a
confrontation, the superpowerless GA stands up to GL in moral defiance. GL
tries to use his ring to remove GA from the showdown, but nothing happens; The
Guardians then inform them that the apparently fearless GA is now a candidate
for GL's ring! To prove the worthiness of an Earth-based Green Lantern, GL
and GA must agree as to which one will be
granted the power...or no Earthling will. Until they do, neither will have
use of the ring. While all of this has been going on, the "threat"
(whatever it is) has seized upon the opportunity to strike. Initially
unable to agree as directed, GA and GL are forced to work together, ostensibly
without ring-power, to address the "threat." At some point, after
more-or-less walking a mile in each others' shoes, a mutual respect, and the
sudden elevation of the threat level, brings them to the last-minute conclusion
that GL should retain the ring, but that he will check in with GA every once in
a while to gain some perspective. Together, using their particular
talents, they then dispatch the "threat," and part as friends.
Most likely, though, the actual plotline would have to be some
sort of combination of all of the above. After that, it would be a fairly
simple matter to fit in arrow stunts, energy projections, and ideological
arguments as needed. I would add, however, that the main focus of any
version would have to remain the "loyal opposition" relationship that forms
between the two protagonists. That, and I'd really like to develop at
least three legitimately applicable interpretations for just what might be meant
by Green States, without being too insipid
(like having a villain say "Soon, these shall become the Green States of
America! Mwa-ha-ha-ha!"). I'd also like to explore the heroes'
personalities, where I'd hope to find some sort of natural way to relate the
title to each guy's motivations (a tough task, to be sure...but what a pay-off
if it worked!). But, that's all the more I've thought about it. It's
not much more than some sort of pipedream, if not pleasant distraction from
actual, constructive work. Even at that, I'm sure I'll continue to mull it
all over for a few days. If I have any more substantive thoughts, I'll
post them here. For now, here's your Comic Book Alien Race Of
The Day - Imskians!
August 28 - A quick, completely
un-thought-out pitch for a movie idea I had today (based on last night's
post)...
Being a hero isn't just
about a magic ring or stunt arrows. Sometimes, being a hero means standing
for something when others fall. Green Lantern and Green Arrow are two such
heroes. One is a stiff "Red State" lawman, unflinching in his sense of
duty, morality...and infallibility. The other is a hot-headed "Blue State"
free-thinker who fights "The Establishment" as often as he fights crime...and
his own demons. Together, though, in the face of a new, horrifying threat,
they must put aside their differences for a greater good. Lantern and
Arrow couldn't be more different from each other, but they both believe that the
only way to save the world is to work together...even if it kills them!
See...
Green Lantern/Green Arrow
Green States
Coming soon to a theater near you...maybe.
Well? Huh? Whatcha think? Doesn't that sound
cool? And, like I said, I didn't really even think it out (hmmm...maybe I
shouldn't admit that so freely). Do you know how I got the idea?
From listening to a "Seventies Rock" radio channel! Basically, as I
listened to the lyrics of some of the songs, they sounded as though they
specifically applied to the events we are currently living through. Yes,
some were written with at least a nod toward timelessness and universality, but
the points they stressed, and the feelings they reflected, were virtually
contemporary. I then realized that other Pop Culture stuff from the same
era may have a similar impact, and, well...I instantly thought of Green
States. If it were ever produced (and that would be about as
likely as me having superpowers), the trick would be to present both opinionated
heroes as honorable, never belittling their points of view. Oh, and to
show them as human, as well as heroic. Sigh. I guess this is just
another stupid John Mundt idea. Maybe this film will be seen...in my
dreams tonight. For you, though, maybe you could dream about the
Comic Book Alien Race Of The Day - Manhunters!
August 27 - Are they ever really
going to make a Metal
Men movie, or what? I've been hearing this rumor since the
Titanic film came out. At that
time, James Cameron said that Metal
Men was his next, or dream, project. So, where is it? I
want my Metal Men! Oh,
and while I'm dreaming, let's have movies featuring The Question, Captain Marvel
(the "Shazam" one), Bone, Plastic Man, Metamorpho, Captain America (I can't
believe they haven't done that one yet...other than the serials of more than a
half-century ago), Green Lantern (maybe teamed with Green Arrow....ooh, yeah!),
and Wonder Woman (although I think that's actually coming soon). Of
course, a decade or so ago, that list might also have included Catwoman and
Casper The Ghost, so, well...I guess I should be careful about what I wish
for. Here's your Comic Book Alien Race Of
The Day - The Toad
Men!
August 26 - No additional
strangeness today. I did find out, however, that, during the same time as
the "crisis" which forced much of our neighborhood to evacuate, another "crisis"
was taking place in the same area! A prisoner had escaped from the nearby
prison (about five blocks away)! Thankfully, he was re-apprehended.
Ugh! What else is going to happen? Well, beyond that quick update, I
don't have much else for you tonight. I can tell you, however, that I have
found out that I will definitely have copies of the last two Ozianas (for which I provided
illustrations) at this year's FallCon in St. Paul! The folks at IWOC have
generously given me the "OK" to offer them for sale (and signing, if people
would so choose) at the WOMP booth. Cool! Tonight, I leave you with
your Comic Book Alien Race Of The Day - Kalikakians!
August 25 - I still don't exactly
know what happened last night. The small town rumor mill is in overdrive,
so the actual story may never be known, but the followwing seems to be
verifiable; one of our neighbors, who has had problems with the law before,
threatened to do something (probably
with a gun) to someone (probably
himself). The situation, officially reported by authorities only as "a
crisis," began at about 7:30PM, and its seriousness gradually escalated until a
final, peaceful resolution at about midnight (the neighbor's son apparently
talked him out of the house). Hey! I just had a thought.
Attention O.F.O.WOMP Eric Gillitzer; the next time you talk to
Cory and Steve, who must also have been evacuated, ask them if they know what happened.
Anyway, no sooner had we here at WOMP H.Q. settled ourselves from one crisis,
there came another crisis today! Remember
back about a month ago when I told you about going to an actual grown-up dinner
party? The hosts were a young couple who are friends of The WOMP
Staff. For the sake of telling the rest of this story, let's call them Mr.
and Mrs. Friend. The Friends have a two-year-old daughter, and another
child on the way. Well, early this morning, the very pregnant Mrs. Friend
was driving near their home at the top of a ridge when she suddenly swerved to
miss a deer. She is "OK," somehow, after her car plummeted off a
cliff. Beyond the innumerable cuts, bruises, and possible broken bones,
the accident also caused her to go into labor. Thanks to a cell phone, she
was quickly found, safely removed, and rushed to the hospital (from which she
was rushed to yet another). Her labor was premature, of course, so it was
stopped by some means (I'm no doctor, and I'm getting this all third
hand). Mr. Friend was able to be by her side almost immediately.
Mrs. Friend is, as I said above, in "OK" condition (or as "OK" as someone in her
position could hope to be), and the baby seems to be just fine. But
wait! Because of all of this, there was no-one to take care of the
two-year-old! That's when The WOMP Staff jumped in to help. She
procured a child seat from a county family resource center, then picked up the
toddler from nursery school. While I was at the dread "real" job, The
Staff entertained (and fed, and cleaned, etc.) the little girl until Mr. Friend
could come and get her at about 10:00PM. I just missed them when I finally
got home. The Staff and I talked a bit about the odd events of the last 48
hours, which included many other strange events. She said that she thinks
that there is some sort of peculiar lunar influence or ill wind affecting
things. I'd normally dismiss a statement like that as baloney, but, a
moment after she said it, an entire floor-to-ceiling bookcase suddenly, and
without any provocation, collapsed right between us with a huge CRASH! Neither of us were hurt
(nor were any nearby cats hurt), but the edges of the vast jumbled pile of books
perfectly touched the edges of our feet. One inch in either direction, and
one of us would have been hit by it. So, as I spent the last two hours
sorting through and re-stacking literally hundreds of books onto a newly
repaired and doubly secured shelving unit, I couldn't help thinking that there
might be something to The Staff's
wild assertion. All I know is that I'm going to try to get to bed early
tonight, not just because I have an extra-long stint at the dumb "real" job
tomorrow, but also because I'm afraid of what might happen next! So,
here's your Comic Book Alien Race Of The Day - Durlans!
August 24 - Again, this is actually
about 3:00PM on the 25th already as I type this, but I have two REALLY good
excuses for not getting to posting an entry before now; 1) Homestead, the
site which hosts the WOMP-Blog, as well as the rest of johnmundtesquire.com, was closed for maintenance
for most of the night. Even so, I probably could have waited it out until
the maintenance was scheduled to end at 2:00AM, but... 2) Our neighborhood
was evacuated because of a police stand-off! Actually, WOMP Central became
Refugee Central for a few hours as we took in the neighbors who were closest to
the action. It was very exciting, with actual SWAT teams taking up
positions behind the WOMPmobile, but it all ended peacefully (I guess...they
never really told us exactly what was going on, just that, at about midnight, it
was safe to send everyone home). That unexpected late night action,
coupled with the hours of waiting for the WOMP-Site to come back on line for
updates, led me to draw some stuff for a few minutes, then call it a
night. And can you blame me? Yowza! Anyhoo, I'm now on my way
back to the dumb "real" job, so I don't have a lot of extra time to talk to
ya...but I did want to remind you that the Pay-O-Meter above, at almost fifteen
days as of this posting, is still counting the time from sending a bill for
artwork to the time when, if ever, I receive payment (nothing yet, and our mail
has already come today). As this is intended to show why I keep my dumb
"real" job, I should re-emphasize that the company which had contracted me had,
by the time I'd finished the artwork, already decided not to use what I'd done
(and they hadn't even seen it yet). That they offered to still pay me
at all is something of a miracle
already, so also keep that in mind when you contemplate how difficult it may be
to be a working cartoonist. With that, I leave you with your Comic
Book Alien Race Of The Day - The
Shi'ar!
August 23 - A day of remembrance
and reflection. I had the day off from the dorky "real" job today, so
spent almost all of it working on art stuff. I did, however, go for a
grueling, but enjoyable, hike with The WOMP Staff. As we traversed the
rustic trails of our favorite State Park, our conversation led to thoughts of my
Grandpa (who, by the way, has completely recovered from his latest medical
scare, as he reported in a phone call this morning). We talked about how
fortunate we both feel for having him in our lives for so long (all of my life,
about twelve years of hers), which led to thoughts of our other, now passed on
grandparents. We also then remembered that we lost our kitty, Danny
Boy, two years ago this week. It is sad, of course, to think
about those who are now gone, but there is something cathartic in doing
so. In spite of the sense of deep loss, I can't think about Danny, or my
grandparents, without smiling, or even laughing. For that moment, it's as
if they are still alive, in a way. When we got back to WOMP H.Q., I found
that someone had signed the WOMP-Site's guest book. It was a fellow Kubert
School alum, named Joe Moore. It turns out that he, too, had been thinking
about someone who had passed. He wrote -
John, Enjoyed
your comments and information on my old teacher Milt Neil. I was feeling
nostalgic today and doing a web search on him. I attended the Kubert School from
1979-82 and my first year there (as a student) was also Milt's first year there
(as a teacher). The school was then in the big three story mansion at 45 Lehigh
Street in Dover. The animation dept at the Kubert School in 1979 was next to nil
so Milt mostly gave us drawing tips and entertained us with stories of the Howdy
Doody Show and working at Disney and such. Anyway thanks again.
Thanks to you, Joe, for bringing warm memories of Milt back to me
again on this day of remembrance and reflection. Tonight, then, I've had
the revelation that, at some point, the list of people that I will have
to remember will begin to outnumber those I could still talk
to. That may be one of the signs of what it means to be "old." For
example, I've already "lost" at least a dozen pets, a childhood friend, almost
every one of my grade school teachers, at least two high school teachers, four
or five public school classmates, at least one Kubert School classmate and a
teacher, three grandparents, and far too many friends and neighbors from the
community. Even so, the vast majority of the people in my life are
still in my life (in theory).
I hope to keep that positive ratio as long as I can. Now, though, I'm off
to get some sleep. Before I go, here's your Comic Book Alien Race Of
The Day - Ungarans!
August 22 - Holla! So, there
I was, just chillin, surfing some news-sites on the 'Net, when I found a whole
crud-load of actual recent news stories
about some of the more important people, places, and things in my life.
This included a lengthy interview with writer/artist/O.F.O.WOMP Tim
Seeley about his wildly popular Hack/Slash comic (check that by clicking
HERE), a story about the
Kubert School moving into temporary digs
while renovations are going on (that's posted HERE), AND an International Wizard
of Oz Club Forum message board wherein art director/artist/O.F.O.WOMP Marcus
Mebes, and Oz fans who have purchased and read The
Collected Short Stories of L. Frank Baum, have made (brief) comments
about my illustrations (reluctantly, I offer that link HERE for you to see what they've
said...it's not much, but it does seem to be on the borderline of
"flattering"). Cool! The Internets
rocks! Now I'm trying to get some artwork done yet tonight before I black
out, so I'll just leave you with those "interesting" links above, and your
Comic Book Alien Race Of The Day - The
Acroyear!
August 21 - Bummer. I just
realized that 24 Hour Comic Day 2006, October 7th, is also the first day of the
beloved MCBA FallCon in St. Paul. I can't miss the comic book show (it's
the only thing I do even remotely "comic booky" with any regularity), but I was
actually looking forward to trying another 24 Hour Comic. Yes, I suppose
that I could always draw the comic during some other 24 hour period, but that
misses the point a bit. There was something very cool about working on
Continuity Crisis with the knowledge that, at
the same time, all around the world, hundreds of fellow cartoonists/nuts were
attempting their own marathon comic books. To make matters worse, just two
nights ago the lovely WOMP Staff had been encouraging me to take the challenge
again this year. That's pretty uncharacteristic for The Staff, who usually
just stands aside as I cull my peculiar motivations from whatever odd assortment
of impulses compel me to struggle on in spite of the many obvious reasons not
to. Hmm. I'll have to think about it. Maybe I will pick some other day to do my
own 2006 24 Hour Comic. I have quite a few days off just before
FallCon. Maybe I could try it then. Aw... who am I kidding?
Without the imagined peer-pressure of the "official" 24 Hour Comic Day, I'll
just blow it off. Sigh. Maybe in 2007. But...well, there's
more to this story. You see, over the last week or so, I've had three
(maybe four) dreams about doing another 24 Hour
Comic! Weird! That's why The Staff and I were talking about it in
the first place. I can even remember the general story for one of the
versions I drew in dreamland. It featured the amazing true story, as far
as I have come to understand it, of some friends of ours who converted to the
Amish faith and lifestyle about thirty years ago, then, after a strange series
of tragedies, had a crisis of faith that tore their family, and their local
Amish community, apart. That dream-world comic was pretty interesting and
extremely controversial, as is the true-life source material. Out of
respect for that family, though, I wouldn't really use their story (at least not
in such a format, nor so soon after the events), but it was very interesting to
see how I worked in a dream. The only thing I remember about any of the
other dreams was that I used D-List WOMP characters as story subjects.
THAT, by the way, is probably what I would do this year, if I could. While
I noted in Continuity Crisis that my First Tier
characters, like Monkey, Stretch, Dan, and so forth, may have years of layered
story-planning to worry about (although I could always tell a story that existed
outside of continuity), I've purposely left many of my Fourth Tier characters
with little more thought behind them than "another World War Two hero" or "the
girl with the crazy hair." This I did just so that I might have some fun with them at a
later date, which is perfect for a 24 Hour Comic. In fact, as I've been
posting the new WOMP Character of The
Week feature on the WOMP-Site Main
Page over this last month or so,
I've really been hankering to delve into some of the characters further.
Last week, the WOMP
C.O.T.W. was The Black
Rose. In case you missed it, here's what I wrote about him -
The Black Rose, once a shadowy masked avenger of
the 1930's, is still secretly a protector of the innocent, even though he is now
an elderly retiree. Being drafted into the U.S. Army during World War Two
may have effectively put an end to his costumed adventures, but nothing, not
even the frailties of old age, can retire his keen, crime-solving mind, nor his
sense of duty to his fellow man. During the 1990's, he founded the "over
50" superhero team, Wisdom.
After I posted that, I thought to myself "Man, that would be such
a cool comic to read." Within a moment, I realized that I hadn't even
considered how much more fun it would be to create that
comic! And a 24 Hour Comic may be the perfect place to start such a
project. Heck, if I had the energy, and could afford the time away from
the darn "real" job, I'd write and draw a weekly short story starring each
week's featured character! Talk about COOL! Ugh! All of this
has been swirling through my brain all night. I don't know yet whether
I'll attempt another 24HC this year, but I do know that, if I do, it will be
before FallCon so that I can have copies available for sale to convention
attendees. I guess time and finances will tell. Tonight, then, I
simply leave you with your Comic Book Alien Race Of
The Day - Dominators!
August 20 - Yes, yes...running late
again! I have about ten minutes...no, scratch that...six
minutes between things on this busy day, which is already the 21st (not
the 20th, in spite of what the heading for this post indicates). Busy,
busy, BUSY! Quickly, here's a run-down of some of what has been (or still
is) consuming my time over the last several hours; a stupid cold, drawing moles,
billing for art sold, eBay, a WOMPuter crash, banking, a Post Office trip,
gassing up the WOMPmobile, sleeping, shaving, showering, and (in a few minutes)
the dread "real" job! WHEW! Well, I just gotsta go, so here's your
Comic Book Alien Race Of The Day - Kryptonians!
August 19 - Hey there!
Fennimore Fun Fest was, well, fun! I
didn't end up drawing as many people as I sometimes do (just 18 or 20...I lose
track), but it was such a nice day that I didn't mind. Well, it was a bit
more windy than I would have preferred (did you know that 18" x 24" sheets of
newsprint can be unexpectedly ripped from a pad on an easel by even the smallest
gust of wind? Neither did I). Otherwise, I had a nice afternoon, and
was home in time for dinner with the WOMP Staff. Then, I fell asleep...for
eleven hours! I'd laid down
just to take a nap, but made the mistake of choosing a bed for this
activity. Had I flopped down on a chair someplace, the noises around me,
or the uncomfortableness of the chair itself, would have awoken me within an
hour or so, but, that darn bed just grabbed me and it wouldn't let go. So
now it's noon on Sunday as I type this, and I'm just realizing how much sleep I
must have needed. The worst part is that I don't really even feel all that
rested. Oh, well. I hope to use all of the "built up" sleep to get a
lot of art work done today. Wish me luck! Oh, and here's your
Comic Book Alien Race Of The Day - Bolovax Vikians!
August 18 - Back to Technological
comic book aliens. I suppose that these all stem from Mary Shelley's
Frankenstein, which, in turn, descended
directly from the legend of Prometheus. Technology has often been equated
with fire (or electricity, in Frankenstein's case) because the control
over fire was our first, and perhaps greatest, scientific advance. No
longer merely reactors to the world around us, our mastery of fire set us on an
irreversible path toward the wheel, cities, wars, engines, airplanes, Internets,
and robots. Ever since, for better or worse, the greatest influences on
our lives would be the products of our own minds. And, I don't mean just
the actual physical products that we created, but also our ethereal creations
like community, ideology, and art. But, like fire, even these intangibles
had the potential to burn us as easily as they could help us. In a way,
this is a fear of ourselves. Add this fear to our concept of "The Other,"
and you've got Technologicals. It's basic; what if there was an alien who
had incorporated technology directly into their bodies? What could be more
terrifying than an unfamiliar thing who had, in effect, become fire? In comics, these
aliens have served to frighten, yes, but they also often were used to assure us
that we, the biologically normal Earthlings, had some sort of intrinsic
advantage that Technologicals had lost when they were transformed (like the
human immunity to the common cold in H.G. Wells' War of The
Worlds). In fact, almost every Technological is used in this
manner. Very few, no matter how advanced their design or back-story,
don't have some sort of shocking
deficiency in something which we Earth folks have in
abundance (usually love,
right?). This is meant to show that, no matter how advanced we may become,
we have to try to stay true to the basic things which make us human. In
fact, in a larger sense, comic book aliens have most often been used to look not
so much at the vast mysteries of outer-space, but those within ourselves.
Well, I guess that wraps up this little series. Tomorrow, I will be
drawing caricatures all day at Fennimore Fun Days/Fest (the name often
fluctuates between "Days" to "Fest," depending on to whom I speak). If
you're in the area, stop by to say "Hi!" between 2:00PM and 5:00PM. Until
then, here's your Comic Book Alien Race Of
The Day - Tamaraneans!
August 17 - This time, it was my
fault. Like others before it, last night's WOMP-Blog entry didn't post
until late this evening, even though I typed it all in the wee hours of the
morning before I went to bed. I guess I was so tired that I forgot to
upload the finished product to the WOMP-Blog. Oh, well. That's been
corrected, but I'm reluctant to post anything tonight so that you might read
what I wrote yesterday. Maybe, what I'll do instead is post a half-entry continuation of my pointless
little essays on comic book aliens. Before I do, though, jump down and
read the August 16 entry about Monstrosities. Now, let me talk a little
about Technologicals. As the title suggests,
these are the aliens which are a mix of nature and machinery, as well as any
whose origins include obvious technological manipulations. Don't ask me
whether robots from outerspace fit into this category, because I'm not
sure. The idea of my comic book alien categories was to separate, explain,
and try to understand the reasons for the concepts behind alien race and species
design. The vast majority of robotic characters are not perceived of as
being members of races nor of any kind of species, but some do share elements of
what it means to be both (the Star
Wars droids come to mind). Moreover, Technologicals may not
share many other characteristics with traditional living beings, and few are
really much more than one-off monsters (see last night's rant). Many are,
in fact, perversions of the natural world. The most common variety would
be the cyborg; half alien man, half robot (Tharok being the preeminent
example). Others, though, would include scientifically altered beasts,
mutants, and aliens with implants of some sort. And not all technology has
to be of the "wires and transistors" sort which first comes to mind. More
on all of that tomorrow as I FINALLY wrap this little series up. Now,
here's your Comic Book Alien Race Of The Day - New
Genesiseans!
August 16 - I am determined to stay
on track tonight. Back to comic book aliens...in spite of the unusual (but
"OK") news about my Grandpa (apparently, at 97, he no longer can qualify for
"rehabilitation" aid. He has literally lived past his "lifetime" insurance
coverage!), more information about my co-worker who shot her boyfriend (and he
did die, by the way, making it one of the few homicides ever in our county), and any
amount of other outside topics of interest. Yep, tonight I'm going to talk
about the comics alien races I've called Monstrosities. Not a reference to
their personalities, I came up with "Monstrosity" because it easily defines
those aliens whose design is as foreign to human eyes as possible. There
is a sort of logic to Monstrosity design, in that they have to seem believable
within the worlds of the stories in which they appear. For example, the
appearance of Marvin the Martian goes well with Bugs Bunny stories, while fellow
Martian J'onn J'onzz fits better with Justice League stories. The alien
Monstrosity, a sub-category of fictional monsters, is governed not just by the
emotional response that their design may illicit, but also by understanding of
environments different than our own. As an example, our own eyes are the
result of evolution on a planet which circles, at just the right distance, a
star that gives off the greatest amount of radiant power in what we call the
visual spectrum. That's why our eyes have adapted themselves to utilizing
this power. On another planet, or with a different sun, aliens may see
into the infrared, ultraviolet, or even radiowave spectrums, and the
composition, appearance, importance, location, or even existence of what we
might call "eyes" would be radically different than our own. And that's
just about eyes. When you factor in other such evolutionary influences as
climate, environment, food sources, length of a day, predators, mating habits,
and any of the millions and millions of other possible causes for adaptation or
exclusion, THEN consider the myriad of possible physical differences that these
might have caused, you can see how creating an alien is different than creating
just a "monster." In fact, it's something of a pseudo-science.
Extrapolative Biology, let's say. A "monster" is usually a one-off, but an
alien, as I've suggested all month, is a member of an entire species, requiring much more thought
than "what if we had a two-hundred foot tall, fire-breathing Tyrannosaurus, with
electrified spine-plates, destroy Tokyo?" While films have made the
greatest number of recent developments in designing believable, if bizarre,
space critters, they can all thank the pioneering work of comic book artists for
getting the ball rolling. Even in the Golden Age, cartoonists from Basil
Wolverton to Wally Wood had tried to shock us with the creepy beasties and
bug-eyed thingies that crawled out from behind a star to mate with Earth women
or to enslave the human race. Although it was still the era of "just kids'
stuff" comics, many of these unfamiliar looking aliens were not only years ahead
of their time, design wise, but also surprisingly well thought out...and
influential. I must admit that my insinuation of a few nights ago, that
Monstrosities are often the somewhat arrogant responses of artists to less
popular Animalesque aliens, was directed more at myself than others. I'm
the first one to recognize that, by designing hundreds and hundreds of fanciful
alien creatures over the years (for no apparent reason), I have been attempting
to show that I am both creative and
deep-thinking (in spite of all evidence to the contrary). In fact, my
very first rejection letter is a result of a
"Monstrosity" type alien that I had designed...when I was in Kindergarten!
Ah...at last! I was wondering when I'd finally drag out The
Highlights Magazine
Story since the day I began this WOMP-Blog in 2003. You see, back
in the day, when I was a wee nipper, I was obsessed with drawing. Drawing,
drawing, always drawing. I'm not saying that I'm not still obsessed with
it, but, back then, it was more important to me than eating. One day, out
of the blue, I designed an alien and wrote a little poem about him (of the "This
is a alien he eats cars, and is nice from Mars" variety). The creature,
drawn with green crayon, consisted of a round body, stick arms and legs, and two
antennae...but, and here's the part about which I was most proud, while one
antenna was topped with a stereotypical tiny circle, the other (oh, I was so
clever) was adorned with a little
square! Tee hee! What a mischievous imp I was! In my little
mind, I'd totally turned convention on its ear, had spit in the face of
expectations, and had produced something which, I was sure, would blow every
mind! The first mind blown was that of my teacher, who thought the whole
composition was so good that she sent a note home with me for my Mom. The
note was a request to submit my alien to Highlights Magazine for
Boys and Girls, the fabled magazine from
every dentist's waiting room. "Do you want to do that, John?" Mom
asked. "Yes, yes, YES!" I exclaimed, never understanding the sad look in
my mother's eyes until I got older. So, off my alien went in the mail,
accompanied by a note from my teacher (I suppose to verify that I was, in spite
of the advanced quality of the artwork and story, indeed a Kindergartner).
While the next few days went on, I imagined how cool it would be to open the
magazine and see my alien. It never occurred to me, and I was definitely
never cautioned, that I might instead get a letter of rejection. Worse,
when that was what came to pass, they further informed me that not only did they
hate me and everything about me, but that they don't return artwork sent to
them. ACK! In one tri-folded form letter, I had my first bitter
taste of the kind of rejection that I'd be dealing with for the next three and a
half decades (see recent WOMP-Blog entries about the T-shirt designs I did for
the foodservice equipment company for further proof of that). Another
effect that the situation had on me was that, in one way or another, I have been
redesigning that green alien with the square-topped antennule ever since!
Of course, it's not really the same alien that
I've been re-working (that's too insane,
even for me), but the formula behind its design (imagination + traditional
character design + the unexpected) has governed, and driven, all subsequent
alien race concepts. Tomorrow, I'll wrap up my little four part essay on
comic book aliens with the Technologicals. Tonight, I'll leave you with
your Comic Book Alien Race Of The Day - The
Khund!
August 15 - Sometimes, I am so full
of stuff I want to tell you that it nearly chokes me. This is definitely
one of those times! First, about the drama of the dread "real" job saga
(Chapter 37) of the last few days; I've settled it, for now. I will stay
with my current employer, dropping back to my part-time status after first
cohering to about 80% of the most recent schedule as originally posted.
Any possible "drama," by the way, was diffused by terrible, truly dramatic
events earlier in the day. As of this writing, I don't know any more
details about the sad situation than this; one of my co-workers, from a distant
department, shot her lover. He may be dead (the strongest rumor), he might
have survived, he may have been her husband, he might have been her
boyfriend. All I know is that everyone at the dumb "real" job was in a bit
of shock, and the trivial complaints I had about my hours were put in stark
perspective, for both The Powers That Be and me.
The rest of the work day went by in spurts and stalls, never getting into any
kind of flow (which made for a long day, chock-full of time to think about the
tragedy). Hmm. Let me change gears a little bit, so that I can talk
about something happy instead. Ooh...I can tell you about my little
nephews, who spent their third birthday(s?) with us here at WOMP Central.
They are pretty funny, as all kids can be. We got them coloring book pages
and stickers featuring construction equipment ("Oh boy!" quoted Twin One),
matching red The Adventures of Monkey hats ("Big
deal," reacted both twins), and Spongebob Squarepants REAL working fishing rods
(quoted Twin Two, "Oh my GOSH! Oh my GOSH!"). We
all immediately had to go outside to "fish" in the "river" that had, moments
before, been merely our driveway (our catches, by the way, were about eight
inches long...and invisible). That was fun! On another note, let me
comment (rant) a little about a specious report that's been wasting TV news
airtime. It's another in a long series of "Look how stupid Americans are"
baloney. You've probably seen it. Some think-tank or research group
or whatever found out that more Americans could name two of the Seven Dwarfs
than two of the nine Supreme Court Justices, could name Superman's home planet
but not which planet is closest to The Sun, and knew the names of The Three
Stooges but not the names of the three branches of our government. This,
of course, is decried as deplorable, indicative of the decay of society and the
bankruptcy of our educational system. DON'T BELIEVE ANY OF THAT
CRAP! This makes me so angry! It's NOT news that characters from
Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, one of the
most popular, and continually released and promoted films of all
time, should have made some sort of greater impression on people since
its release almost seventy years
ago than have the reclusive, and largely newer members of the High
Court (none of whom have served for more than thirty-one years). It is
NOT a sign of impending societal
collapse that Krypton might have lodged
in the popular imagination of the FIVE
generations' worth of Americans as they were exposed to the Superman mythos in
literally every single form of media known to exist, and that they just
might have forgotten their single
Fourth Grade Astronomy lesson on Mercury. It is NOT a disturbing revelation that,
in the nearly eighty years since The Three Stooges first
graced the silver screen, the names of at least three of the many men who took on those roles
may have gained more familiarity than the titles of the Judicial, Legislative,
and Executive branches. All of this is merely a sign of how WELL our minds
work, not how poorly. Beyond the comparative impact that these Pop Culture
references have had in the last several decades (which, were that a stand-alone
fact, could be interpreted as
unfortunate, I suppose), what this pre-skewed study has really revealed is that
most people have very well organized minds. Even back in my Grandpa's day,
the name of a particular planet or Supreme Court Justice was just a library,
newspaper, encyclopedia, teacher, or text book away. Today, with the
Internet, or, heck, with just the programming that comes with the basic computer
package, ANY of the supposed "important" facts could be retrieved within moments
if needed. But, for the most part, they aren't needed. It's not
really all that important that everyone ALWAYS retain every odd fact which we
have known since childhood to be in scores of reference books. Our orderly
minds properly assess this kind of stuff as unworthy of wasting our
brainpower. The Pop stuff, however, has come to us through our
metaphorical hearts, not our heads. Creative, ingenious, and entertaining
artists developed those Pop Culture icons so that they would purposely touch the
parts of our minds that govern emotion, social development, and
personality. Unless you are a Space freak, Judge junky, or
Three-Branchaholic, those kinds of dry facts were never designed to illicit
love. And "love," when it comes right down to it, pretty well describes
our collective relationships with Walt Disney classics, The Man of Steel, and
Larry, Moe, and Curly. So, SHAME ON
YOU television news reporters and prejudiced "researchers" for trying
to make us each feel like Dopey, when, in reality, we're all as smart as
Doc! WHEW! Well, I got a lot off of my chest tonight, but I still
haven't addressed comic book alien Monstrosities like I said I would several
nights ago. I promise to get back on point tomorrow! Until then,
here's your Comic Book Alien Race Of The Day - Poppupians!
August 14 - Well, I haven't
quit...yet. I've got a meeting on Tuesday with The Powers That Be at the
dumb "real" job. The outcome will be either one of two things; I get what
I have been promised, or I quit. How's that for drama? In fact, it's
weighing pretty heavily on me, so I think I'll just call it a night, after
first, of course, posting your Comic Book Alien Race Of
The Day - Apokoliptians!
August 13 - Hmm. I don't mean
to be mysterious...really, I don't. You see, with this WOMP-Blog, I am
often torn between the competing impulses to either vent my petty, personal
frustrations, or to remain professional, entertaining, and/or helpful.
Yesterday, I gave in a bit to the first impulse and briefly reported on the
unusual level of significance that the day's events had attained, alluding to a
larger, more complicated story than the one I finally posted. And,
although true, I guess that this has come across as much bigger, if not better,
than I'd intended to relate. Having heard from THREE different
Official Friends of WOMP about this in the last 24
hours (Hi, Derek, Greg, and Deb!), I thought I should try to
be a little more specific. First, with the news from my dead-end "real"
job. When our schedules were posted for the end of this month, mine was
for an EXTREMELY FULL full-time week...but
I am, or thought I was, supposed to be an extremely, exclusively, and
intentionally part-time worker (which leaves me time
to work on art stuff, of course). I might have written this off as a
mistake of some sort if I hadn't just had a
conversation with The Powers That Be, wherein I strongly reiterated (falling
just millimeters short of "demanded") that I remain a part-time worker, or I'd
quit. Yep, I made a passive aggressive line in the sand, and the dread
"real" job overlords immediately, and purposely, crossed it and kicked the sand
into my face. So, I guess I'm quitting. I don't have a good idea of
what I may do now, but I guess they made it pretty clear that, after almost five
years, they don't want me there anymore (which, honestly, is not much of a
surprise since they don't really seem to value loyalty or longevity, preferring
instead to have a cheap, constantly rotating staff of novices). Being in
this position does give me a bit of unusual power, since, with nothing to lose,
I can say pretty much whatever I want, so I'm going to ask that they ignore the
schedule as posted, instead letting me and my co-workers find a more equitable
schedule for all of us. If this won't fly, look for my resume on-line
soon. ALSO, unrelated to all of this, one of the day's customers at the
dull "real" job was a cartoonist who had set up at the big comic book
conventions this year. I struck up a quick conversation with him, and
quickly learned three things; 1) he was from nearby, and do was doing well with
a self-published comic, 2) he'd heard of me (and I think we've actually met
before), even owning "those sock monkey comics" from "like, ten years ago or
more," and 3) while he told me that I should set up again at comics shows and
such, there was something in his attitude that revealed, although unspoken, that
he clearly took great disdainful pity on me, the washed-up wannabe cartoonist
schlub who was now literally sweating away at a demeaning "real" job while he,
meanwhile, was doing so well. Ugh. I did not need THAT on the same
day I was effectively told to quit. I think that he meant to be
encouraging, but it was like telling a drowning man that he should take a
swimming class. Good advice, bad timing. As for events outside of
the dopey "real" job, the story was similar. The once mighty WOMPmobile,
which has been on it's last legs for about a month, is showing signs that it
won't make it through the week. The energy bill that came in the mail had
an unexpected EXTRA ONE-HUNDRED BUCKS tacked on to it for a mistake in billing
over the last two months (oh, what a joy life is!). There were some
positive developments, most noteworthy being a phone call announcing that my
little nephews will be here at WOMP H.Q. for their third birthday on
Monday! Of course, I have to work, but at least I'll get to say
"Hi!" Lots of stuff like that, all stemming from the normal day-to-day
things that I always do, made for what I correctly labeled unexpectedly
significant. Tonight, well...tonight I'm doing better, although I think
I'll leave my continuing thoughts on comic book aliens for tomorrow. Now,
though, I leave you with your awesome Comic Book Alien Race Of
The Day - Skrulls!
August 12 - Hey there! What
up? It's been an uncharacteristically significant day for
me. In many aspects, for great good and terrible misfortune both, the
normal events that usually occupy my day took on heightened levels of
importance. The most significant of these came while at the dread "real"
job (all of that being exclusively negative). I'm still reeling a bit from
all of the unexpected, potentially life-changing news of Saturday, so please
forgive me if this entry seems more odd than per usual. I'm actively
trying not to freak out just yet, but it's probably on my schedule.
Anyhoo, to keep my mind off of everything, I'll just blindly carry on with my
thoughts about comic book alien races! Tonight, let's talk about the
Animalesques. This is the group that
includes any aliens that are ostensibly Earth creatures that seem to have
evolved into humanoids. Dog-faced men, lizard people, and even
squirrel-like Green Lanterns fall into this category. Some Animalesques
look very much like their current Earth versions, while others maintain only
superficial traces of their animal ancestry in their otherwise quite human
appearance. In this way, they bridge the gap between Pseudo-humans and
Monstrosities. The Animalesques seem to be used mostly for either comic
effect or for horror. As comedy, we get to see ourselves reflected in
their sardonic antics, all tinged with our collective impressions of other
species (like an invading fleet of dog-men who are distracted when someone
pretends to throw a tennis ball). As elements of horror, though,
Animalesque aliens play upon our innate fears of the savage world of carnivorous
beasts AND our natural apprehension of the unknown (sharks, for example, are
scary enough...but a race of intelligent and cruel shark-people?
YIKES!). Since the HR Giger inspired Alien film, though, traditional,
straightforward Animalesques have been out of fashion, especially in the
comics. I guess it doesn't bother people that thousands of Pseudo-human
alien races, millions of light years away, could have evolved in parallel with
us, but the equally ridiculous thought that kitties may have evolved into
ferocious catpeople is now laughable. Comics creators of today are
(perhaps rightly) more interested in imagining entirely new, unique lifeforms,
unfamiliar to human eyes. These I'm calling Monstrosities, and I'll post
some of my thoughts about them tomorrow. Now, here's your Comic
Book Alien Race Of The Day - Time
Lords!
August 11 - Ooh! Look at that
way-cool PAY-O-METER! I think I'll keep it! I'm actually expecting
to be paid in pretty quick order from the nice folks at the foodservice
equipment company (the PAY-O-METER, by the way, is counting down from the time
the artwork and invoice went into the mail), but I can see how it may become an
effective tool in future negotiations! That's right, you'd better pay me
when you promised, or I'll embarrass
you with the PAY-O-METER! Hee hee! Anyway, a little more
tonight about Pseudo-human alien races. I noted
last night that they are often used just because it's easy to draw them (for
example, when I recently drew Brainiac 5, I suddenly realized that he, in his
inked form, is just a guy in a jumpsuit! It's the colorist who makes him
an "alien"). As story devices, though, they often have a deeper meaning,
serving to expose the injustice of bigotry...and I have a theory about how this
practice began. I must caution you that, although I
have no problem with what I'm about to say, it may shock, or even
anger, some of you...but I'm going to say it anyway; the founders of comics, men
who invented and advanced the earliest years of comic books as an artistic
medium, were mostly Jewish. Now, don't go thinking that I am suggesting
some sort of conspiracy, or even particularly care whether they were Jews,
Catholics, Neanderthals, Flying Walendas, or descendents of the Hatfields and
McCoys. All I care about is the basic, historical fact that the majority
of the movers and shakers of the Golden Age were Jews. I mention this
because, in those days especially, they were living the real world equivalent of
being Pseudo-human aliens. They could easily understand, then relate
through their scripts and drawings, what it meant to look like "everyone else,"
while also dealing with, or even hiding, the fact that they would always be
perceived by some people as somehow intrinsically different. I can
understand why no-one wants to talk about this, and, for me, the hardest part
about all of this is the realization that my heroes were once treated like
inferiors from another planet. It's sad to think that many beloved Golden
Age characters, including even Superman, are, in some respect, unconscious
reactions to prejudice (if they weren't direct allegories to begin with).
Strangely, that may also have been the root of their popularity. It almost
seems as though Pseudo-human aliens were more successful with readers because,
in some way, they meant more to the creators, who, in turn, just naturally told
better stories with them. That's true, I suppose, with any creator who
felt like an outsider (maybe just for being creative), and I definitely don't
mean to denigrate the creative abilities of these guys, nor those of the
non-Jewish creators for that matter. I'm just saying that their alien characters and stories
may have sprung from a deeper place than just their imaginations. Of
course, it wasn't long before other kinds of aliens began to be seen more often,
even gaining popularity. More thoughts on that tomorrow. Now,
though, it's time for your Comic Book Alien Race Of
The Day - Makluans!
August 10 - Well, I was too
depressed to post anything last night. Remember my comments about the
artwork I did for the foodservice equipment company? My suspicions were,
apparently, well founded. I found out last night that they had forgotten
to tell me that they didn't need the artwork from me after all. They were
very gracious, though, offering to pay for them anyway...which, I suppose,
should make it all seem worthwhile,
but there's just something wrong with
selling artwork to someone who is planning to throw it away when they get it,
even if I am compensated for it. Even my pricing takes into consideration
the "it will also advertise me while it advertises
them" factor, so I don't usually charge what I should for T-shirt
artwork (plus, I usually ask for one of the shirts). Sigh. At least
my contact at the company handled this professionally. In fact, in the 20+
years I've been selling commercial artwork, this is only the second time that I
was paid for artwork that the hirer no longer wanted after I completed it.
Usually, if that happens, they just ignore me, or actually use the old "the
check's in the mail" bit until I get tired of asking for payment. Of
course, I haven't actually seen any money yet, and I have no idea whatsoever
when, or even whether, I actually will. Ooh, that reminds me to pass on a
tip to any of you out there who may also sell art or other special projects to a
well-established business. If you operate as an individual, or sole
proprietor of a freelance "business," factor in an extra 30% to price
quotes. Most businesses are required to set aside an insane 30% of
payments to outside contractors for the IRS as "backup withholding."
Basically, this is an amount which the government keeps unless you itemize your
piddle-dink earnings (under $400) on your taxes (in which case, most, if not all
of it, may be refunded). If you are expecting a certain amount of payment
when you get your check for whatever work you've done, think about asking for
30% more originally. Anyhoo, I'm doing better with the whole situation
now. After taking a few digital photos, I sent out the artwork in today's
mail. Since the company is right here in Wisconsin, they should have the
art, and accompanying invoice, no later than Saturday. Let's see how long
it takes to get a check. In fact, let's start a countdown clock,
THE PAY-O-METER!!! Look up above in the
WOMP-Blog page heading graphics for a clock which will count the time until I
get paid. Beyond being interesting (slightly), this will give you a little
insight into why I still spend several days a week at the dread "real" job, even
though it's slowly killing me. OK, now that I have that out of my system
for a bit, I also wanted to briefly touch upon my Grandpa's condition. As
of this writing, he's doing much better, and is responding well to all of the
treatments. A full recovery is expected. Now, on to this month's
"theme," Comic Book Alien Races! There seem
to be several specific kinds of aliens in comics, falling mostly into these
categories; Pseudo-humans, Animalesques, Monstrosities, or Technologicals. Tonight, I wanted to
explore a little about Pseudo-humans, such as last night's
Comic Book Alien Race Of The Day, The
Thanagarians. These are, in
virtually every respect, humans, just from another planet. Most have minor
physical differences from us, like pointy ears or green skin, but they can
interact with humans without causing too much of a disturbance. Superman,
Starfire, Brainiac 5, even the Silver Surfer are all really just slightly
tweaked human characters (with superpowers, of course). As literary tools,
these types of alien characters are used most often, probably because they can
so easily interact with the rest of us Earthicans. Also, it doesn't
require a lot of background work to design an alien who's just a regular person
with purple skin. Still, I think there are many deeper reasons why
Pseudo-humans are the most popular alien
types. I'll get to my thoughts on that tomorrow, but, for now, here's your
Comic Book Alien Race Of The Day - Oans
(also known as Guardians or Malthusians)!
August 9 - Comic Book Alien Race Of
The Day - Thanagarians!
August 8 - So much to talk
about. I guess the big news is that my Grandpa had to go to the hospital
on Monday night. He is OK now, sort of. He seems to be suffering
from a pneumonia-like condition, which makes him weaker than usual, cough like a
smoker (he's never smoked), and feel like he's falling backward whenever he
stands. He spent all of today in the hospital. My folks and I
visited him after his post-lunch nap, and I was very relieved that he didn't
seem all that bad, other than his cough and equilibrium problems. In fact,
as we talked, he sat on the edge of his hospital bed and swung his dangling feet
like a three year old. He's pretty tough, especially for 97 years old, but
I still worry about him. Again, though, I was buoyed by his complete
lucidity. As sharp as ever, he was quick, clever, and correct. He's
still unwell, but at least he's not suffering from any pain nor memory
loss. I'll check in on him again on Wednesday. Another thing that's
been on my mind, and I hesitate (slightly) to tell you, is that I am having
trouble contacting the foodservice equipment company for which I created those
two full color artwork pieces over the last week. I'm not in panic mode
yet, but my Suspiciometer is definitely displaying some
strong readings. Hmmm. Oh, well. The other things that I
wanted to talk to you about were my thoughts about this month's "...Of
The Day" theme (comic book alien races) AND the awesome DC heroes
and comic books stamps from the
U.S.P.S.! And I will, just not anymore tonight...except for today's
Comic Book Alien Race Of The Day - The
Watchers!
August 7 - Comic
Book Alien Race Of The Day - Dire
Wraiths!
August 6 - Same song, third
verse. I've noted before the irony of not having something to write about
until I'm too busy doing something to write about it, but this is
ridiculous! It's a situation exacerbated by an extended stint at the dumb
"real" job. Basically, I've been working two full-time jobs, the dread
"real" one and the paintings for the foodservice company, for a couple of
days. Add in the usual business of anyone's life, and you end up with a
schedule that allows only about five ten-minute breaks per day (not including
the five hours of sleep per night). So, here I am, wasting...er, I mean
utilizing this break to talk to
you...and to post your Comic Book Alien Race Of
The Day - Rannians!
August 5 - Still so busy (which is
good, right?). Only time to say a quick "Hi" to O.F.O.WOMP Lyle Ernst ("Hi, Lyle!"), and
to post your Comic Book Alien Race Of The Day - Martians!
August 4 - I'm running late
again. In fact, I figure that I have only five minutes to post an entry
tonight. I guess that eliminates anything past just posting your
Comic Book Alien Race Of The Day - The
Brood!
August 3 - You know what "Crazy
Days" events are, right? That's when area retail businesses band together
for a day or two of sales and close-out markdowns on slow moving stock.
Well, it was the beginning of "Crazy Days" here in Prairie du Chien today.
This year, though, they have definitely been a little more "crazy" than
usual. Traditionally, and I mean a tradition stretching back about forty
years, Prairie's "Crazy Days" event (which was usually only a single, "Crazy
Day"...but that's another story)
has started in the wee morning hours on the second Wednesday of July. So,
as per usual, downtown merchants months ago busied themselves by re-pricing
overstock, renting and erecting tents, making signs, and taking out
advertisements on the radio and in the newspaper, all of which had to be started
far in advance of the actual event. In the meantime, the Chamber of
Commerce director, organizer of "Crazy Days," suddenly retired. In the
confusion, no "official go-ahead" was ever given for the event. Undaunted,
area merchants set about readying their stores for a traditional, July 12th
start. But, as it turned out, that wasn't when "Crazy Days" was scheduled
to start. Someplace along the line, a different date (today) was
designated as being more appropriately "Crazy." Unfortunately, no-one told
the merchants this little fact until something like the night of July
11th. Oops. Confusion, controversy, nearly a month of unexpectedly
low prices, and far too many angry people have made 2006's "Crazy Days" finally
live up to the name. Oh, well. Here's your Comic
Book Alien Race Of The Day - Czarnians!
August 2 - Not a great start,
eh? I have been so swamped with art work, and about a thousand other
things, that I've let the poor ol' WOMP-Blog slide for a bit. Sorry.
So, here, to catch up, is a quick run-down of what has occupied my time over
these last three days or so...
1) A fairly big T-shirt artwork project for a foodservice
equipment company. It involves a sort of "before and after," double-sided
design, both elements of which need to be fully painted. I began working
on it in earnest on...
2) July 31st, my Grandpa Fry's 97th birthday! As any of you
long-time WOMP-Bloggers may know, it's my unbiased opinion that my Grandpa is
awesome, and I tend to go on and on about him. But this year, between
hours wasted at the dread "real" job, the artwork project, and Grandpa's annual
pacemaker check-up appointment, I couldn't even see him,
nonetheless blog anything about him. That also led to...
3) A general depression. Nothing big, just the "I hate the
way things are going and I feel powerless to change their trajectory" Summertime
Blues. That's caused, in great part, by...
4) The aforementioned dumb "real" job. It has been pretty
miserable there, with management troubles, angry customers, and many, MANY
technical problems and machinery breakdowns, most of that due
to...
5) The terrible heat. It's put a strain on everything and
everyone, and it's made sitting in front of the mighty WOMPuter a sweaty
chore. Of course, that didn't stop me from taking advantage
of...
6) An eBay sale on the price of listing. I mean, come on; 10
cents per listing? I HAD to put stuff up for auction. I wasted much
of an entire twenty-four hour day listing just a handful of items. It just
takes so long! You have to scan, photograph, and/or otherwise edit an
image of the item, research what it is, assess its condition, estimate shipping,
describe it with as many key words as possible, and wait for the slow
downloading of a day when millions of others are also taking advantage of the
temporary fee decrease. On top of all of that, factor in
that...
7) I am a lazy, lazy man. As soon as my back starts to hurt,
I give up (for a while, at least). If things reach a natural pause, I get
a snack. Should The WOMP Staff ask me to go for a drive, I drop everything
and go (usually). Basically, in spite of the workload, I find just about
any reason to get away from it whenever possible. Oh, and that brings up
the last thing that has kept me from posting over the last few
days...
8) My list for the "...Of The Day" theme for this month is short
by one entry! The theme is Comic Book Alien Race Of
The Day, and I could only come up with
30 races for a month with 31 days. Yes, I could just run down the list of
Legion characters and find about 300 alien races, but I not only already had
"LSH Month" here in the WOMP-Blog recently, but I also set the stipulation that
the race has to have been represented by at least two different named characters before I could
list it. For example, Fin Fang Foom is actually a member of an alien race
called the Kakaranatharans, but none of the other Kakaranatharans have ever been
named as anything but, well, "the other Kakaranatharans." I also tried to
shy away from movie aliens, most especially the Aliens. I thought about
the Predators, but, honestly, I don't know what their race is called, and I have
no idea whether any of them have ever been named. I did, however, use one
movie/TV inspired alien race, but only because of it's decades long, worldwide
association with comics (check back on the 12th for that one). I did not,
however, use any of the associated alien races which that race has encountered.
So, here I am, already in the early hours of the third day of this month,
without a full cadre of Comic Book Alien Races
Of The Day. That's where you come
in. If you have any suggestions, please send them by the 31st of the
month. Be warned, however, that I already have thirty others loaded up,
ready to go, so you may send one which I've already thought of. Remember,
the race should have had at least two named representatives in the comics.
Aliens named in flashbacks or legends, and nicknames or other designations given
to individual aliens by others DO count, too. What I'm looking for is
evidence of individuality. So, to wrap this up, lets' back-track a
bit. The Comic Book Alien Race Of
The Day for August 1 was The
Kree, and, for tonight, here's your regularly scheduled Comic
Book Alien Race Of The Day - Psions!
August 1 - ????