Art: Tombstone Paintings

I went to an artshow at a monastery with my dad and a neighbor a couple of months ago.  We had a nice time and saw a lot of great art.

 

Dad and I were immediately attracted to this fellow's artwork.  By odd coincidence, we had been watching Tombstone on TV earlier in the afternoon.  This is the artist's business card.

I bought this postcard version.  Both of these images were large paintings at the artist's booth.

NM State Aggies vs LA Tech Bulldogs Volleyball 10-5-24

 

Well, the good news this Saturday morning was that there was an MLB playoff game on the radio.  The bad news was that I found out I couldn’t get AM radio signal in the Pan-Am Center.  That was probably okay for two reasons.  One, I wasn’t going to do double coverage again of baseball and today’s Aggie Volleyball game against the LA Tech Bulldogs.  It’s hard enough just writing down volleyball play-by-play.  Two, before I got cut off, Cleveland was up 5-0 in the first and Detroit hadn’t even gotten an out.  (The Indians won 7-0, as I found out later.)

 

I was hungry for another three-set win today.  Literally.  I hadn’t had time for breakfast before going to this noon game.  There was a bit a light crowd compared to last night (although the official attendance said otherwise).  At the end of practice, Mari Sharp popped a ball high over the court.  The other players covered their heads and scrambled.  Mari was embarrassed but laughing about it.  This would be a bit of foreshadowing to something weird that happened later in the game.

 

There was a new intro video for the team with some new footage and subtracting out some players that weren’t playing (though not all of them).  For the souvenir ball toss, Starr Williams threw hers at some nearby girls but missed.  The ball fell into the off-court area.  Some young women below me, who’d gotten a ball from Yasso Amin, handed theirs off to the girls.  Meanwhile, Nicole Briggs went over and got the ball off the court and handed it to the young women.  In turn, they handed it off to a little girl below them, who was Tess Fuqua’s baby sister (I think).  More on these young women later and why they were giving away balls.

 

Set 1

Starr got a tip kill to start the match.  Mari got the next Aggie point off a ball that hit the tape and fell over.  It seemed like a lucky day for the Aggies.  Kacia Brown put in a tip to make it 3-2 Aggies.  Claudia Rossi came in as the alternate setter.  The score stayed close.  Yasso was blocked on a double team, but Kacia and Mari both had kills afterward.  LAT gave the Aggies a 10-9 lead after a roofing call. 

 

The Aggies started to maintain a lead.  Nicole hit an off-speed kill, Mari had a kill, and Kacia dropped the hammer at 13-11 Aggies.  After a touch kill from Mari, Aleka Darko went “Boom!” on a kill, as called by PA Ed Carnathan.  LAT did make a couple of saves on the point.  15-13 Aggies took us to the Media timeout.

 

Out of the break, LAT took the next point.  I think setter Nellie Reese missed coverage on a dig.  Coach Jordan was up and yelling immediately.  17-14 Aggies, Yasso got a touch kill.  She’d missed a couple of shots long early.  Timeout LAT.  It was quiet enough briefly that I could hear the Coach, “You knew where she was going to hit it and you didn’t cover!”

 

The teams traded service errors.  LAT got an overpass kill.  They tied it at 18, when Yasso returned their serve into an antenna.  Timeout Aggies.  Back to play, LAT tooled a block to tie it at 19.  Coach Jordan almost stormed the court in anger.  Mari came back with a kill to put the Aggies back up, 21-19.  Timeout LAT.  It seemed like the Coach was talking to himself before he spoke to the team.  LAT scored the next point and Coach Jordan took a timeout.  It was a short talk.  He told Ashley Herman in the Reserves to get ready.  She started warming up.

 

Marketing Director Nicole Sacks came by and said, “Hi.”  She was operating a hand-held camera in the crowd.  LAT took a 22-21 lead.  Ash came in for Nicole.  A double touch called on LAT tied it.  Mari tooled a block to tie it at 23, but Nellie served into the net to put LAT on set point.  The Bulldogs converted immediately with an overpass kill to take the set, 25-23. 

 

Set 2: Bulldogs 1, Aggies 0

My stomach grumbled.  Should I start rooting for LAT to win this in three?  No.  Of course not.  (But if the Aggies go down two sets . . . )  LAT was called for a lift on the first play of the second set.  They’re hitting all of the spots the bingo card of fouls.  The Coach challenged the next point on a possible touch on a kill by Starr.  The call stood.  Mari came back with a kill on a touch.  Yasso got a kill to tie it at 4.  Rilen Garcia came in as the alternate setter.  I guess the Coach decided that the setting was the problem in the first set.

 

This move paid off quick with another kill by Yasso and Rilen serving up an ace in the corner.  Yasso made a block and at 8-4 Aggies, LAT took a timeout.  Out of the break, Yasso was double teamed on her next swing and blocked.  From there, the Aggies started pulling away.  Mari had an overpass kill at 10-5 Aggies.  Ash, Aleka, Mari, and Starr all had kills and it was 15-8 Aggies.

 

Morgan Stewart came in to serve.  During the point, the ball was hit high in the air and went into the overhead video unit.  The ball somehow got in the gap between the advertising cover and the unit and didn’t come down.  Now I’ve seen everything.  That was a one-in-a-million shot.  They had to replay the point.  (How are they going to get that ball down?)

 

With the teams changing ends, I was getting to watch LAT.  Their coach, Amber McCray, was really animated on the sidelines and was constantly talking to her team on court.  LAT put the ball into the antenna at 17-11 Aggies and called a timeout.  Kacia then rattled off the next three kills to make it 21-14 Aggies.  On the next point, an LAT free ball dropped in on the Aggie side untouched.  The Coach didn’t get as angry as I thought he would over that. 

 

Starr put in another kill.  After that, an LAT overpass dropped in untouched on the Aggie side.  Coach Jordan face-palmed.  Starr had a kill on the next point, but it was ruled out and untouched.  The whole team called for the Coach to make a challenge, which he did.  The reversal put the Aggies on set point.  Starr definitively finished it off with a kill, 25-18.       

 

Set 3: Aggies 1, Bulldogs 1

During the halftime break, they ran the promo for the 50-th anniversary of Aggie Volleyball, but at the end they introduced three alumni in the stands.  It was the young women seated below me.  They were Natalie Mikels, Jordan Pleasants, and Analyssa Acosta.  It’s good to see that they’re all still fans of the program.  (They had their backs to me.  Otherwise, I might have recognized them.  Maybe?)

 

Yasso scored the first two Aggie points and Ash added the third to make it 3-2 Aggies.  Still, the Coach was not happy.  He went over and yelled at the Reserves.  He really got in their faces and they weren’t even out on court playing.  Out on court, Mari put in two more kills.  Kaci then put in an ace.  The Reserves chanted, “Ole!”  However, Rilen missed a dig on the next point and the Coach lit into her.  When she cycled out, Rilen got another talk from the Coach while sitting next to him.

 

The Aggies kept the barrage going.  Ash and Mari had kills.  “Boom!” was the call on another kill by Starr.  Timeout LAT with the Aggies up, 9-4.  In the t-shirt toss in the break, Tess’ mom was holding her young child and waving her around somewhat dangerously calling for a shirt.  A little girl who did get one actually ran down to offer it to her, but she wouldn’t take it.

 

Starr got a touch kill to make it 10-5.  The refs hesitated on making that call.  The Coach was already reaching for his challenge card.  Starr put in another kill.  Yasso got the next kill and also made a great save on the point.  LAT called their final timeout at 13-6 Aggies.  Yasso then rattled off the next three Aggie points.  Morgan came in to serve for her.  Everyone likes her big serve, but she’d netted the last two. 

 

Let’s finish this.  Kacia had a solo block.  Mari had two more kills.  Yasso had a kill.  Kacia had another solo block.  Bella Garcia came in to serve and Starr finished the set with a tip, 25-13.  For set point, they were showing a video featuring a baby hippo.  The meaning of this escapes me.  Is it a popular meme I haven’t seen?

 

Set 4: Aggies 2, Bulldogs 1

The Aggie girls were on the other end of the court, but I could see them smiling and dancing.  The set started well with Nellie floating an ace into the corner.  3-1 Aggies, Starr made a kill that looked too easy.  Even early, the Aggies started running away with it.  6-2 Aggies, Yasso put in an overpass kill.  LAT won the point at 7-4, though a Bulldog player slid into the sideline table.  There were free balls on both sides and the ending kill hit a line judge at his feet.

 

Starr and Yasso had kills.  Rori Gray, the easy-to-spot tallest Bulldog, slapped down an overpass at 10-8 Aggies.  More Aggie kills were scored in by Ash and Mari.  Nicole and Mari combined on a block to make it 15-9 Aggies.  This took us to the Media timeout.  There was a mini football toss into the crowd.  One guy who got one threw his ball the length of the court to a lady in the north end.  Does he have any eligibility left?  Would he like to play quarterback for the Aggies?

 

By my count, the third Aggie service error of the set occurred when play resumed, but LAT returned the favor on the next point.  LAT took a timeout at 17-10 Aggies.  The Aggies stumbled a bit here.  They had their fourth service error.  Yasso was solo blocked.  Nicole had a kill, but the Yasso missed a shot high.  The Coach yelled at her.  She heard him and got a kill on the next point, 19-13.

 

Rilen aced to get the Aggies to 20-13.  Ashley put in another kill and LAT took their final timeout.  Coach Battle spoke to Yasso separately from the huddle.  Mia Fox and Maggie Lightheart (our sweetheart) came in.  22-14 Aggies, Mia took a powerful swing for her first kill.  23-15 Aggies, this was the longest point of the set and exhausting just to watch.  Whew!  It ended on a DT call on LAT.  Nicole was back in and had a kill to get the Aggies to match point.  Kaylee Peterson came in and got a dig on the next point.  An LAT net violation ended the set, 25-16, and the match, 3-1, for the Aggies.

 

The Aggies had 67 kills, which is an awful lot for a match that didn’t go five sets.  Mari Sharp and Yasso Amin led with 18 kills.  Starr Williams had 12 kills.  Kacia Brown really worked the net with 5 blocks and the Aggies led 7 to 4 in blocking.  Aggie serving put in 4 aces today.  Giulia Bonifacio led the Bulldogs with 10 kills. 

 

Boy when the Aggies get on a roll, they are seemingly unstoppable.  Unfortunately, they seem to lose concentration at times and errors get the best of them.  The Coach saw this game like I did.  It was a trap.  He was riding them constantly from the beginning to try and keep them focused.       

      

Autographs

I was honestly nervous about meeting the girls this time.  Still, I’d worn my best Aggie polo shirt and at least looked presentable.  I stood in line right behind Tess’ mom and little sister.  (Whew!  Tess definitely inherited some good looks.)  There were a bunch of adults and guys in line, unlike the usual with me and a bunch of little girls.  I’ll post these interactions in no particular order.

 

I did see Morgan Stewart first.  I told her about Ron being her biggest fan (literally), but he couldn’t be here.  I praised Makayla Martinez for her hustle.  Tess’ mom talked to Bella Garcia.  Bella called her, “Coach.”  Piecing it together from the program, I guess she’s the coach at Centennial High School and coached her own daughter.  (Bella seemed a bit pensive with her old coach.) 

 

I really felt compelled to say something encouraging to Maggie Lightheart (sigh, so lovely, but kind of intimidating).  I told her to keep listening to the coaches and that she was built to succeed.  I pointed at Ashley Herman next to her and said, “She spent two years on the bench before she got to play regularly.”  I asked Ash about her annoying the coaches with her pre-set fist-bumping.  She laughed and said she might start doing that again.           

 

I told Aleka Darko she had the best smile on the team and I got to see it.  I think she complimented my thunderbird belt buckle (or it was somebody else).  It does look good, which is why I wore it for this.  Starr Williams showed a little more enthusiasm after her kills than usual but was still pretty restrained.  She was keeping her head down signing.  I got her attention and told her she had a great game.  That got a little smile from her.

 

I told our returning graduate student, Darian Markham, “You couldn’t stay away, could you?”  She laughed and knew what I meant.  I told Mia Fox she had a couple of good swings at the end.  She wanted more.  (She might be getting them in the near future.)  “Bianca Perez, you’re in cast now!” I said to her.  Yes, she’d just gotten surgery on a torn ACL.     

 

I finally got to Tess Fuqua.  She gave her little sister a kiss before getting to me.  I wanted to tell Tess she had the best hair on the team but thought the better of flirting with her in front of her mom.  I settled for asking her what she said to the huddle at the Lobo game.  She seemed a little embarrassed, “I told them to . . . umm . . . stop playing like . . . umm . . . sissies and play harder.”  I think she may have cleaned up her language a bit with her family there.    

 

I had to say it to Ryleigh Whitekettle, “On behalf of everyone, it’s killing us that you’re sitting on the bench!”  She had such a sweet smile for that comment.  I told her that I’d hurt my back earlier this year and that I understood her pain.  Yasso Amin was at the end of the line.  She thanked me (and probably everyone else) for coming out to the game.  In return, I thanked her for coming here to play.  Yasso shook my hand.  This is a young woman who was raised well with great manners.  (I forgot to tell her how cute she looked on the poster.)

 

Walking across the court, I ran into Assistant Coach Tatyana Battle.  I called her, “Coach Battle,” and congratulated her on her promotion.  Grad Assistant Lia Mosher came over and I told her she looked “Very coach-like” in the huddle talking to the girls.  I told them I liked the outfit coordination yesterday.  They liked it, too.  They’ll try to do it again.  (Again, where was Assistant Coach Whitis this weekend?)  

 

Can I eat finally?  Great!  I went down to Roadrunner Pizza for a sandwich, which they served me quickly.  Thank you.  It was great.  I found an Aggie Sports Annual Report in my mail when I got home, which was a nice surprise.  (I’ll make a ***post*** of it after I’ve read it.)

 

Also surprising, the big College Football news of the day happened.  Vanderbilt beat #1 Alabama today, 40-35.  The highlight of the game was Diego Pavia throwing a 40-yard touchdown on a 4-th and 1.  Way to go, Diego!  (Damn it!  NMSU might be a ranked team if they’d been able to hold the coach and team together for this season.) 

 

Arkansas beat #4 Tennessee later, 19-14.  Dad stayed up past his bedtime to see the end and called me.  He was so happy.  He’s from Missouri, though.  He didn’t seem to care that #9 Missouri and got badly beat by Texas A&M #25.  It was a day of upsets in college football.  While watching, I also got to listen to the Padres versus the Dodgers on the radio.  I didn’t get the result I wanted, but it was a good game.  It didn’t spoil my otherwise pleasant day of sports. 

NM State Aggies vs LA Tech Bulldogs Volleyball 10-4-24

Our Las Cruces High School has the same team name and colors as the NMSU opponent tonight, LA Tech Bulldogs.  It’s not the biggest coincidence in the world, but it’s a pretty good one.  Anyway, I started my day with an indulgent lunch over at Bubba’s.  I wanted to try their hamburger.  It was pretty good.  I really like their seasoned fries.  At least there was no gastric explosion, unlike my last meal out.

At the Pan-Am Center this evening, I noticed some piles of new shirts at the merch kiosk.  They had a couple of volleyball shirts and I ended up getting a crimson one.  Why did I do this?  I have plenty of shirts and I’m not even sure I’ll be back next year.  I don’t know.  I don’t really have an Aggie Volleyball shirt, I guess.  The cashier was a nice guy.  He liked the Aggie stuff I was wearing.  I noticed some Wave the Wonder Dog merchandise and said they should have a Wave plushie.  They do.  They just didn’t have one here.

There was a great crowd tonight, not even really enhanced by a bunch of little girls teams.  A couple of the suites were occupied.  On court, our female assistant coaches and trainer were all dressed in white tops and beige pants.  Very cute.  (Where was Coach Whitis tonight, though?)  Bianca Perez was back.  She was in a promo video for this weekend’s game.  Unfortunately, she’s now wearing a full leg cast.  

LAT brought a large roster with them and they were pretty international.  Their coach, Amber McCray, was all smiles when introduced and waved to the crowd.  During the Aggie introductions, Yasso Amin tossed a souvenir ball over my head several rows behind me.  She’s got quite the arm.  

Set 1

The Aggie Reserves were into it tonight.  So was the crowd, but mostly a group of guys that turned out to be Aggie Football players.  Kacia Brown was starting.  Coach Jordan was pleased with her play (for now) from his weekly interview.  

LAT double teamed Starr Williams early and blocked her, but she came back with a tip kill on the next point, 2-1.  Yasso added to the lead, 4-1, with a touch kill.  You know things were going well when libero, Darian Markham, got a kill on a free ball, 6-2.

Setter Nellie Reese cycled out and, surprisingly, Rilen Garcia came in.  8-3 Aggies, Ashley Herman painted the backline with a kill.  The pretty line judge ruled it out, but the up official overruled her.  No challenge from LAT.  Ash put in another kill right after and LAT took a timeout.  

10-3 Aggies, Kacia put in another kill.  Ash then fired out.  Yasso wanted a touch on it, but Coach Jordan made no move to challenge.  Kacia and Ash teamed up for block, but then LAT went on a four-point run.  Timeout Aggies.  The Coach was speaking loudly in the huddle, but not yelling.  A guy Cheerleader nearly threw out his arm on the t-shirt toss in the break.  He was trying to get it up into the stands.  Meanwhile, one of the Football guys had his shirt off and was yelling, “I need a shirt!”

The LAT run continued until Mari finally broke serve with a kill off the blockers, 13-10 Aggies.  Rilen cycled out and went over to Claudia Rossi, who’s usually been the alternate setter.  They chatted for a moment and then Claudia shook her hand.  LAT went on another run, as Starr fired out, 13 all.  

Mari Sharp came in flying in from the backcourt with a kill to put the Aggies back in the lead.  It was tied again at 14 as Yasso fired out.  She asked the Coach for a challenge, but he was like, “Nope.”  Don’t worry.  Suddenly, it was the Kacia Show.  She put in four kills, along with Starr going “Kaboom” on a point.  21-18 Aggies and LAT took a timeout.  Grad Assistant Lia Mosher did a lot of talking in the huddle with Assistant Coach Battle chipping in.  

Starr fired out a couple of times and the Coach took a timeout, 21-20 Aggies.  It was almost quiet enough that I could hear him.  He wasn’t loud, but did sound very sarcastic.  Mari painted the backline on a kill out of the break.  Kacia and Starr combined on a block to get it to set point.  Appropriately, Kacia finished it with a kill, 25-23 Aggies.

Set 2: Aggies 1, Bulldogs 0

During the break, Flex Cam went to the Football guys and Shiyazh Pete flexed.  When I saw him ***last month,*** he did say he was going to try to come to some Volleyball games.  With the Bulldogs now on our end of the court, the guys did intensify their heckling of the team.  Undeterred, the LAT Reserves were really singing out.  They have a good team spirit.

Mari led the Aggie scoring to start by pounding in a kill and then having a flying kill.  LAT was keeping it close.  Starr tied it at 4 tooling the blockers, after firing out on a couple of shots.  Yasso tied it at 5.  A LAT server put it into the net to tie it at 6.  You might give an assist to the Football guys’ jeering on that point.  The Aggies took the lead on a double touch by the Bulldogs.  The Football guys chanted, “You can’t do that!”  They’ve been here before.

On the next point, Ashley’s swing was called out.  The Coach challenged this call.  It was obviously the wrong call, but the down official took forever to review it and reverse it.  The LAT Reserves had a good time dancing in the break.  Mari got a touch kill to make it, 9-6 Aggies.  Rori Gray, Bulldog middle blocker, hit a great slap down to close it to 9-8.  Starr was stuffed at 11-9 Aggies.

From there, the Aggies started pulling away.  Mari got another kill and Yasso tooled a block and got a kill on a touch.  She was double teamed and blocked on the next point, but Starr came back with a kill.  15-11 Aggies into the Media timeout.  Yasso won a joust at the net on the point out of the break.  Kacia had a kill and LAT took a timeout at 17-11 Aggies.

The Aggies kept it up.  Ash put in a kill.  Mari had a tip kill and a nice shot between blockers.  21-15 Aggies, Nellie aced and LAT took another timeout.  Shiyazh posed for the camera in the break.  He’s photogenic.  Out of the break, there was a completely busted play on the Aggie side, but they rallied long enough for Starr to get a kill.  On the next point, both sides were discombobulated, and LAT took the point.  

23-17 Aggies, LAT was called for roofing.  The Aggies got to set point, but LAT took the next point, as the Football guys called out to their server, “I saw you on Tinder!”  Yasso tooled a block to end it, 25-18 Aggies.              

Set 3: Aggies 2, Bulldogs 0

There was a promo video during the half.  This was Aggie Volleyball’s 50-th anniversary.  Their first game was a win against UTEP.  The program has had over 900 wins and over 500 of them were with Coach Jordan.  On court, Yasso did a little Salsa dancing and Aleka Darko started.

Starr hit an offspeed swing for a kill for the first point.  The Aggies rattled off 5 points early on kills by Yasso (2), Kacia, and Starr, and a block by Starr and Kacia.  6-1 Aggies and timeout LAT.  Lia seemed to be taking over in the huddle talking to the team.  

7-2 Aggies was a long rally that ended on an LAT DT.  Yasso got a kill and then followed it up with an ace.  The crowd really seemed to be enjoying her big toss jump serve.  Mari put in two more kills and Yasso added another to make it, 13-9 Aggies.  The next point was a huge rally.  There were great saves on both sides to keep it going.  Starr finally ended it with a kill.  

Yasso and Kacia added kills, but LAT kept lingering.  Mari had a net violation and a miss before getting a tip kill at 17-14 Aggies.  Ash tooled a block on the next point and LAT took a timeout.  The Coach talked mostly to Rilen in the break.  Kacia put in an ace out the break.  Morgan Stewart in the Reserves fell flat to the floor miming diving for it.  Kaylee Peterson dragged her by her feet back to the group.  The girls all started laughing.

20-15 Aggies, Mari had a touch kill.  Starr followed with a pair of kills.  Kacia had a kill with an improvised one-hand slap.  Starr finished the set, 25-19, and the match, 3-0, with a kill.  Aggies win!

For a three-set match, the Aggies really racked up the kills.  They led 58 to 29.  Mari Sharp paced the Aggies with 14 kills.  Starr Williams had 13, Kacia Brown 12, and Yasso Amin had 11.  Rilen Garcia did very well as the alternate setter with 20 assists.  The Aggies were outblocked 5 to 2.

I was back home before 8:00pm, so the match was well under two hours.  LA Tech was fighting it out enough that it didn’t seem that short.  I watched the local El Paso news later.  They reported on the Aggie match and UTEP’s home match.  UTEP was also a straight-set winner.  These two teams will collide next week in El Paso, but the Aggies have another with LAT on Saturday.  

Comics Review: Red Sonja, Blackbird, Matt Baker

Like the magazines, I’d randomly bought these.  The first two were purchased at Zia Comics, likely just to be nice.  The last one was a real find at Coas.

Savage Red Sonja #2

I’d given Issue #1 of this series a glowing review at the beginning of the year (1-3-24).   What a mistake.  It was all crap in the next issue.  I’d actually sought this out on the stands at Zia Comics.  I’d liked the stylized, kind of minimal artwork before, but that was with a better story.  Here, the art carried the whole comic and it didn’t work.  I don’t know if there wasn’t enough story for two issues or there was supposed to be more and it was cutoff or it was rush job.  There’s just no point in buying individual issues of new comics anymore.   

 

The only art I'm posting from this are a couple of house ads.

Blackbird #1 The Great Beast

This comic was not written for me.  It’s more like a young adult female magical girl series, probably a pitch for a show.  And I liked it.  This might say more about me than the comic book.  However, in my defense, the artwork in this is bright and attractive, the characters have some depth, and there is a decent story.  I kept waiting for something dumb or irritating to happen in the story to make me regret buying this, but it never happened.  This is a mother/daughters/sisters story, not an Agenda-driven tale. 

 

This trade is an introduction to the main characters and the setting.  I’d actually like to read more and see where the story is going.  (After a quick look, I don't see any more of this series available.)

 

The Lost Art of Matt Baker Vol. 1 Canteen Kate

This is why I keep going to Coas Bookstore.  Some of the stuff I’ve found there has been amazing.  I was already familiar with the “good girl” artwork of Matt Baker from the 40’s and 50’s.  When I saw his name on a hardback, I snapped it up.  I had no idea something like this even existed.

 

This is actually mostly because Baker’s work is in Public Domain, which is where I’d read some of it on an online archive.  I don’t know if this is Baker’s best work (that would probably be Phantom Lady), but he clearly had a lot of fun with it.  The stories are funny as Kate continually gets herself and her cohorts into trouble.  These were originally published in a violent military comic, so I question how the comedy fit in with that.        

 

My main complaint is unfortunately the image quality.  The reproduced pages are slightly larger than original.  These are scans from the original comics and not the original artwork.  There was some touching up of the scans, but the color choices were questionable in places.  So you’re getting the stories and a crude reproduction of the artwork.  You’re not getting some archival quality artbook. 

 

I don’t know if I’d recommend this.  I paid $25 (used) for material I could get for free online with about the same quality.  Still, this is a really cool artifact to own, since I’m a fan of Matt Baker’s artwork.  I’d certainly like more in book form.

Magazine Rack: Back Issue, Cursed and Creepy, Epic

I’d bought these a while back from three different places, for three different reasons along with some comics.  It’s taken me some time to read all of them and get around to writing about them. 

 

Back Issue #151

I found this on the racks at Barnes & Noble.  I am a big Sandman fan, though I think I turned down buying this the first time I saw it.  I had not seen this title before there and haven’t seen it since, so I guess it was a good thing I decided to pick this up.  (I don’t remember why I changed my mind or refused it to begin with.) 

 

This is a magazine about Bronze Age comics and features interviews with the creators and articles about various characters.  Wow, it’s like somebody wrote this just for me and it is rather bright and colorful.  Unfortunately, it’s kind of ephemeral.  There’s no real substance to it.  What I’ve learned from it I didn’t need to know or didn’t want to know.  For example, a lot of comic book writers are jerks.  (I sort of feel like I should be using stronger language.)  This magazine came out right before Neil Gaiman’s recent legal trouble, so at least now I know that it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.  The informative articles mostly just refer you to the original issues of the comics.  It’s maybe a bit more detailed than a Wiki article.  

Awesome Bill Sienkiewicz Death painting

 

Actual Death (and why I won't watch Netflix Sandman adaptation).

I did like the interview section with the various Sandman artists.  I guess that and the general premise was enough to get me to go to their website and order several pdf’s of their past issues.  I ended up with ten of them (including a giveaway).  I’m still reading them.  (It’s a lot of material and reading on a computer is tiring.)  Overall, I’m still not hugely impressed.  (But that could change.  I haven’t read a bunch interesting articles yet.)  I still have a list of a few more I’d like to buy, and I went to B&N like three weeks in a row looking for the next issue when it should have come out.   

 

I’m buying more of it, but not really recommending it?  I’m recommending it, but don’t expect much?  Okay, I don’t know what I’m recommending here.  Let’s move on.  (I may do review of the digital editions, but not until I finish reading everything, so it may be awhile.  There’s a bit more to the story of me ordering from their website.)   

 

The Traveler’s Guide to Cursed & Creepy Destinations

 

I’d gotten this off the rack at Wal-Mart because my Aunt Judy had sent me a gift card.  I got a couple of diecast NASCARs and had money left over.  I was under orders to buy something “fun.”  It looked kind of fun when I skimmed through it.

Read this and this is real

Ever see the 80's horror movie, The Keep?

It is.  This is chocked full of spooky places, ghost stories, and monster sightings.  I’d certainly recommend this for Halloween reading, perhaps out loud to an audience.  I’d really recommend this for writers and RPG players, particularly Game Masters.  There are adventure and monster ideas all through this.  The topics aren’t exhaustively detailed, but they can lead you to more comprehensive sources. 

It does start off with a bummer warning about visiting Ukraine and Russia and tells you to watch for catching a cold when traveling.  Everything else is swell.  If this particular magazine isn’t available during Halloween, I’m sure there will be something just like it on the racks then.  

   

Epic Illustrated #8

I forgot when exactly I bought this at Zia Comics.  I don’t remember if it was by itself or with something.  This was a purchase just for the excellent Howard Chaykin cover, of which, unfortunately, there’s no story inside attached to it.  That would have been cool.  As is, there are stories by Jim Starlin and a beautifully illustrated story by Charles Vess, but this is far from peak Epic Illustrated.  I was reading the magazine for months right before it was canceled (and I never got the end of that Last Galactus Story).  That was the good stuff. 

 

This was the best feature in the magazine.  How totally cool and imaginative.  Oh, wait.  This an ad for D&D.  It is done by Bill Willingham, though.

 

This issue, early in Epic’s history, is trying to be classic Heavy Metal, but without most of the talent.  It’s trying to be edgy and failing.  I’m told Heavy Metal was written to be read when high.  I can believe that.  I doubt most of the stories in this Epic, would be entertaining, regardless of your state of obfuscation.  It’s pretentious and a bit juvenile, but that’s not a mark against it, since it’s “art.”  It’s just not well done or enjoyable.  I’m surprised Marvel stuck with this experiment for as long as they did, but they probably wanted a “classy” art outlet for their artists.    

But this issue does work as a time capsule of the Year 1981.  We have movie reviews by Denny O’Neil (yeah, the Batman guy) of Superman II and Raiders of the Lost Ark.  He liked Superman, but said of the plot, “I’m chagrined that what would be a mortal sin in a 50-cent comic book is acceptable in a $40 million film.”  Raiders drew O’Neil right back to his youth watching action serials and he loved it. 

 

Meanwhile, comic writer, Steven Grant, did a page of computer game reviews, which is fascinating.  First, there’s mention of a printed catalog of all available computer games for sale.  Have you heard of the movie, Quintet, starring Paul Newman?  Me neither, but apparently it was a cult hit that spawned real-life fan-made versions of the game featured in the movie.  How about 3-D hologram Space Invaders and 3-D TVs (coming soon).  Then there’s the innovation of the Casio watch, which is a digital watch, a calculator, and has a built-in video game with it.  There’s a warning that playing video games at the arcade exposes you to unsafe radiation levels.  Finally, there’s article about “hackers,” people addicted to interacting with their computers.  “The hacker may be the model for future human behavior, moving into a symbiotic relationship with the computer.”  Dwell on all that. 

 

Since, Heavy Metal had reviews and articles, Epic thought it should, as well.  I don’t remember the later Epic issues having reviews in them, but maybe I just don’t remember.  Buying this may have been worth it just for the cover and reviews.  

MLB Pre-Postseason Picks

That is a lie.  The postseason has started before I’ve posted this, but I did write most of this before it started.  (Though the first day of the playoffs was over before I finished this.)  This is just a little note for the end of the season, not any sort of detailed analysis (like I ever do that anyway).

 

In the AL, I picked the O’s with the Yankees as wildcard in the East.  Lindy’s correctly had the Yankees winning.  I didn’t pick anyone in the AL Central and they got three teams in.  Lindy’s picked the Tigers, but it was the Indians winning it.  I did pick the Astros to win the West, reluctantly, which they did.  Lindy’s had the Mariners, who might not have any fans left in Seattle.  They had a big lead in their division and lost it quicker than any team before them.  Take a bow. 

 

In the NL, the Phillies seemed to be the obvious choice (which was correct), but I had the Braves winning the East (and the Phillies winning the World Series).  Lindy’s and I both picked the Reds in the Central.  Who saw the Brewers winning it?  Of course, the Dodgers won the West, which we all saw coming.  They might rename the division after them. 

 

For the AL Wildcards, I was genuinely happy that the Tigers got in.  This team was a seller at the trade deadline with a losing record and only just held on to probable Cy Young winner, Tarik Skubal, to keep their fans from rioting.  Likewise, the Royals’ skipping in was awesome.  Good for them!  (I wonder if this is enough to give them another chance at a new stadium bond.)  The O’s have fallen off a bit as the season has gone on, but let’s see if they learned something from last year.  I had them making it to the World Series.  I’ll stay with that. 

 

For the NL Wildcards, the Padres punched their ticket definitively.  Yes!  This could be the year for them.  Oh, the poor Diamondbacks.  They had to wait until the Braves and the Mets finished a double header on Monday (that had been canceled earlier by a hurricane) to find out that they’d been eliminated.  The first game between the Mets and Braves was apparently a classic.  Unfortunately, I had no way of watching or listening to it.                

 

I’d say I’d like to see anybody in the World Series, except the Yankees, Dodgers, Cleveland (change your damn name back and I’ll root for you), or Astros.  But I can’t.  I’ll admit it.  I’d kind of like to see Aaron Judge versus Shohei Ohtani, though it’d be even better if Shohei was pitching right now.  Maybe next year, but don’t count on the Yankees being good next year, whether they retain Juan Soto or not. 

 

It’s hard to pick a favorite match up for me, because several of these teams I personally like.  The Tigers are an old favorite team of mine.  I’ve been rooting for the Padres and Orioles for the last couple of years.  The Brewers and Royals were so unlikely to get this far, they’d be a great feel-good story.  I did pick the Phillies to win it all, so I’m sticking with that.