Comics Review: White Ash and Radio Apocalypse

I don’t want to write this . . . again.  Yet here I am writing about being disappointed by a couple of Indy comics for what seems like the umpteenth time.  This may truly be the end of this experiment in comics diversity.  It’s bad enough paying high prices for a comics, reading said bad comic, and then feeling compelled to write about the bad comics.  It’s self-flagellation on top of self-punishment. 

 

I was at Zia Comics looking for a couple of Archie Christmas comics that were solicited for this week on the Archie website.  Given that I’ve been disappointed several times looking for Archies at the shop, I went down on a Wednesday still hoping for the best.  They didn’t stock them.  I officially give up.  The new Wonder Girl was there, but they weren’t drawn by Joelle Jones, so I passed on it.  In lieu for that and without finding any interesting trades, I picked up a couple comics with the most interesting covers.  It’s a poor strategy for finding quality comics. 

 

Before going to the comics store, I went by the used bookstore to find a couple of books for dad for Christmas.  I found a big book on painting instruction that he was asking for and a large photobook with landscapes for him to paint.  These books were heavy enough to qualify as an upper body workout for carrying a long distance, which was what happened as I’d walked there from work and back.  The cost of those two huge used books with store credit was nearly the same as these two comics.  After reading these comics, I’m now writing about them to complete the torture.

Radio Apocalypse #1

Heck of an eye-catching cover, you have to admit. 

The artwork inside is also dramatically punk, if not perhaps best described as drastically punk.  The character designs are almost indecipherable at times in their very loose, sketchy style.  I think this is an artistic choice rather than a lack of skill.  (If I were drawing this comic, I know it would be from a lack of skill.)  What makes the artwork appealing, even in its roughness, is the dynamic color palette.  If you were a colorist, this could be inspirational material.

 

As for the story, it’s the apocalypse again.  Survivors are living in a shanty town surrounded by a multitude of dangerous creatures.  There’s a radio station broadcasting to the wastes run by an old man.  He takes in a thief, who had attempted to raid his compound, as a helper.  A lesbian couple (because what other kinds of couples are there in comics these days, unless it’s a hetro-mixed race couple?) is trying to make it to town, but one is left behind.  The girl meets the old man in town, and he plays a song for the other girl in a dramatic ending.    

I’m not going to say it’s trite, but it’s nothing terribly original to this point.  There is lots of emotion in the story.  There are stakes set in a desperate struggle, even inside the town.  It’s hard to say where this is going, but it seems unlikely I’ll be getting another issue. 

 

It’s not bad.  It is interesting looking and the story and setting aren’t terrible.  Really I question if the store will carry another issue or will there be another issue, so it’s hard to get too involved.  It was a longshot I’d be getting my $4 out of any comic to begin with, much less an obscure Indy title.  The publisher, Vault, lists several trades of other titles in the back.  They seem to be pitches for movies or TV shows, which describes most Indy titles.

 

White Ash Season Two #1

This is a Scout Comic.  I’ve bought one of their kids comics before.  This comic was noticeably thicker than a standard comic, which explains the $5 price tag.  There are more pages in it, but much of the bulk of the comic may come from the cover.  It is the thickest cover I’ve ever encountered on a comic.  This thing might stop a bullet. 

I wish this were Season One #1, because I have no idea what’s going on in this.  This issue assumes the reader has familiarity with the characters and the setting.  There’s no recap page even any backtracking to explain the previous “season.”  It’s set in the real world, but there’s an elf girl and a half-dwarf guy.  There’s a clan of dwarf miners and something like trolls hunting in the woods.  There’s a murder mystery going on maybe?  There’s some romance.  I don’t know how any of this fits together.

 

The artwork is in an appealing cartoony style.  It’s Darwyn Cooke-inspired.  The inside artwork isn’t as polished as the cover though.  The coloring is excellent.  While I couldn’t quite make sense of the story, at least the visual storytelling flows well.  The “Mature Readers” tag may refer to a single use of the F-word or some suggestions of sex.  There’s no nudity.       

 

This was just disappointing.  This page was literally almost all of the action in the comic.  I’d so hoped it would be fun and adventurous, especially for the extra price.  The cover was so promising.  Even if I was familiar with the material, basically nothing happens in this issue.  It just sets up future issues.  Unlike the other comic, the stakes of the conflict in this one aren’t clear.  There’s nothing enticing enough in the issue to make me want to get another. 

 

Once again in the back, there’s plenty more trades available from the company.  These comics are considered cheap pilots or proof of concept for movies and TV shows.  Much like the Indy publishers, who keep hoping one of their titles turns into a hit (i.e. Walking Dead), I keep hoping one of these Indy purchases will turn out to be a good read.  The chances of either happening are very low to this point.

NM State Aggies vs UTEP Miners Women’s Basketball 12-15-21 Part 2

 

Continued from Part 1.

 

Third Quarter

Most of the Cheerleaders left at halftime.  They were just there for the performance.  Bigue Sarr picked up another early foul, her fourth, and had to come right back out.  UTEP must have game planned going after her.  The Miners took the lead on an Eliana Cabral jumper, 44-45.  Soufia Inoussa had a block, and the Aggies retook the lead, 48-47, into the Media timeout. 

 

A couple of bad Aggie turnovers came after the break, the Aggies got a steal and Jade Bradley drove in for a layup.  Taylor got a layup and drew a foul to make it 57-51 Aggies.  Timeout Miners.  Deja Terrell, who had been playing in place of Sarr, picked up her fourth foul and had to come out.  The Aggies still held a 61-53 at the end of the quarter.

 

Fourth Quarter

There was a second t-shirt toss by the Cheerleaders.  (The first was somewhere in the first half.)  One of the Cheerleaders ran way up the stairs to give a shirt to a lady.  The break seemed to run long.  The Cheerleaders refused to vacate the court while the music was still going, though the players were ready to play. 

 

After a hard foul, Avery Crouse for the Miners picked up her fourth and Katia Gallegos came up limping.  However, Sarr picked up her fourth right after.  Teal Battle got a layup and drew a foul to close the Miners within 2 with 7 minutes left.  Fouls were basically happening on every possession downcourt.  A scrum under the basket on one play resulted in some light slapping.  The Miners tied it at 64 with 5 minutes left.

 

Deja got a steal and went coast-to-coast to give the Aggies a 2-point lead.  The Aggie bench started shouting, “De-Fence!”  Both benches were yelling like it was a high school game.  Mel Isbell picked up her fourth foul into the Media timeout.  Pistol Pete took one of the Cheerleaders into his arms and danced her around on the sidelines.  Out of the break, PA Ed made a surprise announcement: Mel’s foul was waved off, Crouse was instead given her fifth and fouled out, and Mel got 2 free throws.

 

Molly Kaiser fell on a loose ball in front of the Aggie bench.  They went wild over her effort.  She then buried a jumper to give the Aggies a 69-64 lead with 3 minutes left.  Mel then fouled out.  Ouch, there went the Aggies’ point guard.  Katia was sent to the nail for the second trip in a row.  The Aggie bench was now leading the crowd in chanting, “De-Fence!”  Molly hit 2 free throws to keep the Aggies in the lead, 71-67, with just under 2 minutes left.  Katia closed it to 71-69, as the Miners took a timeout.  Out of the break, Katia was then fouled by Molly for 2 more free throws. 

 

Deja fouled out, though both UTEP free throws were missed.  I think both teams were already in the bonus with 5 minutes left in the game.  Adrianna Henderson fouled Katia, who was guarding her at the time.  It was a bit of a flop, but Henderson did push her out of the way.  Teal got a layup and a free throw.  Timeout Aggies with 40 seconds left and a 1-point lead. 

 

Molly airballed a shot and then fouled Katia again.  Katia made 1 and tied the score at 73 with 14 seconds left.  The Aggies turned it over on their last possession.  Katia took a halfcourt shot that hit the backboard and the rim.  The buzzer sounded and to overtime we went.

 

Overtime

There was confusion before the tip as neither team was sure whose goal was whose.  I guess neither team had played overtime this season.  Taylor, who had had the Aggies’ hot hand all night, buried a jumper.  Katia took another foul and converted on the free throws.  We were tied at 75 with 3 minutes left.  Katia found Erin Wilson under the basket for a 75-77 Miner lead.  Sarr’s counterpart, Elina Arike, fouled out.  Sarr converted on one of her free throws leaving the Aggies down 1. 

 

Moe Shida came in for the Aggies to run point.  I was hoping to get to see the Japanese player in the game.  (Now, I’d like to know how she ended up here.  That might be a good story.)  Sarr fouled out on a charge with 1 minute left and the Miners up 76-77.  Taylor got a big block, but Dagne Apsite got a block on the other end.  Timeout Miners with 30 seconds left.

 

Out of the break, Katia was intentionally fouled and converted on both shots.  Timeout Aggies, now down by 3.  Taylor made a layup and drew the foul, but missed on the free shot.  78-79 Miners, 22 seconds left.  Time out Miners.  Teal was intentionally fouled and converted on both shots to put the Aggies down 3 again.  Taylor missed a 3.  The Aggies did get the ball back, but weren’t able to get another shot off.  78-82 Miners final.

Five players fouled out of the game in total.  At the end, three Aggie players with 0 points were playing.  It was an ugly game, but exciting.  The Aggies led most of it, but it could have gone either way at any time.  The Miners got the win, but take an ‘F’ in Civics for not showing up for the Anthem. 

 

My Aggie players of the game are Taylor Donaldson with 25 points, she stepped up with Bigue Sarr neutralized, and Molly Kaiser scored 12.  I think Molly scored most of those points in the second half.  For the Miners, Katia Gallegos scored a career-high 26 points.  16 of those were free throws.  The Aggies were trying to stop Katia, but couldn’t figure out how to do so without fouling her.  Elina Arike had 16 as the Miners’ big man (woman) down low.  I found out later, the Miners were actually missing their best scorer for this game.  It could have been worse.

 

“I knew they were going to lose,” said Ron when we got outside.  I knew you were going to say that, I thought to myself.  Like the game against the Lobos, I appreciate that the Aggies are playing hard.  They’re so close to being good, but they have to be able to close it out.  With these rivalry losses, I have to think Coach Atkinson’s contract isn’t going to be renewed whenever it’s up unless she can win the WAC. 

 

The team has two more games this month, both are on weekday afternoons.  I could go, but I already told Ron that I wasn’t interested.  These are pretty much glorified scrimmages (or should be) against minor teams.  Never say “Never” I guess, but I don’t want to have write recaps for those kind of games.  Sorry for being lazy.  Ron has a season pass.  I also don’t want to pay for these games.  Sorry for being cheap.

 

We went to Chik-fil-a afterward.  I wanted to try one of their Peppermint Chocolate Shakes.  Ron didn’t put in an order at the last minute and I felt bad about going, but at the window, we ran into a former co-worker at the window.  I was happy to see her and she was as adorable and charming as ever.  The shake was good, but strong.  I coughed after the first suck on the straw and had to get a drink of water.

 

Back at home, I started listening to the Aggie Men playing the Washington State Cougars.  They were down by 18 right after the half.  I kept listening anyway and didn’t give up and neither did the Aggies.  They came back and tied it and took the lead with 3 minutes left.  The Cougars didn’t get a field goal in the last five minutes of the game, as the Aggies won 64-61. 

 

This was the first Power Five road win under Coach Jans.  He was quite proud of it.  He was even prouder of Jabari Rice on the team.  He said Jabari had rallied the team in the huddle when they were down and told them not to give up.  With this win, the Aggie Men have won all four on their road trip.  They beat UTEP and UNM on last second shots.  They won another close one against Loyola Marymount.  Poor Jack Nixon on the broadcast.  He’s actually requested that the team win by more to take some of the stress off his heart.

 

NM State Aggies vs UTEP Miners Women’s Basketball 12-15-21 Part 1

 

Okay, here we are for another rivalry game.  This time the Aggies are playing their I-10 foes, UTEP.  So . . .

 

Whoa, whoa, whoa there, jdh417!  I seem to recall you swore blind that you were done Aggie Women’s Basketball for the season after their loss to UNM a couple of weeks ago.

 

Yeah, I was hoping everyone had forgotten that.  I have a simple explanation.  I’m on vacation this week and there was nothing on TV tonight.  If that isn’t a good enough explanation, let me further add that I’ve been bored since Saturday afternoon and needed something interesting to do.  I did go to the mall next door and do some Christmas shopping on Monday.  It was miserable.  By the time I was done, I felt like I’d run a marathon.  This would hopefully be less stressful.

 

Ron was at least eager to go.  We went for Whataburger before the game.  I used a coupon on the back of an Aggie ticket.  Both our meals were really good.  Ron was also nice enough to take me over to the post office.  My mailbox was broken into a few weeks ago, and I was going to have to pick up my mail at the office.  Thankfully, it was a short wait.  Boy, did the mailman give me a look when he brought out my mail.  I had a ton.  It was mostly charity solicitations.  There was no timetable on when my apartment building’s box would be fixed.  See you next month.

 

At the Pan-Am Center, there was a frighteningly small crowd a half hour before the game.  The number of Aggie and Miners fans was about equal.  This game was a reschedule from two weeks ago.  The school session was over and it was now Christmas shopping season.  Things filled up a little better by the time the game started.  However, more UTEP fans showed up as well.  I’d say Aggie fans outnumbered them, but not by much.

 

The girls were on court warming up when we got there.  The Miners weren’t wearing masks.  The Aggies were.  This makes no sense.  (Not to mention, masks don’t work.  If they work, why aren’t they working?)  Katerina Zec, my previous opposing team crush, is long gone from the Miners, but I do like Katia Gallegos on the team.  She is cute.  I’d seen her play before (11-13-19).  She looks small and thin compared to the other girls, but plays big.  Her shorts seemed too short and were hiked up into her rear. 

 

There was no band tonight.  The Cheerleaders were late-arriving.  About half of them took a seat and weren’t even cheering.  There was a reason for that, as we found out later.  The Anthem was about to start and the Miners were a no-show.  PA Ed seemed a bit confused.  The Anthem played without them and then they came on court. 

 

El Paso Sportstalk was talking about the game the next day, since they had broadcast it.  I called in and talked to the producer about the Anthem, but I wasn’t on the air.  They had a bunch of guests lined up for the show and didn’t have time to discuss it.  The producer did seem very curious.  He hadn’t heard of them doing anything like this, so I don’t think they’re doing this at home games.  I’m going to withhold judgment or speculation.  The teams did line up and shake hands after the game, so this wasn’t personal.  [Unlike the profanity-laden first draft of this paragraph.]       

 

First Quarter

With a bad taste in my mouth, the game started.  (Now, I’m kind of sorry I came.)  Aggie Jade Bradley got a couple of points early, but then picked up two fouls in seconds of each other and had to come out.  Point guard, Mel Isbell, hit a three to put the Aggies up 7-3 with 6 minutes left.  Soufia Inoussa found Taylor Donaldson on a fast break to make it 11-5 Aggies.  During a UTEP free throw, one was waved off on a rare lane violation.  A media timeout came at 4:30 left in the quarter.

 

PA Ed suddenly sounded a little questionable, like he had a cold.  He’s a trooper.  The Aggie bench was making the most noise in the arena.  Elina Arike was UTEP’s big middle.  She seemed even bigger than Bigue Sarr on the Aggies and out-muscled her in the paint for a shot under the basket.  Katia hit a 3 to close it to 12-10 Aggies.  Taylein Grays went inside for a basket to make it 14-10.  Mel had a steal and tapped it to Taylein for a layup.  Taylor got a steal and the assist to Soufia for a layup.  Elina could shoot from the outside, too.  She hit a 3 for the Miners before the end of the quarter.  22-18 Aggies after 10 minutes.

              

Second Quarter

There was a Fry Shuffle fan contest on the video board.  They were giving away a Whataburger gift pack.  I’d already had mine today.  I’d gotten a Honey BBQ Chicken Strip sandwich.  I got the barbeque sauce all over my hands and mouth and it was totally worth the mess.  I think Katia’s parents were behind us, as they were cheering for her.  She is from El Paso.  I don’t know why they weren’t with the other UTEP fans in the visitors section behind their bench.

 

UTEP showed off some great passing skills to find the open man (woman), as Eliana Cabral buried a 3 after several passes around the horn.  Sarr was back on court with a pair of layups under the rim.  Two minutes in, it was 26-23 Aggies.  Taylor pulled up for a 3 to make it 32-25 with 6 minutes left in the quarter.  UTEP started full court pressing, though the Aggies were able to beat it.  Katia made a 3 to make it 34-28 Aggies.  Sarr picked up another foul and had to come out.  A couple of bad Aggie turnovers closed the score to 34-32. 

 

After the Media timeout, UTEP converted on a pair of free throws to tie it at 34.  The ball got stuck between the rim and board on a possession afterward.  No one on court was tall enough to jump for it.  Finally, a ref got another ball and dislodged it with a shot.  Taylor broke the Aggie drought with a jumper.  Coach Atkinson put in some reserve players that I hadn’t seen before to give the regulars a rest.  Coach Baker did the same for the Miners.  A couple of players were wearing different numbers than on the scorecard.  I had to hope that they didn’t score until I figured out who they were.  The fouls increased until the end of the half.  Taylor hit a last second 3.  It was 42-39 Aggies at the half.

 

Halftime

We found out why some of the Cheerleaders were relaxing during the game.  They were busy doing a group performance for halftime.  It was a high-energy acrobatic routine.  The guys were doing some high tosses of the girls.  I went to the bathroom afterward.  When I came back, a couple of the girls were behind us talking to probably their parents.  I should have congratulated them, but like high school, I was too embarrassed to talk to Cheerleaders.

Continued in Part 2.

Postcards From the Edge: Dad's Family Cards 3

 Box Canon, Colorado.  Not Canyon?  Very dramatic painting.

State Arsenal, Springfield, Illinois.  Check out the cars in the picture.  

Union Station, St. Louis, Missouri.  From the back, Frank Lloyd Wright praised this building.  In other words, I guess the roof didn't leak like his buildings.

De Paul Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri.  The stamp has been torn off the corner.  

Alton Lock and Dam, Alton, Illinois.

Postcards From the Edge: Dad's Family Cards 2

This is a Pensacola, Florida vacation postcard from 1938.  "I spend evenings: Making Whoopee."  Alright.  I remember being a kid watching the Newlywed Game in the 70's.  Whenever that term came up, I had no idea what they were talking about.

 

The St. Louis Municipal Opera.  According to the back, it seats 10,000 and hosts 700,000 each season.  I didn't know opera was popular in Missouri.

New Cathedral, St. Louis, Missouri.  Beautiful-looking building, but needs a better name.  The writing on the back said the dome took ten years to build and cost a million dollars.

 

Jefferson Memorial, St. Louis, Missouri.  

Geyser Basin, Yellowstone.  Florida to St. Louis, to Wyoming.  Getting around.

Postcards From the Edge: Dad's Family Cards 1

I'm not going to say this will be the last collection I post here, but I don't think I have any more scannable collectibles.  (I'm still hoping to someday post pictures of my NASCAR diecasts.)  I noticed a tray full of postcards at dad's apartment the other day.  Mom kept a collection of old postcards, really old.  I haven't even really looked at these yet, so we'll be discovering them together.

This batch was labelled "Bob's Family Cards."  To get an idea of the age of these cards, notice the prop planes populating the Detroit City Airport.  Also, note the address.  It's just a name, town, and fully written out state.

Card from Naval Air Technical Training Center, Norman Oklahoma.  At the top it reads, "If they could only cook."  I am outraged.  Why on earth did they put naval training station in Oklahoma?  <jdh417 snickers uncontrollably>  Also, I'll bet most of the ladies in the picture would be outraged.  "I can too cook!"       

  

Squirrel's Camp, Grand Junction, Colorado.

Evangelical Deaconess Home and Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri.

Card Show: Christmas and Sympathy

 This Card post is a grab bag.  I think this is a Christmas card from someone at work.  Maybe.  I don't remember getting it.

This came in the mail recently from the Red Cross.  I like the painting on the front.

Aunt Judy sent this sympathy card after mom died.

Work sent me this sympathy card and gave me a platter of sandwiches and a $100 gift certificate for McAlisters.

And this was from the funeral.