Electronic Ink: Mini-Edition 3

Normally, this week, there are significantly more comics. However, due to the fact there is a fifth week this month, the comics I normally purchase are more spread out throughout the month. So once again, this week’s edition of Electronic Ink is short. (You can almost hear my editor, Jenn, rejoicing through the screen, can’t you?)

The Flash #5

First up is  the newest edition  of Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul‘s run on “The Flash.”  This issue continues the story of Barry Allen‘s first case back since returning from the dead. The issue opens with the Flash speaking with the 25th Century version of classic Flash villain, The Top. In this case, the Top is a member of a future police force named the Renegades. They are basically an alternate version of the team of Flash villains, the Rogues. The Renegades have been sent back in time to arrest the Flash for the murder of their version of the Mirror Master, the Mirror Monarch. The catch is the crime hasn’t happened yet. As is revealed in this issue, the Renegades think that by pre-emptively arresting the Flash, they can prevent the murder.

Meanwhile, the Rogues have discovered that the original Mirror Master had created an item that could be used if the Flash ever returned. They are attempting to break the glass case surrounding the item but are being prevented by the remaining members of the renegades. The Top tells the Flash that the glass case is trapping beings called the Mirror Lords. One of the Mirror Lords will take control of the Flash’s fiancée, Iris, and cause her to become his greatest nemesis. The Flash and the Future Top arrive during the battle and try to calm the situation. Unfortunately, at that moment, Captain Boomerang‘s power goes crazy and he starts shooting boomerangs everywhere, breaking the glass in the process.  The issue ends with the revelation that the Top has not been completely honest and the Flash being hauled to the future to meet the Judge.

 Overall, the issue was enjoyable, although it seemed to be a deceptively quick read. As I was reading it, the issue seemed to fly by. However, after going by through it again for this post, there was a lot that happened. I am wondering if it was just information overload. I am torn on the art style as well. (You can check it out on the cover.) I think the looseness of the lines fits the fast nature of the book. But as a personal preference, I prefer a lot of detail in my comic art. So while I would never say the art is bad, it’s just not my cup of tea. Overall, I would rate the comic 3.5 out of 5. It was enjoyable but not something that I will want to read again.

Justice League: Generation Lost #10

Next  is an issue of Judd Winnick’s “Justice League: Generation Lost.”  In this issue, we learn that what was hinted at in the last issue is exactly where the series is going: the Kingdom Come future which involves Magog commanding a version of the Justice League that causes the destruction of Kansas via Captain Atom exploding.  Max Lord has a vision of that future thanks to the White Lantern that resurrected him. Although the mission that will keep him alive consists of him preventing that future, Max appears to be helping it come about by equipping Magog with a more powerful weapon.

Meanwhile, the team that is hunting Max (Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Fire, Ice, Rocket Red, and Skeets) are re-grouping after Max’s attempted invasion of their base last issue. We learn that when Max returned, he activated several Checkmate cells throughout the world. The team decides go and hunt these down.  Before they leave, Ice and Fire have a heart-to-heart, where Ice renews her commitment to the team and to her friendship with Fire. We also learn why other heroes still haven’t caught on that Max has returned from the dead.  Batman is shown noticing that something is up, but as he attempts to investigate, with Alfred and Power Girl backing him up, they all forget what they are doing midway through. The issue ends with the revelation of what else Max has been up to.

I, once again, really enjoyed this issue. The artist for this issue is Joe Bennett. His art style is good but not as enjoyable as Aaron Lopresti’s. I especially liked Bennett’s work on the conference room scene. Winnick’s script is great too, although his Batman was so nondescript it was hard to tell if it was Dick Grayson or Bruce Wayne. I enjoyed Fire and Ice’s reunion scene, but with recent announcements about the future of the comic, the scene takes on new meaning. It was recently announced that Ice would be undergoing a revamp and that a member of the team will die. This scene heavily foreshadows that person will be Fire. I’m a little tired of every comic storyline being spiced up with death, so I have to say it causes a cloud to hang over this issue. But judging it on its own merits, I would give it four out of five.

Justice League of America #49

The final issue I picked up this week was “Justice League of America”. This story is an interlude story, as writer James Robinson is in between story arcs. After a brief prologue showing some bonding between Dick Grayson and Supergirl, the story has a few brief scenes showing what the rest of the league is up to before switching to the main storyline of featuring Donna Troy and Jade. Robinson introduces new villain, The Bogeyman, who has the ability to force a victim to relieve their most traumatic moment so he leech power from it. He has a special spot for young girls (ew!). Predictably, they join forces and fight him off. The issue ends with an epilogue showcasing Dick Grayson Batman and Supergirl again.

I did not care for this issue. It could be the fact that I am having girls but I thought the villain was rather gross. It really took me out of the story. Honestly, I would have rather read about Batman and Supergirl’s adventures fighting the Murder Maestro. That sounded fun. This…this was boring. The only saving grace was the art by Pow Rodrix and Robson Rocha. They did a good job making each character look distinct. In the end I give this issue a 2 and that’s only because of the art.

Thus ends Electronic Ink Mini-Edition 3. Let’s hope this trend continues. Or I’ll have a very angry Juni.

Electronic Ink: Holiday Edition

As I said yesterday,  new comic book day was switched from Wednesday to Thursday because of the Labor Day holiday. So tonight’s post will be about my comic book purchases. However, since we had the birthing prep class tonight, I didn’t even get started reading my books until after 9:30 tonight. On top of that, I had more books this week than last week. So this post is going to be really quick. 

Batman and Robin #14

 

The first book I read this week was the latest issue of “Batman and Robin”. This is continuing Grant Morrison’s over-arching tale about Bruce Wayne’s return from the dead. While the mini-series, “The Return of Bruce Wayne“, deals with Wayne’s return through time, this arc is dealing with what is happening in the present. Present  Batman, Dick Grayson, has been attacked by William Hurt, aka the Black Glove. Hurt was the criminal mastermind of Morrison’s “Batman, R.I.P.” He’s returned to Gotham to take out Batman. In the meantime, Robin (Damian Wayne, Bruce’s illegitimate son) has captured the Joker and, in a brilliant slice of irony, is beating him within an inch of his life with a crowbar. However, Robin’s arrogance gets the better of him, allowing the Joker infect him with Joker Venom. The majority of the remainder of the the issue deals with Hurt’s plan colliding with the Joker’s. 

I have recently become a huge fan of Morrison’s writing, due in part to reading the collected edition of Final Crisis. One thing I am noticing is that, for me, some his stories work better when they are collected. Morrison is a master of subtlety and allowing the reader to fill in the gaps in his story. Generally, that leads to a richer experience because he gives you just enough to concoct some fantastic stories to tie in with what he’s writing. But monthly, it can cause his stories to be hard to follow unless you are either using annotations or grabbing your old issues and re-reading them before you read the current one. This issue, for me, suffers from this. As such, I don’t think I enjoyed it as much on the first read-through. 

Booster Gold #36

 

My next book was the next chapter in Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis run on “Booster Gold”. It continues the story of Booster’s attempt to try and find Maxwell Lord by traveling to the past. In this case, it’s the era of the Justice League International. When we pick up the story, Booster, the Ted Kord version of the Blue Beetle, Mister Miracle, and Big Barda are attempting to retrieve an artifact known as the Almost-but-no-quite Book of Destiny. Through a rather convoluted series of events, Ted ends up transformed into a chipmunk and he and Booster end up in the intergalactic prison know as Starlag. They meet up with Brainiac’s son, Vril Dox, and are attempting to escape captivity when another prisoner beats them to it. 

A lot of fans have had a mixed reaction to Giffen and DeMatteis’s run so far. Generally I have enjoyed it but this issue seemed weak. New artist, Pat Olliffe, does not seem to have the same quality of art as last issue’s artist. The plot seems to be predicated on various ways to get Booster into famous events in DC’s past. While that has been a conceit of the book since the beginning, it felt much more organic before. Adding to the oddness is the way Ted’s personality flaws seem to have been exaggerated in attempt to contrast with how much Booster has grown since then. This issue only served to make me want to read my old issues of Justice League International. 

Green Lantern #57

 

This week also saw the release of “Green Lantern”, the new issue in Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke’s run on the book. At the beginning of the issue, Hal Jordan and Orange Lantern, Larfleeze, are facing Green Lantern villain Hector Hammond, who is now possessed by the entity that embodies of the Orange Light, Ophidian. During the confrontation, Hector’s desires begin to take hold and he flies off to Las Vegas to find Carol Ferris, his crush as well as current Star Sapphire and Hal Jordan’s ex. At this point, the issue shifts to Carol’s attempts to find the entity that represents her Lantern. The entity is the person featured on the cover of the book, the Predator. The remainder of the issue deals with Carol, Hal, and Larfleeze’s attempt to contain the Predator, ending with the surprise cliffhanger that Geoff Johns is known for. 

The art in this issue is great. At first, I wasn’t a fan of Doug Mahnke’s art style, as he has an odd tendency to draw hair as if everyone slathered their head in gel.  Over the past year, though, I have come to appreciate all the details he incorporates into his drawings. As I said last week, Geoff Johns is one of my favorite writers but this issue has odd pace. It feels as if he had two different stories to tell (Hector Hammond’s and the story of the Predator) and he dropped one to start the other. Once the story moves to Las Vegas, Hector disappears and is barely mentioned from that point on. He could be brought into the story again later on, but at this point, it feels rather odd. 

Justice League: Generation Lost #9

 

This week also saw the return of the bi-weekly “Justice League: Generation Lost” .  Judd Winick’s story continues to pick up as Max Lord has infiltrated the former leaguers base of operations, to gather information from their computer. He is confronted by Fire, who ends up being captured by him. Skeets, Booster’s robotic sidekick, while attempting to help teammate, Rocket Red heal, discover’s Lord in the computer system. The team moves into action, and although Fire is recovered, Max manages to escape. The issue closes with a reveal that is not shocking if you have been following Brightest Day but seems to be another callback to “Kingdom Come”. 

Once again, I really enjoyed this issue. Winick has a great handle on the characters and makes each person distinct. There is a tendency in team books to make everyone sound the same (i.e. everyone is quippy or uses Buffy-speak), but he makes sure each character has their own distinct voice. He is helped Fernando Dagnino’s pencils. He does an excellent job of making each character expressive as well as distinct. There is a tendency in superhero comics to make all female characters look the same but Dagnino avoids that. Fire looks like Fire and Ice looks like Ice. Overall, this is one of my two favorite issues of the week. 

X-Men #3

 

The final book I read this week was “X-Men” #3. This issue, by the creative team of Victor Gischler and Paco Medina, continues the story of “Curse of the Mutants” or, to put it simply, the X-men versus Vampires. In this issue, team leader, Cyclops, is moving against the vampires on two fronts. On the one hand, the team has recovered the head of Dracula and attempt to convince him to help them against the vampire army, lead by Dracula’s son. The other is Wolverine’s solo mission to try and recover Jubilee, who has been infected by the vampire curse. What Wolverine doesn’t know is that Jubilee has succumbed and embraced her vampire side. The comic ends with a final page that’s going to make it hard for me to wait for the next issue.

While I enjoy the X-Men, as most comics fans do, I have never been a rabid follower. In fact this is the first time I bought monthly issues of an X-Men comic. I read the free preview of the storyline that was given out in July and what I read intrigued me enough for me to add it to my pull list. Thus far, I have really enjoyed what I have read. The art style is dark enough to make fit the horror feel of the storyline (in some places, it’s pretty claustrophobic). The plot moves along at a good place, and while I don’t recognize a few of the characters, I’ve learned enough thus far to be able to enjoy it. I have not picked up any of the cross-overs or tie-ins so far and I do not feel like I have missed anything. All in all, great issue and I recommend this storyline.

Those are the comics I bought for this week. Sorry about the lateness of the complete post. I am going to try and maintain posting something before midnight each day. However, as the days get busier as you girls get closer to arriving, it’s going to get harder and harder. Just know, that I am going to try my best.

Electronic Ink 2: Short and Simple

Last week I said that my comic book reviews would be limited to my favorite books of the week. (This was due in part to avoid overly long posts but mostly because Jenn did not want to edit a thousand word post about comics.) However this week, that won’t be a problem. Since I trimmed back the number of comics I buy a month, there are some weeks that are considerably lighter than others. This is one of those weeks, as I only bought two books. 

Brightest Day #9

 

The first one that made it home was Brightest Day #9. This series is one of the two bi-weekly series that DC has come out with this year. (The other being Justice League: Generation Lost, which I talked about last week.) The premise of the series, written by Geoff Johns and Peter J. Tomasi, is that twelve heroes  and villains were brought back to life by the power of life in the form of a White Lantern. (Think of a Green Lantern and subtract the color.) Each resurrected person has a mission they must accomplish in order to bring about the person who will wield the White Lantern ring. Their reward is that their life is restored to them. Some of the twelve have their stories told in other series but this series deals with the bulk of those brought back to life. 

This issue, the focus is primarily on the Martian Manhunter. He has recently learned that he is not the only Green Martian on earth. His hunt for the other Green Martian leads him to a forest that recently sprung up in the middle of Star City, home of Green Arrow. The Martian Manhunter recently received a vision from the White Lantern that told him he needed to burn down a forest and since the Star City Forest was a telepathic black hole, he assumed it was that one.  After being confronted by Green Arrow, the Martian Manunter realizes he is wrong and learns where he needs to be. 

The other story deals with the introduction of the new Aqualad. This is important because the WB is putting out a new teenage superhero cartoon named Young Justice which is loosely based on the old comic series of the same name. It’s been reported that Aqualad will be the leader of the team and this issue allows comic readers to get know him. There is not much meat in the story but I have to admit I was intrigued by the character and look forward to reading and watching him in the future. 

On the whole, I did not enjoy the issue. I am generally a huge fan of Geoff Johns and I like Peter Tomasi but the Martian Manhunter sequence, which was the bulk of the book, did not hold my interest. I found myself hurrying through the story to see if anything else was in the book. A huge part of that is the artwork. The art chores are shared by Patrick Gleason , Ivan Reis and Joe Prado, and for the most are well done. However the sequence that is the hook of the book, the fight between Green Arrow and the Martian Manhunter, is laid out in such a confusing manner that it is difficult to understand what is happening. It is definitely the lesser of the two books I read this week. 

Prince of Power #4

 

Of course, the second book I read would have been the top contender for book of the week even if I did have a larger haul. It is Prince of Power #4. This issue is the conclusion of the mini-series that has continued the adventures of young super-genius Amadeus Cho as he tries to bring his best friend, Hercules, back to their universe. In this issue, Cho and his current partner, Thor, are in the realms of the Hindu afterlife, hunting for the remaining ingredient for a drink that allows a person to become a god. Cho plans to use that drink to become omniscient so he can find Hercules wherever he may be in the multiverse. 

Opposing him is the half-son of Loki, Vali Halfling, who seeks to use the drink to become the Odin. In each issue of the series, Vali has been one step ahead of Cho, gathering all of the ingredients. Vali used one of the previous ingredients, the Book of Thoth, to become even more powerful. The setting is primed for a battle between Vali and Cho and Thor. 

The story, by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, takes some surprise twists and the end of book is satisfying. The art by Reilly Brown and Adam Archer, is fantastic. Each panel is well-crafted and finely detailed. Continuing a tradition from the Incredible Hercules books, several of the sound effects are clever jokes. Thankfully, even though the mini-series is over, the story will continue in another mini beginning in October. I am definitely on-board. 

So a 50/50 week for my comics this week. Not too bad. Hopefully next week will, at the very least, be more of the same. This has been your Electronic Ink for this week.

Electronic Ink

Every Wednesday I head to Collector’s Ink, a comic shop in the town where I work. This is a relatively new experience for me. Before I started working in Chico, I was on a mail order system. This was great for the discount I received, but it also meant that I was always behind the Internet when it came to story reveals and plot points. By going every Wednesday, I find that my love of comics has increased, even if the loss of the discount decreased the number  of titles I pick up.

While I am not a prolific buyer of books (at least not now that I have two girls on the way), I try to be pretty consistent on which titles I buy. But there is a caveat: following my blog’s unofficial theme of having the story be king, I have developed a tendency to follow authors rather than characters. Having read comics off and on for 17 years, I have come to believe that a good author can make the most obscure character interesting, while a poor author can take Batman and make him…well I was going to say boring, but let’s not get crazy here.  As such, you’ll probably notice that some books disappear as soon as the author changes.

My plan for the Wednesday slot of this blog is to feature a few short reviews of whatever comics I pick that week. I’ll probably supplement it with occasional reviews of any graphic novels I may have picked up along the way. Come to think of it, I currently have 7 graphic novels on order from Amazon, so I’m going with a loose interpretation of “occasional.” Okay, let’s change that first sentence to say that Wednesdays will include at least a few words about whatever comics I picked up in addition to any graphic novels I may be reading.

Now that the stage has been set, let’s draw up the curtain and see what’s in my pullbox this week.

Action Comics #892

First up is Action Comics #892 or, as it says on the cover, “Lex Luthor‘s Action Comics”. The premise of this run, written by Paul Cornell and with art by Pete Woods and Pere Perez, is that Lex Luthor has discovered that there is a Black Lantern ring on Earth. Remembering his experience as an Orange Lantern during Blackest Night, Lex’s goal is to hunt down this ring and obtain the power it contains for himself. He is assisted by the Lois Lane robot he created to be his sounding board.

In this particular issue, he has hired Deathstoke the Terminator to protect him as he heads to the Arctic to analyze the Black Lantern energy that he has found there. While there, we learn that the energy pocket that they have found has been there for billions of years. When Luthor, Deathstroke, the Lois robot, and the team of scientists and bodyguards Luthor has brought along get near the site, the ring begins to effect their minds. What follows is the fight that is promised on the cover. 

This was very well-done issue. The story is progressing rapidly and Cornell is doing an excellent job of balancing exposition and action. The fight between Luthor and Deathstroke is portrayed very well, so kudos to Woods and Perez. Luthor’s contingency plan is a great sequence,  equalled by his mid-fight analysis of the energy’s effect on Deathstroke. It’s a touch of characterization that really makes this issue stand out for me.

The back-up* for this issue is an intro for the Superboy series that is set to debut later this year. The story begins, as most previews do, in the middle of a fight between Superboy and the Teen Titans against some sort of golem made out of the earth underneath Smallville. I really wanted to enjoy the issue as I have a fondness for this version of Superboy (except for the non-costume.) Jeff Lemire does an okay job of giving you what you need to know to follow the story, and the art by Pier Gallo is decent, although Raven’s costume seems a bit odd at points. Even though all the pieces were there, I was unable to get into the story. Nothing stood out enough to make me want to check out the Superboy book when it comes out.

Batman #702

Next up was the next chapter is Grant Morrison’s story of what happened in between R.I.P. and Final Crisis. Having recently read Final Crisis, this issue was an interesting look at what was going on behind the scenes. Using the narrative conceit of Batman’s recorder that was recovered after he was dispatched into time by Darkseid, this issue was less of a story but more of a director’s cut of the scenes presented in Final Crisis.

Grant Morrison’s writing is excellent, like always. He presents concepts which could be very hard to understand in such a way that explains them without ever losing the “wow” factor. Tony Daniel’s art is good, even great at certain points (such as the page where Batman is struck by the Omega Sanction). It mainly suffers from being compared to similar pages being presented in a superior fashion in the pages of Final Crisis.

Justice League: Generation Lost #8

The issues of the Justice League International are what drew me into comics. When they were at their peak, they combined action and humor into an entertaining cocktail that I eagerly drank up. Coming from that point of view, Justice League: Generation Lost was one of my favorite issues this week. Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Fire, Ice, Rocket Red, and Captain Atom are on the hunt for Max Lord, following him to the headquarters of Checkmate. This issue, their attempt to infiltrate the base using spare Rocket Red suits has failed. As things go from bad to worse, they end up exposing their identities, further pushing them into rogue status.

Judd Winick’s script, his first solo one for this series, is excellent. He gets a lot of flak online but none of the usual criticisms apply to this issue. Each character gets a his or her own moment to reveal bits about their personalities. Aaron Lopresti’s pencils are very good as well. One of the things I loved about the original series was the facial expressions drawn  by Kevin Maguire. Lopresti’s expressions, while not as detailed as Maguire’s, are still more expressive than most. Overall, this book is like a sweet piece of candy for the JLI fan.

Justice League of America #48

Justice League of America #48 is the conclusion of the Dark Things storyline that has crossed between this book and the Justice Society. The plot involves the Starheart, the source of the Golden Age Green Lantern’s power, returning to earth and corrupting not only the Green Lantern but his son, Obsidian, and daughter, Jade. The combined might of the JLA and JSA, plus the JSA All-Stars and Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, are required to take them down. In the back-up, Cyborg has been helping the Red Tornado adjust to his new body. Sentient A.I., The Construct, uses the momentary vulnerability to attempt to take over the Tornado’s body.

Both stories are scripted by James Robinson. I have read some good things about Robinson’s writing in the past. His recent scripts have come under fire, due to some controversial elements. This series, as well as his run on Superman, are the first I have read by him and I have to say, I am not that impressed. Robinson is very good at weaving in continuity but overall both stories feel…well, phoned in. Mark Bagely handles art on the main story and I followed his work in Ultimate Spider-Man. I was excited about his coming over DC but his work on this series is under-whelming. It could be the multiple inkers but his work seems really a lot less polished. Pow Rodrix’s art, by comparison, I enjoyed more but it could be because I didn’t have as high hopes.  As I write this, I am seriously considering dropping this book.

Time Master: Vanishing Point #2

Time Masters: Vanishing Point #2 was good continuation issue. It ties into the Return of Bruce Wayne storyline, following Green Lantern, Superman, Booster Gold, and especially Rip Hunter. Since Rip was revealed to be Booster’s father, Rip has become more interesting to me. However, as this issue separated him from the rest of the team, I realized that my interest was more in his relationship to Booster.  Dan Jurgens’ script and pencils, while good, do not stand out any more than his usual work. Since he is no longer working on the main Booster Gold book, it’s nice to see his version of Booster here. Overall, while enjoyable, this issue is not very memorable.

Wonder Woman #602

Finally, we have “The All-New Wonder Woman.” I had been collecting Wonder Woman a few years back, but after the story lost coherence due to multiple “series regular” writers, I ended up dropping the book. I came back on for the new direction that J. Michael Straczynski had initiated. Much has been made of the new status quo (not all positive) but I was intrigued enough by the initial issues to give it a try. This second full issue of his run continues the story of this new version of Wonder Woman trying to protect the remains of her tribe of Amazons. Not much to tell here, just more stage-setting. I enjoyed the earlier issue but this one did not give me the same sense of excitement I felt from the first issue.

Overall, this week was a good week of comics. I only had one that was less than stellar and most were really entertaining. One out of six for the week is a pretty good haul.

Sorry for the long post. Jenn made the suggestion that I only review the ones I enjoy. In looking back on this post, I think that’s what I may do. In the meantime, thank you for sticking through this post. I assure you that tomorrow’s won’t clock in at over 1600 words.

* Backup: a secondary story in a comic that is separate from the main feature.

Welcome to our Family Time

So I have decided to write a blog. I have read them for the past three years and I’ve enjoyed hearing other people’s thoughts about the various things that I’m interested in. What started out as just a way to kill time during a boring work day has evolved into a habit that I look forward to each day. This morning in the shower, however I realized something. (FYI, I get most of my inspiration in the shower.)

As I await the rapidly approaching arrival of my twin baby girls, I realized that I don’t have a place that captures my thoughts. Ideally, Alexis and Joanna will want to know what I think about various subjects. And of course I’ll tell them. I don’t think they’ll have much choice. But I think it would be cool if, when they are old enough to read, they had a place to see what their dad was thinking about when they were born.

So with that as a mission statement, I am launching this blog. If you have stumbled upon it, I’d be interested to hear what brought you to my tiny corner of the Internet. And while you’re here, please enjoy the conversation and feel free to take part. I’m sure the girls would love to hear your thoughts as well.

One thing you’ll rapidly learn about me is that I am very anal-retentive. Everything I do is laid out, down to the order that I eat the food on my plate. So naturally, I would prefer having a posting schedule laid out. Plus, having a schedule will not only help guide my posts, but it will prevent this blog from being a mish-mash of thoughts and links. So here is what I’m thinking about posting each day starting tomorrow:

Monday – I’ll be talking about pro wrestling. I have been interested in “sports entertainment” (and yes, I know the controversy associated with that term) since I was 9 years old. I dropped out around Wrestlemania 8 but like most people, the NWO in ’96 and the Attitude Era in ’97 brought me back. And I haven’t stopped watching since.

Tuesday – I love video games. I have spent hours with a controller in my hand since my dad brought home an Atari 2600 (which he still has.) Not a week goes by without me playing a video game in some form. From a PS3 and X-Box to a DS to even my phone, I am surrounded by gaming options. And since Tuesday is new game day, there is no better day talk to about my oldest hobby.

Wednesday – Since 2003, Wednesday has meant one thing: new comic day. I am primarily a DC person but I do dabble in Marvel and Independent comics. Each week I love to look up and see what people are saying about the books I read. I figure it’s time I add my thoughts as well. I am also a huge graphic novel reader, so I’ll be talking about those on Wednesdays as well.

Thursday – Thursday is Disney day. I have gone to the ‘Land since I was 5, and I have seen a lot of changes in that time. Since our honeymoon, Jenn and I have gone to Disneyland almost every year, with our record being 5 times in one year. I’ll be talking about memories from the various trips plus any current news that may break.

Friday – Friday is television and movie day. Since we decided to get rid of cable to save money, I follow a lot of shows through Netflix and Hulu. As far as movies go, Jenn and I are in the middle of what we call Summer Movie Madness. From the first week of May through Labor Day, we see a new movie each weekend. So, as you can see, there will be plenty to talk about on the entertainment front.

Saturday – Saturday is family day. I expect that the girls will provide plenty of fodder for a blog post. Plus, we have The Puck, our dog who doesn’t know he’s a dog, who is always up to something. And then there’s Jennifer aka Junes. My wonderful wife and I have some interesting conversations (well I talk and she listens.)  I think the Saturday posts will be my girls’ favorite if either one has the Quintanilla ego.

Sunday – Since the day I was born, Sunday’s have been about church. My belief in Jesus as my savior and the values He promoted are the most important things to me. If my girls only grow up to share my faith and nothing else, my job as a dad will be a success. So each Sunday I will take one of the sermons my pastor preaches that day and break it down. This will probably be the most helpful for me because, as I continually define what it is exactly I believe, I’ll be able to sit down and decide how to best to articulate my views.

So there you have it. That’s my plan for this blog. If you stuck with me till the end, thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow, hopefully with something a little more interesting and a little less navel-gazing.