Saturday Night Cranium

Andrew and Earl vanquished Kim and Sylvia in a brutal Cranium match tonight. Film at 11! Well, not really.

Reading the Nebula Nominees

Since 1966, 296 novels have been nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel. Nebula awards are administered, judged and granted by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, making this a peer, rather than a popular, award. 

I'm reasonably well read, particularly in this genre, but as I've written before when presenting other pop culture lists, it's very difficult for any one person to read or see everything given our limited lifetimes and the sheer amount of work available. For fun, I tallied up all of the Nebula nominees and winners, and discovered to my shock that I've only read 86 of them, or around 29 percent of the list. Luckily many of the unread winners and nominees already exist in my collection, so I can probably complete about half the list without even leaving the house.

I've marked the winners and nominees I've read in bold. Winners are listed first on this list; note that in 1967, Babel-17 and Flowers for Algernon tied to win the award.

Nebula Award for Best Novel

1966

Dune, Frank Herbert

All Flesh is Grass, Clifford D. Simak

The Clone, Theodore L. Thomas and Kate Wilhelm

Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb, Philip K. Dick

The Escape Orbit, James White

The Genocides, Thomas M. Disch

Nova Express, William S. Burroughs

A Plague of Demons, Keith Laumer

Rogue Dragon, Avram Davidson

The Ship That Sailed the Time Stream, G.C. Edmondson

The Star Fox, Poul Anderson

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Philip K. Dick

1967

Babel-17, Samuel R. Delany

Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Robert A. Heinlein

1968

The Einstein Intersection, Samuel R. Delany

Chthon, Piers Anthony

The Eskimo Invasion, Hayden Howard

Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny

Thorns, Robert Silverberg

1969

Rite of Passage, Alexi Panshin

Black Easter, James Blish

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick

The Masks of Time, Robert Silverberg

Past Master, R.A. Lafferty

Picnic on Paradise, Joanna Russ

Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner

1970

The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. LeGuin

Bug Jack Barron, Norman Spinrad

Isle of the Dead, Roger Zelazny

The Jagged Orbit, John Brunner

Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut

Up the Line, Robert Silverberg

1971

Ringworld, Larry Niven

And Chaos Died, Joanna Russ

Fourth Mansions, R.A. Lafferty

The Steel Crocodile, David G. Compton

Tower of Glass, Robert Silverberg

The Year of the Quiet Sun, Wilson Tucker

1972

A Time of Changes, Robert Silverberg

The Byworlder, Poul Anderson

The Devil is Dead, R.A. Lafferty

Half Past Human, T.J. Bass

The Lathe of Heaven, Ursula K. LeGuin

Margaret and I, Kate Wilhelm

1973

The Gods Themselves, Isaac Asimov

The Book of Skulls, Robert Silverberg

Dying Inside, Robert Silverberg

The Iron Dream, Norman Spinrad

The Sheep Look Up, John Brunner

What Entropy Means to Me, George Alec Effinger

When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One, David Gerrold

1974

Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke

Gravity’s Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon

The Man Who Folded Himself, David Gerrold

The People of the Wind, Poul Anderson

Time Enough for Love, Robert A. Heinlein

1975

The Dispossessed, Ursula K. LeGuin

334, Thomas M. Disch

Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, Philip K. Dick

The Godwhale, T.J. Bass

1976

The Forever War, Joe Haldeman

Autumn Angels, Arthur Byron Cover

The Birthgrave, Tanith Lee

The Computer Connection, Alfred Bester

Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany

Doorways in the Sand, Roger Zelazny

The Embedding, Ian Watson

The Exile Waiting, Vonda N. McIntyre

The Female Man, Joanna Russ

A Funeral for the Eyes of Fire, Michal Bishop

Guernica Night, Barry N. Malzberg

The Heritage of Hastur, Marion Zimmer Bradley

Invisible Cities, Italo Calvino

A Midsummer Tempest, Poul Anderson

The Missing Man, Katherine MacLean

The Mote in God’s Eye, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

Ragtime, E.L. Doctorow

The Stochastic Man, Robert Silverberg

1977

Man Plus, Frederik Pohl

Inferno, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

Islands, Marta Randall

Shadrach in the Furnace, Robert Silverberg

Triton, Samuel R. Delany

Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang, Kate Wilhelm

1978

Gateway, Frederik Pohl

Cirque, Terry Carr

In the Ocean of Night, Gregory Benford

Moonstar Odyssey, David Gerrold

Sword of Demon, Richard A. Lupoff

1979

Dreamsnake, Vonda McIntyre

Blind Voices, Tom Reamy

The Faded Sun: Kesrith, C.J. Cherryh

Kalki, Gore Vidal

Strangers, Gardner Dozois

1980

The Fountains of Paradise, Arthur C. Clarke

Jem, Frederik Pohl

Juniper Time, Kate Wilhelm

On Wings of Song, Thomas M. Disch

The Road to Corlay, Richard Cowper

Titan, John Varley

1981

Timescape, Gregory Benford

Beyond the Blue Event Horizon, Frederik Pohl

Mockingbird, Walter Tevis

The Orphan, Robert Stallman

The Shadow of the Torturer, Gene Wolfe

The Snow Queen, Joan D. Vinge

1982

The Claw of the Conciliator, Gene Wolfe

Little, Big, John Crowley

The Many-Colored Land, Julian May

Radix, A.A. Attanasio

Riddley Walker, Russell Hoban

The Vampire Tapestry, Suzy McKee Charnas

1983

No Enemy But Time, Michael Bishop

Foundation’s Edge, Isaac Asimov

Friday, Robert A. Heinlein

Helliconia Spring, Brian Aldiss

The Sword of the Lictor, Gene Wolfe

The Transmigration of Timothy Archer, Philip K. Dick

1984

Startide Rising, David Brin

Against Infinity, Gregory Benford

The Citadel of the Autarch, Gene Wolfe

Lyonesse, Jack Vance

Tea with the Black Dragon, R.A. MacAvoy

The Void Captain’s Tale, Norman Spinrad

1985

Neuromancer, William Gibson

Frontera, Lewish Shiner

The Integral Trees, Larry Niven

Job: A Comedy of Justice, Robert A. Heinlein

The Man Who Melted, Jack Dann

The Wild Shore, Kim Stanley Robinson

1986

Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card

Blood Music, Greg Bear

Dinner at Deviant’s Palace, Tim Powers

Helliconia Winter, Brian Aldiss

The Postman, David Brin

The Remaking of Sigmund Freud, Barry N. Malzberg

Schismatrix, Bruce Sterling

1987

Speaker for the Dead, Orson Scott Card

Count Zero, William Gibson

Free Live Free, Gene Wolfe

The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood

The Journal of Nicholas the American, Leigh Kennedy

The is the Way the World Ends, James K. Morrow

1988

The Falling Woman, Pat Murphy

The Forge of God, Greg Bear

Soldier of the Mist, Gene Wolfe

The Uplift War, David Brin

Vergil in Averno, Avram Davidson

When Gravity Fails, George Alec Effinger

1989

Falling Free, Lois McMaster Bujold

Deserted Cities of the Heart, Lewis Shiner

Drowning Towers, George Turner

Great Sky River, Gregory Benford

Mona Lisa Overdrive, William Gibson

Red Prophet, Orson Scott Card

The Urth of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe

1990

The Healer’s War, Elizabeth Anne Scarborough

The Boat of a Million Years, Poul Anderson

Prentice Alvin, Orson Scott Card

Good News From Outer Space, John Kessel

Ivory: A Legend of Past and Future, Mike Resnick

Sister Light, Sister Dark, Jane Yolen

1991

Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea, Ursula K. LeGuin

Mary Reilly, Valerie Martin

Only Begotten Daughter, James K. Morrow

The Fall of Hyperion, Dan Simmons

Redshift Rendezvous, John E. Stith

White Jenna, Jane Yolen

1992

Stations of the Tide, Michael Swanwick

Orbital Resonance, John Barnes

Barrayar, Lois McMaster Bujold

Bone Dance, Emma Bull

Synners, Pat Cadigan

The Difference Engine, Bruce Sterling and William Gibson

1993

Doomsday Book, Connie Willis

A Million Open Doors, John Barnes

Sarah Canary, Karen Joy Fowler

China Mountain Zhang, Maureen F. McHugh

A Fire Upon the Deep, Vernor Vinge

Briar Rose, Jane Yolen

1994

Red Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson

Assemblers of Infinity, Kevin J. Anderson and Doug Beason

Hard Landing, Algis Budrys

Beggars in Spain, Nancy Kress

Nightside the Long Sun, Gene Wolfe

1995

Moving Mars, Greg Bear

Parable of the Sower, Octavia E. Butler

Gun, with Occasional Music, Jonathan Lethem

Towing Jehovah, James K. Morrow

Temporary Agency, Rachel Pollack

Green Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson

A Night in the Lonesome October, Roger Zelazny

1996

The Terminal Experiment, Robert J. Sawyer

Mother of Storms, John Barnes

Beggars and Choosers, Nancy Kress

Celestis, Paul Park

Metropolitan, Walter Jon Williams

Calde of the Long Sun, Gene Wolfe

1997

Slow River, Nicola Griffith

The Silent Strength of Stones, Nina Kiriki Hoffman

Winter Rose, Patricia A. McKillip

Expiration Date, Tim Powers

Starplex, Robert J. Sawyer

The Diamond Age, Neal Stephenson

1998

The Moon and the Sun, Vonda N. McIntyre

Memory, Lois McMaster Bujold

King’s Dragon, Kate Elliot

A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin

Ancient Shores, Jack McDevitt

City on Fire, Walter Jon Williams

Bellwether, Connie Willis

1999

Forever Peace, Joe Haldeman

The Last Hawk, Catherine Asaro

Moonfall, Jack McDevitt

How Few Remain, Harry Turtledove

Death of the Necromancer, Martha Wells

To Say Nothing of the Dog, Connie Willis

2000

Parable of the Talents, Octavia E. Butler

The Cassini Division, Ken MacLeod

A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin

Mission Child, Maureen F. McHugh

Mockingbird, Sean Stewart

A Deepness in the Sky, Vernor Vinge

2001

Darwin’s Radio, Greg Bear

A Civil Campaign, Lois McMaster Bujold

Crescent City Rhapsody, Kathleen Ann Goonan

Midnight Robber, Nalo Hopkinson

Infinity Beach, Jack McDevitt

Forests of the Heart, Charles de Lint

2002

The Quantum Rose, Catherine Asaro

Eternity’s End, Jeffrey Carver

Mars Crossing, Geoffrey A. Landis

A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin

The Collapsium, Wil McCarthy

The Tower at Stony Wood, Patricia A. McKillip

Declare, Tim Powers

Passage, Connie Willis

2003

American Gods, Neil Gaiman

Solitaire, Kelley Eskridge

The Other Wind, Ursula K. LeGuin

Picoverse, Robert A. Metzger

Perdido Street Station, China Mieville

Bones of the Earth, Michael Swanwick

2004

The Speed of Dark, Elizabeth Moon

Diplomatic Immunity, Lois McMaster Bujold

The Mount, Carol Emshwiller

Light Music, Kathleen Ann Goonan

The Salt Roads, Nalo Hopkinson

Chindi, Jack McDevitt

2005

Paladin of Souls, Lois McMaster Bujold

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, Cory Doctorow

Omega, Jack McDevitt

Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell

Perfect Circle, Sean Stewart

The Knight, Gene Wolfe

2006

Camouflage, Joe Haldeman

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke

Polaris, Jack McDevitt

Going Postal, Terry Pratchett

Air, Geoff Ryman

Orphans of Chaos, John C. Wright

2007

Seeker, Jack McDevitt

The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner

The Girl in the Glass, Jeffrey Ford

Farthing, Jo Walton

From the Files of the Time Rangers, Richard Bowes

To Crush the Moon, Wil McCarthy

2008

The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, Michael Chabon

Odyssey, Jack McDevitt

The Accidental Time Machine, Joe Haldeman

The New Moon’s Arms, Nalo Hopkinson

Ragamuffin, Tobias S. Buckell

2009

Powers, Ursula K. LeGuin

Little Brother, Cory Doctorow

Cauldron, Jack McDevitt

Brasyl, Ian McDonald

Making Money, Terry Pratchett

Superpowers, David J. Schwartz

2010

The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi

The Love We Share Without Knowing, Christopher Barzak

The City & The City, China Mieville

Boneshaker, Cherie Priest

Finch, Jeff VanderMeer

2011

Blackout/All Clear, Connie Willis

The Native Star, M.K. Hobson

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin

Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal

Echo, Jack McDevitt

Who Fears Death, Nnedi Okorafor

2012

Among Others, Jo Walton

Embassytown, China Mieville

Firebird, Jack McDevitt

God’s War, Kameron Hurley

Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti

The Kingdom of Gods, N.K. Jemisin

Fallen Angel

For yesterday's Halloween festivities Sylvia created this "fallen angel" costume that perfectly encapsulates her personality - mostly angelic, but with a streak of deviltry. I especially like the combination of halo and horns. Soon I'll have her cosplaying at the comic cons!

Tweets from 2112: The Surprise Ending

Well, that was unexpected. I posted earlier this week about the the Canada Writes Tweets from 2112 contest, elated to make the long list (twice, as it turns out). I even joked at the time that I thought my Oort cloud tweet was funnier...

And, as it turns out, so did the judge, Robert J. Sawyer himself, naming that tweet the winner from among the hundreds submitted nationwide. As a fan of Sawyer's since The Terminal Experiment, this is a real thrill for me!

The announcement and winning tweet are here; my interview is here.

I hate to resort to a horrible cliche, but I really did not expect to win, especially given the quality of so many of the tweets. I'm very grateful to Bob Sawyer, CBC and Canada Writes for the recognition. Oh, and for the iPod Touch, too, and Sawyer's new book!

The Art of the Nude Dude

Today I discovered that this blog is blocked as "pornographic" by at least one provincial government agency, denying countless employees the pleasure of surfing My Name is Earl (J. Woods) while at work.

I don't think any post on this blog can really be called pornographic, unless the definition has become so broad as to become meaningless. But in an effort to earn my disreputable status and to give more props to my friend Jeff, here's a link to his latest masterpiece, an artful nude that evokes the Roman Empire as well as a modern figure of masculinity.

The Post-Apocalyptic Problem

WARNING: This post contains SPOILERS for the third episode of the third season of The Walking Dead. 

I love the post-apocalyptic genre; I really do. It's fun, for whatever morbid reasons, to imagine yourself as one of the few survivors or a global catastrophe, wandering the wastelands and foraging for food, shelter and entertainment in the ruins of a fallen civilization.

But there's one aspect of the genre that I just don't buy, and that's the trope that requires the rise of bloodthirsty barbarian savages to serve as antagonists.

I understand why writers use this trope. The remorseless brigand makes a wonderful adversary, a perfect villain. Taking slaves, ruling by fear and gunning down the innocent and naive makes the post-apocalyptic brigand villain fearsome and loathsome - the kind of bad guy we can't wait to see receive his just desserts.

My problem is one of believability. In a true apocalypse, healthy human beings will be the most valuable resource. With so much talent and expertise wiped out, every survivor becomes a potential treasure trove of knowledge and skills. Rebuilding civilization would require a massive cooperative effort, one best accomplished not with threats and violence, but a clear understanding of mutual needs and goals.

That's why I find it so hard to take the latest episode of The Walking Dead seriously. While well-produced, suspenseful and gripping, this episode embraces the brigand villain trope in such a way as to seriously strain verisimilitude. The Governor, introduced in this episode, runs a small walled enclave of survivors of the show's zombie apocalypse. He learns that a squad of soldiers is stationed nearby, and he tracks them down, ambushes them and steals their weapons and supplies.

On the surface, this seems like a reasonable thing for an evil dictator to do. Presumably absorbing the soldiers into his community would undermine his own authority.

But as a long term survival strategy, the Governor's approach is nonsensical. First, by mowing down the soldiers, he's removed at least a dozen trained, capable people who could have helped defend the governor's town and provided military training to the surviving civilians. These soldiers presumably also know more about repairing, maintaining and operating their specialized equipment than the Governor and his stooges. Sure, they may have fancy HumVees and M-16s for now, but how long before it breaks down?

Finally, this episode establishes that at least one element of the US military has survived the apocalypse. If one squadron survived, presumably there are others, and if any one group has the resources and know-how to rebuild lines of communication and support after a global disaster, it would be the military. Isn't it possible that at some point the Governor's massacre of US troops will be discovered by other surviving units - and punished?

I enjoyed this episode, but the Governor's rule can't last long if he doesn't start making better choices.

Manitoba Fish Stories

It's funny how the mind stores some memories firmly and allows others to slip away. I certainly remember the Purolator hats Dad and I are wearing, along with the orange cooler and Dad's rubber boots. I've forgotten the life jackets, though; the ones I remember were yellow, filled with segmented rectangles of foam.

Judging by the other photos included in this set, this shot was probably taken near Leaf Rapids by either my grandmother, her friend Val Head or our cousin Hugh Woods. Perhaps the Super 8 mm film that must have been shot on this trip (note the camera sitting atop the life jacket near Dad's feet) will offer more clues.

We often boated on the many lakes and rivers in the area. I wasn't a big fan of fishing, but I did love it when we went fast on choppy waters, bouncing on the waves. Once I made the mistake of reaching out to grab a cattail as we passed, and one of the plant's leaves gashed a deep cut in my palm. The pain was sudden, sharp and shocking. I never tried that again.

Once - perhaps on this very trip - I pointed to the anus of a fish we'd caught and asked what it was.

"That's it's asshole," Hugh said. "If you touch it, you'll die." I believed him, and my already strong aversion to touching live fish doubled. Oh, how I loved the meat, though - nothing in the world tastes better than the pickerel of northern Manitoba grilled over a fire.

Sylvia's Birthday

Ooooo! She's so cute. Today is Sylvia's birthday. She just unwrapped her presents and later today we're going to play monster mini-golf. I know I've said this before, but I consider myself a very lucky man.

Last Retort

I'm still not sure if the high-concept premise of Shawn Ryan's Last Resort can sustain itself for even a full season, but I'm certainly enjoying the ride so far, especially when Andre Braugher is given lines that give him the opportunity to unleash some of the old Frank Pembleton rage, to wit:

"I will crush the jelly from your eyes." 

That's one for the books.

Tweets from the Future, Part II

Zounds! One of my tweets listed yesterday made it onto the All-Stars list under the Space Exploration category. I guess that puts me in the running for a prize, though I'm not counting on it - there are some pretty clever tweets on the list. Still, it's an honour to be nominated and all that jazz!

Tweets from the Future

Today CBC ran a one-day contest on Twitter, asking folks to send tweets backward in time from the year 2112. Robert J. Sawyer will judge the various entries and announce the winner on Halloween. Win or lose, this was a fun little contest. Here are my entries:

Earl J. Woods ‏@EarlJWoods

Sentient Internet 7.0 hijacks time machine, trolls 2012 Twitter with "fake" tweets from the future that are actually real #canadawrites

Earl J. Woods ‏@EarlJWoods

Canada apologizes to Oort cloud after being struck by comet #canadawrites

Earl J. Woods ‏@EarlJWoods

Commander of CFS Alert complains bikini-clad tourists distracting soldiers; world's #4 beach destination brings record crowds #canadawrites

Earl J. Woods ‏@EarlJWoods

First Canadian immigrant to Mars colony complains "Even with terraforming the weather here is worse than Winnipeg in January" #canadawrites

 

 Earl J. Woods ‏@EarlJWoods

After century of effort, GM chimp finally writes one line of Shakespeare (I knew him, Horatio) on obsolete Twitter app #canadawrites

Earl J. Woods ‏@EarlJWoods

Alberta Progressive Conservative dynasty ends at 141 years; surprise loss to RedGreen coalition blamed on high AI turnout #canadawrites

 

Radium Reading

This year I've enjoyed two relatively forgotten science fiction classics thanks to HiLoBooks' new Radium Age Science Fiction Series. Launched back in May with Jack London's The Scarlet Plague, the series features science fiction of the early 20th century published during that fabled interregnum between early SF works by Shelley, Wells and Verne and the pulp boom of the 1930s. Radium Age SF was written by some pretty important literary figures, including London, Arthur Conan Doyle and Rudyard Kipling.

I've thus far read the aforementioned Plague and Arthur Conan Doyle's The Poison Belt, his second Professor Challenger novel. I've just started H. Rider Haggard's When the World Shook, and I look forward to discovering more of his invigorating brand of adventure. I haven't seen the second book in the series, Kipling's With the Night Mail, at any brick-and-mortar bookstores yet despite months of trying, so I guess I'll pick that one up online.

Most (if not all) of the books in this series have fallen into the public domain and can thus be read online, but I still have a fondness for physical media so I'm very pleased to see these century-old works back in print. Many of the titles feature illuminating forewords and afterwords to put the novels in their historical context.

Pulling the Planet

Sadly the lead story in this issue of World's Finest doesn't live up to the promise of this amazingly dynamic cover, wrought by Neal Adams unless I miss my guess. Sure, it's ridiculous on the face of it - imagine the damage done by the giant clamps locked into the continents - but wow, there's a cover sure to capture every kid's attention at the drug store. Later on Neal did an even better version of this image, featuring a similar Superman-in-harness getup, but aided by a bunch of other DC heroes.

Bonds of the Super-Sons

Back when I was a kid in the early 1970s, World's Finest was one of my favourite comic books. The stories - particularly those penned by the delightfully wacky Bob Haney - were often nonsensical, spat in the face of continuity, and featured bizarre faux-hip dialogue that tried, unsuccessfully, to capture the youth lingo of the day. But they were also delightfully imaginative and surreal.

In 1972 Haney came up with the idea of the Super-Sons, Clark (Superman Jr.) Kent Jr., and Bruce (Batman Jr.) Wayne Jr. The first story of the Super-Sons opened with a text blurb assuring readers that this was not an "imaginary story" or a put-on, that the Super-Sons were "real" - within the context, of course, of the larger DC Universe. Anticipating questions from befuddled readers, Haney explained that not even the myriad stories published by DC about Superman and Batman could cover every aspect of their lives, and this was a heretofore unrevealed aspect of the mythos. Of course every other DC comic steadfastly ignored the existence of the Super-Sons and their mothers - whose identities are never revealed in these stories, their faces always in shadow.

As seen above, Bruce Jr. and Clark Jr. shared a deep emotional connection thanks to their shared anxieties about living up to the legacies of their famous fathers. Viewed through that lens the scene above is understandable enough, but modern audiences will probably snicker a little at Bruce's treatment of poor Debbie and the dialogue that seems to hint the younger Super-Sons share more than mere friendship.

It's a little unfair - Bruce Jr., at least, is portrayed as aggressively heterosexual. Indeed, Haney's treatment of women in this run feels a little off-kilter. I've already mentioned that we never learn the identities of the boys' shadowy mothers, and most other women in these stories are either villainous tricksters or damsels in distress capable of capturing the boys' attention only for a brief time, never for a committed relationship. Given the era this is to be expected from any comic book aimed at children or teens, but unlike other DC books the women in these stories never even get the chance to be treated as friends or equals; there's no room for a Black Canary or a Wonder Woman here.

While other writers pretended that the Super-Sons never existed, Haney had fun writing his own stories his own way, heedless of continuity, ignoring the fact that in contemporary stories Superman and Batman were explicitly childless and that Superman had a relationship with Lois Lane. None of that mattered to Haney!

Ten or fifteen years after the last appearance of the Super-Sons, other writers took it upon themselves to "explain" this odd discontinuity in DC storytelling. It turns out that all of these stories were simply an extremely complex simulation run by Superman and Batman to...well, it's been too long since I've read the story, and frankly I don't feel like digging the comic out of the boxes in the garage. It's not that the story was bad, per se, but the revisionism seemed to me to miss Haney's point entirely: that rigid adherence to continuity could sometimes stifle good (or at least weird) stories. Seen with modern eyes, Haney's World's Finest run can appear absurd and dreamlike, but it held its own rewards for those willing to explore the weird side of comics.

Pitts the Elder

Meme Master

My old friend Allan is enjoying some Internet fame at the moment thanks to a simple but clever observation about the exponentially increasing graphic complexity of computer games. I'm not surprised that Allan's found a wide audience (nearly 500,000 views as of this writing!), because I remember the very passionate conversations we had on the topic back when we were living in the Bleak House of Blahs.

At the time my favourite game was Civilization - the first one, seen above. I played it in my basement room on an Atari ST with relatively primitive graphics. Around the same time I remember visiting Tony to play Wasteland on his IBM-compatible, while Allan used his Amiga to experiment with the then-cutting edge Video Toaster. We often wondered how long it would be before computer games were completely photo-realistic. We're not there yet, but I'm sure that in another twenty years Allan will need to post an updated graphic, one that places the Skyrim image on top and something with fidelity we can't even imagine on the bottom. I can't wait to play that game!

Man with 2 Kites

At last, the long-awaited sequel to Man with a Kite! Thanks again to Tony Longworth for shooting the original photo back in the early 90s.

Not So Green Arrow

Tonight's episode of Arrow - the second - builds upon the pilot's strengths, adding important plot and character development while honing the show's visual style and dramatic ethos. If the series continues to improve, it could become a critical bulls-eye.

Unlike many adventure shows that target the young adult demographic, Arrow seems to recognize that violent action sequences come with physical and emotional consequences. In tonight's episode there's a scene in which Oliver Queen's ex-girlfriend Laurel is attacked by assassins. In a show of this nature it's easy to predict that none of the good guys are going to die (at least not this early in the series run), and sure enough Oliver fends off the bad guys, though not without the intervention of his bodyguard (another nice touch, allowing a secondary character to shine).

Fight scenes are nothing new in adventure television; no matter how competently executed, they start to feel the same after a while. But in the aftermath of this attack, there's a short scene in which Laurel and her father, police detective Quentin Lance, are visibly shaken by the trauma of the events. Neither is in hysterics, but both are clearly upset, afraid and suffering some degree of shock, as you might expect after an assassination attempt. If this were a lesser show - say, Smallville - the characters would shrug off the attack with a bad pun. Arrow doesn't display Homicide-like levels of realism, but for this sort of show it's a welcome sign of dramatic maturity.

The episode does falter a bit near then end, when a coerced confession is used to put a bad guy in jail. There's no way Arrow's illicitly-obtained testimony would stand up in court in the real world, and in this instance I feel the writers took a little too much dramatic license.

Otherwise, however, this was a solid hour (minus 22 minutes of commercials) of television. The trauma of Oliver's shipwreck and his difficulties readjusting to city life are mostly well-handled, as are his efforts to juggle the feral personality he developed on the island with the playboy act he's developing to disguise his activities as a vigilante. It's a delicate balancing act, but so far it's working. Plus there's another island flashback to fill out the backstory and a tantalizing glimpse of a shadowy figure who might become the show's main villain.

The preview for next week's episode makes it look like Deadshot will be Oliver's latest foe. Deadshot is one of my favourite comic villains; hopefully Arrow will adapt the character with greater skill than the producers of Smallville managed a few years back.