Buys'n'Gifts
My family members finally got their Christmas gifts this week. Both my sister and my mom wanted Anne Rice books (sigh), but I threw in Neverwhere in there. My mom's into modern fantasy. Maybe she'll like Gaiman. For my brother-in-law, Watchmen. Might as well blow his mind before the movie's out. And for the kids, it's all about princesses and dinosaurs.
"Accomplishments"
Comics: Finished ACME Novelty Library #19, one of Chris Ware's very strongest recent outings in my opinion, and that's saying something. The first piece, an odd science fiction story about lonely colonists on the planet Mars is simply spectacular, and only gets better once the second part of the book is revealed - the genesis of the story from our protagonist's youth. As usual, it's the fiction of crushing disappointment, beautifully designed and heart-breakingly funny.
DVDs: I also flipped the 1st Doctor adventure, The War Machines, which features some dreadfully silly robots, but may otherwise prove important as the first of the Doctor Who formula that survives to this day. The only story spent entirely on present day Earth for William Hartnell, it features army men, things happening in secret in public landmarks, and of course, a (pseudo-)alien threat. It's the first appearance of Polly and Ben (Dodo is unceremoniously carted off to the country), and an early example of the Internet in science fiction. The DVD is relatively bear, but still has a good, respectful commentary, a feature on the show's restoration, a look at locations used, a visit of the Post Office Tower, and lots of old Blue Peter footage featuring both the tower and home-made Daleks. One tiny innovation I do wish they'd keep doing is a subtitle track on the photo gallery.
Rock Band: Our secondary band at home (when the other guy's girlfriend isn't home) is The Unit. Who knew Mac was such a good singer? Well, I'm not really, but I can do a mean Max Martini impression that threatens Tiffy from the stage. Meanwhile, Torchwood has gone international.
New Unauthorized Doctor Who CCG cards: 15, finishing up the essentials for The Stolen Earth/Journey's End.
Someone Else's Post of the Week
A lot of Doctor Who these last couple of weeks, so I might as well trot out a related post. Dorian at Postmodern Barney did a very simple rundown of his favorite Doctors. Sometimes simple is best, and the ensuing discussion was/is fun.
My family members finally got their Christmas gifts this week. Both my sister and my mom wanted Anne Rice books (sigh), but I threw in Neverwhere in there. My mom's into modern fantasy. Maybe she'll like Gaiman. For my brother-in-law, Watchmen. Might as well blow his mind before the movie's out. And for the kids, it's all about princesses and dinosaurs.
"Accomplishments"
Comics: Finished ACME Novelty Library #19, one of Chris Ware's very strongest recent outings in my opinion, and that's saying something. The first piece, an odd science fiction story about lonely colonists on the planet Mars is simply spectacular, and only gets better once the second part of the book is revealed - the genesis of the story from our protagonist's youth. As usual, it's the fiction of crushing disappointment, beautifully designed and heart-breakingly funny.
DVDs: I also flipped the 1st Doctor adventure, The War Machines, which features some dreadfully silly robots, but may otherwise prove important as the first of the Doctor Who formula that survives to this day. The only story spent entirely on present day Earth for William Hartnell, it features army men, things happening in secret in public landmarks, and of course, a (pseudo-)alien threat. It's the first appearance of Polly and Ben (Dodo is unceremoniously carted off to the country), and an early example of the Internet in science fiction. The DVD is relatively bear, but still has a good, respectful commentary, a feature on the show's restoration, a look at locations used, a visit of the Post Office Tower, and lots of old Blue Peter footage featuring both the tower and home-made Daleks. One tiny innovation I do wish they'd keep doing is a subtitle track on the photo gallery.Rock Band: Our secondary band at home (when the other guy's girlfriend isn't home) is The Unit. Who knew Mac was such a good singer? Well, I'm not really, but I can do a mean Max Martini impression that threatens Tiffy from the stage. Meanwhile, Torchwood has gone international.
New Unauthorized Doctor Who CCG cards: 15, finishing up the essentials for The Stolen Earth/Journey's End.
Someone Else's Post of the Week
A lot of Doctor Who these last couple of weeks, so I might as well trot out a related post. Dorian at Postmodern Barney did a very simple rundown of his favorite Doctors. Sometimes simple is best, and the ensuing discussion was/is fun.
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