Chasing WandaVision 3

 Okay, so I've now watched the first eight episodes of WandaVision and I'm still not impressed.

Spoilers ahead:




When did Agatha Harkness become a "bad witch"? In the comics she has always been portrayed as a bit mysterious, as keeping things to herself, but never outright evil. She may always have her own agenda, but she's neither a murderess nor a torturer.

OK...the sit-com parodies were meant to establish part of Wanda's backstory...but four or five of them? Wouldn't two have served the purpose and gotten the story moving a bit more quickly?

Neither Wanda nor Pietro are shown to have powers as kids (unless what Wanda almost does to the Stark device that destroyed their home was meant to indicate that), and Wanda doesn't manifest anything until she contacts that Infinity Stone...so where do Pietro's powers come from?

Finally, if Hayward's concern about Vision is that he was a sentient weapon, how does making him less human make things any better? Or is it that Hayward doesn't want an android with human emotions and prefers one that is simply a machine he can order to do as he wishes? You've got two episodes left guys, it's time to start explaining your villain's motives and aims.

As I've said, if a movie or a book took this long to make sense, we'd stop reading or watching. The only reason I've stayed with this is because so many people keep telling me how wonderful it is and how it's going to end up a masterpiece.

I'm not convinced.

Grocery Shopping

 No, this isn't about the relative safety or risk of shopping in a pandemic. It's about the things that bug the hell out of you in a supermarket.

Number one on my list: There's a line of three or more people at the deli counter and only one employee waiting on customers. The other three are making pre-wrapped sandwiches for later in the day, or stocking shelves with the pre-packaged product. Meanwhile, the line keeps getting longer. As someone who used to work the customer service counter in the same store, I know the manager would have had my head if he saw that situation in my area.

Number two: Employees or vendors who block the entire aisle with the product they are stocking. If the pallet you are bringing out to stock is that big, break it down into a smaller load. Yes, you might have to make two trips, but you won't inconvenience the customers.

Number three: Customers who mosey up the aisle (just to prove it's not just employees who bother me). They're not visibly looking for anything, they just move like they're in the slow lane of the highway with their flashers on.

What bugs you in the supermarket?

Eating Out

 For the first time in months, Jill and I went out for breakfast this morning, to the local Panera. I would not say it was "busy"--certainly not the way it would have been a year ago at the same time of day--and it was appropriately social-distanced. Half of the tables were marked as unavailable, there were floor markings for distancing at the registers. Everyone wore masks, except when eating or drinking.

I felt perfectly safe being there. I'm not sure in what other restaurants we used to frequent I would feel the same way. The local Applebee's seems to be fairly active when I go there to pick up take-out, but I wonder about dining in in places that serve alcohol...the inhibition-reducing effect is a concern.

Commission Commitment

 My best friend, Rich Kolker, asked this morning who could be named as chair of a commission to investigate the events of January 6 who would be acceptable and respected by all sides.

My first thought was George W. Bush. I think it would be difficult for any Republican--save for the hard-core Trumpies like Hawley and Boebert--to object to the only living former President who is a Republican (Trump, obviously, is out of the question). Bush is on good terms with all the Democratic former Presidents, and with the sitting President, Joe Biden. I don't think even the far left wing of the Democrats (AOC, Sanders, etc.) would oppose his being named to the post.

And, though Rich didn't ask about this, I think Pelosi has to give up on the idea of weighting the other members to the Democrats. The general public will see that as unfair, let alone the Republican members of Congress....however, I do think none of the commission members should be current sitting office-holders or likely candidates in the next four years. And a few experts on intelligence and security wouldn't hurt, either.

Comics--Why Dialogue Matters

 There's an ongoing controversy, thanks to a new biography of Stan Lee, about collaboration in comics--who is primarily responsible for the creation of new characters and concepts (and their commercial and esthetic success), especially in the so-called "Marvel method," where the artist works from a rough plot (either supplied by the writer, worked out by the writer and artist together, or done entirely by the artist) and then the writer fleshes it out with dialogue and narration after the art is done.

There's a large part of the comics fan community that supports the idea that the artist is the primary mover...the "real writer and creator" of stories and characters. But, to my mind, this suggests that plot is more important than characterization and that visual appearance is the primary source of success. Let me give an example of where I think that supposition is dead wrong.

It is generally accepted that Stan Lee's plot for the famed "Galactus Trilogy" (Fantastic Four ##48-50) did not include any character like the Silver Surfer, that the Surfer was added visually by Jack Kirby. I do not disagree--visually, the Silver Surfer was entirely Kirby's idea. But is it solely the visual image--striking as it may be--that made the Surfer such an immediate success?

I think not. What made the Silver Surfer a great character was the dialogue Stan Lee wrote for him, the inner dilemma the Surfer confronted between his loyalty to Galactus and his new-found admiration for the human race. While some of that may be reflected in Kirby's art and his notes thereon, it is Lee's putting it into words that makes it real, that makes the Surfer into an interstellar Shakespearean tragic hero.

Looking at Kirby's own attempts at writing dialogue, on the New Gods and other "Fourth World" material, as an example, you can see that, no matter how much emotion and pathos he tried to convey in his art, he could never bring it to full life with dialogue that matched.

If plot were all that mattered, then Kirby would have been a masterful writer; but characterization, as created by dialogue, is just as important...maybe more important. It has been said, after all, that there are only three great plots in all of fiction: Man against man, man against nature, and man against himself. It is the characters and what they do in those situations that make great writing.

Tabula Rasa

 Literally, for the first time since I started this blog in May of last year, I find myself with nothing to say. No political thoughts, no pop culture thoughts, not even any really interesting events in my own life.

Maybe tomorrow.

Party of Three?--Part 2

Today on Morning Joe, there was a discussion of the possibility of a viable third-party in the United States. They proceeded from the premise that about two-thirds of registered voters are independents and would, therefore, welcome a third choice in our elections.

But, IMO, they ignore an important point: Not all of those independents would welcome the same third choice. I figure about a third of them would want a party strongly to the left of the Democrats, another third would want a party strongly to the right of the Republicans, and the remainder would want a party midway between the two existing parties.

IOW, there is no more than about 22% of the electorate that is in favor of any one kind of political party as an alternative. There are around 214,000,000 registered voters in this country...and in the election with the highest turnout in decades in 2020, only about 160,000,000 of them (or about 75%) actually voted. (In most presidential years, the turn-out is more like 60% and in "off-years," often below 50%.)

So, if a third party existed and even all of its registrants voted for its candidate, the best that candidate could hope for is 47,000,000 votes. And if each of my imagined third parties did the same, they would get around the same, leaving 71,000,000 for the Republicans and Democrats to split. In recent years, that split has been virtually 50-50, so each of the two "established" parties would get around 36,000,000 votes. No one would have a majority of the popular vote.

Of course, this ignores that some Democrats and Republicans might vote for one of the third-party candidates. Still, I think a third party--of any political stripe--has a tough row to hoe.

Comics--Past and Future 6

 Continuing this discussion, the last part of which was here. 

 It could be that the two major comics publishers, DC and Marvel, could accomplish some of what I suggest is needed--expanding their readership beyond the current base of superhero fans--simply be reactivating some projects and properties they already own.

At DC, there are three that come immediately to mind:

Blackhawk. This international team of pilots could be portrayed as a sort of flying A-Team, a group of specialists for hire. Or, if you prefer, a variation on Britain's Thunderbirds. Stories could range from warfare to espionage to covert anti-crime missions.

Sugar and Spike. Chances are no one could handle these pre-verbal tykes as charmingly as their late creator, Shelly Mayer, so why try? DC has several decades worth of the originals to reprint. These are the model for successful series such as Rugrats and Muppet Babies...why not re-present them now?

Amethyst, Princess of Gem World. When DC first published this title in the 1970s, I argued it was custom-made for marketing to pre-teen girls, complete with an animated adaptation and a line of toys. But I guess nobody at DC back then was smart enough to see what they had...even after properties like Sailor Moon and Jem and the Holograms showed them the way. Is anyone there (or at their corporate owners) wise enough to see it today?

Marvel has fewer of these types of titles to pick from, as even in the 1940s, '50s, and '60s, they were less diverse than DC. But there are two I think could work:

Millie the Model. Recast it as the beginnings of Millie's career, not the heights of it. Shows like Project Runway and America's Top Model demonstrate a public interest in the fashion world; all that's needed is a writer and artist with the ability to translate that world to comics.

Patsy Walker. This was Marvel's attempt at an Archie copy...but even in the 1950s, they played it as less of a cartoon than its more successful rival. Since Riverdale has indicated that teen love and angst still has an audience, why not see if you can bring that audience to you?

None of these should be produced as monthly periodicals, either....but as a series of graphic novels, with some continuing storylines from book to book, probably published on a quarterly basis and kept continually in print.

Your thoughts?

Who Knows?

 "Nobody knows anything."

That was how screenwriter William Goldman (The Princess Bride, All the President's Men, among others) described the situation of predicting success in Hollywood. I've come to believe the same is true of the future of the pandemic.

On the same day President Biden predicted a return to at least "near normal" by the end of this year, a doctor made the prediction we'd be at herd immunity by the end of the spring. They can't both be right (nor can the pessimists who insist we will never conquer COVID). Frankly, I'll take what comes.

And I'll do, for the most part, what the experts recommend. I say "for the most part" because there are some things I do that they may not feel are safe. I do not feel the need to wear a mask if I am outdoors, largely on my own, including walking in the park. I have no problem with dining indoors at a restaurant I can tell is maintaining social distancing, masks (except when eating), etc. 

I do not live in fear of my life in the pandemic, but I understand that others do.

The Mess With Texas

 The Lone Star State prides itself on its rugged individualism: "We don't need help from anybody...." Well, sometimes you do--and it's much better to be prepared for those times than not.

Decades ago, to avoid federal regulation, Texas decided not to connect its power grid with those of neighboring states in a cooperative arrangement, as literally every other state in the union has done. (Hawaii is the obvious exception, but even Alaska has tied its grid with the Canadian system.) But exempting itself from the regulations that come with interstate commerce, Texas also exempted itself from the ones that demand generation and distribution facilities be able to withstand extreme weather conditions--so its power companies didn't bother. Why not? It's cheaper not to insulate and winterize your fuel lines, right, and how often does Texas get temperatures well below freezing, anyway?

Well, based on this chart, of days when Dallas hit extreme temperature, more often than you'd think

32 °F 0 °C	Year	70 °F 21 °C	90 °F 32 °C
11	2020	261	108
19	2019	244	118
26	2018	244	125
8	2017	287	111
16	2016	277	114
25	2015	262	120
36	2014	243	100
29	2013	257	119
17	2012	278	121
27	2011	258	131

Wouldn't you think you'd want to be prepared for something that can happen as often as 20 or 30 times each year? (And that's just Dallas--other parts of the state, such as the Panhandle and the western hill country, can get much colder more often.)

Oh, and naturally, if you've refused to cooperate with your neighbors under normal circumstances, don't be surprised when they are not quick to offer assistance in an emergency. Normally, in this kind of crisis, we'd be seeing news reports of electric crews from other states--as far away as New York or California--coming to help get the power up and running in the affected area. Haven't seen any stories like that this week. I wonder why.

https://www.currentresults.com/Yearly-Weather/USA/TX/Dallas/recent-annual-dallas-temperature-precipitation.php 

Martian Chronicles

 Believe it or not, there are three exploration vehicles from Earth currently orbiting Mars--one from the United States, one from China, and one from the United Arab Emirates.

The UAE mission, launched from in cooperation with Japan, was the first to reach the red planet. It is currently orbiting to test atmosphere and other conditions on the planet. The Chinese orbiter recently completed maneuvers to put it in a polar orbit, as it searches for likely landing sites, with a plan to put a vehicle on the surface by May or June. The US mission will land its "Rover" later today, using the same "sky crane" technology that successfully put its sister vehicle on the surface in 2004.

It would appear humankind's desire to explore the final frontier has not yet waned.

Nothing Trivial

 I'm very disappointed. Last year, my son got me involved in an online trivia contest called Learned League. I enjoyed playing and did pretty well, coming in the top five (out of 26) in my section. I was looking forward to starting the new season today.

But the administrators (wisely, I think) decided to postpone the beginning of the season until next Monday, because of the wide-spread power outages around the country. Oh well, five more days to go then.

Party of Three?

 Since the 2020 election and its aftermath, there's been a lot of talk about "third parties"...mostly centered around the idea of the centrist part of the Republican Party breaking off from what has become a personality cult and forming a new coalition.

Usually, the example given is the end of the Whig party in the middle of the 19th Century and the founding of the Republican Party. But the original GOP didn't just form out of disaffected Whigs...it also included anti-slavery Democrats who refused to support the Democratic Party's Southern-dominated leadership. Essentially, the more radical wings of both parties coalesced into a new organization--and it required prominent members of both parties to declare themselves as Republicans.

I don't think there's much chance of anything similar happening in the next five to ten years. It would have to be the centrist Republicans joining with conservative Democrats...and there just aren't that many of the latter, certainly not any who are as disaffected with their own leadership as the centrist Republicans are with theirs.

Could it be done by enticing independents, the folk not aligned with any party? I don't think so. There are only two independent members of the Senate (and none in the House), both are from New England, and both not only caucus with the Democrats but they are more liberal than the majority of the Democratic members.

A third party? Not unless some prominent Republican steps forward and makes the move.

Comics Past and Future--Part 5

 Continuing this discussion, the last part of which was here.

Naturally, there's more to making the comic-book industry viable again than just improving the story-telling in the superhero titles. We need to expand beyond those concepts...and I don't just mean in publishing other "fan-favorite" genres and titles, like science fiction, including licensed properties such as Star Wars or Doctor Who.

The industry has to have, as it once did, material specifically aimed at girls and women, at children under the age of 12, or even at adults with interests beyond science-fiction, fantasy, and superhero adventure. Well into the 1960s, the best-selling comic-book in the United States was Dell/Gold Key's Walt Disney's Comics and Stories. Given the immense audiences for current Disney material--Frozen, anyone?--why are there no comic-book adaptations and continuations of those properties?

And other modern animated properties seem to me made to order for comic-book stories: Where is the comic-book version of Minions?

Why isn't anyone attempting a comic book with characters reminiscent of Jack Ryan or Ethan Hunt? Why are there no comic books with a rom-com feel or theme? Why not a costume drama along the lines of Downton Abbey or Bridgerton? Surely there is somebody who knows how to write this kind of material for comic books.

Until we have people working at the publishers who have an interest in telling stories, and not just in superheroes, this industry is on a path to extinction.

Ice Ice Baby

 Well, it was a break from the snow....

Yesterday afternoon, about two, we started to get a misty rain...and I mean misty. It never actually felt like it was falling from the sky, just sort of hanging there. By nightfall, it had begun to freeze on surfaces--notably cars and railings. I had put salt on my driveway to attempt to forestall the freezing and it worked for a while. At 9 o'clock, only a few patches were slick...but when I checked at 11, the whole driveway could have been used to play hockey. I figure the ice was about an eighth of an inch thick.

I had a commitment to be at church at 10 this morning. At 6:30, I got up, dressed and went outside to throw salt around. Things must have warmed some already because, while the ice was still slick, it was clear that some melting was beginning. By 8, the driveway, although not clear of ice, was driveable. By the time I returned from church at 11, you'd never have known there was an ice there at all.

Just rain tonight they say and warmer weather by Tuesday--48 degrees for the high--but possible snow again Thursday night into Friday.

It's already the snowiest February in Philly on record.

Vote-ee-Oh-Doh

 I'm not going to comment on the arguments made by Trump's defense team yesterday for two reasons:

1. I didn't watch all of them.

2. From what I have seen, there was little there to comment on.

I am going to make a sort-of prediction, though. First, what should happen: There should be a unanimous vote to convict. After all, 98 of the jurors were actually witnesses to the events in question. (The two Senators from Georgia had not yet been seated on January 6.) But we cannot reasonably expect that outcome.

What I'd like to have happen: I'd like to see Trump convicted by a vote of around 70-30. I can't honestly expect more than about 20 Republicans to vote with the Democrats.

What will happen: Trump will be acquitted by a vote of around 40-60. I think there are 10 Republican Senators who, allowed to vote their conscience, will vote to convict. Which ones? I think we can count on Collins, Murkowski, Romney, and Toomey. I think Cassidy and McConnell are possibles. I leave the other four to your choices.

Comics--Past and Future 4

 Continuing this discussion, the last part of which is here. 

Let me be clear: I am not suggesting a complete return to the comic books of the 1950s and '60s. Even the kids of today would not accept that. But I am suggesting that a good look at what made those publications far more successful--both commercially and aesthetically--than today's comics is worth doing.

The first thing, I think, is denseness of story-telling. I know that I can pick up any mainstream superhero comic book published in the last decade and finish it in under 10 minutes, in many cases, probably in five minutes. But if I go back to a comic book published even 30 years ago, when the direct market was in its infancy, I could expect a 20-minute read at least. And I could expect,  even in an ongoing serial storyline, a substantive chunk of the plot to be included. I could close the book feeling that I had had a complete experience...not just a snippet.

There's a reason that Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons chose to use a nine-panel grid on nearly every page of Watchmen, to use just one example. They knew they had a massive story to tell, and they had to give themselves the pacing to tell it. There was no room for full-page "money shots"--every square inch of the page had to be given to the plot.

Now, I'm not saying every comic-book story needs to be that detailed, that dense. But it should give the reader at least a feeling of having seen the equivalent of television episode or a short story in prose...and not just the part that falls between the commercial breaks or what would fit on a page or two of prose.

And there's nothing wrong with telling a story that doesn't need to be continued from issue to issue for a year or more. In one sense, writing "short" is harder, I know. But if you insist that the reader must stick with you virtually forever to get a complete story, you're in the wrong business--go write for a TV soap opera.

More on this soon.

Snow Big Deal Again

 Damn! I thought I was done with posts on this subject for a while.

We got about 2 inches of light fluffy snow overnight. I was able to clear the driveway and the sidewalk in about 30 minutes. I'll clear off the car later this afternoon.

Real problem is that it's not over yet. There seems to be some virtual "train line" sending snow and ice this way for what looks like the whole month of February...some form of precipitation every two or three days at least through the next ten days. Next round is Saturday night into Sunday, then again on Tuesday.

Fortunately, nothing predicted in the foot-or-more range yet.

Not Exactly Perry Mason

 I dipped in and out of the coverage of the Senate trial yesterday, so I didn't see the entirety of any one lawyer's presentation, but parts of all of them. And while I think the House managers put on a case that would have done Law & Order's Jack McCoy proud, Trump's defense team was an embarrassment to every trial lawyer in the country.

There's an old saying in defense law: "When the law is against you, pound the facts; when the facts are against you, pound the law; when the law and the facts are against you, pound the table." Well, Trump's team nearly broke the table pounding on it yesterday.

"This trial is unconstitutional, because Mr. Trump is no longer in office." Of course, the only reason the trial is being held after he left office is because Mitch McConnell, who was in charge of scheduling, refused to hold it before Trump left office. It could have begun as early as January 14, because the House approved the article of impeachment on January 13. And, anyway, to argue that Trump is now immune from facing charges made before he left office is tantamount to saying the embezzler cannot be tried for his crimes if he is fired before the trial begins (even if the charges are filed before that happens).

It is clear to me that even if the Republicans win in the trial (as it currently appears they will), they have lost in the court of public opinion. 

Volunteering

 I keep trying to find ways to keep myself busy during the pandemic...and the recent weather has not made that any easier.

My church is one of the places I am increasing my activity. I am now a member of the technology committee--something that a year ago I doubt anyone in our parish would have thought we needed. But we've been recording and live-streaming services on an almost daily basis, as well as holding meetings that way. (Our annual meeting, required by the by-laws and canons, was held by Zoom this past weekend.)

To facilitate all this, we had a streaming camera installed in the nave of the church in December and this afternoon I have a training session on how to control it. This is in preparation for a funeral service this Saturday, which will be live-streamed, because the live attendees are limited to the immediate family mourners.

Has your volunteering increased in the past year?