Oooooof.

I stopped reading Strangers in Paradise in 2004.

Wait. No. That's not where this starts.

A girl heard I read comic books and handed me some graphic novels. And they were very, very much different than anything I had read. While Sandman was great and grand and epic... SiP was very human. It was people in relationships doing stupid things in those relationships. There was this other plot line that had a lot of guns and espionage and that was fun and all but that's not what this was about - at least not for me. That part of the plot just created tension and often got to the point or absurdity, mostly background.

I stopped reading because there was too much drama in my life that I couldn't handle THAT MUCH drama in my escapism.

I heard the series was ending. And Laura told me something about one of the main characters and it was ... well, it was sort of like hearing about a friend. The news was not good. And the series was ending. A series that's been going on since 1993, mostly independantly published. I got in on the action a few years late but it was easy to pick it all up.

This weekend I picked up the issues I'd missed in trade.

There is a reason I'm still up at 1 am. And I've been crying.

Some part of my says it is stupid to cry over a character on paper. I'll be damned if I really care. Death is death is death. It hits hard, especially in specific circumstances. (And yeah, I'm trying to be non-spoilery here for whatever reason.) And if it doesn't impact you somehow the writing is awful or you're just thinking to yourself that they'll be back. Which is a great loss, If you're not worried about the risks, what the hell is the point?

I'll be buying the last two issues as that is all that is left.

While I want a happy ending, I don't know if there will be one and I'm okay with that too.

Some part of me will always want to be Katchoo but I think I'm much, much more like Francine.

A few things here and there...

My internet friend is starting a petition to write The Legion of Superheroes. Havin seen him write some of these characters, I think he'd do a good job. I haven't really read a lot of Legion but hey, why not?

This was a very interesting weekend. I ran into two people I have not seen in years and years. I ran into Jenny Zappala who has gotten married and I didn't ask her new last name. I really should have but I wasn't thinking at my clearest at that point. The general sense of fatigue from standing all day was settling in. I was trying to fill her in on everyone... She'll be at NorWesCon for those looking to catch up.

The other was someone from camp, which was just... strange, really. We didn't talk much, more just sort of nodded at each other from a distance.

It was a good weekend. I got to talk about a lot of things with a lot of people. I hope Adam Hughes feels better as he was feeling poorly the second day of the show and stayed in bed at the hotel. This meant that I got to talk to his lovely lady friend Allison and she drew a Poison Ivy for me. Ivy is all snarly looking which is cool. Talked to Gail Simone, Matt Haley and Greg Rucka some, which was excellent as well. All in all, it was a good weekend. Maybe next year I'll be all volunteer-y. That is my hope, at least. It isn't like I'm not spending the whole weekend down there anyway...

I have so much reading material. heeeeee!

*sighs*

Nooooooo getting sick.

NO.

STOP IT.

*sighs*

Huh.... trailer time!

First, we have War, Inc. which feel slike ti should be sitting on the shelf right next to Grosse Point Blank.

And another Cusack film I'm interested in The Martian Child.

And holy crap, David Duchovny is ... acting. What the hell? I want to see The TV Set.

Hot Fuzz. A review by Kat

Here are a few quick and easy steps to see if this movie is the movie for you.

Have you seen Shaun of the Dead? If the answer is no, go watch it and come back. We can wait.

Did you like Shaun of the Dead? If your answer is no, this movie is not for you and what is wrong with you, you strange, strange person?

Do you like action?

Are you a fan of comedy?

Do you think that these are two great tastes that taste great together?

If the answer to any of those questions is yes, than this is the movie for you. There are so many damned references to great action movies, to okay action movies to bad action movies.... While most of the first three fourths of the movie is set up for the payoff that is every second of the last fourth, that should by no means imply that the first bits of the movie aren't funny and don't ahve parts that are worthwhile. "By the power of Greyskull" is used to excellent effect.

There were a few parts what were a bit too gorey for me to be entirely comfortable with but they're generally avoidable because you know they're coming. They're telegraphed way, way, way out. It was cool that Ed Brubaker stayed after the comic con to catch the showing and Simon Pegg is really rather cute in person.

In the end, it comes down to the fact that I haven't laughed that long or that hard at a movie in a looooong, looong time. This is a movie that I will have to see again in order to see how many more references I can catch.

And is made me want to watch Point Break (understandable once you've seen it) and to eat ramen, the good stuff, which I totally don't get.