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SwanShadow Gives Thanks, Volume 22: Reverse SwanShadow Edition

November 27, 2025

Welcome back, my friends, to the tradition that never ends. Okay, truth to tell, it will inevitably end eventually, because I will inevitably end eventually. But fortunately for all of us, that end does not appear imminent. Then again, this is Las Vegas, where anything can happen and often does.

I decided to label this 22nd iteration of this annual post “Reverse SwanShadow Edition” because when I typed the number 22, it looked remarkably like a mirror image of my familiar cygnus-and-umbra logo. If you play Texas Hold ’em, you might refer to a pair of pocket deuces as “ducks,” which I suppose is close enough. (I have it on good authority that bingo aficionados use the same terminology in reference to the call number I-22.)

Knowing my inherent inability to concentrate on anything for very long, I consider it a monumental achievement that I’ve managed to be regular in this particular habit for 22 years. But the fact is, I am deeply grateful for the life I’ve been blessed to live to this point, and for all of the people, places, and things that continue to make it pleasant and endlessly interesting. This annual exercise, as focused on ephemera as it appears to be, remains my personal love letter to everyone and everything I appreciate. It’s a peculiar way of expressing thanks. But it’s my way.

If you’re new to this experience, the following is an alphabetical list — one item for each letter of said alphabet — of items human, non-human, and inhuman (um…?) for which I am thankful this Thanksgiving, as though that weren’t redundant. As random as the collection appears, it represents in synecdoche (Google it) the sum total of everything that is. At least, everything that doesn’t stand on its own, unlike The Daughter and The Son-In-Law and The Little Dudes and The Sunflower and The Nest and Wanda the Scarlet Witch and all else that is truly special and good.

So, on this Thanksgiving Day 2025 (where does the time go?), your Uncle Swan gives thanks for:

A’ja Wilson, star of my beloved Las Vegas Aces: the four-time M’VP, the three-time D’POY, the two-time FM’VP, and quite possibly the G’OAT. I could not imagine a more appropriate place to begin this Number 22 list than with Number 22 her own self. I’ve been privileged to see many legendary athletes — from Steph Curry to Barry Bonds, from Joe Montana to Jerry Rice, from Willie McCovey to Steve Young to Klay Thompson — play in person for my favorite sports teams over the course of my fandom. I’m not sure that I will ever have seen, by the hopefully long-distant end of her still-escalating career, a more singular team-sport athlete on my home team than A’ja Wilson.

Bettie Page, who just might have been the GOAT of iconic image makers. She may not have garnered the undying adoration accorded Marilyn Monroe — whose appeal I’ve never entirely understood, to be frank (sorry, Frank) — but no one ever gave better face than the Queen of the Pinups.

Cornbread dressing, a seemingly simple side dish that it has taken me decades to perfect. Much scouring of cookbooks and Internet recipe sites, in addition to endless trial and error, has brought me to the point where I can almost say that my cornbread dressing (don’t call it stuffing unless you’re cramming it into an animal carcass) is the equal of the dish that annually graced my mother’s Thanksgiving table. Almost.

Dustbuster, the portable handheld vacuum that I don’t know how I ever survived without until I purchased one this year. Well played, Messrs. Black and Decker.

Eighteen B. (Actually, it’s more commonly written 18b, but we make allowances.) The Las Vegas Arts District is an 18-block (18b… get it? someone was clever) expanse just south of downtown proper where all manner of funky galleries, museums, murals, eateries, breweries, and other locations of interest collide. People who think that Vegas has no culture or soul have never been to this part of the city.

Freakin’ Reviews, the YouTube channel hosted by my fellow Las Vegas Valley denizen James White. Originally, James focused on video reviews of “as seen on TV” products. Now that that category of merchandise has been more or less subsumed into Amazon, Temu, and other online retailers, James showcases, for better or worse (often worse), whatever unusual gadget or household item strikes his fancy. James recently added a second channel, entitled Freakin’ 2, where he samples weird foods and beverages so I don’t have to.

Ground News, a Canadian-based news aggregator with a intriguing purpose: helping its readers navigate the sociopolitical “blind spots” both of news outlets, and of the readers themselves. Ground News serves up news articles from a wide array of sources, noting the particular bias of the source so that the reader knows where that source is “coming from,” so to speak. It also highlights news items that sources on either end of the political spectrum are under-reporting. In an environment where it can be difficult to know which media to trust — or whether you simply trust those who happen to agree with you, regardless of their factual accuracy — Ground News is a tool worth checking out. (This is not a sponsored post.)

Henderson and North Las Vegas, Sin City’s twin siblings here in the Valley. Most visitors tend to view the entirety of southern Nevada as “Las Vegas,” but quite a bit of it isn’t (including the Las Vegas Strip, which lies entirely outside the city limits). In fact, two other sizable incorporated cities lie cheek-by-jowl alongside us: Henderson (Nevada’s second-largest city; yes, bigger than Reno) to the southeast, and North Las Vegas (the fourth-largest) to the north and northwest. Both cities have reputations — Henderson as a boring backwater; NLV as sketchy and crime-ridden — that aren’t entirely deserved, and both actually have much to offer their communities. And yes, residents of both get a little annoyed at being lumped in as merely “outer Vegas.”

Isis, the Egyptian-themed superheroine of long-ago Saturday mornings. In civilian life, she was mild-mannered high school science teacher Andrea Thomas (played with understated cool by Joanna Cameron, who passed away in 2021). But when she donned her mystic amulet and uttered the phrase, “O mighty Isis!”, Andrea was transformed (okay, she just changed clothes, really) into a modern-day interpretation of the ancient goddess. Isis could (as noted in The Secrets of Isis‘s opening narration) “soar as the falcon soars, run with the speed of gazelles, and command the elements of sky and earth” — at least, as much of any of those things as a children’s TV budget and 1970s technology would allow. She could even deliver a thoughtful moral message at the end of each episode.

Juneteenth, the national holiday that celebrates the day when enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation began in Texas in 1865 (two years after the document was signed; no Internet in those days, so news traveled slowly) and slavery formally (if not culturally) ended in the United States. It’s also my half-birthday, which I’d like to imagine is worth celebrating on at least a minute scale.

Kosher salt, the one ingredient I can’t imagine my kitchen without. Did you know that it’s called “kosher” salt not because it meets kosher dietary standards, but because it was the salt used in kashering, a process of dry-brining meats? My preferred brand is Diamond Crystal, even though they confounded me recently when they redesigned the traditional box.

Leona Lewis, whose “Bleeding Love” is one of my all-time favorite pop tunes. Leona is playing her first-ever Las Vegas residency during this holiday season, and I can hardly wait to see her perform live next month. Leona’s included in my list of 31 “magical voices,” spotlighting the female singers whose pipes I adore.

Myron’s. Speaking of magical voices, Myron’s at the Smith Center is one of my favorite places in Las Vegas to hear them. This year, I saw Sam Harris there — his first tour in several years — and the New York Voices, who are currently winding down their nearly 40-year performing career. Myron’s cabaret-style venue makes a fine, intimate space in which to enjoy talented musical artists and their craft.

I’ve only just begun working on my NOKbox, an organizing tool designed to assist one’s next of kin (“NOK”) in event of one’s disability or demise. (That’s a polite way of saying, “It’s for when you croak.”) The NOKbox helps you put together all of the information and documentation that your loved ones will need in order to resolve your estate. With luck and a fair wind, my sunset is hopefully yet a long distance away. But it’s comforting to have a handy tool that will make things somewhat easier for The Daughter when the inevitable arrives. (Boy howdy, there’s a boatload of stuff to pull together, though. I’d better step it up.)

The Osmo Pocket 3 is one of the handiest devices ever made for recording video on the go. It’s a small handheld camera (it also mounts to a stand or tripod) with a built-in gimbal, plus numerous other features that lend themselves to quick and relatively easy shooting. I’m still figuring out how best to put it to work on the creative ideas that percolate in my brain, but I’m confident that the device will be up to the task even if the operator is not.

The Plaza Hotel and Casino is one of the downtown hotspots that I can see from my front window. What I love most about the Plaza is not the hotel-casino itself, but rather the free fireworks displays they host on major holidays (including Formula 1 weekend, which I suppose is now a public holiday here in Vegas), as well as every Friday night during the summer season. It’s like having a front-row seat to the Fourth of July every weekend from Memorial Day onward, as well as on the actual Fourth of July.

Quail eggs are delicious. I feel a little bit sorry for the quail. But only a little bit.

Rush, one of my favorite rock bands of all time, are reuniting next year for their first tour since legendary drummer Neil Peart passed in 2020. I know that some fans are up in arms at the audacity of Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson carrying on without The Professor, who in addition to his nonpareil percussion skills also wrote the band’s lyrics. But I for one am thrilled to have another opportunity to see Geddy and Alex perform live — I never got to experience Rush in concert while Neil was still with us — as well as thrilled for them to enjoy playing their music together again. I’m excited too to see how Anika Nilles, a phenomenal talent whom I’ve followed for years on YouTube, fits in behind the drum kit. And yes, I already have my ticket for one of the gigs in LA.

South Point is the place I point to (pun intended) when people tell me that “Vegas is dead,” because this locals-friendly joint is always packed. One of the few hotel-casinos left in the market that’s still privately owned by a single individual (longtime industry executive Michael Gaughan), South Point makes it work with customer-focused service, an array of reasonably priced dining options (including the best value buffet remaining in Vegas), and entertainment options that appeal to their target demographic. South Point also hosts numerous events including bowling tournaments (their bowling center is massive) and rodeo competitions (they have an arena specially built for horse-related activities). I tend to avoid the place when the cowboys are in town, but you do you.

Calling a business Terrible’s seems like a poor marketing strategy, but that is in fact the name of the outfit that holds the franchise on Chevron gas stations in these parts. Apparently, the company’s founder, nicknamed “the P.T. Barnum of gasoline” for his outrageous promotional schemes, decided to lean into the fact that his competitors found his business approach “terrible,” and ran with it. For the record, the gasoline does not seem terrible.

“Unchained” is one of my favorite Van Halen tracks. Go listen. That’s all I need to say.

Vitamix held a 40%-off sale on Amazon earlier this year, so I finally broke down and purchased one of their world-class but usually insanely expensive blending machines. And I love it. It’s added smoothies to my daily routine, so I can truthfully say that I’m doing something health-forward. (You can’t taste the spinach. You really can’t.) I also enjoy making the occasional soup in it. Who knew that you could make hot soup from cold ingredients in a blender? The wonders of modern technology.

Winnie and Ethel’s has fast become one of my favorite local dining spots. (And by “local,” I mean “five minutes from my house.”) Originally just a breakfast/brunch option — their malted pancakes are incredible, and don’t sleep on the grits, either — they now open a few evenings each week for equally excellent dinner. It’s the kind of place where the staff greets you like an old friend when you walk in the door, and serves you coffee in a mug from the most random collection of drinkware ever assembled outside of a Goodwill store. Get off the Strip and go there for a meal. You will not regret it.

Xanadu was: (1) the summer palace of Kublai Khan; (2) a classic poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge; (3) the title character’s mansion in the film Citizen Kane, based on the real-life Hearst Castle; (4) a dreadful slice of cinematic cheese served up in 1980 by director Robert Greenwald, and starring Olivia Newton-John; and (5) the title song from said film, which will now be stuck in your head for the rest of your Thanksgiving Day. You’re welcome.

Yermo, the weird little California desert town on Interstate 15 just a few miles east of Barstow that every SoCal traveler passes through on the drive to Las Vegas. Yermo is noteworthy for such touristy stops as Eddie World, allegedly California’s largest gas station (you’ll recognize it by the ginormous milkshake out front); the Liberty Sculpture Park, an assortment of found-materials artworks visible from the freeway; Peggy Sue’s ’50s Diner, what a Denny’s might be like if American Graffiti vomited inside it; and the Marine Corps Logistics Base, a massive storage facility for earth-tone military vehicles. The fast-food chain Del Taco also originated in Yermo, although there isn’t a Del Taco there now. Or much of anything else, except as noted above.

Zucchini, because your neighbor planted some and now has a ton to give away, including to you. There’s always zucchini bread.

As is ever the case, I am grateful for you, friend reader. If you’ve continued to drop in here every November for this feast of word salad, you have earned my respect, admiration, and even love. I hope that you and those you cherish will enjoy a wonderful and thoughtful Thanksgiving, and that all of us will still be around to celebrate another at this time next year.

Categories: Aimless Riffing, Celebritiana, Cinemania, Dead People Got No Reason to Live, Food Glorious Food, Hero of the Day, Listology, My Home Town, Reminiscing, Sexiest People Alive, Soundtrack of My Life, Sports Bar, SwanStuff, Teleholics Anonymous, Thanksgiving, That's Cool!, Trivial Pursuits, Vegas, Baby
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SwanShadow Gives Thanks, Volume 21: Winning Blackjack Hand Edition

November 28, 2024

Twenty-one — an ace plus a face card or 10 — means a win in blackjack (or at worst, a tie or “push”). In Texas hold-’em poker, the same hand might have great potential (especially if the face card is a king or queen) that could go undeveloped if the board fills up with middle-value cards.

Is our 21st annual edition of the Thanksgiving Day blog post an immediate winner, or merely awash with unfulfilled potential? That, friend reader, will be for you to decide.

As always, I have so much more to be grateful for than a simple list can encompass. Thus, our customary exercise: I’ve chosen 26 seemingly random items — one for each letter of the alphabet — to stand in for everything and everyone in my life that I love, admire, treasure, and appreciate. I began my Thanksgiving Day chatting via FaceTime with The Daughter and the two Little Dudes (The Son-In-Law peeked in briefly for a hello and a “Happy Thanksgiving” as well), an interaction that reminded me again how fortunate I am to have loved ones and to be loved. There’s much more love in the enumeration below, if you know where to look.

And with that, let’s do the do.

On this Thanksgiving Day 2024, I’m thankful for…

Agatha All Along. Marvel Studios has taken a fair bit of heat for some of their latter-period offerings, but for my money (and as a Disney stockholder, it kind of is my money, to some infinitesimal degree), the MCU smashed it out of the park with the most recent made-for-streaming-TV event. Agatha All Along, the followup series to the acclaimed WandaVision from a few years back, gave us everything we expect from Marvel — engaging characters, exciting action, a compelling and twisty storyline, and a sense of both drama and fun that hearkened back to the Marvel Comics of old. Kathryn Hahn made the most of her star turn as the ageless witch on a quest to regain her lost mojo. Her supporting coven, led by Sasheer Zamata, Joe Locke, Patti LuPone, and the ubiquitous Aubrey Plaza (who seems to be in everything these days), each brought their own flavor of awesomeness. Personally, I’ve been happy with most of the MCU Disney+ product — I even enjoyed the widely derided She-Hulk: Attorney at Law — but Agatha All Along served notice that Kevin Feige and Company still can pull magic out of their pointy hat.

Bluesky. Like many of you, I pretty much gave up on Twitter as it entered its Age of Elon a couple of years ago. While the jury is still out, Bluesky seems at least for the moment a viable alternative to what the Twittersphere once provided. I’m SwanShadow there as here, so feel welcome to follow if you’re inclined. Also, here’s a tip: You can obtain a download from the former Twitter of all your content posted there. I pulled one in advance of abandoning my account altogether, so that I can repurpose some of my classic tweets for future use on Bluesky.

Concierges. There are both pluses and minuses to living in a vast concrete jungle. One of the true upsides in my highrise life is the concierge staff who man/woman/person the front desk in my building. I never have to worry about a package being porch-pirated or a DoorDash delivery going misdirected. And more often than not, I get a smile and friendly greeting when I walk past on my way to the mailroom or the Amazon Hub.

Dominant eye. One might suppose that when one has inhabited a body for as many decades as I’ve inhabited mine, one would know all there is to know about this mortal frame. But in fact, I only recently learned something fascinating about my physical self: I am one of the roughly 18-20% of humans who are cross-eye dominant. That means that while I am naturally right-handed, my brain favors my left eye. It’s especially a challenge for things like target sports — think shooting or archery, even darts — but also partially explains my lifelong lack of hand-eye coordination. Now that I know that my cross-eye dominance exists, I can learn to compensate for it. (You can test your own eye dominance thusly: Extend your arms in front of you. Make a triangular space by partially crossing your hands; your thumbs will form the base of the triangle. Center the triangle on some fixed object across the room. Now, keeping both eyes open and focused on the object, draw your hands slowly toward you until your hands touch your face, and the triangle lands over one of your eyes. That eye is your dominant eye.)

Eggnog. People who know me in the real world know that I’m not a huge fan of the holiday season in general. One feature of this time of year that I do enjoy is eggnog, which can be difficult to find outside of the fall-to-winter window. The Kroger store brand is surprisingly decent.

Fans. When one lives in a high-desert location that can reach peak temperatures of 120 (as Las Vegas did one day this past summer), anything that provides cooling air circulation is a godsend. The three powerful tower fans around the Nest — one in my office, one in the living room, one in the master suite — help keep the HVAC system from working too hard during the long hot Mojave summer.

Graduation. The Daughter collected her hard-earned master’s degree in library and information sciences at a ceremony this past June. She deserves abundant plaudits for completing her coursework while holding down a full-time job and — not insignificantly — giving birth to and caring for two children. Fortunately, she inherited her late mother’s determination. I could not be more proud.

The House, a.k.a. Michelob Ultra Arena, home to my beloved Las Vegas Aces. A championship three-peat escaped our grasp during a challenging season, but I thoroughly enjoyed every home game… even the ones the Aces didn’t win. The House draws great crowds (every game this season was a sellout, and season tickets are already sold out for next season as well), and the Aces’ enthusiastic fan base always shows up and shows out. (Some show out a little more than others.)

“I Can’t Drive 55.” I have been a major Sammy Hagar fan since he was the lead vocalist in Montrose in the early 1970s. In the ’80s, seeing Sammy perform live became an annual ritual; I caught the Standing Hampton, Three Lock Box, and VOA tours in consecutive years. This summer, I got to see Sammy alongside his former Van Halen bandmate Michael Anthony, guitar wizard Joe Satriani, and drummer Jason Bonham, playing a mix of tunes from across his career. The guy still can sing up a storm (unlike certain other former VH frontmen who shall remain unnamed here), and he brings plenty of fire to the stage even now in his mid-70s. Sammy might not be able to drive 55, but he is outliving it in style.

Josh Johnson. In case you’re unfamiliar with Josh, he’s a standup comedian who’s also a correspondent on The Daily Show. His standup is nothing short of brilliant, especially considering that — unlike most working comics — he performs a set of brand-new material almost every night, often drawing inspiration from current events. He’s topical and socially aware without being overtly political (usually); adult in orientation without working blue (usually); and his onstage persona is engaging and charismatic without any of the grotesque bravado that characterizes a lot of today’s standup. Check out his YouTube channel — he posts clips from recent performances frequently — and catch him live if he comes to your town. I will challenge you not to laugh.

Kamala Harris. She made the best of a tough campaigning circumstance, and carried herself with dignity and grace to the very end. Thank you, Madame Vice President.

Las Vegas Boulevard. Not just that roughly four-mile portion known to the world as The Strip, but all of its nearly 50-mile length. Drive along the Boulevard for a while, and you’re bound to see something you’ve never seen before, and most likely would not see anywhere else.

Mucha. My love for comic art is well known to those who have frequented this space in earlier years, but I also have a deep appreciation for many other kinds of graphic art. One of my all-time favorite artists is the Czech-born illustrator and painter Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939), famed for his creations in the Art Nouveau style. Mucha is one of the most renowned artists whose most familiar work was done in the field of advertising. He created hundreds of theatrical posters, product advertisements, and print illustrations in an ornate style that was compelling, immediately recognizable, and often imitated. Mucha’s art never fails to bring a smile to my face and peace to my heart.

Neewer. I’ve been working for some time on a video project (more about this, soon). Neewer makes a wide assortment of photographic accessories, from lighting to tripods, several pieces of which I now own. I find their products to be of good quality, easy to use, and competitively priced. This is not a sponsored ad — I just like their stuff.

Olympics. This year’s Paris Games provided some of the finest spectacle in sport. From the triumphant return to competition of All-Everything gymnast Simone Biles to the home-crowd-pleasing successes of French swimmer Leon Marchand; from the continued US domination of men’s and women’s 5×5 basketball to the even more dominant performances in the diving pool by Team China; from the constant thrills of insanely close races on the athletics track to… whatever that breakdancing thing was; the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad had it all.

Pizza Rock, serving the best pizza in Las Vegas in this pizza connoisseur’s estimation. To be fair, I haven’t tried every single pizza available in the Valley. But I’d be hard-pressed to find any that outclasses the offerings from Tony Gemignani’s downtown hotspot.

Quokkas. Because the world needs all the furry cuteness we can get right now.

Richard Osman’s House of Games. I adore British quiz shows in general, but I hold a special fondness for this quirky series presented by the former Pointless creator and co-host (and now, bestselling mystery novelist) Richard Osman. Each week, four “famous faces” (translated: “celebrities” familiar to much of the British TV-viewing public, but completely unknown to most Americans) play five days’ worth of quizzes, ranging from simple word games (“Rhyme Time”) to find-it-on-a-map geography (“Where Is Kazakhstan?”) to merging clues with pictures (“Answer Smash,” which concludes each day’s proceedings). The “celebrity” who wins each day’s contest gets to select from a motley assortment of tacky prizes, all of which bear Osman’s silhouette; the player amassing the most points over the course of the week takes home a cheesy trophy cup that most bowling alleys would be embarrassed to give away. It’s all in good fun, and plays much better than I’ve just made it sound.

Sunflowers. They are magnificent and magical, regal and radiant. They stand out in any arrangement. Artists and artisans throughout history have drawn inspiration from them. Their beauty is undeniable, and beyond compare. Who doesn’t love sunflowers?

Trots and Bonnie. I’ve been revisiting at times throughout this year the wonderfully creative cartooning of Shari Flenniken, whose strip appeared originally in the legendary humor magazine National Lampoon from 1972 until 1990. Trots and Bonnie features the everyday exploits of two junior-high school teens — bright-but-naive Bonnie and her more precocious friend Pepsi — and Bonnie’s sharp-witted talking dog Trots. As was typical of the Lampoon‘s fare, Trots and Bonnie skews quite adult at times, but Flenniken’s charming artwork and thoughtful, realistic sensibility set the strip at a higher level.

Unsung Titles, the theme of my ninth One-Day Special quiz for the Internet’s premier daily trivia competition, LearnedLeague. I’ve enjoyed presenting each of the 1DS quizzes I’ve written over the years, but I was particularly fond of this one, which focused on popular songs whose titles never appear in their lyrics. It was a fun set to create, and people seemed to enjoy playing it. Here’s a sample question (I’ll put the answer at the end of this post):

You might think this song is called:
“We Come From the Land of the Ice and Snow” (1970, #16 US Hot 100)
It’s easy to see why this song became Thor’s walk-on music in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, what with all that Norse mythology “hammer of the gods” and “Valhalla” stuff in the lyrics.
But you know what’s not in the lyrics? Passports. Or visas. Or the actual title of this song.

Video editing, a new skill I’m struggling to acquire. As mentioned above, I’m working on a video project. The thing is, despite many years of experience editing audio files — and I consider myself a pretty solid audio editor — I haven’t worked with video since college, back in the Dark Ages. Some necessary skills translate from the audio world; others are brand new to me. You know that old saying about old dogs and new tricks? Well, I’m an old dog.

Wakizashi and katana. Most mornings, the first thing I see when I open my eyes is my daisho, a matching pair of Japanese swords of the style originally carried by samurai. I am not a samurai, or trained in the art of swordplay. For me, these beautiful swords are strictly display pieces. But I like to think that a master martial artist could make great use of them, should the occasion arise. And speaking of swords…

… there’s the xiphoid (“sword-shaped”) process. It’s that tiny piece of your skeleton at the end of your sternum, to which your diaphragm and your rectus abdominis muscles — colloquially known as your abs — are connected. What’s interesting to me about the xiphoid process is that it isn’t fully developed until around age 40. Think of the fontanelles (or soft spots) in a baby’s skull, which harden into bone during the first 18 months or so after birth. The xiphoid process is like that, only it takes until middle age to harden. Weird.

Y&T, one of the great underappreciated bands in the history of rock. Frank Meniketti, Y&T’s co-founder, lead vocalist, and lead guitarist, should be a household name given his prodigious talents. But for whatever reason, his band never quite vaulted over the hump into superstardom. Despite years of touring and recording excellent, tunefully catchy hard rock music, Y&T just never found that one killer song or released that one killer album that might have made their career. The band’s name — a truncation of their original moniker, Yesterday and Today — probably didn’t help. And yet, they’re one of the acts whose CDs I frequently pop into my car player on long road trips. I always find myself wondering… why weren’t these guys a much bigger deal?

Zarfs. You know that little cardboard sleeve around your cup when you order a hot beverage at your local Starbucks? It’s a zarf. And when you don’t get one, you wish you did.

As I am every year — and increasingly as the years roll past — I am sincerely thankful for you, friend reader, especially those of you who’ve kept coming back for this annual experience for the past 21 Thanksgivings. If you’re here for the first time, I’m grateful for your presence too. I hope you realize how much you have to be thankful for, and that you’ll exercise some of that gratitude in the way you live your life and interact with the people around you. I hope we’re all here next year to be thankful again, and still.

*Answer: “Immigrant Song” (Led Zeppelin)

Categories: Aimless Riffing, Celebritiana, Cinemania, Comic Art Friday, Disney, Food Glorious Food, Good Reads, Hero of the Day, LearnedLeague, Listology, My Home Town, Reminiscing, Ripped From the Headlines, Soundtrack of My Life, Sports Bar, SwanStuff, Teleholics Anonymous, Thanksgiving, That's Cool!, The Swan Tunes In, Trivial Pursuits, Vegas, Baby
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SwanShadow Gives Thanks, Volume 15: Crystal Turkey Edition

November 22, 2018

As unlikely as it seems, this post marks the 15th anniversary of my yearly Thanksgiving Day blog entry. Given that crystal is the traditional gift for a 15th anniversary, I will attempt herein to be as transparent, sparkling, and multifaceted as possible.

Those of you (and you know who you are) who’ve kept up with these posts over the years know that I have many, many people and things in my life for which I am thankful. I don’t take that responsibility of gratitude lightly. I earnestly, honestly appreciate how blessed my life is.

When I roll over the side of the bed every morning, even when that effort comes accompanied by the creaks and crackles of advancing age, I am grateful that I have two feet to stand on, and legs that support the standing. I know there are millions of people in the world who can’t get out of bed and would give anything to do so. And, as I go about my day, I am thankful that I have a comfortable home, clean clothes, abundant food and water, work I enjoy, the entertainment of a companion animal, and the love of a life partner. I know there are millions of people who have few, or none, of these, and would sacrifice anything they do have to possess that which they do not. I am not better, or more deserving, than they. I am merely more fortunate. Again, I don’t take that for granted.

And especially when I find myself living in a state where entire communities have been consumed by disastrous wildfires over the past year-plus, robbing people of every material possession and a lifetime of treasured memories…

I take none of this for granted.

Because I have far more things to be thankful for than I can enumerate, on Thanksgiving Day it’s been my custom these past 15 years to focus my gratitude on a list of just 26 items, one for each letter of the alphabet. Some items on the list are trivial (indeed, some are literally that). Others are profound. All stand in the place of many, many others that I simply haven’t time in one day to name. It’s just my way of acknowledging how deeply moved in soul and spirit I am when I pause to consider how rich my life is, even in those countless moments when I feel poorly within.

With all that said, on Thanksgiving Day 2018, here are the things for which I’m giving thanks.

Air. In our part of the world, it’s easy to forget about air — we have it fresh and without limit… until an event like the fire that destroyed Paradise, California clouds the atmosphere with toxic fumes and ash for days on end, even for those of us living a couple hundred miles from the event. After breathing soot for two weeks, today’s clean air (courtesy of our first rains in months) gives us NorCal residents something extra special to celebrate.

Bob Almond. My comic art collection began in earnest almost simultaneously with these annual posts, 15 years ago. During that time, one artist’s work has come to be represented in my galleries far more frequently than any other — more than 50 times, at last count. It might be easy to miss that, however, because Bob Almond toils as an inker, an embellisher of other artists’ pencil drawings. Bob’s unique ability to meld his ink lines with a broad variety of styles — always enhancing, never imposing or interfering — gives me the confidence to keep putting projects in his capable hands, knowing that the art will always return to me better than when it left. And, as founder of the Inkwell Awards, Bob labors tirelessly to gain recognition and appreciation for other practitioners of his craft — artists whose work often goes unnoticed, but is indispensable to the art form we call comics.

Confetti. I play quite a few online trivia games (although fewer all the time, it seems, as some of the upstarts have gone or are going out of the picture). I have the most fun playing the Facebook-based Confetti every weeknight. Confetti’s distinction is that it allows one to play in concert with one’s Facebook friends, seeing their responses to each question in real time and benefiting from their collective wisdom. Assuming, of course, that one has smart friends. I just happen to be lucky that way.

Doctor Who. Until this season, I haven’t been a regular viewer of Doctor Who, the venerable BBC science fiction series, since the days of the Fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker in the 1970s. When the show was revived several years back, I sampled an episode or two of each new incarnation of the Doctor, but was never drawn back into steady attendance. Then came the Thirteenth Doctor, played with charm and spunk (and a goofy-to-American-ears Yorkshire accent) by Jodie Whittaker, the first female actor to be cast as the Time Lord. In the Doctor’s own phrase, “Brilliant!”

Egg foo young. Yes, I know, it’s not real Chinese cuisine. But sometimes, I just gotta have it. It’s probably the gravy.

Freddie Mercury. I have yet to see Bohemian Rhapsody, the recent biopic starring Rami Malek as the legendary front man of Queen. Part of my reluctance is the reviews. The greater part, though, is my fear that nothing could compare with the reality of Freddie, perhaps the most uniquely talented performer in rock history, and one whose music and memory means so much to me.

Garlic. Can’t cook without it. Okay, maybe breakfast. But not after that.

Hawaiian Airlines. Truly the friendliest airline in the skies. You’d be friendly too if every one of your round trips ended in Hawaii. At the Pirate Queen’s insistence, I got a new credit card this year that earns Hawaiian Airlines flying miles. Maybe one of these years I’ll earn enough miles to just stay.

Infinity War. Every time I think the Marvel Cinematic Universe has gone about as far as it can go, Kevin Feige and company find a whole new way to turn things up past 11. Coming in hot on the heels of Black Panther — quite possibly, the greatest superhero film ever made, and one that could have dominated this Thanksgiving list had I not decided not to be quite so obvious — Avengers: Infinity War raised the stakes and broke our hearts by taking our Panther (and several other Marvel headliners, including Spider-Man and Doctor Strange) away. The sequel can’t get here fast enough. (Also, Black Panther 2.)

Journalists. I’ve never practiced the trade — the closest I came was my years as an online film reviewer — but I trained at university as a journalist. I value the talent and commitment of those who tell the true stories within our world, and deliver the news even when those in power would undermine and even physically thwart them. Now more than ever, we need legitimate journalism, and we all need to support those outlets and individuals determined to publish the truth.

Kansas. This summer, the Pirate Queen and I spent a weekend in Central California centered around a concert by the classic rock band Kansas. This was the fourth time I’ve seen Kansas live — the first was on my 19th birthday, at the Cow Palace — but the first time in more than 20 years. I still love the music. Kansas is the only significant American band to focus largely on progressive rock for the majority of its career (yeah, I know, Styx — but they were only prog-ish, and at that, only sometimes). Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Maybe not… but who cares? All we are is dust in the wind.

Lutron. One of the many things I love about our little abode here at Pirates Cove is the auto-dimming LED light fixtures, manufactured by a company named Lutron about whom I know nothing. Great lights, though.

Marriage. In the words of a certain Impressive Clergyman, “Mawwiage is what bwings us togevvah today.” In May, The Daughter entered into vows with The Son-In-Law. It was a beautiful day, and they still seem totally happy together six months later. I’m glad she found someone special to share her heart and her life with (and he does indeed seem like a great guy). I’m glad that the Pirate Queen and I found each other, too. Ain’t love grand?

Notability. An essential tool in my everyday working life — I import all of my scripts into it, where I can annotate and mark them up as I will. I also use it for note-taking in workshops and sessions, and for general brainstorming. If you can use a high-quality document markup / notation tool with a wealth of functionality, I highly recommend Notability. (Not a paid endorsement. Just a satisfied customer.)

Outrigger Reef Waikiki. We stayed here on this year’s trip to Oahu, and it immediately became our new favorite hotel on the island. Centrally located on Waikiki Beach, the Outrigger Reef offered a ton of features that we liked: unmatched location, warm hospitality that personifies aloha, first-rate beach access, a reliable breakfast venue, super-convenient layout that minimizes walking (something that can’t be said of many large resort hotels), great pool, live music nightly, and a Starbucks. I almost hate to mention it here, because now you people will fill it up the next time we want to stay there.

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco has presented a couple of exhibitions in recent years featuring the works of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, an association of 19th-century British artists and writers. This year’s show afforded the opportunity to see a number of stunning paintings by the Brotherhood’s leading lights: Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt, and John Everett Millais. I’m always impressed by art that keeps me thinking about it for days after I’ve seen it. The Pre-Raphaelites and their acolytes accomplish that.

Quizmasters. Having written a few quizzes for LearnedLeague and elsewhere, and played thousands more, I’m acutely aware of how difficult it is to compose top-shelf trivia questions and answers. I’m in awe of people — including LearnedLeague Commissioner Thorsten A. Integrity and newly inducted Trivia Hall of Fame member Paul Paquet — who manage to do it consistently over long periods of time.

Radio. As some of you know, I was a radio disc jockey in a previous life. Thanks in part to the SiriusXM subscription that came with our new Subaru Forester, I’ve been listening to more radio of late. It’s a format that I hope never goes away.

Stan Lee. Some idolized Marvel Comics writer/editor/publisher “Stan the Man” and gave him perhaps more credit than he deserved. Others in their zeal to counteract Stan’s penchant for self-aggrandizement were perhaps too quick to denigrate his contributions. All I know is this: Stan Lee co-created (we can disagree as to what percentage) several of the most iconic characters and stories of my lifetime, including some that had a tremendous impact on my youth and beyond. I can’t say this about many people whom I never met, but I would be a dramatically different person today were it not for Stan Lee. Rest in peace, and excelsior.

Taarna. I don’t like to talk myself up, but for some years, I was among the primary resources online for information about the 1981 animated science fiction anthology film Heavy Metal. I compiled and maintained the Squidoo lens spotlighting the movie, contributed significantly to its Wikipedia entry, and wrote material about the film for several (mostly now defunct) websites. My art collection reflects my obsession, with its gallery of commissioned artworks featuring Taarna, the lead character in Heavy Metal’s concluding segment and star of its iconic poster. When Sideshow Collectibles announced early this year that they were releasing a statue of Taarna, I knew I had to own one, even though I’m not a statue collector. The Taarakian defender now upholds The Pact from a shelf in my office/studio.

Ukulele. I decided a while back that I wanted to learn to play the ukulele. This decision did not come without trepidation — I took years of guitar lessons as a youngster and never got very good at playing the guitar. (Which is a charitable way of saying that I totally sucked at playing the guitar.) I’ll probably never be very good at playing the ukulele either. But even my clumsy fretting and strumming brings me joy. That’s something, yes?

Victoria Coren Mitchell. One of the world’s best female poker players, and the presenter of one of my favorite quiz shows, Only Connect. Is there anything she can’t do?

Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. I fell in love with the Tiki Room on my first visit to Disneyland, way back in 19[mumble][mumble]. When I visited with the Pirate Queen in February of this year, I found my love unabated. It’s cheesy yet classic, dated yet timeless, silly yet charming. The performances by the lead voice actors (Wally Boag, Thurl Ravenscroft, Fulton Burley, and Ernie Newton) remain engaging, despite their broad (some might say stereotypical, and some might not be wrong) accents. There’s always at least one Audio-Animatronic character that doesn’t function quite perfectly. And yet, the moment the Tiki Room show concludes, I want to queue up again for another round. It’s one of my favorite childhood memories. Also, Dole Whip.

Xenon. It’s the noble gas used most frequently in film projection lamps. When you go to the movie theater and look at the brightly lit screen, you’re seeing xenon at work.

Yacht Rock. It’s not just a musical genre — it’s a way of life. The smooth, studio-crafted, jazz-inflected sounds of such late-’70s/early-’80s acts as Steely Dan, Toto, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, Al Jarreau, and the Michael McDonald-era Doobie Brothers are my jam. (One of my jams, anyway.) Please don’t confuse true Yacht Rock with that stuff that gets played on the SiriusXM channel of the same name — most of it’s Nyacht Rock. (Hint: Jimmy Buffett is Nyacht Yacht Rock.) For the real deal, check out the pioneering 2005 web video series Yacht Rock, and Beyond Yacht Rock, the subsequent podcast hosted by connoisseurs JD Ryznar, Dave Lyons, Hunter Stair, and “Hollywood” Steve Huey.

Ziploc bags. I don’t know who invented them, or how that individual came up with the technology. But how did we ever live without them? The ones with the slider sealing mechanism? Pure engineering genius.

And as always, friend reader, I’m grateful for you. Thanks for stopping by on yet another Thanksgiving. I hope you’ve found much to be thankful for today. If you have, share some with someone who has a little less.

Peace.

Categories: Aimless Riffing, Celebritiana, Cinemania, Dead People Got No Reason to Live, Disney, Food Glorious Food, Hawaii, Hero of the Day, LearnedLeague, Listology, My Home Town, Reminiscing, Ripped From the Headlines, Sexiest People Alive, Soundtrack of My Life, SwanStuff, Teleholics Anonymous, Thanksgiving, That's Cool!, Trivial Pursuits

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Comic Art Friday: It’s all gonna be a stone gas, honey

August 17, 2018

Moonstone_Darna_Santamaria

If you’re a regular here, you know that I grew up as a military brat. My adoptive father served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, and I was around for the last 15 of those years. As a result, I spent a fair chunk of my childhood living on islands — specifically Oahu, Crete (that’s Greece, but you knew that), and Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines.

During our two-year stay in the latter island nation, I became acquainted with Darna, who is to Filipino komiks what Wonder Woman is to the American genre. I didn’t understand much Tagalog, but even without knowing the language, I could appreciate the character. Darna is a young girl named Narda who swallows a magical white stone and transforms into a superpowered woman warrior. (And to answer the question I know you’re thinking: She regurgitates the stone when she wants to change back into her normal self. It’s like Mary Marvel or Isis, only kind of gross.)

Since her debut in 1950, Darna has enjoyed a significant presence in Filipino pop culture even beyond komiks, starring in numerous films and TV programs. When we lived in the Philippines in the mid-1970s, Darna was being portrayed on screen by a popular actress named Vilma Santos. Posters and pictures of Vilma in her Darna costume were everywhere. Vilma became so well-known that she parlayed her show business success into a prominent career in politics.

Darna_Vilma

I’ve long wanted to feature Darna in a Common Elements scenario, and was fortunate to commission a talented Filipino artist, Michael Sta. Maria, to do the job. Michael pairs Darna here with Dr. Karla Sofen, a.k.a. Moonstone, another character who obtains her superpowers from a rock… albeit with less swallowing and upchucking. Which, you know, is probably a good thing.

And that’s your Comic Art Friday.

Categories: Celebritiana, Cinemania, Comic Art Friday, Hero of the Day, Reminiscing, SwanStuff, That's Cool!

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SwanShadow Gives Thanks 14: As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly

November 23, 2017

Each year, since this humble (in the classic sense of “low to the ground”) blog began in 2004, I’ve paused on Thanksgiving Day to take stock of the many things in my life and in the world about me for which I’m grateful. If I took the honest measure of my blessings, I’d be typing nonstop between Thanksgivings, and I’d never get much life lived. (Plus, these posts would get even more unbearably lengthy than they already are.)

So I hit upon the idea of choosing just 26 items, sorted alphabetically, to represent by means of metonymy the countless people and things for which I am grateful.

It’s been an interesting year. The Pirate Queen began a new job, which she enjoys, and where she is appreciated and fulfilled. I landed one of my most daunting voiceover projects this summer, survived a hectic busy season with my largest client, and checked a box off my career bucket list by booking a gig for one of the most recognizable companies on the planet. We traveled a bit, as we are wont to do.

The Daughter hit a pair of milestones: she, like the Pirate Queen, began a new job — one that she’s been chasing hard for a few years — and she and her beloved (formerly The Boyfriend, now The Fiance) got engaged. They’ll be married next May, prompting yet another nomenclatural change. The Daughter is  thrilled to begin these new chapters in her life, and I am thrilled — with a father’s wistful trepidation — for her. She wishes her mother was here to share her joy. I wish that too. But as the old saying goes, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. So walk on, we shall.

2017 will be forever remembered in the North Bay as the Year of the Firestorm. If you live hereabouts, you know — and perhaps lived through — the devastating wildfires that destroyed thousands of structures across Sonoma and Napa counties. The Daughter and her Grandma were evacuated from their home for a week. Many longtime friends and acquaintances don’t have homes to which to return. The city of Santa Rosa and the other hard-hit communities will rebuild, but the lives that were lost will never be restored, and the precious possessions of thousands of people will never truly be replaced. I can’t put into words the sadness I feel for those I know — and so many others I don’t know — whose lives were irrevocably altered, even as I also can’t express my relief that my precious Daughter’s life was spared.

Walk on, we shall, indeed.

But enough preamble. Here’s the fourteenth installment of my annual Thanksgiving list. Next year, should we all live to see it, I’ll have to add a whole new table in the Word document where I keep track of each year’s offerings. (The chart is seven columns wide, and this will fill out the second chart.) For now, here’s what I’m grateful for… among so much else.

Almond butter. The Pirate Queen brought a jar home the other day from Trader Joe’s. In a world awhirl with chaos, the simple pleasure of an almond butter and blackberry jelly sandwich is an amazing comfort.

Blue Öyster Cult. This year on LearnedLeague (the world’s toughest online trivia league, and why haven’t you asked me for a referral yet?), I was privileged to write a quiz about a band whose music I’ve grokked since my high school days. (Yes, we had music then, you young punk. With electric guitars and everything.) I’ve still got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell.

Cabo San Lucas. Neither the Pirate Queen nor I had ever been to Cabo before our weeklong vacation there in February. We enjoyed our stay immensely. It’s not Hawaii — this was the first year in the last five that we didn’t visit my childhood home — but it’s lovely nonetheless. We’ll return, no doubt.

Draymond Green. He may be the third or fourth best player on the Warriors. He might also be the most irreplaceable. No one plays defense at a more intense level than Money 23. The Daughter has a picture of herself with him from a photo op before he rose to NBA All-Stardom.

Electricity. Thank you, Ben Franklin. (I’m still annoyed about that $100 bill question from Millionaire, though. Just so you know.)

Firefighters and First Responders. They couldn’t save every home and storefront in the North Bay, but they worked tirelessly and valiantly to save as many as they could, and to rescue and help as many people as possible. The community will never forget their efforts and dedication.

Gal Gadot. As a lifelong fan of Diana of Themyscira, I wasn’t fully convinced when the little-known Israeli actress landed the role. I’m convinced now. I’m glad Gal is our Wonder Woman. Change our minds, and change the world.

Hamilton. We had the opportunity to see the smash hit musical in San Francisco this summer. We did not throw away our shot. Few popular entertainments live up to their hype, but Lin-Manuel Miranda’s masterpiece gets as close as you’d imagine.

Ice hockey. I know, I know. I’m the guy who refers to hockey as “soccer on ice with sticks.” But thanks to the largesse of a good friend who’s a San Jose Sharks season ticketholder, we saw our first in-person game last season. It really is a heck of a sport to watch in person, in ways that don’t translate well on television. I’m a believer.

Jetways. I’m old enough to remember… okay, slow down; not the Wright brothers — but the days when you actually had to walk out onto the tarmac and climb a mobile staircase in order to board a plane at many airports. Give me the stretchable hallway any day.

Kilimanjaro. She rises like Olympus above the Serengeti.

Linseed oil. Also called flaxseed oil, it’s the stuff that keeps the insides of my cast iron skillets silky smooth and nonstick. Liquid gold, it is.

Monet and Munch. We toured a pair of spectacular art exhibitions this year: Claude Monet: The Early Years at the Legion of Honor, and Edvard Munch: Between the Clock and the Bed at SFMOMA. In general, I’m not especially partial to Expressionist art, but seeing the work of these two great masters up close was powerfully impactful. I’m already looking forward to the next Monet exhibition here in two years.

NextDraft. Every day, I check in with several news sites and aggregators to keeptrack of what’s going on in this crazy world. Dave Pell’s NextDraft stands as one of the best curated aggregators I’ve come across. Dave skillfully mixes links to the day’s hard news with items that are merely fascinating. Always topical, always informative.

‘Oumuamua. “Strange visitor from another world” used to just mean Superman. Now, it’s the first object officially identified by astronomers as having traveled into our solar system from interstellar space. A cigar-shaped asteroid estimated at around 500 feet in length, its Hawaiian name means “scout” or “messenger.”

Patek Philippe. I narrated the first-ever full-scale North American exhibition by the world-renowned Swiss watchmaker this summer. In the process, I learned a ton about the craftspeople who design and build these incredible (and incredibly expensive) timepieces that can not only tell time, but in some instances play symphonies, display lunar cycles, and calculate dates hundreds of years into the future — all using mechanical, analog functionality. No microchip, no battery, just precision clockworks.

Quesadillas. Because hot, melty, delicious cheese.

Red Special, the one-of a kind guitar built by Brian May in his garage when he was a teenager, and which has lent its unique tone to Queen albums and concerts for more than four decades. I recently saw Brian wield his legendary axe in person for the first time in 35 years, and both guitar and guitarist amaze me still as much today as they did back then. If Brian and the Red Special had never given the world anything besides “Fat Bottomed Girls,” it would have been gift enough.

My Steel Will 1505, a.k.a. the Gekko, has featured as my everyday carry pocket knife for most of the past year. Solid, sturdy, and wicked sharp, with its maroon Micarta handle scales and black D2 steel blade, it’s both a workhorse and a creature of quiet beauty.

Thumbtack. The online service offers access to all kinds of local professionals, from electricians to mobile disc jockeys to personal trainers. Plus, they keep the Pirate Queen gainfully employed, for which we are enormously thankful.

“Unwritten”
Feel the rain on your skin.
No one else can feel it for you —
Only you can let it in.
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips.
Drench yourself in words unspoken;
Live your life with arms wide open;
Today is where your book begins —
The rest is still unwritten.

Vision. Last night, I stood on a BART train next to a blind man accompanied by his golden retriever guide dog. Even with my acute myopia and astigmatism — easily remedied by contact lenses — I am blessed that, unlike that unfortunate gentleman, I can open my eyes and see the world. Today, I’m not taking that for granted.

Women — and I have some wonderful ones in my life: the Pirate Queen, The Daughter, her Grandma, and more treasured friends and colleagues than I can list, along with the memory of KJ and the three decades we shared together. Our culture is currently awash with a tsunami of women finally feeling emboldened to speak out against the abuse, harassment, and disrespect they’ve experienced, and I applaud and support them. Be heard, sisters. Your voices matter.

XTC. Quirky, edgy, and impossible to categorize, Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding, and company formed one of the most underrated bands in the history of pop music. “Generals and Majors,” “Senses Working Overtime,” “The Mayor of Simpleton,” and the controversial “Dear God” — even if you didn’t understand all of the ideas (or didn’t agree with them), you had to admire the style.

Yeast — fueling bakeries and breweries for thousands of years. Except during Passover.

Zapper — that’s what I call my racket-shaped electric wand that strikes fear into the hearts of flying pests that dare disturb the sanctity of my abode. I’m perfectly content to let buzzing bugs buzz outdoors in their own environment, as long as they don’t attack me. But if you come into my airspace, critter, I’ve got some voltage waiting for you.

And as always, friend reader, I’m grateful for you, and the time you take to peruse my rambling prose. May you and yours find much for which to be appreciative on this Thanksgiving Day.

 

 

Categories: Aimless Riffing, Celebritiana, Cinemania, Food Glorious Food, Hawaii, Hero of the Day, I'm a Warriors Worrier, LearnedLeague, My Home Town, Ripped From the Headlines, Sharp Objects, Soundtrack of My Life, SwanStuff, Thanksgiving, That's Cool!, The Swan Tunes In, Trivial Pursuits, What's In My Pocket?

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Comic Art Friday: Cons, commissions, and connections

September 8, 2017

One of the things I enjoy most about attending comics conventions is connecting in person with the people who create comics, and more specifically, who create the original comic art that I collect. It’s easy to forget, when commissioning a piece of art via email and the Internet, that there’s a real live human being putting the pencil, pen and/or ink brush to paper to bring these images into existence.

At a con, you can look into the eyes of an artist and see the passion for his or her work; hear the thoughtfulness in her or his voice as they talk about drawing, favorite characters, and the business of comics; and watch the deft skillfulness of their hands guiding the instrument across the once-blank surface as something appears from nothingness.

I was reminded of this during the pre-Labor Day weekend, as I attended the second annual San Francisco Comic Con. Over the three days of the convention, I had several opportunities to connect personally with artists whose works have graced my collection for many years.

Among the first pieces I ever bought when I started collecting in 2004 was a pinup of Spider-Man drawn by longtime Spidey artist Alex Saviuk, who penciled a phenomenal seven-year run on the Web of Spider-Man series beginning in 1988. At the time of the purchase, Alex and I corresponded briefly via email, and he also included a lovely handwritten note — which I’ve kept with the art to this day — when he shipped the piece to me. I recall my surprise when I opened the package and discovered that Alex had hand-colored the drawing (which had been a plain ink sketch when I bought it) before sending it.

Now, thirteen years later, I finally had the chance to thank Alex in person for his kindness. Better still, I got to chat with him about comics and media — we had fun discussing the relative merits of the Spider-Man feature films, as well as the Marvel/Netflix series — and commission a new entry into my Common Elements theme. (More about the latter in an upcoming Comic Art Friday.) I was thrilled to finally put a face and voice to the note Alex had written to me back in the day.

Alex Saviuk, San Francisco Comic Con 2017

Rags Morales was another artist whose work had entered my collection more than a decade ago. In 2006, I commissioned Rags through his representative at the time for a Common Elements pairing of the Falcon and Lady Blackhawk. When I showed the drawing to Rags at SFCC, he remembered it vividly eleven years after the fact. Mostly, he recalled his dissatisfaction with how the piece had turned out — he felt that he’d nailed the depiction of Lady Blackhawk, but that his Falcon didn’t represent his finest work. (To my non-artist eyes, they both look spectacular. I’ve loved the piece since the day it arrived.)

In addition to some lively conversation, Rags also took time to create a dynamic new drawing for my Taarna gallery. Again, I’ll talk more about this artwork in a later post.

Rags Morales, San Francisco Comic Con 2017

When I checked my records after the show, I was surprised to see that it had been 10 years since I’ve added a new commission by the artist known as Buzz. At WonderCon 2005, Buzz drew the very first piece I ever commissioned in person at a convention — a striking image of Vixen that remains a favorite of mine. Over the next couple of years, I became a regular at Buzz’s table when he attended both WonderCon and Super-Con (which later morphed into Big Wow ComicFest). After WonderCon moved south, though, I’d lost track of Buzz until this year’s SFCC.

Amazingly, not only did Buzz remember my name (first and last!) after all this time, but he also recalled several of the pieces he’d drawn for me — the Taarna I got at WonderCon 2007 in particular. I was pleased at how beautifully his newest creation — this drawing of Mantis, whom I don’t believe Buzz had ever drawn before — turned out. She’ll be in excellent company alongside the other Buzz masterpieces in my gallery.

Buzz, San Francisco Comic Con 2017

Alas, I don’t have a novel story to share about Mike Perkins, whom I’d never met or communicated with before this show. Knowing, however, that Mike had done splendid work on the Captain America series some years back, I knew that he’d be a perfect choice for this Cap-connected Common Elements pairing of the U.S. Agent and Golden Girl. And of course, Mike rocked it.

Mike Perkins, San Francisco Comic Con 2017

About San Francisco Comic Con: This event, the first of its kind in San Francisco proper since WonderCon abandoned us for southern California a few years back, is still finding its footing, but seems well on its way to carving out a niche as an outlet for Bay Area fans to get their con on.

If I have a quibble, it’s that I’d like to see the organizers doing more to court the local comic artist community. Most of SFCC’s artist guests come from outside northern California, while few of the sizable number of comics creators who live and work here have a presence at this show. One of the factors that made WonderCon and our other late, lamented local convention, Big Wow, so much fun was that most of the Bay Area-based name comic artists turned out for these shows. SFCC (which is owned by a company based in the eastern U.S.) doesn’t yet have that homegrown feel, and I miss it.

And that’s your Comic Art Friday.

Categories: Celebritiana, Comic Art Friday, Hero of the Day, My Home Town, SwanStuff, That's Cool!

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Comic Art Friday: Quoth the Raven: “Nevermore!”

May 19, 2017

As much as I enjoy concocting convoluted connections between otherwise unrelated characters for my Common Elements commission series, quite often the simpler and more obvious matchups produce equally fine results.

Case in point: this pairing of long-time X-Men nemesis Mystique (real name: Raven Darkhölme) and Raven from the Teen Titans, drawn by veteran comic artist Ron Randall.

Mystique_Raven_Randall

The later films in Fox’s X-Men series cast Mystique as a member of the heroic superteam, which in my opinion doesn’t serve the character well. I’m perfectly cool with versions of comics characters in live-action media diverging somewhat from their comic-book counterparts — I think Marvel Studios has, for the most part, done a decent job of tweaking characters to fit the needs of its big-budget blockbuster movies — but I just don’t think Mystique works as a heroine. She’s much more compelling as a villain.

(And yes, I understand why Fox took the turn they did. When Mystique was recast from C-lister Rebecca Romijn to Oscar-winning superstar Jennifer Lawrence, Fox made Mystique a “good guy” because J-Law’s Millennial fans won’t pay to see her playing a “bad guy.” Such are the realities of Hollywood.)

In addition to switching sides mid-series, the movie Mystique also lost one of the key distinctions that made her backstory unique. In the comics, the ancient and ageless Mystique is the birth mother of the X-Man Nightcrawler, and the foster mother of another X-Man, Rogue. Because Mystique begins the cinematic narrative as a young girl, she doesn’t have these familial connections. Again, I understand why the changes happened, but I think the comics character’s history is much more interesting.

Speaking of interesting histories, Raven comes equipped with one — she’s the spawn of the dimension-hopping demon Trigon and a human woman named Angela Roth, who later calls herself Arella. As a teenager, Raven joins the Teen Titans to combat her father and ultimately defeat him. Her hybrid parentage endows Raven with a variety of superhuman powers, ranging from empathic sensitivity to the ability to cast a “soul-self” — a sort of astral projection — that usually takes the form of a (wait for it…) raven.

Today’s artist, Ron Randall, has been drawing comics for the major publishers for more than 35 years. Beginning his career with a healthy run on DC’s classic war comic Sgt. Rock in the early 1980s, Ron has illustrated significant stints on such series as The Warlord, Arak, Son of Thunder, Dragonlance, and both Justice League International and Justice League Europe for DC, Star Trek Unlimited and Venom for Marvel, and his own creation Trekker (no relation). Most recently, Ron’s work appears alongside that of other outstanding artists — among them Steve Rude and Evan “Doc” Shaner — in DC’s entertaining Future Quest, which weaves together the adventures of several Hanna-Barbera animated heroes from the 1960s, including Jonny Quest, Space Ghost, and the Herculoids.

Back to Ravens for a moment. Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven has been one of my favorite poems as long as I can remember. It’s a flawless blend of atmosphere, wordplay, and desperation. These days, I frequently read it aloud as a warmup when I have character voice work — particularly narration — on my work agenda for the day. Every time I perform it, I find new twists and nuances in the words and rhythms. Well done, Mr. Poe.

And that’s your Comic Art Friday.

Categories: Celebritiana, Cinemania, Comic Art Friday, Hero of the Day, SwanStuff, That's Cool!

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Comic Art Friday: Princess forever

March 24, 2017

It’s rare that a commission that turned out so lovely would stir emotions so bittersweet.

Princess Projectra, Princess Leia, and Princess (Jun the Swan), pencils and inks by Diego Bernard

I’d had this concept on my to-do list for quite a long time. Bringing together three sci-fi/fantasy princesses — Princess Projectra of the Legion of Super-Heroes, the Star Wars saga’s Princess Leia Organa, and Princess of Battle of the Planets‘ G-Force (or, if you prefer, Jun the Swan from Gatchaman, although that alternate identity doesn’t quite fit our theme) — makes for a perfect Common Elements scenario. And when the opportunity happened along to commission Diego Bernard, whose deftly detailed work has graced the pages of such series as X-O Manowar and Witchblade, I figured it was a match made in comic art heaven.

With great excitement, I commissioned this piece on December 15, 2016.

Twelve days later, Carrie Fisher died.

There have been a couple of instances where the death of an artist impacted one of my art projects. I’ve related the story of how Dave Simons had begun work on a Common Elements piece teaming Batgirl and Ghost Rider shortly before his untimely demise. (Bob Budiansky, Dave’s artistic collaborator on the Ghost Rider series, later accepted the commission that Dave tragically did not live to complete.) And I’ve mentioned that Tony DeZuniga and I had discussed a Jonah Hex-Scarlet Witch Common Elements just prior to Tony’s passing. (Pete Woods eventually completed that assignment.) But never before had the living inspiration for one of my projects died while an artist had the job literally on the drawing board.

I knew that some who saw this piece when completed would think, “That’s a nice tribute to Carrie Fisher.” It felt important to note that I didn’t intend the project that way. I would much rather for Ms. Fisher’s family, friends, and innumerable fans that she were still here to breathe life into Princess Leia — now General Organa in the current Star Wars sequels — for many years to come.

On film, and on this page, she’ll remain our Princess forever.

And that’s your Comic Art Friday.

Categories: Celebritiana, Cinemania, Comic Art Friday, Dead People Got No Reason to Live, Hero of the Day, Ripped From the Headlines, SwanStuff, That's Cool!

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Comic Art Friday: The girls most unlikely

March 3, 2017

I occasionally sit in awe of how far the superhero genre has risen in popular culture in the past few years.

Back when I was a wee lad, we felt incredibly lucky to see our favorite comics heroes live out their adventures on television in dreadfully animated, clunkily voice-acted cartoons, like the tragic Grantray-Lawrence Marvel Super Heroes series or the only mildly dorky Super Friends. On the rare occasion we got to see these characters in live-action, the gamut ran from the campy Batman and Wonder Woman to the embarrassing Marvel efforts of the 1970s (the Nicholas Hammond Spider-Man series, the ghastly Captain America TV movies, the WTF-inducing Doctor Strange pilot). Even the more credible attempts bore only passing resemblance to the stalwarts we knew and loved (I’m looking at you, The Incredible Hulk). But we were glad to have them.

Fast forward to the present day, and we’re living in Superhero Nirvana. Not only do we see the major players from both Marvel and DC comics explode from the silver screen on a near-constant basis (the latest Wolverine feature film, Logan, is premiering at your local cinema even as I type), but our television viewing hours are chock-full of real live superheroes 24/7, from the DC-based series filling The CW’s nightly schedule (Supergirl, Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow) to Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD and the outstanding slate of MCU series on Netflix (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and the forthcoming Iron Fist, The Defenders, and Punisher). Even C-list characters like The Inhumans (cast list announced today!) and Cloak and Dagger have live-action series in the works.

It’s a grand time to be a superhero fan.

Mantis and Gypsy, pencils by Robb Phipps

If you’d asked me before the present boom times to name the least likely former members of both the Avengers and the Justice League ever to see the light of live-action film or television, the two heroines depicted in today’s featured artwork (created by penciler Robb Phipps a full decade ago, in 2007) would have landed near the top of both lists.

Mantis — a half-Vietnamese, half-German martial artist and former prostitute raised by the alien Kree to be the Celestial Madonna (hey, I don’t make this stuff up, I only report it) — was a peculiar addition to the Avengers lineup even in the freewheeling, anything-goes Bronze Age of the ’70s. Gypsy — a one-time teenage runaway with illusion-creating powers — typified the mid-’80s Justice League era that many fans consider the most forgettable period in the team’s storied history.

And yet, here they are, living and breathing before your very eyes. Gypsy is now a recurring guest star on The Flash, played by Sleepy Hollow veteran Jessica Camacho. Mantis (played by the charmingly named Pom Klementieff) is the newest member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, whose second blockbuster motion picture arrives in May at a theater near you.

While it’s true that the live-action versions of both characters differ substantially from their comic book counterparts — the TV Gypsy, in particular, shares little in common with her printed predecessor besides the code name — it’s also true that I never thought I’d see the day when either of these remarkable superwomen would be portrayed in any form by a flesh-and-blood human being in a big-budget Hollywood production.

As I said before… it’s a grand time to be a superhero fan.

And that’s your Comic Art Friday.

Categories: Celebritiana, Cinemania, Comic Art Friday, Hero of the Day, Reminiscing, SwanStuff, Teleholics Anonymous, That's Cool!, Uncategorized

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Comic Art Friday: Uncaged in Vegas

June 10, 2016

If you know me well at all, then you know this: I loves me some Las Vegas.

Which might seem a trifle odd if you do indeed know me, because then you also know that I’m not much of a gambler (I enjoy playing poker and blackjack, but I enjoy them as games, not as vehicles for fiscal risk-taking) and I’m definitely not a partier (in any sense of the word), while Vegas is more or less the universal nexus for both activities. But I am a huge fan of over-the-top glitz and kitsch, particularly when it comes to decor and architecture (we should discuss my googie obsession sometime), and Vegas is the universal nexus for all of that as well.

It’s also one of the greatest people-observing venues on the planet. Every time I go to Las Vegas, I see something I’ve never seen before and would never have thought I’d see. That’s not always a good thing, but it’s usually interesting.

Interesting also is this Vegas-themed Common Elements commission by veteran comics artist Larry Stroman, who has illustrated such series as Marvel’s Alien Legion and X-Men.

Luke Cage, Power Man and Ghost Rider, pencils and inks by Larry Stroman

The idea for a Sin City setting for this piece came from Larry’s art representative, Jerry Livengood at Serendipity Art Sales. Jerry’s suggestion made perfect sense, given that the connection between our heroes, Luke Cage and Ghost Rider, is the actor Nicolas Cage, who famously chose his professional surname in honor of the comics’ Power Man, and also portrayed a version of Ghost Rider in two (execrable, in this critic’s opinion) films. Cage also starred in a pair of movies with “Vegas” in their titles: the cult comedy Honeymoon in Vegas (fondly remembered for its sequence involving skydiving Elvis Presley impersonators) and Leaving Las Vegas, the 1995 drama for which Cage won the Best Actor Oscar. (My fingers feel all weird typing “Cage” and “Best Actor Oscar” in the same sentence. But you can look it up.)

Cage and Ghost Rider each makes his second Common Elements appearance here. I’m a little bit surprised, frankly, to see that Cage hasn’t shown up in the series more often, given that he was a favorite of mine during my comics-reading youth. In fact, I can vividly recall the first time I saw him, in the summer of 1972. My family had stopped in the midst of a cross-country journey — we had just returned from two years in Greece, and were on our way to California — to visit relatives in Kokomo, Indiana. On a trip to the grocery store, I paused — as was my wont — to check out the spinner rack where the comic books resided. And there, resplendent in his open-chested yellow shirt and chain-link belt, was the man himself, on the cover of Luke Cage, Hero For Hire #1. I had never seen a black superhero with his own self-titled comic before. (Marvel was still a year away from installing the Black Panther as lead feature in Jungle Action, which even then was not quite the same thing. Because… Jungle Action? Seriously?)

These days, Luke Cage has burst out into the cultural mainstream, courtesy of his co-starring role in Marvel’s hit Netflix series, Jessica Jones. Played by actor Mike Colter, Cage made a powerful impression as Jessica’s off-and-on love interest and fellow crimebuster. Colter will again assume the role in Cage’s upcoming eponymous series this fall, as well as 2017’s The Defenders, which will band together all of Marvel’s Netflix stars — Cage, Jessica, Daredevil, and the yet-to-be-seen Iron Fist.

I don’t know whether there’s ever been a comics storyline in which Cage took on Bright Light City. But if there hasn’t, doggone it, someone needs to write that.

And that’s your Comic Art Friday. Viva Las Vegas!

Categories: Celebritiana, Cinemania, Comic Art Friday, Getting Racial Up In This Piece, Hero of the Day, SwanStuff, That's Cool!

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