Comic Books And The Cold War: Essays On Graphic Treatment Of Communism, The Code And Social Concerns

In my not-so-secret-identity, I wrote an essay about Silver Age Flash comics. It was fascinating to see how the dominant political ideology of 1950s America manifested itself in stories about a guy who can run really fast (by the way, those stories were likely the highwater mark of the character--as much as I love him, he's been running on those fumes ever since). I kept finding the theme of containment in story after story as The Flash has to fend off one threat or another to the American way of life. Unlike some other superhero comics, The Flash stories rarely mentioned communism explicitly, but The Flash was a superb Cold Warrior (and not just against Captain Cold). I'm sure the creators of the stories weren't deliberately cranking out propaganda; they were just so enmeshed in the cultural atmosphere of the time that it couldn't help but appear in their work. It makes me wonder what we're so enmeshed in today that we can't even see. Maybe fifty years from now, scholars will be able to see it more clearly than we can. "'I Can Pass Right Through Solid Matter': How The Flash Upheld American Values While Breaking The Speed Limit" is now published in Comic Books And The Cold War: Essays On Graphic Treatment Of Communism, The Code And Social Concerns.

Free Emu!

And, now, the latest installment in our continuing series of "Emus In The News" (read the rest 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, though it appears about half the links have expired; emus news is pretty ephemeral, alas). We haven't had any of these since 2010, so I'm pretty excited. In this case, it's an escaped emu who has so exasperated its owner that he's giving the big bird away for free to anyone who can catch him.

I bet it's Funnybear.

Who buys an emu for a pet anyway? Did the guy think it was like a parrot? Emus are huge. Take a look below at this fellow I met in Australia. He was taller than me. A word of advice, kids, if your pet is taller or heavier than you, it's a good chance that you're its pet!

YIP!*: Submedia.Tv

The news can be pretty depressing these days. I always find it goes down easier when delivered by an anarchist who likes to swear a lot.

*Yips are good things.

Why Americans Like To Vote For Rich Jerks

"Americans don't see the rich as their enemies; they see them as their future selves."*

*Found in an old notebook of mine (maybe I even said it, but I doubt it) and as applicable in 2012 as in 1995.

Blog Love Omega Glee 2012 Countdown Calendar!

Well, 2012, the year my novel Blog Love Omega Glee is set in will soon be here, which means a perfect opportunity for reading it is also here. Each chapter of the novel is set on a different day in 2012, so this will be the one time ever that a reader can read along day by day during the same year in which the novel is set. So if anyone out there is looking for a New Year's resolution, then please make it to read B.L.O.G. in 2012! But, whatever you end up doing, I hope you have a Happy New Year!

A Tale Of Two Giftcards

I received two giftcards for Christmas and decided to knock them out today before I forgot about them. I went to J.C. Penney and checked out, and the cashier said "Do you have one of the coupons?" I said, "No, what coupon?" She said, "I'll find one for you," and took $10 off the price. I thanked her and then bought some more stuff with the remainder on the giftcard.

Then I went to Kohl's. I didn't see anything that I particularly liked, so I just picked up a Barnes & Noble giftcard for the same amount and tried to check out (I had done this a couple of years ago), but the cashier and the assistant manager said the system wouldn't take the transaction because it wasn't for "merchandise". Call me old-fashioned, but if you're selling a product in your store, it's "merchandise." I left without buying anything. I guess one should beware of Kohl's gift cards. One never knows when they'll slap a "can only be redeemed for pants on the third Thursday of May" into the giftcard fine print either.

Guess which store I'll continue to shop at?

Have A Cool Yule!