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 Wednesday, April 09, 2008
The Spirit
Posted by maggie
One of the disadvantages to a gmail address is that the e-mails you send and receive are sorta monitored, spied-upon, you name it. It pays attention to what is said and plugs in ads, contacts, and so on.
One of the advantages to a gmail address is the same thing. So I found this morning a link to The Spirit Site.
Looks spiffy, folks. I'm putting the New York Con panel on my schedule, you can bet! (You have listened to the podcast of the interview I did about this and much more with Producer Michael Uslan, right?)
4/9/2008 11:48:36 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) 
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Monday, April 07, 2008
Snarl
Posted by maggie
So I'm tottering around in the early morning, preparing to head out for a before-breakfast swim, and National Public Radio is doing a catch-up on weekend news. Charlton Heston's death is one of the topics, and suddenly we're into a recap of his memorable science-fiction roles.
The point seemed to be that those movies tended to be dark, dystopian tales and I think that connected in the essay to his position in the National Rifle Association. But to make that connection (which was easy enough), the commentator -- as have so many others -- casually gave away the ending of 1973's Soylent Green. Geez.
There's a reason it's a classic: It's a surprise ending. (It's not a big surprise, what with its origin in Damon Knight's "To Serve Man" and, more recently, with such bigmouths as this morning's commentator. Nevertheless, its impact comes from the shock.)
Earlier in the piece, he'd tossed off the ending of Planet of the Apes: another "surprise" ending -- and, yes, of course I know there were many sequels, as well as comic-book sequels. Still, in both cases, the remarks were gratuitous: tossed in as if to demonstrate the commentator's research, rather than necessary to make the point.
Again: If people do know the ending, you don't have to tell them; if they don't know the ending, you shouldn't tell them. How hard is that?
4/7/2008 4:59:40 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Friday, April 04, 2008
Michael Uslan Talks
Posted by maggie
The interview I wrote about yesterday is now available as a podcast. There's a bunch of news hiding in the genial conversation about conventions, creators, and comics in general. So check it out -- and grab the opportunity to see Michael at his con appearances this year, while you're at it.
4/4/2008 8:37:56 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Thursday, April 03, 2008
Just Talked with Michael Uslan
Posted by maggie
And, technology permitting, it should be available before too much longer as a CBGXtra podcast. As I posted on the primary site's "Ticker" forum, Michael will be involved with a special Garden State Film Festival showing Saturday of The Legends behind the Comic Books, which I can hardly wait to see -- whenever it goes into wider circulation (since I'm still rooted to the spot in Iola). In the meantime, the chat was terrific fun and covered several of his projects, including The Spirit, now in post-production. As I say, we hope to have the conversation available to CBGXtra visitors soon.
4/3/2008 4:00:42 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, March 31, 2008
It's Bob, Bob, Bob and Ray, Ray, Ray!
Posted by maggie
Sorry to post this so late in the day, but I wanted to notify everyone that I have just shoveled a skidload of [credit-card] cash to the website for Bob and Ray.
This is the final day for a Half-Off sale "in honor of Bob Elliott's 85th Birthday." I think the stack of simoleons completes my collection of currently available recordings of the decades of delight produced by Elliott and the late Ray Goulding. (If you check the website above, you can click on the Charles Osgood audio for a brief sample. You can hear an interview with Elliott and more samples of their strange, gentle, absurdist routines at National Public Radio.)
Again -- apologies for telling you so belatedly, but I couldn't let the deadline pass without recommending the special sale.
3/31/2008 5:26:24 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, March 24, 2008
Here Are the Other Two Easter Covers
Posted by maggie
Just so's you can see them all, here are the rest. By the way, I wonder whether that background color on #140 was actually a fifth ink. It'd have been unusual, to say the least. (And I've never found copies of either issue in really excellent shape. I think other young readers were just as fond of them as was I.)  
3/24/2008 3:23:35 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Whew!
Posted by maggie
My website is mended, after being absent most of the weekend. So you can take another look at my favorite Spring cover there. In the meantime, I've posted a couple more Spring covers at the CBGXtra site. Now, if we could just get past the snows around here and see a crocus here and there ... In the meantime, it's back to looking at comic-book covers for signs of warm weather to come.
3/24/2008 7:05:23 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Saturday, March 22, 2008
Have You Checked the Links Lately?
Posted by maggie
One reason this site is set up the way it is is that I want a fast way to check some of my favorite sites. In case you're one of the folks who doesn't look at them with the fervor with which I do, let me recommend yet again that Mark Evanier has some of the best pop culture commentary in the biz. In fact, in several bizzes. (Well, "bizes" didn't look right. What can I say?)
At any rate, I hope vast numbers of people will take to heart his posting on "questions from the audience." He has an update on it today, but please look at the original -- and tell your friends. He's not the only person I've read on the subject (and I've heard Neil Gaiman do a devastating impression of the sort of questioner under discussion) but, as one of the best panel hosts around, Mark certainly knows whereof he speaks.
On a completely different "links" topic, I note that www.maggiethompson.com has been offline for a day or so; I'm assured that The Problem Is Being Solved. Just not yet.
And, finally, I was delighted to hear on this morning's Weekend Edition Saturdaya lovely interview with Bob Elliott, who seems in fine fettle, as he prepares to turn 85. I'm not sure the interview conveyed the hilarity of his comedy sketches with partner Ray Goulding (and I have known a very few people who never have grasped their talents). But do listen to it -- and to the links offered there. Wonderful.
3/22/2008 4:20:49 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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And Even More Spring
Posted by maggie
3/22/2008 1:50:38 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Thursday, March 20, 2008
More Spring
Posted by maggie
And my favorite Spring cover of all appears on my website today. It's an unusual Walt Kelly cover (perhaps a tryout for Little Golden Books?) and it appeared on Dell Four Color #50 (1944).
3/20/2008 2:32:26 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Spring, Spring, Spring!
Posted by maggie
Having posted some Spring images at CBGxtra.com, I thought I'd toss some in here, too. Here are covers from another issue of Donald Duck (#35, May 54), another Pogo (#12, Apr 53), and a Raggedy Ann + Andy (#11, Apr 47).   
3/20/2008 2:07:09 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Speaking of Machines ...
Posted by maggie
... which I was, in the previous post (made, oh, so long ago) ... Columnist Karen O'Brien and I spent a chunk of this morning learning the ins and outs of our audio system here -- with an eye to producing more industry audio material for the website. Brent has already mastered the equipment, and I think Karen and I grasped the essentials. (The scariest one: If we forget to provide a new name for the file and accidentally leave the previous name on the new recording, the new recording will overwrite the previous one. Ak.) We also heard a sad anecdote about another editor who'd conducted an important phone interview (we can do both phone and in-person interviews) but who hadn't experimented with his levels and the assorted microphones. The interview was salvaged but it took Audio Master Dan Halverson about a day to patch together a fix that involved re-recording the questions and ... Well, you don't need to know the details. I can conduct interviews from my phone, as well -- but I'm thinking the fidelity will be best using the podcast studio. So it's time to adjust again, learn the rules to yet another game, and enter the lists again. Man, this evolution stuff is tricky. But the result should be still more material to entertain you on the CBGXtra website. Stay tuned.
3/18/2008 11:23:09 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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