Tomorrow is a "Whatzit Day" event in Iola from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The event began at Krause Publications years ago, and now it's part of a local festival. The deal is that, given there are many experts in the community who know a little bit about a lot of things, those experts make themselves available to evaluate collectibles.

It's no longer a KP event, but there are lots of KP people who are on hand to opine regarding weird things people have. In the past, I've seen some doggoned neat items, including the original oil painting a beer company used for its label. I've heard about some of the collectibles being destroyed not long after the event; there's no guarantee that what we see will ever be made available anywhere. Nevertheless, it's mutually educational.

So now I'm trying to plan what to bring along -- especially because I'll be standing in for two other experts: Tom Michael (who knows coins and books) and Brent Frankenhoff (who knows some farm implement items and, yes, of course, comic books).

Since I don't know what signage or other information will be there, I'm planning ... There's no WiFi there (though I'll be able to access the Internet through my phone, if necessary), but I'll drag along some books Tom recommended. I'll wear the lanyard I wear at cons, mostly to identify myself as me. And I'm going to make a bunch of cards to hand out that identify a number of websites people can use to follow up on what I suggest.

And all of that assumes anyone will ask for my opinion about books or comics. We shall see.

"Well, that was disappointing!" said a voice from somewhere in back of me, as the screen went to black at the end of the new Hulk movie. The guy was not, however, referring to the film as a whole -- but, clearly, to the fact that we'd all patiently sat there through seemingly endless credits, waiting for some sort of kicker footage at the end. For nothing.

Unless you consider it a must-see kicker that there's a quick notation that, no, we don't endorse smoking, you needn't bother to hang around through hundreds of names. You can just mosey out of the theater and head for home. (There is an epilogue, mind you, but it precedes the endless Scroll of Details.)

As to the movie itself, there was, unfortunately, far too much time devoted to predictable chase scenes and predictable fight scenes, and the CGI was far too clearly CGI (yawwwwn). Nevertheless, despite all that (and the fact that the bellowing Hulk kept reminding me of the large Totoro in Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro), I enjoyed the film and hope you will, too. It's no Iron Man, mind you, but I'll be buying the DVD when it's released for Christmas or whenever.

Another find at the antiques mall was The Best from YANK the Army Weekly, selected by the editors of Yank. Cleveland & New York: The World Publishing Company, 1945 (second printing, though there's also the note, "The material and format of this edition are the same as of that originally published by E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc."). Among the contents that caught my eye were a number of cartoons by creators whose careers continued in cartooning.
 
For example, there's Sgt. Ralph Stein, whose work appeared on several pages -- and a Google search I just made turned up the information that, in fact, the artist (who died in November 1994) had made his career in the field after being the staff cartoon editor for Yank, as well as providing text and photos. He went on to draw Popeye for five years and illustrated Here's How for King Features.
 
Other cartoonists included Sgt. George Baker (1915-1975, the creator of Sad Sack, which is what's reprinted here); Sgt. Dave Breger (1908-1970, who may have invented the term "GI Joe" and went on to create the Mister Breger newspaper panel), and Sgt. Al Jaffee (1921-, creator of the Mad "Fold-In").
 
And here's a non-Family Circus cartoon by Bil Keane (1922-). Note that he signed it "Bil Keane," but both the attribution line and the table of contents add an "l" to his first name. (By the way, you'll find more of such early work at the Family Circus website. Also by the way, you'll find there a note on the spelling of his name: "In the late '30s, Keane was working with a group of friends putting out a satire magazine, The Saturday Evening Toast, when he decided to drop the second L in 'Bil.' 'I really did it just to be different,' he says. 'I thought it was a little more distinguished and started signing my cartoons that way, and it stuck." Which is probably why Yank didn't alter it, no matter how he signed his work.)

Have you taken a look recently at the CBGXtra videos? (We're finally getting back to a schedule of posting more of them, and we've got more than 15 more waiting for the final editing and uploading.)

In any case, here's a closer look at the Gepp's Entertainment Museum "Pop Culture" brochure Melissa is showing in the video. (And, hey, if you live near Baltimore, note that Fathers get free admission to the museum on Father's Day!)

The last time I played a videogame, it was Douglas Adams' Titanic. So, after Homer punched out a chocolate rabbit, all I could get him to do was wander about (occasionally punching windows, doors, and candy carts) the land of chocolate, getting no further in the game.

But perhaps that's a life lesson. I shall mull. (I shall also ask Brent for his opinion of What To Do Next.)

Since last we chatted, I've bought a Wii -- AND the Simpsons game. Woo hoo!

But, clearly, there haven't been oodles of posting on this site recently. It is my goal to see that that changes. Today. Ready?

It's not that I haven't yearned to post here. It's not that I haven't had things to say. It's not that ...

Oh, never mind. Thing is (a) the issue has gone to the printer, (b) I've finally begun to dig out from a (happy) out-of-town jaunt, (c) the WisCon SF show is over, and (d) I'm almost recovered from one of the worst cases of flu I've ever had. (For the time being, if you Google "Madison," "convention," and "flu," you'll find an account of what hit me (and others) hard.)

Now, my sleeves are rolled up, I've had a nap (several, in fact), and I hope you'll see more activity on this site. In the meanwhile, check out the links on the left; they're always fun -- and usually far more frequently updated than this has been recently.