They Get You...
► Oh how they get you with those hidden fees! We got our gas bill yesterday and Dean showed it to me. According to the bill we used $18 worth of natural gas, but our bill has increased from $50 to $80 because of raised and additional "service fees". The price of needing to live in a modern society I guess.
Quite coincidentally I received a courtesy phone call from my bank today to inform me of some upcoming changes. It seems that all this time I have apparently had a set limit of transactions per month for my bank account. This limit was for 15 uses, with a charge of 65 cents for each additional usage. It seems that in June the transaction limit will be decreased to only 10 uses a month, and a $1 charge per each overuse. I now have to weigh the opportunity to pay a flat $10 monthly fee for unlimited usage or just pay as I go.
Charging for the privilege of using your own money. Nice!
► Last year I won and bought a crapload of drawings by art dealer/Ebay seller ComiConArt. The guy who runs it represents a constantly growing army of Brazilian comic book artists. Throughout the summer and early autumn I was winning roughly 38% of the drawings I bid on, and getting most for very low prices. Because of that at one point I was bidding on upwards of a dozen drawings at a time and winning anywhere from 2 to 5 in batches. That all ended when October came and I it trickled down. In November I won a single drawing, and then the final drawing I won was on December 6th. After that everything I bid on from ComiConArt I lost, and at increasingly escalating prices.
My 3+ month long drought finally ended as I won one drawing yesterday and a second drawing today. I had bid on 6 drawings and I didn't expect to win any let alone two. Hell, I didn't expect to win any let alone two drawings of the Goblin Queen! Last year Goblin Queen became something of a Holy Grail for me because I was not able to win a single drawing of her from anyone. That I won two in two days and for less than most of these ComiConArt drawings have been going for lately stuns me. I'm pretty happy.
In case you're wondering, but don't want the ginormously X-Men-complicated full explanation of who she is, Goblin Queen was an evil clone of Jean Grey who was powered by a demonic "goblin" dimension.* She also wore what is in my mind the sexiest female comic book costume of all time. Of course your mileage may vary and her costume might simply be skanky and trashy.
* I always assumed that, in the grand Marvel tradition of ripping off current pop culture trends and movies, Goblin Queen was a rip of of the movie Labyrinth and David Bowie's Jareth the Goblin King character.
► Broadsheet: Bastard Penguin - Bastard!
► Prankster Teen Texts Cop That She's Hidden A Body - Whoopsies!
► Zatannurday: Cosplay Fun - I have no idea who this woman is but she makes an incredible Zatanna. Some of the best cosplay I've ever seen.
► Comics Alliance: Point/Counterpoint: 'Justice League' Is Everything Wrong With Comics - I've struggled to put into words why I do not like the new Justice League comic book. No need though, since this editorial has done it for me.Derek: Justice League I keep considering dropping, I just do not like it at all
John: I think it looks great, but far from Johns' usual level of work
Derek: I think they just come off as sociopathic assholes in it
John: I knew the 1st arc would be rough, since it was a '5 years ago' thing, so i want to see what happens next
Derek: right
Derek: I'm sticking around for the next arc because I'm hoping this is just getting the kinks out
Derek: but I am far from impressed with the characterizations in it, everyone is just so bloodthirsty and vicious
Derek: Wonder Woman and Aquaman gouge out Darkseid's eyes for god sake!
Derek: Superman ripping groups of Parademons to pieces saying "Smile for me!" like a lunatic
Derek: I keep checking the credits because it sure as hell doesn't seem at all like Geoff Johns
► Superman vs. the Elite Trailers and Clips - The upcoming direct-to-dvd animated movie Superman vs. the Elite looks pretty good. It's based on the award winning Superman issue "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice and the American Way?" which examined why Superman is still relevant in the then growing trend of violent, anarchistic, killer superheroes such as the Authority.
You know, it's kinda funny how 10 years later Geoff Johns of all people is pushing Superman and the Justice League toward that direction in the aforementioned new Justice League comic.
► 'Super Best Friends Forever': Your Exclusive First Look at the DC Nation Show [Video] - This looks adorable, although I'm surprised at how zaftig they made Supergirl. That's not a complaint, just an observation.
Quote of the Moment
Jareth: I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave.
- Labyrinth (1986)
Drinking: A&W Root Beer
Reading: Essential Avengers Vol 2 (TPB)
Last Read: assorted comic books (Kirby: Genesis #5; Aquaman #6; Superman #6; Batgirl #6; Justice League #6; and Stormwatch #7)
Quite coincidentally I received a courtesy phone call from my bank today to inform me of some upcoming changes. It seems that all this time I have apparently had a set limit of transactions per month for my bank account. This limit was for 15 uses, with a charge of 65 cents for each additional usage. It seems that in June the transaction limit will be decreased to only 10 uses a month, and a $1 charge per each overuse. I now have to weigh the opportunity to pay a flat $10 monthly fee for unlimited usage or just pay as I go.
Charging for the privilege of using your own money. Nice!
► Last year I won and bought a crapload of drawings by art dealer/Ebay seller ComiConArt. The guy who runs it represents a constantly growing army of Brazilian comic book artists. Throughout the summer and early autumn I was winning roughly 38% of the drawings I bid on, and getting most for very low prices. Because of that at one point I was bidding on upwards of a dozen drawings at a time and winning anywhere from 2 to 5 in batches. That all ended when October came and I it trickled down. In November I won a single drawing, and then the final drawing I won was on December 6th. After that everything I bid on from ComiConArt I lost, and at increasingly escalating prices.
My 3+ month long drought finally ended as I won one drawing yesterday and a second drawing today. I had bid on 6 drawings and I didn't expect to win any let alone two. Hell, I didn't expect to win any let alone two drawings of the Goblin Queen! Last year Goblin Queen became something of a Holy Grail for me because I was not able to win a single drawing of her from anyone. That I won two in two days and for less than most of these ComiConArt drawings have been going for lately stuns me. I'm pretty happy.
In case you're wondering, but don't want the ginormously X-Men-complicated full explanation of who she is, Goblin Queen was an evil clone of Jean Grey who was powered by a demonic "goblin" dimension.* She also wore what is in my mind the sexiest female comic book costume of all time. Of course your mileage may vary and her costume might simply be skanky and trashy.
* I always assumed that, in the grand Marvel tradition of ripping off current pop culture trends and movies, Goblin Queen was a rip of of the movie Labyrinth and David Bowie's Jareth the Goblin King character.
► Broadsheet: Bastard Penguin - Bastard!
► Prankster Teen Texts Cop That She's Hidden A Body - Whoopsies!
► Zatannurday: Cosplay Fun - I have no idea who this woman is but she makes an incredible Zatanna. Some of the best cosplay I've ever seen.
► Comics Alliance: Point/Counterpoint: 'Justice League' Is Everything Wrong With Comics - I've struggled to put into words why I do not like the new Justice League comic book. No need though, since this editorial has done it for me.Derek: Justice League I keep considering dropping, I just do not like it at all
John: I think it looks great, but far from Johns' usual level of work
Derek: I think they just come off as sociopathic assholes in it
John: I knew the 1st arc would be rough, since it was a '5 years ago' thing, so i want to see what happens next
Derek: right
Derek: I'm sticking around for the next arc because I'm hoping this is just getting the kinks out
Derek: but I am far from impressed with the characterizations in it, everyone is just so bloodthirsty and vicious
Derek: Wonder Woman and Aquaman gouge out Darkseid's eyes for god sake!
Derek: Superman ripping groups of Parademons to pieces saying "Smile for me!" like a lunatic
Derek: I keep checking the credits because it sure as hell doesn't seem at all like Geoff Johns
► Superman vs. the Elite Trailers and Clips - The upcoming direct-to-dvd animated movie Superman vs. the Elite looks pretty good. It's based on the award winning Superman issue "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice and the American Way?" which examined why Superman is still relevant in the then growing trend of violent, anarchistic, killer superheroes such as the Authority.
You know, it's kinda funny how 10 years later Geoff Johns of all people is pushing Superman and the Justice League toward that direction in the aforementioned new Justice League comic.
► 'Super Best Friends Forever': Your Exclusive First Look at the DC Nation Show [Video] - This looks adorable, although I'm surprised at how zaftig they made Supergirl. That's not a complaint, just an observation.
Click to viewQuote of the Moment
Jareth: I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave.
- Labyrinth (1986)
Drinking: A&W Root Beer
Reading: Essential Avengers Vol 2 (TPB)
Last Read: assorted comic books (Kirby: Genesis #5; Aquaman #6; Superman #6; Batgirl #6; Justice League #6; and Stormwatch #7)