Superman: Earth One

When I heard about this project a number of months ago, it simultaneously intrigued and frustrated me.  The story of how Clark Kent leaves Smallville, goes to Metropolis and becomes the world's greatest hero has been told and re-told a number of times before in multiple media and historical periods.  The past 9 1/2 seasons of Smallville, have milked this concept for all it is worth and then some.  Why tell the same story all over again?  Given the fact that Geoff Johns and Gary Frank have been telling it over the past year in Superman: Secret Origin within the current continuity of the DC Universe, what possible reason could there be to tell it in an alternate continuity? 

On the other hand, J. Michael Straczynski (JMS) is definitely one of the very best writers in comics today.  Read his work on Silver Surfer: Requiem, and the first story-lines of Thor's current incarnation that he wrote back in 2007 and one comes to the conclusion that this is a guy who has a unique voice, something to say, and he knows how to write a compelling superhero story.

Then there was some of the promotional artwork that DC released over the year.  This image from artist Shane Davis was enough to get me all excited.

Finally, the format is relatively untapped in comics.  Instead of telling the story in monthly periodicals, the Earth One project tells it in one long-form book.  Normally, when you pick up a graphic novel, you are buying four to six monthly installments that have been collected into one edition.  This means that each story is really four to six little stories, each with their own plot arc within a larger plot arc.  In other words, you can count on a cliffhanger every 22 pages.  I definitely wanted to see what JMS would do when freed from the 22-page per chapter restrictions in traditional comics.  The longer format alone might not have convinced me, but combined with the writer and the artist, I was determined to get this book and pre-ordered it on Amazon.

I am happy to report that I was not disappointed.  JMS has written an interpretation on Clark Kent and his decision to become Superman which is deep, introspective, and resonant.  The tone is defined by the fact that this is the youngest Superman anyone has ever presented to us.  Clark is 20 years old when he arrives in Metropolis.  His plan is to get a job in the big city and fit in - something which has eluded him for most of his life.  This is what he wants to do, but through the use of flashbacks to his youth with his ma and pa, we discover that this is not what his parents think he should do.  In this version, the Kents are the ones who see Clark's purpose most clearly, and encourage him to be who he is supposed to be.  He comes around eventually, and reveals himself to the world when the alien Tyrell invades the earth, and threatens its complete destruction if the last surviving Kryptonian refuses to surrender.  Big surprise here: Superman saves the day, defeats the genocidal alien invader, and is revealed to the world in the process.  Finally, Clark Kent, now complete with glasses and "mild-mannered" persona, arrives at the Daily Planet with the world's first exclusive interview with Superman.

From what I've read in interviews with the people at DC Comics, Superman: Earth One will be an ongoing series; sort of a comic book version of the Harry Potter and Twilight book series.  I could not be happier.  The long format worked wonderfully.  JMS gave us an interesting new take on Superman, and left all sorts of unanswered questions, while delivering a complete story.  The artwork was spot-on.  Shane Davis needs to be given credit for the most realistic version of Metropolis that I've ever seen.  I'm not necessarily a fan of a smaller, younger Superman, but I can't fault Davis for his the execution. 

The fact that DC has had to crank out a second and third printing of Superman: Earth One is completely justified by this book.  It is great.  I recently read that DC was pulling JMS off of his writing duties on the monthly Superman comic book to begin working on the follow-up immediately.  That is great news.  I can't wait.

Reusable Coffee Cup Sleeves

I stopped by one of the local Starbucks here in the District this morning and noticed that they were selling little felt coffee cup sleeves for $3.95/ea.  In an attempt to be "green," Starbucks is trying to get us to buy something completely stupid and unnecessary. 

Don't get me wrong.  I consider myself an environmentalist.  Thanks to my awesome "man-bag" and a few high-quality reusable shopping bags, I rarely need the plastic bags they charge us $0.05 for here in DC.  I am pro-reusable anything.

But I am opposed to the creation of a product, manufactured who knows where creating who knows how much carbon, which, under the guise of being "green" is anything but!  Think about it.  The little cardboard sleeves Starbucks has had for years are reusable.  All you have to do is take them off your cup before you toss it and put it in your wallet or jeans pocket or use it as a bookmark or something. 

To be honest, this never occurred to me before, but the very presence of a "reusable" sleeve got me thinking.  So now you get this rant.  Rest assured, I'll never buy a "reusable" coffee cup sleeve.  I have decided instead, to start reusing the old cardboard ones instead.

Have you seen any other ridiculous examples of "green" marketing?  Maybe you know of something else that we are expected to use once then throw away which is actually reusable?  Share!

How to Be A Stay-At-Home-Dad: Step 3

Get Organized!

Guys, I don't know about you, but when it comes to household management, I was never very intentional or organized about it as a young man.  In college we didn't clean anything until the smell became unbearable or our female friends and acquaintances stopped visiting.  After college, I only vacuumed and dusted to keep my roommate/landlord just happy enough not to throw me and my dog out on our asses.  Even when my spouse an I moved in together, I was not what one would call "pro-active" about my responsibilities around the apartment. (I vacuumed and mopped pretty regularly, but you absolutely must do that when you, the love of your life and your English bulldog are living, sleeping, and eating all in the same room.)  When you are a SAHD, however, there is no question: you must have a system.  This system must incorporate every responsibility you and your partner decide is yours.  Whatever system you use must be effective.

It took me way too long to learn this.  During the first 5 months of our daughter's life, I should have been practicing.  My spouse and I were both at home while she was studying and there was time to figure it out.  But, being the knuckle-head that I am, I didn't realize how much more difficult it was going to be once my spouse was going to work every day and I was basically stuck at home with an infant, a bulldog, and a lot to get done one way or another.

So I started with a list.  "Things to do EVERY DAY."  It included stuff like, "empty the diaper pail," "walk the dog," and "feed the baby."  Was it a little ridiculous?  Of course.  But I kept adding to it as I discovered there were other things I had to do as the homemaker.  "Make dinner," "do one load of laundry," and "vacuum" for example.  There was a problem, though.  The list was never quite right.  Some of the things on the list actually didn't need to be done every day.  Other things needed to be done more frequently.  My self-made system wasn't very flexible.  I had even listed tasks according to when I should do them each day.  The inflexibility in my system drove me nuts.  But I stuck with it until recently.

I should say, that when you are organized, and you get everything done that you were supposed to do life is good.  You feel great about yourself.  Your partner feels great about you.  You can look everyone in the eye with confidence and self-respect because you know you are awesome.  When you abandon organization; when you miss something or forget something, even something as simple as picking up the dry-cleaning so your partner has her/his favorite shirt for the meeting on Tuesday, you feel miserable.  You start doubting yourself as a father and as a partner.  That doubt infects your relationships with your partner and your children.  Simply put: it's not good.

I recently posted about the Get-it-done Guy's Quick and Dirty Tips to Work Less and Do More.  This is the system I use these days (more or less).  It has helped a lot.  It is flexible, realistic, and purpose-driven.  The application of "productivity tools" from a business perspective into my "job" as a SAHD has been a real help. 

If you are going to be a SAHD, you need to start getting organized now.  Don't leave it until you are overwhelmed by the seemingly endless responsibilities of being the primary care-giver for one or more children.  Get it under control now, and learn to leave room for things to go crazy if they need to.  Learn to be organized enough that you can deal with the unexpected when it happens.

So what do you think?  Do you use a system to stay organized?  Are you naturally organized?  Or are you someone who is more laid back about what gets done and when?  Are there any good books or podcasts about personal organization you might recommend?  Let's help each other out and share whatever tips we have for what works for us.  

Creep: Drawing From My Distant Past #8

This monster character was inspired by Spawn, the Incredible Hulk, and Doomsday.  He was a huge, deadly, silent, homeless demon who befriended inner-city kids and kept them safe from the deadly circumstances in which they lived.

I drew him first sometime in 1993 on the same day and on the page immediately following the character I posted last week.  I am disappointed that I cannot find that sketchbook.  I remember I had committed to putting one new character on each page.  I was inspired at the time by Erik Larsen, who was notorious for creating an incredible number of useless characters and actually using them in comic books like Spider-man, The Savage Dragon, and Wolverine.  I was amazed that such a popular comics writer and artist just made up some of the stupidest characters ever and had no shame about putting them in whatever comic book he was writing or illustrating at the time.  Much like Larsen, I took visual cues from more than one popular character and put them into a new one.

Memory Inventory: Bless This House

Between July of 2000 and July 2005, I worked as a youth minister and pastoral associate with a small Catholic Church and mission community in Northern Virginia.  Over the five years I was there, I met a lot of wonderful people, and some of them gave me presents, usually around Christmas and end of the school year.  One of these gifts falls into the category of "stuff I carry around with me wherever I go and don't really know why."

This small plate, dish, or whatever has literally served over the years as a "catch-all."  I kept it on top of a small shelf and daily emptied the contents of my pockets onto it.  However, in our last two dwellings, I relegated it to the crate of stuff I move from place to place hoping that the irritation of its very presence will be lessened by its itinerant character.  [This crate and its contents are the inspiration behind my project to inventory the memories brought to mind by things in this apartment that I have not been able to leave behind.]

In absolute honesty, I cannot remember the person or occasion that brought this piece of steel into my life.  I vaguely remember the mother of one of the participants in our summer program presenting me with a gift at the end of the program.  I remember not expecting it.  I remember opening it and thinking, "What the heck am I going to do with this?"  I remember thinking, "I don't even have a house."  In fact, for the past 6-8 years (I estimate I received this in August of 2003, give or take a year) I only lived in a house for 3 of them (if you count the 2 years we spent on the third floor of a row-house in New Haven, CT).  What I do remember is parents' gratitude every year that I did that summer program.  It went through ups and downs, but the parents and the kids really appreciated it.  As cynical as I have become about youth ministry, I can't deny that there is something special about offering children a safe place to have fun, and to be an adult whose company they enjoy and with whom they enjoy their summer afternoons.

I don't really miss youth ministry.  But I do miss the kids and their parents.  This little plate calls those sentiments to mind.  That is a blessing to me.  I'm going to take it to Goodwill and hopefully it can be a blessing to someone else too. 

Dental Experiment

Yesterday I called a dentist to schedule appointments for me and my daughter. I was flying blind; I just picked one that was in a nearby building and called. Finding a dentist in our network using the online locator was as far as I took the research. I figured that experiential research would be more effective.

I scheduled my appointment for today and my daughter's for next week. That way, I will be the guinea pig, and neither my daughter nor my wife will be subjected to a dental experience that I don't find satisfactory.

There is one problem with this, however: I HAVE TO GO TO THE DENTIST TODAY!

I hate the going to the dentist! I never felt this way as a kid, but as an adult, my own procrastinatory habits caused me to put it off and put it off. As you know, the longer you put it off, the worse it is when you go. So when I finally went to the dentist for the first time since. High school back in 2004, the hygienist, sighed, said, "bear with me," grabbed her metal-scraping-pointy-things, and proceeded with the bloody, painful work.

From that point to now, my procrastination is bolstered by that extremely painful experience. I promised myself that I'd floss every day, that I'd go to the dentist every six months, that I'd never let it happen again. But it has happened again. I left my job and had no insurance for a while. When I got a job in CT in 2006, the procrastination began again. I didn't go to the dentist again until fall of 2007, when I was about to lose my I insurance again. The experience was horrifically similar.

And now, it is 2010, and I have no one to blame but myself for the misery I am about to endure (how Catholic is that?). But I'll take my medicine just to make sure that my punkin's first dental experience doesn't traumatize her too much. Who knows? Maybe I'll get an appointment for six months from now like I'm supposed to. Maybe I'll floss a little more too!

Drawing from My Recent Past #2

In the summer of 2007, I had just finished paying off my last credit card (and haven't carried a balance since!) and, with my wife out of town summering with law firms here and there, I have a few extra dollars in my pocket for the first time in a while.  I actually got back into comic books for a (very) short time.  I was smarter about it than I was my youth: This time I only bought stuff I knew I was going to enjoy.  So I got back into the classic characters.  Here are the "big three" of DC Comics. 

I'm actually pretty proud of this one.  I actually thought about the composition and the look I wanted to give it.  There are a couple anatomical anomalies: Superman's head is way too small; Wonder Woman's breasts are sitting too high on a rib-cage that is too short.
 
About a month later, I would discover that I was a daddy, so I stopped spending the $15/week on comic books and eventually even gave almost my entire collection to the local Goodwill, though I kept a few gems.  These days, I wait until the collected editions come out and get only the ones that are well-reviewed.