So here’s a little something to brighten your day.  Just a little “be thankful I’m not Dave moment.”  I decided to go to Aldi to get some of my grocery staples today.  Aldi has shopping carts that you have to put a quarter into to use, then you get it back when you return it.  I used all my quarters yesterday that were in my truck so I had to swing by the house to grab one.  I pull up in front of the house, but today is when you can’t park there from 12-4pm because of street sweeping.  All I have to do is run up the stairs to get my quarter, there is no way I could get a ticket in that time, right?  Wrong.  When I come down the meter bitch is out there writing me up.  I say, “Come on, I was in there 30 seconds!”  She says, “there’s nothing I can do, it is printed.”  Then as I’m getting in my truck to leave she is trying to put the ticket on my winshield instead of handing it to me.  I wanted to slam the truck in reverse and smash that meter-mobile to shit.

So, fuming, I decide now I have to get some groceries.  I get to Aldi and do my shopping.  I get to the register and try to swipe my credit card because I have $10 to my name right now.  It asks for a pin number.  “It’s a credit card,” I say.  The guy says, “we only take debit cards or cash.”  There are about 4 people in line behind me, which is the only line open.  So I embarrassedly walk out of the store with my groceries in the cart.  The guy gave me back the quarter for the cart.

So now, grocery-less and pissed, I’m hungry and I have now wasted 35 minutes of my hour lunch.  Taco Bell is right there.  I go to the drive through and order 3 soft tacos and an order of nachos.  They give me my food and I pull away.  Then I realize that they didn’t give me my nachos.  At this point my blood is boiling, and I go in to get them and the lady behind the counter is too nice.  She gives me a free apple pie for my troubles. 

These three things would probably be nothing to think about if they happened individually, but all of them happening in a 45 minute span really…really pissed me off.  Anyway, that was my lunch break, I hope all yours were better.

Lessons that can be learned here:

1) Always keep quarters in your ride,

2) Put your flashers on if parking in a no parking zone, no matter how long or short your stop is,

3) Make more money than me,

4) Know if the store you go in takes credit cards,

5) Always check the bag before you pull away from the drive-thru

 Hope you all had a good laugh at my expense.

Dave

Ok, if you don’t already know, I’m a web designer for my day job. Just want to state that early because I’m about to go on a rant. If you’re using internet explorer right now, go to the top and click on ‘help’ and then click on the last one in the list (should be ‘about internet explorer’ or something). If your version number is 6, please for the love of God, please upgrade. Or better yet go here.

Let me put it this way… if you were driving a 1985 ford tempo, that only started half of the time and someone offered to upgrade you to a brand new BMW for free, you’d take them up on it right? Well, if you’re using IE6, you’re essentially sticking with that piece of crap on wheels. Firefox is free. I’ll repeat that… FREE!

Here’s a little background. Several years ago, the web was a strange new place and companies were making browsers on a whim that made things extremely difficult to develop for. A bunch of really smart guys (and maybe gals, I don’t know) got together and decided that in order to improve your online experience, there should be standards that browsers should adhere to in order to reign things in and make things more streamlined for developing technology. Microsoft, in their infinite monopolistic wisdom, decided to completely ignore these standards and do whatever the hell they felt like. Simply because they could, and people would keep using their crappy product no matter what because they’re Microsoft.

Well, they’ve come out with a somewhat less crappy product for you to enjoy called Internet Explorer 7. Oh yeah, and it only came out 2 YEARS AGO! Seriously, people. It’s time to upgrade. Or you can upgrade even further and use Firefox. It’s not just for the benefit for us web designers, but also for you too. Firefox has a bunch of really cool add-ons that do a bunch of really cool things.

So here I am, dangling the keys to that brand new BMW… are you gonna keep driving that piece of crap ford tempo, or are you gonna join me in the 21st century on a wonderful journey across the internets?

Ok, I’m done now. I feel better.

-Brad

I know, I know.  The 2003 Ang Lee Hulk was not what we all expected.  However, I think Ang Lee made an excellent film that is under rated by many comic fans.  Lee’s version demanded patience of its audience favoring character development instead of special effects.  Establishing character seems almost silly to fans that have followed the character in its various incarnation for years.  Lee’s retelling of the origins not only laid the groundwork for the Leterrier version, but it also provided a detailed multi dimensional accounting of Banner’s father.  The depth this part of the story gave us reasoning only an Eastern director could.  The intersection of science and fate between father and son was excellent in terms of story telling, yet seemed to let down fans that wanted “HULK SMASH” from start to finish.  To fans of the Hulk comic, the ending was upsetting to say the least.  I have even heard comparisons to Joel Schumacher’s systematic destruction of the Batman franchise.  If there was a flaw in Lee’s adaptation, it was the battle at the films climax.  Its abstraction sucked the life from what we were all expecting… the Hulk going toe to toe with super villain.  If anything Norton’s writing of the new Hulk learned from the mistakes (if you can call them that) of Lee’s version.  From the cameos of Lou Ferrigno and Bill Bixby to the overlap of Robert Downy Jr. as Tony Stark and a mention of S.H.I.E.L.D, we can definitely see a new direction for the Marvel franchise.  I thought the gritty effects of the Hulk were better than the 2003 film and this was probably the point.  As comic fans (and movie audiences in general) we don’t want to see a comic book on the big screen.  We want our entertainment to make the leap from imagination to reality.  Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk did just that.  Both of these movies are science fiction enough for us to suspend disbelief, yet realistic enough for us to realize that if either hero (or antihero) were in action, we could only run away … very quickly.  I was somewhat disappointed by the distance Marvel created between the Lee and Letterier films when the latter so obviously picked up where the first left off even down to Bruce’s location in South America.  All in all I am impressed with the new film but would remind fans not to dismiss the original so quickly.  As usual I am curious to know…what do you think? 

Everything seems to be getting more expensive these days thanks to the rising price of fuel and the cost to transport goods throughout the country.  This cost trend has impacted comics as well.  Think about how much a monthly title cost only a year or two ago compared to today’s prices.  The fair weather collector is almost forced to get serious and budget for their addiction, wait and search the back issue bins, wait even longer for a series trade, or just abandon the hobby altogether.  However there is a solution … web comics.  I’ve observed the online comic trend gaining popularity and have jumped on board myself.  In the technocracy we live in is there ever a time where a computer and the Internet aren’t within arms reach?  Think about how many issues could be held on one flash drive with no chance of degradation from time or the elements.  Entire collections can become completely portable, totally accessible and always in mint condition.  Of course this is in the distant future, and digital texts may never replace the actual feel and smell of a new book in your hands, but it is worth exploring, especially for independent creators who often have no venue for their work.  Take Oddnik for example.  This site has a variety of material for comic lovers of all ages and can be read with a few quick clicks of on a keyboard at no cost to the consumer.  Comics like Holliday, Gnorm and Uno offer a depth to comics that traditional “super hero” books ignore.  So, if you’re interested in creative stories and solid artwork, check out what the site has to offer, and keep an eye on the blog for new posts about this site, suggestions on other great web comics, and other random tidbits about all aspects of comics.

Hi, and welcome to our little webcomics site. We plan to do some cool stuff here, starting with reprinting the critically acclaimed HOLLIDAY series from Dave Samuelson and Jason Wright originally published by Saddle Tramp Press. The series takes real events in the Life of Doc Holliday and fills in the unexplained gaps with supernatural elements. We started it off by publishing the backup stories from HOLLIDAY #6 and #7 that looks at the relationship between Doc and Wyatt Earp. Click Here to read it now.

We’ll also be doing a regular (hopefully weekly) Gnorm the Gnome strip. You can read Gnorm’s original minicomic here, or the beginning of the new strip here.

Last but not least, we’re starting a new comic called U.N.O. that is an action/spy story about a government agency that deals with super-powered operations. You can read it here.

Thanks for taking the time to check out our site and comics and feel free to let us know what you think.

-Brad Samuelson