Friday, October 25, 2013
If You Could Only Pick One: Pretty Deadly #1

Wonderful Wednesday has come and gone once again, marking one more new comic day in the books. This week saw some interesting releases. IDW revived Cartoon Network's long forgotten Samurai Jack in comic book form. The art is on, but the feeling is somewhat different. Marvel marches ever onward toward the conclusion of its Battle of the Atom X-event with one of my favorite issues to this point. However, it is Image's Pretty Deadly, making its debut this week, that is something fans of comics, westerns, and interesting storytelling should take notice of.

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Thursday, October 24, 2013
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Just in case you didn't catch it, Monday saw yet another school shooting in the United States. A 12 year old boy --yes, 12 years old-- walked into his school, wounded two students, and killed a teacher with a gun. All of this before turning his weapon on himself, ending his life. It was yet another proud moment in America's gun-sick history.

I would certainly like to express my outrage, my shock, my unrivaled dismay; yet I find myself somehow unable to. I remember Aurora and Sandy Hook. I remember Tulsa, Wilmington,Minneapolis, and the 11 other mass shootings that took place in the United States in 2012.  Each of them disgusts, enrages, and does its part to render the country even more hopeless and disenchanted.

Yet, to me, the shooting outside of Reno seems different. If social media commentary, non-sarcastically a great thermometer for what people actually care about, can be believed, then very few people took notice, or cared, about yet another shooting in the United States. I'm left wondering what that says for the land of my birth.

Most worrying, I feel that this could be an indication of our increasingly desensitized society.  Don't get me wrong; I'm not one of those who point the finger at video games, movies, and other aggressive media as the bastions of American societal evil. Instead, I point my finger at the war-mongering, hate speech, and continued violence in the real world that has become so common place that it barely seems to register on our radar.

The fact is people continue to die. 28 people died at Sandy Hook, 12 at Aurora, and only 1 at this most recent event in Nevada. Is it the size that makes it less important to talk about? Is the death of one innocent man less tragic than the death of innocent children? I'd like to argue that, no, pointless death is exactly that no matter who the victim or in what amount blood is spilled.

So, why, then, is this not being talked about more often? Where is the outrage from all Americans across Facebook, Twitter, and other forums that are so readily filled with this type of thing? Where are the left-wingers or, at least, the anti-violence activists calling for sensible gun reform? Where are the Second Amendment die-hards rebutting the left-wing conspiracy to destroy American sensibilities?

I think I'd prefer the sometimes violent, disgusting language of social media debates than the silence that so typically illustrates apathy. After all, if this isn't enough to get our blood going and conversation started, what is?


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Friday, October 18, 2013
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You know, I make a pretty good effort to talk about various issues of equality. I haven't had the opportunity yet on GFP, but if you were one of my groupies over on They Call Me An Egg, there is a good possibility you saw some posts arguing for the rights for classically oppressed people; namely for women and homosexuals.

So, perhaps, you'd image that I would argue just as vehemently for "men's rights". After all, I'm a man. Why shouldn't I argue for the rights of my people? Why shouldn't I react with thinly veiled bitterness and hatred as the world changes beneath my feet?

Well, perhaps I've jumped too far ahead of myself. Men's rights activists are exactly what they sound like. They're men arguing for the rights of men. Here's the problem though: generally speaking, rights for men come at the expense of the rights of others. Here's one of my favorite examples from one of the lovely dirtbags activists on the Reddits :

"Sure, living with injustice is so much better than fixing it."- a Redditor discussing the need to make sure both men and women are made to pay alimony when the situation necessitates it.

What's that you say? That doesn't seem like such a crazy concept? Why, no, it doesn't. Essentially what's being argued here is that both men and women need to be held to the same standards under the same situations. That is equality, right?

The problem with the men's rights movement is that it isn't about equality. Just as radical feminism, radical secularism, and radical religion aim only to suppress and oppress others for their own benefits, so, too, does the men's rights movement, seemingly made up only of radicals, aim to retake their place as the rulers of the world. Here is a quote that is far more representative of the thinking of the MRM:

"'Women are marginalized.' Does anyone seriously believe this when it's so obviously untrue?"

And that's the issue. Men's rights activists are not arguing for equality. They're arguing against common sense in a desperate grasp to remain the majority, the iron fist that continues to oppress everyone else. I absolutely hate when members of any marginalized group point their finger at me, saying how "you do this" and "men do that". Admittedly, a lot of the times they are not wrong. Many times, however, they are overgeneralizing and arguing for reforms that, if carried to their conclusions, would just wind up with reverse discrimination.

Like so many other groups fighting for "equality", men's rights activists simply want a shift in their favor that ensures they can be the ones pulling the strings. However, unlike so many others, I'm not sure these guys really have a leg to stand on...unless you count the one built out of hatred and fear of an equal society.


So, what are your thoughts on the Men's Rights Movement?
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Wednesday, October 16, 2013
If You Could Only Pick One: Rocket Girl #1

I made a real effort this week to pick up some comics other than the usual Superior Spider-man, X-men, etc. This was, in part, because I'm so sick of watching Marvel betray the foundations of their characters week after week. Also, I've been having to take a hard look at how I'm spending my money on media these days; I want to read great content, but I specifically want content that features other types of characters. More importantly, I want content that is created by people like me who can't do much to stand up against juggernauts like Marvel and DC.

Having said that, I picked up The Shaolin Cowboy from Dark Horse, Rocket Girl from Image, and Coffin Hill from Vertigo, DC's adult imprint. I enjoyed all three far more than I thought I would, but Rocket Girl specifically stood out as a great book that promises to be fun going forward.

How do you suppose she got her name?
Source :http://bit.ly/1ebv3yW
The premise of the book is simple, but that's not a dig. Our young heroine Dayoung Johansson suspects that a company in her Earth's timeline of 2013 has been going back in time to rig things in their favor. Johansson, a time-cop from future New York City, makes her way back to 1986 where she begins her investigation to thwart the villainous Quintum Mechanics.

What I loved most about Rocket Girl #1, and why I recommend it for those looking for just one book to read this week, is the humor, the art, and the lack of dude's in spandex. Our protagonist is a 15 year old who is drawn appropriately and exhibits the certain, well, quirks of a teenage girl. She's sarcastic, witty, intelligent, and driven. How many other female characters are there like this in comics?

Appropriately, the humor is adult with middle-fingers flying around. The writing has a certain sardonically sarcastic tone to it that is equal parts refreshing and riveting. Clearly, Rocket Girl also takes inspiration from Japanese comics. Most notably, there are people falling over when they are flabbergasted.

There are other things to consider when buying your comics, of course. Namely, how much money you've lost if a book or two aren't for you. Well, Rocket Girl is less expensive than most AAA titles out there right now, with a price tag of $3.50. For my money, the risk was worth every penny.

Rocket Girl, the first issue of which was released on Oct. 9, has been added to my pull list. I'm looking forward to reading issue #2 when it drops on November 13. Give it a try, either digitally or traditionally, and let me know what you think!

What are you reading right now?

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