Broncos fire Shanahan

The AP is reporting that Mike Shanahan has been fired by the Denver Broncos.

I'm pretty shocked.

Yeah, the Broncos dropped their final three games and fell out of the playoffs, but Shanahan's still a good coach. He's just not a good talent evaluator.

The Broncos should've taken away his GM responsibilities minus allowing him to draft in rounds 5-7 -- the man's still able to find gems in the late rounds.

But this leads to the question, who's taking Shanny's spot?

First Look: 'Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li'

Saw this online. It's the Japanese trailer for "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li." I'll do my premature evaluation over on the Entertainious Prime blog later tonight.

Voter error

Saw this picture on the AP wire. Isn't drawing in the lines one of the first things we learned in kindergarten?

No love for Pac Man (or why Tyson/Ali shouldn't be on the new 'Fight Night' cover)

Alright EA Sports, what gives?

The past three incarnations of the "Fight Night" series has featured current top-notch stars on the cover with Roy Jones Jr., Bernard Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya.

So why are you debating whether to have Muhammed Ali or Mike Tyson on this latest version?

Don't get me wrong, Ali is a timeless legend. But he was featured on "Knockout Kings," the predecessor of "Fight Night."

And Tyson? He would've been a great cover choice — back in '89 before Buster Douglas knocked him out.

Here are my choices of who would be better on the cover:

5) Israel Vazquez
He battled Rafael Marquez in three exciting action-packed bouts, winning the latter two. He's one of the best the sport has to offer, but the problem is, most don't know who he is. And fighting at 122, most won't.

4) Wladimir Klitschko
Looking for a heavyweight? Lil' Klitschko is the best in the game right now. He's big, powerful and dominating. But he's going against one of the weakest divisions in boxing today.

3) Joe Calzaghe
The light heavyweight from Wales is 46-0 and recently took down legends in Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. But he didn't make any friends saying that boxing is a dead sport. He'll probably still get the cover of the UK version, though.

2) Floyd Mayweather
Retired when he was arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He beat Oscar De La Hoya in 12 and owns the only blemish on Ricky Hatton's otherwise perfect record. But he's retired and hasn't fought in more than a year.

My choice: 1) Manny Pacquiao
In the course of a year, he beat Juan Miguel Marquez for the 130 title, David Diaz for the 135 title and then moved up to 147 and destroyed De La Hoya. He's been dominant over the past few years, taking down many of boxing's best at their prime. Marcos Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales are among the others. Next up, a bout with Ricky Hatton at 140 in May and, if he wins, a potential match with Mayweather at the end of the year.

And he has a best-selling album in the Philippines.

How can they not choose him?

'Watchmen' down?

WTF, Fox?

According to the Associated Press, 20th Century Fox is continuing to seek an order to delay the release of "Watchmen." Warner Bros. contends that Fox isn't entitled to any part of the distribution.

Guh — hopefully this thing gets worked out soon.

Online Escape: The Friends Theme and Sugar Ray

Pacquiao – pride of the Philippines

If it's difficult to carry the hopes and dreams of an entire nation, Manny Pacquiao does an amazing job of hiding the pain.

The 29-year-old Filipino boxer's meteoric rise from being a poverty-stricken child who sold stolen cigarettes to becoming the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world is a fairy tale that has captured the imagination of the Filipinos across the world.

"Pacquiao represents the heart, determination and relentlessness that many Filipinos and Filipino Americans are proud of," said Evan Osborn, a local Pacquiao fan.

And it's easy to see why. The Pac Man employs an exciting fighting style, combining break-neck speed with immense power. He has gone to battle with the some of the sport's top stars and – this is key – he's taken them down. Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Miguel Marquez – all top-tier fighters at the top of their game.

So when Pacquiao faced off against Oscar De La Hoya in their 147-pound welterweight match last Saturday, it was hyped to be a dream boxing match between two future hall of famers. It was David vs. Goliath. Pacquiao – who started his career at 106 pounds soaking wet – had never fought over 135 pounds, while his opponent had been fighting 20 pounds heavier for the past eight years.

For most fighters, jumping two weight classes and facing the biggest name in the sport sounds like a insurmountable obstacle.

Apparently Pacquiao didn't get that memo.

For eight rounds the Pac Man methodically picked apart the Golden Boy, landing left straights at will and barraging him with flurries of power punches that led to an eighth-round TKO.

It wasn't just a victory – it was an annihilation.

While the win added another notch to Pacquiao's growing legend, it's his affect on his people's national pride that's even greater. His influence is so great that on the night of the fight, the country reported zero crime.

Zero.

In an Associated Press story, the country's executive secretary said that Pacquiao's victory boosted the morale of the Filipino people in the midst of financial woes.

If only we can get our very own Pacquiao here in the states.

Advice for young photogs

When shooting pictures with a reflective surface, don't get yourself in the shot like our dear friend Nick Ut from the AP did.

Angering car lovers

One thing I've learned over the years is that car lovers really don't like it when you insult their vehicular tastes.

Case in point: our Managing Editor Aaron Cole reviewed the '09 Dodge Challenger (read the review here) in today's paper. While the review painted a less-than-stellar picture when it highlights the flaws of the car, he did say it's "impractical, nearly undriveable, tremendously fun and turns every head within a city block."

Just like every other unnecessarily amped-up vehicle from crotch rockets to riced-out imports to big honkin' SUVs, it's oh so fun, but oh so inefficient.

While there's only two comments on the story (so far), we found a thread on a Challenger forum about it with mostly negative reactions about the review.

This reminded me when I was in college and the opinions editor of our newspaper wrote a piece about how super-sized trucks were on the verge of extinction after domestic car companies were posting record losses (shameless plug for my college paper). It was more commentary about how Japanese car companies were winning because of their research efforts on efficiency and reliability than anything else. Regardless, we got lengthy letters from truck lovers who tried disproving everything he wrote in response to the piece.

But one thing that remains constant between these incidents: the key insult is "tree-hugging Boulder liberal" Mark Udall.

(Er... scratch the Udall part, I'm still suffering flashbacks from Bob Schaffer's commercials from the election season.)

2008 Starz Film Fest - Opening Night

I've covered the Starz Film Festival for four years now and the one thing that stays constant is the excitement on opening night. There's always an electricity in the air as film patrons fill the Ellie Caulkins Opera House to kick off the cavalcade of movies.

Last night was no different as the festival launched with the latest film from Director Rian Johnson (who was also a former Dry Creek Elementary student – go Dolphins), "The Brothers Bloom." It's about two con-artist brothers, played by Mark Ruffalo and Adrian Brody, and their adventures. It's a fun, lighthearted film filled with many laugh-out-loud moments. Shameless plug: see my full review next month at www.aurorasentinel.com.

I was a little disappointed by the Denver Film Society's in-house short to kick off the festival. Last year's was fun with Mayor Hickenlooper and Ron Henderson. This year featured local comedian Magic Cyclops in a lackluster bit.

"Dog," the 90-second short that opened the show, was a cute animation about one boy's reaction to his brother's dog dying. (It can be seen at http://www.hermannkarlsson.co.uk)

Now that the festival's underway, there are a number of flicks that I'm planning to catch:

• "Chocolate" (Thailand) - Saturday at midnight
  Think Tony Jaa if he were a female. The latest movie from the director of "Ong Bak" is sure to be filled with as much action as his previous two.
  
• "Slumdog Millionaire" (UK) - Saturday at 7:30 - $30
  Awesome flick. Check out my review at http://www.aurorasentinel.com/articles/2008/11/14/living/reviews/doc491d36fccbb9d136330687.txt.
• "Waltz With Bashir" (Israel) - Sunday at 1 p.m.
  It's an animated movie about a veteran of the 1982 Lebanon War.
  
• An Evening with Don Hertzfeldt - Saturday, Nov. 22 at 8 p.m.
  Hertzfeldt has been one of my favorite animators since I discovered him in college. His pieces are off the wall, a little crazy, but always hilarious.

Welcome home, Chauncey

Denver's son is coming home.

Chauncey Billups, the former George Washington High School and Colorado Buffs star comes back to the Nuggets along with Antonio McDyess.

A.I., we hardly knew ye.

But this is a good move for the Nuggs. Heck, it's a good move for both teams.

With Billups:

• The Nuggets get a top-tier pass-first point guard
  Denver has plenty of scorers without Iverson — Melo, Smith, and to a lesser extent, Kleiza — but haven't had a true quality point guard to feed them the ball. Anthony Carter is a nice backup point, but he's not on the same level as Billups.
• Size and defense
  At 6-3 and 202 pounds, Billups gives the Nuggets more size in the backcourt. Plus the two-time All-NBA defensive second team guard will give Denver something they've been lacking since the Mutombo days.
• Outside threat
  Billups gives the Nuggets another consistant 3-point shooter aside from J.R. Smith. This outside threat opens the inside and more scoring opportunities for Nene and Kenyon Martin.

I guess I'm in the 'whatever' classification

Political burnout

I’m done with the election season.

Finished.

Finito.

For the past 12 months, there’s been a never-ending stream of news and gossip pertaining to the 2008 presidential election bombarding us from all different directions.

Republicans keep telling me Barack Obama doesn’t have experience and his plans are borderline socialist while dems say Palin’s dumb as a post and McCain’s lost authority in his party.

I don’t care.

Don’t get me wrong — I was much more into the discussions over the summer when the topics were fresh. But everything’s become stale in the past month as the opposing sides are just rehashing tired arguments.

Makes me want to pledge my vote to Gene Amondson of the prohibition party and enjoy a few brews at a bar on election night.

(Don’t worry, I’m not throwing my vote away — but it playing quarters with a cake looks fun. Heck, ginger ale pong could be fun, too.)

And everyone I meet seems to have an opinion and feels it necessary to inform me about it. But saying you’re voting for someone just because he says he’s going to bring “change” or because he’s a “straight talker” means nothing to me.

Oh, Nov. 3 — so close, yet so far away.

Great 16-day e-mail flood

With 16 days left until the election, there are two names that I am becoming well acquainted with.

And neither begin with Barack or John.

David Plouffe and Tom Kise, the respective e-mail gurus for the Obama and McCain campaigns, have been bombarding me with electronic spam for the past few weeks, and it's increasing as the election inches closer.

Plouffe's sends a daily e-mail asking for money. While Kise sends dozens a day about random things. I counted 25 e-mails during the course of the last debate.

Look, I know both sides are exaggerating the truth. I know these up-to-the-minute factual errors incite those who tow the party lines, but I don't care.

Makes me want to vote for Gene Amondson and the prohibition party.

Sentinel Online v.2.0

It's coming.

(This is 2.0 for me. I think this may be the paper's third website)

Crappy Halloween costumes

Saw this on AngryAsianMan's blog.
It's called the "Old Chinese Man" wig. I suppose it's because Chinese men go shaggy and brownish-gray rather than just gray with age. Looks more like a caveman to me.

My reading list for the week of Oct. 1

I've seen many a' comic book blogger do this with their weekly pick-ups. So here's what I picked up off the racks this week (and you'll quickly notice that I'm a big Marvel fan):

My pick-ups

Marvel Apes #3
Review: 3 out of four stars
Marvel Apes can be summed up in three words: Super-powered monkey vampires. You heard me. Writer Karl Kassel's whimsical story about the Gibbon traveling to an alternate dimension where Earth is inhabited by monkeys has become one of my favorite pick-ups over the course of the past month. It's a light, silly read with twists that are absurd and unexpected, but amusing. It's a guilty pleasure, no doubt.

Four Eyes
Review: 2 out of four stars
I picked up this issue having high expectations. Writer Joe Kelly's "I Kill Giants" has been among my favorite monthly pick-ups. So when I heard about his new book following a boy who takes care of a dragon after his dad dies, stealing it from its mother, it instantly went to my must-have list. The problem with the story, however, is that it moves at a methodic pace. I understand Kelly's trying to show the rough world of 1930s U.S. during the depression, but it just prods along — unlike Greg Pak's story about Magneto during World War II in "X-Men: Magneto Testament." But the end scene sets the tone for the rest of the series, and it's intriguing enough to pick up another issue.

My impulse buy

Daredevil #111 — 1:25 Aja variant

Yet another pick-up because it's a cool cover.

What I'm planning on picking up next week

Deadpool #3
He's hilarious, certifiably insane and can kill you with anything he finds. This is one of my favorite "Secret Invasion" tie-ins. Can't wait to see what happens in this final showdown with the Skrulls.
I Kill Giants #4 (of 7)
Kelly's story about a socially awkward fifth grader is slowly showing the full story.
Marvel Zombies #1 (of 4)
Super-powered zombies? That rocks.
X-Men: Magneto Testament #2 (of 5)
Writer Greg Pak tells the chilling tale of how Magneto begins to gain his powers amid the political tension of Nazi Germany. It's one of the best books on the market right now.

What I may pick up, but can't decide

Presidential Material Flip-book — $7.99

IDW Publishing is releasing the "origins" of Barack Obama and John McCain. I already have a bunch of collectible presidential race '08 junk on my desk (just ask my co-workers), but I don't know if I want to add this to it.

Amazing Spider-Man — Stephen Colbert variant cover

'Nuff said.

A year older, somewhat wiser

There are only 10 shopping days left until my birthday. So, what are you getting me?

About this time every year, I reflect on what's changed over the past year. I fall into a notion that I need to become more mature, more serious, more "adult-like." So for a few weeks, I act more sullen and serious before my actual birthday arrives and then I tread backwards to a child-like mentality.

I still love comic books. I find quality time in front of my TV playing video games and watching cartoons. I can spend hours at the arcades — though it is much more expensive than when I was 14. I still eat waaay more than I should in order to compete when someone else does.

But I have noticed that I'm paying attention to certain things that I didn't before.

I was never big into politics, but seeing the ramifications of what happens when an unqualified person is elected into a power of authority has made me much more active to inform myself.

I never thought much about a retirement fund or IRAs or financial security for my retirement years until I got a job. I'm sure my focus is stronger with the economy in the state it is. I mean, my bank's been bought out twice this year.

Perhaps I would still be wallowing in ignorance if the country was running smoothly and the economy was in stellar shape, but I'm sticking to my feeling that I'm getting older.

Now let me get back to the latest issue of "Marvel Apes." Superheroes in monkey-form — can't beat that.

Beer makes the world go round

When the Rox went to the World Series last year, I was a website crash away from getting tickets to game three. I didn't even consider going to a third-party site to get it because I knew it'd be outrageous.

Fast forward a year and tickets to the Great American Beer Fest are going for upwards of $170/apiece for Friday night.

Thank goodness I picked up my Thursday tix for face value weeks ago.

More inertia

After gorging for the better part of the summer, I've returned to a heavy five- to six-day-a-week workout regiment, alternating between upper and lower body exercises.

These first two weeks have been rough -- as it usually is when getting back into a routine -- but I think I'm getting used to it. My body isn't as sore as it was in weeks past, but I am sleeping more. A lot more.

I've been going to bed after I get back from the gym, but my slumber has ballooned to nine to 10 hours a night. Hopefully my body will adjust and I'll get back down to normal sleep hours soon.

Palin's crappy answer

This is a softball question from Katie Couric about why the gov't should bail out big companies and not give the money to the people, and Palin gives an answer that has nothing to do with question. Trade? What the hell does that have to do with this?


It kind of reminds me of Caitlin Upton's answer at the Miss Teen USA pageant.



But to be fair, here's Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden sticking his foot into his mouth.

America's biggest big sty

I've been lazy and let my room, desk, car become quite messy. But I've never hit these people's level.

If these people didn't smoke, I'm sure it wouldn't look as bad.

Free speech shouldn't trump good taste

When 11-year-old Daxx Dalton came to school wearing a shirt with "Obama a terrorist's best friend" handwritten on it, he was given the option of either changing shirts or get suspended.

He chose the latter.

I don't blame him — If I were in his shoes, I probably would have, too. Not because I'd be making a bold statement about freedom of speech, but because I would get several days off of school with my dad's full permission.

How awesome would that be?

I probably could have done this when I was still in school. I remember Overland having a strict policy against letting wear clothes with alcoholic logos on them. If I wanted a few days off, I would've worn Corona paraphernalia.

I never did and resorted to ditching if I wanted to get out of a class. Sure, I spent time in detention, but it was a good place to catch up on homework or sleep.

But back on the matter at hand — or as I like to call it, the case of the shirt with the poorly written text — I don't think the playground hubbub is more about grammatical inaccuracies rather than political implications. I can see it now:

Daxx: Hey guys, check out my shirt.
Other kid: I think you're missing a verb.
Daxx: It doesn't need a verb. "Obama a terrorist's best friend" is what it's supposed to say.
Other kid: No, you need a verb as in, "Obama is a terrorist's best friend."
Daxx: No! It's supposed to be "Obama a terrorist's best friend."
Other kid: Then you need a comma or a colon after Obama. It doesn't look right! C'mere, I'll fix it for you. (pulls out sharpie)
Daxx: No! Don't ruin my shirt!

Look, a kid getting reprimanded for wearing an inappropriate t-shirt is hardly newsworthy. Whether it's a shirt that has blatant profanities or one that's simply "disrupting the learning environment," it's the school's call on what should happen. While a suspension seems a bit harsh, it's the school's choice.

Whtie privilege

Tim Wise wrote an interesting piece about white privilege and the 2008 presidential election. There are also some shots at Dubya: http://www.redroom.com/blog/tim-wise/this-your-nation-white-privilege-updated

Otaku invasion

Colorful costumes and vast amounts of candy.

Sounds like Halloween, but it’s actually Nan Desu Kan.

For the past three years, I’ve covered the local, annual Japanese animation convention that takes place down south at the DTC Marriott Hotel.

It’s best described as an absolute overload for the senses. Even though I consider myself a casual anime fan, I’m still weirded out by the vast number of anime otaku — someone with an obsessive interest — who make the yearly pilgrimmage down south.

The overwhelming majority of attendees are dressed up as their favorite anime character — though, there is a smattering of pirates, zombies and Ghostbusters.

Scattered are vendors who sell a variety of art, Japanese paraphernalia and candy.

(I do have to note that $3 for a box of Pocky is outrageously expensive. I don’t think I’ve ever paid more than 75 cents unless it was the giant-sized ones.)

Something new at the convention this year was the addition of The Slants to the lineup. The Portland-based synthpop band was the first-ever non-anime musical act to perform at NDK. They last came out to Colorado in July to perform at the Lions Lair.

Having observed the convention for some time now, I believe that there are a number of rules every patron should follow:

• Be aware of your body type
It’s much more effective if you dress like someone you match physically. Not everyone should be dressed like the slender, and quite short-skirted, Sailor Moon.
Or if you want to dress up like someone buff, such as “Bleach” character Tessai Tsukabishi, I have three words for you: hit the gym.

• Be original
It’s dull when you look like everyone else. I know L from “Death Note” is cool, but not when there’s a dozen of you wandering around. Want to stand out? Pick an obscure character, such as Tessai, and wander around with a group of folks from the same anime.

• Don’t pester people
This specifically goes out to the zombies. I don’t mind the full-out acting and zombie walk. It’s somewhat amusing seeing them attack those who want to be attacked. But the key word is “want.” Don’t grab me when I’m trying to get somewhere.

But like all conventions, it's tiring staying in the hotel all day. I like wandering across the street to the local restaurants and doing some people watching.

It's fun sitting at Garcia’s and watching the usual patrons gawk at these colorful kids eat.

This ain't your daddy's Superfriends

Remember "Superfriends"? Well, more importantly, remember Wendy, Marvin and Wonder Dog?

Well, apparently DC brought them back in the "Teen Titans" series as caretakers of the Titan Towers.

Though, it was only momentarily. Take a look at what happened in "Teen Titans" #62.

Maybe they need those pit-bull laws over there.

To kill or not to kill?

This isn't a new topic by any means, but it's one that's often overlooked.

Abortion is an issue that is wholeheartedly condemned by the Catholic Church and the Republican Party. Being raised a Catholic, I grew up being told that Democrats were immoral because they supported abortion and if I were to vote for one, I would be condemned to hell.

Alright, I never heard that last comment — even when I went to school at St. Therese — but I was told it was frowned upon for me to support a group who supported abortion, despite what else they have to say. This meant I was supposed to vote Republican when I turned of age.

(I've since declared myself an independent and taken into account how candidates and issues best help me rather than siding with a political party and pigeonholing my options)

But I've always wondered why there wasn't a similar outrage with the death penalty. I mean, if the church believes that babies are alive at conception and having an abortion meant killing a person, then why the double standard on killing a convicted criminal?

Who are we to decide if someone lives or dies? The bible does say, "Judge not lest ye be judged."

I know the church's official stance is killing only those who pose a threat to the greater populace if they are alive. And if they don't, lesser means should be applied.

The Republican Party takes the same stance on these two issues. The Dems used to be pro-death penalty back in the day, but they seem to have backed off that stance over the past decade.

So explain to me, why this hypocrisy? Why is it justifiable to take the life of a grown person and not of a fetus?

My reading list for Sept. 3

I've seen many a' comic book blogger do this with their weekly pick-ups. So here's what I picked up off the racks this week (and you'll quickly notice that I'm a big Marvel fan):

My pick-ups

Marvel Apes #1
Review: 3 out of four stars
When Marvel announced they were going to release a four-issue mini-series called "Marvel Apes," humor was the only route they could take was with humor. And this issue certainly has plenty of hilarity, taking C-list superhero The Gibbon and transporting him into a parallel universe where the world is inhabited by apes. While there are plenty of cheesy monkey jokes — such as Dr. Octopus being called Dr. Ook and Giant Man as Gro-rilla — it's a fun, quick read.

Savage Dragon #137, 1:5 Obama Variant
Review: 2-1/2 out of four stars
Let me get two things straight — it's been 10 years since I've read an issue of "Savage Dragon" and I only bought this issue because the cover shows the Savage Dragon endorsing Barack Obama. That said, I was a little lost by everything that was happening in the issue. Even though I didn't know any of the characters or their back stories, it was fairly easy to pick up. The Savage Dragon seems more like a buddy to his daughter than a father when she gets expelled from school, so they go to an alley and beat the tar out of a bunch of mutants. I was disappointed by the art. Erik Larsen's style is gritty, but it seems lazy an underdetailed in some pages. Like I said last week, I want to see another character endorse McCain. I'll pick that issue up, too.

My impulse buy

None
I wanted to pick up a copy of "Amazing Spider-Man" #570 Monkey variant because it's a cool cover — I've been doing this a lot lately — but getting new glasses and a heavy pick-up list next week, I figure I could live without it.

What I'm planning on picking up next week

Deadpool #1
The wise-cracking, fourth-wall breaking mercenary returns in his all-new book! Any character that talks to the yellow narration box is awesome.
NYX: No Way Home #2
This is a gritty tale about homeless mutants trying to get by on the streets of New York.
Secret Invasion #6
Brian Michael Bendis keeps drawing my interest as to what happens next.
Ultimate Origins #4
How are Hulk, Wolverine, Nick Fury and Captain America connected? I want to knwo.
I Kill Giants #2
Barbara Thorson's a socially awkward fifth grader who retreats to her fantasy world. It's like a slightly more serious toned "Calvin and Hobbes."

What I may pick up, but can't decide

Secret Invasion: X-Men #2
The first issue was pretty good, but I can't decide if it warrants me getting this one or not. X-Men versus Skrulls, I can't decide.

Farewell, Bill Melendez

Bill Melendez, the animator who brought the "Peanuts" characters to the small screen, died Sept. 1. He was 91.

Growing up, few things mattered more to me than "Peanuts." Look inside my closet and the top shelf's adorned with stuffed Snoopies and Woodstocks from my childhood. I remember watching the cartoons and movies countless times in my basement.

I tried to think of a fitting tribute and the only thing I could think of is a scene from "Snoopy Come Home." It's when Snoopy is set to leave Charlie Brown to return to his old owner and the gang throws him a going-away party. It's a sad scene, but hilarious at the same time. But the song Charlie Brown sings at the end hits it right on.

Thank you, Bill.

Mother ****** and Grimm

Just saw this on angryasianman's blog. Apparently in the Aug. 17 strip of "Mother Goose and Grimm," cartoonist Mike Peters makes a lame joke about Koreans eating dogs.

Yeah, the Ill-matic Kim Jong's a scourge of the earth, but there are better jokes that can be made than ones that target his ethnicity.

Phun with Photoshop: Obama in Pajamas

I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. I kept singing "Obama in pajamas" throughout the DNC, so I had to throw this together.

And for those of you who don't get the "Bananas in Pajamas" reference, this is the 90s TV show where I got it from:

My readlng list for the week of Aug. 27

I've seen many a' comic book blogger do this with their weekly pick-ups. So here's what I picked up off the racks this week (and you'll quickly notice that I'm a big Marvel fan):

My usual

Kick-Ass #4
Review: 3-1/2 out of four stars
Writer Mark Millar continues to do stellar work with his story about Dave Lizewski, a kid who decides to become a superhero one day. In this issue, he discovers that he's no the only masked vigilante out there as he meets the ultra-violent 10-year-old Hit-Girl and her father, Big Daddy. It's gritty, violent, but oh so fun to read.

New Avengers #44
Review: 2-1/2 out of four stars
This issue of the New Avengers features none of the New Avengers. Instead, it follows the story of how the Skrulls overcame Mr. Fantastic's uber intelligence in order to infiltrate Earth and begin their invasion plans. It was an OK read, nothing special. To be honest, I'm waiting for the end of the "Secret Invasion" story arc. It started off strong, but it's been running slow over the past few months. Heroes are going to die and rumor has it that the two Avengers teams will change. I want to see that, not this "how did it happen" style of storytelling.

Ultimate Spider-Man #125
Review: 2-1/2 out of four
"USM" is one of the best reads out there. The current storyline brings back Ultimate Venom, but carries an interesting twist at the end that's hinted on the cover. Bendis gives us a fun revelation, but it doesn't come until the end. That said, this book will be a must-have for the next few months.

Wolverine #68
Review: 3 out of four
Old Man Logan and a blind Hawkeye are now in the remnants of Las Vegas where Hawkeye's and Spider-Man's daughter's love-child is imprisoned by the new Kingpin. Just like in "Kick-Ass," Mark Millar makes sure there's plenty of violence in this book.

My impulse buy

I Kill Giants #1
Yeah, I know it came out a few months ago, but I didn't hear about it until now. Writer Joe Kelly leads the reader on a story about a fifth grader named Barbara Thorson. She's a bit of an outcast who lives in her own fantasy world, proclaiming to others that she kills giants for a living. It reminds me a lot of "Calvin and Hobbes" with Thorson's over-active imagination. Although she could be see another world that no one else can. Kelly hasn't explored this yet, but it's only issue one. We'll find out more soon.

What I'm planning on picking up next week

Marvel Apes #1
Monkeys in superhero outfits. 'Nuff said.
Savage Dragon #137
The Savage Dragon endorses Barack Obama for president on the cover. That's freakin' awesome! Now if Daredevil endorses John McCain, I'll be set.

What I may pick up, but can't decide

Amazing Spider-Man #170
It's Spider-Man — as a monkey — fighting a Venom as a gorilla! I didn't pick up Daredevil last week, I have to pick this one up this week. Plus, our friendly neighborhood web slinger is rumbling with the Anti-Venom inside. And artist John Romita Jr. is back on the book.

Dynasty-flavored ice cream

When I think of sports dynasties, I think of the Celtics of 50s and 60s, the Edmonton Oilers of the 80s, the Bulls of the 90s, and more recently, the Patriots of the 2000s.

And in the world of competitive eating, no name is more recognized than Takeru Kobayashi and his six-year reign as Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating champion from 2001-06.

But he can move aside because Colorado is home to its own eating dynasty.

Over the past four years, the Taste of Colorado ice-cream-eating title has resided in my family. My nephew Dom was part of the 2005 winning team, my nephew John and me took the crown in 2006 with some random guy and his 7-year-old son who both suffered brain freezes 20 seconds in. In 2007, the three of us with my nephew Nick took the crown.

We came back this year ready to defend the crown as a family this year, but the competition changed to an individual format after an unfortunate incident last year — someone on another team suffered a bloody nose slamming into their frozen treat.

Our dream team was broken up and the competition was now for personal bragging rights. We knew that one of us was going to win — It wasn’t a question of if, it was a question of who.

One of the organizers said that someone finished a pint in the prelims with a time of 56 seconds. We figured that we’d go sub-50.

When the judge said go, Dom attacked the pint, taking half down with his first four bites. I used my consistant method, working on getting faster, smaller bites than bigger ones.

Dom broke off to a big lead like a front-running thoroughbred. But I made a strong push in the latter half like Michael Phelps on Michael Cavic in the 100 m butterfly.

Alas, my push was too little, too late. Dom finished his pint of cookie dough in 45 seconds, while I took down my mint brownie in 48.

No one else came close.

While I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t win, I’m happy that my family has established itself as Colorado’s kings of ice-cream eating.

C’mon Kobayashi, you’re next.

Prohibition party? Sounds lame

I was taking a look at the third-party presidential candidates and I saw that there is apparently still a Prohibition Party.

A political party working toward the prohibition of alcohol irritates me. Being a proud Colorado native, beer is a way of life. From the annual Great American Beer Festival to the numerous high-quality microbreweries in town, there's a reason why Denver's the drunkest city in America, Colorado Springs is third and Aurora is 19th.

But I do admit, presidential candidate Gene Amondson has a good sense of humor about it.

My reading list for the week of Aug. 20

I've seen many a' comic book blogger do this with their weekly pick-ups. So here's what I picked up off the racks this week (and you'll quickly notice that I'm a big Marvel fan):

My usual

Incredible Hercules #120
I randomly picked up this book a few months ago after I found out that Greg Pak was writing it. Since then, it's been one of the ones I look forward to picking up every week. In this issue, Hercules and the rest of the God Squad venture into the Skrull gods world to do battle. Pak hasn't disappointed me with this series, so I don't expect a letdown this month.

Review: 3-1/2 out of four stars
Pak and crew continue their witty, banter-heavy tales of Hercules in this latest issue. It's been one of my favorite pick-ups and this one issue the trend. There's nothing like watching Herc and his God Squad stomping into the Skrull gods' home and rumbling.

Uncanny X-Men #501
Aside from my brief indulgence of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures" in 1990, "Uncanny X-Men" was my first true foray into the world of comic books. Although it's been a few years since I've read them consistently (I think I left off around issue #350), it's always held a special place in my heart. I started reading them again starting with #500 when they moved to San Francisco. Old villains return, new heroes make their appearance. Seems like a good start. Writer Ed Brubaker is apparently one of the hotter names in the business, so I should feel confident that he treats the mutant team well. I'm not sold on artist Greg Land's photo-referencing heavy style — the characters kinda look static — but I can't do anything about that.

Review: 2-1/2 out of four stars
Brubaker is setting up his X-Men crew in San Fran. The gist of this issue introduces the reader to who the main players are going to be for the foreseeable future. Wait — that's what he did in issue 500. He does introduce a mutant-hating group that goes around physically assaulting mutants, but aside from the attack on Pixie, there's no action. It's a decent read, but I'm waiting for more.

Marvel 1985 #4
Writer Mark Millar's story about how characters from the Marvel Universe are somehow appearing in a young boy named Toby Goodman's world is one of the more interesting concepts that I've read in a while. Supposedly there's a tie-in with two of Millar's other storylines right now — "Fantastic Four" and the Old-Man Logan story in "Wolverine" — that's supposed to introduce some new bad ass villain. I need to pick up the past few "Fantastic Four" issues to see what's going on.

Review: 2 out of four
This issue spends its time setting up something big for the next issue. Things happen, but nothing significant enough that would make substantial ground between the last issue and the next issue. Meh.

My impulse buy

Captain America #41 Monkey variant
I like Captain America and I like monkeys. Put them together and it's a no-brainer for me. I'm not really sure what's going on in the series right now, but I've read on other blogs that the storyline is interesting. Whatever. I have a comic with Captain America as an ape on the cover. That rocks!

My usuals that have been dropped

Squadron Supreme 2
Don't get me wrong, issue No. 1 was pretty interesting. It's an look at what DC and Marvel characters would be like in an alternate world. But No. 1 didn't interest me enough to drop another $3 for a comic that's just OK.

Batgirl
Same reason as above. It wasn't bad, but I didn't care enough to pick up a second issue.

What I'm planning on picking up next week

Kick-Ass #4
This is simply the best comic out there right now. Period.
New Avengers #44
This has the best tie-in stories to the Secret Invasion books.
Ultimate Spider-Man #125
A model of consistancy. These are always well written.
Wolverine #68
Old-man Logan goes to part three. I'm curious as to what happened to Wolverine that made him a passive sissy.

What I may pick up, but can't decide

Daredevil #110 Monkey variant
It's Daredevil — as a baboon! How can I go wrong?

Obama's latest endorsement

I'm still holding out to hear what the Hulk has to say.

Downey shows his allegiance

Robert Downey Jr. amuses me.

When Moviehole asked him about his thoughts on "The Dark Knight," this is how he responded:

“I'm like, 'I get it. This is so high-brow and so f---ing smart, I clearly need a college education to understand this movie,'” the actor ranted before adding, “You know what? F--- DC comics. That's all I have to say and that's where I'm really coming from.”

I guess you could say, Make His Marvel.

More Olympic-sized thoughts

Perfection personified
Sweet Jesus.

Michael Phelps went eight-for-eight and broke Mark Spitz's 36-year-old record of seven gold medals in one Olympics.

But he only broke seven world records doing it.

If he had a couple more days, I'm sure he would've finished the games with a dozen golds.

Damn, it feels good to be an American today.


Kings of the mountain Spain, who were considered to be one of the toughest opponents to the U.S. in basketball, were stomped, 119-82.

The Americans have always had far more talent than any other country, but what's different this year than the 2004 team is that they are unselfish. They have three pass-first point guards, but the fact that their star players are willing to let others take over when they're not on their game is helping them destroy the competition.

Oh, and playing defense certainly helps.


Queens of the mountain I can't forget to mention the women's basketball team who have been stomping through their bracket, too. How you turn a four-point halftime lead over Spain into a 40-point drubbing is beyond me.


Dropping the torch
The 100m dash, once a sport dominated by Americans, concluded with only one medal by the U.S. — a bronze by Walter Dix. Tyson Gay, who hasn't been in top form since pulling his hammy during the trials failed to even advance to the finals.

On the women's side, all three Americans made it to the finals, but all failed to medal.

Props to Jamaica for dominating the events. Their women swept, while Usain "Lightning" Bolt got the men's world record with ease. Not bad for a guy who just started running the 100m this year. Scary.

Spain's Chinky-eyed surprise

Recently, ads ran in Spanish newspapers featuring their men's and women's national basketball teams posing with their fingers pulling their eyes back. Then pictures of Spain's tennis team doing the same thing were found.

Good job – there's nothing like mocking an entire race of people with your Chinky-eyed "tribute."

Who's bright idea was that? Who thought it was a good idea to make a stereotypical gesture and not think that people wouldn't be offended?

This isn't helping your country's bid at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Especially when guard Jose Calderon, who also plays for the Toronto Raptors, makes idiotic ramblings on his blog.

"We have great respect for the Far East and its people, some of my best friends in Toronto are originally Chinese, including one of our sponsors, the brand Li Ning," Calderon wrote. "Whoever wants to interpret it differently is completely confusing it."

In short, because he has friends who are of Chinese descent, it makes this perfectly acceptable.

Bull crap.

It's the same excuse used by countless others who try to justify their racist actions. And that's what this is: a racist action.

I don't care if they meant it in jest and they didn't mean to offend anyone. The fact of the matter is, it did offend people, so they need to own up to it.

And Pau Gasol's half-assed apology doesn't cut it.

"It was something supposed to be funny or something, but never offensive in any way," Gasol said to the press. "I'm sorry if anybody thought or took it the wrong way and thought that it was offensive."

Saying you're sorry if people took it the wrong way isn't apologizing. Just ask the editorial staff at The Campus Press for Max Karson's lame article earlier this year.

Gasol and the rest of the Spanish basketball teams and the tennis team need to do a real apology for doing something that was juvenile and idiotic. Will it erase what they did? No, but it would be a start to moving forward.

Olympic-sized thoughts

After a disappointing start by the American men's singles players — two of the three lost in the first round — first-time Olympian James Blake took down Roger Federer to advance to the semifinals.

Not bad for a guy who coming into the match had a record of 0-8 against Federer.

Online Escape: Bowser's Minions

Online Escape: Les Simpsons en Francais

Philippe Peythieu does the best foreign Homer voice.

Proud to be an American

I love the Olympics — I always become hyped up and über-patriotic when this event comes around.

There's something about cheering for national pride when it comes to physical competition. Yeah, there are great stories from other countries and I suppose it's fun to cheer for the underdog, but it's much more fun seeing the U.S. smash the competition.

My favorite American storylines:

Michael Phelps going for eight gold medals
The kid's a beast. I don't see him losing any of his individual matches. It's up to his teammates to keep this dream alive — just follow Jason Lezak's lead.


U.S. Men's Basketball reclaiming their top spot in the world
For years, the U.S. dominated the game of basketball. But the world finally caught up over the past 10 years — this was particularly evident in the last Olympics where the U.S. lost three games and finished 3rd. But can they really lose with Melo, Kobe and LeBron?


Who will be the next U.S. boxing star to come out of these Olympics?
I miss the days when winning gold medals meant a springboard into professional boxing for U.S. amateur athletes. Will there be another Oscar De La Hoya or Roy Jones Jr.? (he should've won that final match). The last gold medalist, middleweight Andre Ward, has been under-the-radar when it comes to the pro game.


Can Tyson Gay bring back the sprinting trophy to the U.S.?
He ran the fastest time anyone has ever run during the trials, but will he be fast enough to take down Usain Bolt?

I bleed red, white and blue, but there is one other country I root for: Vietnam. I still have my ethnic pride and, to be honest, Vietnam doesn't have much of a chance to compete for anything, so I root for them.


And sometimes they surprise me. Vietnamese weightlifter Anh Tuan Hoang, left, took the silver medal in the 56kg division this weekend. It was Vietnam's second medal in any Olympics.