Not Entirely Comic Related

When I started up this blog originally it was going to be a place for me to write about my mishaps along the route to becoming a professional writer. Instead it became basically my comics-only spot. Starting today, however, it will become my catch all blog. One day I might write a handful of comic stuff, the next I might whine about not being able to finish a story or how I don't understand why I should have to outline every little idea I come up with. So yeah, there you have it.

I just finished a book by Bill Bryson (well two books actually, but the other one I finished over a week ago and its barely a memory now) called A Walk in the Woods. Its about his misadventures hiking the Appalachian Trail and I would heartily recommend it if not for the fact that it really drug in parts. At times it became almost a leftist environmentalist rant. However, it was humorous at times and I learned some things I never knew about hiking and the AT itself and I also began to find myself wanting to do some hiking. In fact sitting beside me right now is a book called Hiking Ohio which I picked up from the library. I'm sure hiking in Ohio is rather dull as we have no mountainous terrain but I'm eager to begin some where so I figure I might as well start close to home. For a better book by Bill Bryson try The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. That sent me into fits of hysterics and enticed me to go running around my house reading excerpts to family and visitors on more than one occasion.

I've sent in three manuscripts this past week which is quite impressive if I do say so myself. Frankly, I'd become extremely lazy in my writing in the last few months and just kind of stopped working on short stories all together so this was a positive step for me. I'm also working on turning my children's novel about a dog lost in space into a film pitch, which is something I know nothing about but never let it be said I didn't try something new. I'm also working on a book about my early days entitled "Many Me" which focuses mainly on the more bizarre aspects of being as withdrawn and locked in my own world when I was young. It should be funny and I will post some excerpts in this spot once I get a few chapters in.

I saw The Dark Knight last Friday in a packed out house. How did that movie get so popular so darn fast? Seriously, Batman Begins made nothing compared to what this one is going to do in the end. Was it just due to Heath Ledger's death or did word of mouth pull in the crowds? It is a great movie. Probably the best superhero film ever made, definitely the best Batman movie ever made. Strangely enough I saw Hellboy 2 the following day and actually think I may have received more entertainment from that. But Dark Knight sticks with you. I don't know if it's just the profound bleakness of the whole movie or what but I keep finding myself revisiting aspects of it. Ledger's Joker is by far the best character I can recall in a movie in years, and Michael Cane, Morgan Freeman, Christian Bale, and Aaron Eckhart are all good as well.
But there was something missing. I haven't been able to put my finger on just what but there was something lacking for me in this movie. Maybe after I see it again there won't be but when leaving the theater I just didn't seem to be as overwhelmed as everyone else was. That is not to say it isn't a great movie because it is, I was just the slightest bit let down. Probably just a mood thing or lack of sleep or something. I'll be seeing it again this weekend and then maybe I'll be able to put my finger on it.

I just finished up a huge stack of comics (nearly a month and a half's worth) and I'll be writing up my insightful opinions on those for anyone who may actually visit this site. Till then... yeah.