Hawkguys and Pizza Dogs
...and stuff.
Just a quick one today.
TV. Hawkeye Trailer! In case you missed it —
COMICS. If the Hawkeye show looks appealing and you haven’t yet read the award-winning series it’s based on, you can check it out on Comixology here. I know I’m biased, but it’s a truly astonishing work that reads as if that level of craft was effortless. (This doesn’t seem possible with the show coming up, but it looks like Hawkeye: My Life As A Weapon is out of print…? Is that… C’mon. Seriously?)
COMICS. HUGE THANKS to everyone who’s pre-ordered signed copies of Historia Book One from Books with Pictures Eugene pre-order link. For those of you who enjoy data like I do, we’re currently at 260 copies ordered by 194 individuals from the following US States (in blue):
…plus 9 international orders, including one from Denmark and one from Columbia.
Just so you know how cool this is, this is a little shop in a small college town and their record for pre-orders before Historia was 50 copies of one book that were ordered by a single individual who was investing in order to get a 1:50 variant. So this is neat. And I appreciate you.
(Phil and I did a Zoom for DC on Historia yesterday and once that’s edited into a thing, I’ll share it with you.)BOOKS. All of the Marvels: A Journey to the Ends of the Biggest Story Ever Told
“Wolk hasn’t just read the entire Marvel catalog—an extraordinary feat all on its own—he’s managed to extract thematic and narrative threads from the the longest running continuous narrative in human history and to identify key pillars upon which to build his exploration of what the Marvel universe is, and what’s so damn interesting about it. No prior knowledge or familiarity with Marvel (or comics, even!) is expected or required, which means this is it, the book we’ve been waiting for, the long-desired guidebook for newcomers and lifelong fans alike. If someone is curious about getting into Marvel comics and doesn’t know where to start? Start here.” —Kelly Sue DeConnick (Captain Marvel, Avengers Assemble)
Book with Pictures Portland pre-order link for All of the Marvels.AUDIOBOOKS. I’m actually reading a physical copy of HOW TO TAKE SMART NOTES by Sönke Ahrens right now, but I love audiobooks so I was delighted to see it should be available on Audible soon.
AUDIOBOOKS. Okay, I just finished listening to FACE THE MUSIC: A LIFE EXPOSED by Paul Stanley and it’s… good! If you follow me on Twitter, you may have gleaned at some point that I have a soft spot for KISS that goes back to when I enlisted in the KISS Army at age 8. (I’m also fond of pointing out that I never received any discharge papers, so I might still get called up. If it happens, I’m ready.)
My friend Colin asked me if it would be good listening for a road trip he has coming up and here’s the gist of how I replied:
I hesitate to recommend it because it’s largely terrible rock ’n roll garbage… but that said — I like terrible rock ‘n roll garbage. Like… a lot. And it’s terrible rock ’n roll garbage written by a dude who is self-aware and not an idiot. (I think Stanley’s actually a musical theater nerd in his heart, he just ended up playing the same role for most of 50 years.) The first few chapters are actually quite good — the opening, in particular, is excellent. The middle was a bit of a slog as it becomes something of a chronicle and I’m more interested in his thoughts about this stuff than I am in the “this is what happened.”
Stanley’s disdain for Peter Criss is kind of hilarious, but it doesn’t put me off--probably for two reasons a) because Stanley doesn’t spare himself critique and b) because the things that really drive him nuts about Criss are that Criss doesn’t appreciate what he has and that he’s lazy. There are two buttons for me as well, so... the negativity doesn’t bother me. Stanley clearly has an affection and respect for Frehley, but cannot wrap his mind around the throes of addiction--not in Frehley’s case and not Bill Aucoin’s. He makes peace with the latter, though, and it’s lovely. And it’s interesting how he compartmentalizes Gene. Like… he knows Gene’s an asshole. But he and Gene have the same work ethic and the same goals, so even though the two men are wildly different, the partnership works. The only bit of score-settling I noticed or remember was a little story about Slash, but it clearly comes from the fact that Stanley’s feelings are hurt. He never disparages or plays down Slash’s talent.
Anyway, it’s not Motley Crue’s THE DIRT and if you have any affection for KISS, I recommend it. And like I said, Stanley’s smarter and more self-aware than anyone expects.
Anyway. I Have A Lot of Thoughts About Kiss. And I legitimately want to do a KISS project one day. Not at all kidding.MURDER/PODCASTS. Speaking of interests that are vaguely shameful, but that I could actually defend in an essay for the amount of thinking I’ve done around them--True Crime updates! I spent a full 45 minutes on Saturday morning explaining the Murdaugh Family to Henry Leo. Yeah, I know. Mom of the Year. The tone isn’t overly journalistic but (the reporter has no problem reporting rumors or making insinuations--she offers caveats, but… still) the easiest way to get caught up is probably the Murdaugh Murders Podcast.
MOIDER/PODCASTS. I’m expecting an update to the Piketon Massacre Podcast any day now, as Angela Wagner confessed on Friday.
AD(H)D and SYSTEMS. Picking up a little on the discussion from a previous newsletter, I’m trying to make time to learn Roam Research, specifically how to use Roam to build a Zettelkasten.
AD(H)D and PODCASTS. I love the Ologies Podcast and I kick Dad Ward a dollar a month on Patreon, which is how I found out she’s got an upcoming episode with Dr. Russell Barkley. Patrons get to submit questions, if you want to join me in supporting her. (The Ologies Podcast episode “Eudemonology (HAPPINESS) with Dr. Laurie Santos” was so good I not only sent it to my current AA sponsee, I also subscribed to The Happiness Lab podcast.)
GEAR. Holy crap I just ordered this:
DOG GEAR. Padfoot, our 9 month old Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Shepherd mix has teeth made of razors. During a 20 minute walk with me this morning he managed to chew ENTIRELY THROUGH his leash--not once, but twice! It was one of the Kong brand leashes that’s meant to be extra strong. Pfft. Can anybody recommend an alternative? Preferably not chain link.
LAGNIAPPE. Thanks for making it to the end. Our family did KISS holiday cards in 2018. Check it out —
