Kind of a mixed bag of books for November ... but I enjoyed all of them. August 1961 and June 1962 Marvel Omnibuses These Marvel Omnibus editions reprint the entirety of a month’s worth of Marvel Comics in the historic months of August 1961—when Fantastic Four #1 debuted—and June 1962—when Amazing Fantasy #15 (the first... Continue Reading →
I probably don't have the correct architectural terminology here, but this is a quintessential California image for me, one that I snapped in Santa Monica years ago. The house, the palm tree, the clouds ... all just scream the state's name loudly to me. I don't go to Santa Monica anymore. It's another "lost city"... Continue Reading →
For over 18 years, I lived in downtown San Diego, and while the next line in the song "Downtown" is "You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares ... so go downtown ..." it's really not like that anymore. In fact, it's a little scary. But here are two photos (above and below)... Continue Reading →
Last post, I mentioned the view from Fort Mason Center in 2014 during the final Comic-Con sponsored APE event (look at my previous post for all the gory details). Well, here it is. That's the Golden Gate Bridge off in the distance from Fort Mason's Festival Pavilion. Hard to believe this photo is two years... Continue Reading →
(Above: a badge from APE 2008 designed by me (far left); the APE Exhibit Hall at the Concourse Exhibition Center; and Paige Braddock's simian cartoonist for the APE 2008 Program Book cover, colored by me.) When I look back over my 20+ year career with San Diego Comic-Con, I can definitely see what meant the... Continue Reading →
We sure do have some bee-u-tee-full sunsets here in San Diego-land. This one was taken after a Happy Hour excursion at my favorite Coronado restaurant with one of my favorite San Diego friends. We were driving back to my place and saw the sun setting as we got into my friend's car and decided to... Continue Reading →
I guess a better title for this would be “What I’ve Watched,” since I’ve finished everything I’m writing about, but here we are, so there. Happy Valley Streaming on AMC+ I originally watched this series (which, at present consists of two six-episode seasons) years ago—it first aired in 2014 and 2016 on British TV. A... Continue Reading →
You can pretty much see all of these photos in my UK 2022 Trip Diary posts (scroll down for them), but I wanted to single out a few of my favorite photos from each destination in that trip, before I lay it to bed. It was such a great trip, it's been a bit tough... Continue Reading →
A couple of massive books ate up most of my time in the first full month of fall, but everything I read in October was very enjoyable, even if one of them had a subject matter whom I detest. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton This massive autobiographical graphic novel reveals... Continue Reading →
Normally around this time of year I make my annual trek to New York City. I love NYC in the fall, but the last couple of trips (2019 and last year), I mistimed it and got there before the autumn foliage was in full-bloom color mode. This time of year is also "book season," with... Continue Reading →
The third and final week of my trip to the United Kingdom began with a return to London from the quaint small city of Bath, where I had spent the past three days … To read parts one and two of my trip diary, click here (Part 01) and here (Part 02). As always, where... Continue Reading →
Palm trees and lifeguard stations are two things that will always be synonymous with Southern California in my mind. This atmospheric sunset was taken more than a few years ago in Santa Monica, when that beach town used to be on my list of yearly visits. Sadly, that's no longer the case, so I'm glad... Continue Reading →
The second week of my epic 2022 trip to the United Kingdom saw myself and my friend Laurel back in London just as the official 10-day mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II kicked into high gear. Our daily mileage also really kicked in during this part of the trip, so I’m including what we walked... Continue Reading →
I used to go to Santa Monica a lot. In fact, it was the first place I visited in California, way back in 1991. Then it was filled with bookstores, all along the 3rd St. Promenade. Now? There's only a couple. The giant Barnes & Noble is gone, all the smaller ones like Midnight Special... Continue Reading →
Three years in the making! Once in a lifetime trip! All that hyperbole is true. And in the end (which should be about three posts from now, including this one), I had what may amount to the best—and longest—trip of my life. I began planning this trip pre-pandemic in early 2020. While I had been... Continue Reading →
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