Good Morning, Son

As a writer there are things -- essays, passages, songs -- you read or hear and know you could have (or sometimes feel should have) written. Ben Folds' "Still Fighting It" is one of those things for me. I'm not a huge Ben Folds fan. I liked the single "Brick" that he put out with his old band, Ben Folds Five, but beyond that I'm not someone who claims extensive knowledge of his oeuvre. I do know that "Still Fighting It" is on Folds' first solo album, Rockin' the Suburbs, released September 11, 2001 -- about a month after my son was born. I didn't find the song until a couple of years later, during that time when my son's personality was really starting to emerge. And the lyrics captured right where my head was at the time -- realizing he was "so much like me (I'm sorry)" and how it was "weird to be back here" in Northeast Ohio, where I grew up, as a husband and father. The lump-in-your-throat honesty -- raw and brutal as "Brick", but so heartbreakingly beautiful here -- captures so much about being a dad, and the feelings that confusion evokes.

Revisiting the song today, and coupling that with having just read David's new book (and its underlying theme also about a man stretching and evolving into the role of spouse and provider), and I am suddenly in a most reflective, most appreciative state of mind as Father's Day approaches.

Strung Out in Heaven's High

We've watched the first two episodes of Discovery HD's miniseries When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions, and I'm nearly speechless. I have always loved the stories of America's early space program. I remember the first time I saw The Right Stuff -- based on Tom Wolfe's book about the Project Mercury program -- on HBO with my parents back in the '80s and being transfixed by the story and fascinated by the fact that the real people the actors were portraying were still around.

When I saw the trailer for this new series, where the Discovery Channel was able to open up the NASA vaults and re-master the footage for presentation, I was blown away. Gary Sinise does a fine job of narrating, framing the visually stunning footage in its natural flow and suspense. And as our six year old son observed: "This is like Star Wars... only [in Star Wars] they don't wear spacesuits or helmets, just their regular clothes and a communicator."

My only complaint is that the episodes go by much too quickly. Episode 1, "Ordinary Supermen", covers the Mercury missions in just under an hour. Likewise, episode 2, "Friends and Rivals", presents the Gemini program in the same running time. But that could be considered nitpicking, because I am grateful to see any of this footage at all.

With Akron-ness

My friend David's new book, All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House, is living up to expectations. I picked up my copy at his reading and talk at the Akron Main Library auditorium this past Wednesday and have barely put it down since.

I have known David for about three years now. When my first review for PopMatters was published, I emailed it to him because I knew he had co-written the great book We Are Devo! with Jade Dellinger. He responded graciously and has always been generous with guidance and a kind word ever since.

Before our flight to the suburbs, we lived around the corner from David and Gina. Our house was nothing compared to what they have undertaken, both in the size of the house or in the scope of any sort of needed refurbishment (NYT slide show), but reading the new book now makes me wonder if I should have been asking David for home improvement advice as much as I have asked him for writing guidance! (I think David would modestly say I have been better off without his advice in the home repair arena.)

What's cool for me is that I have actually been inside the house that is really a main character in the new book on a couple of occasions when dropping off or picking up stuff that David and I were exchanging. I've only ever seen the foyer and center hall inside and the garage around back (to turn my car around because, as described in the book, backing out of that drive can be suicide). If I had known the story behind the house beforehand I would have paid more attention to what surrounded me, but it left an impression nonetheless.

We found out at the Library event that All the Way Home has been selected for Oprah's Summer Reading List, which is huge for the book. Combine that with the great profile in the New York Times a couple months ago and the fact that David is the kind of writer who connects with the reader almost immediately, and the book is bound for success and David for even greater heights. From the well-placed music references to the laid-bare emotional confusion of what it means to earn the title of husband/father/provider, there is an inherent urban, metrosexual, hip-ness to David's writing that is off-set perfectly by his ability to appreciate the wonder of the town he has grown up in.

After David's talk at the library, I stood in line with my old neighbors from Highland Square who had also come out to support David, along with my parents who had driven up to hear him speak. I introduced my parents to David, and we all had him autograph our copies of the book. He signed mine, "With Akron-ness," and it couldn't be more appropriate.

"When you lose time, it's forever."

So in honor of my buddy Aaron getting hitched this weekend, I figured I'd dig out Gumbo and share it with the blogosphere. Back in 1994, before he became Mr. Transformers, Aaron set up Deadline Studios and created the character of Gumbo. Aaron handled the art and co-writing, while Jeff McCormack handled writing duties on the book. Even though Aaron had a large scale story plotted out, they only ever produced two issues (which ends on a helluva cliffhanger), but I still have them. My Gumbo t-shirt, on the other hand, is unfortunately long gone -- lost somewhere in moves between Florida and Michigan and Ohio. Regardless, here's a scan of Robin Lindsey's great painting for issue #1, and McCormack's painting for the cover of issue #2.

Like it says on the first page of the first issue of Gumbo, "When you lose time, it's forever." Savor the day, buddy. Congratulations! Here's wishing you and your bride a long, happy, healthy life together! Cheers!

Marvel Unbound - Sub-Mariner: Revolution

Marvel Noise episode 37 was released today and includes another installment of "Marvel Unbound". As always, here on Random Thoughts Escaping is a corresponding entry with links and such. Enjoy!

I have always been intrigued by Marvel's anti-heroes. These complicated characters who often reside in the gray area between the forthright do-goodery of Captain America and the vile nastiness of Doctor Doom are the kinds of characters that I appreciate most.

Ever since first picking up Marvel Team-Up #122 back in 1982, Man-Thing has always seemed pretty cool. Mute, woe begotten, misunderstood. Whenever he shows up in a Marvel title, I'm generally on board. I'm the same way with Marvel's original anti-hero, Namor the Sub-Mariner. I love the angry guy with pointy ears and winged-ankles. He's fiery and arrogant as often as he's exposed and well-intentioned. The oldest comic book I own is one of my dad's that my grandma had kept and given to me: issue #33 of Atlas Comics' Sub-Mariner from 1954. It's falling apart, but its great Bill Everett cover of Namor ripping the oxygen tube of a Soviet diver in half is still hanging on. And I lapped up the mid-'80s four issue mini-series from back in the day.

When I started to really get back into comics last summer, I noticed the Sub-Mariner limited series on the shelves of my local comic book shop, but didn't pursue it at the time. I did keep my eye out, though, and when I saw it coming in trade paperback, I made sure to grab it. Written by Matt Cherniss and Peter Johnson, its proper name is Sub-Mariner: Revolution.

In continuity, it follows the events of Civil War. Tony Stark is Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Mac Gargan's Venom is a member of the Norman Osborn-led Thunderbolts. And all hell is breaking loose. The story revolves around a rogue Atlantean sleeper cell in the Pacific Northwest that is causing problems both above and below sea level. Namor is not trusted by the U.S. government and his kingdom is in disarray because of internal fighting. Throw into the mix some familial conflict and the need to evacuate all of Atlantis (along with the requisite Sue Storm cameo), and you get a fairly entertaining tale.

Much like the current Might Avengers Secret Invasion tie-in issues, this limited series jumps back and forth in time often and confusingly. And although the story arc might not seem as important as some of the others that have shaken things up over the last few years, by the time you get to the final four pages of the book that consist of a first and second epilogue, there is a nice dose of intrigue left hanging over the Marvel Universe. (And if anyone knows if and where this story thread is picked up, please let me know over at the "Marvel Unbound" thread of the Marvel Noise forum. Thanks!)

Phil Briones' art is enjoyable, and his full-page Wolverine on the last page of issue #2 is awesome! There are no real extras in this trade paperback to speak of, but it does include the art from all six covers of the original monthlies which is pretty cool since the six covers were done by five different artists. The covers by Leinil Yu and Marko Djurdjevic on issues #3 and #4, respectively, are fantastic!

Despite containing a somewhat under the radar story and not being able to boast the extras that entice fans to double-dip, you can pick up Sub-Mariner: Revolution for less than it would have cost you at the comic book shop the first time around as monthlies, and I think you'll get your money's worth.

The Grid at Wexner

Bone and Beyond

I have not read Bone, but my son loves the Scholastic graphic novels, and John and his daughter are also big fans. So when I heard over on Comics Playground that the Wexner Center for the Arts down on the campus of The Ohio State University was going to have an 80 panel exhibit of Columbus-based Jeff Smith's work and influences, I suggested the four of us make the short road trip down I-71 to see it. (The hours down and back were filled with a memory provoking '80s playlist on the iPod for the dads, and DS games and Bone trade paperbacks for the kids!)

We had a great time and saw some great work. We were the only four guests in the gallery, along with a security guard. We took our time, soaking in each panel over the next 90 minutes or so. Beautiful stuff. And afterwards, the kids got Bone plushes from the gift shop, then we called one of our old friends from college and met her and her husband for lunch at Eddie George's Grille 27 over on High Street (where my son happily peed on the Michigan logo in the urinal -- I'm so proud), followed up by sharing a small Cold Stone Creamery cup of Ghirardelli chocolate ice cream with Reese's Pieces mixed in with my son. What a great way to pass the day!