I’m happy to report that the passing of Journalista hasn’t stopped the blogosphere from cranking out some pretty damn strong material over the last few days.
Tim O’Neil gets a Purple Heart for Blogging Bravery: He’s stepped into the void created by Dirk’s absence and churned out a ton of newsworthy links. Tim, my only suggestion is to note the name of the publication you’re linking to when you’re writing up the link, but otherwise, terrific work.
Among the stories Tim links to is the good news that Michigan’s Attorney General has opted to refrain from enforcing the state’s censorious regulation regarding the display of “adult” publications in stores until the case wends its way through the courts. On the bad-news front, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft continues his quest to make sure that no one ever gets randy in this country ever again by bringing an outspoken anti-porn activist into the Justice Department. (And y’know, I was just thinking that what this cash-strapped, militarily engaged, angrily divided country really needs right now is a good old-fashioned culture war!)
Tim (yes, the guy’s on fire) also weighs in with a substantial critique of Milligan & Allred’s X-Statix. I think the series’ high-quality days lasted longer than Tim does–for my money it was great up through and including the point when Guy came to terms with his feelings for and grief over Edie and finally got together with Venus; that’s kind of the end of the story, though, I think–but it’s still worth considering what Tim’s got to say about the book, and whether the aborted Princess Diana storyline would have been any better had Diana actually been in it.
Kevin Melrose also seems intent on working the link-fu. Just click on the fella’s name above and scroll up.
Steven Berg continues his compelling Dark Knight Returns blogging. His two most recent posts focus on Batman’s relationship to his ubervillains–especially the Joker and the ersatz nemesis the Mutant Leader–and how they enable Batman/Bruce Wayne to operate on a transcendental plane of pure justice. Oh, it’s much smarter than I’m making it sound–go check it out.
Steven’s coblogger Rose, meanwhile, goes after the editing, or lack thereof, of Craig Thompson’s Blankets. Personally, I neither noticed nor (therefore) minded any typos or grammatical errors in Thompson’s book, but there is a point to be made here: James Joyce had an editor, but many alternative cartoonists do not.
J.W. Hastings, aka The Forager, looks back on a year of blogging, and tosses in a promise to finally post the essay on Squadron Supreme he promised ages ago. I’m still waiting, J.W.!
J.W. also hands in a slew of tight little comics reviews, including one of the new Marvel Knights Fantastic Four series 4. I haven’t read the book, so I don’t know if this is an accurate assessment, but it’s tough to argue with this Forager quote:
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has bought into the myth that what makes the FF special is that they are a family. No: what makes them special is that they are a family who have been granted super powers by cosmic rays and spend their time travelling to other dimensions and defending the world from nasty, God-like aliens.
Testify!
Speaking of killer quotes, submitted for your approval is Chris Puzak‘s lengthy critique of how much sense it makes that, in the Marvel Universe, superpowered mutants are hated and feared, whereas everyone else who can fly or light on fire or throw cars around is a-okay:
But let