Tagged: Martha Thomases

ComicMix Columns for the Week Ending Feb. 24, 2008

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  • February 24, 2008

Ah, it’s Oscar time again!  I know I’ll be glued to my seat, whilst falling asleep in it at the same time!  Look for all the geeky movies to win the usual geeky (technical) awards, most of which won’t be given out on the air.  Better to get your geek on reading our ComicMix columns for this past week:

I know Ratatouille will probably win for Best Animated Feature, but I’m still rooting for Persepolis, so there.

The Sweet Smell of Rot, by Martha Thomases

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  • February 23, 2008

 

This is my least favorite time of year.  It’s not that I mind the cold – in fact, this winter’s unnatural warmth has me creeped out – but the darkness.  The days are more dark than light since the middle of September, and it’s more than a month until that changes.  Every day is a bit brighter, but not enough.
 
The wait is excruciating.  
 
Every day, the buds on the trees are a little bit larger, a little bit more plump.  The first tentative shoots of crocus slip through the dirt in the tree pits.  The sparrows fight for twigs to build their nests, or maybe they fight because they’re in gangs, but they are noisy in a way that would be annoying if they were teenagers from the local high school, but charming when we can’t tell what it’s about.
 
It’s not enough.  
 
In just a few weeks, the calorie pear trees will be in bloom, and the chestnut trees, too.  They’ll be covered with white petals, like snow, and the first little leaves will be starting to burst.  The daffodils and tulips will splash color across the public gardens.  The soil will have the sweet smell of rot that comes with spring rain and spring thaw.
 

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ComicMix Columns For the Week Ending Feb. 17, 2008

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  • February 17, 2008

The WGA writers are back at work, thank goodness, so there’s finally some good stuff to watch this President’s Day weekend (how can one have a "day weekend" anyway?).  Meanwhile, our ComicMix columnists have been typing away as usual; here’s what we’ve done for you this past week:

Just as a reminder, Denny O’Neill’s column was a bit waylaid this week so we didn’t get to enjoy it until Friday, but he’s still listed in his usual date order above…

The ‘In’ Crowd, by Martha Thomases

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  • February 16, 2008

 

It would be nice if, now that I’m in my mid-50s, I could stop worrying about whether or not I’m popular. Sensible people get over this in junior high, average people stop in high school, and only a few truly insecure carry it through to college. Grown-ups, who have jobs and responsibilities and hobbies, rarely let such thoughts cross their minds.
 
And then there’s me.
 
One of the most exciting things about this political year is the way outsiders have been welcomed, especially by Democrats. The leading contenders for the nomination are a black man and a woman, both of whom are decidedly wonky in their approach to politics. A Latino man ran a great campaign, and is assumed to be on the short list of possible vice-presidential candidates.
 
This is exciting, and for reasons far beyond the political (although, if this trend means the war will be over and people can stop getting blown up so frequently, and maybe in this country we can have health insurance, that would be great). 
 
Mostly, I can spend ignore these insecurities that have lingered for decades. When I can’t, I try to use my experience for good. By relating to outsiders, I find common cause with racial, ethnic and other minorities who are not always invited to society’s metaphorical proms. 
 

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Lost In ‘Lost’, by Dennis O’Neil

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  • February 15, 2008
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Denny’s column normally runs on Tuesdays, which is great because Denny e-mails it to me on Sundays. For some reason – and for the second or third time – his various e-mail accounts don’t seem to like my various e-mail accounts. We think we’ve straightened it out. Go figure. If computers were cars, we’d all be riding horses.

 

And now, Mr. O’Neil… -MG]

 

While I was sort of half-watching the two Lost specials our pals at ABC television were treating us to recently, I recalled the hot new trend of a couple of years ago. Serialized stories. Nothing resolved until late in the season. They came and they went, those shows, though there are a few survivors, of which my favorite, and apparently the favorite of millions of my fellow citizens (including you?) is the aforementioned Lost.
 
The purpose of the specials, which ran on consecutive evenings, was ostensibly to remind the Faithful of what’s been happening to those funsters on the island, and to clue in the non-Faithful, like me, people who just watch the thing for an hour’s easy amusement, as to what the hell the continuity is. (Another reason for the specials might have been the writer’s strike, now settled; clip shows like these eat up airtime at little cost and need no new material. Or am I being cynical?)
 

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ComicMix Columns For The Week Ending Feb. 10, 2008

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  • February 10, 2008

There’s a new Marshall in town, and he’s laid down the law against punny headers.  So let’s just get down to business and rustle up this past week’s worth of ComicMix columns:

So if ComicMix newbee Rick is the Marshall, does that make me the schoolmarm with the heart of go — nah, I’m more like the extra mumbling "rhubarb" in the background…

The Look of Love, by Martha Thomases

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  • February 9, 2008
 
It was 30 years ago this week that I first slept with the man who would be my husband. This didn’t happen because I sensed he was my soul mate, my other half, the light to my void. I didn’t think he’d be the perfect father to my children. I didn’t think I needed a date for Valentines Day. Neither did it happen because he had a lot of money, a great job, or a fantastic apartment.
 
I thought he was hot, cute and funny. We had met a few months earlier, at a press event, through mutual friends. We discussed the possibility of feminist porn, and he leant me a copy of Anais Nin’s Delta of Venus. Personally, I’m not a big fan of Nin, finding her writing a bit gooey, but it was a hell of a line.
 
Why am I mentioning this, aside from monumental self-absorption? It’s been an interesting life. We’ve had adventures. We’ve had fights. (We’ve also had over a decade of therapy, but that’s another column). We’ve had successes and failures. As a result, we have a lot of stories that we tell our friends and family at dinner parties.
 
Imagine if we had super-powers! We’d have even more stories to tell!
 

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ComicMix Columns For The Week Ending Feb 3, 2008

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  • February 3, 2008

Snackies at hand?  Ready to cheer on the best ads in between the quarters?  Me, I’m psyched to see me some Tom Petty at halftime.  Before they take the field for Superbowl XLIIayeaye!!one!, why not warm up with this past week’s ComicMix columns?:

I love how the titles of those first three columns kind of go together… sex, hate, death (warmed over)… Anyway, Giants in, erm, four, just to be weird…

Ding-Dong, the Witch is Dead, by Martha Thomases

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  • February 2, 2008
rudy_giuliani_dress-1369043It is hard for me to write about politics without frothing at the mouth. A lot of commentators are entertained by the horse race – who’s ahead, who’s behind, who’s sprained a limb, who’s coming out of the pack in a surprise advance – but I can’t forget that elections affect jobs, healthcare, education, the environment, and for some people, it’s a life-or-death decision. Many are the times I’ve scared my cat by screaming at the television, either at a commentator’s remarks or at the President who inspired them.
 
Tuesday night, I scared my kitty again. This time, they were screams of joy. Rudy Giuliani had lost the Florida primary.
 
There is a myth that Rudy cleaned up New York City, that he was a tough but fair elected executive who made the Big Apple safe for tourists. In truth, he terrorized the city, embarrassed us with his childish antics, and would have had to slink away from office if there hadn’t been a terrorist attack on his city for him to exploit.
 
Let’s consider one of his claims: he cleaned up Times Square. It is true that there used to be a wide variety of shops in that neighborhood that sold entertainments of a prurient sort. It’s also true that today, there are hardly any. Instead of sleazy shops and movie theaters, there are massive chain stores and franchise restaurants. It looks about as dangerous as a suburban mall – and about as interesting.
 
You may wonder why that’s so bad. Aren’t there a lot more people coming to New York to shop in Times Square now? Doesn’t that create a lot more jobs?
 

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Quesada and Colbert – Together Again!

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  • January 28, 2008

Well, given the writer’s strike and the fact that people have to cross picket lines in order to get in the building, The Colbert Report doesn’t  announce their guests in advance. But Marvel Comics does. 

Marvel Comics today announced that Joe Quesada, editor-in-chief, will be a guest on The Colbert Reporton Tuesday, January 29. In order to do so, he must cross the Writers Guild picket line outside the program’s mid-town Manhattan studio.

The WGA has been on strike since early November, seeking (among other things) a share of Internet revenue and a larger portion of DVD profits. Ironically, the Marvel film studio just signed an interim agreement with the WGA last week.

The last time Quesada appeared on the show, the gave Colbert Captain America’s shield. Since his appearance is the very night before the release of the return of Captain America (Bucky gets promoted), perhaps Joey needs it back.

Then again, perhaps it won’t be Joe Quesada. Maybe it’ll be a Skrull. Skrulls would cross picket lines.

The Colbert Report airs on Comedy Central 11:30 PM Eastern and Pacific.

Martha Thomases co-wrote this here article.

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