Around the ‘Net

One of the most informative sites on the ‘net is Skeptoid, created and hosted by Brian Dunning. I have a deep and abiding interest in “weird phenomena” investigation, and Brian is one of the finest experts in the business. Each week, he does a short podcast about unexplained phenomena or a famous urban legend. He investigates each subject as scientifically as possible and forms intelligent, rational explanations for some of the stories we’ve all heard. Particular favorites include Nostradamus (#66), ghost hunting (#81 and many others), Pope Joan (#353), 9-11 Truthers (#85), UFOs (#94 and many others), the Mothman (#159) and Astrology (#173). The Kelly-Hopkinsville Encounter (#331) is a particular favorite, since it takes place in Kentucky. I heard the story years ago and it was so bat-crap crazy I couldn’t make heads or tails out of what really happened. Turns out no one else can either.

Brian Dunning, Head Skeptoid

Dunning also deals with food fads, the Men in Black, Area 51, local monsters, crop circles and hundreds of other subjects. Some of the most interesting are the “Real or Fictional” entries, which deal with incidents, historical figures and historical places. I consider myself knowledgeable about some of those subjects and can never get all of the “real or fictional” questions right. I listen to Skeptoid as a podcast—I’ve listened to all 404 episodes so far, with new ones each week—but it also comes as a weekly printed email if you would like to read it. It’s a quick and interesting way to stay informed on urban legends and unexplained phenomena from all over the world. Unexplained that is, until you experience Skeptoid.

Books - Donnybrook by Frank Bill

 

Donnybrook by Frank Bill is a fun (if dark and violent) first novel. An ensemble cast works its way across Kentucky and Indiana for a private bare knuckle fighting championship, the Donnybrook. No heroes here, but there are some sympathetic characters, and some evil SOBs. You’d think this would be a “fight formula” book where each match is described and the good guy overcomes overwhelming odds to win the prize. Nope. Each entrant (some unwilling) has a back story and the Donnybrook is a small part of the overall story. But fights? Boy are there fights. Brawlers, martial artists, boxers and other combatants compete in the streets, in houses, in the fields and in the ring as everyone fights to get what they want. There are more broken bones, crushed noses and fistfights per page than any book I’ve ever read. People are beaten, shot, kicked, stabbed, dragged by cars, and that’s just by page three! Characters take an enormous amount of punishment. The ending leaves room for a sequel (with the characters left alive), and that I would enjoy reading. Recommended if you have a high tolerance for violence. The characters certainly do.

Rating: *** 1/2 out of 5 stars

Secret Origins



Some Prime '70s Comics Goodness

I tend not to have an addictive personality. I’ve never been drunk, I’ve never been high. One of my few addictions is comic books. More specifically, I’m addicted to stories told with words and pictures. I’m at my LCS (local comic store for non-Big Bang Theory watchers) every Wednesday on New Comic Day.

My mom bought me comics to devour long before I could read. At the time I’m sure I was drawn in by their garish colors, Pow! Wham! graphics and bold action. When I learned to read I enjoyed the stories of good vs. evil, with the square-jawed good guys always coming out on top. Most kids like me tend to drop their four-color habit when they discover girls. I kept both as hobbies, even to this day.

 

Superman #193

The first comic I remember reading was Superman #193. The villainous Lex Luthor had killed Superman in an “imaginary story” (aren’t they all?), and heroes were lined up for miles to pay their last respects to the Man of Steel. Around the same time I discovered Spider-Man and his pals at Marvel Comics, with sophisticated stories aimed at a slightly older reader. I never stopped reading and today have over 24,000 comics and growing. They take up way too much space.

While I still love capes and superheroes, I don’t buy too many of today’s superhero comics. Once non-political adventure stories, mainstream superhero comic books have become mired in politically correct agenda-pushing instead of storytelling. This is fine for creator-owned comics or comics specifically labeled for adults. But I’m not sure why a child reading a superhero book needs to be exposed to alternative lifestyles, attacks against capitalism, and glorification of one side of the political spectrum (guess which one). These are books where characters lift tanks and shoot beams out of their eyes. Can’t we just stick to storytelling? I don't mind expression of those things at all. I just think all-ages superhero comic stories are not the appropriate place for those messages.

On the positive side, there are more genres and types of comics today than ever before, and I still love that medium for telling stories. There are zombie books, crime books, pulp hero books, sci-fi, horror, manga, something for every taste. I’ll be exploring some of the best of these in the days and weeks to come.

Comic Strips - Baron Bean and The Gumps

Baron Bean is the first volume in a new series of affordable compilations of early comic strips from the Library of American Comics. These daily strips were originally published in 1916, about a ne'er do well layabout with a fake European title. Apparently those were all the rage in America in the early 20th century. Frankly, the book was a bit of a slog. After the first ten or so strips you get the idea; the Baron is hungry and can't afford lunch. Also, cultural references and some of the things people found funny were apparently different 100 years ago. Some strips just left me scratching my head, not getting the joke. I'm not sure if the gag was dumb, I am, or someone from that era would find it hilarious. There is some humor to be found, and reading the compilation was like looking into a time machine. But I can't wholeheartedly recommend the book except perhaps for curiosity value. However, the presentation, graphics and production values of the book (and subsequent volumes) are exquisite. And the unique, one-strip-per-page design is a great way to read these comics.

The Gumps is the second volume in the series and is much, much better. It's from 1928-29, when the strip had already been running for 10 years. The storyline is one that changed newspaper comics, "The Saga of Mary Gold." Strip creator Syd Smith was experimenting with sequential storytelling and continuity, some of the first in comics. Andy and Minerva Gump are just normal folks in the suburbs. The book begins when their neighbors the Golds move in next door. The families become fast friends, and the youngest Gold daughter, Mary, is soon romanced by two beaus, an inventor and a banker. The banker ends up framing the inventor for a large cash theft, then moves in and gets the girl while the good boyfriend goes to jail.

Apparently this caused a national uproar in the late '20s. Smith was talented at stringing out the daily dose of drama, something new to comic strips. Will the inventor get out of jail? Will the real criminal get his? Will the lovebirds be reunited? Letters rolled into the syndicate by the hundreds of thousands. On the national stage, politicians, business leaders and movie stars begged Smith to resolve his storyline and give the villain his comeuppance. Eventually all is made right, but the storyline ends on a tragic, unexpected note. This drove audiences insane in 1929, when they weren't used to such somber drama in the funnies.

Witty and funny with a great story and sense of dramatic tension, The Gumps is still fresh after 80 years. More like this, please.

The Supernatural and Skepticism

 

 

I am a skeptic. I don’t generally believe in the supernatural. I do believe in God—to me there is too much evidence of a divine creator of the universe not to. But I put no faith in ESP, telekinesis, Bigfoot, alien abductions, remote viewing, mediums and fortune telling, ghosts, astrology, or any of the other things claiming to be supernatural. Why? Evidence.

The skeptic’s creed is “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” Not proof, mind you, but evidence. Don’t get me wrong, I would love for any of those things to exist or be real. Who wouldn’t want proof of an alien culture? To picnic with Bigfoot? To know tomorrow’s sports scores? I don’t think any of those things are beyond the realm of possibility. But I believe in the scientific method for testing the natural world.

The biggest problem is that there are too many natural explanations for seemingly supernatural events. The famous Loch Ness Monster photo from the ‘40s has been thoroughly debunked, as has the Patterson Bigfoot film. The Skeptical Inquirer is a monthly magazine that looks at supernatural phenomena through the lens of the scientific method and the supernatural comes up short every time.

The Amazing Randi

James Randi is an inspiration to skeptics everywhere. He not only exposes fake “psychics” and notions of all kinds, but his foundation offers a $1 million reward for any proof of psychic powers. The arguments I’ve heard against Randi are laughable. “No psychic would take that dare, money is not important to them.” Really? When is the last time Madame Zanzabob offered a palm reading free? Why not prove to the world you are a legitimate psychic, then donate the money to your favorite charity? Why? Because there are no provable psychic powers. Almost every UFO story can be explained rationally if you look at it close enough (except a recent one in Iran—more about that in the future but it really rocks the world). Back to Bigfoot—there are entire families of 8-foot hominids roaming throughout North America, but no one has taken a reasonably good photo? Or found a decomposing body? Or given them beef jerky?

Don’t get me started on the ridiculous “ghost chasing” shows. Educationally-challenged, spiky-haired troglodytes wander through deserted buildings at night and think they see stuff? Uh, yeah, it’s dark and scary in there. And I love their “EVP” recordings of ghost voices. Someone hears “Ummmmmmmmm,” and instead of realizing it’s an electric generator, shouts “OMG! It’s the preamble to the Constitution!” Not that such shows are meant to be taken seriously, but I’ve sat in rooms with people watching them that swallow the stuff hook, line and sinker. I would love to see a counterpoint show of skeptics giving alternative, rational explanations of what people are seeing and hearing. I’m not sure that would be a ratings winner, but perhaps it would be. It definitely wouldn’t be as exploitive.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Make no claims without it.

Music

Loreena McKennitt is one of my favorite musical artists—I’ve been following her work since the ’80s. There is no one out there like her. She finds inspiration in Celtic traditions, Middle Eastern music and so many other world influences. I managed to catch her in concert and it was one of the finest shows I’ve ever seen. Her first “Best Of” compilation is out today, called The Journey So Far. Here is a three-minute promo for it. If you don’t know her music, do yourself a favor and watch this. I recommend everything she’s ever done.

Movies

The Sweeney is an excellent British crime flick. Ray Winstone leads a Shield-like strike team (Shield as in the Michael Chiklis police drama, not the awful Marvel Comics travesty) that beats thugs with baseball bats first and asks questions later. Smoking hot Haley Atwell (Pillars of the Earth, Captain America) is a fellow team member with whom Winstone’s character is having an affair. Her husband is a cop with the British version of Internal Affairs, who starts to investigate the team. Put this together with the main plot of some nasty bank robbers who aren't afraid to use mass murder and property damage to gain their filthy lucre, and the drama boils over into a great little action movie. Gritty and violent, The Sweeney is a treat for crime movie buffs. Not to mention Winstone, one of the most watchable and intense actors in the business.

Rating: **** Stars out of 5