(1) While I missed the story when this was done for the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz movie, the image is still good for a laugh.
Super-sized version of the infamous Witch’s legs, complete with sparkling red ruby slippers, replicating an iconic scene from the movie ‘The Wizard of OZ’ in central London on December 1, 2009. As part of the Wizard of Oz Christmas season at Harrods.
(2) “The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise” is one of the iconic skits from Saturday Night Live’s first season in 1976. A.V. Club writer Phil Dyess-Nugent discussed it in a 2013 retrospective:
The acknowledged sketch-comedy masterpiece in these episodes is “The Last Voyage Of The Starship Enterprise,” a marvelously detailed Star Trek parody with a very fan-geek sensibility—which is a surprise coming from the writer, O’Donoghue, who you might not think of as the kind of person who would declare fealty to a cult sci-fi TV show. Maybe that, too, is in indication of how much the world has changed. Here’s another: The network suit played by Gould who appears on the deck of the Enterprise to explain the show’s cancellation has nothing to say about demographics or desirable marketing niches, but simply “low Nielsen ratings.” Chevy Chase’s Mr. Spock explains to his captain that Nielsen ratings “were a primitive system of estimating television viewers, once used in the mid-twentieth century.”
(3) Another Lovecraft-inspired brew from Naragansett Beer will be released at a party October 10 in Providence, RI.
Back from the dead just in time for the spookiest month of the year, our beloved Bock has morphed into the Reanimator Helles Lager. At 6.5% ABV and 35 IBUs, we’ve reanimated our classic Bock by dry-hopping it with Czech Saaz to boost its hop presence with a sophisticated and spicy twist. You won’t want to miss this Lovecraft inspired brew and you can be one of the first try it on Saturday, October 10th at the Columbus Theatre! The party starts at 8PM and a special screening of Re-animator starts at 9PM to celebrate the film’s 30th Anniversary and the release of our latest beer!
(4) Charles Stross is worried that low Earth orbit will eventually become as trash-strewn as an LA freeway onramp, which will make it nearly impossible to use it for satellites and navigation.
Here’s a technological question with philosophical side-effects that’s been bugging me for the past few days …
Today, the commercial exploitation of outer space appears to be a growth area. Barely a week goes by without a satellite launch somewhere on the planet. SpaceX has a gigantic order book and a contract to ferry astronauts to the ISS, probably starting in 2018; United Launch Alliance have a similar manned space taxi under development, and there are multiple competing projects under way to fill low earth orbit with constellations of hundreds of small data relay satellites to bring internet connectivity to the entire planet. For the first time since the 1960s it’s beginning to look as if human activity beyond low earth orbit is a distinct possibility within the next decade.
But there’s a fly in the ointment.
Kessler Syndrome, or collisional cascading, is a nightmare scenario for space activity. Proposed by NASA scientist Donald Kessler in 1978, it proposes that at a certain critical density, orbiting debris shed by satellites and launch vehicles will begin to impact on and shatter other satellites, producing a cascade of more debris, so that the probability of any given satellite being hit rises, leading to a chain reaction that effectively renders access to low earth orbit unacceptably hazardous…..
(5) In the meantime, space exploration continues unimpeded by junk in the sky, as they will be happy to explain tomorrow at JPL’s annual Open House.
Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, October 11, 2015
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
No tickets or reservations required
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, invites the public to its annual Open House on October 10-11,2015. The event is free of charge and takes visitors on a “ride” through the wonders of space. Highlights include a life-size model of Mars Science Laboratory, demonstrations from numerous space missions, JPL’s machine shop, where robotic spacecraft parts are built, and the Microdevices Lab, where engineers and scientists use tiny technology to revolutionize space exploration.
(6) The work of composer John Williams is synonymous with science fiction media. He will be honored with the AFI Life Achievement Award on June 9, 2016. Williams is the 44th winner, but the first composer to receive the award.
John Williams’ storied career as the composer behind many of the greatest American films and television series of all time boasts over 150 credits across seven decades. Perhaps best known for his enduring collaboration with director Steven Spielberg, his scores are among the most iconic and recognizable in film history, from the edge-of-your-seat Jaws (1975) motif to the emotional swell of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and the haunting elegies of Schindler’s List (1993). Always epic in scale, his music has helped define over half a century of the motion picture medium. Three of Williams’ scores landed on AFI’s 100 Years of Film Scores — a list of the 25 greatest American film scores of all time — including the unforgettable Star Wars (1977) soundtrack, at number one. With five Academy Award wins and 49 nominations in total, Williams holds the record for the most Oscar nominations of any living person.
Besides Star Wars, he’s written themes for TV’s The Time Tunnel, Lost In Space, Land of the Giants, and movies like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Superman.
(7) Lela E. Buis tries to fathom what kept Michael A. Burstein from winning any of the Hugos he’s been nominated for —
More today on Michael A. Burstein, who’s been nominated 10 times for a Hugo but never won. Just achieving the nomination shows he was a very popular author during these years. His nominations include the short story category, which requires at least 5% of the cast nominations in order to appear on the ballot. So what’s the problem? What was he missing that would have put him over the top?
(8) The third installment of Superversive Blog’s interview with Ruth Johnston, author of Re-modeling the Mind: Personality in Balance, is titled “If You Had Introverted Intuition, My Dinosaur”.
L. Jagi Lamplighter poses the questions in this series described as “Speculative Fiction meets Jung.” Rachel Swirsky’s now-famous story is the subject of analysis this time.
[Ruth Johnson] A: I think this story is a wonderful example of the hardest to explain, most mysterious mental function we can observe in personality: Introverted Intuition. Both kinds of Intuition are involved in a search for meaning, but Introverted Intuition is particularly intent on finding cloaked, disguised, suppressed truth.
I think that’s what this story is about. Of course, it isn’t really a story; it’s a scene that poses questions about meaning. There isn’t any movement in plot, rather the motion consists of a gradual revealing of the speaker’s state of mind. The scene: A woman sits by a hospital bed, where her fiancé, an archeologist, is in a coma. He was beaten by five drunken men for unknown reasons. The only dinosaur in the story is in her imagination, of course, as she envisions what would have been different if he had been even a small carnivore. The title poses the question: what if, instead of being who you are, you had been something else?
I think the key to the story is that she feels a small Tyrannosaurus Rex would have been a truer form for the soul of the man she loves. It would reveal his true nature, whereas his powerless natural appearance forms a kind of mask that makes him look like he ought to be a victim. The exercise in imagining is pointless if being a dinosaur wasn’t somehow a truer truth than the natural one; otherwise we could ask what if he were a Mack truck or an onion. By emphasizing that the dinosaur would be the same size as the human, she is making it clear that she sees the transformation as revelation, not random change. “If you actually looked like your true inner nature, my love, then people would see that you are strong and this would be a deterrent to getting hurt.”
When you posit that the appearance of a human being might be a disguise, a false archetype that covers truth, you are deep into Introverted Intuition’s territory.
(8) Disney and Lucasfilm will hold a massive world premiere for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Los Angeles on Dec. 14, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. A premiere in London immediately follows.
(9) See the trading card with the most explicit Star Wars photo of all time.
The final chapter in the story of the biggest boner in Topps’ history.
The year was 1977 and the U.S. was caught in the throes of a pop culture phenomenon unlike anything it had seen before, all because of a little movie called Star Wars. The Topps Company, known for making pocket-sized stacks of popular baseball players since the 1930s, lucked out when Kenner’s subsidiary Donruss passed on the Star Wars license. What followed was one of the most successful series of trading cards ever created.
Five sets of cards and stickers were produced over the course of two years. In a time before the Wookiepedia, these were one of the few ways to get in-depth information about the beloved soon-to-be franchise. But the original editor of those cards, Gary Gerani, and his team made one small mistake that will go down in history.
(10) Today in History
Is the anniversary literally today? I don’t know, but Prague’s astronomical clock is 605 years old, and Google has marked the occasion today, October 9, with a Google Doodle.
The ornate clock, known as the Orloj, is one of Prague’s most recognised touristic spectacles, and is located in the Old Town Square in the centre of the city. Its hourly shows draw curious visitors from all over the world, where 12 apostles emerge from two windows to nod at the crowds below.
https://instagram.com/p/8GZCYnGeVg/
(11) Creature Features presents The Monster Squad on October 11:
1PM – Sun Oct 11, 2015
$15 – $65 – The Theatre at Ace Hotel, Los Angeles
Creature Features haunts The Theatre at Ace Hotel with this special cast & crew reunion screening of THE MONSTER SQUAD, the epic 1987 smackdown between an intrepid band of middle schoolers and five of horrordom’s most fearsome beasties, led by Count Dracula himself!
This spook-tacular matinee showing will include two panel discussions before and after the film, hosted by Eric “Quint” Vespe of Aint It Cool News. Guests include: actors Andre Gower, Ryan Lambert, Ashley Bank and Stephen Macht, make-up FX artists Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, and composer Bruce Broughton, who will be on hand to premiere the brand new deluxe CD release of his score to the film, courtesy of La-La Land Records.
(12) This brings back memories. The cartoon commercial for Bonomo Turkish Taffy
(13) A Gamera remake is on the way. There was a trailer shown at this weekend’s New York Comic Con.
(14) I know that people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, so I will remain silent about “The Competitive World of AOL Disc Collecting”.
The discs came like a swarm of locusts, burrowing into post boxes and sliding through mail slots. They popped out of cereal boxes and appeared on meal trays during airline flights. They fell out of magazines and Happy Meals. They were stocked at the checkout counters of Best Buy, near the popcorn at Blockbuster, on bookshelves at Barnes & Noble. The ubiquity of AOL discs—those free marketing materials sent by American Online in the 90s to entice people to sign up for internet service—could be likened to world domination….
Of the bunch, Sloan Cline is arguably the most prolific collector. By her estimates, she has over 4,000 unique AOL discs stored in the basement of her home in Kansas. Every CD in her collection is different: There are discs in every color, ones in plastic cases or shrink-wrap packaging, ones promising various hours on the free trial. Versions one through three came on floppy disk, and some of the early ones came in metal tins—Sloan Cline has those kinds, too. There were also branded AOL discs, like her prized Marvel Spider-Man disc, and foreign AOL discs, which she got from her friends in Canada and Argentina.
(15) The National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, NY has announced the shortlist for 2015 induction. The selection will be revealed November 5. The Hall of Fame typically inducts three toys each year, with last year’s honors going to miniature green army men, the Rubik’s Cube and bubbles.
The 2015 finalists are: American Girl dolls, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, spinning tops, Twister, Wiffle Ball, Battleship, puppets, Jenga, coloring books, Playmobil, Super Soaker and scooters.
The National Hall of Fame said the toys are judged based on icon status, longevity, discovery and innovation.
(16) Today’s Birthday Boys
Born 1950 – David Brin
Born 1954 — Scott Bakula, famed for Quantum Leap and as Captain Jonathan Archer on Enterprise.
Born 1964 – Guillermo del Toro, acclaimed movie director.
(17) Guillermo del Toro talked about his second house/man cave which is filled with all sorts of horror movie memorabilia on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
And he graciously worked the crowd outside.
[Thanks to Iphinome, Will R., Andrew Porter, Martin Morse Wooster, and John King Tarpinian for some of these stories. Title credit goes to File 770 contributing editor of the day Sylvia Sotomayor.]
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I finished Sword of the South by David Weber yesterday. It could have used a final proofread (line edit? Whatever it’s called which catches typos). The number of times I had to stop and reread a sentence to remove an “and” or “the” so the sentence made sense was at an all time high. I’ve gotten used to the lack of higher level editing but a trad publishing house should be performing basics if they want to sneer at self-publishing:
1. Professional quality cover
2. Decent editing and fantastic proofreading
3. Good looking interior
Not “any combination of the three” but those 3 at a minimum. I don’t think I’m expecting too much.
Toni Weisskopf has written a number of articles (and speaches at con I attended) which haven’t given me the warm fuzzies towards her as a consumer. She has appeared to be with the puppies, not done anything to disabuse the notion, and given her editing decision (direction she is taking Baen, hands off & team editing) has not impressed me. Her authors may love her but I think many could benefit from more hands on editing and better PR decisions.
redheadedfemme: I would bet the usual commentariat probably numbers in the low three figures.
Mark: No. of filephiles? Hmm, brackets have had 50+ votes, and nowhere near everyone will have voted (or been able to decide!), so 100 regular commenters is certainly conceivable, for vague values of regular.
Well, I’ve been able to come up with a little fewer than 200 people who comment here with some frequency (and I know I’ve missed some, apologies if you’re one of them). Throw in another couple hundred lurkers, and Ms Weisskopf still has more than 2,000 No Award votes that don’t fit her File770 conspiracy theory.
Aaron
Al the Great and Powerful
alexvdl
Amina
Andrew M
Andyl
Ann Somerville
Anna Feruglio Dal Dan
Anthony
‘As You Know’ Bob
Beth in MA
BethZ
BigelowT
bloodstone75
bookworm1398
Bravo Lima Poppa
brightglance
Bruce Arthurs
Bruce Baugh
C A Collins
Cadbury Moose
Cally
Camestros Felapton
Cassy B
Cat
Cheryl S
Chris Hensley
Chris Nelson
Chris S
Christian Brunschen
CKCharles
clif
Cora Buhlert
CPaca
Cubist
Daniel Dern
Darren Garrison
Daveon
David Goldfarb
David Shallcross
Dawn Incognito
Devin
Dex
DMS
Doctor Science
Ed
elise mattheson
emgrasso
Emma
eselle28
estee
Eve
Gabriel F
Ginger
Graydon
Greg
Greg Hullender
GSLamb
Gully Foyle
guthrie
Hampus Eckerman
Harold Osler
Heather Rose Jones
Hypnotsotov
Iain Coleman
Ian
IanP
Iphinome
Jack Lint
James Davis Nicoll
James Moar
Jamoche
Janice
jayn
Jenora Feuer
Jim Henley
JJ
Joe H
Johan P
Jon F Zeigler
Jonathan Edelstein
junego
Karl-Johan Norén
Kate
Kathodus
Ken Josenhans
Kendall
Kevin Hogan
Kevin Standlee
Kurt Busiek
Kyra
Laertes
Lauowolf
Laura Resnick
Laura “Tegan” Gjovaag
Lenora Rose
Lexica
Lin McAllister
Lis Carey
Lorcan Nagle
LordMelvin
Lori Coulson
Lucy Kemnitzer
LunarG
lurkertype
Lydy Nickerson
Mark
Mark Dennehy
Marshall Ryan Maresca
Mart
Martin Wisse
Mary Frances
Matt Y
Matthew Johnson
Maximillian
MaxL
May Tree
M.C. Simon Milligan
McJulie
Meredith
Michael Eochaidh
Michael J Walsh
Microtherion
mk41
Morris Keesan
mrc
msb
Neil W
NelC
Niall McAuley
Nicholas Whyte
Nick Mamatas
NickPheas
Nicole J. LeBoeuf-Little
Nigel
Oneiros
P J Evans
Paul Weimer
paulcarp
Peace Is My Middle Name
Petréa Mitchell
Ray
Ray Radlein
rcade
redheadedfemme
RedWombat
Rev. Bob
Richard Brandt
Rick K
Rick Moen
rob_matic
Robert Whitaker Sirignano
rochrist
Rogue Coffeebot
Rose Embolism
rrede
Russell Letson
Ryan H
SciFiMike
Scott Frazer
Shambles
Shao Ping
Silly but True
Simon Bisson
Simon Bucher-Jones
snowcrash
Soon Lee
spacefaringkitten
StefanB
StephenFromOttawa
Stephen Granade
Steve Wright
Stevie
Stoic Cynic
Sylvia Sotomayor
Taral Wayne
tavella
Tasha Turner
TechGrrl1972
Teemu Leisti
Tenar Darell
TheYoungPretender
Tintinaus
Tom Galloway
TooManyJens
ULTRAGOTHA
Vasha
Vicki Rosenzweig
von Dimpleheimer
Wanderfound
Will McLean
Will R.
Xtifr
XS
Hey, I haven’t read Peace Is My Middle Name in some time. Where are you Peace? Come back!
Rory Root Memorial Comics Bracket, round 3.
I plan to close this one during my lunch break on Tuesday (note! that’ll be about 10 AM, File 770 time), and with luck post round 4 on Tuesday evening.
1. DARN THAT CAT NEXT DOOR!
Peanuts, Charles Schulz
Maus, Art Spiegelman
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
Pogo, Walt Kelly
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Saga, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Girl Genius, Phil & Kaja Foglio
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
Swamp Thing 20-64, Alan Moore and Steve Bissette and John Totleben and Rick Veitch
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
Bone, Jeff Smith
XKCD, Randall Munroe
6. UNDERSTANDING TUNNELS
Digger, Ursula Vernon
Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud
7. “…CARRYING A SIGN SAYING ‘THE END IS NIGH’. HOW TACKY.”
Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Hark! A Vagrant, Kate Beaton
8. DOONESBURY VS. ASTERIX. YOU KNOW WHAT? I GOT NOTHIN’.
Doonesbury, Gary Trudeau
The Adventures of Asterix, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
9. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGST
This is a 3-way matchup using IRV. Please rank your choices from first to third. If you choose only one, you are considered to have no preference between the other two.
Zot!, Scott McCloud
X-Men 94-150, Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum / John Byrne
Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
1. DARN THAT CAT NEXT DOOR!
Peanuts, Charles Schulz
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Girl Genius, Phil & Kaja Foglio
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
Bone
7. “…CARRYING A SIGN SAYING ‘THE END IS NIGH’. HOW TACKY.”
Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
8.(“POLITICS CAN BE GALLING”)
Doonesbury, Gary Trudeau
9. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGST
(2) Zot!, Scott McCloud
(1) X-Men 94-150, Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum / John Byrne
Okay, brackets.
1. DARN THAT CAT NEXT DOOR!
Peanuts, Charles Schulz
Voting my heart.
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
Again!
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Saga, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Voting my daughter’s heart.
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
To the extent it makes any sense at all to throw newspaper strips and floppy books into the same tournament.
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
XKCD, Randall Munroe
And web comics.
6. UNDERSTANDING TUNNELS
Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud
Now we know what can kill a wombat.
7. “…CARRYING A SIGN SAYING ‘THE END IS NIGH’. HOW TACKY.”
Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
I guess.
8. DOONESBURY VS. ASTERIX. YOU KNOW WHAT? I GOT NOTHIN’.
Doonesbury, Gary Trudeau
As the kid goes for broke.
9. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGST
2. Zot!, Scott McCloud
3. X-Men 94-150, Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum / John Byrne
1. Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
No comments – in too much pain
1. DARN THAT CAT NEXT DOOR!
Maus, Art Spiegelman
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Saga, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
Bone, Jeff Smith
6. UNDERSTANDING TUNNELS
Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud
7. “…CARRYING A SIGN SAYING ‘THE END IS NIGH’. HOW TACKY.”
Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
8. DOONESBURY VS. ASTERIX. YOU KNOW WHAT? I GOT NOTHIN’.
The Adventures of Asterix, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
9. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGST
2. Zot!, Scott McCloud
1. X-Men 94-150, Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum / John Byrne
3. Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
JJ: Did you leave out everybody on your whiteout list….?
Please assume abstention from anything not listed.
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and variousPogo, Walt Kelly
I spent hours as a kid reading Dad’s Pogo books. Simultaneously gentle, humane, and kind — and bitingly sharp and incisive. I liked Sandman, but it doesn’t hit the same deep chords for me.
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Saga, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Girl Genius, Phil & Kaja FoglioThe Foglios’ style doesn’t do much for me, while Saga’s weirdness somehow clicks.
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
Swamp Thing 20-64, Alan Moore and Steve Bissette and John Totleben and Rick VeitchI’m not sure who you could put up against Calvin and Hobbes that I would vote for. Sorry. Bad luck of the draw.
7. “…CARRYING A SIGN SAYING ‘THE END IS NIGH’. HOW TACKY.”
Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave GibbonsHark! A Vagrant, Kate Beaton
“Step aside, Pops” over nihilism ANY and EVERY day.
8. DOONESBURY VS. ASTERIX. YOU KNOW WHAT? I GOT NOTHIN’.
Doonesbury, Gary Trudeau
The Adventures of Asterix, René Goscinny and Albert UderzoI enjoyed Asterix, and might find it more deeply significant if I had a better understanding of the cultural context, but I grew up with Doonesbury and remember appreciating how he captured and skewered many of the political events of my childhood.
9. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGST
This is a 3-way matchup using IRV. Please rank your choices from first to third. If you choose only one, you are considered to have no preference between the other two.
Zot!, Scott McCloud
X-Men 94-150, Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum / John Byrne
Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
1. Allie Brosh.
2. Allie Brosh
3. Allie Brosh
(sorry, is that not how it works?)
Jeez, even I wouldn’t vote for me on that one. Proud to have lasted this long, though!
1. Maus, Art Spiegelman
2.The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
5. XKCD, Randall Munroe
6.Digger, Ursula Vernon
8.Doonesbury, Gary Trudeau
9. Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
1. DARN THAT CAT NEXT DOOR!
Peanuts, Charles Schulz
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Girl Genius, Phil & Kaja Foglio
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
XKCD, Randall Munroe
7. “…CARRYING A SIGN SAYING ‘THE END IS NIGH’. HOW TACKY.”
Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
8. DOONESBURY VS. ASTERIX. YOU KNOW WHAT? I GOT NOTHIN’.
Doonesbury, Gary Trudeau
9. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGST
Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
This was the first bracket with any truly painful choices.
1. Peanuts
2. Pogo
3. Nnnrghhh… (forehead cloths) Girl Genius
4. Calvin and Hobbes
5. xkcd
6. Digger
7. Hark A Vagrant
8. Doonesbury
9. Hyperbole and a Half, Zot, Hyperbole and a Half
1. DARN THAT CAT NEXT DOOR!
Maus, Art Spiegelman
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Saga, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
XKCD, Randall Munroe
7. “…CARRYING A SIGN SAYING ‘THE END IS NIGH’. HOW TACKY.”
Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
8. DOONESBURY VS. ASTERIX. YOU KNOW WHAT? I GOT NOTHIN’.
The Adventures of Asterix, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
Root Memorial Comics Bracket, round 3.
Voting on my own with vague memories of hubby likes on brackets where I have no preference and he did.
1. DARN THAT CAT NEXT DOOR!
Peanuts, Charles Schulz
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
This is hubbies choice from last time.
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Saga, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
XKCD, Randall Munroe
6. UNDERSTANDING TUNNELS
Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud
Ouch sorry Ursula.
7. “…CARRYING A SIGN SAYING ‘THE END IS NIGH’. HOW TACKY.”
Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Hubby vote from last time
8. DOONESBURY VS. ASTERIX. YOU KNOW WHAT? I GOT NOTHIN’.
Doonesbury, Gary Trudeau
9. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGST
This is a 3-way matchup using IRV. Please rank your choices from first to third. If you choose only one, you are considered to have no preference between the other two.
2 X-Men 94-150, Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum / John Byrne
1 Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
1. DARN THAT CAT NEXT DOOR!
Peanuts, Charles Schulz
Ouch. Just…ouch.
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
Pogo, Walt Kelly
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
Bone, Jeff Smith
9. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGST
This is a 3-way matchup using IRV. Please rank your choices from first to third. If you choose only one, you are considered to have no preference between the other two.
1. Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
Camestros: indeed, you picked up on my not-too-subtle reference there with the Crimson Marsupial. Doubt the CM rescues French aristocrats, but I’m sure she rescues… someone. Jackalopes, maybe.
Weisskopf has completely gone round the bend if she thinks File 770 cost her a Hugo. Looking at the list of regulars, I’m pretty sure neither me nor lauowolf were commenters here before the vote closed. I know I wasn’t. You could probably tote up everyone who’s EVER been a regular and still come nowhere close to the margin of her loss. And, unlike other places, F770 doesn’t vote in lockstep, as OGH Mike’s vote for her proved — she still wouldn’t have won even if we all followed his lead. Also pretty sure some of the regulars didn’t vote this year. And that most of the voters have no idea what a File 770 is.
People generally don’t win if they don’t pony up a reasonable amount of material for the Hugo Packet. Add to that, by her own admission, Baen’s doing “team editing” (whatever that is; it apparently doesn’t involve copy editors on the team), and why SHOULD she get an individual award?
Her Bar comments and the Puppy “endorsement” were just the rotten icing on her already-crappy cake.
Next year she could maybe try not insulting the voters and instead provide them with a decent sample of her work. And maybe not blame her lack of award on people who didn’t have anything to do with it, instead of on the stuff she had direct control over.
(But that would involve taking individual responsibility and recognizing reality, which Pups aren’t real good at.)
1. DARN THAT CAT NEXT DOOR!
Peanuts, Charles Schulz
Maus, Art Spiegelman
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
Pogo, Walt Kelly
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Saga, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Girl Genius, Phil & Kaja Foglio
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
Swamp Thing 20-64, Alan Moore and Steve Bissette and John Totleben and Rick Veitch
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
Bone, Jeff Smith
XKCD, Randall Munroe
6. UNDERSTANDING TUNNELS
Digger, Ursula Vernon
Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud
7. “…CARRYING A SIGN SAYING ‘THE END IS NIGH’. HOW TACKY.”
Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Hark! A Vagrant, Kate Beaton
8. DOONESBURY VS. ASTERIX. YOU KNOW WHAT? I GOT NOTHIN’.
Doonesbury, Gary Trudeau
The Adventures of Asterix, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
9. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGST
This is a 3-way matchup using IRV. Please rank your choices from first to third. If you choose only one, you are considered to have no preference between the other two.
1. X-Men 94-150, Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum / John Byrne
2. Zot!, Scott McCloud
2. Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
I was scrolling up from the bottom of the page and so saw the end of your list of filers before I saw why there was a list of filers – I thought, with horror that some terrible Hunger Games like bracket was being proposed.
I didn’t start commenting here until the live business meeting blogging. I may or may not have commented on Scalzi’s blog on how I was voting over the last 3 years prior to the voting closing each year but I don’t have clear memories of doing so. The only person I’ve encouraged to vote in a specific way is my husband who listens/argues/does his own research and then votes as he wants.
1. Maus, Art Spiegelman
2. The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
3. Saga, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
4. Swamp Thing 20-64, Alan Moore and Steve Bissette and John Totleben and Rick Veitch
5. Bone, Jeff Smith
6. Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud
7. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
8. Doonesbury, Gary Trudeau
9. Zot!, Scott McCloud
@Cassie B.:
I like my Kobo, too – so much I’ve got two of them! 🙂 (Bought a Glo, won an Aura H2O.) Oddly enough, I prefer to read-for-edit on my iPad. I can much more easily highlight something, make a note, and snap a screenshot there. Then, when I get a solid set, I can compose email on my laptop while paging through the screenshots on the iPad. Is verra nice…
BTW, are you aware that most Kobo models use an internal SDHC card for memory, and it’s relatively easy to upgrade that card on some models? I did that on my Glo, going to 16GB on-board, but my H2O’s a no-go.
Rory Root Memorial Comics Bracket, round 3.
Why don’t I just say OUCH here, and get it all over with.
1. DARN THAT CAT NEXT DOOR!
Peanuts, Charles Schulz
Maus, Art Spiegelman
ouch
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
Pogo, Walt Kelly
ouch
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Saga, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Girl Genius, Phil & Kaja Foglio
You didn’t just do this.
Really?
Damn.
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
Swamp Thing 20-64, Alan Moore and Steve Bissette and John Totleben and Rick Veitch
Ouch
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
Bone, Jeff Smith
XKCD, Randall Munroe
6. UNDERSTANDING TUNNELS
Digger, Ursula Vernon
Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud
7. “…CARRYING A SIGN SAYING ‘THE END IS NIGH’. HOW TACKY.”
Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Hark! A Vagrant, Kate Beaton
8. DOONESBURY VS. ASTERIX. YOU KNOW WHAT? I GOT NOTHIN’.
Doonesbury, Gary Trudeau
The Adventures of Asterix, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
9. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGST
This is a 3-way matchup using IRV. Please rank your choices from first to third. If you choose only one, you are considered to have no preference between the other two.
3) Zot!, Scott McCloud
2) X-Men 94-150, Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum / John Byrne
1) Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
DARN THAT CAT NEXT DOOR!
Maus, Art Spiegelman
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
Pogo, Walt Kelly
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Girl Genius, Phil & Kaja Foglio
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
Bone, Jeff Smith
6. UNDERSTANDING TUNNELS
Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud
7. “…CARRYING A SIGN SAYING ‘THE END IS NIGH’. HOW TACKY.”
Pass
8. DOONESBURY VS. ASTERIX. YOU KNOW WHAT? I GOT NOTHIN’.
The Adventures of Asterix, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
9. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGST
2. Zot!, Scott McCloud
1. X-Men 94-150, Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum / John Byrne
3. Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
UP NEXT:
The File770 Hunger Divergent Maze Cube Running
ManFiler GamesWho is smarter, wittier, more knowledgeable about SFF, faster at posting “Fifth!”??? Find out in our first exciting bracket matchup, seeded by Kyra’s Evil Dice!
It’s too bad Richard Dawson’s no longer around. Maybe Kevin Standlee will be willing to step in. He’s already got the requisite tux.
Bracketed!
1. Good grief! I think I have to give this one to Schulz, but maybe he can talk to Hogan about letting me borrow a forehead cloth. (Oh, sorry, that’s Schultz.)
2. Sandman.
3. Girl Genius.
4. CAAAALLLLLVIIIINNNNNN! and Hobbes.
5. xkcd.
6. Digger.
7. Watchmen.
8. Doonesbury. Say, maybe a trip to Walden Puddle would work better than a forehead cloth…
9. X-Men, no other preference.
1. DARN THAT CAT NEXT DOOR!
Peanuts, Charles Schulz
Maus, Art Spiegelman
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
Pogo, Walt Kelly
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Saga, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Girl Genius, Phil & Kaja Foglio
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
Swamp Thing 20-64, Alan Moore and Steve Bissette and John Totleben and Rick Veitch
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
Bone, Jeff Smith
XKCD, Randall Munroe
6. UNDERSTANDING TUNNELS
Digger, Ursula Vernon
Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud
7. “…CARRYING A SIGN SAYING ‘THE END IS NIGH’. HOW TACKY.”
Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Hark! A Vagrant, Kate Beaton
8. DOONESBURY VS. ASTERIX. YOU KNOW WHAT? I GOT NOTHIN’.
Doonesbury, Gary Trudeau
The Adventures of Asterix, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
9. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGST
This is a 3-way matchup using IRV. Please rank your choices from first to third. If you choose only one, you are considered to have no preference between the other two.
1 – Zot!, Scott McCloud
2 – X-Men 94-150, Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum / John Byrne
3 – Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
1. Maus, Art Spiegelman
2. The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
3. Saga, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
4. Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
5. Bone, Jeff Smith
6. Digger, Ursula Vernon
7. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
8. Doonesbury, Gary Trudeau
9. No vote
1. DARN THAT CAT NEXT DOOR!
Maus, Art Spiegelman
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Saga, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Swamp Thing 20-64, Alan Moore and Steve Bissette and John Totleben and Rick Veitch
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
Write-in vote for… Hmm… Oglaf, since its a webcomic that has a recurring skeletal character.
6. UNDERSTANDING TUNNELS
Digger, Ursula Vernon
7. “…CARRYING A SIGN SAYING ‘THE END IS NIGH’. HOW TACKY.”
Hark! A Vagrant, Kate Beaton
8. DOONESBURY VS. ASTERIX. YOU KNOW WHAT? I GOT NOTHIN’.
The Adventures of Asterix, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
9. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGST
Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
No tough ones for me this round. Next round will be killer if lots of my picks win, though. 🙂
I’m so ill-read in the comics department, that I’m almost hesitant to vote. Still, now it’s winnowed down to a few categories in which I’ve read both….
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
Pogo, Walt Kelly3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Saga, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona StaplesGirl Genius, Phil & Kaja Foglio
8. DOONESBURY VS. ASTERIX. YOU KNOW WHAT? I GOT NOTHIN’.
Doonesbury, Gary Trudeau
The Adventures of Asterix, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo@David
I’m not certain, but I think your timezone or schedule might be different from Kyra’s – it feels a bit like you’re running two days behind instead of one, and I wonder if your posting schedule is hitting not long before a new Pixel post is coming up? I don’t personally mind if they’re on the most recent post, but if it bothers people a lot perhaps a change in timing to try and get closer to one day might do it?
I hope the teething issues aren’t getting to you too much – you’re probably helping Hampus and Jim avoid some pitfalls. Thank you for running the brackets even with a bunch of us being so fractious and demanding. 🙂
Rev. Bob, I didn’t know that. I’ve got an Aura (not an Aura H2O; the older one). I’m not currently in danger of running out of memory space, but, just in case, is it upgradable?
@Meredith:
Indeed, I am planning my own very special pitfalls!
Meredith:
Thank you for pointing out the pitfalls! 😀
Down to 61 fantasy movies and 110 SF movies on my list now. But that is before input from others…
@Cassy B.:
Depends on whether you have an Aura HD (upgradable), just-plain-Aura (not), or Aura H2O (not without a Dremel, which is too risky for me). The link here has some more information.
1. DARN THAT CAT NEXT DOOR!
Peanuts, Charles Schulz
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
Pogo, Walt Kelly
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Girl Genius, Phil & Kaja Foglio
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
XKCD, Randall Munroe
6. UNDERSTANDING TUNNELS
Digger, Ursula Vernon
7. “…CARRYING A SIGN SAYING ‘THE END IS NIGH’. HOW TACKY.”
Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
8. DOONESBURY VS. ASTERIX. YOU KNOW WHAT? I GOT NOTHIN’.
Doonesbury, Gary Trudeau
9. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGST
This is a 3-way matchup using IRV. Please rank your choices from first to third. If you choose only one, you are considered to have no preference between the other two.
1. Zot!, Scott McCloud
3. X-Men 94-150, Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum / John Byrne
2. Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Saga, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
XKCD, Randall Munroe
7. “…CARRYING A SIGN SAYING ‘THE END IS NIGH’. HOW TACKY.”
Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
8. DOONESBURY VS. ASTERIX. YOU KNOW WHAT? I GOT NOTHIN’.
The Adventures of Asterix, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
9. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGST
This is a 3-way matchup using IRV. Please rank your choices from first to third. If you choose only one, you are considered to have no preference between the other two.
1. X-Men 94-150, Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum / John Byrne
2. Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
3: Zot!, Scott McCloud
I started following File770 late spring/early summer and did not start commenting until after Sasquan, I think.
I read a lot of Baen authors, but I think of Baen a lot like I think of IBM: they have a lot of good products that originated elsewhere and were acquired, and a lot of capital (reputation in Baen’s case) so it will take a long time for the current management to run them into the ground, but it seems the delayed running into the ground it won’t be for lack of trying on management’s part. I’m not particularly attracted by the new products they have been pushing lately and wish they would better support (copyediting, etc. for Baen) for the older stuff.
1. DARN THAT CAT NEXT DOOR!
Maus, Art Spiegelman
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Saga, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
XKCD, Randall Munroe
7. “…CARRYING A SIGN SAYING ‘THE END IS NIGH’. HOW TACKY.”
Hark! A Vagrant, Kate Beaton
9. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGST
Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
Rev. Bob, Aura HD so upgradable. Thanks for the link!
Good morning:
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Saga, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
Bone, Jeff Smith
XKCD, Randall Munroe
Tie!
6. UNDERSTANDING TUNNELS
Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud
9. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGST
Zot!, Scott McCloud
@emgrasso
Interesting point. The authors that you could say were “discovered” by Baen that I rate would be Bujold and Elizabeth Moon. After them, Weber and Flint are good writers and very successful, but I don’t particularly go for their books. The newest of those discoveries is Flint, from 1997. (I’ve probably embarrassingly forgotten someone great from that list, mind you)
Since then their “best” discoveries would probably be (Oh) John Ringo (No) and Larry Correia, neither of which really rank up there with the earlier authors in my opinion.
That said, Baen seem to be quite content in their sector of the market and appear to be doing perfectly well with it, so good luck to them.
@Hampus
When we get to your movie brackets, I’m wondering if it might be better to split them, pre- and post-2000, like the book brackets. So many recent movies (Terminator Genisys, Jurassic World, Abrams’ Star Trek etc) have been reboots.
Regarding Baen properties from elsewhere:
David Drake
Lee & Miller
PC Hodgell
various reprints of back catalogs
developed in house?
Wen Spencer?
Ryk Spoor
I seem to read a lot of Baen books, but they aren’t the ones with the canine imprimatur.
used to read Weber, but not for years
like Flint’s stuff but faded somewhere in 1635
I read the first two Monster Hunter books and (before this year) they sort of ended up on the list of series I would buy in an airport bookstore if nothing higher priority was available. Which is now obsolete since I travel with a tablet with Nook and Kindle archives…
1. DARN THAT CAT NEXT DOOR!
Maus, Art Spiegelman
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Girl Genius, Phil & Kaja Foglio
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
XKCD, Randall Munroe
6. UNDERSTANDING TUNNELS
Digger, Ursula Vernon
I recognize that McCloud’s work is brilliant, and essential reading for anyone who might ever try the medium, and useful for anyone who reads it. And I saw RedWombat’s comment. But Digger has my heart.
8. DOONESBURY VS. ASTERIX. YOU KNOW WHAT? I GOT NOTHIN’.
Doonesbury, Gary Trudeau
Wen Spencer started at Roc. Is Ryk Spoor any good? I’ve seen the name thrown around a few times but never tried him.
an Aura HD (upgradable)
I have a HD; there’s a slot for a card, on the bottom end, next to the connector port. 32GB built in, that’s a lot of books. Being able to add another 32GB on a card: that’s a big library.
Rory Root Memorial Comics Bracket, round 3.
1. DARN THAT CAT NEXT DOOR!
Peanuts, Charles Schulz
Maus, Art Spiegelman
Ooh, both have their moments of angsty truth. (Maus is more overtly dark, but keep in mind that the central character of Peanuts spent his entire childhood clinically depressed and anxious.) Difficult, and I hate to think that I’m voting only on nostalgia and body-of-work.
2. THE DRIFTING DREAM IS DONE
The Sandman, Neil Gaiman and various
Pogo, Walt Kelly
I realize, as I work my way through this bracket, that progressive political satire will always have a leg up in my world.
3. SPACE FANTASY VS. GASLAMP FANTASY
Saga, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Girl Genius, Phil & Kaja Foglio
An interesting match-up because both of them miss my taste in crucial, but very different ways. Some of the violence in Saga just totally squicks me. But Girl Genius strikes me as being too self-referentially clever too much of the time. (It’s also very male-gazy.)
4. KILLER MUTANT SWAMP GOONS
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
Swamp Thing 20-64, Alan Moore and Steve Bissette and John Totleben and Rick Veitch
Less of a struggle this time to lean towards nostalgia.
5. WHAT DO YOU GET? BONY FINGERS
Bone, Jeff Smith
XKCD, Randall Munroe
Munroe is a genius. That’s all there is to it.
6. UNDERSTANDING TUNNELS
Digger, Ursula Vernon
Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud
*reaches for forehead cloth* I might abstain on the basis that I haven’t read Digger yet, but I’m afraid Understanding Comics is good enough to overcome that qualm. Sorry Ursula. But I really definitely will be buying and having you sign a copy at ChessieCon (assuming you forgive the vote).
7. “…CARRYING A SIGN SAYING ‘THE END IS NIGH’. HOW TACKY.”
Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Hark! A Vagrant, Kate Beaton
Yeah, still a sucker for clever, progressive, feminist snark.
8. DOONESBURY VS. ASTERIX. YOU KNOW WHAT? I GOT NOTHIN’.
Doonesbury, Gary Trudeau
The Adventures of Asterix, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
Here’s the point where the uncomfortable flaws in Asterix make this an easy choice. You know what I love most about Asterix? That the puns are different and work equally well in each language it was published in. (I’ve read it in four: English, German, Welsh, and Latin.) But the humor is sometimes cheap and downward-punching. Doonesbury, on the other hand, grew out of its painfully uncomfortable frat-boy beginnings to engage in self-critique as well as social critique.
9. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGST
This is a 3-way matchup using IRV. Please rank your choices from first to third. If you choose only one, you are considered to have no preference between the other two.
3. Zot!, Scott McCloud
2. X-Men 94-150, Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum / John Byrne
1. Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
Considering that I don’t tend to think of myself as a comics fan, I’m stunned that I had a votable preference in every match-up.