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TMNT: The Exception, My Weakness

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Walt

tmntidw001leoMy “origin story” with comics involves the Letter People, and Superman. And while Superman (and Batman, and a stack of silver-age DCs from my grandpa) were my first real introduction to comics; the first comics I ever owned were Superman/Batman…

I’ve been “into” the TMNT slightly longer.

First it was the classic cartoon. Some of my friends were into it, so I wound up “having to” see some of it (the original 5-episode mini-series/1st season). And things went from there. The toys. The films. The Archie comics. The original Mirage comics. teenagemutantninjaturtlesidw001Eventually I gave up the toys for the comics, and then eventually the comics went away, too. My freshman year of college I discovered the Image series, but to this day only have a scant handful of issues.

Then in 2001 I discovered that Peter Laird had launched a new series. I spotted #2 on the shelf, and the comic shop had one last copy of #1…which the owner graciously sold to me at cover price. I’ve been “up” on the comics since. I loved the debut of the 2003 animated series, though that eventually fell away due to scheduling and reruns and life getting in the way.

But…the TMNT have been there longer than comics have been in my life.

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Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Booking Through Thursday: History

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Walt

 

btt buttonWhen is the last time you read a history book? Historical biography? You know, something that took place in the past but was REAL.

I’m not really a fan of “history books,” at least by that term. Books taking place in the past, about stuff that really happened…that’s a bit of a different thing.

Of course, there’s Dewey, and Marley, and Wesley–the “human/pet memoirs” of which I seem to often come back to. I have several books on my shelf about the history of comic books in the US; one specifically on the rise and fall of Marvel Comics in the 1990s.

The Bible, of course, is not something I can overlook as a valuable history book.

What tends to hold my interest much more is historical fiction–maybe it involves real-life people (and of course the situations and time periods). I recently read X-Men – Magneto: Testament. It’s a graphic novel that follows the young boy who would grow up to be Magneto, as he and his family were yanked from their lives and ultimately ended in a concentration camp.

I’m currently moving through Madmen via netflix; set in the 1960s, following ad execs; not really a lot of typical “action,” but a really well-written interpersonal drama.

Final thought: I seem to be ready to leave out another important book: The Norton Anthology of Modern War–excerpts and selections of soldiers’ accounts of their experiences in a number of wars. And The Pacific, which I’m currently partway into as an audiobook. (Following a group of soldiers throughout the war in the Pacific during WWII).

Filed under: Booking Through Thursday, NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , | 4 Comments »