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Post by The Captain on Oct 13, 2020 16:01:04 GMT -5
In my opinion, Netflix and all the other streaming services are facing the same hurdle: price. It was fine to pay ten bucks a month to get Netflix, especially since I could cancel at any time. Now prices have increased enough that I'll soon have to start wondering if I watch enough TV to warrant the cost. And I certainly won't be getting multiple streaming services. We're at that point with Hulu pretty much. I rarely if ever watch it, as we have Netflix, Disney+, Amazon, and a host of free stuff on our Roku (we like Pluto TV a lot, especially for the British TV and travel shows). This opinion might change once Disney starts putting more "adult" Marvel fare on Hulu (especially if they get the Netflix shows on there), but my wife and I now watch ZERO shows that are airing on network TV currently (and the one that I do watch, Supernatural, has six episodes left in its epic 15-year run and I can watch it for free on the CW app on my Roku), so there is a chance we just say to heck with it and save the $12 per month. I could easily imagine a time, particularly once my daughters move out of the house, when we have little to no access to TV. Might want Peacock Premium for Premier League and other Euro league football, but I probably won't even keep Disney+ at that point, let alone Hulu, Netflix, and any others that I have to pay for.
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Post by The Captain on Oct 13, 2020 14:43:19 GMT -5
I just read an Op-Ed piece about Netflix starting to lose the plot. The gist was their out-of-touch analytical approach to renewing or cancelling shoes is woefully out of touch with how long shoes need to breathe and oblivious to the fact they keep pissing off fans of their shows by cancelling them midstream and not giving the creators time to finish them. They haven't had a massive breakout star like Stranger Things since...well, Stranger Things. They seem to be pushing quantity over quality chasing new subscribers but are missing the boat on retention, and especially with COVID wrecking production schedules, there's about to be a drought of new content, so maybe kneecapping all their niche shows and not taking creative risks is going to bite them in the ass. I completely agree, and after seeing they cancelled two of their original shows I cared about in the same year they are about to lose some of their syndicated cash cows like The Office, I'd say they're going to learn a thing or two about it soon. I'm nearly to the point of not starting a show until it's completed so as not to waste my time. Get it together, Netflix, before you go become digital Blockbuster. There I said it. Netflix is also in trouble because Disney announced today that they are going to be investing HEAVILY in their streaming platforms while pivoting away from cinema and theme parks as their primary revenue streams. Sorry for Netflix, but they don't have access to Disney's IP like Marvel and Star Wars, they don't have the rabid fanbase like Disney does for its own created works, and their pockets aren't nearly as deep. It's going to be a rough go of it for them once Disney gets moving full steam ahead on this.
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Post by The Captain on Oct 12, 2020 11:37:33 GMT -5
Another MLB Hall of Famer has passed. RIP to Cincinnati Reds great Joe Morgan. He was 77. -M I am too young to have seen him in his prime, as I only remember him from his late-career stint with the Giants. His back-of-the-bubblegum-card stats were solid, and he was one of the better 2B of all-time. He is also responsible for the creation of one of my all-time favorite websites, "Fire Joe Morgan", which skewered him, and others, for sloppy and lazy broadcasting. Even though the last new post was more than a decade ago, I still occasionally go back for a chuckle. RIP Joe Morgan.
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Post by The Captain on Oct 2, 2020 7:48:21 GMT -5
Welcome back, Mech! Place hasn't been the same without you. Just take it easy as you work your way back in.
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Post by The Captain on Oct 2, 2020 7:40:56 GMT -5
Celebrating when someone gets sick is not nice. Even if he's your enemy. Much as I agree, it's time the conversation moved on. You're right, and I apologize. I should be better than that and I wasn't. 100% my fault.
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Post by The Captain on Oct 2, 2020 7:22:20 GMT -5
It rains on the just and the unjust. That it does, but if the weatherman tells you to take an umbrella because it's raining outside and you ignore him, it's your fault you got wet.
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Post by The Captain on Oct 1, 2020 20:28:59 GMT -5
Stopped by at my LCS last night to pick up my one pull-list book this week, and when I went in, I noticed things were different in the back room where the floppies are kept. There were a few folding tables out, and on each were a few long boxes. I asked my friend behind the counter what was going on, and he said the owner of the store had recently bought the remains of another store that had closed two years prior and had been keeping all of their books in storage. These were just random dollar books, alphabetized from A-E (there isn't that much room back there, especially with all of the new books and the existing backstock), and he said this would be a rolling sort of thing, where these boxes would be out for a couple of weeks, then replaced by the next set of letters.
Not much at the beginning of the alphabet that I've been looking for, but I did dig into the "B" (for Batman) and "D" (for Detective) boxes. No pictures, but I grabbed three more issues of Detective from the general time period as the other books I have of the series, which is the early 600's. What made it a nice little haul was that I picked up a good-looking copy of #608, which I've been unable to find anywhere else, as I learned last night that it is the first appearance of Anarky; not a "key" book or anything, but it was only $1, so I'm pretty happy.
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Post by The Captain on Sept 30, 2020 16:02:02 GMT -5
Calling this now, as I likely won't read anything else this evening due to obligations. Read 107 books this month, although there were a larger-than-usual number of re-reads. Worked through N.E.X.T.Wave and the Abnett/Lanning Guardians of the Galaxy series because I needed a break from Silver Age Nick Fury, and I read the Weapon X series as it is on the chopping block to be eliminated from my collection, so I wanted to take one last look at it.
Best Thing I Read in September I revisited the series of one-shots Marvel did back in 1994 for Strange Tales (written by Kurt Busiek), Tales to Astonish (written by Mark Waid), and Tales of Suspense (James Robinson). I hadn't realized how good they were since I hadn't picked any of them up in 25 years. Also really enjoyed the Silver Age Strange Tales Nick Fury stories, as well as my annual re-read of N.E.X.T.Wave.
Worst Thing I Read in September Nothing. Technically, something would count as the "worst", but there was nothing bad at all.
October Look-Ahead Starting the month by re-reading Marvels, which are stored in the same box as the three one-shots I mentioned above. Probably will continue with Silver Age Amazing Spider-Man, and I am doing a final read through some 90s series that I own before I get rid of them, so I will likely go through Darkhawk, Silver Sable, and Sleepwalker at some point either this month or next as I look to start downsizing before the holidays.
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Post by The Captain on Sept 29, 2020 15:22:16 GMT -5
Last Saturday was one of the two annual occurrences of the LEGENDARY BASEMENT SALE at New Dimension Comics in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. Over 500,000 sorted comic books, by title and in sequential order, all for $1 apiece. I got up early and made the hour-long trek, as I have done many times before (although this might be the last time I do it, as I think I've pretty much picked up everything they have that I want), and snagged the following: Got these to fill in holes in my Suicide Squad run. Only trying to complete 1-50, and just need about 5 more at this point. I actually got a seventh issue in the series, but it didn't make the picture (it was out of order in the pile) and I didn't care enough to retake it. Some late pre-Crisis Flash issues. I will grab these pretty much on sight if they are $2 or less. Random Marvel books that I came across. I was actively searching the Captain Marvel issues, but the others were "oh, yeah, I forgot about this series" grabs. Not much of a Silver Surfer fan, but Norrin and Mantis vs Mangog? Yes please! Replacement copies of books I already own but that are in bad condition. For $1, it's worth upgrading spine rolls, loose staples, torn covers, etc. Lastly, the primary reason I went at all. I figured they would have some of these, but I didn't expect to find this many issues of this series there. Really enjoyed the two Showcase editions for the character I read earlier this year, so I wanted to see what I could find for cheap, and I was not disappointed. This likely wraps up my back issue comic buying for the year, unless I come across a copy of Conan the Barbarian #14 somewhere. Had a fun time at the sale as always and glad I made the trip. I was wondering if they made you wear a mask etc? Absolutely. They wouldn't let you into the building without one. Social distancing was a little less regulated. The only nod to it was they limited the number of people allowed in the basement at any time to 40. For point of reference, this store is in an old G.C. Murphy's department store, so it's a fairly large space to begin with, and people tend not to need to stand on top of one another even in non-pandemic times.
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Post by The Captain on Sept 27, 2020 18:20:15 GMT -5
Sometimes in life, things we see as curses are actually blessings in disguise.
I'm a horrible sleeper. My brain is wired in such a way that I almost never hit that "deep sleep" state, so I can be awakened by the slightest disruption, be it light, sound, or physical discomfort. Went to bed last night around 11:00, with the alarm set for 6:00 so I could go to the grocery store (first thing Sunday morning is my time to be there, as there are about 3 other people in the rural store that I shop at). Didn't fall asleep for over an hour, and then was up off and on for the next three due to numbness and pain in my right arm; this wasn't a heart issue or anything, just that I broke my collarbone my freshman year of college and never got it fixed, so my shoulder joint is permanently out of the socket and almost any physical activity can cause all sorts of fun nerve issues that last for anywhere from hours to days.
Finally got out of bed for good at 3:00 AM and went into my nerd loft, where I proceed to play Contest of Champions on my phone, read six issues of Strange Tales (the original), scroll through some political blogs, and finish my shopping list for the store. When I had just gotten settled in there, I heard someone in my girls' bathroom, but I didn't think too much of it, as mid-night visits aren't completely out of the ordinary; those are actually one of the biggest causes of me being awakened in the middle of the night.
Around 5:45, I hear someone in the bathroom again, but this time they are in there for quite a while. I crack the door to the nerd loft and watch for whomever it is, which is my 15-year old daughter, who comes out after about 20 minutes or so. I cleared my throat softly so not to frighten her, and she came into the room looking completely worn out.
Turns out, she was having major cramps, which caused her to throw up the second time she went to the bathroom, and she hadn't slept in multiple hours herself. I put my book down and went to her bedroom, curled up on her bed with her, and stroked her hair until she finally fell asleep around 6:20, then I slipped out and went to the store; she was still sleeping when I got home around 7:45 and stayed that way until well after 8:00. When she finally got up, she came downstairs and told my wife what had been going on, then said "But Daddy was there to help relax me and fall back asleep. He's the best", then she gave me a huge hug.
If I hadn't been awake, I would have missed all of that, and she probably wouldn't have gotten any more sleep at all. I took a short nap this afternoon, but I'm still completely exhausted. Thing is, it's 100% worth it, and I would do it again every night for the rest of my life if necessary.
#girldad
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Post by The Captain on Sept 27, 2020 9:14:34 GMT -5
My Facebook memories feature has alerted me to the fact that this time last year I was in Nashville, Tennessee at the start of a two week road trip that took me from Tennessee to Mississippi, then to Alabama and finally to Georgia. That was such a wonderful holiday and I got to visit places that I'd dreamed of visiting for years. I was planning to return to the U.S. for a holiday again this year, but coronavirus has put paid to that. I miss you America and I can't wait to see you and your lovely people again when this pandemic business is over. My wife and I have been torturing ourselves with all kinds of TV programs, BBC or otherwise, related to the UK in general, Wales specifically. We both so want to go back there to visit, and we have even entertained the idea of potentially moving there some day, although we know that is not likely to happen. Just such a beautiful country.
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Post by The Captain on Sept 25, 2020 16:28:19 GMT -5
Last Saturday was one of the two annual occurrences of the LEGENDARY BASEMENT SALE at New Dimension Comics in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. Over 500,000 sorted comic books, by title and in sequential order, all for $1 apiece. I got up early and made the hour-long trek, as I have done many times before (although this might be the last time I do it, as I think I've pretty much picked up everything they have that I want), and snagged the following: Got these to fill in holes in my Suicide Squad run. Only trying to complete 1-50, and just need about 5 more at this point. I actually got a seventh issue in the series, but it didn't make the picture (it was out of order in the pile) and I didn't care enough to retake it. Some late pre-Crisis Flash issues. I will grab these pretty much on sight if they are $2 or less. Random Marvel books that I came across. I was actively searching the Captain Marvel issues, but the others were "oh, yeah, I forgot about this series" grabs. Not much of a Silver Surfer fan, but Norrin and Mantis vs Mangog? Yes please! Replacement copies of books I already own but that are in bad condition. For $1, it's worth upgrading spine rolls, loose staples, torn covers, etc. Lastly, the primary reason I went at all. I figured they would have some of these, but I didn't expect to find this many issues of this series there. Really enjoyed the two Showcase editions for the character I read earlier this year, so I wanted to see what I could find for cheap, and I was not disappointed. This likely wraps up my back issue comic buying for the year, unless I come across a copy of Conan the Barbarian #14 somewhere. Had a fun time at the sale as always and glad I made the trip.
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Post by The Captain on Sept 19, 2020 19:24:03 GMT -5
Agree with both thwhtguardian and @md62 on the new Iron Man book. I haven't been a regular reader of IM for the past 5-7 years or so, but this caught my eye in the previews a few months back, and with me just dropping X-Men due to it being incomprehensible, I figured picking up something new would be OK. Yeah, we've seen Tony go "low tech" before, and yeah, we've seen Tony go "non-corporate" before. We've seen lots of things in comics before, yet with the right writer and artist, they can still be interesting. Love the addition of Hellcat to the book, as she and Tony played well off one another. Art was just fantastic. It wasn't perfect, but it was close enough. 9/10, will be picking up Issue #2.
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Post by The Captain on Sept 16, 2020 11:12:57 GMT -5
Finally got this for a price I could live with. Still pecking away at my Captain Marvel run... You probably have most of the higher numbers, but if you have a list of issues you're still looking to pick up, send it to me in a PM. I grab these here and there when I see them cheap, and if I have something you need, I would be willing to send to you, as I have no emotional attachment to the series and am not actively collecting it.
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Post by The Captain on Sept 10, 2020 10:26:32 GMT -5
My wife and I just moved to a house in the countryside and our front door neighbour has a ranch with horses, donkeys and llamas. I can vouch that a braying donkey sounds just like a Nazgul, or like Godzilla, or like someone having one's throat cut in the middle of the night (and sometimes all three at once). I love it!!! Super jealous of you! My wife and I have this fantasy of retiring and moving to a small cottage in the Welsh countryside where we can hear sheep bleating all day long. IRT the bolded part, am I the only one scared at how you might know what that sounds like?
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