No He Didn't!

Hah! Okay, they got me. I like this, it even has a nice history lesson embedded in it. Kudos, Marvel, kudos. Now if you can only pick up the pacing on Secret Invasion.

Colbert Wins!

So, apparently over in the Marvel Universe, Stephen Colbert (who's ironic and abortive real-world campaign was for real in the Marvel Universe) won yesterday's election. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Sure, in the moment it's silly fun and I'm sure it'll earn Joe Quesada another appearance on The Colbert Report (making it a great marketing tool), but long term, is this really the best thing for Marvel creatively?


In 2000, DC Comics had Lex Luthor win that year's presidential election (I'd say that a President Luthor would be an improvement over a President Bush, but Luthor did allow Topeka, Kansas to be destroyed by alien invaders, so that's one up for Bush (Oh, and Bush didn't have to be forcibly removed from office by the Justice League, so there's two for him)). I thought it was a great idea story-wise, but that's one of the main differences. DC's fictional president was elected as part of the ongoing story of the DC Universe. Marvel's fictional president is largely a stunt. The other difference goes to the difference between the Marvel and DC Universes. Marvel has always prided itself on trying to tie its world to the real world as closely as possible for a super-hero universe, so the president in the Marvel Universe has always been the same as the one in the real world. Major events in the real world reverberate in the Marvel Universe. Admittedly, it's a silly premise when you think about it too hard (given that the "realistic" Marvel Universe is currently in the midst of an alien invasion story), but it's part of the flavor of environment in which the stories take place. I guess my question is this, do the writers at Marvel really want to live with this long term? Will they or will it be quickly forgotten.

Okay, I'm devoting too much thought to this thing. It's just silly fun, so I'll just sit back and enjoy it.

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Scent of Kindergarten

This got a mention on a segment on The Colbert Report tonight and I just refused to believe it was for real. One Google search later, however, and I find that it is.

Play-doh cologne?

I'm honestly not sure if I think that this is the most ridiculous product ever or the most awesome. I suppose the smell of Play-doh does have pleasant associations for most people. I'm not sure what occasion the Play-doh cologne would be appropriate for, though.

But How Does He Feel About Skrull Marriage?

So, a bit of controversy has arisen surrounding this year's Comic Con. Apparently the owner of the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego gave a large donation in support of an anti-gay marriage initiative, and now there are calls to boycott the hotel (or at least the hotel bar) in response. I'm not sure a boycott is a great strategy here; it's got a pretty good chance of backfiring if the effect is minimal (that would suggest that those in opposition to the owners position are in the minority), and I don't particularly like the idea of trying to punish someone simply because he holds a different political position (even if his position is stupid). Augie De Blieck had an amusing take on boycotting in his CBR column this week.

That's the real thing, I've never understood the argument of those opposed to gay marriage. What possible effect could it have on them if two men or two women want to get married. Do the opponents love their spouses a tiny bit less every time a same-sex couple marries? Are they afraid that gay marriage will make homosexuality look like so much fun that everyone will decide to be gay, ending human reproduction and dooming the species? Why do they care? You have a religious objection to it, fine, your church doesn't have to perform or recognize gay marriages, but why should that have any bearing on government policy?

It's a bit of a puzzler.

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Speaking of politics and religion:

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I'm with Stephen; Cookie Monster is a traitor to the cause.