Robert Downey Jr. on Sherlock and Iron Man 2

There's a pretty lengthy and informative interview of Robert Downey Jr. over at Rotten Tomatoes. Click this link to be redirected to their site.

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
Dark Horse Titles
First Publishing Titles
Marvel M to Z Titles
Teen Titans/Titans Titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: DARKREIGNENDS

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

New comics value packs at Mycomicshop.com

I'm sure you remember the Value Pack section Mycomicshop.com started some time ago... YOu can find my original post about this topic by clicking here. Well, anyway, I was browsing through their website a couple of days ago and found out they'd put up some new "Pre-1981" value packs... I invite you all to go take a look by following the above link or by clicking the one at the bottom of the page.

This week's strip @ Comiccritics.com

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotion

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
Avengers Titles
DC A to L Titles
Fantasy/Sword & Sorcery Titles
Viz Titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: DECKTHEHALLS

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

This week's strip @ Comiccritics.com

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotion

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
All Marvel Titles
Hellboy Titles
Humor Titles
Wonder Woman Titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: WRITERS

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

This week's strip @ Comiccritics.com

Lobo: Highway to Hell... Does it suck?

Timothy Callahan has posted a pretty negative review on the first of two issues of Lobo: Highway to Hell written by Scott Ian and drawn by Sam Kieth. Worth reading here as he only gave it half a star and it's the first time I've seen such a low review.

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
Bongo Titles
DC A to L Titles
Western Titles
X-Men Titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: HEALINGFACTOR

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

Scott Ian's interview on his latest Lobo project

Scott Ian, who is also Anthraxx guitarist, put his guitar down for a bit and worked on the last installment of Lobo entitled Highway to Hell. Found out how he went from hard speed death trash metal to comics in an interview I read at CBR... He's also sharing some opinions on who he thinks should play Lobo in the upcoming movie as well as some panels of the first issue that will be available on Nov. 4th (that's today!)

How good is Local? Reloaded

After completing the 12 issues, I’m still unsure how to answer that question… I was quite into it at the beginning but somehow got kind of “bored” and lost my enthusiasm as the story evolved… Basically, it’s Megan, a kind of weird girl who travels the country “just ‘cuz”. She completely sucks socially; her love life’s a mess, her family as well… And every issue, she meets even weirder people that make her go on travelling “just ‘cuz”.

The concept was pretty good, though, as one issue represents more or less a year, which means you get to see her evolving from teenage to adulthood, and one of the latest chapter makes you realize she’s changed quite a bit as she’s confronted to another girl who could have been her a few years back. Yup, that girl is a completely mess as well and she ends up stealing a lot of Megan’s stuff, including the jacket she was wearing at the beginning of the book.

I know what you’re going to say “But you said 1 issue = 1 year so how could someone steal the jacket she was wearing at 17? She must have been around 28 in that issue?? Would someone hold on an old jacket for 11 years?” and I understand your confusion… This is a bit contradictory with the fact that places that actually exist in real life have been used in the book, probably to make readers relate more to the story, make it more “palpable” so why make her keep a jacket for 11 years? So it can be stolen I guess…

All in all, it’s not a bad book, though, I just think I was really excited to read it and I had high expectation as it was “the best indie comic of 2008”, but it just fell a bit short and I feel slightly disappointed. Better luck next time, I guess…? I’m now reading V for Vendetta, what could possibly go wrong with Alan Moore, huh?

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotion

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
Batman Titles
Dark Horse Titles
Justice League/Society Titles
Marvel M to Z Titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: HALLOWEEN

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

Cool Alan Moore's interview

I've just finished reading a pretty nice and also pretty lengthy Alan Moore's interview where I learnt he was about to publish a new underground magazine called Dodgem Logic this coming November. Interesting read, I suggest you click on the link and find out for yourself.

This week's strip @ Comiccritics.com

Marvel Giant-Size Gift Pack

Something new on Mycomicshhop.com's website, after having great value packs they're making some gift pack(s) available too. This particular Marvel Giant-Size Gift Pack is described as follows:

"This fantastic collection of Marvel's Giant-Size Titles made specifically for Target contains 6 giant sized All-Ages comics with material from over 20 comics for the price of 1. The titles featured in this pack are; Spider-Man (reprints material from Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #6,15,21-22), Spider-Man Classic Power & Responsibility (reprints material from Amazing Spider-Man #4,252, Spectacular Spider-Man #42, Fantasitc Four #218), Avengers Mischief (reprints material from Marvel Adventures Avengers #5-8), X-Men First Class New Beginnings (reprints material from X-Men First Class #1-4), Spider-Man Family (reprints material from Spider-Man Family #1-3) and Fantastic Four Cosmic Threats (reprints material from Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #12-15)."

I have not seen one for DC or anything else yet but I'll keep my eyes open... Get some while the promotion lasts, it's really a grab at USD6.98!

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
Daredevil Titles
DC M to Z Titles
Disney Ducks & Mice Titles
Spider-Man Titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: TEAMWORK

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

Beginner motorcycles

In this post, I’ll list out some motorcycles that I think are suitable for beginners. This is purely from the experience I had looking for mine and only includes models that are fairly easy to find in Macau. Listed prices are for information and may be different the day you walk in the dealership.

Kymco Venox

Kymco is starting to be a well-known brand when it comes to scooters and motorcycles. I believe part of the reason must be because their prices are quite competitive when matching up against their Japanese competitors. They’re mostly selling scooters in Macau but I’ve spotted a couple of Venox as well and thought they looked quite good for 250cc motorcycles and I just felt a bit intrigued by this bike and did some research on it.
First off, Kymco is a Taiwanese company that has been manufacturing motorcycles and scooters for the past 45 years or so. It gives some confidence as I don’t think they would have been able to stay in business that long if they sold crappy motorbikes. You also get a 2-year warranty which is a pretty good sign.
The bike itself weighs around 175kg (which is not really light for a 250cc) and averages a consumption of 3.9 liters/100km (61mpg). Nice on the wallet. It also has 5 gears and sports a liquid cooling system, which I always recommend in Macau as it can get really hot and humid and I believe air cooling does not do such a great job in these conditions. Carburetor and fuel injection models are available, maybe depending on the country where you’re buying it.
I have had a look at this bike as I found one parked in the street once. It sure does not look like a 250cc and surely would not look out of place in a 900cc crowd. A couple of things disappointed me a bit, though, as I noticed all the “chromey” parts were actually made out of some kind of plastic. The silver paint was peeling off of them in some spots which didn’t really appeal me that much… At the same time, the bike only costs around HKD33,000, and other things, like that double exhaust, looked pretty mean.

Yamaha Vstar 250

The Yamaha Vstar 250 is also a 250cc cruiser like the Venox, built on the same type of engine (V twin) and allowing you to shift through 5 gears as well. Weighing a mere 147kg, it eats up the Venox on the fuel efficiency side with only 3 liters/100km (78mpg).
While I have not seen it being sold in dealerships (so I don’t know how much it would cost) I have seen a couple in the streets, among a pretty large number of its predecessor, the Yamaha Virago 250. I have also noticed the traffic police own these too, which means it must last pretty long and not break down very frequently. It also means an abundant amount of spare parts if you need to find one someday. There’s nothing much to say about that bike other than it could keep some of your money in your pocket instead of the gas station cashier, and it still looks nice, although you probably won’t have that “easy rider” feeling the Venox may bring you.

Kawasaki Ninja 250R

This is my most favourite motorbike of the whole bunch. I know of “experienced” riders who own other big supersports bikes who still bought a 250R as a second motorcycle. Yes… It is THAT good. Although it weighs 170kg, it handles like a charm in the traffic, the engine gives a good “torquey” response when accelerating or slowing down and it looks really good. Kawasaki really did a nice job designing it, and fresh riders can now own a 250cc motorcycle without looking like they’re riding a moped. It’s really sleek and has nothing to envy from his 650cc big brother.
Its parallel twin engine uses direct fuel injection and comes together with a liquid cooling system which is really helpful in summer when the temperature goes up to 35 degrees with 98% relative humidity. It also scores 3.9 liters/100km (61mpg) on the fuel efficiency test, which is pretty fair as this 250cc feels more like being 350~400cc.
The driving position comes in mid way between what you would expect when riding a standard bike vs. a sports bike. The seat is relatively low too, which mean even smaller riders are able to plant both feet on the ground when stopped which can increase one’s confidence.
I could keep going on and on about how great this motorbike is but I’ll cut the pet talk and go to the critical issue here: Its price. It does cost between HKD55,000 and HKD60,000. To tell the truth, I personally own this bike and it took me a while getting past the price tag, but once you drive it you know it was worth the extra money.

Other alternatives: Kawasaki ER-6n and Vulcan 500 LTD

For those of you who would like to start on something slightly bigger, I recommend these 2 motorcycles.
I’ve had the pleasure to test drive the Kawasaki ER-6n (classified as a sports bike but really seems more like a standard bike as you sit pretty straight up on top of it) and I almost fell in love with it. It seems it was designed especially for commuting, as it is equipped with an oversized rear tire that gives the bike good stability and extraordinary handling. I also liked the idea Kawasaki had of installing one single rear suspension directly under the seat as well as the large seat that ensures both driver and passenger are riding comfortably. Other bikes have the possibility of carrying passengers as well, but less real estate was spared for the passenger seat resulting in them having to fit in a tinier space.
The engine is a 650cc with liquid cooling and direct fuel injection. It comes with the standard 6 gears and weighs around 204kg, which sets the consumption at around 5.2 liters/100km (45mpg). I really enjoyed test driving it, it proved to be really handy and powerful and all… What did set me back? Its price, of course… Expect shelling out around HKD80,000 for that puppy.

Contrary to the Kawasaki ER-6n, I have not test driven the Vulcan 500 LTD… I haven’t even seen it once around here, but I have seen its 900 version quite often and I’m pretty sure the guys at Kawasaki will be able to order one for you if you would like to. It looks pretty nice for a 500cc cruiser, I like the oversized rear tire on that one as well and I have seen a lot of good comments about it all over the web. It seems that a lot of riders, from beginners to novices, find it to be a good compromise between looks, power, performances and money… A good bang for your buck as we say.
I have gathered some info around and this bike weighs almost the same as the ER-6n, sitting at 203kg. Being a 500cc compared to the 650cc of the ER-6n, I thought it would suffer a lack of power but riders had no complaints about this at all… Finding nothing bad about it, I decided to recommend it over the Suzuki S40 which, despite being affordable at around HKD50,000 (that’s cheap for 650cc), is nowhere near comfortable, not because of the seat or anything but mostly due to its engine that can literally vibrate your teeth out your skull (maybe coupled with poor suspension?). I can’t really say for sure how much the 500 LTD could cost around here but I’m betting on something around HKD70,000 as this is more or less the price for 400cc models.

This week's strip @ Comiccritics.com

Invicible Iron Man #19 Preview + Iron Man 2 "behind the scenes" interview

First off, you should check this Invicible Iron Man 6 page preview over at CBR. That's issue #19 which seems to be the final issue of the "World's Most Wanted" story arc by Matt Fraction. I've heard a lot of god things about his work on Invicible Iron Man so you ought to check this out.

Next is a pretty nice video of a Canal+ interview with Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. It shows the new Iron Man 2 set and talk a bit about the story and the work they've been doing. Very interesting. The "reporter" speaks french at the beginning but don't be scared, it's only for the first minute or so.

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
Horror/Supernatural Titles
1980 to 1989 Titles
Marvel Ultimate Titles
Star Wars Titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: INCREDIBLE

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

Choosing your bike

After reading my last post, you must now have a good solid idea on what kind of rider you want to be seen as. Now comes the time when you need to go bike hunting, and I’ll give you a few hints on how to narrow down your choice to a manageable amount. One of the problems when purchasing a motorcycle from a dealership in Macau is that they have no demonstration model available. They may be scared you crashed during test driving it or just don’t feel like insuring one bike of each model they’re selling. So you’d better make some good research before venturing to the nearest dealer.

My first comment will be on the size of the bike… Before telling you “buy a small motorbike” I’d just want you to take some time and remember the very first time you drove a manual transmission car. Most people have some trouble as it’s something very new to them and they do not have the skills to handle everything that has to be handled while driving. Handling the clutch while shifting up and down the gears can be tricky and it can take a while before a new driver (or learner) finds out how to have a smooth transition. Same thing goes for braking and so on…

Now tell me… The first time you drove was probably at the driving school, right? Do you remember what kind of car they were using for the lessons? Was it a Lamborghini Countach or something more like an old Daihatsu Charade? If someone answered “Lamborghini Countach” you’re either a big liar or your brain is not functioning properly and you should seek medical help right now.

Take all those funny memories you have when you began driving a car and increase the difficulty a bit… I mean, a lot actually… On a motorcycle, you’ll only have 2 wheels and will have to worry about keeping that hundreds of kilos monster balanced properly as well as keeping those 2 wheels on the road… This is why I’d advise to “buy a small motorbike” to begin with. Here are a few facts I’ve experienced that may help you understand a bit more:

Fact #1: Big motorbikes are heavier
When I was still practicing to get the license, the school had me learn on a Suzuki S40 that weighs around 173kg (for 2009 models). While it doesn’t sound that heavy, I assure you that when the bike loses its balance and start tipping on the side, it takes a lot of strength to keep it from hitting the ground. It happened to me a couple of times and hurt my back once. Lighter motorbikes do not cancel that problem, but it makes it more manageable.

Fact #2: Big motorbikes accelerate faster
Yes, big bikes not only go faster than small bikes, they also accelerate faster. What do I mean? I mean you’ll only need to twist the throttle a tiny little bit to get a good punch out of the engine. Now imagine you actually make the mistake of twisting too much. What will happen is your body will be thrown backwards and you will put your best efforts in hanging on so you do not fly right off your bike. The only problem is you are probably hanging on to the throttle, and as your body is being pulled back, your gripping hand is probably twisting that throttle some more which causes the bike to go even faster and it becomes a vicious circle.

Fact #3: Big motorbikes brake harder
Big engines are usually paired with big breaks… They also have higher torques than smaller engines, meaning that if you go from full throttle to none, the bike will slow down really steeply which will this time push your body towards the front of the bike. That is a common mistake that beginner riders make when Fact #2 happens which causes a lot of crashes at low speed. They start too quick then stop too hard and we’re back to Fact #1 when they’re losing balance.

So that’s the first step you need to take in researching which motorcycle is right for you. Typically, I’d advise fresh riders to begin riding on something between 250cc and 500cc as they will usually forgive small mistakes easier than their bigger brothers (650cc and above). Of course, it doesn’t mean you can’t learn on a 650cc, but it just may make your experience a bit harder. A lot of new riders who decide to follow the hard path end up crashing their newly acquired bike in their first month riding it. Some will ride again after paying all the repairs, some others just get scared and store their bike away in their garage to never touch it again.

Another thing to keep in mind is you’ll be driving your bike around Macau where the fastest you can legally drive is 80km/h. You will never push your 650cc to its limits and will barely use its 4th gear and above, so smaller bikes should be more fun around here. So I’d advise all new riders to start on a small motorcycle first, learn stuff, get experience from riding and other riders, and once you completely master it and eventually get bored you can start thinking about getting your plutonium powered monster.

Comiccritics.com teasing Robert Downey Jr. again

The fun part

Fine, we’re done with grinding those tedious lessons and are now getting to the fun part. Finding and buying a motorcycle!

First of all, you need to decide what kind of rider you are and which type of motorcycle would fit you best. Usually, you will have to choose between 3 main types of motorcycles, namely cruisers, standards and sports.


The first and I think most famous and recognizable type of motorcycles is cruisers. Why “most famous and recognizable”? Because Harley Davidson is a very famous world known cruiser brand that’s why. They’re usually fairly comfortable as the sitting position is in a more “laid back” style compared to standards and sports bikes… However, be aware your tailbone may feel sore after riding for a while. The cruiser’s design also allows less stress in your arms as all the commands are placed higher than sports bikes, avoiding your upper body to exercise pressure on them. While fairly stable at high speed, cruisers become a bit trickier to maneuver at lower speeds as they’re usually heavier than the other 2 types of motorbikes… And by the way, heavier usually means higher fuel consumption too.


Standards are much closer to sports bikes in design, although they do not require you to bend over that much when driving and usually allow you to still sit in an upward position. Standard bikes can be also referred to as “naked” bikes as they normally do not sport all the fancy fairings you may see on sports bikes, leaving the engine and other mechanical parts to the open, hence the term “naked”. Standards are all around type of bikes that have nothing to envy from cruisers or sports bikes and are usually the 1st choice among beginner riders, one of the best reason being (besides handling and comfort) it will be less painful when dropping the bike for the first time (no broken fairing or scratched paint = cheaper repairs)


On the opposite, sports bikes are usually not considered good beginner bikes as they’re not really comfortable to ride and a bit trickier to handle. They usually require the rider to be all cramped up with the head down low and the knees up high and are less forgiving when doing little mistakes. It’s true they look sexier and are usually more powerful, but a good rider on a small bike will smoke a poser on a big bike…


So take a good look and decide which kind of rider you are. Make up your mind and check my next post where I’ll be giving some advice on which bikes a beginner should consider buying as well as a list of good contenders.

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
1990 to current Titles
Charlton Titles
Crime/Mystery Titles
Dell Titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: VILLAINS

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

How good is Local?

I have been following Megan’s adventures for a few days now. I’ve been reading the book occasionally and am about 5 or 6 issues in right now, so it’s about half way through the whole run.

It’s a kind of “slice of life” book that takes us around the U.S. together with the main character. Each issue takes place in a different place, which I thought was a nice concept and has Megan has the main character, who appears to be a bit of a “funky” person as she somehow manages to always meet some weird people along the way and get herself in uncomfortable situations.

The whole book reads a bit like Demo, a previous Wood story, as each new issue has no link with the previous ones besides Megan. The art is really nice, and as mentioned in a previous post, the book itself is pretty awesome thanks to its oversized heavy-weight pages (almost Bristol-like) and the way the 12 issues are bond all together. It’s a thick thick hardcover book that reminds me of those old school bibles.

So while I’ve been enjoying discovering Megan and following her around in her trips and all, I can’t stop thinking of one thing… “Why?” I mean, so far she’s been going to different places in every issue but we still do not know the reason behind… I mean, in the first issue It was kind of obvious, but then why? I hope I get to find that out as I read on.

The exam day

On the exam day, one motorcycle will be booked for you for basically the whole afternoon (my exam was in the afternoon, but I believe it should be similar if scheduled in the morning). You will be required to arrive about an hour in advance so you’ll have some more time for a final practice. Once the examiners arrive, here is how it will proceed.

At first, they will ask everyone to line up the same way as you were lining up when waiting for your turn to practice driving 8’s in the slope. The only different thing is they will arrange the order to their liking (I can’t remember if it was alphabetically or not). 2 or 3 examiners will observe you and make sure you do not commit any mistake while doing the “8’s in the slope” exercise. When you complete it (and hopefully pass) the examiners will ask you to go wait for the road trip. Those who fail the “8’s in the slope” will not be able to go.

Once everyone has gone through the “8’s in the slope” and the skimming has been done, the examiners will arrange the motorcycles by category. Usually 650cc are positioned directly behind the examiner who takes the lead, then come the 125cc and the 50cc in the end. While driving, you have to stay RIGHT BEHIND the lead examiner in a straight line. If you deviate either on the right or the left a bit too much to his liking, he will FAIL you. If you overtake him or another student, he will FAIL you. I know the left or right bit seems a bit stupid, why would I want to stay right behind him, what’s the problem in being in his wing a bit? I’ve asked the driving school guy but he just gave me the typical Macau answer: “Those are the rules made by IACM, I don’t make the rules, I just tell you how it is and don’t know the reason, I’m just teaching you how to get your license, once you pass you can do whatever you want on the road…” you get the idea… One last thing, if you can’t keep up and the lead examiner gets too much ahead of you, he will FAIL you too.

Anyway, once you start driving around there should not be any problem as you already know the route, just remember the following:

1. When stopped, always put your LEFT (and left only) foot on the ground.
2. Always keep your RIGHT foot on the brakes.
3. Always signal when turning or stopping along the road.
4. Never stop your motorcycle on a zebra crossing.
5. Watch out for pedestrians.

The first 3 points are quite obvious but let me develop a bit on 4 & 5. As I mentioned earlier, the examiners will arrange the motorcycles by category, which means there will be a fairly long line of motorcycles behind him, meaning you will have to anticipate when stopping. For example, if you’re 20 meters behind the lead examiner and he decides to stop 20 meters after a zebra crossing, that would make you stop right on top of it if you keep the same distance. You have to anticipate this and stop right before it, that’s all. Same thing goes for pedestrians, you have to stop even they’re not crossing the street yet… If they’re just waiting on the sidewalk or getting closer to crossing the street, you have stop and let them go first.

If you understand and execute all this well, you will be holding a brand new Macau driving license at the end of the day. If it was a bad day and you didn’t pass, well no worries, you still can re-take the exam some other time. Be aware that failure has a price though, as it will cost you an extra MOP2,280 to re-apply for the exam (price including 5 extra lessons).

Statcounter features

I took a look at my statcounter over the week-end. I had not had time to look at it closely since I created my account, but there is one fun feature that allows users to know where people who access their blog reside.

Out of all the visitors I’ve had (not too many, up to know it’s around 50) some were from U.S., U.K., Russia, Brazil, Quebec, another one somewhere in Africa (forgot which country exactly) and some more… It’s funny but I had never thought it’d be seen by such a diverse group of people… I wish I had started using statcounter earlier, it’s fun to check those kind of statistics.

So anyway, just wanted to say hi to everyone, I hope you're enjoying what you're finding here!

Comiccritics.com and Iron Man

Funny strips from Comiccritics.com... I've been wanting to feature those here for a while, and those last ones about Iron Man are pretty fun so I thought I'd start with those. I invite you to visit Comiccritics.com to read more of their work, it can be really funny at times!

Steve Ditko: Spider-Man's Forgotten Father

I've just come across an interesting article about Steve Ditko over at examiner.com. I'm pretty sure most of you know who Steve Ditko is, but it's still an interesting piece worth reading even you're familiar with the guy. Click to read it.

Spider-man: Blue is a goner

I’ve turned the last page of the last issue a few days ago and will be on reading other things… This story was less than transcending to me, maybe because I started reading with very high expectations… Well, not as high as before reading Superman for all seasons but high nevertheless.

In the last book, we finally get to know the identity of that “shadow” that had been lurking around since the beginning of the book, trying to help other villains (and there’s been a plethora of them) finishing off Spider-man. It also gave birth to one of the most pathetic attempt at drawing that character; that drawing reminded me of Village People for some reason.

The character also makes a strange mistake and abducts Harry Osborn instead of Peter Parker, based on the only reason that he borrowed some of Parker’s aftershave… It didn’t really make sense to me; I think he should have been confused between the two of them as Parker must be, after all, wearing HIS OWN aftershave as well… Or didn’t he shave on that day?

So after a rather disappointing last 2 books, I’m back in my “Wood Mood” and picked up my Local hard cover. One of my friends bought it for me while he was in Malaysia as bookstores over there seem to be selling comic books together with other books in English. It was really nice of him to carry this massive book back for me in his already packed suitcase.
I had set it aside for a while as I had read a few books written by Wood and wanted to read something else. I unpacked it a couple of nights ago, and let me tell you the book itself feels great. The hardcover looks and feels nice when holding the book in my hands, they had the clever idea NOT to include a dust jacket (god I hate those). The pages are oversized compared to the traditional comic books which makes reading the story a more submerging experience. I also enjoyed the extra weight and thickness of those pages as it adds a “quality feel” when flipping through the book… And nothing beats that “paper and ink” smell when opening a brand new book!

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
1970's Comics
Classics Illustrated Titles
Marvel A to L Titles
Romance Comics

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: AVENGERS

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

The lesson itself

What exactly are you going to learn during those 25 lessons you have to attend? Well, the first thing you’ll ever do there are 8’s… What do I mean by 8’s? Well, check out the picture below and you’ll understand quickly.

Exactly, for the first few lessons (well… depending on how quick you’ll learn), you won’t be driving in circles but in 8’s. You can see the 8 shaped yellow track on the floor… This exercise basically teaches you how to maneuver your bike, how to tilt it the right way to turn left or right, how to position yourself properly and how to make the best use of the clutch. To perform this exercise, you normally won’t need to touch the throttle at all… The “teacher” will send you to the next exercise when you will demonstrate you can easily do those 8’s without coming out of the yellow track. As I had some experience driving, it took me about 3 lessons to train for the real thing that will be part of the final exam.




The “real thing” as I called it earlier, is basically the same exercise as the first one, except that you’ll have to make those 8’s in a slope… There’s no more 8 shaped track this time, only yellow boundaries all around the practice area and the “parking box” that’s located about half way up on the left side (it’s hard to see it in the picture). The sequence goes something like:
1. Position your bike at the lower left corner and wait for the signal to go
2. Go up the slope and stop in the “parking box” without touching the yellow edges
3. Do a “hill start” and make 3 8’s while going up and down the slope
4. At the end of the 3rd 8, drive back inside the “parking box” and stop
5. Do another “hill start”, then a U turn to drive your bike down the slope and out the practice area.
6. Stop your bike outside the parking area, on the lower right corner.

I know it sounds a little bit complicated; maybe the following sequence will help you understand.





Here are the dos and don’ts of this exercise:
1. Never cross the yellow boundaries
2. When stopped, always put your LEFT (and left only) foot on the ground
3. Always keep your RIGHT foot on the brakes
4. Never set your foot down when driving

Enjoy learning it and learn to enjoy it because you’ll be doing this for the next 20 or so lessons. “20 LESSONS!!?!?! I THOUGHT WE ONLY HAD 25??!?!”… Yes, I know, but that’s how it goes here in Macau, you don’t actually learn how to ride your bike on the road in the traffic. You’ll only get to go out of the practice range the last couple of sessions and for something like 10 minutes each time. It’s quite short but they’ll only show you ONE route only and that’ll be the one you will have to take during your exam… As it’s a pretty short one too, your road trips will be at minimal. Take a look at the following map to get some idea about the exam route.


View Macau Exam Route in a larger map

And that’s basically it… Of course, if you’ve never driven a motorcycle before, I believe you will also spend some time learning about the bike itself, like what the uses of different switches are or how to shift gears.

Things worth noting:
1. The pictures were taken in a pretty quiet day. It can get really crowded and you may have to wait for around 20 minutes before being able to practice on the slope, limiting you to 2 to 3 tries per lesson.
2. There is no water dispenser, drinks vending machine or convenience store nearby.
3. It can get pretty sunny, wear long sleeves if you easily get sunburns.
4. When you book your time for a lesson, you’re only booking the motorbike. It does not include someone to coach you for the whole lesson and it does not insure you will have space to practice.

Some news from Hollywood

Variety is reporting Columbia Pictures is planning a second installment of Ghost Rider that would be written by David Goyer and starring Nicolas Cage (again...). For some reasons, sequels are generally worse than their first chapter, and the first Ghost Rider was really disappointing... Let's see if something better comes out of this.

A slightly better news from MTV News... Clive Owen has "heard from a very good source" that Sin City 2 may be put into production "some time next year". I kind of liked the first movie and I'm curious to know what the sequel will look like... It's supposedly going to be based on Sin City: A dame to kill for. Very exciting, and the second 300 movie is coming too!

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
Archie Titles
Marvel Civil War Titles
DC A to L Titles
War Titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: LITTLELULU

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

Comics value packs at Mycomicshop.com!!!

I’ve noticed that when browsing Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions. They’ve recently added a Value Pack section to their website where you can order 2 pounds of comics for USD6.95. That’s great value!

How does that work? Well, you choose one of the available themes, let’s say the Iron Man value pack, and Mycomicshop.com sends you 2 pounds of Iron Man comics… The only thing is you don’t get to pick which comics you’ll actually get, so don’t expect to be lucky and receive the very first issue of Fantastic Four or anything, but if you’re just looking to get some reading materials that’s a great way to discover new characters (by new I mean a character you don’t already know).

I think this is great news for us… I have not tried it yet but am planning on ordering some just for fun and see what I actually get.

For more information, check out Mycomicshop.com’s value packs page… I’ll also add a permanent link in the bargains section.

You’ve got mail

I’ve had been in the impossibility of checking my email inbox in the last few days as I was busy dealing with other things, work and a sick son being among them. When coming in this morning, I fired up my web browser to find out I had received some sweet email from Mycomicshop.com:

"You had 1 referred order in the time period 05/28/09 to 09/10/09 with a combined total (excluding tax and shipping) of $130.16. Since mycomicshop.com Credit is your selected payment method, you earned 15% of that subtotal, which is $19.52. You previously had $7.68 in mycomicshop.com credit earned from the Affiliate Program. Your new total is $27.20. This credit is now available for you to use at mycomicshop.com."

So I thought I’d thank the person who used the promotional codes posted on this blog to purchase his/her books…

I also thought about other things… Like this is not the first referred order I got, maybe the 4th one… So I know like at least 4 persons came to read this blog, but what about others? Are there other people who just pass by and read what I put up online? Until now, I had no real way to know that, and I thought those were probably the only 4 persons that actually found my blog… I became interested in knowing the traffic I had here and decided to subscribe to Statcounter.

Statcounter is a free service that helps people like me keep track of how many visitors they get over time. I have been using it for 2 or 3 days now, and surprisingly, I was pleased to see that I’ve had 29 visitors so far… Not too bad, I was thinking it was gonna stay flat for most of the time.

Now I wonder why no one is actually leaving any comment… That would be nice to get some kind of feedback, even if that would be only about the blog’s design or something…

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
Frank Miller Titles
Gold Key Titles
Marvel M to Z Titles
Superman Titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: MANIMAL

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

Still not sold

One statement in my last post was that I wasn’t really a Superman fan and that last book I read didn’t really made me want to become one… Well, I’m not much of a Spider-man fan either (not that I dislike him, I just didn’t really get into reading his stories) and once again, Spider-man: Blue fails at making me want to become one.

I’ve almost read the entire story (5 out of 6 issues) and honestly, I’m not really sold on that book… It seems Marvel tried the same concept they had over at DC when coming up with Superman for all seasons… Or maybe it was the other way around, whichever came first… So they hired the SAME TEAM who wrote that Superman’s summary, switched characters, and published a Spider-man summary.

Again, while it’s nice to not have to know anything about Spider-man’s universe or even comic books to be able to read and understand what is going on, it gets kind of frustrating to read “summaries”… It’s not particularly well done, and honestly, I don’t know why I feel that way, but it seems Tim Sale can’t draw a “punching” Spider-man… He’s there, facing the villain, and he throws a punch at him, but what should be more “dynamic” has a very static aspect and can’t really feel the impact… Does Spidey hit like a girl? Couple that with a so-so story and you get that book.
So while I still have to finish it, I still think it’s not really worth your money… I mean 5 out of 6 are “meh” so save some cash and some time and get a real book like Kraven’s last hunt if you’re looking for some Spider-man action. I think I should have stayed in my “Wood mood”, maybe I’ll pick up Local next as I’ve heard many good things about that one.

More news (or rumors?) on that Lobo movie

Superherohype.com just published an article stating that actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan "has his sights set on Lobo".

For those who don't really know who he is, he's the one who was impersonating The Comedian in Watchmen and he was pretty convincing... Could he be a good Lobo? Maybe...

I also tumbled on a Keith Giffen interview over at CBR. Have a look to know what take Giffen has on everything that's happening around Lobo right now.

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
Action/Adventure Titles
Conan Titles
Dell Titles
Marvel A to L Titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: DISNEY

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

And winter it was…

I finally found time to finish reading Superman for all seasons this week-end. At first, I quite enjoyed reading it as it was telling the story of Clark Kent before he actually became Superman or even moved to Metropolis. I got to know about Lana Lang who was his High School sweet heart and one of the first persons he told his secret (after his foster parents)… It also made me realize that Lois Lane was not his first romance (yeah I’ve never watched Smallville on TV or else I’d probably know that I guess…)

So one of the best things is that you do not need to know anything about Superman, or to have even heard of him before, to actually read the book and understand the story. It is addressed to anyone, fans and non fans included. I, myself, am not really a Superman fan, not because I dislike him but more because I never really got attracted by that character for some reason… But that was fine and I still could read the entire book without having a big question mark over my head after each panel.

On the flip side, the book didn’t make me want to become a Superman fan… The story was OK but didn’t really carry anything spectacular in it… It was just a basic “coming of age” story with all the expected stages: growing up, leaving home, get hurt, go back home to lick your wounds, realize something and leave home again (but stronger)… So yeah, not a bad story, it just doesn’t qualify as “sensational”… Also the art was just OK, I really hated those parts in the city… Too ugly.

So there you go, while it’s still a book I partially enjoyed reading I did not become a Superman diehard fan and was a bit disappointed by Jeph Loeb and Time Sale for once… Just to let you know, my first thought after finishing the book was “luckily I only paid 6 bucks for it…” I probably would have been pretty pissed if I had paid retail price (around USD15). I am now starting Spiderman: Blue which is another Loeb/Sale cooperation and hope it’ll be slightly (if not a lot) better.

A Lobo movie?

According to this article on CRB, Guy Ritchie, who's not only known for marrying (and divorcing) Madonna but also for his movies Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrells, will be directing a movie based on Lobo in 2010. I've been waiting for this for a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time, I really hope they don't f*ck it up.

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
Avengers Titles
Dark Horse Titles
DC M to Z Titles
Fantasy/ Sword & Sorcery Titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: ICKYTWERP

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

Watchmen, the movie

When I heard the big boys over at Hollywood were planning on making a movie based on the Watchmen comic book by Alan Moore, I couldn’t help but thinking how tough it would be to move that story from book to screen and still have something that was coherent… After the movie came out, I read some reviews and some viewers comments on how much the movie sucked compared to the book and so on…

Last night, I’ve finally watched the DVD and was not expecting much from it… I was pleased with the first few fighting scenes and pretty much with the overall movie itself. The cast was good; it was probably made with the book in mind as I found most actors resembled the characters they were incarnating with the exception of Adrian Veidt. I just thought the actor (Matthew Goode) wasn’t looking alike his character at all…

Regarding the story, lots of things were left off which means some secondary characters that had been more present in the book barely appear on screen… But the movie is already lasting something close to three hours so some skimming was obviously necessary… Then again, when the movie was announced I thought it’d be a trilogy. In that way they could have included all the side stories, maybe even raise some funds to keep the real ending of the story!!!

Yes, you read it well, the ending differs from the book… Which is a pity as it was my favorite part and actually made the book what it was. But apart from that, I found the movie was well conceived and pretty entertaining… I’m happy I watched it at home, though, as my wife kept on asking me to explain what was going on… Imagine me explaining it to her in the theater, without being able to pause the movie! And she’s the kind who asks the ending prematurely as well (if she knows you know) which would not be nice to those who paid their tickets and would be sitting next to us.

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
DC 1980's Titles
Archie Titles
Captain America Titles
Marvel M to Z Titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: OLDMANLOGAN

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

About those "grab bag" posts

About a month ago, I started writing "grab bag" posts similar to this one. Unfortunately, I found out I do not find "updated" good deals very often, which means it's not worth posting about it on a weekly basis... So instead of posting, I'll put up a list on my blog's front page that I'll update everytime I deem necessary. It will be more efficient that way.

A few months later…

You’ve finally reached the time to take your first lesson… If your case is similar to mine, you’ll probably have to phone the instructor first to book a specific time. His number should be provided by the driving school you’ve joined.

All schools have their practices taken at the same place. You will have to get to a “practice range” in the COTAI area, it’s the only one in Macau and it shouldn’t be really hard to find.

If you drive there (I know you don’t have your motorcycle license but you may be driving a car), the easiest way is to park in the Macau Dome’s parking lot. It is free of charge and within walking distance of the practice range.
If you do not own a car, I guess the bus is your best choice… Buses going to COTAI or Coloane should get you there, try looking at 15, 21, 21A, 25, 26, 26A bus routes. There are 2 bus companies in Macau, namely TransMac and TCM. Try checking their websites for info but it’s unfortunately all in Chinese. Here's a useful map I've prepared to help you find the location:


View Driving Practice Range in a larger map

When getting there, you’ll have to find a way to know where your instructor is… It can get tricky as all the schools are there and there’s no sign or anything to help out. The best way is to have a business card from your school and just show it to the first guy you’ll bump into… Of course, it’s even better if you can ask a girl ^^.

After meeting him, he will prepare some forms for you and ask you to go purchase some of those MOP10 stamps I mentioned in my previous post. You can buy a bunch of them at once, just do not forget to get them chopped every time you take a lesson as it will act as proof you took all 25 mandatory lessons.

At that point, the instructor should introduce your ride to you. Most schools (not to say ALL of them) use the very popular Suzuki S40 (Suzuki Savage 650 for older models). It’s a pretty reliable and pretty comfortable motorcycle which is probably the reason why it’s so popular among driving schools. It handles quite well too, although it’s a bit heavy and will not forgive the mistakes you may make while still in your first few days of practice… So if you tip it on the side too much, you’ll need some muscles to prevent it from hitting the ground or lifting it up once it’s lying on the asphalt.









A quick note regarding protective gear… The instructor will lend you a helmet every time you come to a lesson, you know, one of those 10 years old Calimero egg shells type helmets that was worn by 10,000 students before you.
So if you want to wear a proper helmet that fits your head, protects you in case of fall and smells funny only because YOU sweat in it and haven’t washed it for a while, do yourself a favor and bring your own.

Summer and Fall

In my first post about Superman for all seasons I was tentatively guessing the remaining 3 issues’ titles, and I was right for at least the second and third one (haven’t got to the fourth one yet)… So spring is followed by summer and fall… What a surprise!

It basically starts when we left off after the first issue. Clark starts his job at the Daily Planet and his new life as Superman as well. He’s a very lonely guy, though, and he realizes he’s not at home anywhere anymore as Metropolitans see him as a farmer boy from Smallville but he can’t seem to “understand” people in Smallville anymore… It’s kind of an “in between” situation that anyone who’s left “home” has probably struggled with before. It’s a different side of Superman, he’s a super being and all but still has Average Joe’s problems, feelings, dilemmas…

In the third chapter, the story is told from Lois Lane’s point of view while the narrator’s spot is picked up by Lex Luthor in the fourth. I still enjoy the story, although I couldn’t help but notice Tim Sale was probably in his “cubic” period when he drew those books… Maybe I didn’t notice in the first issue as most of it took place in Smallville and there weren’t many skyscrapers around, but he sure took his ruler out his pencil case right now… Remember how your art teacher taught you how to draw perspective in secondary school? Tim remembers, that’s for sure… And he’s applying the technique by the book… Maybe that’s intended but it’s far from mesmerizing to me…

No more yellow mask on the shelves

It is, yet again, the end of an Iron Fist series… It’s funny how it seems to get cancelled all the time. So this month, August 2009, you are able to get the 27th and last issue. It’s a good and a bad thing, actually. It’s bad because his adventures are coming to an end (or he’s taking a break) and it’s good because I’ll finally be able to start buying the TPBs and know there actually is an end to the story.

It’s also good as this series was only planned to last for 6 issues, but Marvel probably got surprised by the rise in popularity and decided to have it run longer… It surely has something to do with Matt Fraction and Ed Brubaker working on the title. The first issue came out with an USD2.99 price tag; you can now find it at USD18.00… Good return!

Fraction and Brubaker did not actually work on the 27 issues, and lot of people dropped the series when they left. But I’ve read many who regretted it and hopped in again as the series was still good after the new team took over. Seems to me like a good sign, I’ll probably buy the collected issues once the last TPB comes out.

Looking for a school now?

So you’ve read my last post, understood it, followed my advice and setup a budget…? I guess you’re ready to subscribe to a driving school then. It’s not really hard to find one, really, as there’s a plethora of driving schools in Macau. You can find a list over here.

I personally went to Escola Condução Sang Chung Wa (Address: Tak Fok Seaview Gdn Kam Keng Kok in Taipa. Tel: 2882 0655). I had no particular reason for choosing that one over another, it just happened to be near where I reside, which finally didn’t really matter as I never set foot over there after subscribing. At least I was able to find someone who spoke English which helped setting up my application.

I believe most of the schools more or less charge the same, and I know by experience they all practice at the same place and use the same model of motorbikes as well… I’ll tell more about practice sessions in another post.

So if you’re holding a valid Macau driving license, they should charge you as follows:

• Application to driving exam + all related paper works and documents: MOP1,100
• 25 lessons + rental of the motorcycle on exam day: MOP3,250
• Insurance: MOP90
• Total: MOP4,440

You’ll also need to bring your Macau ID card, Macau driving license and 6 ID pictures (size 1.5 inches, in color and with white background). In case you do not hold a Macau ID, you can apply using your passport and work permit (they call it a “blue card” here).

When submitting your application, they will take you to a doctor (included in the price) to check your sight and make sure you’re not colorblind.

One thing that is good to know in advance is that there will be quite a lengthy period of time between the day you apply and your exam. In my case, I applied in April and was scheduled for exam in November… A nice 7 months wait… So basically, although you’ve applied and paid, the school will advise you to wait and start taking your lessons around 2 months before your exam. And you’d better keep good track of time as the school will not contact you and remind you about it.

One more thing not shown above, a MOP10 fee is requested to use the practice range for each lesson taken. Basically, you’ll have to purchase some stamps and get one chopped every time you practice (or two, or three, depending on how long you stay) so it adds MOP250 to the total price, although it is not paid to the school but to IACM (Instituto para os Assuntos Cívicos e Municipais)

Remarks:

• The information/prices shown are up to date on posting day.
• The information/prices shown refer to “A type license for motorcycles of 650cc and over” application.
• The fee related to 25 lessons + rental of the motorcycle on exam day can be paid on application day or later when starting taking the lessons.
• Each lesson lasts 50 minutes.

Morning read

I woke up a bit late this morning, a bit too late to have my morning gaming session like I usually do. So instead logging on to my favourite game, I picked up a book from my comics collection… I was not sure what to read exactly, I was on a lengthy Brian Wood diet and thought maybe I should give somebody else a shot (although I still have to start Local).

My hand finally found its way to one of many Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s collaboration I had yet to read: Superman for all seasons

While at first I found the art a bit simplistic, I quickly found back Sale’s style and attention to all the little details he likes to put in his backgrounds. It’s very different than what he did on all the Batman books I read so far, but somehow similar in some ways…

So far the story is OK. It starts in Smallville just when Clark Kent is about to graduate. I’ve only read the first chapter (Spring) and am about to start the second one (Summer)… As it’s a 4 part story, I could bet the 3rd and 4th chapters will be Autumn (or maybe Fall) and Winter. Now I kind of know why the title is Superman for all seasons.

I think the first chapter starts of the book pretty nicely, I like the way Clark’s father is the narrator of the story and also seeing Clark evolving from a teenage kid to Superman, actually discovering more and more of his powers and realizing he should use them for the good of mankind. I know this “Epiphany” thing is such a cliché to some, but it works on me… I know I’m an easy prey and vultures will feast on my flesh, alright…

Only one thing bothered me in this issue… At some point, some kid is chasing a kitty on the edge of a building (you know, those edges that look like they’re actual sidewalks that go around a building?)… All kids do that right? Anyway, so the kid is chasing the kitty and he suddenly trips or something and starts falling off the building. Of course, Superman flies in, saves the kid from certain death, and takes him down to safety… back on the building’s edge!!! Come on, Superman, that’s a big “no-no” to you on the safety side…

Tough decision…

As you have read yesterday in my post, I really enjoyed Brian Cronin’s Cool Comic Book Moment yesterday. Coincidently, Mycomicshop.com is having promotions on Thor titles… Should I shell out USD100 and get the entire Walt Simonson’s run? Is it really worth biting the bullet? Leave comments to let me know what you think.

Mycomicshop.com weekly promotions

This week's promotion over at Mycomicshop.com are:

5% off pre-1981 issues

10% off modern-era issues in the following groups:
DC A to L Titles
Thor Titles
Valiant Titles
X-Men Titles

How can you get access to the discounted prices? Easy, just click on one of the above links and enter my preferred customer password for this week: THOR

Disclosure:
As I am part of their affiliate program, clicking on one of the above links will help me out raising some credits for my future purchases... Mycomicshop.com will credit 15% of your first order (yes, your first order only, not the following ones) on my account. As a way to thank you, I offer the weekly password so you can enjoy a 10% rebate... So we both win something in the end! Thanks for you support!

Brian Cronin

Does that name sound familiar to you? Probably not, just like it was the case for me some months ago… I think I may have linked to a couple of his posts (or should I say articles?) in the past but maybe without referencing to him directly… I think I also had a link to the “Comics Should Be Good” (CSBG) section over at Comic Book Resources, but it probably got wiped out when I accidentally messed up my blog’s template…

I keep a CSBG Feed in Outlook so I’m able to keep track with what is going on at his website and read religiously each and every update; it’s really quality stuff you’ll find there, not only from Brian Cronin but also from other contributors who occasionally share a slice of their lives as well.

This morning, when checking my subscribed feeds, I read through the CSBG section and found Brian’s daily post in his “A Year of Cool Comic Book Moments” series. He was featuring some panels from Walt Simonson’s The Mighty Thor #362, and while I usually enjoy reading this section, this morning was a bit different than usual. Those panels really vibrate, there’s something about them I cannot explain that really touched me inside and brought a sense of respect for that character. I found it so strong it just made me want to order Thor titles right away (I’ve never read Thor before…)

At the end of his posts, Brian always mentions what he thinks being “THE” moment in those panels… I know the year isn’t over yet and there are still 136 “Cool Comic Book Moments” but out of all the ones that have been published so far, I think that particular one gets the crown.

Still in a Wood Mood

One more down, some more to go… After finishing Demo’s last story, I decided to start reading Fight for tomorrow which happens to be yet another Brian Wood’s story. It’s funny, I thought I’d be growing tired of Brian Wood’s work after reading his 4 other books but I am not… It must be because of 2 things, the first one is they’re usually quite different stories that don’t give me a “Déjà vu” feeling when reading them, and the second one must be because he’s just a good writer/artist.

I have not purchased Fight for tomorrow in a trader paperback format but bought all the single issues. Honestly, the story isn’t super original, but the way it’s written kept me wanting to read more after finishing every issue. I also liked the way it’s set in the Asian community of New York. I don’t live there and do not know if they have those small Buddhist temples like in the one in the book but it felt quite believable.

The art was nice as well, the fighting scenes were fun to read, I enjoyed the way they were sketched, the smudgy edges after receiving or giving punches added something to them… Only one thing, I somehow got some trouble recognizing the main character sometimes… His face just kept changing appearances and I’m not sure it was because of the bashing he’s getting all along that story…

Anyway, all in all, this book is not going to change the way you think about comic books, but it was entertaining enough to have me read it in one go and still enjoyed it even I was left with a “yeah I saw that coming from far away” feeling. Still pretty good, just not revolutionary, which is actually nice sometimes.