Miscellaneous Debris #1003 & 1004

As RAGBRAI comes to an end, I thought it was worth noting that Lance Armstrong made the ride.

Armstrong has ridden along with the thousands of RAGBRAI riders at least four times, but this is his first public appearance since his Oprah appearance and admission to guilt in January.

The RAGBRAI event organizers said Armstrong would always be welcome, but when they were making those comments six months ago, it was almost as silly to consider as the Drake Relays announcing Oscar "Blade Runner" Pistorius was not going to be there (he would have been, but that whole arrest thing came up).

Of course, Armstrong's accusation wasn't that serious in the universal scope of things, but it feels like we should give him some credit to getting back out to the people.  All the reports I saw said things went well with Lance, even though he admitted they might not; then again people tend to be friendlier when face-to-face as opposed to when they are hiding behind the internets.

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I don't tend to have much of a concept of how well west Iowan congressman Steve King is known across the country.  His wacky statements are in Zeb Colter territory, which has made him a regular on the likes of Olbermann and Rachel Maddow for years- but I don't know if he is anywhere as known as people like Michelle Bachmann who have had national ambitions.

King has had so many quotes, it's hard to pick one, but the one about terrorists dancing in the streets when Obama got elected is probably his "Stairway to Heaven".  I mentioned him a few times in the last month as he compared letting a select group of immigrants in as going to  the dog pound and picking the best dogs; and freaking out on twitter as Mexican-American activists came to his Congressional office.

Like any artist moving into their late period, King put out a jewel this week- his "You Better You Bet" if you will, and here it is- King talking of illegal aliens:

For everyone who’s a valedictorian, there’s another hundred out there who weigh a hundred and thirty pounds—and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling seventy-five pounds of marijuana across the desert. Those people would be legalized with the same act.

Now, anybody could make a Tancredo-style comment about immigration, but King is Steinbeckian or Faulknerian in his prose.

It's King being King and he's virtually unbeatable in West Iowa, but this grabbed a bit more attention than some of his other statements.

Which means he's getting what you might expect:   some strong verbal punishment from John Boehner and Iowa's Republican governor.

Oh, and cantaloupes delivered to this office.

Comics roundup: July (1 of 2)

Uh-oh!  I am behind.  Most of these are on issue 2.  Times to get some work done...

Jupiter's Legacy #1- written by Mark Millar (Image) -  A couple of Millar titles on here, with this an ambitious project featuring Frank Quietly's artwork.  Millar is trying to do a couple of things- telling a story based in the 1930s that tells of the rise of superheroes and a modern story which focuses on the children of said heroes in which we learn like the children of the Hiltons and Kardashians, these children of privilege are behaving badly.

The first element of the story is true Alan Moore or Mike Mignola territory, perhaps more serious from what we would expect from Millar.  The second element, of course is more with what you would have seen in Wanted or KickAss.  Both generally work.  While obviously Millar's dialogue sounds better coming out of the new generation, his dialogue for the Golden Age-style heroes actually is fine, too.

I like that Millar picked up the idea that if celebrities like Martin Sheen or Jon Voight (or whatever politician has an embarrassing son or daughter - think of Ronald Reagan's kids) that Superman or Captain America or whoever might have the same dynamic with their offspring.  It is a unique take, and if it isn't (Oh, Moore has been there, and there were plenty of 90s comics where we imagined decadent superheroes), it at least feels that way.

The big problem of course is Quietly.  No reason he shouldn't draw the book, but like Alex Ross, it seems like he brings a certain sense of epicness to anything he draws; which probably isn't good for this comic.  Millar haters have already made it known they don't like it, and although Millar fans like myself will like it- I did enjoy it- it isn't going to be the comic he's remembered for.  Yet, the mere presence of Quietly makes it feel like it should be.  Like bringing Woody Allen in to direct Billy Madison.  A good comic, but not Millar's best.

Kick Ass 3 #1- written by Mark Millar - (Marvel/Icon) Millar is bringing his KickAss trilogy to an end (at least for now).  In  a lot of ways, it's a franchise I was about done with (which of course is silly.  No one says that about Spiderman or Superman).  Still, with the movie sequel out, it's the time to release new content.

At this point, most people will probably have strong opinions on this title.  if you haven't read any of the previous issues, this is actually a good jumping on spot.  if you liked the original title, there's actually a lot to like about this issue.  It really captures what Millar has always wanted to do with this title, and really makes the book exciting again- finding what works and making it the fun book it's supposed to be- getting some good comic digs in and making it a fun quick read.

Lazarus #1- written by Greg Rucka (Image)  - I have always liked Rucka, but this one really grabbed me.  It takes place in a world where the 1% become more detached from the 99% and have bodyguards to keep the riffraff out.  There's a lot to like about issue one- a strong lead character, an interesting plottwist, and the whole concept seems incredibly fresh.  It is also boosted by excellent art by Michael Lark.  Like some of Image's titles, I am afraid this will slip off people's radar (even with Rucka's name on it), but this is a must buy.