Smallville - "Whisper"

I think we have a strong contender for the most fun episode of the season. Some thoughts, in no particular order:

- Clark gets glasses! I couldn't keep myself from grinning.

- A fantastic job of introducing superhearing, both in Clark's initial bout with it, and his attempts to control it. Maybe not as classic as the heat vision ep, but good nonetheless. But its introduction seemed natural, and its consequences were immediately felt, without seeming forced (as was the case with x-ray vision). Now all that's left is telescopic and microscopic vision, super-ventriloquism, and, of course, flight.

- Pete's back! And he actually does something!

- We finally meet the oft-mentioned but never-seen Judge Ross.

- Great foreshadowing of Pa's condition. It's going to be such a tragedy when he goes.

- Oodles of development on character relationships. Clark learns about Chloe's agreement with Lionel. Lex learns what Lionel thinks of him. Lionel seeds dissention between Lex and Clark. Chloe threatens Lionel, and Lionel's reaction was spot-on. Chloe and her dad both lose their jobs. Lex is "looking out for Clark," but with a hint of darkness. There's going to be plenty of fallout from all of this.

- More drama between Clark and Lana. I've long since tired of the "Dawson's Creek"-ness of this aspect of the show, and I didn't care for having this episode end on pretty much the same note as last week's. Still, the last-minute inclusion of the hearing improved that moment substantially. And I hope that the inclusion of Adam will bring some life to this subplot.

- Smallville has a population of 45,000. And the 3-hour distance between Smallville and Metropolis finally gets spoken on the show, even though I think that's absurdly far.

- Problems with the ep: Judge Ross should've recused herself from the case, for personal reasons. The sheriff's an idiot if she didn't connect two crimes that involved all of the nearby glass being broken. (Why didn't the tow truck's windshield break?) The police should have fiercely interrogated Masterson about his accomplice's location. And his lawyer better get disbarred.

DC in April

What I imagine I'm buying from DC in April:

DETECTIVE COMICS #793

Gabrych's first issue was good enough, but I suppose the next couple of issues will let me know whether I'll still be buying this title in April.

GOTHAM CENTRAL #18

BATMAN: GOTHAM CENTRAL TP

At only $10, a fantastic deal. Michael Lark's art would definitely benefit from a lack of advertisements, too. I expect I'll buy this and sell off my issues. I do wish they'd left "Batman" out of the title, though, since he's not part of the monthly title.

ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #627

Rucka's run on 'Tec was what got me reading that title, and given my love of Superman, I guess I'll give him a shot here too. The $2.50 price tag doesn't thrill me, though.

THE FLASH #209

H-E-R-O #15

I never dreamed we'd see Jerry Feldon again.

JSA #60

A new legacy hero, who's already dead? I'm curious.

PLASTIC MAN #5

"More hijinks from Woozy Winks"? I want to read about Plas' hijinks, not Woozy's.

ARROWSMITH/ASTRO CITY

FABLES: STORYBOOK LOVE TP

Probably an eBay buy.

Ape Nation

Singaporeans Urged to Act Like Monkeys

When one comes across a headline like this, the first reaction is that it must be a reporter's cute interpretation of a fairly normal news story. But this isn't. It is exactly as the headline suggests, if not actually funnier:

"People in strait-laced Singapore were urged Monday to act like monkeys -- the Chinese zodiac sign for the coming Lunar year -- for the sake of their country. Singaporeans could foster an economic recovery this year by behaving more like monkeys, Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan said..."

Kerry-ed Away

They are declaring John Kerry to be the winner in the Iowa Caucus. There had been some expectation of this result, but it still seems surprising in light of the buzz about Dean. On the other hand, the winner of the 1992 Democratic Iowa Caucus was Tom Harkin, and he soon fell behind eventual Democratic candidate Bill Clinton, so Kerry's victory is far from decisive. But it does serve to make things a little more interesting.

I'm Back!

After taking a month away from blogging, I'm back. During that time, I enjoyed my Christmas break, took a vacation with the family, and started the New Year fresh.

Two things stand out as different now. First, I'm now rehearsing for a musical production of "Godspell," which will be my first theater production. It's been great so far, and it's a wonderful release from school. Second, speaking of school, this is my last semester of law school, so my seven years at UGA are drawing to a close. My classes are relatively few, and one of them is a class on anti-terrorism taught by former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson. And of course, my prosecutor's internship continues.

Thus, I expect that this blog will probably chronicle a little more of my real life in the coming months, as there will be more to speak of. But I'll try to keep it interesting.