*Another Off the Cuff so soon? Well, I'm planning on moving this column to something a little more than bi-weekly. So expect to see the *bonus* column more regularly. It's like buying a special edition DVD only, it's not a DVD or special...


*Well I have to say that I'm really digging Strange. It's the new Marvel Knights title, which obviously covers the life of one Dr. Stephen Strange. I've always been a Strange fan...a fan of Dr. Strange that is! And I know full well what's going to happen in this story. After all, it is just a remake of the 'origins' of his character. But I can't help but be excited. In fact for some strange (no pun intended) reason I look forward to this title more than any other book I get.


*I'm a huge fan of stylistic cartoons and comic books. The style can be outrageous or even mundane - it just has to be consistent within the show. And that's one of the reasons I like the newest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. In many ways it's like watching a comic book.

For instance, the way they use 'panels' on TV between scenes to increase the tension and drama is very similar to reading a comic book. It's the only show on TV that I can think of that does something like that.


*One thing I'm not a fan of is the new 'large' G.I. Joe figures. I prefer my toys to be smaller. I don't like them to be the size of Barbie Dolls.


*Yu Yu Hakusho has overcome the 'Exponential Growth' problem by changing the style of the villain. In the first story line, the villain relied upon brute strength. He was simply more powerful than Urameshi, and Yusuke had to get stronger to win. In the second major storyline the villain is still more powerful, but this time Yusuke has to outsmart him as well as beat him physically.

This adds a new dimension to the story and prevents the viewer from having that 'here we go again' feeling.


*While I'm talking about Yu Yu Hakusho, I do have one complaint: the artwork seems to fluctuate between episodes and even during them. I'm not sure if they had different artists drawing it, or if they were experimenting. But I find it extremely distracting. The worst was at the end of the Dark Tournament. It was like they forgot how to draw all of the characters. Or possibly they just removed the bones form each of the characters so they were some kind of super-powered Gumby.


*Rurouni Kenshin is back on Cartoon Network. Well color me excited since this is probably my all-time favorite anime.


*Identity Crisis, what a book! But it's interesting because Identity Crisis is not a book I really look forward to month to month. Even as I type this I'm not all that thrilled about the next installment. But once I crack the cover all of that changes. I can hardly read the darn thing because I want to skip through to the end and find out what happens. I find myself skipping multiple panels just so I can turn to the next page.

Because of this, I've instituted a policy that forces me to slow down. Before I read it, I make an agreement with myself that I'll slowly read each speech bubble and meticulously comb over the art work looking for clues to the mastermind's plan.


*Does it work? No.


*One more thing about Identity Crisis? It's the only book I read that gets me emotionally anxious. I get a huge rush of nervous energy every time I read the book. Usually I only feel this way during suspenseful movies or Steelers games, not when I'm reading a comic book. That's a sign of some good storytelling right there.


*Current Top 3 Favorite Books:
1. Identity Crisis
2. Strange
3. N/A


*There's books out there that I like, but nothing that's grabbing me. So that's why I really only have 2 favorite books this time.


*I just finished issue 4 of the Majestic mini-series. I was a little disappointed with the ending. It seemed a little too abrupt, yet at the same time it was a little too open. But that said I'm sad to see the book come to an end. Luckily it will be spun-off into it's own book starting in January.


*One of the cool features we have here at SotS is a collection of original web comics. (Note to Editor: Do I get paid more for mentioning SotS exclusive content?) One of the comics is called "Work In Progress" . It basically follows two characters one writer and one agent.

And what I finally noticed in this week's strip is that the characters have changed clothes! One of my big pet peeves is that characters wear the same clothes every single episode, sometimes for years. I understand why it's done (to cut down on costs, time, and because it's easier, etc...). But it's still annoying. So congratulations to WIP for having a wardrobe. (Old Clothes - New Clothes)


*Last week I talked about superheroes having 'issues' prior to becoming a superhero. For some characters this makes sense. Batman clearly still suffers from losing his parents. This makes sense, because let's face it, no one who is well-adjusted would willingly do the things he does. Spider-Man feels an over abundance of guilt which makes him behave 'responsibly'. For him that means using his powers to protect. So it makes sense that some superheroes have 'issues' which make them choose the life of a superhero.

My complaint is that so many new heroes have major problems. And I think this is at least in part a response to the cheesy characters of the 50's, 60's, and into the 70's. Almost all of these characters were 'goody-two-shoes'. The characters were often so perfect that it was not only unrealistic but also obnoxious. So as a response creators started making their characters more 'real'. This 'realism' has created a generic superhero template as generic and clichéd as using radiation to cause super powers. As I said last week, let's see some normal kid get powers that isn't a drug addict, beaten by his/her parents, and isn't gay. Let's show some originality.

So what do you think? Am I off my rocker? Or am I onto something? Let me know in the reader feedback section. I'll even post the best response in the next column.