Chop-block on Gmail

On the random chance that someone's reading Da' Site and thinking about registering over on Da' Board...let's hope you're not using a GMail account as your email address.

Due to spammers, we require authentication on all new accounts registered. But in the last few months, we've been getting roughly 20-25 spam accounts with Gmail accounts, per DAY. Makes it a hassle when I log-in to check for new users and I see 139 Gmail spam accounts awaiting validation. Makes it tough to spot any new members who actually want to join and participate.

So I'm going to have to block all new registrations from Gmail accounts. If Gmail/Google improves their service and makes an official announcement, then they'll return. But for now, no Gmail. I don't think anybody on Da' Board has ever used a Gmail account as their primary email, anyways. If you have no other way BUT Gmail for your email....well, I can think of roughly 18 other ways to contact us outside of Da' Board.

Mighty Avengers #17

This was an odd book. Turns out that the Skrulls have replaced Hank Pym twice, in recent years. The first (or latest?) Skrull Hank began to see flaws in the whole "Secret Invasion" plan and started to rebel against the whole thing. So the Skrull Dum Dum Dugan calls in a SHIELD beatdown on Skrull Hank. The ensuing fight is somewhat creative-- as Skrull Hank uses his shrinking and growing powers very well.

I'm not sure why they thought this story was necessary, though. We already had one "Hank gets replaced by a Skrull" story about two months ago. So another Skrull rebelled and was replaced? Okay...

Although it does clear up a scene from an early issue of "Mighty Avengers"; where "Hank" was boinking Tigra. To me, at the time, that seemed out-of-character for Hank. So I'm comforted to know that it wasn't the real Hank. Although we had a poster over on Da' Board, last year, who thought that a womanizing, "asshole Hank" was a great character. I really objected to that.

However...in the previous "Hank gets replaced by a Skrull" story, the real Hank WAS sleeping around with a young British woman. So I'm confused... why absolve Hank of one demerit, but keep the other? Just haphazard characterization and writing. Hank had a very well-handled descent into tragedy, circa 1982. Since then, he's been on the redemption trail. The Hank Pym in "Ultimates" was NOT the Marvel U Hank, and I think most fans (and personnel at Marvel) don't get that.

Comics: Best of the Box!

As I'm winding down E's GI Joe Comic Index and after another trip to the San Diego Comic-Con, I've come up with a new gimmick that should keep me entertained for the next year or so.

I was reading The Onion at lunch today and they ran a local article covering "6 Greatest Graphic Novels of All Time". The usual bullshit was included: "oh, Watchmen, Maus and R. Crumb are so great...yadda yadda... let's suck the respective shlong of these books for the 8 millionth time in creation". Usually I enjoy The Onion's occasional forays into comic books, but this was complete and utter CRAP. Have a fucking original thought.

Sure, I enjoyed Watchmen, but I have weird tastes. I like cheesy/shitty superhero fare by the Big Two. So how would I select MY personal faves from my collection of crap?

Well, it turns out that I've been re-locating all 33 of my longboxes this summer. Just moving them, temporarily, from my upstairs studio to the basement to avoid the summer heat. So why not go through each one and pick the BEST book of each longbox? My favorite, or the one book I would save, if I had to sell that specific box.

When I'm done, hopefully I'll have spotlighted 33 books that I actually ENJOY. Plus, it'll be a good step in possibly clearing out my memory banks and remembering some of the reasons why I read this type of junk.

I'm curious to see what my selections will be. Each "best of the box" pick will have some unique selection criteria, too. For instance, my "Avengers" collection spans two boxes-- with most of the Silver Age classics packed in one box. All 33 boxes are arranged in one gigantic alphabetical order, so there should be some interesting picks. For another instance, I know one "T" box is filed with about 200+ issues of 1950's "Tarzan" comics, plus other assorted non-noteworthy crap. I'm not sure what I'll pick from that box.

Inside-the-parkers

An inside-the-park homerun is usually a rarity in baseball. But this year I've seen TWo of 'em, live.

Back in June, I saw Jeff Baker hit one while I was at the Rockies-Indians game. Just last Friday, I saw another Rockie, Seth Smith, hit one against the Pirates. Very weird, because in all the baseball games I've seen in-person --probably 200 or so, dating back to 1992-- I've never witnessed an inside-the-parker. Now, this season, I've seen two. Closest I had seen was a double with a two-base error, during a Rockies-Pirates game in August 1995.

To add to the peculiarity, tonight I'm watching the Pirates-Astros game and Freddy Sanchez hits an inside-the-parker. Which makes me wonder: who was the last Pirate to hit one of those? I want to say Jason Kendall hit one, circa 2001.

Anything they won't release on DVD?

Last weekend I was trying to condense my large VHS tape bookshelf in my basement. It has my old first-run WWF tapes, GI joe cartoons, Dokken videos and other crap I thought was preserving at some time. In my early 20's, I started a string of "superhero cartoons" where I'd get up at odd hours to record random DC and Marvel TV adaptations.

But now, most of the rap I recorded has been released on DVD. On top of making some vintage stuff available to the masses, it also has the added benefit of killling the bootleg market at comic "conventions". Good. I never bought such crap on the basis that I refuse to pay 30 bucks for 7 low quality episodes of "Aquaman" burned on a PC to some stooge wearing a skin-tight Count Chocula t-shirt.

So I've been throwing away some of my "Superhero Cartoon" tapes, as they've mostly made it to DVD. Stuff like: 1970's Super Friends, 1990's Batman and (soon), the rare The rare Hawkman, Atom and Justice League shorts have helped to clean out my lump of tapes.

It appears DC has done a better job in the DVD rond-up than Marvel has. Although Marvel did release the awesome Spider-Man- The '67 Collection a few years back. I've heard rumors of the old "Marvel Super Heroes" TV shows being released for years, now. Same for "Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends" and even 1994's "Iron Man". I'd expect these will come along within the next five years or so. Unless there's some huge hurdle I'm overlooking (most likely, copyrights and royalties).

But I thought I found something on my VH tapes that would never make the conversion:

Birds of Prey - The Complete Series

Or, "Broads of Prey" as I used to call it (*rimshot*). This turkey was plastered all over bus stop stations and the ariwaves for weeks prior to its release. I was a casual reader of the comic and taped the pilot episode for giggles. I thought someday, when I was drunk enough, that I'd cue up that episode and do a scalding review of it on Some Awesome Website. Dammit...foiled again! Bah!

I guess I'll have to settle for the 1990 "Justice League" live-action movie or the Roger Corman "Fantastic Four" movie. But I'd better transfer them to DVD before the tapes dry up.

Step-off!

Saw this in one of those "have a good day and SMILE" forwarded emails:

Cool idea and it'd be worth spending 50 bucks at Lowe's on some hardware to make it a reality. Just concerned whether or not it's structurally safe. If I hollow out two of my living room steps, will I one day hit the board wrong, then end up with my buns and calves in the basement?

I'll also need to check to see if my mammoth size 13 boats will actually FIT inside a drawer beneath my stairs.

DWS Secret Invasion at San Diego Comic Con!

For the second year in a row, Da' Wrestling Site will be infiltrating the San Diego Comic Con. No booth or anything, but we will be passing out promotional postcards.

If you spot yours truly, feel free to walk up to me and receive your FREE Limited Edition CLAWHOLD, only available at Comic Con 2008! I'll be volunteering to work a three hour shift on Saturday, then attending like a regular schmoe on Sunday.

We're also attending the Padres/Diamondbacks game at PETCO Park on July 28. Same offer applies...but your FREE Clawhold will be somewhat less prestigious.