Sunday Puzzler NOT

If you're in one of those markets that publishes my Sunday comic on Saturday, you may be here looking for the answer to this puzzler. I'll be posting it tomorrow, Sunday, July 11, so come on back. Or, have a seat and make yourself comfortable. There are sodas in the fridge, one per customer, please.

Amazon Top 50

Here are the Top 50 Graphic Novels on Amazon this evening. All the previous caveats apply.

1 (-). Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour *
2 (+7). Blackest Night *
3 (+8). Green Lantern: Blackest Night *
4 (+2). Troublemaker Book 1: Alex Barnaby Series 3 *
5 (-3). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
6 (-2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5 *
7 (+14). Blackest Night: Green Lantern Corps *
8 (-1). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
9 (-4). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
10 (-2). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World
11 (-8). Cover Run: The DC Comics Art of Adam Hughes
12 (+3). Batwoman: Elegy *
13 (+7). Walking Dead Volume 12 *
14 (-4). Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1
15 (+29). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
16 (+1). Watchmen
17 (-4). Irredeemable Vol 3 *
18 (-4). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
19 (+13). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
20 (N). Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps Vol. 2 *
21 (+13). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
22 (-6). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
23 (-4). Kick-Ass
24 (+1). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
25 (N). Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps Vol. 1 *
26 (N). Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns *
27 (+18). The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 1)
28 (+3). Wilson
29 (R). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
30 (+8). Blacksad
31 (-19). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
32 (N). Star Wars: Legacy Volume 9 - Monster *
33 (N). Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps
34 (-8). The Walking Dead Book 5
35 (N). Absolute Planetary Book One *
36 (+10). Batman: Year One
37 (-9). Prince Valiant: 1939-1940 (Vol. 2) *
38 (-16). Hellboy Volume 10: The Crooked Man and Others
39 (R). Odd Is on Our Side *
40 (-10). Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 6: Retreat
41 (N). Absolute Planetary Book Two *
42 (R). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
43 (-1). Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic Volume 9 - Demon *
44 (N). X-Necrosha *
45 (R). V for Vendetta
46 (N). Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 14
47 (-8). Wolves at the Gate (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 3)
48 (-). Bloom County: The Complete Library, Vol. 2: 1982-1984
49 (N). Problem Identified: And You're Probably Not Part of the Solution (Dilbert) *
50 (N). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life


Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.

N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks


Commentary:

* It's a big week for Blackest Night. Three of the hardcovers are int he top ten, and four more debut a bit further down the list. Someone at DCE will be happily counting a pile of money before this is over...

* As strong as Blackest Night may be, it cannot topple Scott Pilgrim from the top of the chart. With just a bit over a week before the final volume debuts in bookstores, it also hits #89 on the overall Amazon books chart.

* Two volumes of Absolute Planetary debut in the bottom half of the chart.

* The only manga is the newest Ouran High School Host Club, debuting down at #46.

The Flood

Bizarro is brought to you today by Human Ingenuity.

Every thinking person has considered at one time or another how the world will end. By "the world" we always mean humanity, of course, as if the entire existence of the planet were about us. It is a common religious tenet that the world was created for humans but this self-centered idea is one that I believe to be born of ignorance and superstition.

I was indoctrinated with this concept, too, and believed it for most of my life; it's difficult to let go of things ingrained in us when we are very young. But acquainting myself with the body of knowledge about the earth and the universe that humans have gathered with our nimble brains over the past several thousand years, it became increasingly obvious that nothing could be further from the truth. We are but passengers on a ship along with millions of other species of plants and animals, all of which balance rather delicately upon each other.

There is also human arrogance in the idea that we will end it all with some amazing invention like the atomic bomb – killed by our own awesomely ingenious amazingness. Oh, the tragic drama of it all. In fact, it looks as though the end of us will be at the hands of a leaky pipe.

As T. S. Eliot said, "Not with a bang but a whimper."

Poo's Activity Page

Hai! It's mid-week, so take a break, set your work aside, and follow Poo through this happy little maze. Who knew digestion could be such fun, right?

Oh, and if I ever get the TIME and MONEY to do a Mythfits music video, I'd love for it to look like this. Any collaborators out there?

( ' _ ' )

New Library Comics: June 2010

Here's a list of a comics we added to our library collection in June:


Anno, Moyoko. Beibī G / Tōkyō : Asuka Shinsha, 2001.

Arai, Hideki. Za wārudo izu main = The world is mine v.1 / Tōkyō : Shougakkan, 1997-

Aranji mashingan. English. Aranzi machine gun / New York : Vertical, 2007.

Asada, Torao. Supūnman = Spoonman v.1 / Tōkyō : Gentōsha Komikkusu, 2002-

Blackman, Ryu. Heavenshield v.1 / Los Angeles, CA : Tokyopop, 2008-

Blue is for boys / [Cambridge] : Sweatdrop Studios, 2006, c2005

Bryant, Tommy. Daniel - prophet of dreams / La Mesa, Calif. : Alias ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2006.

Capetanakis, Nick. America, Jr. v. 1 / Berkeley, CA : Image Comics, c2007

Card, Orson Scott. Ultimate Iron Man II / New York : Marvel, 2008

Chayamachi, Suguro. Aza v.2 / Tōkyō : Shōgakkkan, 2002.

CLAMP (Mangaka group) CLAMP no eshigoto : south side. / Los Angeles, CA : Tokyopop, 2005.

CLAMP (Mangaka group) Tsubasa = Reservoir chronicle vols. 1-5 / Tōkyō : Kōdansha, 2003-

CLAMP (Mangaka group) X vols. 1-10 / Tōkyō : Kadokawa Shoten, 1992-

Claremont, Chris, 1950- X-treme X-men vol. 3. Schism / New York : Marvel Comics, c2001-

Claremont, Chris, 1950- X-treme X-men vol. 5. God loves, man kills / New York : Marvel Comics, c2001-

Davis, Alan, 1956- Fantastic Four : The end / New York : Marvel ; London : Diamond [distributor], c2008.

Donelan, Gerard P. Donelan : drawing on the gay experience : cartoons from The Advocate / Los Angeles, Calif. : Liberation Publications, c1987

Egawa, Tatsuya, 1961- Deddoman = Deadman v.1 / Tōkyō : Shūeisha, 1998-

Egawa, Tatsuya, 1961- Kachikujin yapū = Yapoo vols. 1-4 / Tōkyō : Gentōsha Komikkusu, 2003-

Ellis, Warren. Ultimate. Armor wars / New York : Marvel Publishing, Inc., 2010.

Farr, James. Ev v.1 / Los Angeles, CA : Tokyopop Inc., 2008-

Feehan, Christine. Dark hunger / New York : Berkley Sensation ; London : Turnaround [distributor], 2007.

Fujiwara, Kaoru. Rakuen / Tōkyō : Shōdensha, 2003.

Furuya, Usamaru. Shōto kattsu vols. 1-2 / Tōkyō : Shōgakkan, 1998-

Griffith, Bill, 1944- Zippy nos. 4, 6, 10-12, 14, 15. / Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books, 1993-

Hale, Tricia Riley. Grand theft galaxy v. 1 / Hamburg ; Los Angeles : Tokyopop, c2007

Inuki, Kanako. Presents v. 1 / La Jolla, CA : WildStorm Productions, c2008-

Itabashi, Masahiro. Boys be : second season vols. 2-4 / Los Angeles, Calif. : Tokyopop, 2004

Iwaaki, Hitoshi. Heurēka / Tōkyō : Hakusensha, 2002-

Iwahara, Yuji. Ibara no ō = King of thorn vols. 1-5 / Tōkyō : Enter burain, 2003-

Jerry. Coconut crush / Tōkyō : Seirindō, 2000.

Kakinouchi, Narumi. Kakutō komusume Jurin = Juline vols. 1-5 / Tōkyō : Kōdansha, 1997-

Kaneko, Atsushi. Banbi = Bambi v.1 / Tōkyō : Asukī : hatsubai Asupekuto, 1998-

Kang, Jeevan J. Spider-Man : India / New York : Marvel Age, c2005

Kawakami, Junko. Ginga gāru panda bōi / Tōkyō : Shōdensha, 2002.

Kawakami, Junko. Kikirara kazan / Tōkyō : Asuka Shinsha, 2001.

Kenran butōsai : za māzu deibureiku = The mars daybreak v.1 / Tōkyō : Kōdansha, 2004-

Kikuchi, Shōta. Kirikiritei no buraun sensei vols. 1, 6-8 / Tōkyō : Gentōsha Komikkusu, 2002-

Kitazume, Hiroyuki. Kidō senshi gandamu shīdīē wakaki suisei no shōzō v.1 / Tōkyō : Kadokawa Shoten, 2002-

Kōga, Yun, 1965- Āshian = Earthian v.1 / Tōkyō : Sōbisha, 2002-

Koge, Donbo. Koihime sōshi / Tōkyō : Media Wākusu : hatsubaimoto Kadokawa Shoten, 2005.

Koike, Kazuo, 1936- Maddo buru 34 vols. 1, 12 / Tōkyō : Shūeisha, 1986-

Kyarakutā matorikkusu : shinshu no ajinshu to kimera o umidase! = Character matrix / Tōkyō : Mārusha, 2004.

The list / New York : Marvel ; London : Diamond [distributor], c2009

Mihara, Mitsukazu. Happī famirī = Happy family / Tōkyō : Shōdensha, 1997-

Mikimoto, Haruhiko, 1952- Kidō senshi Gandamu ekōru dyu shieru : tenkū no gakkō = École du Ciel vols. 1, 3-6 / Tōkyō : Kadokawa Shoten, 2002-

Mikimoto, Haruhiko, 1952- Rihābu = Reverb / Tōkyō : Kadokawa Shoten, 2002.

Millar, Mark. 1985 / New York : Marvel Pubishing Inc., 2009.

Mizuno, Junko, 1973- Fanshī jigoro peru v.1 / Tōkyō : Entāburein, 2003-

Mohapatra, Saurav, 1978- India authentic no. 1. Ganesha / New York, NY : Virgin Comics, 2007-

Momo no Tane Rōzren meiden = Rozen maiden vols. 1, 4 / Tōkyō : Gentōsha Komikkusu, 2003-

Moore, Alan, 1953- Tom Strong. Book two / La Jolla, Calif. : Wildstorm, c2010.

Moore, B. Clay. The leading man / Portland, Or. : Oni Press ; [London : Diamond, distributor], 2007.

Narumi, Takeshi. Yōsai gakuen : The Fortified school v.5 / Tōkyō : Kōdansha, 1995-

Natsume, Yoshinori. Batman : death mask / New York : DC Comics, c2008.

Natsumoto, Masato. Kidō senshi Gandamu senki. Rosuto wā kuronikaru. vols. 1-2  / Tōkyō : Kadokawa Shoten, 2002-

Nihei, Tsutomu, 1971- Biomega v. 1 / San Francisco, Calif. : Viz Media, 2010-

Nihonbashi, Yōko. G senjō hebunzu doa vols. 1-3 / Tōkyō : Shōgakukan, 2003.

Okazaki, Mari. Basurūmu gūwa / Tōkyō : Asuka Shinsha, 2000.

Okazaki, Mari. Sekkusu no ato otokonoko no ase wa hachimitsu no nioi ga suru / Tōkyō : Shōdensha, 2002.

Ōse, Kohime. Hāto shugā taun / Tōkyō : Shūeisha, 2001.

Ōshima, Hiroyuki. Gakuen noizu vols. 1, 3 / Tōkyō : Issaisha, 2003-

Pérez, George, 1954- Justice League of America v.2 / New York : DC Comics, c2009.

Pop culture and 2 minute noodles. nos. 1-3 / St Kilda Sth, Victoria, Australia : Dillon Naylor/Cowtown Comics, 1998-

Roman, Benjamin. I luv Halloween vols. 1-3 / Hamburg ; Los Angeles : Tokyopop, c2005-

Sakurazawa, Erica. Kurrasshu = Crash v.1 / Tōkyō : Shōdensha, 1999-

Sakurazawa, Erica. Romansu no izumi / Tōkyō : Shōdensha, 1998.

Sally, Zak. Sammy the mouse no.2 / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, c2007-

Samura, Hiroaki. Mugen no jūnin vols. 2-3 / Tōkyō : Kōdansha, 1994-

Segawa, Masaki. Bajirisuku : Kōga ninpōchō = Basilisk vols. 1-5 / Tōkyō : Kōdansha, 2003-

Shiozaki, Yūji. Ikkitōsen vols. 1, 5, 9-10 / Tōkyō : Wani Bukkusu, 2000-

Sina, A. B. Prince of Persia, the graphic novel / New York : First Second, 2008.

Sonoda, Kenichi. Gunsmith cats : Bad trip / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Comics, 2000

Sonoda, Kenichi. Gunsmith cats : Bonnie and Clyde / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Comics, 1996.

Sonoda, Kenichi. Gunsmith cats : Goldie versus Misty / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Comics, 1999

Sonoda, Kenichi. Gunsmith cats : Misfire / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Comics, 1997

Sonoda, Kenichi. Gunsmith cats : the return of Gray / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Comics, 1998

Straczynski, J. Michael, 1954- Fantastic Four : [vol. 1] / New York : Marvel Publishing, Inc., 2006.

Tajima, Shōu. Tajūjinkaku tantei saiko = Mpd-psycho vols. 1-2 / Tōkyō : Kadokawa Shoten, 1997-

Takahashi, Rumiko, 1957- Rin-ne v. 1 / San Francisco, Calif. : Viz Media, c2009-

Takahashi, Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 v. 19 / Tōkyō : Shōgakkan, 1988-1996

Takanashi, Shizue. Ojamajo doremi v.1 / Tōkyō : Kōdansha, 2000-

Takaya, Miō. Tengokukyō : Takaya Miō gashūteki sakuhinshū / Tōkyō : Bijutsu Shuppansha, 2001.

Takezaki, Tonī. Kishiwada hakushi no kagakuteki aijō = Dr. Kishiwada's scientific affection vols. 3-6 / Tōkyō : Kōdansha, 1992-

Tamakoshi, Hiroyuki. Gacha Gacha. v. 1 / New York, N.Y. : Del Rey : Ballantine Books, 2005.

Tatulli, Mark. Liō. Happiness is a squishy cephalopod. / Kansas City, Mo. : Andrews McMeel Pub., c2007.

Tatulli, Mark. Silent but deadly : another Liō collection / Kansas City, Mo. : Andrews McMeel, c2008.

Toda, Yasunari. Kidō senshi gandamu shīdo. Asutorei āru vols. 1-4 / Tōkyō : Kadokawa Shoten, 2003.

Tokita, Kōichi. Kidō senshi gandamu shīdo. Asutorei vols. 1-3 / Tōkyō : Kadokawa Shoten, 2003.

Tōme, Kei. Hatsukanezumi no jikan v.1 / Tōkyō : Kōdansha, 2005-

Tōme, Kei. Kurogane v.1 / Tōkyō : Kōdansha, 1996-

Tōme, Kei. Runo = Luno v.1 / Tōkyō : Sukuwea enikkusu, 2003-

Tomizawa, Hitoshi. Tokumu hōkōkan yumihari v.1 / Tōkyō : Gentōsha, 2000.

Tsutsui, Yasutaka, 1934- Nanase : The telepathic wanderers v.1 / Tōkyō : Kōdansha, 2001-

Turner, James. Rex Libris no. 4 / San Jose : SLG Publishing, 2005-

Wood, Brian, 1972- Northlanders vols. 1-2 / New York : DC Comics/Vertigo, c2008-

Yamada, Akihiro. Bīsuto obu īsuto : tōhō genʼunroku = Beast of East vols. 1-2 / Tōkyō : Seishinsha, Heisei 10 [1998]-

Yamamoto, Hideo, 1968- Homunkurusu = Homunculus v.4 / Tōkyō : Shōgakkan, 2002-

Yamazaki, Takanori. Shiratama-shoujo = Diamond girl. v. 1 / La Jolla, Calif. : WildStorm Productions/CMX, c2010

Yasuhiko, Yoshikazu. Kidō senshi Gandamu. The origin vols. 3-4 / Tōkyō : Kadokawa Shoten, 2001-

As always, this listing is available as an RSS Feed.

Saints & Thinkers

Bizarro is brought to you by Zen Dudes.

This first cartoon is fun for me because it has that circuitous philosophical reasoning that I enjoy. Since thinking is what humans do best we have spent a lot of time thinking about things that don't have a lot of practical value. Like the famous question of whether any noise is made if a tree falls in the forest and there are no ears to hear it. Or, my favorite rewrite of that same query: If a man says something in a forest and there is no woman to correct him, is he still wrong?

Since I've posted less frequently in recent days, here are a couple more cartoons for your amusement.

Here I have written a cartoon from my own experience, more or less. CHNW and I are selling our place in Brooklyn in the fall and I'm worried about it. One thing I'm worried about is that there is a huge, noisy, filthy construction project across the street that makes most days here fairly miserable. Our real estate agent recommended we not put the place up for sale until the building is finished, which is scheduled to be later this summer. God, I hope so. The guy who owns that property and the one next door (which is now a four-story apartment building) both of which were vacant lots when we bought our place six years ago, has been building things for the past five years, non stop. (If that last sentence is confusing, it is because they've been jackhammering the street outside my window for the past two days.) Is there any legal precedent for compensation for noise and filth of this sort?

Our third cartoon today is just a bit of oddball fun for no particular reason. I named the character Cliff after a good friend. Though he looks nothing like this and does not to my knowledge stand directly in front of the sun, he does have a habit of appearing saintly. He's just a nice guy, though.

More About Smoking

I wrote about smoking laws a few days back and got a lot of comments, mostly angry ones. I answered many of these comments with my own comments but people typically don't read those and I keep getting the same accusations and derisions, so I thought I'd post my updated thoughts about smoking laws here.

1. Yes, I agree that second-hand smoke can be a health hazard. My argument is that occasionally passing a person on the street who is smoking will not give you cancer. (Note to asthma sufferers: I'm not talking about asthma here.)

2. I do NOT believe that ALL restaurants and bars should allow smoking. I hated those days, too. I'm saying that ALL restaurants and bars should not be REQUIRED to ban it. Most people do not like smoke and would choose smoke-free establishments so there would be plenty of them to choose from. Simple supply and demand. A small percentage would allow smoking, thus giving waitpersons and bartenders plenty of options for working in a smoke-free environment or one that allows smoking. (Note to anyone feeling indignation at this moment: I am NOT saying that you or your loved ones will have to work in a smoke-filled room. This is purely conjecture on my part. Just my opinion; life isn't perfect, neither am I.)

3. I do NOT deny that smoking is a health hazard. My point is only that it is a long-term hazard for some people, not a death sentence for anyone who smells it wafting by on a windy day.

4. Yes, smoke smells bad to non-smokers. That's reason enough to ban it in public buildings. You're right. I agree. We smokers are despicable.

I hope this decree is taken in the spirit of reconciliation in which it is intended. Yes, I smoke cigars, but I won't do it in your home, church or place of business unless you invite me to.

Thanks for reading and please don't hate me. Now check out the next post, which features a cartoon.