Working in any visual arts field makes you aware of design of all types, and I am developing a fascination with the environmental and interior variety. I suppose it’s not a new thing- as a kid I wanted to be an architect, until I realized how much math that involved. I had always had a fascination with buildings and structures.

These days I read a lot of blogs about the organization and customization of living spaces – Apartment Therapy and Lifehacker especially. It’s interesting to see how drastic changes in the feel of a space can result from minor changes, and how relatively simple overhauls can result in spaces that are less cluttered, more functional and more environmentally responsible.

Now that I’m a homeowner I have been letting my imagination run wild. I am limited by budget and a lack of engineering skills, but no longer restricted by rental agreements and the preferences of co-inhabitants. Possible or not, it’s fun to think of what COULD be done to a little old house to make it more me. Here are some of my ideas:

Front Porch Periscope. Why be hassled in your own home by sales people and religious evangelists? It’s 2010 and if I’m seeking a new product, service, or god, I know where to look. I can save time and excuse-making by screening visitors through a series of lenses linked to observation ports on either floor of the house. Feasibility index: Low. Optics are not a specialty of mine. A closed-circuit TV might be more reasonable, but that makes me seem more like a paranoid conspiracy theorist than the captain of a Victorian submarine, and that’s boring.

Rainwater-Reclaiming Gutters.
Rather than send collected rainwater off to a mysterious underground void, I’d prefer to redirect it to hydrate a garden or lawn. Surely this would be simple enough with the right connectors and a working understanding of gravity. As soon as I have a garden or lawn starting to grow, I’ll figure this one out. Feasibility index: High. Lots of people actually do this despite the fact that it might literally qualify as a pipe dream.

Chutes! Chutes for Every Purpose!
My house was built in 1925, and as such has the old-timey convenience of a built-in laundry chute to the basement with access doors on both floors of the house. It’s hugely convenient, but what I really want are multiple depositories for recyclables, compost and loose change. Feasibility index: Moderate. If I’ve got one tube running through my house, surely I can have more. But I’m scared to make holes in the wall. It is an old house, after all.

Energy-Collecting Solar Array.
Self-explanatory, maybe, but I’d love to cut my power bill and reduce waste by harnessing the energy of the sun. Feasibility index: Nigh impossible. have you seen how much solar panels and batteries cost? Tens of thousands of dollars! Also, I live in Pittsburgh, where the sun is blocked by cloud cover 90% of the time.

So that’s a basic rundown. I should probably fix the leaky porch roof or repaint the garage door before I devote much more energy to these, though.

My friend Brad Millette is a talented artist who has been honing his skills with, among other things, really fun and energetic sketches of superheroes. He recently posted a drawing of Marvel’s Hulk running as fast as he can, with a doughnut on the brain.

I suppose you can fill in the rest of the story for yourself. I liked the image so much that I thought it deserved some finishing touches, so I did some color work to his original line art. I actually enjoy this process a lot- it feels like I’m back in the days of coloring books and paint-by-number kits, but with the added bonus of collaboration with friends.

I’ve got a few more of these projects lined up with others, so look forward to more in the future! Don’t forget to check out the rest of Brad’s delightful work on his blog.

Oswald “The Penguin” Cobblepot has long been my favorite Batman villain. Maybe I like his stylish attire, debonair wit, and bird puns. Or maybe I relate to other rotund, diminutive types.

For whatever reason, I tend to prefer the original version of the character- a funny little con man who somehow managed enough brains to occasionally outwit Batman and Robin. The mob lord and freaky bird-man versions came later, and I never really liked them.

The appeal of the character, I thought, was simply that someone who was clearly outmatched by our heroes still managed to give them a hard time. And his umbrella was a flame thrower.

The decision to depict him as a Victorian-style silhouette was inspired by a Jonathan Goldstein story from this installment of This American Life. Listen to the whole program- it’s worth it!

I shouldn’t start the 2010’s on a negative note, so let’s consider this 2009’s last gasp of cynicism.

I hate New Year’s.

The ever-growing popular disdain for the Christmas season still somewhat eludes me because I’ve always felt like there were millions of ways to celebrate. But one week later, if you’re not in a crowded pub or hall, clinking glasses and singing “Auld Lang Syne” at THE EXACT RIGHT MOMENT, then you’re doing it wrong. No thanks.

But among the more festive end-of-year trappings come hundreds of equally tiresome retrospective lists and unrealistic resolutions- shallow rituals that serve as poor stand-ins for a neatly inventoried past and well-planned futures. The problem is that this assumes life is a series of dominoes to knock down. As if there’s some master list of tasks- defined by society our our own private delusions- that will bring enlightenment or happiness or glory at the end of a wacky, winding to-do list. We all know life isn’t that simple, but we continue to torture ourselves, and that’s the real travesty of the holiday. That and the drunk driving.

Still, while it may technically be arbitrary, the passing of a year- let alone a decade- can’t really be ignored in modern society. The fact that I’m writing this at all probably proves that, so screw it, here’s my goal for 2010: no, large, sweeping, personal goals. My happiest moments in life so far were mostly accidental, and since I have to operate within schedules for the day-to-day minutiae of life, any kind of master plan seems wrong.

I also want to pay off my car.

Solomon Grundy was originally the title and subject of a 19th Century nursery rhyme, but in the world of DC Comics, Solomon Grundy is the name of of a giant, swamp-zombie gangster supervillain. Read the rest of this entry »

Apparently, in comic books, The Creeper wasn’t exactly a nemesis of Batman. However, he was sort of presented that way in an episode of the animated TV series, so that was enough as far as the esteemed panel choosing Rogues’ Gallery subjects was concerned.

I don’t know much about the character beyond that. Wikipedia tells me that he was a late-1960’s invention of Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko. I don’t really think it’s any surprise that this didn’t hit as big.

Anyhow, I thought “late 60’s” and “creepy” and nothing combines those elements quite like the Yellow Submarine artwork of Heinz Edelmann. This is my pale imitation.

There have been many bat-foes to go by the name of Clayface, but they’ve all pretty much been amorphous blobs of goo. Sometimes the character originates as an actor or a scientist, but they always end up as horrifying, criminal mud-monsters.

That’s got to be a depressing existence, even if (especially if?) you own Elliot Smith’s From a Basement on the Hill on vinyl.

Most of Batman’s famous foes have been around for decades, and have had the benefit of being depicted my multiple artists in different eras. Bane is a relatively new addition, having first appeared in the mid-1990s.
Read the rest of this entry »

A couple things kept nagging at me while I was working on this week’s Batman villain. The first is this old song by the Coasters, which I now can’t get out of my head. You’re welcome. Read the rest of this entry »

I ask you, what more can I do?