Nightwing

I said it in the DC thread, but the Tangent/DC Crossover is actually pretty good so far. It helps that they give you a history lesson in the Universe, too. I don't read Wildstorm much, but I do know a few of the guys. That first issue, though, is pretty baffling.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I've actually really enjoyed the "Tangent: Superman's Reign" crossover so far. I mean, it's completely unnecessary, but I like the setting and the "In-Universe History Lesson" they've been doing at the end of each issue.

That place has some hilarious posts. For example, this. Love the Chris Claremont burn.

Two things: The bolded part, to me, is fine. I don't mind finding a more powerful character out there somewhere, otherwise what would be the fun? Even though I know the hero isn't going to lose, I can always suspend disbelief. I mean, I was impressed with how well Bounts (Or Bounds) fit into the mythology and their uniqueness. I mean, there was a decent explanation as to why they were so powerful, so I actually didn't mind it. I do agree with the "Two-Hit Kill" complaint, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. And on the underlined part, you could say that of a lot of Bleach (and indeed, a lot of other long-running) non-filler stuff. I mean, Hueco Mundo is almost intolerable in how fucking long it is, to the point that at least the Bount Arc had down-time in which the characters could actually develop instead of "Run this way, run that way, FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!"

Now I'm even more outraged that she lied about it. Way to claim credit for something you didn't have the guts to do, you slimy bitch.

The best game Japanese game shows..... ever. I forgot the names, but here are the descriptions. 1) A man was shut up underground in a little bunker for one year, given nothing but about a few weeks' supply of food and water. And several hundred magazines, pens, pencils, envelopes, and stamps. To survive, he had to furiously enter magazine contests. 2) A guy was tied to a pole naked and had to run around an arena. Long story short, he got raped by a dog. The second one sounds a lot closer to a snuff film gone hilariously wrong.

People like this should be shot. Not because of the abortions or anything, but the fact that they're trying so hard to find new ways to completely ruin art for everyone. Seriously.

Excuse me, but two words: Sucker punch.

I don't mind filler when it's good. I'm just hoping that the maturity upgrade of Shippuden will cross over to the fillers, which were way too childish and badly done the first time around. I honestly didn't mind the Bount arc too much, though it honestly went on too long. Maybe half a Bount arc for a major filler storyline would be fine by me.

I don't think he's dead yet. There's no way that was it. Also, more Final Crisis News: Final Crisis: Revelation Spectre meeting Question? Greg Rucka writing? 5 Issues? Fuck Skrulls. Bring this on.

You know what? The 'Hawks would be a decent candidate to go after Huet this summer. Just realized that. And who do you like more? Hartigan or Quincy?

Someone in Buccigross's question column brought up the possibility of the Wings going after Huet in the off-season as well, but I don't think that's going to happen, either. People rip on the Wings for buying out goalies, but they've homegrown a few good ones in recent years (Osgood and Legace haven't been legendary, but they are certainly among the most solid backstops in the league). Howard does look good, and the Wings really need a young goaltender to step and stabilize that roster spot.

I can't blame the anime guys as much as I have to blame Kubo for giving them almost nothing to work with. I mean, each of his long arcs is basically two days or so in real-time, but take up something like 120 or so chapters. The guy is finally moving along now, but the whole Hueco Mundo Arc was frustrating in the extreme and nothing really got done in the damned thing. I'm actually going back to the Naruto Anime to see what Shippuden filler is going to be like. I have higher hopes that with the seriousness ratcheted up a bit, filler Naruto will be much better than it previously was.

Well, looking at Hasek it's pretty much a done deal that Howard is going to be starting regularly next season.

You're kidding, right? If they both get knocked off, I'm pretty confident that the Red Wings could face any team in the East and be the favorite going in. There isn't a team that is better coached, deeper, or has more experience in the playoffs. I'm not counting the Sharks out yet, though I did bet against them in my predictions. The Ducks are in a whole different boat, but the Sharks still have decent chance right now. Kidding? Detroit is having a handful with Nashville! So? Nashville's a good home team. I stand by my comment. Considering that the top seed in the East is, by your own admission, a one-line team, you're already a step behind most of the teams in the West, not just Detroit.

Well, the Preds also play a lot worse at the Joe. Again, it feels like the Calgary series last year.

Yeah. I think Hasek is done for the playoffs, barring an Osgood collapse. He looked pretty solid, though the Preds weren't attacking him like they were Hasek.

*Sigh* Not looking as grim as it was, but this is definitely disappointing. They should have won this game, especially with the ridiculous rebounds Dan Ellis puts out. If they had played the entire game like they played the third, they would have won. I hope they fucking wake up after this, otherwise they're done.

God, this is horrible. The Wings are playing atrocious right now. I was hoping we could avoid a repeat of Calgary last year, but it looks like that's what it is going to come down to. And taking only Draper is the most retarded call so far. God.

Every series except for Pens/Sens and Habs/Bruins is wide-open. Talk about exciting playoffs this year.

An interview with Grant Morrison. The Day Evil Wins I'm pumped for this. More pumped than I've been in a long while. I mean, reading stuff like just makes me wish it was out now!

Wow. Talk about a beatdown in Denver...

New developments in that Fabian Brunnstrom story from a while back...

While it's fun to count the dead to make a (albeit valid) political point or simply declare everyone who doesn't have an American Flag Tattoo to get out, let's switch gears and actually discuss the war, shall we? I get the feeling that the vast majority of people on this board don't like the war (Just a hunch, mind you). With that in mind, how do we leave with a minimal chance of things getting worse? Both Obama and Hillary have plans to get us out in a year of their election, and both like to claim theirs is faster... but is that what we want? I mean, as great as it would be to have everyone home right now, I'm afraid that it their plan will either a) Not take into account problems and just be concerned with getting the hell out or b) Force them to abandon it as new political realities in Iraq spring up. I understand the need for them to do it politically right now, especially in the Democratic Primaries, but I'm not sure if they can hold to it with the nature of the conflict. I mean, what do you all think needs to happen in Iraq to be able to leave in a year? Should we be more concerned with making things hold in Iraq, or concerned with keeping on-track with our own removal? The entire region is at stake here, so we should really think about this question. Secondly, I feel it is time for the United States Government and Military to reexamine our military strength and readiness. Despite what has been told to me numerous times, the longer we are over there the harsher it comes down on our troops. I'm not demeaning the military's power or the will of our troops, but we seriously need to change the way we judge our military so we can properly assess our ability to run these sorts of operations. I feel like we are still running on estimates that we made during the Cold War and that's not the sort of war we are looking to run. How do we need to adapt our military to make it more efficient to fight the conflicts of today? Finally, is it possible for things to simply improve with a new President? I know NoCal has brought up this concept in either this thread or the Campaign 2008 thread, but with an Obama (Who I'm going to assume is the presumptive Democratic nominee) or a McCain, could it improve just because they aren't Bush? I mean, with an administration that would cut down on the rampant war-profiteering and admit to the wrongs that we've done, we might at least look better and not pay nearly as much for this conflict. Of course, that's a very optimistic assessment, but could measurable improvement come simply from removing the Bush Administration?

Well, giving up a 3 goal lead is a bit different than giving up a 1 goal one, though the "seconds later" phenomenon is something that definitely needs to be stopped. Again, I don't feel too bad about this loss; sure, it blows, but I feel like they needed this sort of wakeup call against Nashville. They're an emotional team, and Detroit needs to clamp down on them because they are likely to face another team like that (Calgary) if they go on to the Second Round. It didn't help that there were a lot of missed calls by the refs (Probably due to complaints from Nashville about the two previous games), but I don't feel like this was the end of the series. Not by a long shot.