Tropical Serenade.

Last week I went to Walt Disney World. I love theme parks and Disney's are my favourite. There where many things that I loved and some things that weren't so good about my trip. But probably the stand out thing for me this visit was the return of the original Tiki Room Show. You see for the last thirteen harrowing years the Tiki Room at The Magic Kingdom, was nicely put, compromised.

For those of you unfamiliar, The Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland is the first theme park attraction to use Audio Animatronics. with it's catchy tunes and charming character's it has been a fan favourite for years. But then the Nineties happened, and the Tiki Room started to lose it's popularity. The show would play to sparse rooms, and people would even walk out mid show. The powers that be decided to trim the old show by omitting the second musical number, and it worked out, for Disneyland where it's historical importance gave it a free pass. But at Magic Kingdom, it wouldn't be so lucky. The Park operations wanted the show gone, and threats of closure where common rumours. Then Imagineering, the division in charge of making attractions, decided to change the show to "save it". What came in it's place was probably the worst artifact of the cynical 1990s approach to Disney themed attractions. "The Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management." In which Iago from "Aladdin" and Zasu from the "Lion King" (don't ask me I don't know "why them" either) take over the Tiki Room and confusion ensues. The show was a mess it was loud abrasive and overall just confusing. My first reaction when I subjected my self to the show was what the fu.... and the faces of every one in the room seemed to say the same. I won't belabour the badness of the attraction, I'm sure it's on YouTube and many tons of virtual ink have been spilled about it over the years in the blogosphere. But needless to say after thirteen years in a "freak accident"* a fire broke out in the attic of the attraction, destroying the Iago animatronic. The attraction remained closed for majority of 2011 leading to rumours of the original shows return. Now if you had told me that sort of a rumour a few years ago, I would have said a more vulgar phrase meaning a bovine excretion, but something happened that gave it credence, Captain EO. For the first time I can ever recall Disney re opened an attraction, that had been replaced.** As the months went on the rumour kept cropping up more and more, until eventually the press release was made.

Now I love the "Enchanted Tiki Room", and the times that I subjected myself to "Under New Management" I loved Magic Kingdoms Room itself. Unlike Disneyland the windows are open top views of "real" plants and beautiful vistas of a tropical volcano. The show is pretty much identical to the Disneyland classic, except for the environment, and the pre show. The Pre Show involves two Audio Animatronic toucans names Clyde and Claude, telling the visitors of their journey through Adventureland, and how stumbling upon the Sunshine Terrace (the Venue of the show's original name) Gave them the ability to speak. It's a fun little show, and the toucans, in "Tiki Room" fashion, have unexplained Southern and British accents. Their story is interrupted by the cast member, who leads us into the show. And what a show, the good old "Tiki Room" never looked this good (okay after the 2005 Disneyland restoration) the birds where perfect the music full, and those windows, they stay amazing especially in "Hawaiian War Chant" where the volcanoes erupt clouds form and lightning bolts across the sky before the famous storm lets out "real" rain. Of course the park and Imagineering had to make adjustments to the show for both logistic and audience concerns. The famous "enchanted fountain" was removed to make way for a show element for the "Under New Management" show as was all of the plumbing, and is thus no longer a part of the show. And also there was still the concern that led to "Under New Management's" existence in the first place. The concern that audiences would not sit through a show that long. So more edits where made, Joining the Offenbach number in deletion are. The sing along portion of "Let's All Sing Like the Birdies Sing" and a blink and you'll miss it bit of "Hawaiian War Chant". These cuts though blasphemy to the Disneylandian in me seem to work quite well at Disney World. Though Disneyland guests are often willing to sing along (even then I've been in my share of "quiet" Tiki Rooms even there) I've noticed Disney World audiences don't tend to be the sing along types, unless bear led hoedowns are involved, but who can resist that! What now plays in the east coast "Enchanted Tiki Room" is a trim, energetic, fun show. But the most telling aspect is after "New Management" would end with a confused grumpy audience leaving. This show ends with people leaving with a smile.

This leaves me in a bit of a dilema. I actually have to be grateful to "The Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management." Because as terrible as that show was and it was terrible, if not for that misguided show the Tiki Room would have most likely been torn out turned into a restaurant, or even worse yet be made into another damned shop. So in a way that group of Imagineers in the mid nineties where right, they did save "The Enchanted Tiki Room" on the east coast, it Just took thirteen years.

* Now I'll take Disney's official stance at face value, but indulge my watched too much X-filesness. One of the most hated attractions in WDW history has a fire which, only destroys elements added to it in the controversial update, happens after thirteen years of operation, on the anniversary of the day of Imagineer extraordinaire Marc Davis' passing away, I'm no conspiracy theorist but I'm just sayin'.

**The Submarines don't count. The Subs with Nemo are cool, but only the conveyance remains of the original ride.

Sorry for the delay.

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. I've been working very hard on my new comic "the Super Cliche Hero Chick" and it's been taking up a lot of my time (which I guess is okay since it's my main project). I hope to be back soon with posts, but I've just not had the time to make the most of my post ideas.

So to my readers thanks for reading.

David

Clark Kent's Glasses.

There is no superhero secret identity more mocked and openly made fun of than Superman Clark Kent. I've even made a parody of it in my comic “the Super Cliché Hero Chick”. I hear it all of the time, “How can Lois be so Dumb?” “it's just glasses”. The writers in less suspending of disbelief times have even made “excuses” of how he does it, “he vibrates really fast” or “he uses super muscles to change his face” (even though they look the same). But, after drawing my character in a Clark Kentesque disguise and watching the first couple of Christopher Reeves movies, I've come to realize that the Glasses aren't actually as bad of a disguise as our cynical minds like to believe.

First of all I have to say that the costume has definitely failed in recent years, this I believe is due to the falling out of favor of Horned Rimmed, and other large framed spectacles styling. Glasses in general dominate their wearer's face. Everyone has had that moment where they first see someone that they know without their glasses, and boy do they look weird right? And larger frames and dark rims dominate the face even more. Recently I was trying on some glasses at Costco, because the style I've worn for nearly twenty years has finally dropped off the map. And out of curiosity, I tried on some horned rims and you know what, I looked like horned rimmed glasses. Not me the glasses, they so dominated my face. Pair this with the fact that the classic Super man look is Large horned rimmed glasses, you have a situation where Clark Kent is practically wearing a domino mask.

Of course the Clark Kent costume is not nor has it ever been just the glasses. Clark Kent and Superman wear a different hairstyle, and Kent wears lose fitting or constricting clothing. I'm sure you've noticed how people act differently and carry themselves differently in dress clothes that casual, or a costume. I personally find that when I wear a waistcoat, I stand taller, and thus I tend to wear them when I want to impress people. I mean if not for this the 19^th century symbol of oppression, the corset, would not be such a popular accessory today.

So the Clark Kent costume, adds up if you think about it. Face altering glasses, losing an Iconic hair do (c'mon you think anyone's looking at Kal Els face when distracted by the spit-curl of power?), and wearing posture altering clothing. These are all techniques that actors and spies have been using for centuries.

Of course this all falls apart, because of one thing, how many people know, Clark Kent. These things can make you look like a different person, but your friends, co workers etc. will recognize you. Now in the old days this wasn't a problem. No one really knew Clark Kent. Think about it, how often did anyone from the planet mingle with Clark beyond staff meetings and such. Lois Lane was not Clark Kent's Girlfriend, She was Superman's Girlfriend , Jimmy Olsen was not Clark's Pal, he was Superman's Pal. Clark was a loner who came to work made no impression and went home. Now Everyone knows Clark, in fact Clark is no longer the disguise, Hell even Lex Luthor now knows Clark Kent. Now I have to say I like the Clark is the real him, revisions. But it does make the secretly Superman tougher to pull off vis a vie suspension of disbelief. And in fact they have made adjustments for it, there has be no revival of Superman, since the 1977 movie where Lois doesn’t figure out that Clark and Superman are one. I know your saying “but what about the new 52 it's just started”, well as of issue four of the Superman Title by George Perez. She's already figuring it out. I think they've figured out how keep the suspension of disbelief, let the smartest friend figure it out. It also keeps Lois from looking dumb.

Well there are my thoughts on the most mocked Secret identity in comics, I don't think it's a bad disguise really. And in fact the only thing that makes it look bad at all is not that it's ill conceived but that it comes from another time.

Picture borrowed from everyguyed.com

Happy New Year.

Well as I promised I'm back to tell you about a few more libations for the Holiday season. If your Just tuning in this year's theme is Whiskey. And today I'm going to tell you about some old and storied Whiskey drinks to make you new years really merry.

First is one of the oldest cocktails in existence, it's so old that it is in fact called the old fashion. Now I'm not sure if the old fashion is really that old or if the old fashion is called that because it has the basic components of a classic definition cocktail. You see by definition, most cocktails we drink today are in fact not cocktails, they are slings, highballs or mixed drinks. The original definition of a cocktail requires the drink to have; water, sugar, spirit, and bitters. And it's that last part, the bitters, that modern cocktails lack. Even classics like the Manhattan are often made without them in the modern bar, which is a shame as the drink is much sweeter, and lacking in depth without them, but I digress. The old fashion...

You'll need...

An old fashion glass.

A mixing spoon.

Muller

Ice.

Ingredients...

Rye or Bourbon Whiskey 2oz.

2 Sugar cubes.

water 1oz.

Bitters (I prefer Angostura for this one) Dash.

Place the sugar cubes in glass and dash the bitters. and water onto them. Mull the contents of the glass until sugar is diffused. Add ice, pour in Whiskey. Stir and take a sip, then feel free to quote your favourite Wayne's World joke about "(the) coke being rotten"

often in the modern bar the water is replaced by seltzer and the sugar by simple syrup. These are good too, and since this cocktail is so simple the sky's really the limit.

Next is an old nearly lost drink that I foresee coming back as one of it's ingredients, Absinthe, is making a comeback. It is the Sazerac. It is from the Sazerac hotel in New Orleans a town I often think of when I drink anything with Rye and Peychaud's bitters. This is where I tried the drink for the first time, New Orleans not the hotel. Before I go on I'm hearing you guys go "Isn't that the drink that made the old timey hipsters go crazy and Obi Wan Kenobi see Kylie Minouge as Tinker bell" the answer is yes, yes it is. Absinthe is an Anise flavoured liqueur, That was very popular amongst the "Bohemians" at the turn of the last century. It's famous for it's green colour and multistage drinking ritual, and infamous for being aged in wormwood casks, which allegedly led to madness amongst drinkers. It turns out that this was a turn of the last century version of Reefer Madness, and the stories of absinthe's dangers, and potency are mostly urban legend. It was actually most likely the opium fortified wines that made the OG Hipsters go crazy. But due to it's reputation Wormwood aged Absinthe was not allowed into the US until last year, and many recipes for this cocktail call for a substitute, including the Sazerac whiskey website, which recommends Herbsaint (most likely since they own it). There is only one brand of Absinthe that I know you can get outside of New Orleans, and that is Absente from France. Absente as the name would indicate was not aged in wormwood. But as of this year they now make a wormwood included version. I've actually never tried the full octane version, but it's on my to do list. So there's the history lesson, and if you're scared, of the possible negatives of Absinth use one of the substitutes. The one I had very well may have been made that way...

You'll need...

2 Old Fashioned glasses.

Ice.

Muller

Ingredients...

1 cube sugar

Sazerac Rye Whiskey 1½ oz.

Absinthe or Herbsaint ¼ oz.

3 dashes Peychaud's Bitters

Lemon peel

Pack one of the glasses with Ice. In a second Old Fashion glass place the sugar cube and add the Peychaud's Bitters to it, then crush the sugar cube. Add the Sazerac Rye Whiskey to the second glass containing the Peychaud's Bitters and sugar. Empty the ice from the first glass and coat the glass with the Absinth, then discard the remaining Absinth. Empty the whiskey/bitters/sugar mixture from the second glass into the first glass and garnish with lemon peel. Drink and enjoy, if you do in fact see Kylie Minouge as Tinker Bell Really Enjoy.

And finally the Mint Julep. I know it's really a summer drink, but how can you write about Whiskey drinks as an American without writing about the classic American Whiskey drink.
I think this drink is going to be making a comeback, with the Vodka Martini trend dying down and rum and whiskey drinks becoming more popular again, including the Julep's kissing cousin the Mojito, it's only a matter of time for this stately old man of a drink to return...

You'll need...

Ice.

A tall Glass or julep cup

Muddler.

The ingredients...

• Bourbon 3ozs
  
• 4 to 6 sprigs of mint
• granulated sugar, to taste

Put mint, sugar, and a small amount of bourbon into the bottom of a mixing glass. Muddle the mint and sugar, then let stand for a bit to allow the muddled leaves to release their flavor. Strain and pour into a julep cup (or similar vessel), rotating to coat the sides. Fill with ice, then add the rest of the bourbon whiskey. Garnish with a twisted mint sprig. Sit back pretend your Colonel Sanders and enjoy.

Well I hope you all have a happy New Year, and enjoy yourselves and be safe.

David

Merry X-mas and a Happy New year.

Hello, I'll start by wishing everybody a wonderful holiday season. And I hope everyone has a good one. Please enjoy my annual Neuropsychosis Christmas Illustration

... and since it's the holiday season it's time for another drinks post. first of course the disclaimer.

Drink responsibly, and if your under the legal age don't, but you know that already I know your all smart people but gotta say it anyway.

Today I'm going to talk about whiskey drinks. those who know me know that I like me some whiskey. So i figured for my first drinks post. I'd write a few recipes for yummy drinks, that have been a hit around my house and parties.

But first a little bit about whiskey or whisky (depending on where your from) Whiskey is a spirit made from grains, and aged in oak. It's pretty much agreed that modern whiskey comes originally from Ireland and the name derives from ouesca beatha which is Gaelic for water of life. Different parts of the world have different definitions on what constitutes a whiskey, the Scots use only barley, Americans use corn and rye, Southerners call rubbing alcohol in jars whiskey, but I'm going to go with a few traditional types.

Irish, The OG whiskey if you will, made of barley aged in oak for a variety of times (usually 12 and 18 years) and almost always blended (at least what you can get in the states) Irish whiskey is very smooth with a straw like colour, and has a crisp slightly bitter taste, very good for drinking and savoring on it's own. Famous makes are J Jameson and Son, Bushmills, Tullimore Dew.

Scotch, the Whisky from Scotland has achieved much fame, is recent years to the point that the Whiskey aisle of your local shop could very well be considered a fief of Scotland. Made from barley, and aged in oak, traditionally Spanish sherry casks but now you'll see it aged in Bourbon casks. Scotch gets it's unique flavour from the peat moss that is used in the malting of the barley. This gives the drink a bitter herbal flavour. It's colour varies between straw like to deep amber, and it's drinkablity varies from make to make. Scotch Whisky is blended and also made as single malts. Blends are easier drinking (and my actual preference) but single malts, made from a single malt and never blended are known for a broader range of flavours and are the choice of the aficionado. Some of my picks Johnny Walker, the Macallan, Chivas Regal.

Canadian, Canada's whisky, is my personal favourite, it is most famous in this country as a mixing whisky, and it excels at this use. Typically made of Rye, Barley and some corn, Canadian whisky is aged in a variety of casks, and almost always blended, however some single malts do exist. Most Canadian whisky is 80 proof due to Canadian law, this adds to it's smoothness. I personally think the fact that Canadian Whiskies are often blends adds to their depth and character. Like Scotch Canadian Whisky has a wide varieties of colour from straw to amber, and have a bitter sweet flavour and a smooth creamy feel. It's a deep realm of whisky that is seldom truly explored. famous examples, Seagrams, Crown Royal, Club.

Bourbon, The United States' indigenous spirit. Made in the northern south. Bourbon is by law made out of a mash that is majority corn with barley and occasionally rye. They are made with a "sour mash" this is where a bit of the previous mash is added to the new whiskey. It is then aged in charred white oak barrels that are only used once. Most Bourbons are what is called Straight whiskies, it's like a single malt but since they are made of a blend of malts they are called straight. Many of these whiskies are 80 proof but, 90 and 100 proof whiskey is not at all uncommon. These Whiskies are often amber coloured and have a smokey bitter sour taste. Famous makes, Makers mark, Jim Beam, Elijah Craig. A kissing cousin to Bourbon is Tennessee Whiskey. it differs from bourbon in that they take their charcoal very seriously, instead of aging in charred oak they are also, filtered through charcoal and sometimes, even have charcoal placed in the casks. This makes for what is essentially a much bolder Bourbon. this type is literally defined by Jack Daniels.

Rye. Rye is like Bourbon, but made mostly of rye. They are straight whiskies, and have a deep colour and a bitter sweet flavour. Not to be confused with Canadian Whisky, which is called Rye in the great white north. Rye is the classic blending whisky (probably why Canadian with it's high rye content is so often used now) , but it has fallen out of favour, a casualty to prohibition, and is very hard to find. Jim Beams Rye is widely available. and if you have a BevMo you should be able to find Sazerac and Rittenhouse.

Also if you where wondering about the Whiskey / Whisky thing. The original spelling of the spirit was whisky. But when the Scots started to export their Whisky, Irish and American (except Canada) distillers began to call their drink Whiskey to differentiate it from the coarse inferior Scotch. Buy how times and perceptions change.

The first drink I'm going to teach you to make is a Washington Apple, this is a drink introduced to me by a co worker and it has gone over very well. I believe it is traditionally served in a glass on ice, but I like to make it up.

So you'll need

A Shaker.

A Mesure.

Ice.

The ingredients are.

Cranberry Juice 1.5 oz

Canadian Whisky 2 oz.

Apple pucker 1 oz.

Place all of the ingridients into the shaker filled with ice and shake until the shaker gets foggy. then strain into a Cocktail glass. Enjoy.

The second Drink I'd like to mention is the Rusty Nail. For this you'll need.

A Old Fashion Glass full of Ice.

A spoon.

The ingredients are.

Blended Scotch Whisky 2oz.

The Cordial of Drambue 1 oz.

Cocktail Cherry

Build the drink by pouring the Scotch into. Ice filled glass. Then float the Drambue, stir and add cherry. Taste the awesome.

Now I'll end this Article with one of my favourite drinks. The Manhattan. This drink is made Up and on the rocks, I'm telling you how to make it up. If you want it on the rocks, just build it in an old fashion glass. This Drink is traditionally made of Rye, but is commonly made today with Bourbon, or Crown Royal. All of these options are good.

You'll need.

A mixing glass.

A spoon.

Ice.

The ingredients.

Rye 2oz.

Sweet Vermouth 1oz.

bitters, Angostura, Peychards, or Orange. couple of dashes.

Make by dashing the bitters onto the Ice in the Mixing cup. Add whiskey and vermouth. Stir briskly, and strain into Cocktail Glass. Add Cherry and taste the awesome.

The stir vs. Shake debate. Despite what James Bond Movies may tell you the "proper" way of making cocktails is to stir drinks that are entirely liquor and Shake drinks that have a mix of ingredients. but If you like shaking them all who am I to say who's wrong!

Come back on New Years When I'll tell you how to make a few more Whiskey Drinks.

Into the Breach! David Reads Digital Comics

I recently got an iPhone. I resisted for quite a while but the time was right. And since I got an iPhone and with the whole comics community going on and on about digital distribution, I figured I'd down load the top two digital apps (I've no interest in single company apps) and give it a go. Both out of curiosity as well as a future avenue for the distribution of my own comics. But first a bit of a disclaimer, I am very fond of print, I like the act of holding a book in my hands, the size of it, the smell of it, and all of that. Also I've never had much love for reading comics on a screen, and despite being a web comic artist, I've never been able to really get into reading them, unless of course it is a trade of a web comic. So there you know my biases.

Comics X by Comixology.

The first comics reader app that got was Comics X. This if all the chatter is to be believed is the most popular comics reader. And it shows their library of comics is extensive and deep. And the shop is easy to navigate taking it's cues from the iTunes mold. And as easily as I could think it, I had found the free sample comics and had downloaded a couple. I downloaded the first Wonder Woman story as well as Chew and Supergirl Cosmic Adventures in the Seventh Grade. These where chosen for their variety as well as being comics I've been wanting to check out. And then came the first hurdle, Guided View. Comixology Has created an interactive feature that guides you through the page, zooming between panels. And I hated it, at first. At times it was so touch sensitive that I’d be going to the wrong panel and other times I wouldn't be able to get it to change, This would not be a problem at all if I was using a tablet, I'd just turn the damned thing off. But without a good magnification function, guided view was the only way to go, on a phone. After a while though I stopped being an old phogey and came to terms with Guided View and am now working it like a pro. As to the reading experience, as mentioned before I don't care for reading from a screen, but the line work was represented well and the magnification that Guided View provided was big enough for a good reading. And the colours where of a richness I am totally unused to in comics. I'd say it was quite good not for me but I can see the appeal, plus I have some cool comics with me all of the time. The only flaw with Guided View is you can't really take in the page as a whole while reading it, but this more of a iPhone screen size problem than a problem with the app. If I was using a tablet, there would be no issue at all I'd turn Guided View off. With the comics I chose, I found that the reader worked best with the old and children's comics, due to their use of a stricter grid. I found many of the nuances of the modern art of Chew to be lost in Guided View, again only a problem on the Phone.

Graphic.ly

I also tried the increasingly popular Graphic.ly. This reader was of interest to me as it is the big time reader for Indie comics (aka me). I'll admit that I haven't really tried out this one as much. Firstly it's a social network as well as a store and I didn't find the search functions quite as user friendly as I'm accustomed to, but after a while of trying to find something good that was free (didn't want to be bothered with signing up credit card info I have no issues paying for comics) and having a hard time finding anything, I remembered my table mate from last year at A.P.E. Tom Ramirez had his first issue on Graphic.ly for free, So I downloaded Fighting Yamako Chan. And well I didn't really like Graphic.ly very much, on an iPhone. To be perfectly honest I loved a lot of things about the app. It presents itself in landscape as two page spreads. But there is no magnification feature other than the iPhone two finger technique. And I just found it a cumbersome read. And since I found it unpleasant on the Phone I left it at that. That said if I was using a tablet I think Graphic.ly would be my preferred app. As it presents comics the way I like to experience them.

So that's my opinion of the top two comics apps (at least as far as I hear about them) I probably won't fully embrace them, but they are good products, if you are inclined to use them. And I probably would if I didn't have access to good comics shops. I also checked them out to see if they where good at representing the comics themselves, and both did that in spades and I would be more than willing to put any of my comics onto either of these apps. In fact after using them especially Comics X, I'm willing to believe the hyperbole that “digital is the new newsstand.

Remember These.

Hey remember these, it's a "DC Comics Blue Ribbon Digest" I used to love the crap outta these when I was a kid. I had a number of them, the infamous Superman Red and Blue, a Batman villain collection, and one where Batman supposedly killed some chick (edit note I have since found out it was Tahlia Al Ghul), They where awesome. You used to buy them from the grocery store, y'know by the weekly world news and Cosmo. I'm also pretty sure that people especially kids would love the crap outta them today. But only Archie still makes them. Why they're brilliant, relatively inexpensive to buy, and inexpensive to make. They where the best deal in comics, usually re print material, and priced and placed for the impulse buy, perfect for the mythical "new reader" hell it's where I started. So why on earth aren't DC and Marvel making these!

Just something to think about.


Edit: Changed picture from that old chewed up Warlord to the cool beans Supergirl Blue Ribbon Digest I scored at Wondercon.