A Press Democrat Blog

Four Colors

Capes, Cowls, and the Press Democrat

It’s a Four Color Post, Charlie Brown

Monday, at 10:49 by

There are a few things that I really regret in my life. My performance in college, failing Chemistry in high school, a few relationships that I royally screwed up (and the ones I never let happen). Among those is that I never wrote to Charles Schulz. This past month, BOOM! Studios (through their children’s line, KaBOOM!) began a new Peanuts comic book series, which follows last year’s graphic novel, Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown. For a long time… Read More »

Dotted Lines

Friday, at 10:00 by

Bil Keane, the creator of Family Circus, passed away last week at the age of 89. Keane came from the same line of thought as Santa Rosa legend, Charles Schulz. In the Associated Press article about Keane’s death, Schulz was quoted as saying “ I think we share a care for the same type of humor. We’re both family men with children and look with great fondness at our families.” Peanuts and Family Circus are two sides of the same coin: the world… Read More »

Season 3

Thursday, at 7:52 by

Welcome to Season 3. It’s been a long time, my Four Colors readers. Look of it as the summer break that television shows go on (if we’re going to keep the TV analogy going). For myself, I have been enjoying the post-grad life, re-establishing my life and all the fun of having to gain full employment. But now, we’re back, its time to hit the grind and the big question is this: What is Season 3 going to be? On… Read More »

Make Mine Miles

Friday, at 7:30 by

If you read this blog, you are hopefully aware of two things: 1) Spider-Man (specifically Ultimate Spider-Man) is my favorite superhero 2) He died. In the past couple of weeks though, just after I wrote Peter Parker’s obituary, Marvel revealed who would succeed him as Spider-Man in the Ultimate Universe, a young man by the name of Miles Morales. Not only is he replacing the iconic Peter Parker (something that hardly goes well with fanboys), but he is also half-black,… Read More »

Mr. Reece Goes to Comic-Con

Tuesday, at 3:44 by

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” John Lennon said that. He might not have ever attended Comic-Con, but Mr. Lennon may as well have been describing my time in San Diego when he said it. Every amazing thing that happened, happened without plans. But more on that later. San Diego Comic-Con 2011 was a whirlwind of comic-related insanity. On the outer edges of it, Hollywood peddled its wares. Shows like The Big Bang Theory,… Read More »

The Video Diaries

Monday, at 2:19 by

So, I had promised some video diaries over the course of Comic-Con. Long story short, I failed in the tech department. (Note in the first video that I use the phrase HOPEFULLY this will be the first of many) My computer could not get internet at the convention center to save its life and my camera died on me (with no hope of an on-site revival). But now, back to a less-stressed environment, I can catch up on the promised.… Read More »

Twas the Night Before Comic-Con

Monday, at 11:01 by

Cover mash up courtesy of superherouniverse.com Technically, its the night BEFORE the “Night Before Comic-Con”, but it IS the “Night Before Trevor Leaves for San Diego because He is NOT Doing That Drive in One Day.” Comic-Con starts Thursday for most folks, but for a select few who were fortunate enough to get the tickets for it, Wednesday night is the official kick-off with the highly coveted PREVIEW NIGHT, which is the only day where walking around the convention floor… Read More »

Holding the Conch

Thursday, at 2:13 by

If you haven’t read Lord of the Flies, then I apologize because what follows is the book’s ending. But I figured that its 50+ years old and most people have read it in school, so I could use it to prove my point. Ralph looked at him dumbly. For a moment he had a fleeting picture of the strange glamour that had once invested the beaches. But the island was scorched up like dead wood—Simon was dead—and Jack had. .… Read More »

Peter Parker RIP

Saturday, at 3:01 by

 Peter Benjamin Parker, Ultimate Spider-Man, has died after succumbing to injuries at the hands of the Norman Osborn and a gunshot wound from protecting Captain Steve Rogers of the Ultimates. He is survived by his aunt, May Parker, his girlfriend Mary Jane Watson, his roommates and friends, Johnny Storm (publicly known as the Human Torch), Bobby Drake (the mutant Iceman) and Gwen Stacy, daughter of deceased police officer George Stacy. He is preceded in death by his father and… Read More »

Four Colors #1 (vol. 2)

Tuesday, at 9:19 by

Back in my hometown of Eureka, we have a video rental store. It is called Spotlight Video. For you non-Humboldt natives, it is pretty much a Hollywood Video. Except one thing is definitely different. Now, obviously, with the quick rise of streaming video and RedBox, video rental chains have been hurting. I know the pain personally as I worked at the Rohnert Park Bradley Video when it shut down. But Spotlight Video, like so many other businesses right now, is… Read More »