• 20th Century Danny Boy, from ACAB's Daniel best, is shaping up very nicely with excellent new content. One is an entry telling of a Tricky Situation he encountered at the Mega Toy Swap Meet in Australia - and another has a few good words to say about Norm Breyfogle's Forum, alongside a jolting reminder that Flaming Sword Forums has inexplicably returned to life over the weekend (barely naked, however as the forum design template appears to have vanished and a default template automatically taken its place).
• This is a good opportunity to note the relative difficulty Rabble-Rouser experiences under the operational servitude of Google's Blogger. Though greatly appreciated as a free blogging module, Blogger suffers its share of server difficulties, which at times adversely effects personal time constraints any web orator might be working under. I've looked into an alternative solution and have discovered that Silver Bullet Hosting, where our site complex resides, actually offers a wide range of content management software with server-side functionality, as part of the web-hosting package. The software being presently considered to replace Blogger, offers much flexibility and efficiency, making it uncertain the site complex needs to remain defined by the current blogging limitations it operates under. Perhaps this means yet another entirely new web site and forum, with a new thrust and look, coming soon to michaelnetzer.com.
• Another item at 20th Century Danny Boy is a compelling entry on Degrees and Censorship. touching on the potential ramifications of an incident such as the one Taki Soma has suffered. The entry brandishes the controversial artwork used to illustrate the Open Letter to Chris Staros, alongside the censored version of it, which have since been removed from our server.
• Elayne Riggs' Pen-Elayne on the Web, notes the volume of entries at Rabble-Rouser regarding the Brownstein-Soma story. It appears that even she may find it difficult to keep track of the count. Elayne also reminds me that I've promised her to tell, in an upcoming entry, of my recent journey across the Judea Desert. Hoping for the opportunity soon.
• Guy LeCharles Gonzalez' Comic Book Commetary has moved and is undergoing major structural and facial revision. Much good fortune on the road ahead to building this compelling web presence.
• Chris Allen mentions a lengthy but fruitful discussion we recently conducted at BlogAtNewwsarama, where though we didn't come to an agreement, no furniture was ultimately broken in the process. Chris is a very gifted writer and reviewer in the comics community, appearing primarily at Comic Book Galaxy, hosted by Alan David Doane, who was recently discussed here in an item where some furniture did appear to suffer some slight breakage. This reminds me about a profile I've had in mind to do on Chris Allen and his commentary, which may be a touch overdue at our site complex. Much to do and such little time.
• Tim's Blog Fest, from my Detroit high-school years friend, Tim Gasco, is on a drawing spree. Last August Tim told of our renewing contact and how that has inspired him to more actively seek his own personal ambitions and return to drawing. I've recently promised him that I intend to discuss the promising new artwork he's producing. Though the time-constraints I'm under now have made this difficult, it hasn't been forgotten. Coming soon.
• A gratuitous shout out to Chris Williams, the talented webmaster of excellent visual sensitivity at Zeus Comics, located at the Turtle Creek Village complex in Dallas, Texas. Chris contacted me with an observation of a typographical error on a recent entry at Rabble-Rouser, which was promptly corrected. The web site he administers for Zeus Comics reveals a thriving enterprise that has earned numerous awards and hosts a wide range of merchandise and activities, including the Cape 2 Dallas Convention; Comics; Toys & Statues; Magazines and TPBs; DVDs as well as a thriving forum... and much more. Well worth an electronic visit, or even a personal one for those in the Dallas region. Thank you Chris, for the heads up and the warm sentiment expressed for Rabble-Rouser.

• Warren Ellis' web site comment section from March 23, 06, hosts a comment about an article at Flaming Sword relating positively to the more liberal stand on the issue of abortion. The source link of this comment led me to Total Eclipse, carrying an Israeli server hosting domain, total.eclipse.co.il. Shay, the commenter and man behind the Israeli site, appears to have a keen eye for good art and culture, marvelously adept with cutting edge web-development tools and a prolific writer providing a rather sophisticated venue for contemporary thought. Directly in my backyard, imagine. Well worth a look.
• Greg Morrow at Howling Curmudgeons, said last January 9th, 06 that I am "just as flipping insane as Neal Adams". Well, I've already commented on this well founded version of the Theory of Relativity, here. But I did manage to pay a visit then to HC - and even participated in the non-flipping sane discussions he engaged in with his own readers on the item.
• Someone, presently anonymous to me, excerpted a quote on My Comics Blog, last August 28th, 05, about The New Comic Book of Life's Why We Care section. The blogger ceased to produce any new entries there soon afterwards, following a curiously brief blogging history of 16 entire days and an equal number of entries.
• The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies places me on its Arts and Letters Council, alongside Will Eisner, David Brenner, Judy Feiffer, Janis Ian, Yaakov Kirshen, Adam Kubert, Joe Kubert, Michael Moorcock, Archie Rand and Lore Segal, amongst a host of other notables in the cultural arts community. I do recall being asked to join the council by Rafael Medoff Ph.D., Director of the Institute (and accepting), several years ago but this is the first I've noticed the institute's web site. I'm left wondering though, if all those in the above list will also be considered crackpots now?

Permalink Posted: 11:09 PM EST