Check one two, can you hear what I'm sayin'. . .

Well. Here we are now. I'd always initially resisted the idea of creating a blog, as I'd felt some sort of residual loyalty to livejournal (I know, I know) as the place I'd first set up shop to post my important thoughts, notions (and let's face it, angst) out into the ethereal public forum that is the Internet. I'd originally intended my LJ account to be a kind of catch-all place where I could discuss popular culture and my life and how the two interacted. Unfortunately, as great as it is a place where I can talk to friends and share some of my notions, livejournal sometimes feels a bit too intimate at times. It is after all meant to be something of a journal or diary, and as such you tend to be a bit more lax with it. I mean, it's yours after all. If you miss a day or two nobody's really going to castigate you or call you out on the carpet.

But after peeking my head out of the lj warren I saw the totality of very hip blogs out on Blogger and elsewhere and decided that I should expand. Not really one giant leap, but a small hop in the hopes that a slightly more public forum will encourage me to write more and keep the scribbler fires stoked.

So, you ask, what will TCD have to say that I can't find in like a zillion other comics blogs? Well, apart from an erudite, charming, and--let's face it--dead sexy host I think you'll find a personable sort of guy that likes to talk comics, pop culture, and writing and is pretty enthusiastic about storytelling in all it's varied shapes. I hope to have reviews of books I'm reading, comicbooks I think you should check out, and my own little bits and pieces of creative errata I'll throw your way. It's kind of my hope to be a bit of a booster, bringing some enthusiasm and accentuating what we all can enjoy. If it runs a bit too close to being an extended episode of The Chris Farley Show I trust you'll pull me back from the ledge, but I also don't want to become ComicBook Guy either. We'll try to walk that tightrope together.

Simply put, this is a place of enjoyment. It's a diversion from the everyday world that I hope you enjoy. Think of it kind of like a tastefully appointed reading room, one that every reader secretly yearns and hopes to have, with those rich leather armchairs, the bookshelves with those wonderful rolling ladders stretching up and up, the crackling fire keeping the chill of the mundane world at bay. We sit around in silence, reading and enjoying our various entertainments, but unlike the Diogenes Club we can look up and talk things over, share what we enjoyed about what we've experienced in a respectful, friendly atmosphere. If that appeals to you, then welcome aboard.

I'll wrap things up by giving you a teaser of what I hope to do this week. Starting Monday I'm going to be looking at some 2nd or 3rd tier comicbook heroes that I feel may deserve a second look, be they long time creations or newer ideas that haven't gotten the attention I feel they deserve. Each day of the week will have it's own alliteratively appropriate character. Who will we be starting with later today?

J'onn J'onzz, the Manhunter from Mars, the latest casualty of the Crossover Craze(see what I mean? Tightrope). Tomorrow we'll discuss why this character hasn't worked in the past, and why he could well be a potential goldmine in disguise. Until then.

Stac