Endless Beginnings

Whoever said Endless Nights is a good starting point to Neil Gaiman's Sandman universe? Just a handful actually. Most readers advice that one should first be well-versed or at least be familiar with the original series for one to really appreciate this collection of stories featuring the Endless family.

So why this book? Why not start at the beginning of it all? Well, I've been greatly intrigued by Gaiman's work on the Sandman series. However, I don't want to buy the first issue for fear that I might like it and I have to buy the succeeding issues. My pocket prohibits me from doing so. So I chose Endless Nights because I thought that the book is a single, complete story in itself.

What can I say? I'm sure there are already a lot of unanimous reviews for this masterpiece out there so I will not write a review to add to the universal acclaim that the book is already getting. You can check great reviews for the book here:

http://www.popmatters.com/comics/sandman-endless-nights.shtml
http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/106996675042374.htm
http://www.greenmanreview.com/book/book_gaiman_endlessnights.html

I especially like Delirium's story, which is reminiscent of Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth in its tone and artwork (which I also liked by the way). The story started on a sad and almost disturbing note but wraps up with a very heart-warming and touching ending. The story of Dream is also on my top list. I like the depiction of the Endless characters and their relationship with each other. Ok, I actually love all the stories. For me, they offered an emotional content which other titles of the medium can't achieve. Special mention to 15 Portraits of Despair. Sure enough, these mini-stories are really devastating and “too effective” as one of the review said.

So, being a first-time reader of the title, did I like it? Absolutely. For one who does not even know any background of each Endless character's personality, this book definitely offered a deep and solid depiction of the characters although I know I haven't actually scratched the surface. In fact, this book just piqued my interest with the characters that I just want to read more and know more about them.

I might just have to buy the whole volume after all.

A Fat Man in Makati

I found this awesome application in the net. It shows you the range of impact when a bomb is dropped into a place that you specified.

So I tested it and chose as my target, my former office along Ayala Avenue in Makati. I also selected the Fat Man bomb, which is the plutonium bomb that was dropped in Nagasaki during World War 2.

And so, you can see below the effect of the explosion.

KABOOM!

















You can see the whole of Makati Business District obliterated within 24 hours. The disastrous effects even managed to reach the Boni Area, which, incidentally I used to work also.

For the heck of it, I also tried using an asteroid impact centered in Makati. But the results are not that interesting, the whole Philippine islands are just annihilated. Here is the image if you want to see it.










Ref:
http://www.carloslabs.com/node/16 via www.io9.com

Jobs! Jobs! Jobs?

I was recently asked to answer a survey by Jobstreet.com-- a survey for Employee Confidence Index (or What are the chances of securing a reasonable job in the Philippines today).

I was intrigued by the actual results of the survey. Check the figure below.



















According to this, males have extreme opinions with respect to securing a reasonable job in the Philippines. So it could mean males generally get the best jobs or don't get a job at all.

Females, on the other hand, secure reasonable jobs better than males on the average.

Well, that's just one way to put it. Agree?

EDSA: Year 100

In Gotham City, 2039, a federal agent is murdered and a contingent of Washington's top agents is hot on the suspect's trail. The Batman, a forgotten icon from the past, is wanted for the murder. Amid the chaos Gotham City Police Detective Gordon, grandson of the former commissioner, discovers that the man they are chasing shouldn't exist at all.

...

Okay. That is actually Amazon.com's description of Paul Pope's comic book mini-series Batman: Year 100. The story is a fresh take on the iconic Batman figure -- one you will either love or hate for various reasons. For one it leaves the reader hanging on some key areas (minor ones like who really is the Batman in that comic). Nevertheless, it is a unique story in that Batman was depicted almost as a mythological character, much like Hercules or Achilles.

So what is this post getting at? And why the title?

...

Today, is the 23rd anniversary of EDSA revolution. So I wonder, what will it be like after 100 years? What would become of the important figures who took part in this historic event?

In 100 years, EDSA may become a mythic event, like the Battle of Thermopylae or the Trojan War. Someday, FVR and Enrile may be depicted in books and pictures as heroic generals or war leaders like King Leonidas or Genghis Khan. In 100 years, they may talk about The Invincible Nuns who toppled armored tanks. Or they may project the image of Cory Aquino dressed in shiny, golden robe and bathed in divine, white light as she ascends into the air to lead the nation. There would definitely be movies based on this event. I might make a comic book out of this. The title: EDSA: Year 100.

...

Meanwhile, today is declared as a working holiday. I'm trying to think of a smart remark to connect EDSA Revolution with the Cry of Pugadlawin or the Battle of Tirad Pass and how people don't even remember those events but I'm lost for words.