Snow Machine.

Even here
in quiet field of white
untouched by foot or yet by paw,
where silence presses down with all its weight,
here I stand in awe and wet discomfort.

You are simple violence in this sacred place
where I don't want to be and yet I am.
You make me smile -
a smug little smile,
a little smile of revenge.

So bold in all your angry metal glory,
you are to me hint of defiance:
Cold and brutal fact like Berlin Wall;
That which stands undaunted here...

in painful snow...

alone to shape the future of us all.

Marvel Comics goes editorial.

Check this out. Marvel Comics has always tended toward a liberal political bias, but now they're getting truly vocal about it. First on their agenda? The USA PATRIOT act.

Signal to Noise.

In 1992, Signal to Noise, a little known serial from an obscure British comic magazine called 'the Face' was republished by Dark Horse Comics. The Author, Neil Gaiman, was at that time producing his seminal Sandman series under DC's newly formed Vertigo imprint. This rare and overlooked volume is perhaps one of the most subtle, sophisticated stories ever told in the graphical format.

The tale is an examination of Death, immortality and the relationship between creator and creation using the apocalypse as a metaphor. While the often abstract artistic stylings of Dave McKean (who also worked on the Sandman, and co-directed the recent film Mirrormask with Gaiman) are not to everyone's taste, this story is highly recommended for anyone with more than a passing philosophical bent. If you can find a copy of this work, do so.