Zac Efron and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in JONNY QUEST … or not?

Before we get to the news story (well comics/movies/animation news anyway) that has been jerking me around so bad that I’ve got whiplash, we need to cover a few housekeeping chores here first.

1. Don’t forget … if you’re reading this blog and you want me to answer a question that you might have about comic books, especially behind the scenes stories that may have occured since I went professional in 1982 … ASK! We’ve even given this special fanatic feature a name and its own logo. This is your chance to ASK THE DWO. If you’re curious about me and what I might have some intimate knowledge of … check out the BACKGROUND page.

2. Vote for me. Immediately below the “Calendar” and the “Contact the DWO” headers in the right-hand, there is a little blue box that says “Vote for me.” While I admit that I don’t know exactly what this does, apparently the slaves rowing in the galley of the internet get an extra bowl of gruel if you vote regularly.

IRON MAN 2 update including Johansson in a Black Widow suit

SUDDENLY I’M A MUCH MORE POPULAR FANATIC
In a recent post, I discussed the amazing work done by Diamond Comic Distributors Elissa Lynch (and Leslie Jackson) as she successfully got Hugh Jackman to record a PSA promoting Free Comic Book Day and comics in general. (CLICK HERE) Thanks to links from many of the comic blogosphere’s best read sites, more people came to Funny Book Fanatic to check out the “story behind the story,” nearly four times more than on any usual day. I want to take this opportunity to thank …

1) Heidi MacDonald @ The Beat

2) Tom Spurgeon @ Comics Reporter

3) J.C. Vaughn @ Diamond’s SCOOP

4) The cool Robot 6 folks @ Comic Resources

Plus an honorable mention to the website home of Joe Field’s Flying Colors store. (Free Comic Book Day was Joe’s idea.)

Vixen, Quiz Question Answers and Black Widow in the shower

BACK TO BASICS … OR UPSETING MR. HEINTJES AGAIN.

What with the trifecta of nicotine withdrawal, calorie counting and excess exercise, I’ve been ignoring my responsibilities to my fanatic fan base. I’ve not made myself available as the stunning font of knowledge through the regular program we (how many of me are there?) like to call “Ask The Dwo.” Okay … okay … everyone stop laughing.

The reason that this upsets my longtime friend Tom Heintjes is two-fold. First he’s responsible for my DWO nickname (yeah, you pronounce it like it was a word … you say du-woh … it doesn’t rhyme with “two”) so he thinks he retains some control over its use. Second he disapproves of “the Dwo,” it is his opinion that my nickname should be “dwo” without the “the.”

Now that I’ve completely bored everyone who stopped by to read about funny books, let me say this to Mr. Heintjes. Get Over It.

None of this changes the goal of this humble program. Ask me a question. Any question. I’ll attempt to answer it. I can’t guarantee that you’ll like the answer. So put on your thinking caps. And if you’re stumped for ideas, you can always check out the BACKGROUND page for ideas. I’ve got an answering “Ask The DWO” post coming up next week.

MARVEL’s Black Widow, Thundra, Deathlok and more Gene Colan Project

SEND THE BLOODHOUNDS HOME … OR OUT FOR STEAK

Strap in. I’m back. If you need an explanation, that’s fine. But be careful what you ask for. I’m going to do this is the dreaded ask yourself a question and answer it format that is so annoying when you see someone do it live. It may even be more annoying when you see it in print.

Dave Olbrich (me) San Diego 2009

Am I glad that I quit smoking? Yes, of course I am.

Was it easy? No, it wasn’t easy. I used comfort food to make up the lack of nicotine, but I did it cold turkey. And I gained about 18 pounds. 

Am I glad that I started Weight Watchers about three weeks ago? Yes, I’ve lost 12 of the 18 pounds that I gained, but it completely wrecked me in ways that I didn’t expect. My mood has been really REALLY crappy. It is now very difficult to work in my office where I enjoyed my cigarettes and chocolate. 

What am I doing to turn things around? Exercise seems to help a little, releasing much needed endorphins. Time used for exercise also leaves less time for this fanatical blog.

Miscellaneous Thursday: Feb. 19, 2009

• CHECK OUT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR A DISCUSSION ABOUT CASTING THE IRON MAN II MOVIE

• Don’t forget to click the VOTE FOR ME button just above my smiling face in the sidebar.

• Don’t forget to vote in the 2nd String Character Hall of Fame Balloting, also in the sidebar.

• And if you want to send me a new graphic to replace my header, feel free … the size is exactly 770 pixels by 200 pixels.

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BLOGGIN’ AIN’T A WALK IN THE PARK

How could I forget this ? ? ?

It was bound to happen. I’m surprised that it didn’t happen sooner. I made a whopper of a mistake. Not the kind of mistake that would make anyone mad, just the kind of mistake that makes me look stupid. In my post a few days ago, regarding Peter David, I said something about the fact that he and I had never worked together. This was not the truth, as both Mark and Kara pointed out in the comments section.