Shortpacked!@TNI: Because we know they can't kill Bumblebee.
Shortpacked!: I'm so very, very sorry.

As promised, this is the Scarecrow that Sean Whitmore from ComicCritics.com sent me! (If you like Shortpacked!, ComicCritics! is a good comic to check out. It even has an exclamation point just like we do!)

Scarecrow's another one of those really old guys from the DC Superheroes line, the one which evolved into DC Universe Classics. But he's one of the articulated guys from that line (some weren't very much), so I totally wanted him for my Rogues Gallery. Yeah, he's got a lot of articulation. Short of a forward-back at the ribcage, he's got the same standard articulation everyone in DCUC has.

Though, I should note, he's sculpted into a pose, despite his wide range of movement. He stands naturally the way I've posed him for the photo on the right. One leg supports most of the weight, with the other intended to veer out to the side slightly. One leg's a little longer than the other, and the angle of the soles line up with this as well, so you're not really gonna be getting him into a straight-legged at-attention pose. Not that you'd require one for the Scarecrow, but it does merit mentioning.

He comes with two accessories: a fear gas bomb and a weapon that ends in both a scythe and a pitchfork. I'm afraid to remove the packaging rubberband that keeps his bomb in his left palm, 'cuz not only will I lose it, but I'm also not sure if it'll stay in there securely without the rubber band. And I'm happy to let him keep the bomb in his hand, so I'm fine not finding out. This is only a little unfortunate because his longer weapon looks like it'd look better if gripped in both hands. D'oh well.

Because DC Superheroes was basically Mattel's attempt to ape ToyBiz's Marvel Legends line, Scarecrow came with a comic book that featured him, just like early Marvel Legends figures. Scarecrow's comic book is a fairly contemporary (at the time, at least) Batman issue by Doug Moench and Kelley Jones. Sweeeeeeet.

[28] Final Fantasy Advent Children
[24] Misc movies and stock

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Please comment and credit, thank you :)

Shortpacked!: To touch a booby, perchance to dream.

Today's strip is based on a real comment I read on Mattycollector's Facebook page. I saw it and I was like whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa? I was robbed of drawing Adora, but I really think showing the actual toy photo drives in the point a little more pointedly. Lord knows I tend to draw my thighs a little chunky anyway.

Anyway, there was a period of time yesterday in which I was feeling I was kinda mean in my previous two strips towards IDW for their dumb comic book. But then today they deleted a swath of critical posts from their message forums, and I changed my mind. Apparently they just deleted an area of a thread where one of their moderators went totally nuts and called everyone morons and exploded in a fury of crazy? Well.

To the right is my Two-Face! I was debating for a while whether to hunt down this much older black/white Two-Face or just buy (loose off eBay) the orange/purple one that you can find everywhere in that $55 Walmart-exclusive DCUC five-pack.

So I asked my peeps! Aeire demanded monochrome. Eric Burns-White demanded crazy. I was actually kinda liking the crazy one, just for variety's sake, since my Bruce Timm-style Two-Face is black/white-suited. And the orange/purple was his original colors. But, y'know, I do really like the black/white suit.

Anyway, I saw a (relatively) cheap black/white one on eBay and the decision was made. Aeire wins! Sorry, Eric.

He's Riddler's body, being the original use of the mold, but he has a different head and a tommy gun. Oh, and this one doesn't have two left legs. Not that, again, I can tell. (In fact, the legs are so similar it took a while to really figure it out for certain.)

But hey! Two-Face! He's important! And now I have him.

Shortpacked!: I'm going to get so many people mailing me about the intentional typos, aren't I?

So I guess I have an almost-complete Kalibak now?  I got his torso a long time ago with Killer Moth.  I didn't really have any use for a Kalibak torso in the conventional way, so I used it throughout the summer to wedge my window open to let a breeze through.  

Sometimes it would fall out the window, and I'd go outside and bring it back in and wedge my window open with him again.  And at some point he fell out during heavy rain.  Well, I'm not going outside to retrieve him now!, I thought.  And then I forgot about him.  And then he was pretty disgusting.

But the Man-Bat that Feywulf had mailed me arrived today, and holy crap, there were a pile of Kalibak parts with him.  So out I went, dug Kaliback out of the muddy ground, washed him up best I could, and now I have a Kalibak.  Well, a left-legless Kalibak.

See, his left leg comes with Captain Marvel!  Mike Wickliff sent me a free loose Captain Marvel along with my Riddler.  He asked me at the time if I wanted any build-a-fig parts.  Well what were the chances I'd ever end up with a nigh-complete Kalibak?  So I told him no.

Oops.

Edit: Anyway, Mike got back to me and my Kalibak leg will be on its way!  Huzzah!

Reminder: Just two days left to bid on the Mike/Amber Smoochy-Smoochy original page!  You know, if you have upwards of $325 to throw around.  Holy Crap: Reprise.

14:43 for the men and women Honored today at Fort Hood bit.ly/bz1yh your service will never be forgotten #

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Shortpacked!: It's really all kinds of embarrassing. 


Hey, remember back around my Weddings when I ran a bunch of guest strips?  Well, the folks behind Tiny Kitten Teeth sent me their original painted art from their entry!  Holy balls, dudes!  As if that weren't crazy enough, it came with some black and white sketches of Mike, Ethan, and Batman.  

I will need to frame this somewhere.

And down to the left is my current above-desk display of DC Universe Classics dudes.  (Minus Deathstroke and Captain Atom.)  Today I got Scarecrow in the mail from Sean Whitmore, of ComicCritics.com.  Scarecrow's from waaaaaay back in the "DC Superheroes" phase of the toyline, but he's one of the few that has decent enough articulation to pass for a member of the current toyline.  I'll talk about him in detail later.  Probably Monday?  Hrm.

I've also got Two-Face and Harley Quinn to talk about as well, now that I think about it.  Oh, and I have a Man-Bat coming!  Yeah, I'm rounding up these guys pretty quickly.  

Funny thing is about today's strip, if I'd written and drawn it today instead of yesterday, it would probably have been about the endless list of ridiculously stupid errors in Transformers Continuum: The Definitive Chronology, not how dumbly vague it was about everything.  Before, we only had five preview pages to go on.  But today, we have yet another preview page and a review or two of the rest of the contents. 

Mind, even in the first previewed page stuff is out of whack.  It erroneously says their Megatron was originally a slave, not a bottom-rung mine worker.  Well, that's fine, until you remember the reason he rebelled and began the Decepticons is because they were SHUTTING DOWN HIS MINE AND LETTING HIM GO.  Megatron hates freedom! 

Jesus, IDW, if you can't bother to read your own stuff while getting paid to do so, why are we forking over our money to you for the same material?   C'mon, reading all your Transformers stuff can't take more than a day.  There's not much of it!  "Definitive Chronology" my ass. 

First time poster :D Hope you like them, I'd also like to know what you think of them!

[28] Final Fantasy Advent Children
[28] Resident Evil Degeneration

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Icons are here @ icon_memoriam

Stolen from Emily and Arielle

• Anyone who looks at this entry has to post this meme and their current wallpaper on their LiveJournal.
• Explain in five sentences why you're using that wallpaper!
• Don't change your wallpaper before doing this! The point is to see what you had on!



Reason I have this one? Hubble images are amazing! Unfortunately the Cassini image that I had disappeared when I upgraded to Leopard some time ago so now I have this for Snow Leopard. Hooray for geeky space wallpaper!

Shortpacked!: Men are from Mars, retcons are from Venus

Our hamster babies are finally old enough to wander out and about their living area themselves.  Ham mommy doesn't like that very much, and will go drag them back to the nest, but ever so often we'll find them eating some food on their own.  So tiny!  Seriously, they're like a centimeter or two long.  The video exaggerates their size.  They could fit on a quarter.  




Anyway, they're adorable.  And there's five, we think.  Five is the most we've seen all together at the same time, but there is a chance there's a sixth or more in there.  But we've seen no evidence for that.  They just spend most their time buried in fluff under their mom's butt, so it's not very easy to get a headcount of them.

I believe they're still blind at this point.  Their eyes haven't quite opened.  So they're just clawing about on the strength of their other senses.  Not that adult hamster sight is incredibly great...

Shortpacked!@TNI: It's head-in-a-jar time!
Shortpacked!: Her, uh, anatomy makes slightly more sense than Blackarachnia's.  

Hello!  Everyone and their mother emailed me asking about the lineart for the Mike/Amber Smoochy-Smoochy strip.  Well, you can have it!  But you'll have to fight each other for it first.  That's right, it's auction time.  

As usual, it's on 12"x18" art paper, was rendered in blue pencil and Copic brush marker, and comes to you rolled in a mailing tube.  Add it to your collection!  Or start one.  I'm not fussy.

Auction ends in 5 days.  

So, like, even back before I started getting all the Batman guys from DC Universe Classics, I kinda coveted their Robin.  It was my favorite Robin design ever!  It kinda helps that Tim Drake's One-Year-Later-through-Batman-RIP outfit was based on hisNew Batman Adventures look, sure.  You know me and my Bruce Timm designs.  I liked that the green is dropped and he's just a red, black, and yellow guy.  But the comic takes it a bit further and draws him closer thematically to Batman's motif.  He's got a scalloped cape, for instance.  And those little tufts on his gloves.  And, oh, hey, pockets on his belt!  He's like a mini-Batman with red.  It kinda makes sense, don't it?

I passed it up at the time because I wasn't collectingDCUC, but I am now!  So, yay, an excuse to get him.  And the fun thing is, BigBadToyStore still had him in stock for non-secondary-market prices!  (they don't seem to any more)  And so I was just a day or so away from just going ahead with the whole thing and ordering him when I found that damn Robin at our local Target.  Just sitting there on the shelf.  What?  Okay.  Well.  I guess miracles do happen.  

Robin joins my Batman in punching villains now.  Sometimes he even gets the punching!  (Okay, most of the time.  He's only second behind the Riddler.)  The toy comes with a few accessories.  He's got his martial arts staff that Tim Drake likes to carry around and two Batarangs.  (Robinorangs?  Birdorangs?)  I kinda wish he could store the -rangs in some of his pockets.  But no, they'll probably just get lost.  I prefer the staff.  He also comes with a stand, as he's not part of the "build-a-figure" deal.  

I'm grateful that there's a smaller, teenager-sized body-type for Robin to be.  It just wouldn't do, being the size of everyone else.  Plus, y'know, I guess it'd come in handy for the rest of the Teen Titans.  

Anyway, speaking of Power Rangers, you know how they all wore color-coded outfits when they were in their civilian identities?  Red Ranger wore red, Pink ranger wore pink, etc?  Robin totally did that in the very early comics, I noticed, as I've been reading through my Batman Chronicles collections.  Dick Grayson is always in a yellow collared shirt under a red sweater and green pants.  Wow, that's a bit conspicuous.  Batman probably color-coded his civvies, too, but blue and gray formal wear is a lot less outlandish.

But really only the ones generated by email chain letters, etc etc.

Here's a hint, folks, keep informed!

Rumour #1 - Swine flu vaccines contain mercury
Status - True, but there's a catch.

Though it's true a majority of flu vaccines contain Thimerosal (A mercury-based preservative that has been phased out of childhood immunizations since 2001 due to concerns that the preservative MAY be linked to autism. Emphasis on 'may'.) There are doses available without this additive, though not in stock with the current shortage. (Ask your doctor or shot administrator if there are any available!) Yeah, I know it's a blog..but, hey...

However, the PHAC (Public Health Agency of Canada) confirms there is mercury in the vaccine. There is 10 times more mercury in the dosage created specifically for pregnant women (Which should be a red flag, but, continue reading.), however, according to their site, it is noted the 50 ug in the dose (5 ug is in a standard dose.) is less than you might find in a can of tuna fish.
(Ug= micrograms there are 1000 micrograms in 1 milligram)
The PHAC site

(Mercury in fish)

So...in my personal opinion...if you're refusing the vaccine based on the mercury content while wolfing down a tuna salad (and knowing this info, obviously)...it smacks of hypocrisy. If you're choosing not to and *really* avoiding the more dangerous form of a notably dangerous metal in fish..kudos.

- - - - -
Rumour #2 Cut onions in your house will repel H1N1

Status: WTF?!

There's really no scientific basis for this. With people left right and center taking serious advantage of the flu scare running amock, it's a small wonder a cure from the era of the Spanish Flu would come about. What else were folks supposed to do in that time? It was 1918 for the love of pete!!

See, even the pictures are in black and white! THAT'S OLD!
In this modern era of medicine significantly more advanced when we've mapped the human genome, are coming ever closer to curing the monster called cancer...I think we can handle a flu pandemic without wasting perfectly tasty onions.

Onions = WIN!
And the experts say..

- - - - -

Rumour #3 Swine flu makes the dead walk!

Status: I say again, WTF?!

A news story credited to the BBC reports that a new strain of the H1N1 flu virus has emerged, dubbed "H1Z1" by health authorities, or "zombie swine flu."

"After death," the article asserts, "this virus is able to restart the heart of it's [sic] victim for up to two hours after the initial demise of the person where the individual behaves in extremely violent ways from what is believe to be a combination of brain damage and a chemical released into blood during 'resurrection.'"

H1N....braaaaaaaaaaaains

Anyone remember the report running around that mosquitoes carried a parasite that caused the heart to restart and the undead to saunter about in some foreign country? I do...this is much the same.

Cambodian mosquitoes OF DOOM!

Mind you, if this happens to be true, I've got a cricket bat, some hockey sticks and my sword rarin' to go along with one heck of a zombie apocalypse plan...What? You don't have yours? Jesus! People put together all kinds of other disaster plans, get your butt in gear and GET A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE PLAN!! Get your family (and friends) together and PRACTICE IT!!! (Oh, yes...and keep a stock of twinkies.)

- - - -
Rumour #4 Obama and his administration are giving out cell phones!!!
Status: Okay, yeah, no...It's true but not like you think.

My mom brought this one to my attention. Now, I'm all for holding politicians to the fire...even Obama. (Especially after his Nobel Prize win.. I still say if Obama got one, Stephen Colbert's done far frickin more for World Peace than his presidential ass has...Pony up, laureates.)

Anyway, the rumour has it that the current administration has signed in some obscure bill that miraculously avoided media attention, (and we ALL know how eager the media would be to splash this SOB all over TV) ,that gives free cell phones plus 70 mns/month all without cost to low income individuals. This usually gets passed around as an email, I got to read it as a note.

Now, the truth is not quite what one may think. There are, in fact, programs out there government sponsered to help individuals of low income to get and maintain a phone. (Trust me, I sure as heck wish I'd known about this when I had mine shut off while young and struggling.) Now, from what I can tell, some of these systems do *not* discriminate between 'landline' and 'mobile' phones. Truth be told, if you're transient, couch cruising or the like, a landline is *not* going to do you a helluva lot of good. (As well, let's face it, there are some regions where the cell phone is ~significantly~ cheaper than a landline.)

Apocalypse Obama?
Urban Legends status

Anyway, needless to say although there are *similar* policies in place, it doesn't seem to be the result of Barrack-why-the-heck-do-I-have-a-Nobel-Bama and his administration's fault. On the upside, if you're reading this and struggling with your own bill, follow the links to the appropriate government programs listed, see if you qualify for help. It's good when the government works for it's people, so get 'em to it.

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Tis' all for this installation!

Cheers!

Crazy overly religious people are just damn scary. lol

14:42 @mystrys69 dear you beautiful smart fun to be around and you have great friend you are doing well #

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Shortpacked!: He-Man blah blah blah.

Hey, just got back from seeing Ok Go.  That's why we're a little late.

1) What the fuck.

2) Here is the first photo of our baby hams that we were able to take!  They're about a week old now, having been born the day after we realized the little slut was preggers.  

If you disturb her too much or cause her stress, she'll, well, eat the tiny purple turds.  So, yeah, we keep our distance.  But I had a moment of opportunity and took a photo today.  So we finally know there's at least three!  Three tiny purple turds.

They stay buried in the huge nest their mom made for them pretty much always.  The mom will leave to grab food and then disappear back into it. 

Man, how do these things work out?  I mean, she started building a nest a few days before these kids popped out.  How did she know?  No one ever told her how to care for babies, but then she totally does.  She even knows she has to build a nest for them.  

But then, hams tend to cannibalize their young, so it's not a foolproof thing.

So I lay down for a nap and the next things I know when I wake up 12 dead 31 wounded. He was expert in PTSD... Major Indal Malik Hasan a Major... He seems to have snapped about going to Iraq. What does this mean... GET OUT OF THE TWO WARS... that is all

The rest of them can be found here @ luke_weirdo