"We stand upon the brink of a precipice. We peer into the abyss – we grow sick and dizzy. Our first impulse is to shrink from the danger. Unaccountably we remain. By slow degrees our sickness, and dizziness, and horror, become merged in a cloud of unnameable feeling. By gradations, still more imperceptible, this cloud assumes shape, as did the vapor from the bottle out of which arose the genius in the Arabian Nights. But out of this our cloud upon the precipice's edge, there grows into palpability, a shape, far more terrible than any genius, or any demon of a tale, and yet it is but a thought, although a fearful one, and one which chills the very marrow of our bones with the fierceness of the delight of its horror. It is merely the idea of what would be our sensations during the sweeping precipitancy of a fall from such a height. And this fall – this rushing annihilation – for the very reason that it involves that one most ghastly and loathsome of all the most ghastly and loathsome images of death and suffering which have ever presented themselves to our imagination – for this very cause do we now the most vividly desire it. And because our reason violently deters us from the brink, therefore, do we the more impetuously approach it. There is no passion in nature so demoniacally impatient, as that of him, who shuddering upon the edge of a precipice, thus meditates a plunge. To indulge for a moment, in any attempt at thought, is to be inevitably lost; for reflection but urges us to forbear, and therefore it is, I say, that we cannot. If there be no friendly arm to check us, or if we fail in a sudden effort to prostrate ourselves backward from the abyss, we plunge, and are destroyed."

WHERE did this sludge come from? I mean, too lazy to do their own lettering? If you're looking for something, how about Greg Fiering's Migraine Boy? This is easily the worst strip I've seen in years.

I have to go on the record - again. Could the editors please make some public comment on why they chose this......."strip"? Please?

Yume no ha ka

chiru sharakusashi

saigo no he

This isn't Godzilla cartoonishly chomping the heads off random citizens.

Perhaps the reviewer is unfamiliar with the firebombings that Tokyo endured, and has never seen the original, Burr-less Gojira. I'm not saying that this movie is on such a scale, but there is some resonance there.

I take full responsibility for not reading all of the letters - yet. But "smarter" than The Prisoner? The original Quatermass miniseries on BBC? Firefly? Many selected episodes of the original Outer Limits, including two written by Harlen Ellison? Even X Files had better material in it's first 4 seasons. OK, so I'm not a fan, but that's because, to me, this is a space-bound soaper, Dallas with robots and warp drives.

And the Sparkman reminds me a bit of Griffy's "Opinion Man", right down to the well-defined musculature. (At least we're spared any view of the briefs!)

Speaking of self-centered elitists, Kristol has already felt the heavy hand of irony - after all, he owes his career (if writing crapola is an adult career) entirely to his father, and hasn't seen fit to back up his super-patriotism with a stint in anything approaching the armed services, Peace Corps, or any other form of national service.

"If you can't be good, be colorful."

SOME people mentioned Brave Little Toaster but apparently not enough. And if Rocky and Bullwinkle are eligible, how about their British cousin DangerMouse?? And if you aren't aware, for the older kids, there's many a set of Drive-In Double Features from Sinister Cinema and others, all complete with "coming attractions", cartoons, snack bar ads, intermission count-down clocks, and the usual whacky fare, such as The Giant Gila Monster, The Screaming Skull, The Killer Shrews, and other prime 50s cheese.

Sheesh - vampires that "twinkle like prisms"? How do they react to a crucifix? Never mind, I'm sure it's hilarious. "Native American werewolves"? I'm guessing they don't need a full moon (and yes, I'm quite aware that 98% of "werewolf lore" was created soley by Hollywood.) Hoo hah - I'm staking a claim right now for some Aztec mummies, some Washington-coast Innsmouth folk, and what the heck, a road trip on over to Twin Peaks!!

I really don't care about the quality of writing or absence of character development - it's the reaction of (some of) the fans that is really disturbing. Not much hope for womens' advocacy groups in THAT lot.

That real tears it - McCain must have sold his soul to some infernal power. Yes, he's been consistently wrong on Iraq, but I'll admit I was unaware that he actually had a scummy PNAC guy on his staff. If that doesn't demonstrate execrable judgement, I don't know what does. What's next - John Bolton as a VP pick?

O dear Lord, save me from this pantsuit-fetishist and her husband, their galactic scale egos, and their cultists. Save me from the actual nominee, who is building a temple from which to address us all while handing the damned Republicans a monumental satirist's delight. Save me from Bush, McCain, and Liebermann. Is there no hope anywhere?