Random Happenstance

(Mostly Off-Topic) Family, Emergency.

Sorry to miss yesterday, wasn't in a very blogifying mood: over the weekend, my family was up here to help with some home improvements that I couldn't have even begun without their help. My brother-in-law hooked up a gas grill, and my dad and I worked on some new stairs.

We built them over the old, semi-crumbling cement steps that were there. I say semi-crumbling, since I worked on 'em with a sledgehammer to get some of it out of the way; and they were far more solid than initially suspected. My brother-in-law didn't think they would be concrete all the way through, but I didn't find the creamy dirt center I was hoping to. Oddly, my back feels great now, since after that, everything else feels like a cakewalk.

The emergency was, on Friday afternoon Sam, one of the bitey dogs mentioned in the header up there, got out and got hit by a truck. I try to avoid cursing around here, so to the lady that didn't stop, and everyone that was honking at the Wife and Oldest: pick your favorite orifice, and cram it. Cram it hard. I would sacrifice every goddamn one of you for that dog.

Luckily, Sam will be OK, although he's going to need surgery on his little dog knee or ACL or whatever. He's hurting a bit, but is soldiering on. We did have to cone him to keep him from licking his stitches, though; which is alternately heartbreaking (Sam can't see who's talking to him, runs into stuff) and hilarious (Sam eats off the floor like the world's cheapest Roomba, Sugarpie tries to help him paw that thing off his head):

On the other hand, the other day I was getting ready to bail out of work like it was a burning airplane, and I noticed it looked great outside. I couldn't wait to get home, and take the kids and the dogs for a walk, but then realized I couldn't. That was depressing, but I don't know if I felt sorry for Sam or myself.

To cheer up a bit, let's look at some classic Captain America, from issue #300:

Over the course of eight or so issues, and a helluva lot of subplots and flashbacks (I haven't read all of those, but still.) the Red Skull's reverted to closer to his true age, so he's poisoned Cap, turned him into an old man, and just blown up his henchmen and daughter, and Cap's sidekicks and girlfriend. See, it's important to have interests when you get older...no, the Skull wants to go out fighting his oldest foe. Maybe he can turn Cap into a murderer, maybe he'll get to kill Cap before the poison or old age or Mossad gets him. It's a win-win for the Skull.

And yet, Cap never quits. Even though he hates the Skull and everything he's done and everything he represents, he won't let go of his ideals. The Skull's heart gives out, and he claws Cap's cheek with his final breath.

A strong death scene, and the Skull was left dead (more or less, excluding a Halloween issue that may have been a fakeout) for about fifty issues.

Oh, and but then there's two separate deus ex machinas: the Red Skull didn't really blow up everyone, that was a trick to goad Cap into fighting. Then, mystic Native American hero Black Crow (predating the terrible band) saves Cap from the poison with a visionquest/inspirational speech about America. Yay. I'm not sure, but does anyone know why some books around this time, like this or Daredevil #200 were normal-sized issues, and others were double-sized anniversaries? Was it based on sales?

Panels from Captain America #300, "Das Ende!" Plot by J.M. DeMatteis, script by Michael Ellis, pencils by Paul Neary, inks by Dennis Janke.