Ben certainly is an astute little fella. He'd make a good homicide detective on a primetime cop show. The kind that gets blindsided by insight into an investigation while dabbing ketchup on his sandwich, which inspires him to re-examine the blood-spatter patterns from the crime scene.
Speaking of cop shows: Oh Good lord The Wire. Wow. Wow again. You should probably be watching this show.
This series has writing and dialog I want to spread on toast with a spoon, it's so good. I don't keep track of TV and movie awards, but if The Wire hasn't won anything, the votes are all rigged.
When you're dealing with cops-n-robbers television, it's easy to stamp everyone flat and walk them around the plot with enough jargon and violence to make it all seem sincere. But right now, my favorite characters ever? A gay, shotgun-toting sociopath and two crooked cops. And I'm not being edgy; I sincerely like them. They say and do completely realistic, completely believable things. They're fallible and motivated and get off some great lines, and I'm beginning to suspect one of the cops is genuinely stupid. Every one of these characters is entirely alive. Every time I watch an episode, I feel like I should be taking notes.
Give it a chance. I'm really enjoying it.
Anyway, in case it somehow escaped you: I've changed the layout of Templar's homepage a little, to include links to various RSS feeds and the comic's chapters. Looks a little weird, might tweak it summore, but it'll do for now.
Subscribe to the feeds, I measure my self-worth by them.
Oh, and click the vote sketches! I got a lot of work out of Dr. Sketchy's Chicago, that monthly burlesque life drawing event I previously mentioned.
Bye!
If I might make a suggestion on the layout, Spike? Perhaps make the chapter selections and the feeds a little smaller - they detract from the comic, make it feel squeezed, even though I don't think it's actually gotten any smaller.
Oh yes indeed the Wire. Omar's like, the best character anyone's ever come up with. It gets to the point where you really look forward to those episodes that begin with some kid yelling "Oh SHIT, it's Omar, yo!" There are a couple. Stringer Bell turns out to be really cool too, but it takes a while for them to get into his character.
AND THAT'S ONLY FIRST SEASON HAHAHAHA.
(Second season's a little meh, but they pull it together for 3&4).
P.S. Take notes. Or at least watch the "Previously on THE WIRE" segments that take up like five minutes apiece.
Whoa. Ben's having a Kevin moment in that first panel there. Creepy.
Did you change the comic after you posted it or am I going crazy?
better!
Yes, this layout is much much better. Also you should tell us about stuff like the upcoming BSS podcast in your updates! Hearing it from people like McNinja is fun but less reliable.
The wire is pretty fucking good. I'm halfway thru season one, so far not "the best show evar" or whatever it's being called, but it's fucked me in an argument I have. Good writing *CAN* make up for bad acting.
If I remember correctly, The Wire was co-written by an ex-cop and a former political reporter, both from Baltimore. They did an interview on NPR that's worth digging up.
Love the show, though they did flounder a bit just after season 2. After all, the mystery of Laura Palmer's killer was solved, and...
They managed to find their way, plotwise, by pulling back a bit and showing more of the political scope as well as the street-level shenanigans we all love.