Archive for the ‘Commentary’ Category

Happy birthday to me! Since 2004, I’ve been collecting art at the various conventions I’ve attended–all for my Fantastic Four sketchbook. It’s about time I uploaded everything.

Here it is: thatdavidhopkins.com/fantastic-four-sketchbook/

I have some great pieces in here from Josh Howard, J.E. Smith, Cal Slayton, Christine Norrie, Nick Derington, Andy MacDonald, Alejandro Garza, Christopher Mitten, Steve Rolston, Paul Chadwick, Kazu Kibuishi, Chuck Wojtkiewicz, George Perez, Robbi Rodriguez, Brock Rizy, Scott Kurtz, Kevin Steele, Chris Medellin, Tone Rodriguez, Chris Moreno, Michael Lark, Skottie Young, Chad Thomas, Benjamin Hall, Lea Hernandez, Brent Schoonover, Paul Milligan, Jake Ekiss, and Robert Wilson IV.

Thank you for offering your time and talent.

I want to expand on something I said to April two nights ago.

We drove to Lafayette, Louisiana, for our friend Leah’s we-totally-got-married party (weekend via Instagram). Last November, Leah and Josh were married in a civil ceremony. I saw photographic evidence. It was simple, elegant, and beautiful. Then this past weekend, they hosted a Cajun dance party at the Blue Moon Saloon, inviting friends and family to celebrate the happy union. There was crawfish. There was beer. There was an incredible band Feufollet.

At one point in the evening, April and I sat on a bench, watching everyone dance. One older couple, who clearly took dance lessons, glided around the floor. Leah’s sister and brother-in-law bopped around in a way that reminded me of this. Leah and Josh spun around in the center. It was a sweet moment.

I thought about Mark Twain’s “The Lowest Animal,” a scathing critique on the human condition, where he lists all the unique atrocities no other animal except humans commit. (Yes, I think about Twain in random places.) Then I leaned over to April and said: Read more →

“Nobody important? Blimey, that’s amazing. Did you know in nine hundred years of time and space, I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t important before?” — the 11th Doctor, A Christmas Carol (as seen on Vimeo)

On Fanboy Radio last Sunday, the subject of DOCTOR WHO came up and I mentioned that I actually love DOCTOR WHO more than STAR WARS or STAR TREK. It’s one of those things that you say and you realize it’s true after you say it. Of course, I just started watching the BBC series a few months ago. I came late to the party. But yes, I can honesty say that I care more about it than the other two sci-fi/fantasy franchises that loom so large in geek culture.

I’m not trying to sway you from your own personal favorite. It’s all very subjective. I mean, with the promise of new STAR WARS films and the reboot of STAR TREK, there’s a lot for fans to get excited about. All three of these franchises do a good job of mixing the genres–adventure, fantasy, comedy, romance, and social commentary. At their best, they offer a complete dramatic experience. Read more →

Originally posted on the Big Read Dallas blog:

I must confess. I’ve always wanted to write for a women’s magazine, something where I get to make a list, overuse the second person “you,” and offer crazy relationship advice. (Also on my bucket list: I’d like to write about abs for Men’s Health. This is especially humorous if you’ve seen me in person.) These women’s magazines are so intriguing and mysterious to me. As long as I’ve been married, I’ve seen these suspicious periodicals around the house—promising better relationships and a better life. Many of the articles are conveniently organized as numbered lists, 23 reasons, 42 ways, 6 secrets, 59 tips, 200 hints, and so on. Something about listing gives the advice an air of false authority. Plus, the writer speaks directly to YOU, like a friend. (You know?) It’s a sneaky game they play, and I want to join in on the fun.

What relationship advice could I possibly offer? Like my abs, my interpersonal wisdom is mostly non-existent. That’s not to say I don’t have a bit of keen insight. I do, and here it is: As a final criterion in finding that special someone, you should exclusively date readers. You should only consider long-term relationships with a reader. And if you must procreate, do so with a reader. Continue Reading…

SPOILERS. You’ve been warned.

Now that I’m a full-time freelance writer, lunchtime means Doctor Who! I’ve been working my way through the Doctor Who (2005) TV series. I heat up some leftovers and sit down for a single episode–relax, enjoy, and then I get back to work. I’m hooked, call me a fan. Much thanks to Paul Milligan who has been pushing the BBC franchise and explaining decades worth of continuity.

I’m still about six seasons behind, but here’s an observation for the fans…

You know that scene in “The Parting of the Ways” (season 1, episode 13) where the Doctor rushes into the TARDIS with Rose Tyler, convincing her they can travel back in time a few days and work on the D-wave to destroy the invading Daleks. He then rushes back outside and sends her home. Remember that scene? To me, it felt like when you pretend to play catch with your dog. You make the throwing motion, the dog goes running, and you walk off in the other direction. Rose is a great companion, a time lord’s best friend, and a little too earnest. Of course, then she goes all “Dark Phoenix” on the Daleks, and it seems like you planned it that way all along.

I hate love stories for the same reason that I hate poetry and theater. In that, I really LOVE poetry and theater, but I’ve seen so many pedestrian displays that I just want people to leave it alone. I would rather have no poetry than bad poetry. My standard is impossibly high. (I’ve taught over a thousand students in twelve years. I had ONE good poet. Sorry to any of the “999″ reading this. Um, you’re young; you’ll get better?) And I love love stories. A good love story makes sense of a world that is often cynical and filled with catastrophe. However, the movie industry has abused the genre, transforming it into demographic pandering, i.e. add a bit of romance to get the ladies interested in this film. Coincidentally, most love stories feature a woman who deserves better but settles for a lesser man, and this is exactly what happens with the movie industry. We’re settling for a bunch of crap stories. They reveal no greater truth. The plot crawls on the merit of eye-rolling misunderstandings and grand gestures.

As a favor to the movie industry, I’d like to share my list of SIX GREAT MOVIES ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS. You probably already know these movies are great, because my readers are smart and classy. It’s everyone else we need to convert. To the list… Read more →

Let’s start with the disclaimer. I like the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. I do. I wish them the best, and I hope they continue to be a strong presence in the Dallas arts and music scene.

But stop calling me.

About two years ago, I took April to the symphony for Valentine’s Day. We purchased nice seats and had a good time. To buy the tickets online, I gave them my contact information. Later, I received a call from one of their volunteers. Donate $50? Sure why not. I like the Dallas Symphony (see first paragraph). They wanted more money, but that’s all I could part with at the time. And then the phone calls began. Read more →

Can we all agree that no one is happy? Chick-Fil-A certainly does not want this kind of publicity. Even if people are showing up in droves to support them, it’s just not the attention a company wants. They want to talk about their chicken sandwiches and that one mysterious pickle slice. Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders are not happy. It’s another scary reminder that an entire network of organizations exist in this country committed to keeping them repressed, spreading lies and fear, actively denying rights that are available to anyone else. Christians can’t be too happy either–those who feel that gays are “shoving it in their face” (more on that later), threatening their beliefs, and those who feel misrepresented by the anti-gay faction in the church.

I read on D Magazine’s Frontburner blog yesterday this comment by Edward: “What happened to the Christianity that I grew up with? I mean, as Baptists we weren’t particularly fond of the Catholics (they drank liquor!), but all-in-all we learned about loving people and spent our money on helping out poor people in America and overseas.” Christians, that comment can’t make you happy, can it?

I’ve read Facebook. No one is happy about the situation.

Here are some thoughts on the matter. Read more →

Wizard World has a new contest available. You could win the chance to work for them. Here are the details:

* Submit a video showing your crazy vlogging (not a word) skills. The video will be uploaded to the Wizard World’s YouTube channel.
* Get friends to vote on your video.
* The top 10 contestants will work as videographers at the Wizard World Chicago Comic Con. You must cover at least two of the four days.
* Wizard World will pay your admission to the convention.
* Wizard World will not pay your airfare and accommodations.

How is this a contest? Read more →

The switch to WordPress a few years ago kinda blew my mind. I had suffered through web design for several years, always with mixed results. In other words, I knew just enough to be bad at it. Once I started using WordPress, things became so much easier. Last year, I decided to pay for a nicer theme. I bought Standard, and I’ve been very happy with it. Nice, clean design, simple to manage. Recently, they upgraded to 3.0, which is what you see here. (Ta-da!) I really like the changes they’ve made. Read more →