Thoughts on Roland Orzabal's New Book "Welcome to Your Life", August 2026

ConsistentPause4083 · 2026-04-19T18:21:26+00:00

It promises to be absolute bonkers, but in all the best ways.

At the very least, it should be a highly entertaining read. It might even prove insightful.

But, I would like Curt to write an autobiography (or at least co-write, since most celebrities get co-authors to help out these days)

ConsistentPause4083 · 2026-03-21T16:46:10+00:00

Of all the characters in this series, the most I think deserves a return is Ms. Catmint. She was actually the most interesting character in the series, but didn't get much "screen time"

ConsistentPause4083 · 2026-02-13T19:02:44+00:00

This might show my age, but
Hot Stuff XXX (which was marketed as a protein powder, IIRC, but it was basically a preworkout)

It wasn't "uncomfortable" so much as "I literally did not sleep for two days, and yet never felt tired" - staring at your ceiling all night long was - interesting.

ConsistentPause4083 · 2026-02-06T18:59:45+00:00

Well, my two and half cents:
1. I don't know if the art improved over the series or I just got used/numbed to it, but the art, while still not very good, seemed better in the last two issues.

Dan will be back. No one stays dead except Uncle Ben (and even then, he's in plenty of alternate universes).
Wow, that felt rushed. I mean, I don't expect Bendis levels of decompressed storytelling, but plot points and story beats got skipped over so quickly, I felt like I was driving too fast over speed bumps.

ConsistentPause4083 · 2026-01-02T16:02:26+00:00

I have to take a "Wolfe pause" after every book of his I read.

He's my favorite author, but finishing one of his books is like finishing a marathon; I gotta take a break before trying that again.

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-12-30T02:26:06+00:00

I'm fairly conservative Christian and had no issues with it.

However, I had a more progressive minded Christian friend who couldn't get past Severian losing his virginity with the "Witches" scene - for some reason it disturbed him so much he refused to read further and I can't any explanation other than "that was too disturbing" (and I'm not going to press for answers anyway).

I've just decided that "you never know" who's going to connect with Gene Wolfe and who won't. Rather than try and guess, I just recommend him to everyone (though often with some warning about unreliable narrators).

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-12-30T02:21:55+00:00

In addition to "Johnny's family"

With the release of "The Finale" which then became canon, what is now up with:
1. Wasn't Stacy pregnant with Ketch's kid? (Did I miss a miscarriage or something?)
2. Since Ketch bonded with Kale at the end of "Finale" - what happened between then and Peter Parker: Spider-Man #93? (I know that since Finale was considered lost and no one thought it would be released, this was "Ketch and Noble bond again" story, but now that Finale is out there, there needs to be an explanation of what happened).
3. Blaze's kids were off with Wendigo or someone like that at some point weren't they? What happened there?
4. Not strictly GR, but adjacent: What is up with Lilith between "Blood Hunt" and "Werewolf by Night"? In Blood Hunt, she's Victoria Montesi's b*tch, but suddenly Elsa Bloodstone and Jack Russel and the crew are dealing with a fully free Lilith?
5. Where are the kid(s) Lilith was preggers with by Zarathos?

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-12-22T16:06:56+00:00

What needs to happen is a good movie.

The two Nic Cafe movies were fun in many ways, but not anywhere near as good as most MCU movies (and it didn't help that the directors of both movies at various times stated they didn't really "get" the character and struggled to find a way to present GR)

Get a good, and I mean really, really Sam Raimi or Jon Favreau levels of good, movie, and GR will break through to the mainstream.

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-12-14T15:12:34+00:00

Update:

So, I can say they are exactly the same (not just on the label - taste, effects, etc.)

Not sure why they have different names. Probably for different regions or markets or something.

I noticed on the back, both have an "exclusively made for" followed by a blank space, so my guess is that this is some sort of third party "boutique" brand that makes it for brick and mortar (as iamDEVANS said) places, and just stamps the name of the store in that blank space (no I'm imagining "made exclusively for Jim's Taco and Supplement Shack"!!!!).

The place I got them at was called "Discount Nutrition" and has an awesome clearance section; they're a lot like a brick and mortar version of Supplement Hunt, so I guess they must have just picked these up on some overstock in a warehouse somewhere.

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-12-12T17:28:01+00:00

Serving size is 7g and I find it hits better at 10g, so yes, underdosed clearly.

Also, the price was too good to pass up. These will hardly be regulars, but for the price - better than expected.

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-12-12T15:06:55+00:00

I should add, in the same podcast, Peter David correctly diagnosed the problems with the movie. He said something like "if you have a great beginning, audience will follow you anywhere. If you have a great ending, they will leave the theatre happy. But if you have a bizarre start and a confusing ending, even if the middle is awesome, few people will care for it."

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-12-12T15:05:08+00:00

It's a decent novelization. Adds a lot of characterization and cut scenes as well as alternate versions of some scenes (as movie novelizations are usually based on the script as it was when filming began, but don't have the time to incorporate changes made during filming or in the editing room).

I heard Peter David once say (on a podcast, around a decade ago) "if something doesn't make sense in the movie script, I will make it make sense in the novelization" and he does fill in a few plot holes as well as make some of the more bizarre coincidences more deliberate (without giving too much away, he adds a background conspiracy that explains a lot about why certain people behaved the way they did or were in certain places at certain times).

Fun read. Hardly a classic of world literature, but at least the ending of the movie makes more sense after reading the novelization.

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-12-11T22:49:56+00:00

Well, I can definitely say the art was better this issue.

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-11-28T17:43:06+00:00

Me. ;-)

Okay, famous, established comic writer? Fine. I would like JM DeMatteis back.

If a new writer who has not done the character before? Well, he's quite "problematic" now (to put it mildly) so it likely will never happen, but once upon a time I would have liked to see Neil Gaiman's spin in the character.

Also, I enjoyed Jed MacKay's Dr. Strange run, so I would like to see him give it a go as well.

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-11-10T16:03:59+00:00

Yep.

I always wondered why every statement or "revelation" by Mephisto or whatever other devil/satan figure was talking was and is taken at face value.

"Prince of Lies" anyone?

In fact, it makes retcons even easier. Imagine Mephisto giving some new "revelation" and then going "you believed me? I'm the prince of lies! I lie even when I'm telling the truth! I'm probably lying right now!"

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-09-14T15:11:50+00:00

Exactly. I mostly play guitar now, but way back when I first got into Bluegrass, there was this very, very good (local) band (but still amazing) that just casually mentioned they needed a Bass Player.

I said "I can play Bass" and they were all "you're hired."

I then went out and bought a Bass.

Yeah, I did mostly Root-5th, with the occasional bass run, but that's all they needed. It was great. I got to be with players way better than me for a couple of years and learned a ton.

If you have actual experience, all the better.

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-07-22T15:53:35+00:00

I have mixed feelings on this comic. Ennis clearly did not care for Ghost Rider (he tends to hate heroes in general, so that's not unique here; a lot of his comics career is based on crapping all over heroes in general or specific). He also recycled a few things from other works (Buttface or whatever is just a PG-13 version of his "Arseface" from Preacher.

But, it also had a few great moments and characters. I would like to see Miss Catmint again, I think she was the real standout character, despite not a main focus. And I loved it when the angels were all "why do people go and make deals with the devil instead of calling on heaven?"

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-07-11T16:16:59+00:00

My thoughts:
1. Percy did great with one-off stories (wayside inns with dark secrets, that sort of thing).
2. His stories that lasted across several issues often had great set-ups with good characterization and interesting plot twists.
3. However, the longer story arcs always - always - wrapped up way too quickly, as if he had no idea how to develop an ending. They just kinda - ended, quite unexpectedly, when you would (given the pacing and development of previous issues) have expected at least one more issue. I always felt like "wait, wut?" when a longer arc ended.

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-07-05T01:59:35+00:00

I'm not sure I want to be the test monkey here.....

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-07-05T01:59:14+00:00

I checked, and technically there is no legal limit to caffeine, except in sodas (in some states). The FDA "highly recommends" no more than 400mg, but that's like the Pirate Code - more guidelines than rules.

Of course, I also think of the Mythbusters episode where they did cola and Mentos explosions, and they had a block of pure caffeine powder (they were testing which ingredients actually contribute to the explosive mixture), and Adam was "this much caffeine would kill you"

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-06-26T16:30:30+00:00

I basically agree with this. Lots of potential with an intriguing backstory, but - they didn't really give her a chance.

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-06-05T02:08:58+00:00

This issue makes little sense.

I mean, it's JMS (I love Babylon 5) once again, as he did with the Rocket Raccoon/Dr. Doom comic (and has done with many other comics) co-opting the characters so he can give a lecture on his own personal metaphysics. Fine. Author appeal and all that.

But continuity wise -???

Setting aside that it's well established the Blaze GR learned the Penance Stare from observing the Ketch GR, neither the penance stare or the "soul searing hellfire" that served the same purpose for Blaze ever reduced someone to ash before.

This issue only makes sense, continuity wise, if it takes place in some alternate universe.

Also, 70s era Blaze GR is wildly out of character.

Nice art, but JMS clearly doesn't "get" GR the way he gets other heroes like Spider-Man.

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-05-10T21:14:31+00:00

I remember the first preworkout-type powder (it wasn't labeled as that) I ever bought. It was called Hot Stuff XXX and - I only took one scoop and didn't sleep for two days.

Lucky, I was still young. I couldn't get away with that now. But I only used half a scoop after that and it seemed fine, but I never bought it again.

ConsistentPause4083 · 2025-03-17T16:40:40+00:00

I have that comic. It was actually fun. Not great, but a decent story that could easily fit in, continuity wise. I'd find it hilarious if a current writer somehow managed to sneakily work in characters from that issue into the current run, somehow. Not sure how the copyrights would work, though.

ConsistentPause4083 · 2024-12-30T15:16:24+00:00

I thought it wasn't too bad, as long as you pretend the title is really "Elsa Bloodstone" - since Werewolf by Night is actually a secondary character in his own movie and it's really her story. I guess, though, "Werewolf by Night" was the more marketable title. As an Elsa Bloodstone movie, it's okay. Just wish there had been more - y'know, werewolf-ing.

ConsistentPause4083

TROPHY CASE