My friend and former Daily Nebraskan co-worker Van Jensen has posted a new mini-comic he wrote and illustrated. The first volume in his “Nebraska” series, which is based on his experiences growing up in the panhandle, is entitled “The Hunt.” I really like it, and it’s a quick read. So check it out.

Van’s writing career has taken him down a few different paths since he left Nebraska. He worked for a while as a reporter at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and lately he’s been doing some work on the comic book industry. He’s the author of Pinnochio: Vampire Slayer, a graphic novel coming out this fall from Slave Labor Graphics. Comic veteran Mark Waid described it as “the greatest thing I’ve read all year.”

You can also visit his blog here.

Some folks tried to put together a healthcare reform rally and Sen. Johanns’ staff called the cops.

“Johanns’ voters– teachers, members of the armed forces, and SEIU members– set up a table with apple pie and signs welcoming the Senator and urging him to support a uniquely American solution to healthcare reform,” explained Jane Kleeb, SEIU State Director. “Instead of coming by and saying hello, the Senator walked right by us as we were surrounded by police, and the Senator said ‘good luck with that.'”

SEIU received advanced permission from the Nebraska Medical Center to greet the Senator as he started his day of roundtables on healthcare reform. Instead of greeting the healthcare reform advocates at the table, the Senator’s staff called the police.

I’m trying to think of some kind of catchy health-reform name that could double as naughty slang but I’m at a loss. Anybody have any healthcare rally concept name ideas that rival teabagging in its awesome vulgarity?

Adam Serwer:

Yesterday, Glenn Beck guest and former CIA official Michael Scheuer openly hoped for a terrorist attack on the United States, saying, “The only chance we have as a country right now is for Osama bin Laden to deploy and detonate a major weapon in the United States. … It’s an absurd situation again, only Osama can execute an attack which will force Americans to demand that their government protect them effectively, consistently, and with as much violence as necessary.” Beck nodded solemnly.
[…]
But understand, this is not unpatriotic. You can wish all manner of horrors on this country, but as long as these horrors might serve a specific political agenda, you’re not being unpatriotic. Unpatriotic is a public health-care plan. Unpatriotic is a judge modifying sub-prime mortgage loans to keep a roof over someone’s head. Unpatriotic is phosphate-free detergent. Patriotic is wishing for a terrorist attack on the United States.

Steve Benen:

I’d just add that there will almost certainly be no consequences for this. Two nutty conservatives can talk about the advantages of another terrorist attack on U.S. soil — indeed, they can long for it — without facing any real pushback at all. There won’t be any suspensions or boycotts. No sponsors will withdraw. None of Beck’s or Scheuer’s allies will distance themselves, and neither one will be excluded from polite company.

It was, in other words, just another day on Glenn Beck’s highly-rated unbalanced national television broadcast.

I’d just add that, during the Iraq War, it was not uncommon for Republicans to pretend that Democrats wanted the war to go badly in order to sneakily achieve policy objectives. That was such a horrible thing, even imagining that it was true was enough to fire up the faithful. Yet here, it’s actually happening, and it’s embraced by the very tens of millions who were horrified by the thought of Democrats doing it. I realize that Glenn Beck and Fox News have long defied even the exaggerations of rhetorical questions, but what kind of sick freak hopes for a terrorist attack on Americans?

I haven’t really thought about Michael Jackson in years. I just told my wife that I think I was always hoping he’d get normal again and return with some awesome comeback album. But when I was a kid, I was a huge Michael Jackson fan, and there’s actually a Michael Jackson tie to when I first started drawing for the amusement of others.

I was simultaneously fascinated and horrified by Thriller. Back when I was in probably kindergarten and first grade, watching the “Thriller” video was pretty much a staple of every birthday party. And for whatever reason, during every viewing, I started drawing what was basically a comic storyboard adaptation of the werewolf transformation from the opening scene. Eventually, we stopped watching the video, but people kept requesting that I draw my panel-by-panel version of the werewolf scene. I’m sure I loved the attention at the time, but in hindsight, that seems really weird. There may be dozens of original Neal Obermeyer drawings of that in shoeboxes and landfills across southeast Nebraska.

Other than that, pretty much my strongest memories of Michael Jackson involve being extremely embarrassed that I received two copies of Thriller on vinyl for my birthday one year, and watching my cousin Wade lip-sync and dance to “Bad” for everyone at an Obermeyer family Christmas, replacing the traditional nativity play.

At the risk of opening him up to abuse from the usual gang of commenting idiots, my dad has a guest column in today’s Lincoln Journal Star supporting the proposed changes in the LPS calendar. It ran alongside the cartoon below. I told my editor it reflects the intellectual extremes in the Obermeyer men.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been working on a nine-page Edgar Allan Poe bio story that will run in the forthcoming Powerpop Comics Classics #1. I’d been documenting some of the progress over at cheeksofgod.com and on facebook.

Well my part is done, the book is at the printers, and you can now view the completed story on the Powerpop facebook page here.

If you’d like your very own hard copy, stop by the Powerpop Comics order page, or if you’re in the Philadelphia area, stop by the Powerpop booth at Wizard World Philly.

Time for another installment of “What you’re missing because newspapers are sissies.”

10. Starting off, it’s the first Heath Mello cartoon I’ve attempted since the 2000 ASUN elections. I can get away with this because I’m rural folk (Not that I could have gotten away with this).

9.

Continue reading →

A few firsthand experiences people had with Dr. George Tiller have begun popping up online in the aftermath of his murder, exposing the ignorance and callousness behind the blanket caricatures of doctors and those seeking abortions.

from the AgTalk forums: Continue reading →

Earlier this week, the Nebraska StatePaper.com daily News Update included this opening passage:

We have read a good deal and waited a long time before commenting on the stimulus plan coming from President Obama and Congress. Our view: Whatta’ crock of baloney! The feds appear to be doing nothing more than hitting the reset button for the banks that made the economic mess. Note also, the number of investment banks which have suddenly become holding companies, thus allowing them access to more federal dollars.

I replied, “How much did you read before commenting on the stimulus? Your criticisms are of TARP, a completely separate program.”

I received a response telling me to keep reading about what the banks did. I replied, “Oh I’ve been keeping up on my TARP / stimulus news, but unless something huge and drastic has happened in those past few weeks, the banking / treasury / reserve side of the recovery plans are the realm of TARP. If you have a link that says otherwise, I’d be happy to read it. I always like learning more.”

I never did get a response. But today’s News Update includes this: Continue reading →