Admit that you were wrong and we'll admit that we're right

I have just returned from experiencing the almighty Sloan in concert. To be perfectly honest, the conditions could have been better -- the club's accoustics were terrible, and Chris seemed to have some sort of throat cold that made it hard for him to sing. But none the less, the band rocked that club like it was the rockingest day of their lives and they had an electrified rocking machine. Pat sang a few more of his songs than he might have normally, wailing guitar solos were liberally distributed, and the band came back at the end of the show to play a three song encore. Solid stuff.

It's a good week for Sam and music in general, really. Tommorrow sees the release of new albums from both Zebrahead and the Barenaked Ladies. I've heard a few tracks from both, and I have a feeling deep in my gut that these are going to be Good Albums. We shall see!

Sam Logan

Housekeeping

A few odds and ends tidied up today!

First of all, I have finally gotten around to adding a new piece of art to the gallery: my guest strip for Brian Carroll's Instant Classic! You'll also notice that Instant Classic has been added to my recommended reading list, replacing the currently defunct Return to Sender. What can I say? The man does good work.

The Tiff storyline wraps up next week, and I've got something pretty special lined up for the first couple of weeks that follow. Stay tuned!

Sam Logan

Napalm with Novocaine

So, let's have a chat about Chick's Tracts, a long-running series of comics written to let you know why you're probably going to hell.

If you don't happen to share Mr. Chick's views, it's very hard to discuss the man without exploding into a violent rage -- just ask Scott Kurtz. Chick certainly makes himself an easy target, and not just because his publishing company produces books that claim teaching evolution in the public schools causes students to go on shooting rampages. For decades, Chick has published comics about every subject imaginable. When you are telling that many people that they are going to hell, you're bound to anger a few of them.

Myself, I can barely begin to imagine the world from Chick's perspective, where evil lurks behind even the most mundane activities. My background in Christian theology is admittedly pretty limited, although probably no more so than it is in, say, the theory of evolution. I'm no more knowledgeable about gluons than I am about witchcraft, and I would probably be the wrong person to convince people that either exist. This is why I use this rant space to share my opinions about comics, as opposed to carbon dating. I don't try to inform people about subjects that I don't know anything about, because I don't want people to think I'm a jackass.

Unfortunately, Jack T. Chick is not afraid to tell people about things he doesn't understand. He is certainly sufficiently knowledgeable and qualified to inform others about his particularly intolerant brand of Christianity. But speaking as a person who has quite a bit of experience with rock music and Role Playing Games, I can tell you with complete assuridy that Chick doesn't possess even the most elemental understanding of either. I know from personal experience that most rock musicians and gamers are not knife-wielding, animal-sacrificing Satan worshipers. No, really! I am being totally serious.

It would be really nice if Chick would just stop talking about things he doesn't fully comprehend. In fact, it would be nice if people in general made an effort to actually learn in depth about a subject before trying to tell everyone else what to do. After all, you don't want to look like a jackass, do you?

Sam Logan