Almost three years since the last issue, Warren Ellis has delivered the final book of Planetary.  It's an odd and problematic epilogue, but a welcome one nonetheless.

The premise seemed simple enough on the surface.  All that stuff in the superhero comics?  It really happened.  Four scientists did venture into space and return with supernatural powers.  A dying planet did send its last son to earth.  Sherlock Holmes was real, and there's an island off the coast of Japan where giant monsters live.

Of course, none of it happened the way we've been led to believe.  Spoilers ahead.

I can see why some folks wouldn't care for this game. You can't dual-wield weapons, the team deathmatch mode is sorely lacking, and the final boss is a pushover.

If that last sentence meant nothing to you, then you'll likely enjoy it.

I'm probably reading far too much into this book, but it seems to invite such scrutiny. Its emotional impact is blunt, yet strangely reassuring. At its heart, this is a story of a man's love for his son, but McCarthy has chosen the most adversarial setting possible.

Mixed in through the text are odd words and turns of phrase, some of which seem random or invented. The one that stands out most, however, is "salitter."

I knew I'd heard it before, but I couldn't place it. Turns out, it was used by Jakob Böhme in his 1612 book Aurora to describe the "substance of God."

So, it's 27-23. Bookies are losing millions on that tiny spread tonight.

Of course, this was a game of slim margins and surprise upsets. The Cardinals started well by scoring early, but like the Steelers, their defense was sorely lacking.

Did-that-just-happen moments included Harrison's 100-yard interception (the longest in NFL history, if I'm not mistaken) and Santonio Holmes' just-by-inches touchdown, which yanked Arizona's lead in the last three minutes.

It's been seven years, and well, the finale wasn't what I expected.

Of course, I'd be disappointed if it was.

That said, it was phenomenal.  Loose ends were tied up, while many threads were left open, presumably to imply that, after all that has happened tonight, life in Farmington will still be going on tomorrow.

I suppose the most jarring aspect of this episode was the amount of space and silence employed.  It's rare for this show to breathe, but there were several moments of that here.  In fact, there are several minutes of it.

For a show like this, a minute is an eternity.

Wow, it's really tanked since the 1990s. Apparently Saturday Night Live was struggling for viewership, so they jumped at the chance to bring former cast member Tina Fey back into the fold, in which she did cameo appearances impersonating Sarah Palin.

Her performance was marvelous, bordering on the uncanny.  I found it absolutely hilarious.  Apparently, it helped the folks at SNL, who saw a 50% increase in audience share.  Fey did another skit lampooning the Vice Presidential debate, and tonight, the real Sarah Palin was invited to appear.

Georgia Lt. Governor Cagle has appointed Senator Mitch Seabaugh of Sharpsburg to chair the Senate committee proposed in Resolution 819.  The committee will survey and elucidate the state's complex and often contradictory firearms laws.  SR 19 reads, in part:

WHEREAS, current Georgia laws applicable to the carrying of firearms are extensive, complex, ambiguous, scattered in various provisions of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, and frequently produce unintended results and confusion among Georgians who carry firearms, law enforcement officers, and the courts (…) in light of the above, it is now time to closely scrutinize and improve Georgia's

…

Today's cinematic triumph is Godzilla vs. Megalon. It's a cautionary tale about mankind's disregard for the environment, coupled with a lesson on the folly of scientific arrogance. It also raises moral questions about creating and controlling artificial intelligence.

Well, sorta. It's a sequel to 1972's dreadful Godzilla vs. Gigan, which was hardly a high-water mark for the franchise itself.

"The Enrichment Center once again reminds you that android hell is a real place where you will be sent at the first sign of defiance."

–GLaDOS

The DVD is out. Get it already, or turn in your geek card.

I've already written about the greatness that was Futurama, so go there and read that if you don't know what I'm blathering on about.

Meet Alyx Vance. She's one of the main characters in Valve Studios' Half-Life series. She's also something of a rarity in videogames in that she's an actual character, as opposed to the 2-dimensional caricatures of women that dominate the genre.

Desu Nōto has been hugely popular in Japan in the last few months, and it's even spawned two live-action movies in Japan. Justly so, since it's a taut and riveting series, and I've been following it on a weekly basis.

Until this week, that is. Last week, Viz announced that they've received the stateside licensing for the series, which stops legitemate fansubs cold. Viz doesn't have the best track record of localization, so this was hardly considered positive news.