Read-Think-b4-u-Write

The 2011 Washington Post Peep Show only included one comic inspired entry - well, actually, an entry inspired by a play, inspired by a movie, inspired by a comic - Spider-Peep: Turn Off the Dark . From Playpeep: "Star clusters opening night featured the silver-maned, former Presipeep, Bill Chickton, who signed autographs creating aisle congestion not seen since the mallow filled hallways of Dance With the Vamallows . Other P-Listers included Marshmallow Walters and Jimmy Falpeep who kibitzed with with Fran Peepowitz about Peep-knows-what. The show's tunepeeps, Molo and The Edge were squished by applause." A pip of a night! Ooops. Peep of a night!

The Bulwer-Lytton worst first line contest is always good for a laugh . . . and should remind writers that sometimes (most times) more is not better. The 2010 winner is: "For the first month of Ricardo and Felicity's affair, they greeted one another at every stolen rendezvous with a kiss--a lengthy, ravenous kiss, Ricardo lapping and sucking at Felicity's mouth as if she were a giant cage-mounted water bottle and he were the world's thirstiest gerbil." Molly Ringle Seattle, WA Other laughable entries are: "When Hru-Kar, the alpha-ranking male of the silver-backed gorilla tribe finished unleashing simian hell on Lt. Cavendish, the once handsome young soldier from Her Majesty’s 47th Regiment resembled nothing so much as a crumpled up piece of khaki-colored construction paper that had been dipped in La Victoria chunky salsa." Greg Homer Placerville, CA "As Holmes, who had a nose for danger, quietly fingered the bloody knife and eyed the v...

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson is a bit of a staple in college classrooms, including my own.  It is a poignant story of one man's struggle to help educate the girls of Afghanistan.  A promise he made after being rescued by the villagers of Korphe following an unsuccessful bid to scale K-2, the world’s second highest mountain.  He struggled mightily in his cause; the Taliban kidnapped and held him hostage in Waziristan and blew up the schools as fast as he could build them. His book gave me hope for Afghanistan as it struggled against the Taliban and a purpose for our presence there.  I agreed with columnist, Nicholas Kristoff, when he said, “So a lone Montanan staying at the cheapest guest houses has done more to advance U.S. interests in the region than the entire military and foreign policy apparatus of the Bush administration.”  But it appears Kristoff and everybody else has been hoodwinked. Yes, duped, and in the worst sort of way.  Not onl...

Level Up, the newest work from writer Gene Luen Yang and artist Thien Pham, is now out, and recently the two creators set out on a promotional tour.  Here's the scoop on the epic draw-off that ensued, and much more.  By Dore' Ripley. Level Up debut at Graphic Novel Reporter. What are you reading the summer?