Back in the Saddle

It's been awhile since I've done any blogging (as many of you have kindly reminded me). Frankly, I just got a little burned out on it. However, after a nice little sabbatical, I find myself once again with the urge to share my unsolicited opinions on popular culture, religion, and related topics with people who probably couldn't care less. 

I've been keeping myself sufficiently busy during my self-imposed sabbatical: watching a lot of television and playing video games. Oh yeah, I also did some work. In April I delivered a paper at the University of Toledo on "Aesthetics and Moral Discourse in Narrative Television." I also wrote an essay on the television show Supernatural for Benbella Books (the same publisher for whom I wrote the essay on Gilmore Girls last year). It's titled "Is Supernatural Really Supernatural?" That was a lot of fun to do. Next, I have two more pop culture related research projects that should keep me busy throughout the summer. Both are for Sheffield Press out of England for a series of books they are doing on the Apocalypse in Popular Culture. The first is an essay on the influence of the Book of Revelation on comic books.  So if there are any comic book fans reading this who know of some good comic titles that utilize the book of Revelation or apocalyptic in interesting ways, please let me know. Currently I am working with Watchmen, Kingdom Come, Strange Girl, Judge Dredd: Judgment Day, and issues 666 of Batman and Superman. I would welcome recommendations on any others. The other project is a study of the apocalyptic metaphor of war as used in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Supernatural, and Battlestar Galactica. So you may be treated to (or subjected to depending on your perspective) snippets of my thinking on these topics over the months to come. Well, that's what I've been up to. Next, I may write about what I've been watching during my sabbatical -- either that or Iron Man which my son and I are heading out to see right now.