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The Stories of Scott D. Southard

  • In Jerry’s Corner
  • A Jane Austen Daydream
  • Permanent Spring Showers
  • Megan
  • Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare
  • The Dante 3
  • Me Stuff
  • Man Behind the Curtain
  • June 29, 2012

    Recommending Four of GraphicAudio’s DC Audiobooks

    Since I wrote my initial review of GraphicAudio’s great DC audiobook series for Green Spot Blue (here), the article continues to receive visits and I occasionally get comments and e-mails asking which of theirs I would recommend for listening first.

    With summer in full swing and road trips almost every weekend, I thought this might be a great opportunity to share my four top recommendations for helping pass those long hours staring out the window at the lines on the highway.

    Also, we are in the midst of a superhero summer here in the US. With The Avengers breaking box office records and the last entry in Christopher Nolan’s Batman series as well, this is as good a time as any for imagining how much more fun (and crazy) the world would be if we had a few people in capes that could fly about.

    Justice League of America: Exterminators

    Supposedly (based on Facebook comments), GraphicAudio will be making some new DC entries in the Fall or Winter of this year.

    When they do, I hope they make some new Justice League episodes. While there are things I liked (and loved) about each of their audiobooks, there is something a lot more “fun” about the Justice League series. They aren’t weighed down by all of the drama that comes with Batman and the Crisis series; what you get is a group of superheroes (with voices that perfectly capture their characters) getting along and getting things done. When I return to listening to these audiobooks from time to time, I usually will go to one of these additions first. (more…)

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  • January 26, 2012

    My Time With Mites

    So yesterday at about 11:02 AM I learned my son was infested with mites. Scabies, actually. He probably got it from another child at his daycare. All it takes to spread is a touch, maybe he was playing with a friend and his hand touched their arm, or maybe he touched someone’s coat and it was infected. Or it was a  bath mat, or a towel. He could have been drying his hands after washing them like a very good boy and then…

    Whatever the case he got it at that moment from another kid, so why do I feel so dirty?

    I know I am not to blame for this. And yet, my initial reaction, like a lot of people’s is to feel like they are somehow to blame for their child’s suffering by a mite. My immediate reaction was to wonder if we vacuum the house enough, did we dust enough? And then my mind raced to my 9-month old daughter, was she even safe with us? Was I a lousy parent?

    Deep breath, no I am not to blame for this. This burden was not on my head, but the recovery was. It was fully on my wife and my shoulders and I felt it. (more…)

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  • January 23, 2012

    If the election is a story…

    As children we are raised to think of our history as a story.

    I’m not sure when this way of teaching American history began, but it was definitely prevalent throughout my education. Textbooks would present events, not as simple linear moments but as stories with beginnings, middles, and endings; each with their own book or chapter.

    Consider, for example, how we look at the Civil War: The Civil War has a beginning with the election of Lincoln and Fort Sumter; a middle with Gettysburg; and an ending with Lincoln’s assassination. Everything else that occurs is seen in the context of that storyline. You can do this same trick with other wars and major events and you will see how it has affected your view on history as well. We all do it, we were taught to do this; we probably just didn’t realize it at the time that is what was going on. (more…)

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  • January 20, 2012

    One of My Favorite Finds of Last Year: Graphic Audio’s DC Titles

    I have a new review up on GreenSpotBlue today.  This one is a find I am really excited about, as you will see from my review. In many ways, Graphic Audio are bringing life to an artform I thought was dead and that is, in my humble opinion, awesome.  Here is the beginning of my review:

    –

    This may sound like the beginning of a bad country song, but when I found Graphic Audio, I was not looking for love just a way to pass the time.

    See, in 2011, my daughter was born and after the experience of her older brother I knew I needed something to help keep me awake and focused during late night feedings… or even afternoon feedings (something about holding a sleeping baby that knocks me out every time). (more…)

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  • September 30, 2011

    Do you like humor and insight? Sure we all do…

    I’ve collected all of the editorials and articles I have written for Green Spot Blue in one location.  They can now be found here on my blog:  https://sdsouthard.wordpress.com/articles-on-greenspotblue-com/

    And via the links, you can learn:

    * How Indiana Jones can make all of us feel old (Its not the years, its the mileage).

    * Why Sesame Street needs to be saved from celebrities (and how it can be done).

    * The many, many, many problems with Thomas the Tank Engine.

    * Another series of reasons why the Star Wars prequels suck (because we need more reasons, right?).

    * How an agnostic celebrates Christmas… and explains death!

    Sounds fun? All those and way too many articles about super heroes.  Check it out!

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  • August 12, 2011

    10 Best Superhero Films

    A new film editorial is up at Green Spot Blue! It is on superhero films, so grab a towel, make a homemade cape with a pin and enjoy. 

    Here is the introduction to the article:

    I have never drunk the kool-aid, but I have sipped it.

    That is my experience with comic books.

    I did some occasional collecting when I was 12; and from time to time may read a graphic novel. Oh, I can do pretty well on some trivial pursuit questions when they come up, but I am no avid fan and I admit it. What I do love about superheroes and comic books is the mythology and when I am around my friends who are more in tune with that “world,” I will usually ask a hundred questions, trying to discover the new imaginative twists and turns (good and bad) the characters have taken. (Did you know they had zombie superheroes a few years ago!?)

    The thing is that now I have a toddler; a toddler with a Superman picture on his wall, Batman bed sheets, and a Flash T-shirt. While he can not see any of these movies until he is much older, I am going to put my film critic hat on and share my opinion on this still evolving meeting of the artforms.

    You can read the rest of the article (and my list) here- http://www.greenspotblue.com/world/2011/8/12/movies-10-best-superhero-films.html

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  • June 6, 2011

    13-Year Olds, Superheroes, and Money: This Year’s Summer Blockbusters

    An article on summer blockbusters by me.  Here is the intro: 

    Every year, reviewers complain about the summer blockbusters and every year it seems to become more and more exactly what the reviewers are complaining about (destruction, violence, non-stop action films, superheroes, over-the-top/cookie-cutter stories, etc.), but this year seems to knock the rest out of the ballpark.  There is just more of everything. And while I agree with some of the criticism heaped upon studios for their choices of what to produce and distribute, I understand where they are coming from. (more…)

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  • February 7, 2011

    THE SUPERHERO BOOKS OF RALPH COSENTINO

    A children’s book review I wrote is up on GreenSpotBlue.  Here is the beginning of the review:

    I am not a PG-13 parent.  What that means is I believe “age appropriate” means something and is important.

    I don’t want you to think I am a snob or super-protective, far from it. I try to be understanding about parents that make different parenting decisions. If you want your toddler to watch Avatar, that is fine, you are the parent (But seriously, do you think they can follow any of these older boys stories… really?); I’m just not going to make the same call with my son. (more…)

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