Dan Newland
LightNews LightNews
banner
historian.us
Dan Newland
@historian.us
1.4K followers 1.6K following 420 posts
Dad | Database and Cloud Guy | Ph.D. candidate in Public History | Co-host of the @comicsovertime.bsky.social Podcast | Defending Champion of the MSURBL Fantasy Baseball League | Reviewer of comics & movies
Posts Replies Media Videos
historian.us
Watched ROBOCOP (the original from 1987) again recently, and it was actually sort of fantastic?!? The movie is a weird mashup of cheesy stop motion robots, social commentary and a massive helping of gore. But it works. If anything i think I like it more now than I did when it came out!
June 13, 2025 at 7:35 PM
historian.us
Watched TRON with my son tonight, and when Gibbs says "Won't that be grand? Computers and the programs will start thinking and the people will stop" it hit a bit harder than I remember.
June 4, 2025 at 5:23 AM
historian.us
And so my Eisner readthrough begins. Starting this year with the six nominees for Best Publication For Teens.

Congrats to Jen Wang, @jonahnewmancomics.bsky.social, @geneluenyang.bsky.social, Leuyen Pham, @davidfwalker.bsky.social, @marcuskwame.com, @mollyostertag.bsky.social and Adam de Souza!
Six extremely interesting looking graphic novels are arranged on the desk. Marcus Kwame Anderson drew Big Jim and the White Boy and Leuyen Pham illustrated Lunar New Year Love Story.
May 22, 2025 at 1:28 AM
historian.us
My wife is a school librarian and Eisner voter, and so every spring we read all the Eisner nominated books we can lay hands on before she casts her ballot.

This is the first batch. Looking forward to digging into a great pile of comics!
14 Eisner nominated comics are arrayed on the counter, awaiting consumption.
May 21, 2025 at 9:07 PM
historian.us
We are alternating episodes of #Murderbot and #Reacher, and while both shows are excellent it is weird how they star essentially the same character - a casually homicidal loner unable to connect with normal humans who is a mortal danger to everyone they come into contact with.
May 20, 2025 at 3:14 AM
historian.us
Footage of me working on building a Batmobile last night, with my attention-demanding assistant.

Somehow he always knows exactly which piece I need, and then sits directly on it.

#catsofbluesky
A massive orange and white cat looms over the construction of a lego set. A half finished Batman '66 Batmobile sits in the foreground.
May 12, 2025 at 3:32 PM
historian.us
One of my current favorite comics is RED BEFORE BLACK from @boom-studios.com. It feels like a crazy mashup of Love and Rockets and Bound (remember that?...from the 90s?...Gershon and Tilly???)

Anyway, the story by Stephanie Phillips is a ton of fun and Sudžuka and Svorcina's art is gorgeous!
The cover of Red Before Black #4. A blonde woman celebrates with cash and champagne in the upper right of the image, while a brunette pensively waits with a pistol in the lower left.
May 11, 2025 at 9:14 PM
historian.us
Starting my week at #mmsmoa with a session that is helping demystify MS Graph for me.

I am, btw, one of those weird people that loves this stuff.
May 5, 2025 at 1:52 PM
historian.us
Having a great time today helping with the line and answering questions for #FCBD at my LCS.

Cool to see so many kids and families coming in to check out the store and give comics a try!
May 3, 2025 at 5:44 PM
historian.us
Got a chance to visit with @artebuen.bsky.social at C2E2 a couple of weeks ago and picked up his book ©ALIFORNIA, INC.

These are fantastic. Dave Law's art and colors gave the story a stylish modern look, and the idea of America divided and corporatized states seems all too believable. Recommended!
A photo of the four issues of California, Inc., with covers by Dave Law.
April 29, 2025 at 3:18 PM
historian.us
Absolutely loving HOWL by @alisakwitney.bsky.social and Mauricet. The art and colors have a gorgeous retro sci-fi feel & the story is fun, weird, sexy and spooky.

#comics @ahoycomicmags.bsky.social
The cover to Howl #3 from Ahoy Comics, featuring a cover by Mauricet.
April 28, 2025 at 10:57 PM
historian.us
Recently got my monthly comic order, and finally am getting to dig in. Time to see what's all here...

#comics
A table laden with 24 new comics books, none of which has yet been opened. They all look fantastic.
April 24, 2025 at 4:41 PM
historian.us
I miss just going to the newsstand to get comics. Back before preorders, previews, and final order cut-offs. Yeah, you sometimes missed an issue, but it was fun and immediate. As things are now it is a painful slog. I dread hunting through multiple sites and catalogs to find what I want to order.
A photo of George Perez's fantastically detailed cover to Legion of Super-Heroes #280, a book that someone got to before me at my corner grocery store back in 1981. Took me years to track down a copy. Very frustrating then, but I remember the hunt fondly now. Note: This is not my copy, but mine is in a similarly non-mint state.
April 9, 2025 at 6:34 PM
historian.us
Starting to think it may be time to reread Undiscovered Country, and maybe move these into the non-fiction area.

Great story by Scott Snyder, @charlessoule.bsky.social and the folks at @imagecomics.com. But the premise of these comics - and the cover of issue #1 - hits too close to home right now.
A collapsed pile of comic books, with the top one visible. It is Undiscovered Country #1, with a map of north America that has the United States removed. Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli, who does interiors on the series.
April 4, 2025 at 5:50 PM
historian.us
I need to make heading to the library a habit again. Looking forward to the Batman '89 sequel by @johnjacksonmiller.bsky.social, and had Lorenzo Carcaterra recommended to me. Time to start reading...
March 2, 2025 at 9:15 PM
historian.us
Managed a 3-0 tonight at FNM, with a goblins & gearseakers deck. I am really enjoying #aetherdrift. Its a bit slower, a bit complex and very interesting! #mtg
March 1, 2025 at 5:37 AM
historian.us
Had a great time at the #MTGAetherdrift pre-release last night.

Getting together with friends for Friday Night Magic at my LCS is one of the best parts of my week, and for me the "gathering" is what keeps me interested in #mtg.
February 8, 2025 at 7:55 PM
historian.us
Today's mail with a great mix of old comics and new comic criticism!

Looking forward to digging into the first issue of The Comics Courier from @explodingarrow.bsky.social and friends, and also paging through a classic Avengers tale from 1964.
A photo of The Comics Courier atop a print and some stickers. A reading copy of Avengers #7 from 1964 is also peeking out.
January 30, 2025 at 6:21 PM
historian.us
Everything about the FRIDAY series is right up my alley, from the Encyclopedia Brown setup to the weird sci-fi/fantasy story that it morphs into. But it's the art that puts it over the top. @panelsyndicate.bsky.social and Muntsa Vicente have done sublimely beautiful work on every page. I love these.
The covers of Friday Volume 1 - 3. Muntsa Vincente's expressive colors pair with Marcos Martin's gorgeous art perfectly, helping to give a moody, spooky and yet somehow nostalgic feel to Ed Brubaker's post-YA tale.
January 24, 2025 at 6:57 PM
historian.us
On music: William Shatner's "Has Been" is, in fact, one of the best albums of the 21st century. The title track is a fantastic rumination on perseverance , his cover of "Common People" is ridiculous and yet perfect, and the entire album is an uncompromising reflection on aging, ambition and regret.
The cover of 2004's monumental Has Been, William Shatner's finest album (so far).
January 17, 2025 at 10:00 PM
historian.us
On art history: Tintoretto is by far the greatest artist of the Italian Renaissance. No one comes close to his work at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice, which includes his massive, gorgeous, tumultuous "The Crucifixion."
An image of Tintoretto's Cruxifiction from the Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice. It is astonishingly beautiful and powerful, and is worth a trip half way around the world to see in person. NOTE: wait awhile, though, as it currently is being restored, and is not viewable.
January 17, 2025 at 9:00 PM
historian.us
On football (all sorts): The Minnesota Vikings and Leeds United are astonishingly similar franchises in their ability to cause heartbreak, and being a fan of both is a curse no one should have to bear.

Sadly for me, I have been with both for decades and just can't quit either of them.

#skol #mot
Vikings LB Scott Studwell, one of the many great players on my beloved Vikings teams of the early 80s. Alan Smith, one of the stars on a promising young Leeds squad that I started following in 1999 while living and working in England. He soon left for Man fucking United, and the wheels fell off soon after.
January 17, 2025 at 8:00 PM
historian.us
Spongebob is a fine film, but for me it's difficult for anything else to compete with the star power of Animal AND Orson Welles. Its fantastic from start to end, and even the parts without Gonzo are gonzo!
January 17, 2025 at 7:38 PM
historian.us
On Movies: I believe that there are four perfect movies: Blade Runner, The Princess Bride, Casablanca and The Muppet Movie. Everything else lives in their shadows.
January 17, 2025 at 7:00 PM
historian.us
On Baseball: Luis Garcia Jr. of the Nationals is going to be a star.

From 1974-2023 only 30 players had over 100 AB in a season at the MLB level before turning 21. Garcia is one of them, and its a pretty good group to be in!

#baseball #fantasybaseball
A screenshot of a query from the Lahman Database showing seasons since 1975 where a player had 100 or more at bats in the major leagues as a 20 year old or younger. About 1/2 the list are or will be in the Hall of Fame, and almost all of them had notable careers.
January 17, 2025 at 6:00 PM