the weblog of David A. Price

Renee and I are saddened to hear of the passing of our friend Clark, a beautiful beagle mix.  We found out this evening during a visit to the comic shop that he was euthanized two weeks ago.  Clark enjoyed surveying his domain, that known as Comic Book Heaven.  Clark kept a watchful eye on the employees and customers of the store and never strayed too far from his “mom” Irene.  And he always seemed to know when Renee was with me because he would rarely get out of bed for me, making sure I knew who made his tail wag.

One of our most beloved and cherished memories (as well as one of our favorite stories) of Clark dates back a couple of years when we first brought Nanuuq to meet him.  It was a Sunday afternoon, not too busy in the store with only a handful of customers.  While Irene, Renee, and I chatted, Nanuuq and Clark were getting acquanted.  We were amused as once the sniffing ended they started to chase each other playfully.  However, all of a sudden it was full steam ahead and Nanuuq and Clark were zipping around the racks and shelves, flying around customers, and speeding from one end of the store to the other and back again.  Renee asked Irene if perhaps we should intervene, have the dogs to slow it down and reign it in a bit.  Irene said with a smile, “No.  If the customers don’t like it, they can leave”.  This continued for a short while until they tired themselves out from the excercise.  They made their way to counter and Clark’s water bowl.  Nanuuq watched as Clark took a lap or two of water, and then Clark raised his head, looked at Nanuuq, and motioned to her to drink.  I thought Renee was going to start crying and never stop over this dog that was such a gentleman.  Nannuq drank, leaving some for Clark, and then they rested.  And again they played for a little while before we had to leave.

There are many people that Clark meant so much to.  We were lucky to have known him and blessed to have loved him.

Clark, you will be missed.

Well, we’re coming to the end of another week… It’s been somewhat of a hectic one. We’ve had houseguests this week, my car had to be brought into the shop, and of course, bills are coming in. But such is life, and while two out of the three were not unexpected (not in a bad way. Well, maybe the car) I have nothing to complain about. I’d like to extend my condolences to the friends and family of Michael Piller. Star Trek: Deep Space 9 was my favorite Trek spin-off (and it would appear I’m not alone) and unbeknownst to me he also had worked on Miami Vice (as well as Cagney & Lacey, Simon & Simon, and most recently The Dead Zone. In other Trek-relate news, I’d like to applaud George Takei for making a bold announcement regarding his personal life.

As far as comics: I haven’t been to the shop in ages. Which, my wallet and fianc�e are thankful for, I’m sure. I’m waiting for my first order from DCBS to arrive but other than that, I’ve been living vicariously through the guys at Comic Geek Speak (including the folks that post on the forum) and Bruce from KomicsKast. I think I will, however, review the issues of Back Issue! that I have read. TwoMorrows has created an amazing publication. Being a fan of comics from the 70’s and 80’s, this magazine is a dream. I remember buying comics from Eclipse, Comico, and First as well as reading The New Teen Titans, Batman and the Outsiders, Secret Wars, and Walt Simonson’s Thor run as the issues came out. Truly good times… There’s been a void since Amazing Heroes, Comics Interview, and Comics Scene disappeared. Back Issue! does a commendable job of filling that void. Now if only it came out monthly…

Sometimes no news just means bad news hasn’t been reported….

Just a quick update to let everyone know that the past few days have been kinda hectic and have not all been fun-filled… Vacation is coming to an end and I’m not sure how much I’ve actually accomplished (as far as things that I wanted to do) as there have been things that popped up beyond mine or Renee’s control.

One great item: I was mentioned in Bruce R.’s latest KomicsKast episode (16). Thanks much, Bruce. You keep podcastin’, I’ll keep commentin’.