I got a Brazilian

That's right! I got a Brazilian. It makes me blush a little to say so because I'm modest, but it's true.

I was checking the stats on the Helm Website and saw that someone from Sao Paulo, Brazil was on the site! I don't know who it was specifically, but I have my suspicions.

Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Hey, isn't Brazil the fifth largest nation by population? Don't they have something like 192 million people living there and more than 10 million of them in Sao Paulo alone?"

Well, aren't you a cynical smarty pants. Yes, they have all of those people there, but how many of them read comic books? And really, how many of them would enjoy the Helm so much that they'd check out the website? There's only maybe three or four possibilities. In Sao Paulo, I mean. The Helm is absolutely huge amongst the 67 or so uncontacted tribes of Brazil, but they don't have computers with which to visit the Website. We air drop the copies to them after translating them into the various native dialects.

Anyway, given the browser my Brazilian used, and that he is in Sao Paulo, I think it's probably Luiz. In fact, it pretty much has to be Luiz. I'm not going to tell you his last name because I respect his privacy.

Anyway, that's my Brazilian!

The North Face and the South Butt

My new South Butt jacket came today. Haven't heard of the South Butt? They're the guys who are being sued by the North Face becasue they just took the North Face logo, turned it upside down and started their own company. They're kind of the opposite of the North Face. Where North Face says "Never stop exploring," The South Butt counters with "Never stop relaxing." That is my philosophy in a nutt shell--which is where I like to keep my philosophy.

I love the South Butt. But, like I said, they are getting sued by the North Face. In general, the suit has been pretty good for South Butt's business, but the very real possibility exists that they could get sued out of business. They are currently looking for supporters in court, so go to their site http://www.thesouthbutt.com and check it out to see what you can do. In the meantime, you might consider writing to North Face and letting them know that it makes them look really uncool to be suing young Jimmy Winkelmann, founder of the South Butt. I know Haiti is kind of a priority right now, but we can't let the South Butt, and young Jimmy, slip through the cracks.

The Rutles

I've been listening to the Rutles again lately and I've got to say that there is some really exceptional music on All You Need Is Cash. In particular, the song I Cannot Stay Another Day is just a great song all the way around. It really takes some musical crafting to include the word pusillanimous in a song and have it work both lyrically and intellectually.

Double Back Alley is also an exceptional song, not just as a Beatles parody, but in it's own right. The Rutles were/are geniuses. I feel like starting a Rutles tribute band. Maybe I could call it the Buttles. We could cover both Rutles songs and Beatles songs. That would be something.

Anyway, if you've never checked out the Rutles--either their albums or their fake-u-mentary, you should. Follow this here link: http://www.rutles.org/ it will be well worth your time. And that's not even my opinion. That's a fact. You can find that in the bible.

Okay, enough. I have to go watch Chuck. New episode tonight and I've got it on my PVR/DDR/TIVO/whatever they're calling hard disk recorders these days.

The Helm is an ALA Top Ten Great Graphic Novel for Teens 2010

I just got a nice email from the chairperson of the Great Graphic Novels for Teens committee of the American Library Association letting me know that The Helm has been selected as one of the top ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens for 2010. Whoo Hooo!

Gronland, The Helm and the Largest Island on Earth

Well, the emails from Greenland have been pouring in to the extent that my server was overwhelmed and my whole system crashed. Thank you, Greenlanders, for the outpouring of interest and support, but please lay off for a while--I've got work to do and can't handle the pressure.

I didn't think there were any Helm readers in Greenland until now, but boy was I wrong. I guess I should have expected more from the largest island on Earth! You Gronlanders (as the Danish would say) are alright in my book--even if you don't really consider yourselves part of North America despite the geography. Go Kalaallit Nunaat!

That is all.

The Helm and Greenland

So, it's a brand new year and the start of a new decade. And still, the Helm site hasn't had any visitors from Greenland. What the heck? Well, maybe this will be the decade that opens the floodgates of visitors from Greenland. Anyone out there in Greenland, give a shout out.