Hey, it's Wolverine.

I went to Wolverine expecting not to like it. It appeared from the previews to be -- 'an explosion every 15 minutes' kind of movie that I loath.

Actually kind of enjoyed it.

For some reason, I don't like doing movie and book reviews, though it would seem a natural. But I'm grateful for competently done movies, and as long as they are above a certain quality threshold and as long as they treat the core material with some respect, I cut them a lot of slack.

I kind of approached this movie as "If this was a Wolverine comic arc" would I enjoy it?

So, in that sense, though it covers some basic history (and changes some of it) I did enjoy the movie.

I waited for the credits to roll, because with Marvel movies, you never know if they are going to tack on a surprise.

I ain't going to tell you.

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When comics had their boom and bust in the mid-90's, there were two players in the drama who seemed to come out of the wreckage with little Empires of their own. Gareb Shamus from Wizard, and Todd McFarlane from Image (best known for Spawn.)

While the rest of us were scrambling to survive, they seemed to be living high, indulging in their whims. McFarlane spent million(s) on Mark McGwire's record baseball (ouch...didn't last long). And Gareb was buying up conventions and owned part of one of the extreme fighting leagues.

Both empires appear to be crumbling, right now.

Common denominator -- great and terrible hubris.

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Woke up the other morning with a wonderful picture of my wife leaning up against my computer. Someone at her church managed to catch her smile and her spirit.

When Linda isn't around, I can still feel her presence in my life. She has such a wonderfully embracing presence, that I feel like I can call it up and bask in it when I need to.

The other day, I told her she was an 8 year girl, wrapped in a woman's body. (No kink intended.) What I mean is, she's managed to maintain her delight and curiosity and individuality, despite everything. She is a bit of an angel.

That's not to say she can't be a very down to earth lady, as well.

Have I mentioned lately, I love my wife?

(Linda's going to work Pegasus today, to give me a day off. Her idea. I'm not just buttering her up because of this. But it's a good time to tell her how much I appreciate her.)

P.S. ..... Sorry if this sends anyone into diabetic shock. But...well, she deserves a little public shout out.