Monday, August 04, 2008

Things I've learned from comics blogging

There are several things I've learned from these long years of comics blogging. Among the most significant is this bit of advice:

Chris Sims is always right.


Case in point: The Middleman. I think I managed to catch half an episode before Wizard World, but I tracked down the first two trades of the series on his recommendation (and I do mean tracked down. I think I found the only two copies at the convention, and that was after two days of looking). Naturally, it was precisely as fun and fantastic as the Invincible One's glowing reviews suggested.

Well, my extended solitary weekend gave me the chance to catch up on some of the episodes that I'd only seen bits and pieces of, and I'm even more stoked about the series now than I was before. According to the Middleblog, they've decided on a shortened season but have said emphatically that the series isn't dead (though I think I might mail in a bag of M&Ms just in case). I'm looking forward to seeing the episodes I've missed over the last couple of weeks, and I hope upon hope that there'll be another season. If you're not watching this, you should be, and if you haven't read the trade(s), then you might head on over to your local comic book establishment to put in a request. Amazon's apparently backordered, or it hasn't been released yet, or something, but it'd be a good idea to get on the waiting list.

So, for all of you savvy blogohedron denizens who already knew Sims' Maxim, maybe you can answer a question for me (the Internet has failed me so far in this regard). In the pilot episode and the fourth episode of the series, the Middleman himself is accompanies by a bit of theme music, an old-school country-western sounding jingle that goes "clean livin' was his credo, and justice was his pride." What is it from? My guess is that it's not original to the show. Anyone know its genesis?

Oh, if only the bringer of face-kickery weren't on vacation...

8 comments:

LurkerWithout said...

A quick google search shows, well you, and a ballad by William Makepeace Thackery. Though that has BRIDE instead of PRIDE...

Tom Foss said...

My Google-fu is weak, then. All I managed to turn up was a post on ABC Family and a bunch of assorted sites and academic papers that used one or two of the words.

Strangely enough, I thought it sounded like "bride," but decided to trust the folks on the ABC Family board. That'll show me.

Thanks, Lurker!

Tom Foss said...

Aaaaand after searching and skimming through various works by Thackeray (including "Ballads"), I'm not finding anything. It looks like it might just be coincidence that he came up--all those words individually are in "Ballads," but not in that order.

Unless I missed something, which is possible.

LurkerWithout said...

This is the page I got from Google:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/889046/Ballads-by-William-Makepeace-Thackeray

Tom Foss said...

Me too; I searched through the text there and at a different site (where it wasn't such a pain in the butt to sift through the text), but couldn't come up with any of that phrase anywhere in the text. Individual words, sure (for instance, a ballad called "A Credo") but not the actual lyric.

Jason said...

Yeah, the Middleman is truly the bomb. I'm so happy they were able to translate the series so well. I so hope they get a second season. Regardless, I look forward to the DVD.

Incidentally, the original three volumes are currently out of print and they've just released (not on Amazon yet though) a new book combining them all.

deworde said...

Apparently, the song is "Clean Livin' was his credo, and justice was his ride"


http://eatdrinkandbemarysue.wordpress.com/2008/10/16/fangirl-clean-living-was-his-credo-and-justice-was-his-ride/

led me to

http://themiddleblog.livejournal.com/38912.html

Tom Foss said...

I'm not sure which side of the ride/pride/bride divide is right, but I did get the song when it came out on iTunes. It's officially "Palomino" by Tree Adams.