Going through my photos on Facebook, I realize how much of a blast this year had been!
So I thought I'd compile this little blog, Buzzfeed style.
1. First, there was that final book in the series that I followed for ten years!
2. Speaking of fandom, the Avengers turned 50!
Original to movie logos
3. And my friendship with my high school friends turned 18!
4. There were those couple of times I got published ( NAME INCLUDED) internationally.
Planet Philippines
San Diego Comic Con Souvenir Book
5. Then, those few times I tried something new and physical like running...
Outbreak BGC 2
Color Dash
...and rafting.
Magdalena, Laguna
6. When I got a new dog.
His name is Manong and he's a constant presence on my Instagram.
7. Or when my friends got married.
Armi and Jay-r
Duds and Carlo
Han and Bon
Pat and Carlos (Photo c/o Andrea)
8. And had babies.
Bea!
Nathan!
9. A couple of friends returned after so many years away.
Alec's birthday
Hec's (plus Elaine and Rej's) birthday/s
10. And we went places!
UP Fair
Picnic
Anawangin
11. We also said a goodbye to a fellow geek. RIP Vic.
Honoring Vic's favorite past time: GAMING!
12. Speaking of the geeks, one of the proudest moments I had this year was helping to raise funds for Yolanda survivors doing what we love to do - BE OURSELVES!
I even got to design our promotional materials.
13. I got obsessed with PAYING FOR digital content.
Kobobooks.com
GOG.com
(Not in picture: Imagecomics.com and CDbaby.com)
14. And even got new gadgets!
My 'Droids
My e-book reader!
15. I didn't get to travel much this year but I still got to discover brave new worlds.
(Not in picture: Elantris)
16. I also started wearing glasses and got my teeth fixed (but we don't want a picture of that now, do we?).
17. Perhaps the best thing to ever happen this year (that don't get to happen often) was getting to spend more time with family since my grandma and my cousin were here.
That happened to be our first trip in forever - and I'm glad to have been the one to organize it!
18. Oh, and I turned 32.
For the most part, it's been a bit of a banner year. But it also left me with a lot to think about. It was the year of the elections and Yolanda, after all.
On a personal level, I realized I had some growing up to do.
I've been holding on to the returns from my Prudentialife college plan for quite a while only to see it fizzle out into practically nothing. That I'm unprepared for so many things was a harsh realization.
Still, it was a good year. The only regret I had was I seemed to have lost a friend.
My only wish for the coming year is to see that bridge rebuilt.
Earlier this month, thanks to a seasonal spike in income, I finally got myself a dedicated ebook reader. And as one can surmise from this blog's title, I got a Kobo.
Look, I don't want to turn this into a Kindle vs Kobo thing because I've only ever had the experience of using the one device. And while I have nothing against Amazon (except maybe the closed ecosystem), I do believe in growing the industry by encouraging competition. So while everybody and their mother enjoy their Kindles, I'm going for the alternative experience.
National Bookstore also made the accessories available, so I got my Kobo a nice sleep cover.
Sidenote: This is pretty consistent of me. As I mentioned on Instagram, back when the iPod was king, I went Creative. Heck, I'd be using Palm/WebOS right now if the platform was still active.
Anyway, I got the Glo, which is Kobo's mid-range offering that competes directly with the Kindle Paperwhite and Nook Glowlight. The model was launched last year and I've all but given up on ever getting my hands on one locally.
All the while I keep thinking that I don't really have a collection of eBooks to merit a separate device specifically for reading. I have a small collection of pirated epubs but every time I try to read one, I just couldn't help feeling uncomfortable. As a writer, I just didn't like the idea of cheating authors out of their due royalties. Also: most of these typed up epubs are really crappy.
Then fate handed me a good one once again when just last month, Kobo sent me a 50% discount code that I can use multiple times on their online store! I also stumbled upon other discount coupons online that went as high as 85%! Long story short, I'm almost broke by P10k thanks to my eBook spree.
TIP: BPI My ePrepaid has a down-time from 10am to 6pm. Paying either directly or via Paypal can result in failed transactions during that period. My account was locked after three unsuccessful attempts, so I had to use my Metrobank Mastercard debit card.
The great thing about the Kobo eBook store is that their prices are already in Philippine peso. The downside, I notice, is that there is no Add To Cart option. I had to Check-out every item individually, which can get pretty taxing.
A small section of my virtual library from the Chrome app.
When I finally got my Kobo Glo, all that content was waiting and ready to go! Theoretically, I can also load pirated epubs and other non-Amazon formats as well as the free titles I got from Google Play Books but I have yet to try them.
It's been three weeks since I've had the Glo and I've experienced no problem with the hardware or the store. And if there were, I'm glad to report that the customer service has been excellent. I sent a request for a change of cover and I was promptly advised to contact the publisher, which I did. Within a week, the cover had changed but wouldn't sync to my device. Contacted Kobo customer service via email; they gave me instructions; and presto! Nice, updated ebook cover!
Is it worth reading on a Kobo than on a tablet or smartphone? Hell yeah! I don't know what it is but reading on either devices make me sleepy and disconnected from what I'm reading. I've also tried reading in a moving bus but I got dizzy and nauseated. On the Kobo, I felt more engaged. I also didn't have problems reading in a bus. I don't really know if this adds to the e-ink vs. LCD debate but that's been my experience.
Oh, and don't even get me started on ComfortLight! There's really something about reading in a dark room with the only light coming from my back-lit book that's so engrossing! I love it!
ComfortLight in action. Kobo Glo in front, laptop LCD in the background.
If there's one feature that I would like to add, it's a dedicated notepad app. After all, the Glo does have some games and even a web browser. Evernote integration perhaps - similar to what they've implemented with Pocket?
Either way, it's been a pretty amazing experience so far and I dare to say that next to the PDA and the PMP, I think the dedicated ebook reader is my favorite gadget ever (though I'd probably say that with any ereader).
I picked up my copy of the book a week ago when it dropped on local stores along with other members of Wheel of Time Phils. Like with the past two releases, it wasn't without incident with the big bookstores. I had reserved 20 copies with Fully Booked months ahead of the release date but was told their supply hasn't arrived yet. For a reader, nay, a fan who's been following the series for years, the delay was just unacceptable. Thankfully, one of our members tipped me that Powerbooks already has the book. A couple of phone calls later and I had secured my group's copies.
*whew*
Crisis averted.
Wheel of Time Phils.
I plowed through the book for the next three days, even bringing my copy to the office and reading during breaks. But for Quiz Night Thursday, I had spent the next few evenings reading, forfeiting hours of sleep and even declining an invitation from a friend to hang on a Friday evening. All this just so I can finish the book by Saturday in time for our group's discussion.
A pity I didn't have time to blog about it immediately but here I am now.
So what did I think of A Memory of Light?
Exhausting!
Maybe deliberately depriving myself of sleep while going through the more action-packed and emotionally charged third act of the book had more to do with it but I find that I can empathize with the characters better that way. The more exhausted I was, the more I found myself lamenting the fate of certain characters, though it was Bela's death that really made me jump. Egwene's sacrifice was shocking but she went in a blaze of glory, so that wasn't so bad.
Orbit Edition Cover
There were a number of notable deaths in the story (is this a trend for the final books in any series?) but there were hopeful moments as well. The sounding of the Horn of Valere is something that I was personally looking forward to and it was amazing how Olver released the heroes of the Horn! That the Horn also brought out glowing spirit wolves to battle the darkhounds was a plus!
My favorite scenes include Moirane's entrance into the meeting at Merrilor, giving everyone assembled the surprise of their lives, and Mat and Rand's exchange of one-upmanship! Another personal favorite, though not many will agree with me, is Faile's inner monologue about starting out as a Hunter of the Horn (something I have also forgotten) only for the Horn to fall into her hands.
I also loved seeing several minor characters return even for just one scene: Morgase, Teslyn, Laras, Elyas, Juilin, Raen and Ila, Alviarin, and Hurin! Some deceased characters like Aram, Verin, and Masema even get a passing mention along with living characters Valan Luca, Lini, and Thera who probably just didn't figure into the story. As if to remind us that they all played a part in the epic. I'd rather think it was for us fans to properly bid these characters goodbye.
In between these scenes of light are scenes of slaughter. It is war, after all. And this is why reading the book gets really exhausting: When it flies, it's really high but when it falls, it's really low. And because it is a book about war and Robert Jordan is a war historian, the book also gets into excruciating details when it comes to the battle scenes. Often times I find myself not bothering to visualize the battles and just skipping to the outcome. I would have rather those pages devoted to detailing battles be used for character moments like a meeting between Moiraine and Siuan, for example (a scene I was surprised to find absent from the book). Or how about foreshadowing Padan Fain/Mashadar instead of springing him up out of nowhere towards the conclusion? But that's just me.
As for that ultimate ending, I am a bit torn. On one hand, it does make sense for Rand to survive and live the rest of his life in peace, affirming everyone else who've been telling him not to relish his impending death. On the other hand, the body-switching was a bit corny though I admit I don't see any other way for him to survive otherwise.
AMoL Book Discussion/Support Group
All in all, though, A Memory of Light is a fitting conclusion as any. I still love it despite my own misgivings. I have to thank Brandon Sanderson for taking on the herculean task of helping draw this series to a close.
As for the series as a whole, I'm going to miss waiting for the next book, going through the speculations and theories, and coordinating with local bookstores to make sure members of our group get copies. I don't know if I'll ever be as committed to another fantasy book series as much as I was with The Wheel of Time. Heck, I only got as far as book six in the Sword of Truth series and I haven't even read Dance of Dragons yet.
I suppose there are still some things to look forward to. The encyclopedia is in the works, the comic adaptation is ongoing, and maybe a TV series or movies in the future.
But the saga has definitely come to a close. So farewell, old friend. Thanks for a decade of adventures.
So I guess I'm back to regular programming.
This is still my personal blog and I still have life outside of the Avengers to talk about so let's move on.
One would think since I had already made a big deal about having registered, faxing my ballot, and my candidate wining on all my social networks that I would shut up about it. Besides, I should be concentrating on NaNoWriMo! But nah - I wanna blog about it for posterity's sake. Though I realize I could've blogged about it days ago when the memory of it was still fresh and relevant, I haven't found time to actually put my thoughts and feelings down in words.
Anyway, I participated in my very first election for the first time since I hit voting age. For those new to my world and wondering why I'm blogging about an election that took place in the US, read this.
So how did I go about it?
Well, Internet had a lot to do with it.
As most of my friends may or may not know, I am subscribed to tons of channels on YouTube mainly featuring Asian-Americans, among them the Jubilee Project and ISATV. It was their video that got me thinking "Why don't I register this year?"
Flashback to 2008. My mother pointed out that there was such a thing as absentee voting. Of course, she mentioned this way after the fact. We were already tuned in to Obama's inauguration.
Back to last September. I began googling for sites that can give me more information on absentee voting, but it was a little ad on Facebook that finally got the process of my voter registration going. The ad led me to VotefromAbroad.org, which really made the registration process much easier for me.
The only requirements I needed to qualify as a voter was a social security number, which I already have, and my parents' last known US address. Thankfully, my dad is presently based in La Habra, making me a qualified voter in Orange County!
Yet I was still afraid that I would be ineligible for one reason or another or that I would miss the registration deadline given that I had opted to send my documents via air mail. Thankfully, I did receive my ballot and instructions via email on Oct. 26 - a Friday and a local holiday, which meant the post office was closed for three days after.
The following Monday, I had filled out my ballot but was apprehensive about sending it via air mail as I wasn't confident it would get to the proper office in time. After calling the US embassy and asking if they have any program that can possibly help me and not getting any definite response, I finally decided to try more expensive parcel services like DHL the following Wednesday.
Another roadblock: The following day, Thursday, was a holiday again. The earliest departure of my documents would be on Saturday and the most optimistic ETA is projected at Wednesday, California time.
Thankfully, there was one last option, though it would void the anonymity of my ballot: By fax. The following Monday (again), the first thing I did when I got to the office was fax my ballot, long distance calling charges be damned. I immediately emailed the appropriate office to confirm reception and validity of my ballot and received confirmation mere hours later.
My vote was officially cast.
And, yes, I voted for Obama and the Democrats.
Why?
While I did my research and got caught up in the debates, I will admit that some of the major issues in this election like taxes and foreign policy were lost on me. I will do better next time, I promise.
While it may sound unfair or illogical to even have strong opinions about these issues considering I won't be affected by them anytime soon, what I realized during this whole process was that my vote really wasn't for myself but for my friends and the people in the States who stand to benefit from such programs.
I voted on behalf of some really good friends like Chan, Lora, and Dek who have expressed that they would have voted for Obama if they could.
Maybe I voted for my benefit as well because: a) I feel like I should not deny myself the experience; and b) I will go back to the States and maybe these matters will affect me.
Last Wednesday (Manila time), I followed the results online from my office and it was nerve-wracking to see state after state turn red on Huffington Post's page (great coverage, by the way) in the early hours.
Funny thing was that red and blue were tied by the time I went down to lunch and by the time I came back less than half an hour later, Obama had already won!
I didn't really understand why but this wave of emotion swept over me and I found myself bawling my eyes out.
Maybe because all the stress of getting my vote in paid off.
Or maybe because I just believed in "Forward" more than I thought I did.
Me on election day after the results.
I had unknowingly put on a blue shirt that morning.
That done, maybe I should check what my rights are as a "recognized Filipino citizen".
If it's not too late, I'd like to register and choose my representatives in 2013.
In the meantime, I found this really great video on how the electoral college works:
My birthday is this weekend plus a couple of important Avengers issues also comes out this week (today, in fact):
Avengers Vol. 4 No. 31
It's beginning of the end for the Brian Michael Bendis era - a moment long-time Avengers fans have been waiting for. In fact: I know of some folks over at the Avengers Forever fan group who have vowed never to touch an Avengers book by Bendis, and I don't blame them.
Month after month, his issues were among the most premium-priced at P200 each and I barely get 5 minutes of enjoyment and hardly any satisfaction from them. None of his 4 to 6-issue story arcs felt like they needed to last that long. It's clear to me that he's stretching his stories with the intent of compiling them into collected editions, which is fine by me, but I wish he had given me more bang for my buck. He's already said that that's the prescribed format and some people are just better at it. Unfortunately, he's not one of them. Dan Slott and Ed Brubaker did the same during their runs on Mighty Avengers and Secret Avengers, respectively, and yet I enjoyed every issue! To his credit, he has written some brilliant single issue stories: the FCBD 2009 Avengers, and New Avengers Vol. 2 Nos. 7 and 8. So I don't understand how he can't just restrain himself. If there was a story arc that I genuinely liked, it would be the one I started with: The Collective.
His Avengers act like amateurs who have never faced universe-devastating crises before.
They have no semblance of teamwork or leadership at all (let's all hit the same foe at the same time)
His character management is a mess! For example: Spider-woman was a more interesting character back when she was a Skrull!
I have been burned several times yet I kept coming back for more. It's the most abusive relationship this side of Chris Brown and Rihanna. Why did I put up with it for seven years?
Because of the characters. Which is also a problem because his work shows no respect for the characters and the fans that loved them. While I was initially incensed when I first heard about Disassembled and the New Avengers, I was curious about the new direction. I understand the need to bring in new fans, but why turn away old ones? Shake up the status quo - it's been done before - but why kill off characters or make them crazy and destroy an integral part of the Avengers mythos?
Of course, all that is moot now that most of those changes have been reversed.
Which brings me to today's second important issue:
When I first heard about this, I was like "NO SALE!". And I don't feel any differently NOW!
Sure, Wanda is back in action and they'll be using the Mansion as their HQ, but this is hardly my Avengers. In fact none of the Avengers titles/teams NOW! appeal to me. For crying out loud, I got into the Avengers to escape the mutants. NOW! they're all over the place! Yes, I understand that the creative teams they have assembled for all the titles are amazing, but like I previously mentioned, I'm in it for the characters and
I unfortunately don't recognize these Avengers anymore.
So yes, I don't believe I'll be supporting Marvel NOW! and its plethora of Avengers titles, including the just-announced Young Avengers. In fact: I'll hazard to say that my time of collecting new Avengers comics has come to an end. I'll just finish the current story lines of Academy, Assemble (both fold this month), and Secret, and that's it.
A shame really. With my least liked writer finally leaving, I would've liked to see what they might turn up next but this is not what I had in mind. Sadly, I blame the movie for the Avengers' popularity and why every other Marvel NOW! title has the Avengers branding on it (Avengers Arena, SERIOUSLY?).
[UPDATE 10-14-2012: Marvel NOW! Secret Avengers relaunched with a movie-centric cast, which annoys me even more. So I'll just finish the current run of the Secret team.]
That's not to say that I'm no longer a fan. There's still 30 to 40 years worth of classic stories I have yet to discover (I'm waiting for the new Kree-Skrull War paperback to come out) and there's still the adventures of the West Coast team.
Which brings me to my last piece of thought:
When first announced, I thought this was a contrived, unnecessary event and given the way it eventually unfolded, my feelings about it haven't changed. Yes, I'm giving in to the Bendis abuse again (he did bookend the series) but being smarter about it - I only want to get the collected paperback edition (at a discounted price, if possible). After all, the event did involve many of my favorite classic Avengers, including the Black Panther, Hank Pym, the Vision, and of course Wanda, even interacting with the new Avengers. Who knows? I might even consider getting the paperbacks of the tie-ins.
And as far as Bendis and collected editions go, I'm also looking to snag copies of his Shattered Heroes stories (if only for Daredevil and Storm), which comes out before the end of the year, and of course his End Times saga, which would probably come out sometime next year. I figured I'd cut my losses since he writes for trades anyway.
But after that? Sadly I don't see myself diving back into the comics in the near future. I no longer feel like Marvel is doing anything for fans like me (I've been labeled a "purist", which is a title I proudly carry). I also used to treat each issue as special but I don't feel that way anymore because I have hundreds! With the way things are, I wouldn't be surprised if I reach thousands by next year! With the movie's sequel in development, I expect things are going to be the same way for the next couple more years at least.
I've always known that it has to end at some point, and Marvel NOW! just gave me the perfect reason to jump ship.
Of course, this bold announcement from the self-confessed biggest Pinoy fan of the Avengers couldn't have come at a better time: This weekend would've also marked my 12th anniversary as a fan (I got my first issue as a birthday gift to myself). It's the end times for my comic-collecting days but I know I will always be a fan of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
It was through her that I first discovered it was possible to tesseract to other worlds.
Her book, A Wrinkle in Time, was the book I was assigned to do a book review of way back in seventh grade. I remember being immensely fascinated by it back then that every time I'm asked to do a book review of my own choosing, I would immediately grab a L'Engle book from my school's library.
For that matter, I'm thankful for the teacher who assigned me the book (if I could just remember who it was).
To this day, I still have the very copy of Wrinkle I reviewed all those years ago. I even re-read it and reviewed for a quick, minor literature class requirement in college. I remember enjoying it again.
Thank you, Ms. L'Engle. From the 12-year old me.
Canada. I was 17 and slightly crazy. I went with my grandmother to the local library for her weekly supply of books to read. I asked if I could also borrow one and, me being me, the book would have to be of the fantasy genre. His weren't the only ones I got but his were the ones that stuck.
I remember a road trip to Seattle and a camping trip the family took where I brought with me one of the Malloreon books I borrowed from the library. I remember being more entranced by the traveling we took and the wide open landscape because, at the same time, the characters in the book were taking a similar journey.
It was ultimately that road trip and Eddings' books, among things, that gave my confused teenage self the focus I needed back then. The outcome of that inspiration has been an ongoing project for more than ten years now.
Thank you, Mr. Eddings.
Robert Jordan
(October 17, 1948 – September 16, 2007)
In December of 2002, post-9/11 era, I was a college sophomore on Christmas break and The Two Towers was about to come out on local theaters. I decided then to reinvigorate my interest in fantasy books. Flashback to a few years earlier, I had considered to endeavor the same while I was still in Canada and came across one of the Sword of Truth books. The random stranger beside me saw me checking them out and told me that they were good.
Back to 2002. I thought then that I would walk away from National Bookstore Megamall with Wizard's First Rule. That is, until I came across a series of black books with a nice, almost embossed logo on the cover. The cover alone is interesting but when I flipped through the pages, there were chapter headers, icons, three maps and a glossary at the back! Compared to that, Wizards was just plain boring.
What I had discovered that day, of course, was The Eye of the World, the first book in The Wheel of Time series. Since then, the stress of college life had been balanced with Jordan's fantastic saga about an epic struggle between good and evil.
Salutes to you, Mr. Jordan. Thanks for letting me believe in magic at an age where I could have just as easily let go of them. I look forward to finishing the cycle with Brandon Sanderson.
Of course, some might say that any other fantasy author could have fulfilled the role these three writers played in my life.
That misses the point.
If anything, fantasy has taught me that a man's destiny is as much a matter of fate as it is of choice. Maybe something just resonates well with me and their works.
Even if all three creators have already departed the mortal plane, I don't believe their story has already closed. After all, mine is still ongoing and they remain very much a part of who I am now as much as who I was when I first discovered them.
(Originally posted on my Multiply account June 8, 2009)
I suppose when you're a group of super powers with your headquarters located on a block of New York City, the world or at least the US government would have just reasons to keep you in check and make sure your interests are aligned with their interests. After all, unless your base
of operations is a roving satellite off-planet or a lighthouse on the moon, you're still operating on sovereign soil and certain laws have to be observed.
Avengers Headquarters
That's where the government liaisons come in - they're the middle men who mitigates your operations and make sure you're in the straight and narrow... at least by government standards. In addition to alerting you on new missions, they're also in charge of securing government permits and taking care of other legal affairs so you won't have to (because, you know, saving the world should be your tip-top priority)! But sometimes, they do overstep their bounds and dictate the system by which you operate.
And when you're a liaison assigned to the Avengers, you would have to be an equally colorful character to share comic panels with the likes of a billionaire industrialist in a suit of armor, an Asgardian god with a hammer that summons thunder, a super soldier out of time in a star spangled garb carrying a mighty shield, and the rest of these self-styled "Earth's Mightiest Heroes".
I only bring this up because while watching the movie, I couldn't help think that this guy:
Many who have seen the movie are quite smitten with Agent Coulson while many who have followed the comics harbor a special fondness for Mr. Freeman - the first and last liaison of the Busiek era (a personal favorite). Both men were fanboys, both were loved by the fans, and both shared a common fate.
Coulson in Battle Scars.
No fair! He's got more hair than Clark Gregg!
Yes, Mr. Freeman was a government-appointed liaison to the Avengers but Coulson is not. I think he'd make a great one though. If a tad overqualified - the guy can kick serious ass! There are certain obstacles to make that happen in the movieverse but with his emergence in the comics, that may not be a far possibility. After all, the current roster of the Avengers no longer have government liaisons. They now have SHIELD liaisons instead!
For a long while, liaisons like Mr. Freeman have served as a colorful addition to the Avengers' cast as the other civilian aside from Jarvis who is deeply involved in the Avengers' business. After Disassembled, we haven't had much in the ways of government liaisons, and after Civil War, we've pretty much established that anyone who leads SHIELD also leads the Avengers. That's pretty much absolute power right there.
'Nuff said.
This is why I found it baffling that they returned to the liaison system at the onset of the Heroic Age. The Avengers and SHIELD, both under Commander Steve Rogers' command, are at the very top of the security food chain. But I suppose that having liaisons around was a means to make sure that there is no such thing as "absolute power" in the first place - that there is still some level of accountability on both ends. Or maybe there were just too many squads running around that they cannot be left unchecked.
The great thing about these women was that they were completely different from pencil-pushing men straight out of Washington whose background was more on politics than actually ensuring the safety of the world. Hill and Carter have both accompanied their respective teams on missions while Hand had, more often than not, found herself in the thick of things whether she wants to or not but she's proven herself more than capable of holding her own regardless. Even when confronted with the return of her former boss.
Both Hill and Hand are creations of my least favorite scribe and I should be morose that one of his pet characters got the big screen treatment when the Wasp, an original Avenger and a personal favorite, doesn't even get a cameo! But I digress. If anything, he made the character truly memorable and deserving of her place in the periphery of the Avengers mythos. Her love/hate attitude towards superheroes truly helped in that direction - much like another memorable character who has made a career out of his unfavorable relationship with the Avengers.
I actually like this character because his less than welcome presence adds internal conflict and drama to stories involving him! He's every bit the pencil-pushing arrogant government type I described above.
We haven't seen much of him in recent comics but then again with his past dealings with the team, it's no wonder that Commander Rogers don't have any place for him in his new world order. Although he's the least liked of all the liaisons, his is the image that pops in my head when they say "Avengers liaison". I enjoyed reading about him during Geoff Johns' run and his time at the Initiative and I hope he shows up in the comics again soon.
Maybe make it hard for the Secret Avengers to function since Agent Carter is no longer with them?
He already appeared on Earth's Mightiest Heroes!
Now that I think about it, I think he's also appeared on the other animated series but was under the name of another government liaison in the comics who wasn't as prolific as Gyrich!
Of course, Raymond Sikorski was instrumental in the formation of the West Coast team and was the liaison to both squads during that era. He wasn't a fanboy or anything but he did make it easier for the team to cover both coasts. Maybe the reason they used his name for the show was because he was the most recent liaison and therefore the name that followers of the comics were familiar with at the time at the time of the show's production. But his likeness and sour demeanor towards the team was definitely Gyrich! Just another one of the show's many absurdities I suppose.
The Gyrich-Sikorski hyrbrid from United they Stand also reminds me of Stephen Colbert!
All this is why Coulson will so work as the Avengers liaison! He's pretty much a suit just like Gyrich and an ass kicker like Hill (Hey, they're both agents!) plus he's got Duane's fanboy spirit (those who've seen the movie will know what I mean)! And he can probably manage multiple A-teams like Sikorski! Definitely a winner combo!
It's a long shot that it's gonna happen in the movie but maybe in the TV show?
There is an opportunity there since, for the time being at least, they're keeping the Avengers and SHIELD entities completely exclusive. The character hasn't appeared on the show yet but he has already appeared in the comic tie-in so there's hope of seeing more of him!
