THURSDAY 12/15
Graphic Novel Reading Club
Bridge City Comics hosts their third monthly graphic novel reading club at the Crow Bar, this time analyzing Finder Vol. 1 by Carla Speed McNeil. (21 and over, natch.) Crow Bar, 3954 N Mississippi, 280-7099, 7 pm, free
Senator Barbara Boxer
California Senator Barbara Boxer just penned a new novel, Time To Run. When a rising political star is killed, there's nobody to fill his shoes—except for his wife, who wins a seat in the Senate! Wackiness ensues, all the way up to tonight, when a real-life Senator leaves her job at the office and jaunts off on a quickie tour to promote her novel. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 228-4651, 7:30 pm, free
SATURDAY 12/17
KGW Meteorologist Matt Zafino
When I was in fifth grade, Dick Faurot, the Channel 10 weatherman, came to our class and gave an amazing talk about meteorology. It was such an inspiring day—to imagine that a real celebrity like Dick Faurot would come talk to us little ragamuffins! You, too, can experience the thrill that I felt that day, when Matt Zafino shows up at Barnes and Noble to autograph the 2006 Northwest Weather Calendar. I can hardly type this, I'm so excited! Barnes & Noble, Vancouver, 7700 NE 4th Plain Blvd., Vancouver, 253-9007, 1 pm, free
The Language of Empire
George Bush and the folks over at the nightly news have done their best to make sure that we've all forgotten about that bad PR incident known as Abu Ghraib. But author Lila Rajva hasn't forgotten. Her new book, The Language of Empire: Abu Ghraib and the American Media, explores the psychological and political fallout of walking naked Iraqis on a leash and dressing them up like Christmas trees. In Other Words, 3734 SE Hawthorne, 232-6003, 4 pm, free
Comic Book Signing and Sale
OK comic book dudes—you know all that money you've saved up to buy your mom Christmas presents this year? Well, it's time to kiss it all goodbye. Comic legends Brian Michael Bendis (Daredevil, Ultimate Spiderman, etc), Alex Mallev (Daredevil), and Ed Brubaker (X-Men, Captain America, etc) are all in town today, signing your schwag, and just across the street, Cosmic Monkey Comics is having a huge sale all weekend to coincide with the event. Just tell mom that a bunch of meth heads beat you up and robbed all your Christmas money this year. She'll understand. Then go up to your room and geek out over all your new comics. It'll be the best Christmas ever! Tower Records, 1307 NE 102nd Ste K, 253-1314, 1 pm, free
