This is Voiceband EXIT with a Disney medley. You now know as much about them as I do…

One way I'm hoping to not spend the next year obsessing about the election is to come fully to realizations like the following. Friends keep asking me who I'm going to support for President. My answer — until such time as I come up with a better one and I doubt I will — is the person who's least like Donald Trump. If Trump's the Republican nominee then it would, by definition, not be him. It will be the person who can beat him.

At this moment, that would seem to be Joe Biden and I'm fine with that. I think others — Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, in that order of slight preference — might make better presidents but that's subject to change and of course there's plenty of time and there'll be plenty of reasons for it to change.

There are two considerations here and I don't like that I have to put "Who has the best chance of beating Trump?" ahead of "Who'd make the best president?" But this is a unique situation. Trump is so bad and he'll only get worse once he never has to stand for office again and takes his re-election as an absolute American endorsement of every single thing he's said and done. He may even say he has a mandate to fan the flames of racism.

I can't recall a time since I first registered to vote when I was so sure who I was going to vote against. When it was G.H.W. Bush versus Dukakis, I didn't decide until the day before I went to the polls. But this time's different and I have the feeling everyone who'll wind up voting for Trump already knows that, too. Can you imagine the difference between any two Democrats mattering to someone wearing a red MAGA hat? Someone chanting "Lock her up!" or "Send them back!" just because they don't like someone's politics and/or ethnicity?

So I hereby do not care which Democratic nominee would make the better Chief Exec as long as they become Chief Exec. Any one of them would be a whole lot better than what we have now.

This will save me endless hours of debating the candidates with myself and others…and we'll probably wind up with the exact same names on the ballot so I can vote for the Democrat. You might want to try it.

Remember Roy Moore? The former judge who ran for an Alabama Senate seat and lost because of all the evidence that he liked underage girls? Right…him. He was at a Republican breakfast gathering and he was explaining why he was against transgender military service. Of course, he had a real-life example…

Do you know what transgender is? That's not biblical. If that's biblical, God created man and woman. And when men want to be women? I was watching M*A*S*H the other day — talking about Korea, Vietnam. I was watching M*A*S*H, talking about what's his name — Klinger? He wanted to get out of the Army, because they didn't accept transgender. Now, I guess he would get a promotion.

I don't know how anyone could watch M*A*S*H and not understand that Klinger was 100% straight. He wanted to get out of the Army because he didn't want to get killed in combat. In the Korean War, if he'd started talking about transgender, they probably would have booted him out. But that was the premise of the character, that was the joke: A totally straight guy putting on a dress, trying to convince someone he was looney and nobody believed there was anything queer about him. Roy Moore didn't get it.

That's the trouble with so many people who claim we have to live our lives according to The Bible. They don't understand the Bible or care to understand the Bible. Whatever they want to believe is in it, they say is in it…and if you argue with them, their comeback is that you're arguing with God. They have to try that because they can't defend their views any other way.

If Ray Moore can't understand a sitcom, he sure can't understand The Bible.

Hello. Not long ago here, I asked you to send in suggestions for blog posts that were in no way about current politics and many of you did. You will begin seeing posts based on those suggestions shortly.

A lot of you reminded me that when Steve Ditko passed away, I said I would at some point write a long piece about him. I have decided that I will but not for quite a while and I've also decided that I'm not going to tell you why I'm not doing it now.

I've also decided that I'm not going to talk about my own career more than I already do, which I think is the right amount of attention to give to that kind of thing. And I've already said here that I have nothing to say at this time about the Viacom company acquiring Garfield…which since they've merged with CBS means The Cat is controlled by an even larger corporation.

But we have plenty of other good topics, some of which will yield long, hopefully-interesting essays here and some of which can be handled with short answers. For instance, Kevin Juaire wrote to ask…

I was wondering if you ever came close to applying for a "normal job." Since you wrote for television many times and those jobs probably often ended abruptly with little notice, did you ever find yourself with an extended period of unemployment which had you contemplating employment other than writing to fill the gap?

Nope. See how easy that was?

Also, a lot of you asked what comics I read these days or what I think of certain current books. The answer is that I don't read many, just as I don't go to a lot of movies. (I do have tix for a Midnight show this weekend of the new Tarantino film so I'll probably be writing about that shortly, assuming I think of anything that seems worth sharing.)

I also find it somehow unbecoming for a person who writes comic books to speak ill of the work of another person who writes comic books. I've never seen anyone else do it and not look petty and jealous and I don't expect I could be the first. It's even awkward to write about what you do like because if I praise Friend A's current comic, Friend B gets some part of his face outta joint at the non-recommendation of his book.

This is going to sound odd to some…and yes, there are times when I get enthused over something and want to throw what little clout I have behind it. But for the most part, I don't think the world needs every one of my opinions.

Recently, I read a collection of some Batman stories that were critically-acclaimed by…well, someone. They left me absolutely cold, especially in their interpretation of the title character. I love Batman as done by some people…but nothing I love about Batman was present in this particular work by this particular writer and this particular artist.

Some folks I guess loved it, which is fine. We are now seeing so many interpretations and "takes" on Batman that I'm sure everyone stares at some of them and wonders what the hell their makers thought they were doing. My inclination when I'm disappointed as a reader is to move on, rather than spend more time thinking about the comic, which is what I'd have to do to write about it with any clarity and value. I'd probably run into the writer of this particular Batman series at some convention and based on my past experiences with him, my sense is that would not have been a pleasant encounter.

It's not that I'm scared. I just don't care enough about this comic to want to fight about it. "A bad Batman comic? My God, we need to do something about it. There's never been a bad Batman comic before!!!"

Once in a while, I think the discussion may be worthwhile but in some cases — make that most) cases — I think not. In the next day or two, I'll be tackling some of the topics you folks asked for that prompted me to say, "Oh, I should come up with something worthwhile to say about that." Hope you'll agree.

I'm not clear where and when we're going to see them here in the states but Sir Michael Palin has dug out and narrated a lot of old 8mm home movies of the Monty Python crew at work. Here's a very brief excerpt of scenes from the writing and filming of Life of Brian…

This piece by Ed Kilgore may bring comfort to some of my friends who think that if Donald Trump wins a second term, he won't get a third because there will be no United States left. It shows how Trump's current disapproval ratings show him unlikely to win anywhere near enough electoral votes to win next year.

Now, three points to make, one being that that as of now we're 448 days from Election Day so a lot can happen before then, especially in this race. Another is that a lot of folks are sure that computers will be hacked and various and sundry Russians will deliver the numbers for Trump, no matter how many actual votes he gets. I don't think that's true but for those who believe it is, this article won't soothe their worries.

And thirdly of course, even if the polls on 11/2/2020 (i.e., the day before Election Day) show only a 3% chance of a Trump victory, Democrats need to behave like it says 99% and turn out every vote they can. The list of things that can happen in those 448 days include some which would not be good for them.

And by the way: Could we please (pretty please?) do away with statements like, "He's sure to win. I know so many people who will vote for him" and "He's sure to lose. I know so many people who would never vote for him."? The people you know are not a good sampling of America. This is why pollsters don't just survey their friends.

This will only be of interest to certain friends of mine. Hey, Certain Friends of Mine! Remember that great little restaurant I took you to over on Pico Boulevard a block west of Beverly Glen? The little hole-in-the-wall place called The Main Course? You were skeptical at first but one bite of their food — especially if you took my advice and ordered the turkey meatloaf — prompted you to thank me for introducing you to a great, albeit tiny place to eat.

They've closed and they posted this message on their webpage…

Dear Customers! The Main Course restaurant is out of business due to changing circumstances surrounding our lease. We want to thank you for your continued support over the last 37 years! We will miss you!

We'll miss you too, Main Course. I assume "changing circumstances surrounding our lease" means a landlord raising the rent sky-high, which seems to be happening more and more these days. It won't be long before every little, independent merchant will be displaced by a big chain. I wouldn't mind that as much if Applebee's or Outback could make a turkey meatloaf a tenth as good as the one served at the Main Course.

Their statement makes no mention of looking for a new building in which to reopen. In the past, every time a favorite restaurant of mine has shuttered, they've said they will find a place to again flourish…or sometimes, they say they already have a location and are just dickering to nail down the fine points of the contract. I can't recall one that ever actually reappeared, at least in anywhere near its previous form. Sad…but that's just how it is.

• As of August 5th, Donald Trump's 928th day in office, he had made 12,019 false or misleading claims. As I recall, Republicans began describing Al Gore as a "congenital liar" when by their count, he had passed the total of three.

For years here, I've plugged Stu's Show, which was an audio-only podcast from my pal Stu Shostak but you can now take your pick: Audio podcast or video podcast. Stu's last show of the season (meaning he takes a few weeks off, then returns) is today. Usually, he does his show on Wednesdays but for reasons he'll explain on the program I'm sure, this week's is a rare Tuesday Stu's Show.

His guest is Stan Taffel, who is the guy behind Cinecon, a convention for lovers of old and often obscure movies that will be held August 29 thru September 2 in the heart of Hollywood. In addition to talking about that big event, they'll be showing some of the kind of rare, you-never-see-these-anywhere-else film clips that you do see at Cinecon. The show is done LIVE! at 4 PM Pacific Time (7 PM Eastern) and to find out how to watch it or at least listen to it, go to this page here. There, you will also hear about Stu's new channel…

Stu has a new TV channel that runs old episodes of Stu's Show pretty continuously so you can tune in anytime and — who knows? — you might even catch one with me on it. You can watch it at this link or you can click below and see whatever's on it at this moment…

A tip: If you put your cursor over the lower left corner of the screen, you can see a timer which will tell you how long you've been watching the episode currently rerunning and how much longer this episode has to run before the next one starts. There are currently seven episodes on in rotation and they're also viewable on the Stu's Show app on Roku. Enjoy.

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Also! A few weeks ago here, I did a post here linking you to a podcast I appeared on. I just found out that something hiccuped and the post disappeared so here it is again…

My pal Scott Edelman and I recently had a three-hour lunch at Canter's Delicatessen…at a table with a view of the table where in February of 1970, Jack Kirby told Steve Sherman and me that he was leaving Marvel for DC and wanted us to be his assistants. Scott and I talked about that and other topics, mostly but not exclusively about comic books, while I ate a brisket sandwich and he had pastrami.

If that sounds like something you'd like to have eavesdropped on…well, you still can. Scott recorded the whole conversation for what turned out to be the hundredth episode of his podcast, Eating the Fantastic. It's Scott sitting down for a meal and a chat with someone in the world of comics or science-fiction or fantasy or other allied arts.

You can find out more about Scott's show and this episode here or you can just listen to it below. CAUTION: It's two hours and forty-three minutes but it's kinda interesting. Scott, who's worked a lot in comics, mostly at Marvel, is a good and well-prepped interrogator and we got deep into a lot of topics, as you can hear for yourself…

Here's what's going on with the probable (?) merger of CBS and Viacom.

As you may have heard, it was recently announced that Viacom has acquired Garfield the Cat from Jim Davis, with whom I have worked since 1987.  I have received a ridiculous number of e-mails and phone calls asking me about this and here are the answers to the most-asked questions:  No, I am not surprised…and no, there is nothing more I can tell you at this time.

I haven't posted one of these in many months because, quite frankly, I've lost count. Sixteen feels like the right number but some are arguable. Not counted in there are two friendships that ended and have since resumed because these folks felt Trump has gone too far. There are also one or two where I've decided I don't want to talk to this person anymore and he may well have decided he doesn't want to associate with me any longer…but we haven't told each other yet.  I'm not counting these in the sixteen either.

I actually have a number of friends who support Trump, though none of them seem to have unconditional love for the guy nor do they believe everything he says. They just like the alternatives less. I have to admit that my vote has often gone to one person because I liked the alternative less.

It's usually possible to have a civil conversation with these people. Their support for Donald doesn't kill that. Hysteria and demagoguery are the problem just as hysteria and demagoguery about almost anything are bad for friendships. That especially true when you're not both hysterical and demagoguing in the same direction.

One ex-friend is apparently going around telling people, "Evanier let political differences come between us." No, I'm fine with political differences. I even have some with myself of a few years ago.  My friendship with this guy broke up because I felt he was being rude to me and that too much racism, homophobia and misogyny were leaking out of him, poorly disguised as political principles.  Also, there was some antisemitism sprinkled in there and being half-Jewish, I'm half-offended by that kind of thing.

You might say, "Well, maybe it's for the good that all that's come out instead of remaining suppressed." I might have agreed with that in theory. In the real world though, it's hard to see how all the negative emotions swirling about can lead to anything good.

Lastly, about the "R" word: Some time back here, I tried to make the case that Trump wasn't necessarily a racist; that it seemed to me he was better described as someone who had no problem appealing to racists. A number of my colleagues jumped on me to argue it was a distinction without a difference and I gave in. I couldn't say what I was trying to say as well as Kevin Drum did in this post.

Thank you. I'm hoping that writing this post will get him out of my head for a while so I can work on the really important stuff…like this just-announced project I have coming out next year. (No, it's not my big book on Jack Kirby but I'm working away on that, too.)

One of the most-read articles on this site is a piece I wrote in 1999 about the late Rod Hull, a very funny and brave man I worked with long ago. Most of the article is about an appearance he made with Johnny Carson which I got to observe live from about ten feet away. If you read that article, you might want to see this excerpt from that time he was on with Mr. Carson. If you didn't read that article, you might want to read it and then watch this excerpt from that time he was on with Mr. Carson. And I would suggest you do those things in that order — and either way, take note of how pleased Johnny obviously was with the segment. Johnny knew when his show was as funny as he always wanted it to be…

This ran here on November 18, 2010. I thought it was worth another look…

I keep having these odd conversations with people behind counters in stores. The other day, I took my mother to an oral surgeon for an extraction. I don't know why but this woman has now had 47 teeth taken out. Don't tell me human beings don't have that many. I've been keeping count.

Anyway, I had to kill 45 minutes and as I hadn't eaten, I walked a few blocks to where I knew of three sandwich shops, all selling subs and all next to one another. One is actually a Subway. The other two are smaller proprietorships which may or may not have other outlets but certainly don't have many. I went into the first one, which was not a Subway, and scanned the menu, taking note of a meatball sandwich which was described as containing meatballs, marinara sauce, mozzarella and green peppers, all served up on a french roll. I told him I'd like one of them but without the green peppers. I do not like green peppers and what's worse is that they do not like me.

The counterman huddled with his sandwich-maker and then informed me…

HIM: The chef says he will not make it without the green peppers.

ME: Are these sandwiches pre-made? Can't he leave the peppers off?

HIM: No, they are all made to order. He says he will not make the sandwich without the peppers. They are necessary for the full taste. You could just pick the peppers off.

ME: I don't want to pick the peppers off. I want a sandwich without the peppers in the first place. And why wouldn't he give me that if he realizes that I can just pick the peppers off?

HIM: He has pride in his work. He is a very good chef. He wants to serve you the best sandwich possible. What you do with it is your business. So do you still want a meatball sandwich?

ME: Yes but I think I'd like it from the place next door. Thanks.

I went to the adjacent sandwich shop (which was also not a Subway) and asked if they put peppers on their meatball sandwich. The man behind the counter there said, "I see you've been next door."

Audio Links from the first "demo" recording that Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick made for the show they were writing, Fiddler on the Roof. Thanks to all eleven of you who suggested I add this here.

Sixteen interesting things you probably didn't know about Fiddler on the Roof.