Mike Dawson and Troop 142 at Midtown Comics Book Club

You will get this poster
once you read the book.

Our November book club featured Troop 142 and its creator, Mike Dawson. As always, Midtown Comics' Thor Parker was our fabulous moderator. It was such a fun night with lots of laughs.

This post is SPOILER-FILLED so if you are allergic to spoilers,

go read another tasty article on [insertgeekhere].

In case you haven't read Troop 142, here is the lowdown. This tale follows Boy Scout Troop 142 on their week-long summer camp. The boys work hard, earn badges, do drugs, torture each other, and grow bacteria in spam. So basically, being regular teenage boys. But before you start thinking this is just a kids' tale, this story addresses sexuality, drugs, self-esteem and institutional mentality.


I truly enjoyed this story.  As a lifelong, proud Girl Scout, this brought back my own fond memories of summer camp.  While we weren't as gross as the boys, we still had similar experiences.  I also appreciated the honest look at Boy Scouts.  The organization has had a lot of problems in the past, especially surrounding religion and homosexuality.   However, this story also touched upon the positives of the organization - the important skills and traits developed.  I have always credited scouting for teaching me responsibility, morality, woodworking and honor, among other traits.  For any scout or non-scout that reads this book, I hope that you feel the good as well as the bad.

There were a few boy scouts in the audience, so the discussion felt less question & answer and more conversational. It was a nice change and had a relaxing feel.  Here are some of the highlights:

The Muppets Review

“It's time to play the music."

The Muppets are here, and they’ve arrived in style!

I love the Muppets. My childhood is filled with Muppet-y good memories. The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, Muppet Babies, and the movies – I watched them all, repeatedly. I always wanted to reenact the scene with Miss Piggy and Joan Rivers in the department store in Muppets Take Manhattan. It just looked like sooooo much fun!

When I first heard about this movie, I was really worried. I remember Space Jam, and what it did for Looney Tunes (not much). I didn’t want that to happen to my beloved characters. I started to feel a little bit better when I heard how much of a “Muppet enthusiast” Jason Segel was, but still weary. So, when I got the opportunity to go to an advanced screening of The Muppets this past weekend, I couldn’t turn it down. If it was great then I got early viewing bragging rights and if it sucked, I got a free movie.

I am happy to report it did NOT suck. In fact, it left me wanting more!

Mild Spoilers Ahead!!!