COMICS: Neil deGrasse Tyson ‘finds’ Superman’s homeworld

Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s . . . Superman’s home planet!

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has pinpointed a real location for the fictional planet of Krypton.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/11/05/neil-degrasse-tyson-finds-supermans-homeworld/

MOVIES/VIDEOS and COMICS: ENTERTAINMENT: Super-Dreams of an Alternate World Order ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ and the Modern Comic Book Movies

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/movies/the-amazing-spider-man-and-the-modern-comic-book-movie.html#http://json8.nytimes.com/pages/movies/index.jsonp

COMICS: The DC Universe Calendar

http://www.infiniteearths.org/dcu/dcucalendar.htm.

COMICS: Superhero Easter Eggs

This is a little late, but being the superhero fan I am....

http://theuniblog.evilspacerobot.com/?p=26646

TELEVISION/VIDEOS, MOVIES/VIDEOS and COMICS: Of Ducks, Rabbits, Looney Tunes, The Justice League And Gods!

This is from me, and NOT some reprinted material. - OlderMusicGeek

My daughter and I were watching How I Met Your Mother. On this episode, they were explaining to Robin how someone's view of a person can change. Ted used a picture that can look like a duck one way and a rabbit another way.

Then they compared a bad boyfriend to a rabbit and a good one to a duck. Marshall, and rightfully so in my opinion, asked why the rabbit was considered worse than the duck. This started a huge argument among the group until Marshall gave in.

Well, of course, my daughter had to take the duck side, so we, ourselves had a long argument.

Of course, I talked about how cute and cuddly rabbits are, especially compared to ducks. And how much people would rather have a pet rabbit than a pet duck!

My daughter, though, brought up Donald Duck, and how there was no rabbit in Disney.

I, of course, brought up Bugs Bunny, and talked about how he was MUCH cooler than Donald Duck, and even cooler than Daffy Duck.

My daughter tried to say Daffy could kick Bugs' ass, but I and her text buddy set her straight on that point!

Then my daughter claimed, "Well, Bugs Bunny couldn't defeat Super Duck."

Surprised, I insisted, "Are you crazy?! Bugs Bunny could defeat Superman. Bugs could defeat the whole Justice League!"

"What do you think Bugs Bunny is a god?"

"Have you seen the Warner Brothers cartoons. They all have the powers of gods. They come back from explosions and falling from great heights! Roadrunner can even run into a picture painted on a rock wall!"

Then later, we were watching Arthur and I pointed out how Arthuyr's best friend is a rabbit. Plus, one of the bullies is a rabbit. "Where's the duck on Arthur?! There isn't one!"

My daughter just shook her head! I should have been on that episode of How I Met Your Mother!

COMICS: Another One Down

This from me, NOT some reprinted material. - OlderMusicGeek


Dick Giordano died yesterday. He was an incredible inker who help Neal Adams created the look he gave Batman. He eventually became an editor and the executive editor of DC Comics. His influence on comics cannot be exaggerated.

As tribute, I present my favorite panel that he ever inked, from Superman Vs Mohammad Ali. Double click on the art to see a bigger version.

COMICS: The Top 10 Best — And Worst — Dads In Comics

Found this through Bart_Allen on Twitter. It's from Newsarama.com. - OlderMusicGeek

The Top 10 Best — And Worst — Dads In Comics
June 20th, 2009 Author David Pepose

Wow, is it that time already? Sometimes, you have to give a shout-out to the men who have raised us. But in comics, sometimes having a dad isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. For every Luke Cage, we get a Magneto — because villainous fathers have always been a time-honored trope in the comics community. So with that in mind, we at Blog@ decided to take a look and create a light-hearted, sometimes tongue-in-cheek (and obviously subjective) look at the top ten best and worst dads in comics!

The Top 10 Best Dads in Comics: With parental fatalities often being the impetus for superheroics, it’s tough to find a good dad in comics. But the good dads are often the best, even if they’re no longer with us. Let’s take some time to tip your hats to these great men in sequential art.

10. Ted Knight: Ted shows that it’s never too late to connect with your kids. Somewhat estranged from his son Jack until his son David is killed, Ted soon establishes a bond with his son through advice and adrenaline. While Jack first was all about himself, now he’s a hero, partially because of circumstance, but mainly because of the interaction he has with his dad.

9. Mr. Fantastic: While Reed Richards is a bit of an absent-minded, albeit good-hearted, space case, it’s clear how much he loves his kids. It’s one of the reasons he’s pushed himself as hard as he can go, to support his children, and while he can sometimes be a little distant, when push comes to shove, you know Franklin and Valeria come first to this super-stretchable polymath.

8. Wally West: When he had to make a work-related trip, he took his kids along for the ride. This might be a glib way of looking at Infinite Crisis, but that’s pretty much what happened — during his battle with Superboy-Prime, Wally was being sucked into another dimension. But he brought Jae, Iris, as well as his wife Linda along with, and raised his kids — despite their superspeed aging — in that parallel world. He has since fought the Speed Force itself — taking a hit on his own limitless speed — to save his children from its shackles. This guy? A great dad.

7. Luke Cage: A superstrong fella with steel-like skin, it’s a tribute to Brian Michael Bendis how soft this one-time Hero for Hire can be around his baby girl. Luke, despite having a rough-and-tumble existence with the Avengers, has done everything he can to protect his wife and child — even selling his soul to Norman Osborn to rescue her from the Skrulls. When the enemies in question are shapeshifters, it’s tough to give Cage some flak — the man seems so dedicated to his family first and foremost that he deserves a spot on the Top 10.

6. Blue Beetle’s father, Alberto Reyes: Ah, one half of my favorite parenting couple in comics. Alberto Reyes has served his country and helped his community, despite being an unsung hero in the sleepy town of El Paso, Texas. Yet when his son Jaime returned from a year’s absence — with a suit of alien armor, no less — Alberto was the one who embraced him as his son, even if the rest of the family was a bit freaked out. Alway a man to turn to and a shoulder to cry on, Alberto Reyes is the reason why Jaime Reyes is a hero.

5. Cable: On the run from time-traveling mutant Bishop, Cable has protected the Mutant Messiah — a baby he named Hope — by any means necessary. A very cool dynamic that has revitalized the character, because now he has something to fight for. If mutantkind survives, know that it rests not on Cyclop’s Machiavellian plans, but on the parenting chops of Nathan Christopher Summers.

4. Pat Dugan, aka Stripesy: If you can’t beat ‘em, ground ‘em. And if you can’t ground ‘em? Make sure they have protection. In Pat Dugan’s case, that protection is a 7-foot-tall armored robot known as S.T.R.I.P.E.S., as he pursued his stepdaughter Courtney when she assumed to mantle of the Star-Spangled Kid. Never quite comfortable with her superheroics, Dugan did the responsible thing, and watched her back, until she could receive some dedicated training from the JSA.

3. Uncle Ben: “With great power, there must also come great responsibility.” Uncle Ben’s words have rung through Spider-Man’s psyche for years and years, as his unseen ghost continues to haunt comics to this day. He toiled ceaselessly to provide a life for his nephew, even bequeathing him his first microscope. I doubt Uncle Ben would approve of Peter squandering his life for the sake of Spider-Man, but his love and honesty made one of the greatest heroes in the Marvel Universe.

2. Jor-El: When the odds seemed hopeless, Jor-El chose life. Creating a spaceship for his infant son Kal-El, Jor-El knew that the plan had a million-to-one shot of working — but work it did. Jor-El seemed to think of everything, even implanting a crystal that would create Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. Despite being turned down by the Science Council, Jor-El did preserve Krypton, until his son would save the Bottle City of Kandor from the ruthless Brainiac.

1. Jonathan Kent: The greatest dad in the history of comics — Pa Kent. When Superman had a problem, Jonathan was the one he went to. This was the person who made the “super” second only to the “man.” Teaching his son to use his powers for good instead of evil, Jonathan Kent’s parenting will stand the test of time, as his kind, gentle son Clark is Earth’s greatest hero.

The Top 10 Worst Dads in Comics: This was a bit of an easier list, only because villainous dads are sort of a trope when it comes to comics. But there are some heroic stragglers on the paternity queue, so let’s take a look at the demented and the dead-beat!

10. Batman — Y’know, it’d be cool if Bruce Wayne simply adopted kids on a Bradgelina level. But he takes them off the streets and allows them to accompany him on caped vigilantism. This has already messed up his kids pretty completely — Dick Grayson can’t hold down a steady job, Jason Todd had his head bashed in with a crowbar (but he got better), and he gave Tim Drake enough of an allowance to build his own twisted cloning facility in his basement after his best friend died. Bruce Wayne may give his kids everything, but even he can’t teach life skills. (Disclaimer: Devin Grayson and the Black Cat’s versions of Batman would put him on the Great Dad list. But that isn’t the status quo. Curse you, canon!!)

9. Green Arrow — Kind of a jerk when it comes to kids. He ditched his ward, Speedy, and then when the teen started living up to his name with a heroin addiction, GA starts slapping him around. He doesn’t even stick around to help him quit — that was all Black Canary. But the kicker — the kicker — is that he was there when his son Connor was born, and still walked out on him, then pretending he was so surprised when his starry-eyed kid had followed in the family tradition.

8. Cyclops — Cyclops has more issues than Action Comics. (Comics zing!) After he couldn’t get with Jean Grey (not without a shovel in the dead of night, anyway), Scott Summers went for the next best thing: her clone, Madelyne Pryor. But when the Real Deal came back from the dead, Scott left Madelyne — and his newborn baby Christopher — to, um, “check up on Jean and make sure everything was okay.” By joining X-Factor and not telling his wife where he was going. He ended up making up for it in the future by raising young Cable into a freedom fighter, but has since waffled around whether or not he trusts his son’s judgment by sending X-Force after him, just to make sure he’s doing his job right. Between this and his tendency to cheat on his significant other (moving on from redheads to blondes with Emma Frost), Scott Summers’ mutant power is being an optic-blast-powered homewrecker.

7. Magneto — He unwittingly drafted his twin children — as well as many other young impressionable mutants — into his war with humankind, abusing and manipulating their trust at every turn. When push came to shove, he’s put his cause before his kids (even shooting Quicksilver in the knees in the Ultimate Universe). While he did step in to prevent the Avengers from taking down the Scarlet Witch, it’s too little, too late, as his vendetta against the human race would eventually twist and soil the actions of all his children — Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Polaris.

6. Omni-Man — At first he was a good guy, until his secret life came back to haunt him. Nolan Grayson was a bestselling author as well as the hero Omni-Man — but when his son Mark, aka Invincible, finally comes of age, Nolan decides to let the other shoe drop: he’s an advance scout for the Viltrumite Invasion. He proceeds to beat the tar out of Invincible before leaving out of guilt, only to then pursue an affair with a bug-like creature on another planet. Oh, and the kid he has with the bug lady? His first wife Debbie is taking care of him. Omni-Man, you are one deadbeat dad.

5. Doctor Doom (and Apocalypse… and Ra’s Al Ghul) — At first, Doom’s relationship with Kristoff Vernard was benign, adopting him after his mother was killed by robots. (This is a common occurrence in Latveria.) But soon the parenting went bad, as Doom programmed his robots to brainwash young Kristoff if anything were to happen to him. Doc, when they say “live through your children,” it’s not meant literally! (Special mention goes to the ancient mutant Apocalypse, who had a similar stratagem for Stryfe in the 1990s series The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix, as well as Ra’s Al Ghul, who planned to do the same to his grandson Damian Wayne in The Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul.)

4. Darkseid — It’s kind of sad when the embodiment of all evil in the DCU only makes #4 on this list, but there you go. Treating his son Orion like political coin, Darkseid trades one of his kids to avert a war. To make matters worse, Darkseid continually belittles his other kid Kalibak, who just can’t measure up to the distant ideal that is Orion. And while some lucky kids get baseball games and movies from their dads, Darkseid just gave Orion the Anti-Life Equation. And did I mention he turned half the DCU into mindless zombies, as well as incinerated Batman?

3. Deathstroke — He’s kind of like the soccer dad gone wrong, juicing up his kids with mind-bending steroids to twist them into sidekick support roles. Deathstroke was so obsessed with winning that he even put a piece of Kryptonite into his daughter’s vacant eye socket! Dude, that’s messed up! Chalk up this mercenary’s drive to prevail at any cost, and you got yourself on the Worst Dads list.

2. Norman Osborn — Norman, Norman, Norman… he’s cold to his son to the point of driving him to costumed villainy. (Check out his thoughts on Mary Jane in the first Spider-Man film.) He puts hits out on Iron Man, Thor, Deadpool, and seems to have a mad-on for anything whose name rhymed with “Smider-Man.” He’s got the Marvel Universe by the short hairs and will cackle his way through his secret underground Cabal. Oh, and he decided to throw Gwen Stacy off a bridge when he got her pregnant and she wouldn’t give up the kids. This guy? One bad dad.

1. The Comedian — When your dad tried to rape your mom, that’s the sign of a pretty sick dude. Yet the Comedian was the embodiment of the American Dream in Watchmen, and we were all the more disgusted for it. The fact that he didn’t unequivocably shut down Laurie’s flirting with him — why yes, that would be his own daughter — at the word “GO” also bumps him up the list considerably, as well as the fact that he shot a woman in Vietnam who was pregnant with his kid. Yep, the Comedian pretty much hits every mark for being Worst Dad Ever.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 20th, 2009 at 10:00 pm and is filed under DC Comics, Image, Marvel, News & Views. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

COMICS (and MOVIES): Blasphemy: Clark Kent Is Not A Costume

As you know, I’m quite keen on comic books. Especially the ones about superheroes. I find the whole mythology surrounding superheroes fascinating.

Take my favorite superhero, Superman. Not a great comic book. Not particularly well-drawn. But the mythology… The mythology is not only great, it’s unique.

Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there’s the superhero and there’s the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he’s Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone.

Superman didn’t become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he’s Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red “S” - that’s the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears - the glasses, the business suit - that’s the costume. That’s the costume Superman wears to blend in with us.

Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He’s weak… He’s unsure of himself… He’s a coward.

Clark Kent is Superman’s critique on the whole human race.
– Bill’s Superman speech from Kill Bill
paraphrasing The Great Comic Book Heroes by Jules Feiffer (thanks Timeshredder!)


Now let me start off by saying I love the Kill Bill movies, both Volume 1 and 2. And I love Bill's speech about Superman. It really works for the film, and helps explain some things going on in the film.

But I also have a problem with the speech. Since this speech is in such an iconic film, people take it as the be-all and end-all on Superman and Clark Kent.

Which is unfortunate, because the speech is complete and utter poppycock. - OlderMusicGeek

Local Blogger Writes The World: Blasphemy: Clark Kent is not a Costume

“Clark Kent is a persona Superman puts on to hide his real identity”

I’ve seen this in various forms over the years, mostly from “Comic Fans” that is to say skinny legged hipsters and dudes with soul-patches with no double-chin to hide. It’s the dissembling of Supermand versus Batman that places them as opposite ends of the Heroic Spectrum; where Superman is the Natural State of Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne is the natural State of Batman.

This is so far from correct that it would take a series of GPS Units to Lead you back to almost correct.

While Superman may be naturally super-powered and simply taking advantage of his extraterrestrial birth; he isn’t “Superman” because of his powers. Superman is Superman because he was Clark Kent first. That’s why Clark Kent is so convincing to the people around him; that is the natual state of Superman. He may be the premier superhuman of the DC universe, but Superman relaxes by doing crosswords with Lois Lane in bed, not tossing Meteors at passing Comets (just in case).

Batman, or “The Batman” relaxes by pulling on his cowl and beating up muggers. An Ideal night for Bruce Wayne, going 12 hours without being called Bruce or Master Wayne once. Batman is the Natural State of Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne is a costume “The Batman” wears when he wants to get things done. He also moves around disguised as criminals.

Writers come and go for these two Characters; but the fundamentals have been fairly solid since the mid-eighties. Superman is a powerful homebody named Clark Kent who loves his mommy and goes home to his wife at every opportunity. Bruce Wayne is the farcical personality that the Batman has adopted to allow his activities to be funded and provide the means for his crusade to continue; The Batman barely tolerates Bruce Wayne and would NEVER go home if he could hack it.

I should keep comics on hand for these rants. Oh Well.

Casting Call 1.16.08: Bill's Superman Speech from 411mania
by Justin Chamberlain

Sometimes you're watching a movie and a character says something that just really makes you think. This is one of those quotes.

"Superman stands alone. Superman did not become Superman, Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he IS Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red S is the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears, the glasses, the business suit, that's the costume. That's the costume Superman wears to blend in with us."

Hard to argue here. As we know, Superman is born Kal El of Krypton. Truthfully, amongst his people he isn't that super at all. If he had stayed on Krypton he would have just been another dude. But by coming to our galaxy and mingling with us limited humans, he clearly sets himself apart. Way apart. Just by being who he is, on our planet, he truly is a Super Man. And as Bill points out, when he decides to take on a ‘secret identity', it's as Clark Kent.

"Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He's weak, unsure of himself... he's a coward. Clark Kent is Superman's critique on the whole human race."

It's true that Superman, who could probably get away with ‘being' anyone he wanted to be, made an interesting choice when he landed on the ‘weak and unsure' Clark Kent. I mean, why not pose as a ladies man? Or amass some riches for himself?

It goes back to the whole ‘hero' thing. Do you use your powers for good or bad? If Superman ever decided to take over the world, who would be able to stop him? But thankfully he has that wholesome Kent upbringing and a strong moral centre to keep him on the right path. Instead of using his powers for personal gain, he uses them for good. And when he has to ‘decide' who to be as a human being (and really, living as one of us when he doesn't have to is pretty noble) he chooses to take on a role that is somewhat subservient, if anything. Remarkable!

I'm not sure I agree with Bill when he says that Clark is Superman's ‘take' (and a negative one) on us humans. To me, his choice to take on a ‘lesser role' in human society speaks more to his nobility. Why does Superman even need a secret identity? If he just lived on Earth as he was.... he'd be the ultimate celebrity! He could have everything. Perhaps he doesn't want to distract from his mission? Taking on the role of Clark, deflecting the glory that Superman earns (not enjoying the perks, as it were) could be seen as his choice to live a ‘responsible' lifestyle.

I could analyze Bill's quote a lot more... but when I read it, the basic thought (or point) that jumps into my head is simply this; you are who you are. In the case of superheroes that can become a little murkier with the whole secret identity issue. But as I stated before, to me, a hero is a hero. You don't need a costume to be one; you don't need a power (though it certainly helps).

Peter Parker, Bruce Wayne, Kal El/Clark Kent/Superman/whatever you want to call him, they're heroes.

And it's a good thing too. If they ever decided to be villains, we'd all be in deep shit!

Everything2: Superman Is Really Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne Is Really Batman

The obvious difference in their civilian identities isn't even the important part. Sure Clark Kent is a small-town country boy, raised on a farm by All-American, salt-of-the-Earth country folks who instilled a strong sense of moral values and responsibility he carries through his entire life. And Bruce Wayne got his start as a rich kid, whose privileged life took a tragic turn at far too young an age when he saw his parents gunned down in the street, right in front of him, by a petty criminal.

But the biggest difference, at least in their modern incarnations, is that Superman is really Clark Kent, and Bruce Wayne is really Batman.

Read that sentence carefully. For Clark Kent, Superman is the mask. Superman is the costume he puts on when he has to go out and save the world. The default identity, when his mighty array of powers isn't needed, is newspaper journalist Clark Kent. Even in costume, when he relaxes his Clark Kent personality comes out. You wouldn't think this is likely, since he is after all a superpowered alien from another planet, trying hard to pretend he's human, constantly on guard against accidentally misusing his power. But he was raised that way, and likes being human. He's used to it.

For Batman, on the other hand, Bruce Wayne is the mask. His default state is Batman, prowling the streets of Gotham City by night on a never-ending mission to avenge the death of his parents and keep the streets safe for ordinary, law-abiding citizens. Bruce Wayne is the face he puts on during those unpleasant occasions when he has to interact with the mundane world, play-acting as a wealthy socialite, millionaire playboy, and business tycoon. But that's not him; he's a lonely, brooding, unhappy man still mourning the deaths of his parents, beating up super-criminals as a kind of self-punishment and therapy.

Clark Kent is Superman when the worlds needs him to be Superman. His parents raised him to be Clark Kent. Bruce Wayne is Batman because that's what his childhood made him, and Bruce Wayne is just what the world expects him to be during the day.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bill (David Carradine) delivers his now-famous speech to The Bride (Uma Thurman) to try to make her see herself for what she is, she's special, she's dangerous, she's not the normal family woman she was trying to become. She doesn't have to pick up her sword to be that, like the Green Lantern's ring or Iron Man's armor, she is powerful with or without it. While dramatically appropriate to the scene, it's a relic of an obsolete interpretation of the character.

While this was certainly true, if somewhat exaggerated, of the Silver Age Superman, and his portrayal in the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, we have to remember that Bill is an older dude and probably hasn't picked up a comic book since the early 80s (Bill, if you're reading this, man, I envy you for missing the X-TREME anti-hero 90s).

The modern version of Superman is not this. Like an immigrant who came to the US as a baby and was raised in the white suburbs rather than an ethnic ghetto, he has no personal recollections of the world he came from, and although he feels a connection on some level to his cultural roots, he has never experienced them first-hand. Clark Kent's homeworld is Earth, because that's where he was raised. It's the only world he can call home. And being raised among humans means he identifies as a human being, if a special, privileged one (and even this is subject to confusion depending on whether or not, and in what way, a particular incarnation of the character adventured as Superboy in his youth or was even capable of doing so, which is wildly inconsistent).

If Superman wasn't Clark Kent, then why is he Clark Kent? The Clark persona doesn't really need to exist if it wasn't the true identity. Clark doesn't exist because Superman needs to disguise himself — he doesn't — he exists because Superman wants to have a normal life in between adventures. And because he was raised by humans, with human values, that's what he believes is a normal life. The real man wears a suit and wing-tips, not a cape and boots.

The key issue pushing the speech is that unlike other Golden Age heroes, Superman doesn't need accessories to be Superman, his powers are part of who he is. But this argument is fundamentally flawed: powers do not make one Superman, just superhuman. Bruce Wayne is clearly the more invented of the two mundane identities. Imagine what would happen to each hero if there were no more crime to fight, and no natural disasters to repair. Clark Kent would likely hang up the costume, marry Lois Lane, and never use his powers again. Bruce Wayne's life would simply lose all meaning.

COMICS: Batman And Superman Text-Message In Heaven

This is from a blog that read when I have time to read blogs, Serious/Silly. - OlderMusicGeek

it was just another day, like any other day. something good was going on somewhere. something bad was going down somewhere too. like a tale of two cities, or a hidden identity. something with teeth waiting beneath the rainbow. last week's humidity had finally dispelled and the afternoon was warm, but nice. bordering just on being hot, threatening to push that edge in an hour or two. suddenly:

'hey. what r u up to?' a familiar question in an unfamiliar voice. i knew what was going on here.

'are you looking for ashley?'

ashley had been taunting me from somewhere beyond. the most quotidian of things were repeatedly besmirched by the spectre of her past. ordering pizza. reading a book. enjoying the outdoors. she never showed up, but was always there, lurking, a threat not-quite promised, a scythe never quite swinging.

'yes. who is this?'

'not ashley.' i thought that would scare off the ghost.

'then who is this?' 'i mean like what is ur name?'

i threw the phantom a handful of misdirection: 'i'm the joker. or maybe i'm batman. it's so hard to tell the difference these days...'

i waited, biding the minutes to see if my ruse were uncovered.

'o i c. in that case i am super man.'

clark, despite his failings, is an impeccable typist - years of working for a newspaper will do that to a guy. not only would he never misspell his own name, he would never resort to the crass aberrations found so frequently in text-speak.

'you got it, supes.' i thought again this would deter my assailant.

'lol ya what are you doin batty.' clark always calls me 'bats.' interesting. there's only one man on the planet who calls me batty to my face. the crown prince of crime. the master of mayhem. the one-man insane clown posse: the joker.

now that i knew who i was dealing with, i ended our discussion. for all his razzle-dazzle and his chaos, the joker is little more than a lunchroom bully: if you don't let him bait you, he'll leave you alone. and usually gotham as well.

then, this morning, after hours of silence:

'hey what r u doin'

damn. he's a relentless clown. i answered honestly, letting him know i knew who he was: 'getting some sleep after a long night protecting the citizens of gotham.'

i waited. would i have to go back out there? would gotham once again need salvation from its own red-headed, painted-face step-child?

'o i c. i was just having some fun with mrs. superman. hahaha......'

that laugh. it haunts my dreams and my waking moments alike. i could hear it, from wherever he was, like cat-claws on a chalkboard. i know what it means: lois is in trouble...

and i gotta go to work....

fronted by dr. wigglebutt at 8/31/2008 |

A link the the original post

A link the the blog serious/silly

MOVIES/VIDEOS and COMICS: General Zod For President

I've seen some interesting sites for people running for president - or people who want someone to run.

But this site is the best by far! - OlderMusicGeek


When I first came to your planet and demanded your homes, property and very lives, I didn't know you were already doing so, willingly, with your own government. I can win no tribute from a bankrupted nation populated by feeble flag-waving plebians. In 2008 I shall restore your dignity and make you servants worthy of my rule. This new government shall become a tool of my oppression. Instead of hidden agendas and waffling policies, I offer you direct candor and brutal certainty. I only ask for your tribute, your lives, and your vote.
-- General Zod
Your Future President and Eternal Ruler

Kneel before Zod!
RAPID CITY (AP) -- The ideological and spiritual source of the "Kneel Before Zod" campaign is General Zod, outstanding leader of the national liberation movement of the United States. Reflected in the idea are the love of might and absolute trust in the ruler. General Zod embarked upon the road of revolution with the idea as valuable ideological and spiritual pabulum and mixed himself with the people to find a new road of the revolution. While in the Phantom Zone in 1979, he came to have the idea that one can win a victory only when one is responsible for the revolution in one's country and carries it out in reliance on the strength of one's people.


I do not take orders. I give them. Congress shall no longer have the ability to impeach me or override my decisions, and the Supreme Court shall not meddle in government affairs.

Your freedom will be expanded. You will be even more free to give your money and lives to me, and to be my eternal subjects.

Eliminate the Iraq War. The Iraq War has shifted $187 billion to the defense industry. How is this "defense industry" to kneel before me? Are my praises to be sung as footnotes in their paperwork? You will stop giving these corporations your wealth. I suggest you put the money into your own schools and health care, so that I may have intelligent, healthy servants. I will indulge your wishes if you all want a Westernized, unpopular regime in Iraq, and I too shall gloat in its troubles, but it will not be done at my expense.

Universal health care. Even a criminal like myself is shocked that millions are not able to get health insurance and cannot pay for basic surgery. Who are these power brokers that allow the pigpen to become wormy and filthy? I demand your very lives, but I am not such an imbecile as to institutionalize suffering and poverty. You have my assurance that this shall change swiftly.

Corporate reform. You people have become disgusting minions to these things you call "corporations". These things take your money and your land, put you into debt, send your jobs overseas, provide you with unsafe foods, and sue you when you say anything bad about them. Yet you people fatten them up at the ballot box. You give them free land, name your stadiums after them, allow them to telemarket you, and even sacrifice your own bankruptcy protections. Quite frankly it astonishes me. I will break this sickly codependency. It is I who shall be your ruler. I shall empower you with wealth to give me as tribute. A corporation cannot bow to me or give me tribute that comes from the heart.

You will buy U.S. made items. Why do you buy Chinese-made items when you know that it sells out the jobs of your family and friends? How will you buy those cheap things when you have no job? You are sending my wealth and tribute to foreign lands. I will not tolerate this.

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COMICS: In Search of Superman's Inner Jew

Well, they've written about this topic in numerous American books on comics - and even in books on Jewish culture, and does it anyone take notice? No, of course not. But France does something and the mainstream media - Time in this case - finally notices! - OlderMusicGeek

The debate has raged for decades: is he Jewish, Methodist, Kryptonian Raoist? But finally, it's been settled: Superman is definitely... a non-Aryan Protestant. The complex origins of many a comic book character are deconstructed at the engaging and erudite exhibit, "From Superman to the Rabbi's Cat" — through Jan. 27 at the Museum of Jewish Art and History in Paris — which explores the impact of the Jewish experience on the evolution of the comic strip and graphic novel.

Comics are serious culture in France, where they were named "the Ninth Art" in 1964 by historian Claude Beylie. Today, the country hosts the preeminent annual international comic book festival in the town of Angoulême. And it is in that committed comic-book aficionado spirit that "From Superman to the Rabbi's Cat" presents some 230 American and European works dating back to 1890, including the 1940 strip How Superman Would End the War. "I'd like to land a strictly non-Aryan sock on your jaw," grumbles the Man of Steel as he drags Adolf Hitler off to be tried for crimes against humanity. For the late comic-book artist Will Eisner, the Jewish people, faced with the rise of fascism, "needed a hero who could protect us against an almost invincible force." Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's Superman in 1938 was only the first and — like Bob Kane's Batman in 1939, Jack Kirby's Captain America in 1940 and many more that followed — he was created by sons of Jewish immigrants living in New York.

Like their characters, many of these artists took on dual identities, says author and comic book historian Didier Pasamonik, a consultant on the exhibit: "There was a kind of diffused anti-Semitism at the time, and it was better to use a good American commercial name to reach the wider public." Even as Robert Kahn had become Bob Kane and Jacob Kurtzberg worked as Jack Kirby, their superheroes reflected some of the identity they were masking, evoking Jewish concepts such as tikkun olam (repairing the world through social action) and legends such as the Golem of Prague, the medieval superhero of Jewish folklore who was conjured from clay by a rabbi to defend his community when it was under threat.

Years later, some comic superheroes would actually be identified as Jews, like Auschwitz survivor Magneto and — the Golem myth incarnate — Ben Grimm (The Thing) of the Fantastic Four. But despite the rumors, the Man of Steel is no Supermensch, says Pasamonik. "Superman is not Jewish," he says. "When Superman gets married it's not at the synagogue!" Pasamonik has not missed the heavy dose of Jewish culture Siegel and Shuster instilled in their character: baby Superman's passage through space in a cradle-like vessel and subsequent adoption "is the story of Moses," he says, adding that El of Superman's given name Kal-El is a Hebrew word for God. But with a Methodist upbringing and extra-terrestrial origins, Superman, says Pasamonik, is best described simply as a "non-Aryan" hero.

And why not? Non-Aryan describes most of the southern and eastern European and Asian immigrants that crossed the oceans with the Siegels, Shusters, Kahns and Kurtzbergs in the late 19th and early 20th century. For the Pulitzer-prize- winning cartoonist Jules Feiffer, World War II-era superheroes embodied the American dream shared by the countless foreigners. "It wasn't Krypton that Superman came from; it was the planet Minsk or Lodz or Vilna or Warsaw," wrote Feiffer in his essay The Minsk Theory of Krypton. "Superman was the ultimate assimilationist fantasy."

After World War II, the comic book genre became an unlikely vehicle for civic protest and consolidation of memory. "The hour of immigrant assimilation gave way to the fight for minorities and civil rights," explains Pasamonik. Harvey Kurtzman used the medium to tackle racial segregation, the Cold War and McCarthyism in his satirical MAD magazine. In 1955, when popular awareness of the Holocaust was scant, Bernard Krigstein and Al Feldstein caused a shock by revisiting the concentration camps with the seminal graphic story Master Race. During the '60s and '70s the genre opened up to the banal and biographical, with Pekar and Crumb's darkly humorous American Splendor and Eisner's landmark graphic novel, A Contract with God.

"Eisner brought an absolutely revolutionary dimension to the graphic novel, which was to make it an instrument of memory," says Pasamonik. Finally, with a nod toward Edmond-Francois Calvo's 1944 La Bete est Morte (The Beast is Dead) — which uses animals to tell the story of World War II — Art Spiegelman brought the graphic novel worldwide recognition by winning a Pulitzer prize in 1992 for his Holocaust saga, Maus. Eisner and Spiegelman's heirs now litter the globe, from Frenchman Joann Sfar (The Rabbi's Cat) to Iranian Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis). "From Superman to the Rabbi's Cat" pays homage to these artists, inviting the viewer to consider the subtexts at work even in comic books about men in tights.

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