tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24748780154508677672024-03-13T05:18:04.171-07:00COMIC BOOK JONESSocko Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07634433899782749204noreply@blogger.comBlogger387125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-79481971046243425202016-07-09T09:38:00.001-07:002016-07-09T09:38:10.049-07:00If you are not a Star Trek fan, and even if you are, you may not recognize this image. It is Vulcan symbol that expresses a philosophy of inclusion called an IDIC. <br />
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IDIC stands for “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations”<br />
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IDIC is not a philosophy of tolerance but of celebration. Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations asks that we embrace our differences and in doing so become something greater than we can be alone. <br />
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When you think about it, this “Vulcan” philosophy would have been embraced by our Founding Fathers. It is, after all, one of the fundamental tenants of our culture that America be a haven for people of all races, religions, sexual orientations and political affiliations. IDIC could be another way of expressing the First Amendment.<br />
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Our strength as a nation lies in the diversity of the people, all the people,<br />
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WE the people.<br />
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Of late many of us have forgotten that “We the people” means ALL the people. We have allowed the rhetoric of hate to cloud our better natures and once again we face an enemy with the power to destroy us all. That enemy is not terrorism, or murder, or political divides. Those are just the weapons of our enemy. <br />
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Our real enemy is Hatred. <br />
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Hate is a real, quantifiable, living force and it needs constant feeding. The more you feed hate, the more powerful it grows. And it is growing very powerful right now. Feed hate enough and like a nuclear reaction, it reaches critical mass.<br />
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And people start to die in ever increasing numbers.<br />
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We have confused “plain speaking” with “hate speaking”. This occurs everywhere from the rhetoric of some of our political candidates, to the media and to the SOCIAL media where people can spew their poison under the cover of anonymity. That is not plain speaking, or free speech. It is incitement. Every time one of us voices race or gender hatred. Every time we single out a group as inherently evil because of their religion, Every time we suggest violence, we are enabling, even encouraging others to act on that hate.<br />
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And we are seeing that they do.<br />
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When we give camera time to hate, we feed it.<br />
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When we post hate, we feed it.<br />
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When we arm ourselves out of hate, we feed it.<br />
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If we don’t stop feeding it, sooner or later hate is going to eat us.<br />
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It is time to stop feeding hate and embrace diversity.<br />
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It is the only logical thing to do.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t30EpUlI3kQ/V4EoXoKOlbI/AAAAAAAABfQ/Sxyts9ywUz41kZolQwZL0BC16mN9tvHFQCLcB/s1600/tumblr_lxirhbUUoe1rn0cbno1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t30EpUlI3kQ/V4EoXoKOlbI/AAAAAAAABfQ/Sxyts9ywUz41kZolQwZL0BC16mN9tvHFQCLcB/s320/tumblr_lxirhbUUoe1rn0cbno1_1280.jpg" width="320" height="270" /></a>Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-90101775496213339342015-05-13T16:14:00.000-07:002015-05-13T16:18:41.636-07:00A Little Something DifferentI thought I’d try a little something different this week and direct you to our Blog Page where I have posted several videos that I have recently created. I hope you enjoy them!<br />
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Doctor Who<br />
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Superman<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_SK0iwMylOQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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Star Trek<br />
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That's 30! <br />
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MitchHolmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-352066454442215212015-04-28T08:52:00.002-07:002015-04-28T08:52:54.065-07:00The Importance of Billy Jack<br />
There are many ways to look at the value of a motion picture. <br />
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Of course the most popular way is simply to regard a film by it’s artistic merits. In other words, was it “good” or “bad”. What is it’s “Fresh rating” ?… Was it an Academy Award winner, a box office hit, or a flop.<br />
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From time to time I like to examine the importance of a film. It is interesting to note that a film could very possibly be “bad” and be important. A film can have been seen by very few people and be important. It can lose money and be important. <br />
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So what makes a film “important”? A film is important if it…<br />
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1) Established a major star, director, writer, editor etc.<br />
2) Changed artistically or technically how films were made going forward.<br />
3) Changed the BUSINESS of film.<br />
4) Established a new genre.<br />
5) Became a “Classic” by establishing a place for itself in popular culture spanning several generations.<br />
6) Was a flash point for political/societal debate or change.<br />
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Based on some or all these criteria both Rocky and Rambo were important films. The sequels were not.<br />
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While it is relatively easy to identify an “Important” film, classifying a motion picture “unimportant” is more a matter of one’s point of view.<br />
For instance Star Wars was CLEARLY an important film. But was Empire Strikes Back? The latter is certainly a classic but does not meet any of the other criteria for an important film. Is being a Classic enough to establish a film as important? Star Wars met no less than five of the above criteria, Empire only one. It’s a matter of opinion and if a film is important to YOU then it is important to that extent.<br />
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Here we are discussing the importance of a film in the larger sense of the word. We are looking at the importance of a film as it applies to the art form as a whole. This is a vantage point that allows us to consider a film and it’s importance more dispassionately.<br />
Which brings us to Billy Jack. <br />
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Billy Jack is an action/adventure film that was released in the spring of 1971. Billy Jack, a half breed Navajo Indian defends the Freedom School and students from townspeople who do not understand or like the “hippielike” students. Billy lives somewhere in the hills and always seems to “know” when the students need him.<br />
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Billy Jack was NOT an artistic or critical triumph. It was not initially a box office success. It was not even completed under the auspices of a single studio. Billy jack was filmed on a budget of $800,000.00, a modest sum even by the standards of the time. <br />
Artistically it’s appeal is limited to the people it influenced at the time. I personally love Billy Jack and screen it on a fairly regular basis. But it’s appeal falls under the “you had to be there when it was new” category. It does not translate well to most people born AFTER the Vietnam War (yes it was a WAR).<br />
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However, Billy Jack is a very important film. This film changed forever the way in which movies are distributed. Billy Jack changed the BUSINESS of film.<br />
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Filming began on Billy Jack , in the fall of 1969, but the movie was not completed until 1971 because it was batted around among several Distribution Studios. First, American International withdrew from the project. The movie languished until 20th Century Fox got involved. Then 20th withdrew and was finally replaced by Warner Brothers. <br />
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However Warner was indifferent to the project and the film received very limited distribution.<br />
Tom Laughlin, who wrote, directed and starred in Billy Jack took matters into his own hands and booked it in to theaters himself in 1971. The film died at the box office in its initial run, but eventually took in more than $40 million in its 1973 re-release, with distribution supervised by Laughlin.<br />
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Up until Laughlin independently booked Billy Jack into a large number theaters nationwide, movies were released GRADUALLY into a small number of large theaters in major cities and then spreading out as time and word of mouth passed by. It’s one of the reasons that movies could exist in first run for over a year. Under the old distribution model movies rarely had TV ads because most people would not be able to see the film at the time the ad was released.<br />
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Laughlin changed this when he cut a deal with Warner’s to distribute the film independently. He literally took the industry to school by booking the film in theaters all over the country and promoting it’s distribution through Television ads. Billy Jack became a box office HIT, grossing fifty times it’s initial investment.<br />
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The huge returns for this unconventional release strategy convinced Universal to put “Jaws” (1975) in more theaters simultaneously than any picture in Hollywood history. Laughlin’s wide-release strategy soon become standard industry practice.<br />
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On this basis alone Billy Jack is important.<br />
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However, Billy Jack was also instrumental in establishing a new genre of film that gave rise to such movies as Walking Tall (1973) and Death Wish (1974). Billy Jack established the “Lone Anti-Hero” who stands up to the forces of the “establishment” and pursues justice even when it is in conflict with the law. This archetype has been widely used in film (Rambo) and TV (Jack Bauer) to this day. <br />
Billy Jack also makes political statements about war, established authority, racism that were very controversial at the time and influenced films like Apocalypse Now and Taxi Driver.<br />
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Billy Jack may have whiskers on it today. It’s message of peace is incongruous with the amount of violence in the film. It moves slowly by today’s standards. BUT the film remains a compelling one upon viewing and it was certainly an important movie in many ways.<br />
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That’s 30!<br />
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Mitch<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-80006486640586443982015-04-15T08:55:00.002-07:002015-04-15T09:39:07.950-07:00Tiger's GameIt’s Baseball…<br />
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It’s the crack of bat on ball….the pop of the catcher’s mitt.<br />
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It’s Baseball…<br />
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The long fly ball that the Center Fielder tracks down hundreds of feet from Home Plate, making it look so easy.<br />
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It’s a screaming line drive…a bloop single…a Ballantine Blast and a Baltimore chop.<br />
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It’s Baseball…<br />
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Willie…Mickey…and the Duke…Mr. Cub…Hammerin’ Hank…Doctor K…The Yankee Clipper…Donnie Baseball and “The Franchise”. It’s Charlie Hustle and Shoeless Joe, The Splendid Splinter and Big Papi.<br />
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It’s Baseball…<br />
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The Babe really did call his shot and …you could look it up.<br />
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It’s Casey and Yogi and 90% of the game is half mental and it’s never over ‘til it’s over…and you could look that up too!<br />
It’s Baseball…<br />
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The shortstop making a diving stop, bouncing to his feet and nipping the guy at first by a step.<br />
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It’s Vin Scully and Red Barber…How about THAT? It’s Howie Rose and the Scooter…put THAT in your books. <br />
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It’s Baseball…<br />
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It’s the Little League and the Major League. The twenty year old rookie and the thirty year old “Grizzled Veteran”. I was not sure what “grizzled” was but when my second grade teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I never hesitated and answered “grizzled”.<br />
It’s Baseball…<br />
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The Bombers and the Amazin’s. The BoSox ,the Pale Hose, The Tribe and Dem Bums…<br />
It’s Baseball…<br />
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It’s Jackie Robinson giving us one of our greatest days ever fawhile Moses Fleetwood Walker, Josh Gibson and Buck O’Neill smiled.<br />
It’s Satchel Page…peas at the knees and don’t look back.<br />
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It’s Baseball…<br />
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The game my dad taught me and the game that I taught my daughter.<br />
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It’s Baseball…<br />
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It’s beautiful…and it’s back<br />
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For Tiger…<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-enHRvrCQpEs/VS6JtSm1YmI/AAAAAAAABXw/ijJ-CJFKPvA/s1600/mantle2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-enHRvrCQpEs/VS6JtSm1YmI/AAAAAAAABXw/ijJ-CJFKPvA/s320/mantle2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
That’s 30!<br />
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Mitch<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7SB16il97yw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-33491754789359851572015-04-07T10:34:00.000-07:002015-04-07T10:34:51.881-07:00Batman’s Pal, Bill Finger<br />
Ask most Batfans who created the Caped Crusader in 1939 and you will get the answer….Bob Kane. And that is correct…to a point. Bob Kane was indeed ONE of the two creators of Batman. <br />
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The other, equally important father of the Dark Knight was a man named Bill Finger.<br />
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Charged by DC Comics to come up with a new character to ride the wave (make that Tsunami) created by Superman the year before, Kane did indeed come up with the basic concept for the Batman. His earliest drawings featured no cowl, and no cape.<br />
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Instead Bat-Man sported a domino mask and wings. His costume was reddish with no gloves. It was Finger who suggested the cowl and cape, gloves and the removal of the red highlights. The visual depiction that we see of Batman today owes as much to Finger as it does to Kane.<br />
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But Finger’s input into Batman’s look was not the most important contribution he made to the character’s genesis. Bill actually wrote the very first Batman story for Detective Comics #27 (May 1939) as well as his second appearance. <br />
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Bill’s contributions go even further as he played a major role in the creation of Robin The Boy Wonder and of Batman’s most important foe, The Joker. Finger also created The Riddler.<br />
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It is only in recent years that Finger has gotten the credit he so richly deserves. This is largely because Kane negotiated a contract with DC that signed away ownership of the character in exchange for, among other compensations, a mandatory solo credit on all Batman comics films, TV Shows etc. Kane was very happy being known as the Father of Batman and did nothing to change that perception although in 1989 being a “contributing force” in Batman’s creation. In 1994 he credited Finger with collaborating with himself and Jerry Robinson in the creation of the Joker.<br />
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Cold comfort to a man who died in 1974. <br />
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Bill’s influence on comics extends well beyond Batman though. He was the Co-creator of the original (Alan Scott) Green Lantern along with Martin Nodell. Their collaboration on the character lasted for seven years.<br />
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Bill was one of the driving forces in the Golden Age of Comics. After his death he was inducted into the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame (1994), The Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame (1999), and in 2005 an Award was named for him, The Bill Finger Award For Excellence In Comic Book writing.<br />
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Oh and finally, during Batman’s 75th Anniversary Bill FINALLY got his cover credit for Detective #27!<br />
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That's 30!<br />
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Mitch<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-70276865895444617932015-03-24T09:34:00.000-07:002015-03-24T09:49:51.631-07:00 Zombies...Not The Worst Thing!Do you like movies like Hunger Games, Divergent, Omega Man, Escape From New York and Mad Max? <br />
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Did you get a boot out of the Batman Epic , “No Man’s Land”?<br />
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And who doesn’t just love Zombie Apocalypse’s (or is that Zombie Apocalypsi?)<br />
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Or to paraphrase Buffy , “When the apocalypse comes, beep me”<br />
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Yes, post apocalyptic and dystopian fiction is all the rage these days and has been for a very long time. One of my personal favorites is Soylent Green (is people!)<br />
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And every so often we see documentaries that discuss real life possibilities like nuclear war, pandemics, or collisions with asteroids wiping us all out in a rather spectacular fashion. We are all reassured though that such events are about as likely to happen as me hitting a $ 350,000,000 lottery by picking the numbers by throwing darts. Which is to say not very likely.<br />
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BUT! Did you know that there WAS an event in 1859, that if it hit the planet today would literally plunge us back into the Dark Ages? Did you know that the odds of another event just like it happening within a century or less is a near certainty? <br />
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In September, 1859 amateur astronomer Richard Carrington observed a massive solar event through his telescope. He observed two patches of intense white light, solar eruptions that triggered coronal mass ejections (CME) towards the earth. Within three days a massive geomagnetic storm struck the earth, blowing out telegraph lines all over the world. Telegraph lines were seen to spark and operators received shocks. Scarlet auroras began to appear all over the planet so bright that night turned into day. <br />
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All the result of a solar flare with the power of 10 billion Hiroshima Bombs.<br />
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Fortunately the planet did not yet possess a worldwide electrical grid. Life went on with no long term consequence.<br />
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This has become known as a Carrington Event. They happen every so often. According to NASA there is a one in eight chance of such an event happening by 2020. And a near certainty within a century. We are not talking about 100,000 years here. It’s just around the corner cosmically speaking. The only question is “will we be in the way?”<br />
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So what happens if we DO get struck by a Solar Storm on the level of a Carrington event?<br />
Let’s jump for a moment to July 2020…<br />
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A geomagnetic storm with the power of the 1859 event strikes the earth head on and lasts for several days effectively destroying the power grid of the entire planet with what is essentially a Solar EMP. When the electricity failed worldwide the following happened:<br />
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• Transportation systems failed<br />
• Fresh water supplies became scarce<br />
• Emergency services failed<br />
• Police and military were compromised<br />
• Government services became nonexistent<br />
• Worldwide finance crumbled<br />
• Communications and the Internet disintegrate<br />
• Fuel oil and gasoline become unobtainable.<br />
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Within six months all the major governments collapse. The population is decimated by starvation, thirst, disease and exposure. <br />
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The fact is that a head on Carrington event would destroy our civilization. We would quite possibly never recover as a technological species. <br />
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Perhaps this is a common occurrence in the Cosmos and explains why starfaring cultures don’t seem to exist (at least not in these parts). Maybe their technology is wiped out by Carrington events.<br />
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So are we destined to go the way of the Dinosaurs?<br />
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Only if we are foolish. People are a lot smarter than Dinosaurs (with the possible exception of Red Sox fans!). We are entirely capable of shielding our essential technology from the effects of a Carrington storm. Most importantly we are capable of protecting the massive power transformers that are the very heart of our global power grid and are irreplaceable on any large scale. <br />
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We haven’t done that yet. Doing so would be EXPENSIVE! <br />
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But there have been a few events recently that one would hope is waking the decision makers up to the fact that some up front expense will save us all a ton of grief…if we are forward thinking enough to act.<br />
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We suffered a glancing hit in 1989 that caused power outtages in the US and Canada. In 2012 we had a near miss that, if it had hit us would have had an immediate economic impact of 2 trillion dollars and would have taken many years to recover from.<br />
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While there is no need to get one’s affairs in order quite yet, the lesson we can learn from this is two fold.<br />
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First, the Earth is a fragile, beautiful place. It is actually tiny on a cosmic scale and can easily be ravaged by solar events.<br />
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Second, we can protect this fragile, beautiful planet. We’re pretty smart that way….if we act.<br />
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A Carrington event is certainly not as sexy as a Zombie Apocalypse but it’s far more likely to happen…and sooner than later. Bear that in mind when Mockingjay II comes out.<br />
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That's 30!<br />
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Mitch<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pe8X0uxbaTo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-19496450624685207742015-03-19T07:20:00.000-07:002015-03-19T07:20:28.581-07:00The Lonely Man - A Look Back At The Incredible HulkThe Age of Comic Book TV has certainly arrived. With shows like Walking Dead, Arrow, Flash, Marvel’s Agents of Shield, (oh and Comic book Men) currently on the schedule and Supergirl and Daredevil set to make their debuts in the coming months, TV and comics have never been more closely linked.<br />
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Why just this week iZombie, the DC owned property has made a very promising debut. (It’ sort of Buffy meets Veronica Mars and worth a peek!)<br />
Not only do we have a lot of comic related television, we have a lot of GOOD comic book related television. Dead, Flash and Arrow are all bonifide hits. And while Agents has had it’s fits and starts along the way, that show too is finding both it’s legs and it’s audience. <br />
Even shows that were not directly tied to comics give the media more than a passing nod. The Big Bang Theory in particular nails the comic shop experience right on the head!<br />
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Yes, things have never been better for comics and TV. But of course that’s hardly a new thing. As far back as the 1950’s we had the classic Adventures of Superman. The 60’s through the 90’s saw shows like Wonder Woman, Batman, The Tick, Lois And Clark, Superboy and (ugh) Spiderman all hit the airwaves at one time or another. These shows had varying degrees of quality and success. But even the very best of them seem a bit dated by today’s standards…except for one;<br />
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The Incredible Hulk<br />
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The Incredible Hulk made it’s debut in 1978 under show runner Kenneth Johnson, known for shows like V, Alien Nation, and The Bionic Woman. It starred Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrrigno and Jack Colvin. The show ran in prime time for five seasons and spawned several made for TV movies. It has never been off the air in all the years since and is a mainstay on Netflix even now.<br />
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The Hulk would fit right in with the character driven “super” dramas of today. David (not Bruce) Banner as portrayed by Bixby is based more on Jean Val Jean from Les Miserables than on his comic book counterpart. The fact that he is relentlessly pursued by Jack McGee (Colvin) brings that parallel even closer. Johnson consciously based the reporter on the obsessed policeman Javert from the classic novel.<br />
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The relationship between Banner and the Hulk (Ferrigno) is explored in the manner of Jekyll and Hyde. Banner is not just a man who changes into a monster. He is a man who has the two sides of his nature constantly warring with each other. As portrayed by Ferrigno, the creature is more childlike and given to frustration than simply rage personified. The creature is also VERY MUCH David Banner in his compassion.<br />
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The Incredible Hulk is very much a tragedy along the lines of Les Miserables in that we know Banner is always and ultimately alone. From week to week, regardless of the circumstances, Banner moves on alone to his next stop along the road to redemption and the ever elusive cure.<br />
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In the wrong hands this show could have become maudlin and even silly. However the team of Bixby/Ferrigno, Colvin and Johnson was as talented as TV has ever had to offer. They played the material with respect and honesty. They felt for the characters and made us feel for them as well.<br />
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Perhaps the most remembered “character” in the Incredible Hulk is the music. Specifically “The Lonely Man Theme”. It is a forlorn four note motif played most often on solo piano. The piece takes the pain that Banner lives with day to day and gives it a voice that haunts everyone who hears it. It may be the single most memorable theme in Television History. <br />
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Comic Book fans have never had a better time than today for our beloved hobby and TV, but there has arguably never been a show that quite matched The Incredible Hulk.<br />
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That’s 30!<br />
Mitch <br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-44075391078180625572015-03-11T05:39:00.000-07:002015-03-11T05:39:07.777-07:00The Fantastic...Challengers?!Tell me if you’ve heard this one before…<br />
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Four adventurers, scientists, daredevils, ace pilots all survive a crash that should have killed them and are forever changed by the experience. Banding together they confront the weird, the unexplained and evil forces that could destroy the world if not for them.<br />
This intrepid group is a cross between superheroes and adventurers, often exploring the unexplained just for the sake of going where no one has (ahem) gone before.<br />
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AND they were created by the King of Comics, Jack Kirby<br />
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Who ARE these four amazing people???<br />
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Obviously I’ talking about The Fantastic Four right?<br />
<br />
Uhhh…nope<br />
<br />
I'm actually talking about a quartet created by the great Kirby several years EARLIER…<br />
The Challengers Of The Unknown!<br />
<br />
Challengers made its debut in the Showcase # 6, cover dated January/February 1957. Due to the delay in getting circulation data back on the comics of the time DC comics decided to create a try out title that would allow them to give new concepts a chance to catch on in their own title. Characters such as The Flash, Green Lantern, The Atom and The Spectre all helped to usher in the Superhero revival of the Silver Age. In fact Showcase was so successful that a DC sister title, The Brave And Bold also began trying out new titles, notably Justice League of America and Hawkman.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bgf3YjemuD8/VQA3My5ufgI/AAAAAAAABWI/OCDdoF5Lfxg/s1600/Showcase6.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bgf3YjemuD8/VQA3My5ufgI/AAAAAAAABWI/OCDdoF5Lfxg/s320/Showcase6.jpg" /></a><br />
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Challengers fell somewhere between the adventure comics of the 1950’s and the growing trend to Superhero comics. None of the Challengers , Rocky Davis, Professor Haley, Red Ryan or Ace Morgan possessed superpowers, but all were extraordinary men. Each was an Olympic level athlete. The team had a daredevil, a scientist, a fearless daredevil and master skin diver. In so many ways the Challengers reads as a proof of concept for the Fantastic Four which would be so instrumental in launching the Marvel Age of Comics.<br />
<br />
Obviously there are differences between the books. Not the least of which is the presence of Susan Storm in the latter title and the “fantastic” powers possessed by Reed Richards’ team.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jIrFBvTM9HU/VQA3T5f68qI/AAAAAAAABWQ/SZPGca19ScI/s1600/ff%231.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jIrFBvTM9HU/VQA3T5f68qI/AAAAAAAABWQ/SZPGca19ScI/s320/ff%231.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Still three are as many similarities which can’t be ignored due to the simple fact that Kirby was instrumental in the creation of both titles in less than five years. Both groups are more adventurer than superhero. Both groups are banded together by a near death experience that changes them forever. And both groups are more like family than a group of like minded associates. <br />
Visually both Challengers and Fantastic Four bear the unmistakable Kirby style. Kirby’s art is always in motion, the characters not just talking heads, panels easily broken. Kirby dynamism is evident in both titles. <br />
<br />
Although Challengers never reached the height that the FF did (largely because Kirby migrated from DC to Marvel) the former title was a mainstay at DC for over twenty years and still makes occasional appearances today. They make a notable appearance in the Darwin Cooke created DC The New Frontier in both the comics and animated feature. <br />
<br />
The Challengers have a solid place in the pantheon of Silver Age titles that revived the industry. For two decades the went boldly and fearlessly into the Unknown. They were the template for one of the most popular ongoing titles in comics history which had no small part in launching the Marvel Age.<br />
<br />
Not a bad legacy!<br />
<br />
That’s 30!<br />
<br />
Mitch<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-52386880044991914152015-02-28T06:36:00.001-08:002015-02-28T06:44:54.479-08:00Thank You LeonardIt’s been a while. But then anyone who knows me, knew that I wouldn’t and couldn’t let the passing of Leonard Nimoy , the beloved Mr. Spock go without saying goodbye.<br />
<br />
Leonard was Spock, and Spock was Leonard. If ever an actor and character were two sides of the same coin, it was this pair. Leonard did more than portray a character that became an icon. He gave that character a life of his own. To millions of people Mr. Spock is every bit as real and alive as anyone has ever been. The Vulcan legend was imbued with depth, and insight…and humanity by Leonard Nimoy.<br />
<br />
Gene Roddenberry may have conceived Spock, but it was Leonard who birthed him. In birthing Mr. Spock, Mr. Nimoy gave us a character that said in a very clear voice “It’s ok to be different”. In a world that has always been so focused on conformity, Spock/Nimoy, with that raised eyebrow and bemused expression showed many of us that diversity was much cooler.<br />
<br />
Spock was an inspiration to anyone (meaning all of us) that ever felt alienated, different, or alone. He was an alien in a human world who found his place by making peace with the two sides of his nature. It was not easy, and it was a journey. But at the end Spock was very much content being a creature of two worlds. He was very human that way.<br />
<br />
As an adolescent going through those feelings of alienation, even from my own body, when everything is awkward and nothing seemed to work quite right, my Vulcan friend was an anchor for me. At that age emotions are raging all the time and never quite the same from day to day. Girls are a terrifying mystery and being part of the group seems far more important than it really is. I saw in Spock someone who used his intellect and reason to balance his own emotional war. And in as much as any 13 year old could, I tried to emulate that trait. At the time I thought it was Spock who gave me an example to follow. Later I realized it was just Leonard. Thanks Mr. Nimoy.<br />
<br />
Leonard gave Spock that humanity. Had Spock simply been, as longtime nemesis and friend Dr. McCoy liked to point out, a computer with legs, the character would have faded from our consciousness in due course. It was the humanity that Nimoy imbued Spock with that made him whole and alive. Spock still lives. Thanks Mr. Nimoy.<br />
<br />
When you live long enough you see that certain issues never go away entirely. They may fade for a while, but they always come back. One of those is intolerance. When Spock was born and I was just a kid, racial intolerance and the Civil Rights movement were an open national debate. There were riots and killings and lynchings all over the color of a person’s skin. Today we are a world divided over religious ideology and the idea that if you aren’t o a certain belief that it is perfectly alright to kill you.<br />
<br />
Illogical…tragically illogical. But Nimoy/Spock had and have an answer to that ridiculous world view. It is an idea and way of looking at the world called IDIC – Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. In the world of Star trek it was a plot device to explain Spock’s more spiritual side. It became the “mission statement” of Star Trek to not only tolerate the differences between us but to embrace them. IDIC was another gift that Spock gave to me because that idea resonated with the 13 year old me and never left. It has made me, for want of a better word, “color blind”. Thanks again Leonard.<br />
<br />
In 1985 I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to, briefly, join the world of Star Trek when I wrote “The Official Star trek Quiz Book”. Not my finest hour, but more fun than a basket full of Tribbles. My phone rang one morning and it was Leonard Nimoy. He took the time to call someone he had never met just to offer a few words of encouragement. It still amazes me thirty years later. While I never became the writer I had hoped to be, I have never forgotten that gesture. I have made it a point to encourage the people that I have known in business and in my personal life whenever I can though. Leonard showed me how valuable just a few words can be. Thanks Mr. Nimoy.<br />
<br />
There are some lines from Julius Casear:<br />
“The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones”<br />
In the case of Leonard Nimoy the opposite is very much the case. The good he has done will live long and prosper. I’ll probably see Spock on the screen later today so I won’t miss him. But I’ll miss Leonard. And so will the millions of people he touched in his journey. <br />
<br />
Thank you Leonard.<br />
<br />
Mitch<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-30340441762202554162014-05-27T08:24:00.003-07:002014-05-27T08:24:32.476-07:00Come Blow Your Horn – Remembering Sinatra<br />
<br />
When you make a visit to Comic Book Jones you are greeted by comics, collectibles, wonderful and friendly people, and more often than you might realize…<br />
<br />
By Frank Sinatra<br />
<br />
I can’t count all the times I have walked through those doors and had my ears graced by the man known as Old Blue Eyes, The Chairman of the Board, The Voice, or (my favorite) Mr. S.<br />
<br />
It’s hard to believe that Sinatra has been gone for sixteen years this month because not a day goes by that I don’t run across him in some way. And so have you, whether you know it or not. Frank has so influenced popular music that he continues to shape musical tastes to this day. Just ask Michael Buble. Ask Harry Connick Jr. Ask Paul Mccartney!<br />
<br />
No less a publication than Rolling Stone has this to say about the Great Man:<br />
<br />
“Baritone Frank Sinatra was indisputably the 20th century’s greatest singer of popular song…”<br />
<br />
Rolling STONE!<br />
<br />
Sinatra, like Muhammad Ali and Babe Ruth was a game changer. His personalization of lyric and phrasing has become the Rosetta Stone for modern vocalists.<br />
<br />
Sinatra conquered every level of the entertainment business in a career that spanned sixty years. Aside from his remarkable recording career, Sinatra was a key figure in outing Vegas on the map. Along with his Rat Pack (Martin, Davis and Bishop), Mr. S defined cool for generations. <br />
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As if that was not enough Sinatra was an academy award winning dramatic actor with a filmography of over 50 films including classics like “From Here To Eternity”, “The Man With The Golden Arm” and “The Manchurian Candidate”.<br />
<br />
No less a personage that the immortal Gene Kelly stated that a young Sinatra was the best dancing student he ever coached.<br />
There was literally nothing in the entertainment world that Sinatra couldn’t do.<br />
<br />
Back to his recording career. If you have ever listened to a concept album by any artist (That is an album with a central theme) , you can thank Sinatra. While recording for the Capital label Sinatra, along with Woodie Guthrie invented the concept album. His 1955 album “In The Wee Small Hours “ inspired other artists to create concept albums. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” anyone?<br />
<br />
Of course Frank’s off hours exploits were legendary, filled with booze, broads and bar room brawls. But the lesser known Sinatra helped financially strapped and even terminally ill people whom he never really knew. Among them the legendary heavy weight champion Joe Lewis. Sinatra built schools and encouraged young artists. He was mercurial with wide mood swings. He got up off the deck when his singing career crashed in the early 1950’s with his performance in “From Here To Eternity”. He said great things and very stupid things. <br />
<br />
Sinatra was completely and utterly human. We shall NOT see his like again.<br />
<br />
Come Blow Your Horn!<br />
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That’s 30…Pally!<br />
<br />
Mitch<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-81929542327702064662014-03-10T10:11:00.001-07:002014-03-10T10:23:00.405-07:00What If?The thing I love the most about our shared hobby is not the comic books, or the TV shows, or the movies. It isn’t the games or novels or related APPS.<br />
<br />
It’s the people. <br />
<br />
I may be biased but I really believe that the people who gravitate towards comic books and all the things that go with them are pretty special. For the most part our fellow collectors are kind, compassionate and intelligent.<br />
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There is a strong element of humanism that runs through our community.<br />
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There is one other quality that the community shares. Almost everyone of you is a “What if?” and a “maybe someday” personality. You see the world in much broader strokes than the average person. Life is more that just those things that directly impact your immediate existence. You are question askers!<br />
<br />
What IF a man could fly?<br />
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What IF we travel from the inner mind to the Outer Limits?<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/FCcdr4O-3gE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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What might happen a long time ago, in a Galaxy far away?<br />
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Can we REALLY make a small side trip to the Twilight Zone?<br />
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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/p5GP5uztjkE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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And so on…you are all so full of wonder. It is why so many of us try our hand at creating things. It may be a comic, or a blog, or a pod cast. We write, draw, sculpt, build, create…<br />
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And wonder.<br />
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The best thing we create are all the wonderful friendships. <br />
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We look over the next hill and wonder every day about our place in the Cosmos.<br />
<br />
(You KNEW I was going here didn’t you?)<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kBTd9--9VMI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Last night on FOX in PRIME TIME the sequel to the classic Carl Sagan hosted series COSMOS made it’s debut. Hosted by Neil DeGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist, author, and Director of the Hayden Planetarium, Cosmos, A Space Time Odyssey asks a LOT of questions. More importantly it prompts US to ask a lot of questions. <br />
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Like the original series, Cosmos is set to air thirteen episodes. And like the original, this new Cosmos will not only explore deep space. It will explore the heart , soul and endlessly questioning nature of humanity. <br />
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The first words of the first episode come from Car Sagan, in his own voice. He reminds us that “The Cosmos is all there ever was and all there ever will be”<br />
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At one point in the early part of the premiere episode Tyson points out that while we will need our imaginations to take this journey of the mind, we will also need science, because the reality of the Cosmos is so much more than anything we could ever imagine.<br />
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The opening episode takes us from the Big Bang, to 16th Century Europe to beyond the Universe and into the Multiverse. We revisit the Cosmic Calendar which compresses the existence of the Cosmos to a single calendar year. We, you and I….everyone we have ever heard about…all the wars…all the science…all the literature…EVERYTHING in the human condition took place in the last few seconds of the last day on the Cosmic Calendar .<br />
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Pretty humbling. But, as Carl once said, WE are the way for the Cosmos to know itself.<br />
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The Cosmos would be a pretty poor place if there were no one to bear witness…to wonder at it all.<br />
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The thing that stuck most powerfully for me from this first episode is a story that Tyson tells about how, as a young teenager Carl Sagan reached out to him, as he did with many young people. Sagan invited him to his laboratory and spent the day with him. Sagan, who was the face of science at the time and very famous felt that it was important to connect with young people. To give of his time and pass along his own sense of wonder.<br />
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It almost makes me think Sagan collected comic books. As Tyson observed, he learned more than what sort of scientist he wanted to be. He learned about the sort of person he wanted to be.<br />
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Watch Cosmos. Wonder at it and keep asking questions.<br />
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That’s 30!<br />
<br />
Mitch<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-89968936169187619832014-02-18T10:13:00.000-08:002014-02-18T10:13:11.089-08:00DCUO Three Years In <br />
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DC Universe Online has just hit it’s third anniversary! DCUO as it is known to it’s many players it THE superhero MMORPG. City of Heroes recently shut it’s doors after a long run so if you are looking for a Superhero MMO fix you can’t do better than this FREE TO PLAY offering.<br />
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Here are the nuts and bolts :<br />
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• FREE TO PLAY <br />
• Available on PC, PS3 and PS4 as a digital download<br />
• Eleven Million registered players<br />
• Based on the DC Universe BEFORE the New 52<br />
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I’ve been playing this game since it’s launch and let me tell you, there have been MANY changes. The game is totally immersive and highly customizable. You can choose from a litany of Powers, gear styles (in the thousands), alignment (Hero or Villain), and roles (Damage dealer, Healer, Tank or Controller). <br />
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Each character can have his own personal lair/hideout, specialized armories, crafting abilities and of course LOOK. I’ve seen a lot of Wonder Women, Supermen, Batmen and even X-Men, Caps and Spidermen. BUT the vast majority of players create their own distinctive looks. There is no end to the possibilities and imagination of the players regarding their look.<br />
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There are more missions than I can count but they encompass everything from Solos to Duos, Four man alerts and , Eight man raids. Your missions take place in Gotham, Metropolis, Central City, The Wastelands and most recently MOGO.<br />
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The most current trilogy being played out is War of The Light which centers on the entire spectrum of all the Lantern Corps. Part one has just released. Concurrent with fight for the light are plans to release a Wonder Woman based trilogy and one centering around the New Gods. <br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/n7-X7mPaPNQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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There is no lack of content to keep you engaged!<br />
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As a player you can remain a free agent or join one of the many “leagues” that have sprung up in the game. The initial leveling process is solo based so you might want to wait until you reach level 30 to join a league.<br />
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Character creation is a breeze and very easy. When you first start the game you are asked to choose a mentor from among the iconic DC Heroes and Villains depending on your alignment. From there character creation is as simple or intricate as YOU want it to be.<br />
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Once you have reached level 30 by completing your mentor missions the real game begins. From this point you can take part in RAIDS and advanced content. Though if you remain F2P you will need to buy DLC packs for much of this content. Should you reach level 30 and like the game I would heartily recommend subscribing to the Legendary tier which is about $10 a month but includes all of the download content and many other perks, such as an unlimited cash cap, free lair and free armory. <br />
<br />
If you prefer you can opt for PREMIUM status which only requires a total of $5 spent on mini transactions at anytime while you are playing. Once you have spent $% your Premium status is permanent.<br />
<br />
However you want to play (F2P, Premium or Legendary) DCUO is a must try for any Superhero fan. There are even leagues out there that are heavy into the role playing and comic book connections.<br />
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As to game play, combat is real time and fast paced. Unlike many other MMOS this is not a turn based game. Your reaction time and skills play a big part in how successful you are in game. Gear and skill points are second to YOUR skill! <br />
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Three years in, DCUO continues to grow and grow BETTER. But new comers don’t get left behind. Unlike many other MMOS a new player can catch up to the highest levels within the first month or two of starting. The progression path encourages players to reach top tier very quickly.<br />
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Go on. Give it a try. It’s free after all. AND if you are on the Playstation look me up! My in game character is MUN EL and I’ll be happy to show you the ropes! <br />
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Now I gotta get back! Brainiac is acting up again and needs a beat down!!<br />
<br />
That’s 30!<br />
<br />
Mitch<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-55451771686839613212014-01-11T16:20:00.003-08:002014-01-11T16:20:58.455-08:00For Carl<br />
Happy New Year all! I’ve been gone for a bit but that hiatus is now officially over!<br />
So where do I start in this brand spanking new 2014? Why with a look back of course.<br />
As a child, young man and dad, I was always fascinated by speculative fiction, known to most of you as SCI-FI. The Outer Limits. Twilight Zone, Adventures Of Superman and of course Star Trek were all sources of wonder for me…<br />
Science Fiction novels and short stories were considered a separate, and not quite legit form of literature. But authors like Asimov, Heinlein and Bradbury regularly took me to far off worlds of ideas and adventure.<br />
Oh and comic books too…Mystery In Space, Strange Adventures, Challengers of The Unknown and The Fantastic Four were firmly entrenched in the realm of Science Fiction.<br />
<br />
There was not quite as much speculative fiction in the 60’s and 70’s as there is today but it was rich and inspiring.<br />
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And then there was real life! <br />
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We had Mercury, Gemini and Apollo! Man on the Moon!!!<br />
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There was Voyager and Mariner and a Space Shuttle program…<br />
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The prototype was fittingly named “Enterprise”…<br />
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We were all looking forward…and we had a guide.<br />
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His name was Carl Sagan. <br />
<br />
Carl was one of the great minds of the last half of the twentieth century. He was a key member of the development teams for the Mariner and Voyager Programs. Carl was also:<br />
<br />
• Was one of the first scientists to warn of Global Warming likening it to Venus’ atmospheric conditions, of extreme heat due to a greenhouse effect that he, himself had discovered.<br />
• Theorized the existence of water oceans on Jupiter’s moon Europa. This was later confirmed.<br />
• Proved the existence of organic matter throughout the Solar System.<br />
• Pioneered SETI, The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.<br />
<br />
And then there was the 1980 PBS TV Mini Series…Cosmos. The complete title, which most people tend to forget, was “Cosmos –A Personal Voyage”.<br />
<br />
A Personal Voyage…<br />
<br />
It certainly was for me and for millions of others who went along for the ride on Carl’s Starship Of The Imagination. In it, for thirteen episodes, Dr. Sagan took viewers on a trip through time and space. We examined the origins of the Universe and our own Origins. We explored the ancient library of Alexandria and glimpsed a possible future where technology outstripped our wisdom.<br />
We learned that mankind occupies only the last minute of the last day of December on the Cosmic Calendar…we just got here.<br />
And we also learned from Carl that…”we are a way for the Cosmos to know itself”.<br />
<br />
For all of his intellect and accomplishments, Sagan still possessed a great sense of wonder that was childlike and infectious. He was always looking around the next corner , or over the next hill…and he made us want to look too.<br />
<br />
Carl was absolutely certain that life was not only possible outside the confines of out planet, but that the Cosmos was absolutely teeming with life. In recent years there have been clues that Carl was right. Although SETI has yet to discover a signal from a technological civilization, we have only been scanning for a few decades with limited technology…and as someone once observed, “It’s a big ass sky”.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2uOl22yF7rU/UtHf3ExNfrI/AAAAAAAABSQ/Gu5Ixsxq-GQ/s1600/carl.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2uOl22yF7rU/UtHf3ExNfrI/AAAAAAAABSQ/Gu5Ixsxq-GQ/s320/carl.gif" /></a></div><br />
Carl once observed that we have only dipped our toes in the shores of the cosmic ocean and that the water seems inviting. <br />
Even the TITLES of the episodes were filled with wonder:<br />
<br />
"The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean"<br />
"One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue"<br />
“The Edge Of Forever”<br />
“Who Speaks For Earth?”<br />
<br />
Titles filled with promise, curiosity and wonder. <br />
<br />
Cosmos was Science…but not fiction. It was the philosophy of science and a cautionary tale.<br />
Today , some thirty plus years after it’s production, much of the science in Cosmos has been updated. But the wonder remains and keeps it fresh.<br />
<br />
In fact Cosmos, so resonates in the popular imagination that a sequel series Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey is set to make it’s debut this year. It will be hosted by Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and is co produced by Carl’s widow Ann Druyan and Seth Macfarlane (yes THAT Seth MacFarlane). <br />
<br />
I suspect that this new Cosmos will also be filled with Carl’s sense wonder as we collectively dip some more toes into the cosmic ocean.<br />
<br />
That’s 30.<br />
<br />
Mitch<br />
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Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-25515966887643794402013-09-12T14:12:00.001-07:002013-09-12T14:12:58.052-07:00Comic Con Tips and TricksIt’s that time of year again. The annual new York Comic-Con is just around the corner! Last year the con was attended by 105,000 fans over a four day period. This makes NYCC the second largest comic book and pop-culture gathering in the country. Second only to the San Diego con! <br />
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We WILL catch them sooner than later, just watch!<br />
<br />
In fact , according to our friends ar NYCC, the con is the second largest annual event of ANY kind in all of New York. Impressive.<br />
This year the con will take place from October 10th through the 13th at the Javits Center. If you don’t already have tickets you may just be shut out. As of this writing (September 10th) the ComicCon site has tickets for THURSDAY only. However, local comic shops may still have tickets. Be sure to check with CBJ on this as soon as possible if you are going to attend. <br />
This year , as every year there will be a ton of guests including William Shatner, Stan The Man Lee, and even<br />
<br />
SYLVESTER STALLONE! <br />
<br />
Yes Rocky is going to be at the con! Are we looking at Expendables 3? Or are we looking at a Thunderlips rematch???<br />
YES, the legendary HULK HOGAN is also going to be on hand for the festivities. <br />
<br />
Of course there will be literally hundreds of comic book creators on hand. Artist’s Alley is always a highlight of the con. <br />
Getting back to TICKETS. This year they are RFID, which means they have to be activated. You will be tapping sensors to gain entry. If you pick up your tickets onsite they will be active. If you have them mailed to your home you can activate them online. RFID should make enterint the event a much smoother experience for all.<br />
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Check out the NYCC website (www.newyorkcomiccon.com) for this year’s mobile app. It is a great way to get up to the minute info. Last year there were a lot of announcements that hit the app over the four days. It’s free, making it a no-brainer.<br />
There IS a coat check but it gets VERY crowded. Also you would NOT want to check any valuables, just jackets and coats.<br />
ComicCon show hours are : Thursday 3:00PM to 9:00 PM, Friday and Saturday 10:00AM – 7:00 PM and Sunday 10:00AM – 5:00 PM. Artist Alley and screenings run well after ths show floor closes. Check out the con program or your mobile app for exact times on that.<br />
A couple of tips:<br />
<br />
1) BRING YOUR OWN FOOD or EAT OFF SITE. Food at the Javits Center is very expensive and will seriously cut into your comic buying goodness. There are a lot of more moderately priced choices in the area. Personally I bring a few sandwiches!<br />
2) I recommend bringing a back pack or any bag that can be CLOSED to hold your purchases. While theft is pretty rare at ComicCon, the floor is SO crowded that keeping your belongings out in the open is not a good idea. Also watch your cash! Purses, in particular are not the place for cash. Keep it in your pockets. When you buy something take a few extra seconds to count out the money and count back the change. <br />
3) When you are making a purchase from the comic vendors, always ask for their BEST price or make a reasonable offer. Only NOOBS pay full price! Seriously, bartering is all part of the game and your BEST deals will come on Sunday afternoon. Vendors hate hauling all that stuff back and will often give you a sweetheart deal!<br />
4) Many of the screenings are going to be tough to get into. NYCC does NOT empty the theater after each event. If you want to attend that “can’t miss” panel or screening make sure to line up EARLY. Same thing with the panel rooms. There is limited space, so make sure to leave yourself a lot of time.<br />
5) You won’t be able to see everything. That’s just the way it is. There are hundreds of events going on at the very same time. Make sure to hit the website, review the program, and check your app. You will need to make a plan in order to get to all the events that you don’t want to miss. <br />
6) Take breaks. Especially on Saturday, when the floor is most crowded. You will be glad you did. Navigating through the huge crowds make this a physically challenging weekend. It’s easy to get hot, tired and…cranky. A few 20-30 minute breaks away from the crowds can make your entire day better.<br />
7) The Javits Center is convenient to all forms of public transportation. Use it. Parking around the center is both difficult and expensive. <br />
8) And finally…..HAVE FUN! It’s a great time!<br />
<br />
OH and this JUST in! The world's yummiest FBI agent will be signing at ComicCon! Gillian Anderson is making her NYCC debut. She will be signing Friday, Saturday and Sunday and apearing in a panel as well! Could we be looking at some new X-Files news??!!<br />
<br />
That’s 30!<br />
<br />
Mitch<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-21896798547426939012013-09-12T14:09:00.003-07:002013-09-12T14:09:25.113-07:00Remembering 9/11I wrote this twelve years ago a few days after 9/11. It showed up in some of the local papers. I thought I’d share it with you all. A lot has happened in the years since. Stay safe.<br />
<br />
I took the Staten Island Ferry to NY this morning, as I have countless days from the time I was in high school, through my days at Hunter College, and for the past two decades working in the "city that never sleeps." In all respects, the trip was exactly the same as it has been every one of those thousands of days... except it wasn't.<br />
<br />
As I came through the turnstiles on the Staten Island side, I found myself looking for faces. The familiar faces that we ignore everyday, but are so<br />
much part of the background of our lives. I didn't see many. Perhaps I will see more tomorrow. <br />
<br />
I stopped for my morning coffee at the Dunkin Doughnuts stand. The same Middle Eastern man who always serves my coffee with a smile and a good morning. Except he didn't smile today. He looked hurt. Maybe he'll smile tomorrow. I hope so.<br />
<br />
I took the very same seat on the boat as I always do. Usually I open my coffee and bury my face in a book or read the sports pages. Today I didn't.<br />
<br />
Today I took a minute to really taste my coffee. Funny... most days it has no taste at all. This morning it was the best cup I ever had. I hope it tastes<br />
this good tomorrow.<br />
<br />
I continued to look for familiar faces. People who also take the same seats every day. I did see one young lady that I "know." She usually travels with her friend. She wasn't there today. Maybe tomorrow. I hope so.<br />
<br />
I stood out on the foredeck as we passed the Statue of Liberty. Funny how I never really noticed just how beautiful the old lady really is. Was she<br />
standing just a bit straighter today? It must be my imagination... at least I think so.<br />
<br />
The cloud reaches out over the water this morning and I could smell it while we were still five minutes from the dock. Everyone was looking at the naked skyline, now barren of its grandest symbol. The eyes of my fellow passengers became very hard. Not anger...not fear...something else. Something that told me that I wouldn't want to get into a fight with us. As for me, I glanced over to the Empire State Building. She dominates the skyline once more. How lonely she looks.<br />
<br />
Walking up past Battery Park to Bowling Green Station, I saw every eye was turned up Lower Broadway. The Towers and the shade she cast downtown now gone. The acrid smoke brought coughs from many people. We wore the coughs somewhat proudly, I think. It was sort of like doing pennance. Perhaps the air will clear tomorrow.<br />
<br />
On the train a pretty girl smiled and said “good morning” to me. Normally suspicion or shyness would have prevented that. Will she smile tomorrow? I hope so.<br />
<br />
My shoes still have the dust that collected on them last Tuesday when I walked along South Street to the ferry. I noticed the shoeshine stand in Grand Central was back to normal. Several men were having their shoes shined. I'm not quite ready to part with my dust just yet.<br />
<br />
Maybe tomorrow.<br />
<br />
<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-28145942957494947192013-08-07T18:39:00.003-07:002013-08-07T18:39:33.806-07:00Crack Top and The Origin Of Mitch Maglio's Comic CollectionWhy would a grown man allow himself to accumulate 17,000 comic books? Why would ANYONE for that matter bother to collect and collect and COLLECT a huge number of books that they will almost certainly never get the chance to re-read? Think about it. If I were to sit down and read every comic book that I own it would take me 236 days (given an average reading time of 20 minutes a comic)…IF I did not eat, sleep, bathe, raise a family, or (gasp) take a Star Trek break. <br />
<br />
I love reading comics …but not THAT much!<br />
<br />
So why the 17K? Value? Investment? Well sure my collection IS worth quite a bit, but MOST of the value resides in less than 10% of my books. In fact it costs me more to keep the vast majority of my comics than it would to just give them away. I have to bag them, board them, RE-BAG and board them every five years, and store them. It’s more costly than you might think!<br />
Bottom line is that I keep them for sentimental reasons. I am lucky enough to have most of the comics books that I have ever bought in my life. MY mom was not one of those moms who tossed out all my old comics when I moved out. <br />
<br />
Thanks Mom!<br />
<br />
So, for me, my collection is sort of a time line of my life. I can go into any box, flip through books and create a flood of memories. Events from thirty or forty years ago, that I would certainly have forgotten become vivid memories once again when I happen upon a comic that I was reading at the time. <br />
<br />
So let’s cue the fog effect and that wavy screen thingy as I take you back to the summer of 1966 …<br />
<br />
THE YEAR OF THE GREAT COMIC BOOK COLLECTING QUEST!!!! (pat. pending, us.reg pat. off.)<br />
<br />
An earth quaking (or even shaking) event that lead to my adding over 300 comics to my collection during the summer of 1966, in the mythical land known as Brooklyn N.Y. . This event was so world altering that even today, those who lived through it only speak of it in reverent whispers of awe (shucks) and wonder (bread). Even now the very fabric of space/time struggles to recover from the blows of these mind numbing confrontations. <br />
<br />
(I give great hyperbole, don’t I?!)<br />
<br />
It was of course was the epic CRACK TOP CONTEST. It was no holds barred. It was no quarter given. A fight to the death with riches untold for the winner and lifelong humiliation for the loser! The payout was to be (cue dramatic music cue please Waffle) THREE HUNDRED (Slightly read) Comics!<br />
<br />
Like most of the world changing tests of skill held over the years on 102nd Street and Flatlands Avenue in the Canarsie section of my ancient homeland, this one was arranged by the neighborhood hustlers (each 12 years of age …making roughly 24 years of con artistry between them!) Howie and Henry…or as we knew them…”The Brothers”. (In fact they ARE brothers and as far as I know STILL con artists) As near as we could figure it The brothers had tons of everything. They were always on the look out for toys, games, candy, ice cream, and yes, comic books. No junk yard was safe from the prowling of Howie and Henry. They were the hustlers by which all hustlers are judged. The well spring!<br />
<br />
Henry was the neighborhood genius (more on that at a later date) whilst Howie was the muscle. Or as much muscle as you could be after getting beaten up on a regular basis by my cousin Cindy (the toughest kid on the block).<br />
<br />
Word of the pending Crack Top contest moved like wildfire through the neighborhood spreading as far as the distant land of 101st street! All the best players were shining up their spinning tops in preparation for the gladiatorial spectacle set for that Saturday! There was Jimmy “No teeth” Weaver, Bunko Bill Stevens, Mark “the Hammer” Levy and many others.<br />
<br />
Inevitably though it would come down to a battle of will, skill and moxie between me and my nemesis, arch enemy, and all around pain in the nether regions, Alan “Hail Mary” Baker.<br />
<br />
Many had been our confrontations with no clear winner. He was the leader of Thrush whilst *I* was the head of U.N.C.L.E.! Our gangs would square off and taunt each other relentlessly….Alan would save his most crushing taunt (BUGGA! BUGGA!) for the coup de gras! Few were those who could easily recover from a well placed *grr* Baker “Bugga! Bugga!”, but balance was maintained by the fact that my second in command was the aforementioned Toughest Kid On the Block. One glance at Cindy’s Clint Eastwood type stare would freeze the blood and quicken the pulse of any miscreant…and boy was Alan miscreanty! (Is that even a word?)<br />
<br />
But I digress. The long and the short of it is that my ONLY real competition for the golden pile of four colored goodness was the aforementioned *grrrr* Baker.<br />
<br />
(To this day I cannot say the word “Baker” without a mental *grrr*…which often confuses the people at my local bakery by the way). <br />
We were the undisputed masters of the hallowed game of crack top.<br />
<br />
You see, Crack Top is a game of skill, aggression, planning and plain blind luck. Masters of the game can stretch their lineage all the way back Ancient Times (also in Brooklyn) and the teachings of the greatest Crack Topper of them all , Harry Donnenfeld. (Actually I can’t back that up. There is no evidence that Harry Donnenfeld ever actually even handled a spinning top but I like to get his name into my stories whenever possible. Hi Harry!)<br />
<br />
Crack Top involves the use of spinning tops. It was, is a toy that is shaped more or less like a triangle with a metal or plastic point on the narrow end. You wrap a string tightly around the body of the top and, with a flick of the wrist the top unravels and (theoretically) spins. It requires great technique and nuance to do well. If NOT done well the consequences can be…dire. (I would tell you about the great Spinning Top fatalities of 1898 but children may be reading this column. )<br />
<br />
Contestants start their tops spinning in a circular arena drawn on the ground. The last one spinning has the opportunity to “CRACK” a top or tops out of the circle. The player, if he is particularly skilled, can even break a top right in half thus “cracking” the top. Said top destroyers are the best of the best.<br />
<br />
Alan *grr*Baker was the best….<br />
<br />
I was better.<br />
<br />
(Another dramatic music cue…Come ON Waffle, wake up! You just can’t get good help these days!)<br />
Back and forth we went, cracking tops. The low whine of the gyrating toys filled the air. Hands trembled. <br />
Brows were furrowed with sweat. <br />
<br />
(As an aside Alan could sweat like no other. He was clearly the neighborhood sweating champion. This has been attributed by experts to Alan’s unusually furrowy brow. What furrows that guy had! We could often hear his mother commenting on this as she hung out the wash. She would say to no one in particular, “That $#@#$ Boy can really sweat!”)<br />
<br />
One by one the other players fell by the wayside. They lost their tops to Alan or myself. Even worse others suffered the humiliation of watching my nemesis or myself blast their tops to microscopic pieces. The day was hot…it was long. Popsicle sticks littered the concrete. Yoohoo cans lay in silent testament to the grueling battle. Even Saturday morning cartoons went unwatched as all eyes were riveted to the battle of the Top Titans. (It is said that the idea for the Superbowl sprung out of this particular Crack Top contest but I cannot verify that…yet.)<br />
<br />
Finally the only men left standing were Alan and myself. It was a dead heat. <br />
<br />
Now here is where the rules and etiquette of Crack Top get muddy. In a strict tie the players each spin their tops and the last one spinning wins. But for legendary players (and brutal enemies) like Alan and myself this would never be enough! There had to be more. <br />
There had to be death. <br />
<br />
We quickly huddled with Henry (Howie and Cindy keeping watch over the skittish crowd that could riot at any second! They would be our only protection if things got ugly.) and decided to use the dreaded Donnenfeld Protocols. <br />
<br />
Even today , some four and a half decades later, I wonder how any of us survived the Donnenfeld Protocols. Clearly it was foolhardy on all our parts. We had no idea about the forces were about to release. All I can say is that we were young and foolish. <br />
<br />
Anyway, the D.P. called for Alan and I in turn to lay our BEST top in the center of the ring, giving the other a chance to CRACK his prized weapon n half. The first to successfully destroy his opponent’s top would win and claim the prize comic books.<br />
<br />
And so it began. The tie breaker. There was more at stake then mere bragging rights. More at stake than even the pile of pulp wonder gleaming in the sunshine. This was a battle for honor! Pride! If I could win…if I could emerge triumphant never again would the words “Bugga! Bugga!” strike fear into the hearts of the innocent. No Klingon Warrior had ever fought for a more noble cause! (well maybe the great Tribble Hunt, but I digress.)<br />
<br />
Henry flipped a coin and all eyes were on the silver disk as it flew up, caught the sunlight and came back down into the hand of the neighborhood genius. Heads. Alan would get the first shot.<br />
<br />
It is no easy thing to strike a top no bigger than a nine year old’s fist with the point of another top. So it was no surprise that he missed on his first attempt. So did I. back and forth we went. Just missing by a hair. The stress in the crowd was palpable. You could FEEL the thumping of hearts as *grr* Baker and I battled back and forth . Half an hour went by, then an hour! Wrists flicking….tops spinning. Near miss after near miss. Something had to give. <br />
<br />
One of us would have to crack first. Then on Alan’s tenth attempt…time slowed as he brought his wrist down, freeing his deadly crusher of a top. I could actually see the point rotating as it plummeted towards my prized weapon. A top known to one and all as ”The Penetrator”. The point of Alan’s top scored a deep gash along one side of my top….a collective gasp went up!<br />
Henry bent down and he examined The penetrator with the eyes of a surgeon. <br />
<br />
“NO BREAK”!, he declared. I would get another chance but my top was badly damaged. The scoring would surely put the balance off and if I failed to get the top to spin I would lose by default. I could not style the spin even though I was KNOWN as a fineness player. The top would have to be POWERED into a spin. I was literally going to have to THROW it. This technique was almost unheard of. Only the Great Donnenfeld was said to have mastered it. But I had no choice.<br />
<br />
I knew what Superman would do. I knew what Cap would do…and I knew what Harry would do. <br />
<br />
I wound the top as tightly as I had ever done before. I would need the added torque! I called upon the Zen of Top spinning and focused my gaze to a single spot on the body of Alan’s evil toy. And then I heard the voice of Donnenfeld…<br />
“Use the Force, Mitch”<br />
<br />
Not really. This was 12 years before Star Wars came out but I couldn’t resist. What I actually “heard” was the “Bugga!Bugga!” I would get if I lost.<br />
<br />
I brought my hand down like a sledge hammer and released the top. It was Ali against Liston. Mantle hitting a 500 foot drive. It was Kirk making out with a green chick!<br />
<br />
My top hit the ground spinning serenely. On either side was precisely one half of Alan’s “top.<br />
<br />
A collective roar went up. I had won. I had won for truth, Justice and The American Way. I had won for the little guy and Klingons everywhere. But mostly I had just won THREE HUNDRED COMICS!<br />
<br />
I turned slowly to my opponent, humbled in defeat, his broken top in his hands .He looked , silently acknowledging his defeat…and I said<br />
<br />
“Bugga! Bugga!<br />
<br />
That’s 30!<br />
<br />
Mitch<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-59099159156736614842013-07-25T13:27:00.003-07:002013-07-25T13:27:26.846-07:00The best is yet to come!<br />
There is so much going on in the area of animated and live action comic book character entertainment that it is hard to know where to begin. It was not so many years ago that the entertainment industry looked at comic related properties as “schlock” low budget fare. <br />
<br />
Today those same properties are a pillar of the entertainment industry generating revenue in the BILLIONS of dollars.<br />
<br />
This summer alone we have already had two tent pole films in Man of Steel and iron man. This week The Wolverine opens domestically and is sure to add to the tally. And still to come are Thor: The Dark World, Kick Ass 2, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For ( now held until 2014) and Red 2.<br />
<br />
And the wave of comic related films shows no sign of cresting. Just this week it was announced at the San Diego ComicCon that in 2015 we are going to get a Superman/Batman cross over. <br />
<br />
It doesn’t end with movies either. This past season the CW’s Arrow was a runaway hit. Premiering this fall the Joss Whedon created “Agents Of Shield” is slated to make it’s debut on ABC. And of course Walking Dead is arguably the biggest hit on TV (well maybe Game of Thrones but it’s CLOSE!)<br />
<br />
DC Animated has released a new CGI series, “Beware The Batman”, a few weeks ago. Based on the first two episodes it has the potential to rival “Batman The Animated Series” In popularity. <br />
<br />
It doesn’t end with 2013 either. The list of upcoming comic related films is impressive. Check out these confirmed projects which are at various stages of development:<br />
<br />
X-men: Days of Future Past (20140, Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014), Black Panther (2014), Ant-Man (2015), The Flash (2016), and Guardians of The Galaxy (2014), just to name a few. Of course we know that a planned Avengers 2 : The Age of Ultron is slated for Summer 2015.<br />
<br />
Amazing stuff. No genre has so dominated the box office since the golden age of Westerns back in the 1930’s and 1940’s. <br />
We comic book “geeks” are no longer the oddballs. We are , dare I say it, mainstream.<br />
<br />
…not sure how I feel about that. It might be time to shake things up!<br />
<br />
That’s 30<br />
<br />
Mitch<br />
<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-50045918178330879412013-06-28T19:02:00.001-07:002013-06-28T19:10:24.503-07:00Truth...Justice and The American WayIt may sound old fashioned, clichéd even. But…we need heroes. <br />
<br />
Often the heroes that have a wide spread inspirational impact are fictional. But don’t hold that against them. Being fictional does NOT mean they are not “real” or that they do not impact the “real” world in a very meaningful way.<br />
<br />
How many people became scientists, astronauts, NASA personnel because they were inspired by the fictional heroes in Star Trek and Star Wars?<br />
<br />
How many people became policemen, firemen, EMT professionals etc because they were inspired by the likes of Sherlock Holmes or Batman?<br />
<br />
In the Captain America movie, don’t you get a lump in your throat when Cap comes marching back with the soldiers he helped rescue? I know I do. <br />
<br />
Didn’t Rocky inspire millions of people to understand that there is no shame in being knocked down as long as you give everything you have to get back up again?<br />
<br />
We have a common need to be inspired by heroes. We aspire to be more like those exemplars. This common cultural need goes back all the way to the very first story tellers in ancient times. How many were inspired by Achilles, Agamemnon and Hercules? How many tried to be like them?<br />
<br />
Inspiration…aspiration.<br />
<br />
My old friend Ray and I were talking yesterday about how fictional heroes like Superman provide (even for adults) a symbol of something better. Ray and I are a pair of crotchety curmudgeons but we share a world view in which concepts like honor, duty and heroes are inspirations, not punch lines.<br />
<br />
Heroes give us something to aspire to. It is why there has been such a hot debate over the ending of The Man of Steel. But it got me to thinking about one of the first mottoes if you will, that helped me define who I am at my core. <br />
<br />
It inspired me to aspire…at age six.<br />
<br />
Truth Justice and the American way.<br />
<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Q2l4bz1FT8U" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
It was the last line in the opening of the old Adventures Of Superman TV series.<br />
<br />
It is such a well known slogan that it became trivialized over the years. Almost something to be embarrassed about. A punch line.<br />
<br />
Then I see where the Supreme Court made two major rulings that go a long way in providing Truth Justice and The American way to a large portion of fellow Americans and I wonder how anyone could ever trivialize or be embarrassed about “The American way”. <br />
<br />
I remember when students, black and white were killed on freedom rides. I remember when women were little more than chattel in the practical sense. I remember good men dying in Dallas, in Memphis and in LA. <br />
<br />
It’s been nearly 50 years since we lost John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. They were men who believed in Truth Justice and the American way. They died believing in it. <br />
<br />
Fast forward not SO many years and we have a man of color in the White House. Something I never thought I would see.<br />
<br />
I am a white, heterosexual married man and I will say that without a doubt that the day that Barcak Obama was elected President was my proudest day as an American. It doesn’t matter what you think of the President as a politician, or even how he does his job. It is the FACT of Mr. Obama as our President that speaks to Truth Justice And The American Way.<br />
<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/fjJN08uqt70" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
What makes it even more uplifting is that he gets NO breaks for being a man of color. He is treated as The President, not The Black President. . He gets beat up in the press as much as any WHITE President! There’s equality for you!!A subtle distinction, I grant you but another example of truth Justice And The American Way <br />
<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5jRENcSFJU4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
In a pair of major rulings on Wednesday the Supreme Court ruled that married same sex couples are entitled to the same rights and privileged as heterosexual couples. This ruling was appropriate, common sense and American. The very fact that we even have to legislate for equal rights of any segment of our citizens speaks to the fact that, for as far as we have traveled, there is a long way to go. <br />
<br />
Freedom is an absolute. It does not, and cannot apply to one person or group of people. It must apply to everyone or none of us is really free. Lincoln once observed that when ONE person is denied freedom we are ALL in chains. He could not have been more correct. Mr. Lincoln would have loved “Adventures Of Superman”.<br />
<br />
Here’s the bottom line. ALL Americans are entitled to equal rights under the law. No exceptions, no questions. Individual sensibilities are irrelevant. ALL Americans get equal rights.<br />
<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3b56e0u0EgQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Just my opinion? Sure. But it is also… <br />
<br />
Truth Justice And The American Way.<br />
<br />
I learned that when I was six… from Superman. <br />
<br />
That’s 30!<br />
<br />
Mitch<br />
<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-7330071950186541202013-06-20T14:28:00.001-07:002013-06-20T14:28:23.007-07:00Man Of SteelMan of Steel was a big thing for me. As you know if you have read my columns for like …ten minutes, I am an unabashed Superman fan. In a world with much “cooler” and “edgier’ heroes, Supes holds the number one spot in my pantheon of Superheroes.<br />
<br />
Number two isn’t even close.<br />
<br />
It’s Superman and all the rest.<br />
<br />
So obviously I knew going in that I could NOT be unbiased about Man of Steel. I loved it before I saw a single frame of the film. <br />
That was me going in. And for the most part, that was me coming out.<br />
<br />
Man Of Steel IS an excellent film. It revitalized Superman for a modern audience and has re-launched a movie franchise that been dormant for far too long. Man of Steel is movie making on a HUGE scale. It made Avengers look like someone shot it in their back yard. <br />
<br />
Henry Cavil looks someone lifted him off the comics page and brought Superman to life just to make the movie. He is the absolute embodiment of The Man Of Tomorrow.<br />
<br />
Amy Adams is as close to a perfect Lois Lane as you could ever hope for. Plucky, dishy and tough as nails.<br />
<br />
Russell Crowe, Kevin Kostner, Laurence Fishbourne and Diane Lane provide the same STAR power to the cast that Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman brought to Superman The Movie nearly four decades ago.<br />
<br />
The movie set new June opening weekend box office records and has all but guaranteed that DC will be playing in the same live action sandbox as Marvel.<br />
<br />
In every measurable way this film is a resounding success. I was not disappointed.<br />
<br />
Are you sensing a “but” here?<br />
<br />
Good…because there is a HUGE “but” coming.<br />
<br />
You may want to stop right here because, while this has been all over the media, it IS a pretty big SPOILER.<br />
<br />
<br />
Still with me?<br />
<br />
OK..here is the thing.<br />
<br />
Superman kills.<br />
<br />
I have a problem with that. And yes I am aware that Superman has killed in the comics. It was a mistake then too. <br />
While I am perfectly fine with reinvention, making Starbuck a girl, a new time line for Star Trek, rebooting Bond and even “shudder” a male Slayer. I am less fine with taking a core aspect of a character and tossing it aside.<br />
<br />
If Superman kills he ceased to BE Superman. He’s Wolverine or Cap, maybe even Jack Bauer. But he is no longer Superman.<br />
<br />
This is the single aspect of Superman that cannot be changed if you are going to maintain that character AS Superman.<br />
<br />
Superman killing is like Sherlock Holmes relying on instance rather than deduction to solve crimes. <br />
<br />
Alex Ross in the seminal graphic novel “Kingdom Come” has Superman go into exile over this very issue. He cannot kill EVEN for Lois.<br />
<br />
Alan Moore in “Whatever Became Of The Man Of Tomorrow” sums it up like this. Nobody has the right to kill. Not you and Not Superman. Especially not Superman. At which point Clark exposes himself to Gold K, wiping out his powers forever.<br />
<br />
They got the essential nature of Superman. <br />
<br />
Even as a piece of film making that scene was forced. It was a set piece specifically designed so that Superman would kill Zod . You could see it coming a mile away. The sequence was hundreds of frames too long. If Superman HAD to kill, as a film maker you need to set it up so that the audience never sees it coming.<br />
<br />
(See the Red Wedding in the penultimate episode of this seasons Game Of Thrones) <br />
<br />
Unfortunately Zack Snyder (while he does have a lot of talent) is about as subtle as a dock strike.<br />
<br />
If you commit to making the choice that Superman must kill then there must be a life changing consequence to that act. What consequence was there for Superman? <br />
<br />
NONE.<br />
<br />
Killed Zod? Betrayed all my beliefs? No biggie. Put on the glasses and cut to fade.<br />
<br />
Not only did Snyder fail to maintain the integrity of the character, he did a piss poor job of bumping off Zod on the screen.<br />
Does this destroy the film? Or Superman?<br />
<br />
Nah. Far from it actually. Apparently this is the Superman a lot of people want. Just check out the box office.<br />
Superman killing has spurred a LOT of debate.<br />
<br />
Never a bad thing.<br />
<br />
AND Superman killing has opened an opportunity for some compelling moments in the sequel IF the film makers decide to use it as a pivotal moment in Clark’s life that helps him to define himself going forward.<br />
<br />
One thing’s for sure…this wasn’t your daddy’s Superman!<br />
<br />
That’s 30!<br />
<br />
Mitch<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-1440477021284891082013-06-13T14:38:00.000-07:002013-06-13T14:38:10.515-07:00Requiem For CarmineYou may not know this but if it hadn’t been for a DC creator there might never have been a Fantastic Four, or Avengers…or X-men. In fact if it had not been for this particular DC creator there might never have been a Silver Age of Comics.<br />
Carmine Infantino was that DC creator. He was born in Brooklyn on May 24, 1925 and spent most of his life as a comic book artist and editor. But he was much more than that. Carmine was an idea man, a creator.<br />
<br />
He left us on April 4th of this year at the age of 87. He left behind a trove of over 60 years of wonderful comic book art dating back to 1942. <br />
<br />
When I was a kid in the very same Brooklyn that had produced Carmine you would be hard pressed NOT to see his work on several covers a month. He had a slick, modern style that was his alone. He gave Batman his “new look” and introduced Batgirl (Detective # 359 in 1967), created Deadman in Strange Adventures #205 and was THE Adam Strange artist.<br />
AND he gave us the Silver Age of Comics. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hWrwGMWzbQM/Ubo7tmmcmxI/AAAAAAAABHA/1qysy6gH0gE/s1600/untitled1.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hWrwGMWzbQM/Ubo7tmmcmxI/AAAAAAAABHA/1qysy6gH0gE/s320/untitled1.gif" /></a><br />
<br />
After the Second World War comic book superheroes had almost entirely faded from the comic book scene. The entire Timely stable (including The Torch, Submariner and Captain America) were retired in favor of horror, western, humor and romance comics. The same was happening at DC with the exception of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. In fact the only “new” superhero to get his own book during this period was Superboy…who wasn’t really a new character at all. Just Superman, pint sized.<br />
<br />
This would change in 1956 when Julius Schwartz assigned writer Robert Kanigher and Infantino with the task of reviving the superhero genre. Schwartz had reasoned that enough time had passed that an entire new generation of comic book readers had come along who had never been exposed to the huge roster of superheroes so prevalent during the Golden Age of Comics.<br />
<br />
He was right. And he picked the perfect artist to shake the dust off of the old characters.<br />
<br />
Beginning with the October 1956 issue of Showcase (#4) Infantino began the process of reviving defunct Golden Age superheroes. He began with the Flash.<br />
<br />
He gave the character a whole new look, slicker and more modern, along with a more science fiction style back story. Barry Allen was a police Scientist who is accidently doused in a chemical bath when a stray lightning bolt strikes his lab. A stretch, maybe but a heck of a lot more plausible than the golden age origin which had Jay Garrick becoming the Flash from consuming “Hard Water’ (ice???)<br />
The fresh new look and tight story telling was an immediate hit. In short order Showcase launched the Silver Age careers of The Atom, Aquaman…and some guy called Green Lantern among others. The superhero boom was on.<br />
<br />
Over in Brave And Bold a superhero team was born…The Justice League Of America. The JLA was such a huge hit that it gave the boys over at Marvel the impetus to create their own team of super heroes…The Fantastic Four.<br />
<br />
And we all know what happened after that! The Marvel Age Of Comics was born!!!<br />
<br />
All because of a DC creator. <br />
<br />
Carmine was not done though. As an editorial director he was instrumental in bringing an entire generation of new talent into the comics industry including Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams. In 1070 Carmine landed the Legendary Jack Kirby who created the Fourth World in the pages of Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen. <br />
<br />
Infantino eventually became DC’s publisher in 1971, though he always kept his hand in the creative side including the creation of The Human Target in 1972. He would remain active into the new century and became a fan favorite at comic conventions across the country.<br />
<br />
When Infantino passed from the scene in April he left behind a legacy of joy, fun and wonder.<br />
<br />
Thanks Carmine.<br />
<br />
That’s 30!<br />
<br />
Mitch<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-24932988038716670052013-05-16T15:39:00.000-07:002013-05-16T15:39:21.514-07:00Quick HitsQuick Hits<br />
<br />
24: Live Another Day<br />
Jack is seriously BACK! It hit the internet earlier this week that 24, the iconic action adventure series that takes place in (mostly) real time is going to be revived with a 12 episode “event” series in May of 2014. I for one am PUMPED about this one. Despite plot holes you could drive a truck through no TV series before or since has offered the sort of edge of your seat “Bourne” type action that we got from 24. Kieffer Sutherland returning to his best known role as the beaten up but never beaten down Jack Bauer is must see TV! You can read the press release below.<br />
<br />
Fox Announces 24 Revival<br />
<br />
It's official: Jack's back! Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly announced on a conference call Monday that the network is bringing back action series 24, with Kiefer Sutherland reprising his role as CTU agent Jack Bauer.<br />
24: Live Another Day, which will likely premiere in May 2014 and run through the summer, according to Reilly, is being promoted as an event series and will consist of 12 episodes rather than the traditional 24.<br />
"It will go in chronological order of the day, but it'll skip hours," Reilly told reporters.<br />
When asked whether the new version could eventually morph into a full-fledged series, Reilly demurred. "It could be an annual event," he said. "There could be sequels. I don't know that they would be yearly."<br />
<br />
Since 24 went off the air in May 2010, showrunner Howard Gordon (Homeland) has been mulling a movie based on the series, which never got off the ground. "As they got into the feature film, I think they all agreed 24 being compressed into two hours is not 24," Reilly said.<br />
Aside from Sutherland reprising his role as Jack Bauer, no other casting announcements have been made.<br />
"The response to 24 is unlike anything I have ever experienced as an actor before," Sutherland said in a statement. "To have the chance to reunite with the character, Jack Bauer, is like finding a lost friend. ... Make no mistake, my goal is to knock your socks off.<br />
<br />
<br />
Trek Reviews are in!<br />
<br />
Let me just say that I can NEVER be unbiased about Star Trek. For me BAD Star Trek is way better than NO Star Trek. I’m the guy who can actually sit through annual viewings of Star Trek The Motion picture and even SPOCK’S BRAIN!<br />
But to tell the truth I was not getting swept up in the anticipation until I got hit with it in the most unlikely place…the boxing ring. I picked up the pay per view of Floyd Mayweather’s latest fight. For those of you who don’t know him, Mayweather is the pound for pound greatest active fighter on the planet). There…in the ring…on the canvas was the Star Trek : Into Darkness logo!<br />
We have arrived! Star Trek made Vegas! PPV! A Championship Fight!<br />
If that can’t get me stoked, nothing can.<br />
Early reviews seem to be mostly positive, focusing on the non-stop action and the obvious chemistry between Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine (Spock and Kirk). So it looks like the sequel to the smash hit reboot, “Star Trek” will not disappoint.<br />
Of course there HAVE been some negative reviews, notably in The Post. <br />
I bet they won’t give Kieffer bad reviews! They may be dumb but they’re not STUPID ;)<br />
<br />
DCUO is having a Crisis!<br />
<br />
The successful MMO , DC Universe Online has just released their seventh DLC (expansion) Origin Crisis. As long time readers of DC comics know, the word “crisis” means EVENT. They are big, EPIC big. And the DCUO version is no different. <br />
DC Origin Crisis is focused on a battle between Future Lex Luthor and future Batman across time with each character attempting to make changes to the time line that will greatly effect reality….well DC reality anyway.<br />
Want to see an Evil Superman team up with Luthor? How about Bruce Wayne as Lex’s protégé? As a villain (yes you can eb a villain in DCUO) how do you stop changes to the time line that make Lex….GOOD???!!!<br />
The new story line plays out in solo missions, four man operations and back breaking eight person raids. This is high end content but have no fear. New players to the game can quickly level up to this content by playing through the tier 1 through tier four raids and alerts. <br />
<br />
PLUS DCUO is free to play!<br />
<br />
DCUO is available on the PC and PS3. <br />
<br />
So what are you waiting for??!! <br />
<br />
Fair warning though. This game is seriously addictive and fun!<br />
<br />
That’s 30!<br />
<br />
Mitch<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-82311129309627350872013-05-02T14:19:00.001-07:002013-05-02T14:19:43.556-07:00Remembering RFK“My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it. Those of us who loved him and who take him to his rest today, pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others will some day come to pass for all the world. As he said many times, in many parts of this nation, to those he touched and who sought to touch him: 'Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not”<br />
<br />
Ted Kennedy’s Eulogy for his brother Robert F. Kennedy<br />
<br />
I gave some thought about not addressing the final issue of Before Watchmen - The Comedian. Anyone who has spoken to me over the years knows that I advocate artists taking chances and trying new things. Creators who play it too safe are generally not too interesting to me.<br />
<br />
Having said that, Brian Azzaerello’s trivializing of the RFK assassination is not, in my opinion an artist taking chances. It is a cheap attempt to shock. It is in bad taste. <br />
<br />
Robert Kennedy was perhaps more than any of his contemporaries a symbol of hope and promise to the generation that grew up in the 1960’s…my generation. Perhaps Mr. Azzarello thinks we have all died off or no longer read comics. Perhaps being only about six years old at the time, Brian is somewhat indifferent to Bobby’s meaning to so many people not a hell of a lot older.<br />
<br />
Regardless of his motivation, it was a misstep on the part of a very gifted writer.<br />
<br />
He portrays Bobby as corrupt and disloyal and uses his death as a plot device. <br />
<br />
Not only was that in bad taste. It was a disservice to the character of the comedian. FAR too predictable. I had in fact guessed that he would be RFK’s assassin by issue #3.<br />
<br />
Am I angry about this? You bet. <br />
<br />
Just a few things Brian forgot to mention about Bobby...<br />
<br />
Bobby was an outspoken pioneer for Civil Rights.<br />
<br />
Bobby was one of the first politicians to devote himself to ending the war in Viet Nam.<br />
<br />
Bobby was THE driving force in the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis and almost singlehandedly averted a nuclear war with the Soviet Union.<br />
<br />
<br />
He died too young, leaving behind family who may be aware of how shabbily he was treated by Mr. Azzarello.<br />
Bobby deserved better.<br />
<br />
That’s 30<br />
<br />
Mitch<br />
<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-38954039928882514762013-04-11T19:42:00.001-07:002013-04-11T19:42:54.000-07:00The FIRST Superman!There have been many actors who have had the daunting task of portraying Superman since the iconic superhero first hit the stands in 1938. <br />
<br />
Certainly no one has clocked more hours as The Man of Steel than Bud Collyer who portrayed Superman over 2000 times on the 1940’s radio program broadcast over the Mutual Network.<br />
<br />
Kirk Alyn brought Superman to life in two very popular Columbia movie serials Superman (1948) and Atom Man Vs. Superman (1950)<br />
The best known Superman for MY generation was none other than George Reeves who carried the torch for 104 episodes on Adventures OF Superman (1951-1958)<br />
<br />
In 1966 there was Bob Holiday cavorting across the Broadway stage in the campy musical “It’s A Bird, it’s A Plane, It’s Superman”. The show was later made into a one night Late night special with David Wilson in the Role.<br />
<br />
Perhaps the most familiar of ALL the Supermen is Christopher Reeve who created a standard for the Last Son OF Krypton that has yet to be equaled. Chris carried Superman through four feature films. One might EVEN say FIVE because Brandon Routh was nothing if not channeling Supes in Superman Returns.<br />
<br />
Superboy was played at various times by John Haymes Newton, Gerard Christopher and Johnny Rockwell (in an unsold Superboy pilot).<br />
Tom Welling enjoyed TEN years on television creating the most realistic and well developed Superman on Smallville.<br />
…And in June we are set to see Henry Cavill in the new Blockbuster “The Man Of Steel”<br />
<br />
But who was FIRST? <br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rX6bO9Hlzek/UWd0S9UCHbI/AAAAAAAABFs/zWoRtKqXUT8/s1600/one.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rX6bO9Hlzek/UWd0S9UCHbI/AAAAAAAABFs/zWoRtKqXUT8/s320/one.gif" /></a><br />
<br />
Who first donned the tights, jutted out his chest and thrilled children as the embodiment of Superman?<br />
None of the above!<br />
Superman was first brought to life by Ray Middleton, a well known character actor who’s career spanned four decades.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o-K5kSCAAPI/UWd0eNrCzyI/AAAAAAAABF0/G77h07c8d80/s1600/two.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o-K5kSCAAPI/UWd0eNrCzyI/AAAAAAAABF0/G77h07c8d80/s320/two.gif" /></a><br />
<br />
Middleton was hired to play Superman at the 1939 World’s Fair right here in New York. It may be easy to forget today but back in the late thrities the country was going through a full blown case of SUPERMANIA! The World’s Fair decided to capitalize on the new hero’s popularity by staging a “Superman Day” and tapped the square jawed Middleton for the role. He did this on July 3, 1940 soe even though the radio program made it’s debut in February 1940, Middleton is the first actor to play Superman in public in COSTUME.<br />
Middelton appeared on Broadway in the original cast of Annie Get Your gun and Man of La Mancha. He was a guest on a wide variety of TV Shows including Ed Sullivan and MASH.<br />
<br />
He passed away in 1984 at the age of 77. Middleton was certainly never a star. Just one of thousands of hard working actors who continue to carve out a career in a very tough field. But for a brief time, he was Superman! His place in the pantheon of actors who have given life to the Man Of Steel remains forever assured.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
That’s 30!<br />
<br />
Mitch<br />
<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-32929751470452045282013-03-14T10:40:00.004-07:002013-03-14T10:40:42.609-07:00Broken BatTo understand Batman as a character it is essential to grasp the fact that as a person Bruce Wayne is broken. His sanity is held together by force of will alone.<br />
<br />
As a child he witnessed the graphic murder of his parents. The trauma of this event was so powerful that Bruce began , as a little boy, the single minded pursuit of avenging his parent’s death. He dedicated, and continues to dedicate his entire life towards this reckoning. It is not a reckoning with any individual. It is a reckoning with death itself. <br />
Batman is at war with death. Always has been. Always will be. He KNOWS he is going to lose this battle. There is no way anyone could win it. <br />
<br />
But he never wavers…never falters…never quits…and NEVER loses sight of the mission.<br />
“No one dies on MY watch” is Batman’s mission statement.<br />
<br />
That single mindedness is what saves him from insanity…it saved him from becoming the Punisher. Where Frank Castle seeks REVENGE, Batman seeks to AVENGE.<br />
<br />
It saved him…it is also why he is broken.<br />
<br />
Batman does some pretty INSANE things after all. He has no special powers and yet he dresses up like a bat, jumps off of buildings and hurls himself into battle night after night with the very worst psychopaths in Gotham.<br />
It is also clearly insane to take children into his extremely dangerous battle, KNOWING that they could die. He knew it with Dick, with Jason and with Tim. <br />
<br />
But the mission always comes first with Batman, so he did it anyway.<br />
<br />
Damian, died as Robin.<br />
<br />
Of course there was a difference with Damian. The boy was Bruce’s son. <br />
<br />
I know Jason died as well …and came back. Dick and Tim survived to become heroes apart from the shadow of the bat.<br />
But Damian was Bruce’s SON. <br />
<br />
This is a trauma that must by it’s very nature be even more impactful than the death of his parents. Any parent I have ever known has a nightmare. It tickles the back of our minds. It is a constant whisper. We learn to live with it because we have to. It is the nightmare that someday , SOMETHING will happen to our children. An accident, an illness or a crime of violence. Something we cannot protect them from.<br />
<br />
When a parent loses a child to death there is no word to describe how they feel. “Grief” does not even begin to describe it. Even the shadow of that emotion from the nightmare is almost crippling in the moment that we feel it.<br />
Imagine how this must effect Bruce. As Batman, HE lead Damian down the path that ultimately culminated in the boy’s death. As a parent, how Bruce deals with this will drive the character for some time to come.<br />
<br />
It is also a great opportunity for creators to take Batman down entirely new paths.<br />
<br />
<br />
Will he bottom out? Will he quit? Will he rededicate himself?<br />
Probably all three.<br />
<br />
Will he finally come to the realization that there should NEVER be a Robin? Never again be a child in his life that he leads into danger?<br />
<br />
Probably not.<br />
<br />
It is often said, “Batman needs a Robin”<br />
<br />
This is never really explained, just accepted.<br />
<br />
Here is why Batman needs a Robin. Robin anchors Batman to life. Bruce has no ability to function as a balanced human being. Unlike Clark Kent who has friends, family and a love life, Bruce is almost completely isolated himself.<br />
The only people he has true interaction with ate those he USES to assist the Batman’s agenda. All but TWO have proven to be disposable relationships.<br />
<br />
The only two indispensible, irreplaceable people in his life are Alfred…and The Joker. BOTH are essential to Batman.<br />
Alfred is the perfect assistant. A detective in his own right, field medic and man Friday. He is also completely devoted not only to Bruce Wayne but BATMAN’S MISSION.<br />
<br />
The Joker defines the REASON for Batman. He is Batman’s polar opposite and reminds Batman as no other adversary does of the NEED for the Dark Knight.<br />
<br />
It is also why Batman continues to allow the Joker to live. On some deep level “Batman also needs a Joker.”<br />
Like I said, Batman is broken. He is going to need a Robin, and pretty soon.<br />
<br />
What makes him a HERO is his ability to continue on DESPITE being broken. Bruce has gone to very dark places but he has never fallen down the hole that Frank Castle was happy to JUMP into. <br />
<br />
Castle quit. Revenge is the act of a coward and The Punisher is nothing if not a coward. He is certainly no hero.<br />
Bruce does not know HOW to quit. He looked into the abyss and the abyss blinked. <br />
<br />
He is after all The Batman. A hero.<br />
<br />
Make no mistake, this is the single worst blow Batman has ever suffered. I believe that Batman’s creative team recognizes this and will use this as a jumping off point to really examine the nature of The Bat for some time to come.<br />
<br />
I’m looking forward to it.<br />
<br />
That’s 30!<br />
Mitch<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2474878015450867767.post-35850683862445250162013-03-07T14:30:00.000-08:002013-03-07T14:30:00.473-08:00By “George”, It’s Been 50 Years!<br />
To be perfectly honest the only time my birthday enters my mind is when I turn the calendar to March. When I flipped my Marvel Comics 2013 wall calendar a few days ago, right after making note that this month is The Hulk, I realized that my 56th birthday hits on the 16th. Of course I ALREADY knew this, I just choose to ignore it most of the time. <br />
<br />
But THIS birthday coincides with an anniversary that I DO want to reflect on. 2013 marks my 50th year as a comic collector!<br />
<br />
And it all started with George. <br />
<br />
When you visit my office…IF you visit my office the first thing you might notice (after you step over three years worth of paperwork, coffee cups and news papers) is a framed charcoal picture of MY generation’s Superman on the wall.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hkHiv9FuTWM/UTkUPxwmSsI/AAAAAAAABFU/7rjyF8DFpn0/s1600/one.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hkHiv9FuTWM/UTkUPxwmSsI/AAAAAAAABFU/7rjyF8DFpn0/s320/one.gif" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
And then there is this…<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nC-oBlh4ToQ/UTkUYZgDPtI/AAAAAAAABFc/y5s6uDBV4_I/s1600/two.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nC-oBlh4ToQ/UTkUYZgDPtI/AAAAAAAABFc/y5s6uDBV4_I/s320/two.gif" /></a><br />
<br />
Detect a theme?<br />
<br />
How does a grown man (obviously well spoken, educated, erudite and of course modest to a fault) surround himself with images and statues of comic book figures? The very stuff of Saturday kiddie cartoon shows? <br />
<br />
Blame George. Yup, George Reeves…actor…singer…raconteur , known to one and all as “Honest George The People’s Friend”…Superman. <br />
As a VERY young boy…maybe as young as three years old my first exposure to the world of comics was The Adventures Of Superman which was on TV pretty much every day. Family lore holds that I was absolutely obsessed with all things Superman almost from the moment I could WATCH TV. In fact I drove my mom and dad SO crazy that Mom made me a homemade Superman costume using some red and blue pajamas and crepe paper and my DAD brought me my first comic BOOK when I was six. As long time readers of my column know that was a used copy of Superman Annual #1 (which I still have!)<br />
<br />
In fact my first FIGHT was with a kid who had the NERVE to tell me that The Man of Steel was not REAL! What a fight! What a battle! It was epic! It left my Superman togs in tatters! I fought with grim determination. Never giving an inch. But in the end she was too tough for me. Weird Margaret beat me down but I still held fast to my belief in Superman. (Weird Margaret would make up for this transgression a decade later when we were 16 however by through another form of physical “combat” if you will. She was still weird but by then much more cuddly!) <br />
<br />
THAT was 50 years ago and to this day I have never stopped reading , collecting, talking about , buying and selling comic books. Oh my interest has waxed and waned once or twice (most noticeably when I figured out that girls were not some weird alien life form but individuals that had certain advantages over your average comic book) but I have never stopped reading altogether. <br />
How could this be? Aren’t comics for kids? Didn’t I outgrow them?<br />
<br />
Well here’s the thing. Comics and I grew up together.<br />
<br />
Back when I first started my comic odyssey stories were geared to the 6-10 year old set. They were short, simple and creative. The “villains” were either inept or not really all that evil. They TALKED about killing the hero but never actually did it. Those books exposed young readers to a very basic form of science fiction and fantasy AND to the heroic concept that reaches all the way back to Homer’s epic poems The Illyad and The Odyessy.<br />
<br />
This was the height of the Silver Age of comics. And I was a boy growing towards adolescence right in it’s heyday. Batman and The Merry Marching Marvel Society were on TV. “It’s A Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman!” was on Broadway. And REAL LIFE heroes named Glenn, Sheppard, Grissom and Armstrong were blazing a trail to the Moon. <br />
<br />
It was a great time for little boys to grow up!<br />
<br />
But change was in the air almost to the day that I began reading Comics. JFK was killed in Dallas…and then Bobby and Martin. We became embroiled in Viet Nam and had a President resign in disgrace. I was growing up during these years. Simple stories and kiddie heroes were beginning to lose their hold on me. I was about to quit.<br />
<br />
Then a funny thing happened. As I reached adolescence and young adulthood, so did comics.<br />
<br />
A visionary young creative team, Neil Adams and Denny O’Neill would reinvent Green Lantern and Green Arrow and address all of the issues that were important to me. For two years they would guide the Emerald Heroes and talk about drug use, war, over population, sex, cults and racism. Batman was returned to his roots as a dark avenger, Spiderman’s best friend had a drug habit, the Comics Code Authority lost it’s teeth…<br />
<br />
and Gwen Stacy died. <br />
<br />
Suddenly comics were not so much for kids anymore. As I entered adulthood, comics entered the Bronze Age.<br />
<br />
I was hooked once again<br />
<br />
Horror and Science Fiction would dominate the Bronze Age landscape with the likes of “Tomb Of Dracula”, Werewolf By Night”, “Ghost Rider” and “Swamp Thing”. Killraven was leading a revolution against the Martian invaders in a dystopian future. Captain America was dealing with a crisis of faith that would lead him to drop his mantle and take on the identity of Nomad before returning as the defender of the American IDEAL. The new X-Men swept the comic book world…The Punisher made his debut….<br />
And then there was Wolverine. Logan, a hero who also killed. We KNEW Punisher was a few cards short of a deck but Logan was always a hero…and yet he killed. <br />
<br />
Compelling stuff.<br />
<br />
1978 brought “Superman The Movie” and a wonderful new Man of Steel, Christopher Reeve. A new Superman was there as I was finally leaving my teens and entering manhood.<br />
<br />
This happened to coincide with my first real love entering my life. One of the first things we did was see this movie. She belted me in the arm and wanted to know why *I* couldn’t fly her around Metropolis like that guy in the cape. I finally knew how CLARK felt all those years!<br />
<br />
But as far as I was concerned, every time I looked at her I WAS flying. However, like most first loves, she eventually moved on. But Superman stayed, so did comic books.<br />
<br />
But…I was nearing 30 by 1985 and the realities of life were making comics seem a bit trivial again. What had been cutting edge a few years earlier was just formulaic now. I was on my way out again…then a funny thing happened…<br />
<br />
Frank Miller meets Daredevil and THEN he meets Batman.<br />
<br />
Almost at the same time “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns” and “The Watchmen” usher in the Modern Age of Comics.<br />
<br />
New themes are explored and more importantly new ways of telling stories. The Graphic Novel opens up a whole new platform for creating comics. Books like Maus , Road To Perdition and From Hell all made use of this broad new pallet by collecting comic series into a single volume or even creating whole new stories AS graphic novels. <br />
<br />
Gaiman’s Sandman was almost too beautiful to describe and raised the art form to another level…<br />
<br />
Comics had become literature.<br />
<br />
The Modern Age continues to expand the storytelling pallet. New genres are opening and established genres being rebooted. There are Digital comic and motion comics. There has been a WAVE of Superhero movie.<br />
<br />
Smallville and Arrow and Walking Dead have all been hit TV shows.<br />
<br />
Oh and guess what? SUPERMAN is coming back to a theater near you!<br />
<br />
I’m 56…but I’m also 6 and still looking forward to new comics every Wednesday!<br />
<br />
Comics have grown up. Happily, they are STILL growing up…evolving and learning and staying young.<br />
<br />
Just like me.<br />
<br />
That’s 30!<br />
<br />
Mitch<br />
<br />
Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14878471249628743924noreply@blogger.com0