Welcome to the weekend...ABOUT DAMN TIME, too!
And we'll tackle some of that in a minute, but first...the weather.
Today will find the Hoosierland with mostly sunny skies, and another slight warm-up, with highs nearing 80 degrees (traditional summer is back...blech!)
Still, not a bad day to get out and "blow the stink off" as Dad used to say...LOL.
So, get yourselves a heaping cup of that favorite drink of the morning, and we'll set off and see what's been on my mind.
*** First out of the starting gate today...some thoughts on recent superhero comics and the "direction" the publishers are taking.
((...RECORD-SCRATCH...))
A FEMALE THOR???
A BLACK CAPTAIN AMERICA???
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| Seriously??? |
Here's a story link that spells out the STUPID real well:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20140718/ENT/140719437/0/SEARCH
And here's the *4-1-1* on the "new" Cap:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20140718/ENT10/140719438/0/SEARCH
There is this "trend" to making comics (aka FANTASY) more like a reflection of what's going on today all around us...
((...ahem...))
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| THAT'S more like it... |
So, WHAT would anyone with half a functioning brain cell (left) even think of melding REALITY with FANTASY?
Fantasy is what people utilize as a pause... to ESCAPE REALITY...NOT to have it stuck back in their damn face.
That's like blurring the lines between rich and poor...don't see THAT happening, do you?
I see the solution to this whole comic book PCBS...get your OWN "special" superheroes... CREATE them, rather than muck about with the CLASSIC ones, and destroy whatever vestige we remember as youth.forever.I mean, that's what the WATCHMEN was all about..broke "tradition" in many ways, or is that TOO HARD for Marvel to figure out?
They used to do the "alternative universe" thing a lot, too. Remember the black Spidey outfit that became VENOM?
Keep these "new" superheroes THERE...where they belong.
What about a black Captain America in a world where the BLACKS are the majority and WHITES are those who fought in the civil rights movement? Good idea, huh?
Already been done to some extent...check out the flick WHITE MAN'S BURDEN (John Travolta, Harry Belafonte - 1995).
You know, THIS is why I no longer collect comics...or what they even call "graphic novels". It's too ridiculous..and all those MULTIPLE titles doesn't help.
I guess my Frank Miller Batman series was the last gasp for me...along with the "death of Superman" with all the others that came along to take his place for a year or so.
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| Best of the "bunch". |
They also tried a red-haired tough-ass...again, not as good as HAL JORDAN.
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| There can only be ONE. |
Personally, I don't think DISNEY would want to take such chances with Marvel, who they purchased a few years back...doesn't fit THEIR business model.
And, according to mythology...THOR was always a MALE...just like his (all) Father, ODIN.
I say to Marvel....count the days before all this goes south on you...you earned it.
Of course, this could be a ruse to raise sales, but things can always backfire...even with the best of intentions.
As far as I'm concerned....MY CAPTAIN AMERICA will always be STEVE ROGERS, and MY THOR will always be MALE.
(and SUPERGIRL, WONDER WOMAN, and BATGIRL will remain women...simple, huh?)
Moving on...
*** The recent murder of a Jersey City rookie officer by a street thug who also lost his life (some justice to the officer's family), and all the fallout that the local news station took because of them forcing out the reporter who covered the story bears scrutiny for a lot of reasons.
-- You have to realize the reporter was speaking the TRUTH about a major reason WHY blacks in bad neighborhoods have this tendency towards criminal and violent behavior. I've seen the SAME thing in Philly, Camden, Newark, Wilmington, Columbus, OH, and yes, even in our fair Summit City of Fort Wayne.
The "nature of the beast" rarely changes...only the names of the places and the perps are different.
-- You also have a premeditated MURDER of an officer in his cruiser...not unlike the Abu Jamal slaying of PPD officer Danny Faulkner (back in 1981)...or the ambush of officers in a stairwell of a southern California apartment house.
And there has been (for quite some time) this "attitude" displayed by blacks (young males in particular) to thumb their nose at ANY authority, and yes, that most certainly INCLUDES THE POLICE.
These people have prejudged the police as someone NOT there to help them, but rather to impede them in life.
This goes to show the lack of education in such matters, doesn't it?
What happens in many areas, is that the police become ineffective when solving crimes (they just get lucky).
That sends a message that "they don't care" and the low-information citizens don't know better, so they take it as a free pass to do whatever the hell they want...whenever they want to do it.
And we ALL know where that leads...
It can easily culminate in the murder of a police officer.
By then, the (societal) genie has been let out of the bottle, and law enforcement will find it damn near impossible to get that genie back in.
It all become so much "damage-control"...just look at Chicago.
Police are all but overwhelmed by street thugs, and it's spreading to smaller cities.
And officers will be targeted...in Jersey City there has been a "vendetta" of sorts leveled against the LEOs there...revenge for them killing their compadre - a COP KILLER. How mis-f$cking-placed is THAT thinking?
Sure is not the world many of us grew up in...no matter what color our skin happens to be.
*** Last back to the barn...people have too many choices...there I said it.
All the choices we have for damn near everything we can imagine isn't helping us all that much.
People tend to carry things over from one aspect of life to another...another choice.
They...do...not.
It's real simple...GOOD or BAD...choice of only TWO ways to go.
Easy sign post to spot along the road to life.
But, too many run the intersection, never looking where they're going...hence the problems they encounter AS WELL AS create for themselves.
When mistakes are made generationally, and no attempt to remedy the situation is forthcoming, you wind up with what we have in our cities.
And when people cannot police THEMSELVES, then we have to externally POLICE THEM instead.
Just because THEY were raised to hate police doesn't mean that the LEOs will shy away...they took the oath, pit on the shield, and do what others dare not DAILY...to protect and serve.
Such authority is placed in their hands because some people need it, and should have gotten it from little on up.
Such choices become easy, the more you do them.
Have yourselves a great weekend.
Stay SAFE out there, America.
4 comments:
Okay, two subjects, no waiting!
First... It really disappoints me to see Marvel going the DC route. I also gave them up a while back (not long enough back to miss out on some truly HORRIBLE writing)but have kept a half-eye cocked at what's going on. I do not understand the mentality of change every time a book's sales go down a couple ticks... I do not understand changing the pillars of your business for some "diversity"... I do not understand bringing back the hallowed dead (AKA Barry Allen) just so you can reboot your whole line when all you really wanted to do is to take Lois Lane and "the American way" out of Superman and take a golden age character (Alan Scott) and make him gay. If gays want superheroes, give 'em one, don't take a guy that's been married fifty years and bring him out of the phone booth. In closing, Stan Jack and Roy had more talent in their sleep than both companies do now combined. Whatta buncha PC hacks.
Second, While I am glad to see the rumors of major retribution by the Bloods was "unsubstantiated", I am sorry to hear that an LEO is getting taken to the woodshed for trying to warn his brothers via social media.
Chris:
Seems the comment is working so far...if you want to say more...go right ahead.
Totally agree, esp. w/ Alan Scott.
Comic nooks have ALWAYS gone through ups & downs in readership and sales...part of the "game".
And back in those days, the classic characters remained tried and true.
Again, we see "diversity for DIVERSITY SAKE" - or change for change sake as I like to say)...not gonna work for me.
Kirby STILL has more talent and creativity than most other comic editors/authors have...and he's been passed away for a while.
I was hoping those rumors of revenge were just that...but NEVER take your eyes off of such thugs.
I'll be they are dancing this back to keep police backlash to a minimum.
Sadly, even police departments don't like those who may even ATTEMPT to "rock the boat"...
Bet his fellow officers felt differently.
If anything, give the officer and "A" for EFFORT...wanting to keep his part of the thin blue line from getting ANY thinner.
Thanks for stopping by to comment.
Much appreciated.
Have a good weekend & stay safe up there, brother.
Yes, I saw reports on what the comic folks were changing as well and had to laugh. I have always liked the Flash, but they will likely revise his character into a young hermaphrodite from a progressive family or something.
And, the choices sure do become easy the more they are done. Hope your weekend was a good one.
Slamdunk:
A "progressive" hirsute FLASH?
(heaven forbid...lol)
Yep, learning to make GOOD (or less bad) choices are like riding a bike...shaky at first, but with PRACTICE, it becomes second nature. I agree.
(and lived that adventure...LOL)
Thanks for stopping by and commenting today.
Stay safe out there.
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