tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48642103560492621872024-03-05T22:46:59.613+00:00Last of the Famous International FanboysLast of the Famous International Fanboys
Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-22504232110955848433000-09-03T04:30:00.016+01:002023-01-15T00:25:09.300+00:00List of articles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This my personal blog where I occasionally write about the things that interest me, mostly comics, TV, and film, but occasionally science too. My professional website can be found at <a href="http://www.paulgcornish.co.uk/">paulgcornish.weebly.com</a>.<div>
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<b><i><span>Science Communication</span></i></b><br />
<b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes.html">The Science of Obscure Superheroes</a>.</b><br />
<b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/07/were-moon-landings-faked-spoiler-no.html">Was the Moon Landing Faked? (Spoiler, no!)</a></b><br />
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<b><span><i>Superman</i></span></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2020/03/top-20-best-superman-stories.html">Top 20 Best Superman Stories</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/why-i-love-superman-movie.html">Why I love Superman The Movie</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/if-you-dont-like-zack-syders-man-of.html">Why I love Zack Snyder's Man of Steel</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/if-you-dont-like-batman-v-superman-dawn.html">Why I love Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</a></b></div><div><b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2021/03/some-thoughts-on-zack-snyders-justice.html">Some thoughts on Zack Snyder's Justice League</a><br /></b>
<b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/why-i-love-john-byrnes-man-of-steel.html">Why I love John Byrne's Man of Steel</a></b></div><div><b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-life-and-death-of-new-52-superman.html">The Life and Death of New 52 Superman</a></b></div><div><b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2016/02/has-superman-fandom-become-religion.html">Has Superman fandom become a religion?</a></b></div><div><b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2012/04/top-ten-best-superman-origins.html">Top 10 Best Superman Origins</a></b></div><div><b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2015/12/i-asked-economist-if-hed-vote-for.html">I asked an economist if he'd vote for President Superman</a></b></div>
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<b><i><span>Comics</span></i></b><br />
<b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/top-ten-best-dc-comics-characters.html">Top Ten Best DC Comics Characters</a></b></div><div><b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2018/12/top-ten-best-marvel-characters.html">Top Ten Best Marvel Characters</a><br /></b>
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<b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/top-five-best-comic-book-writers-ever.html">Top Five Best Comic Book Writers</a></b></div>
<b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/morrison-on-moore-miracleman-killing.html">Morrison on Moore: Miracleman & The Killing Joke</a></b></div><div><b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/11/how-frank-miller-ruined-dark-knight.html">How Frank Miller Ruined The Dark Knight Returns</a><br /></b>
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<b><i><span>Doctor Who</span></i></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/doctor-who-13th-doctor-change-too-far.html">Doctor Who: The 13th Doctor, a change too far?</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/doctor-who-what-if.html">What If Different Actors Had Played Doctor Who</a>?</b><br />
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<b><i><span>Other</span></i></b><br /><a href="https://paulgcornish.weebly.com/blog/september-14th-2021"><b>Why I don't listen to Morrissey anymore</b></a></div><div><b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/yr-iaith-gymraeg-fi.html">Yr Iaith Gymraeg a Fi (The Welsh Language and Me)</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/david-bowie-memories.html">David Bowie Memories</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/suffering-in-silence-article-for.html">Article about men's mental health for Depression Alliance</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span>My artwork</span></i></b></div><div><b><span><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2020/06/superman-meets-sparks.html">Superman meets Sparks</a></span></b></div><div><b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-many-deaths-of-doctor-who.html">The Many Deaths of Doctor Who</a></b></div><div><b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/07/i-failed-to-win-competition-but-look-at.html">I failed to win a competition but look at my Doctor Who art anyway</a></b></div><div><b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-best-superman-in-best-superman.html">The best Superman in the best Superman costume</a></b></div><div><b><a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/01/happy-new-year-heres-drawing-of-tom.html">Happy New Year, here's a drawing of Tom Baker</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span>Me posing with celebs</span></i></b></div><div><span><b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/06/i-met-superman.html">I met Superman</a></b></span></div><div><span><b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2015/08/i-went-to-sheffield-comic-con-2015.html">I went to Sheffield Comic Con!!! (2015 Edition)</a></b></span></div><div><span><b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2015/07/i-met-real-life-hal-jordan-barry-allen.html">I met the real life Hal Jordan & Barry Allen!</a></b></span></div><div><span><b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2014/11/i-met-ian-chesterton-steven-taylor.html">I met Ian Chesterton, Steven Taylor & Jamie McCrimmon!!!!!</a></b></span></div><div><span><b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2014/08/i-went-to-sheffield-comic-con-met-mel.html">I went to Sheffield Comic Con & met Mel Bush & two Doctor Whos!!!!!</a></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-92171249036670431272021-03-19T18:12:00.001+00:002021-03-19T18:12:54.366+00:00Some thoughts on Zack Snyder's Justice League<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDHZy1KzdIs4w8o9XanaWZI3CeqOP2P3j8oBH-4zJvceFSlBO9LGLtK25F5cbgpJmp8EOj-pLO0uzNVfmMKlHGnPSfPrQq1JnDj-50aHx_Pct592mYDuL6EW-ffmqX97jGB3BgXX4rRQ/s1920/WrBUobKWKvfrQ6vdN87LmJ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDHZy1KzdIs4w8o9XanaWZI3CeqOP2P3j8oBH-4zJvceFSlBO9LGLtK25F5cbgpJmp8EOj-pLO0uzNVfmMKlHGnPSfPrQq1JnDj-50aHx_Pct592mYDuL6EW-ffmqX97jGB3BgXX4rRQ/w400-h225/WrBUobKWKvfrQ6vdN87LmJ.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Yesterday I had the immense pleasure of watching the long awaited Zack Snyder cut of <i>Justice League</i>. I wanted to collect some of my initial thoughts about the film somewhere other than Twitter. Needless to say there are potential <b>spoilers</b> ahead, but I'll try to keep them to a minimum.</p><p><b>1. My overall impression</b></p><i>Justice Leagu</i>e is like nothing else that exists. This film is four hours of characters and events that have been permanently turned up to 11. Your mileage may understandably vary on whether that's good or bad - I think it's very, very, good.<div><br /></div><div>Snyder has thrown everything at the wall and frankly it's bonkers, but there's still a coherent story there that's told with heart. It may be heart that's filmed in slow motion with CGI butterflies landing on it, but it's still heart. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's gigantic, mythological nonsense played absolutely straight and it ends up coming across like a 12 year old superhero fan's brain plugged into a Hollywood budget. It's flawed but magnificent and I loved it.</div><div><p><b>2. The perfect medium</b></p>This film would look fantastic on the big screen, but to be honest streaming on TV is the perfect medium for it. Snyder has obviously been working on the assumption that this is his last chance to play with these characters. Ideas that seem as if they were intended for sequels that will now never happen get plenty of screen time (especially in the epilogue). These scenes have little to do with the main plot - but they work! Watching this film on your couch with the ability to take comfort breaks whenever you want turns what might seem like unnecessary flab in the cinema into entertaining diversions from the main plot.</div><div><br />It was the same with <i>Batman v Superman</i>. Watching the extended cut on Blu Ray was a far superior - and more coherent - experience to the theatrical cut. This doesn't actually speak well for Snyder as a film maker considering his entire job is to create cinematic experiences. But whether you take it as a positive or a negative, streaming on TV is his ideal medium - everything he wants to pack in to the film has room to breathe.</div><div><br /></div><div>I understand that the film is conveyed in a screen ratio designed for IMAX but I have to be honest, I never notice stuff like that. <br /><div><br /></div><div><b>3. The Flash</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Ezra Miller's performance as the Flash knocked my socks off. They're a very funny and charismatic actor, but they can also bring the emotion when they want to. </div><div><br /></div><div>During the final battle the Flash performs a super-feat and it works brilliantly, partly because the CGI is so beautiful, but mainly because of Miller. In the part of the film leading up to the feat Miller conveys the stakes beautifully by expressing fear, desperation, and frustration so effectively.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>4. Cyborg</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Ray Fisher's Cyborg is the spine of the film - at times he's carrying the entire story. Thanks to his acting and presence you're with him every step of the way, which is no mean feat considering he's the cast member who appears to be draped in the most CGI.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's a shame that Fisher seems to have been treated so poorly by the studio, as he deserves to have his own Cyborg spin-off franchise.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>5. Inevitable comparisons with the Joss Whedon version</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Pretty much everything I loved about the Whedon version of this film was filmed by Snyder - most notably the bit where Superman turns to look at Flash during the fight at the monument, and the iconic Superman shirt rip scene.</div><div><br /></div>The startling difference in quality between the Snyder cut and the Whedon version highlights how, in the past when I've said that certain films have "too much CGI", what I really meant was "the CGI is really bad in this film and it took me out of the experience". Heavily CGI'd scenes that look empty and unfinished in the Whedon version look absolutely beautiful in the Snyder cut - like painted comic book scenes that have come to life.<div><br /></div><div>I get the impression that Whedon may have been trying to ground his version somewhat by turning the interactions of the characters into something he felt the audience might identify with. But all he's done is taken material that was specifically designed to be larger than life and made it seem mundane. What Whedon produced is so robbed of the spirit in which the film was clearly intended you have to wonder how committed Whedon truly was to the project. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>6. The Knightmare (mild spoilers)</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Throughout the film, but particularly in the epilogue, we get glimpses of a nightmare future that may come to pass, where Superman is a killer working for Darkseid. The motivation for this change of character appears to be the death of Lois Lane. <div><br /></div><div>If there's one aspect of Snyder's vision of the DC Universe that I dislike it's the idea that Superman will become a villain if Lois dies. Superman is sometimes depicted as being aloof, or lonely, but he is not a character with a tenuous grasp on his humanity. He's not Marvel's Reed Richards! I just don't believe that a tragedy, however devastating it might be, would be enough to turn him into a monster. </div><div><br /></div><div>There's a hint within the film that the tragedy causes such a dramatic change in Superman because he's been infected with "anti-life". If this is the case it's conveyed far too subtly for my liking, which is strange because virtually nothing else in the film is conveyed subtly at all. </div><div><br /></div><div>The <i>Injustice </i>games, in which Superman is also turned evil by the death of Lois, are such a big factor in how the public at large see Superman that I'd hate for this to be a trope that is forever linked with the character.</div><div><br /></div><div>Besides, killing women to motivate men is cliched and frankly, gross.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>7. Let's call it a day</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Zack Snyder has indicated that he is unlikely to make any more Justice League films and despite my love for this film I think that's probably for the best. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am so very glad that this film exists, but superheroes belong to everyone.</div><div><br /></div><div>As awesome, and unique, and apparently well received as the Snyder Cut may be, DC superhero films shouldn't always be strange, wonderful, flawed masterpieces that are best enjoyed at home by people with four hours to spare. They need, and deserve to be films that practically anyone can enjoy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Marvel built up to their huge, super-long, multi-character epics and idiosyncratic TV series' with 20 or so well made and accessible crowd pleasers. I'm not saying DC films should duplicate Marvel's tone, or even their methods, but they should strive to emulate Marvel's success.<br /><br />Having said that I wouldn't trade Zack Snyder's <i>Justice League</i> for anything. There may never be another film like it, but it's so spectacularly huge in every way that there really doesn't need to be!</div></div>Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-17650727512439930822020-06-15T11:59:00.002+01:002020-06-15T11:59:59.576+01:00Superman meets Sparks<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxDBL_GVbtQBhzJQA4D1jM9COeVf7SBxPNm8IlwrNGFUMJt04mp1HDNArcrSmi7CNj32Bg1E9MTuBCpiYjGKbmTHofV-l5ojGixBC-OP1QPL5q8WLcUvOEuxwnNhfmMYTDrHMxQFLMfI/s4194/supersparks3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4194" data-original-width="2894" height="625" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxDBL_GVbtQBhzJQA4D1jM9COeVf7SBxPNm8IlwrNGFUMJt04mp1HDNArcrSmi7CNj32Bg1E9MTuBCpiYjGKbmTHofV-l5ojGixBC-OP1QPL5q8WLcUvOEuxwnNhfmMYTDrHMxQFLMfI/w431-h625/supersparks3.png" width="431" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Man of Steel meets Ron & Russell Mael, AKA Sparks. Based on the cover of <i>Action Comics</i> #279 (1961) by Curt Swan, Stan Kaye, & Ira Schnapp.<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5mYoUQ1MmOJITMGlrPEv3md8gePyBSIntBlsvsbyHlqsqKv_xyYS9Ij1kBhMaxqfLHcTKgjEvZXSTw006-amT5gDnPkRVEuT23AqYxxO0kp46GNf4KpzP59Lg2e5cn-Ili5i3RFprLY/s1459/RCO001_1469382073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1459" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5mYoUQ1MmOJITMGlrPEv3md8gePyBSIntBlsvsbyHlqsqKv_xyYS9Ij1kBhMaxqfLHcTKgjEvZXSTw006-amT5gDnPkRVEuT23AqYxxO0kp46GNf4KpzP59Lg2e5cn-Ili5i3RFprLY/s320/RCO001_1469382073.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-44997420360862766322020-03-15T19:22:00.000+00:002020-03-16T14:09:11.213+00:00Top 20 Best Superman Stories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Everybody, at some point in their life, will experience power over others in some form or another. More often than not, even if our intentions are good, we will misuse or abuse that power, sometimes without even realising it. After all, power corrupts, right? <br />
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Superman is a person who will never abuse his power over others. Superman embodies the belief that when given absolute power a man won’t be corrupted by it, but rather he’ll do everything he can to make the world a better place. It’s the belief that maybe we human beings aren’t such a bunch of scumbags after all. Superman is hope for the human race.<br />
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On top of all that he can fly and shoot lasers out of his eyes. Bullets bounce off him. He's super strong and super fast. His childhood gang live in the 31st Century and his dog has a cape. His wife is the world's greatest reporter and his best mate is Batman.<br />
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He's everybody's cool older brother and he's the greatest fictional character of all time. These are my favourite stories about him.<b><br /></b><br />
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<b>20. 'Strange Visitor' <i>Adventures of Superman</i> #46-48 (2014)</b><br />
Writer: Joe Keatinge<br />
Pencilers: Ming Doyle, Brent Schoonover, David Williams, Tulay Lotay, Jason Shawn Alexander<br />
Inkers: Ming Doyle, Brent Schoonover, David Williams, Al Gordon, Tulay Lotay, Jason Shawn Alexander<br />
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This story is short but truly epic. It spans Superman's whole life, from the 1930s to the literal end of time. It manages to examine Superman, his mission, and his relationship with the human race in a way that's as imaginative as it is moving. The multiple artists and their varying styles help to convey the richness of Superman's long and unpredictable life and the huge variety of stories that can be told with this one character. Through all of his diverse adventures however, Superman remains reassuringly consistent and steadfast in both who he is and what he does. This is emphasised by a thread that runs throughout the story about Superman's one "failure" and the amazing way he eventually overcomes it.<br />
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<b>19. 'Ex Machina' <i>Christmas with the Super-Heroes</i> #2 (1988)</b></div>
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Writer: Paul Chadwick<br />
Penciler: Paul Chadwick<br />
Inker: John Nyber</div>
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Over the years we've seen a few stories where Superman saves someone who's about to end their own life, but this one is the most well crafted of the lot. This story carries an emotional weight, but it doesn't beat the reader around the head with it. Superman doesn't offer the man the answer to all his problems. Just warmth and hope. As with Paul Chadwick's work on his own character, <i>Concrete, </i>this story is subtle, honest, and beautiful.</div>
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<b><br />18. 'The Last Days of Superman!' <i>Superman</i> #156 (1962)</b></div>
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Writer: Edmond Hamilton</div>
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Penciler: Curt Swan</div>
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Inker: George Klein</div>
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Superman is dying from an old Kryptonian virus and so he locks himself in a big fish tank and directs his friends to perform some of the super-feats that he never got around to during his life. Almost all of the fun aspects of the Superman myth are trotted out for this story, including Krypton's past, the Legion of Superheroes, Lori Lemaris, and the miniature Superman Emergency Squad from the Bottle City of Kandor. Superman's final message to the Earth, scorched into the surface of the moon for the whole world to see is lovely. And there are few images in the history of comic books more haunting, iconic, and beautiful than Curt Swan's dying, Christ-like, Superman, carried to his Fortress by a squad of tiny Super-people. </div>
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<b>17. 'Whatever Happened to The Man of Tomorrow?' </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Superman</i><b> #423/ </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Action Comics</i><b> #583 (1986)</b><br />
Writer: Alan Moore<br />
Penciler: Curt Swan<br />
Inker: George Perez</div>
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Just before John Byrne rebooted Superman in 1986, Alan Moore wrote this legendary two part tale to close the book on the character's Silver age adventures. The story depicts Superman defending himself and his friends from a final ruthless attack from all his greatest foes. The whole story has a tragic air of finality about it as Superman sees parts of his myth break away one by one like pieces of an iceberg. The fact that it's pencilled by Curt Swan, the man who defined the look of the Silver Age and Bronze Age Superman, adds to the poignancy of the whole thing. This story genuinely feels like the end of an era. Every legend needs an ending. Robin Hood was killed by a treacherous prioress, King Arthur was clobbered over the head by Mordred and Batman has Frank Miller's <i>Dark Knight Returns</i>. <i>Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow</i> is a worthy ending to the legend of Superman.</div>
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<b>16. 'For the Man Who Has Everything' <i>Superman Annual</i> #11 (1985)</b></div>
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Writer: Alan Moore<br />
Penciler: Dave Gibbons<br />
Inker: Dave Gibbons<br />
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Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman turn up at the Fortress of Solitude to celebrate Superman's birthday. Unfortunately Mongul has got there first and ensnared Superman in a Black Mercy, a parasitic plant that grants it's victims a vision of their heart's desire as it drains their life. Moore figures that Superman's heart's desire is to live as an ordinary Joe on Krypton surrounded by family. I love the idea that Superman, the perpetual outsider, the alien super-god, would just want to be a regular normal slob living in a place where he felt he truly belonged. As Superman fights the influence of the killer plant his fantasy world starts to go tits up. Superman's dad, Jor-El is depicted as a crusty old racist who is the laughing stock of Krypton ever since the planet failed to explode as he predicted. Jor-El and his clan are also pretty unpopular due to the protest movement against the Phantom Zone. Moore was probably the first writer to acknowledge that the Zone (an extra-dimensional dumping ground for criminals that was discovered by Jor-El) was pretty cruel and pretty unusual, as punishments go. This was also the first time, at least to my knowledge, that Krypton was depicted as anything other than a scientifically advanced Utopia. Another notable aspect of this story is that we get to see what happens when Superman really loses his rag and cuts loose against a foe who is his equal in strength.</div>
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<b>15. 'Kryptonite' <i>Superman Confidential</i> #1-5, 11 (2007-2008)</b><br />
Writer: Darwyn Cooke<br />
Penciler: Tim Sale<br />
Inker: Tim Sale<br />
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This is the story of Superman's first encounter with Kryptonite and so, as you might assume, it's also the story of Superman's first encounter with his own mortality. Even before the infamous, glowing rock shows up Superman suffers a harrowing near-death experience with a volcano. Darwyn Cooke and Tim Sale convey Superman's fear and panic so well that the reader is able to empathise quite easily with an invulnerable super being who's drowning in molten lava. Superman's supporting cast are served very well by this story. There are some wonderful moments between Clark and his parents, Jimmy Olsen gets a chance to shine. and Lois Lane demonstrates what makes her such an amazing investigative journalist. We also see Superman realising that while he has a duty to the world, he can't take a woman like Lois for granted. </div>
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<b>14. 'Up, Up and Away' </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Superman</i><b> #650-653, </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Action Comics</i><b> #837-840 (2006)</b><br />
Writers: Geoff Johns, Kurt Busiek<br />
Pencilers: Pete Woods, Renato Guedes<br />
Inkers: Pete Woods, Renato Guedes<br />
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Superman has lost his powers and for the past year has been enjoying life as plain old Clark Kent. But his old enemies are starting to reappear, and Lex Luthor is collecting Kryptonite! For anyone who hasn't read a lot of Superman before and would like a straightforward, fun introduction to the character and his world, this is the story for you! Superman is a powerless and very human Clark Kent for half of this tale. As a result the reader is offered a fantastic insight into who our hero really is and what really makes him so Super. The story also offers a great portrayal of Clark and Lois' relationship and a look at some of the lesser known members of Superman's rogue's gallery as well as the heavy hitters. This is also a great Luthor story, and by the end of the story you'll be left in no doubt as to what Lex really feels about the Man of Steel.<br />
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<b>13. 'Day of the Krypton Man' <i>Superman</i> #41-42, <i>The Adventures of Superman</i> #464-465, <i>Action Comics</i> #651-652 (1990)</b><br />
Writers: Dan Jurgens, Roger Stern, Jerry Ordway<br />
Pencilers: Dan Jurgens, George Perez, Kerry Gammil, Jerry Ordway<br />
Inkers: Brett Breeding, Art Thibert, Dennis Janke<br />
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This story deals with the conflict between alien and human that rages within Superman, and it does so in a hugely entertaining way. Superman falls under the influence of an ancient Kryptonian artifact called the Eradicator. Robbed of his human values he becomes isolated and cold, and Ma and Pa Kent get a real chance to shine as they try to remind their son of his humanity. Superman's inner struggle with his alien nature is mirrored in the outside world as he faces intergalactic menaces such as Lobo, Maxima, and Draaga. This story also marks a significant advancement in the relationship of Lois Lane and Clark Kent, as Clark's uncharacteristic coldness causes Lois to begin to realise just how much he means to her.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>12. 'Must There Be A Superman?' <i>Superman </i>#247 (1972)</b><br />
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Writer: Elliot S! Maggin<br />
Penciler: Curt Swan<br />
Inker: Murphy Anderson<br />
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A friend of mine once asked me, why doesn't Superman feed the starving of the world, or end all war? This was the first story to provide anything approaching an answer to such questions. Superman walks a fine line between helpful super-powered pal and scary alien invader, hell-bent on imposing his will on the world. In a way, the fact that he's so powerful is his greatest weakness. If he does too much he emasculates the human race and robs them of their drive to help each other achieve a better world. If he's always there to help them, why should they bother? In this story Superman begins to consider this for the first time, paving the way for the more sophisticated superhero stories of the subsequent decades.</div>
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<b>11. 'The Death of Superman'<i> Superman</i> #149 (1961)</b><br />
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Writer: Jerry Siegel</div>
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Penciler: Curt Swan</div>
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Inker: George Klein</div>
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This is one of the all time greatest Lex Luthor stories and also one of the most famous "imaginary" stories of the sixties. This story imagines what would happen if Luthor pretended to turn good and then zapped Superman with a Kryptonite lamp while his guard was down. For a start, this story is great because it features Luthor's Lair, which is always a treat. It's in an abandoned museum full of waxworks of Al Capone, Atilla the Hun and other famous baddies. You have to shake hands with a statue of Julius Caesar to get in. The other high point of this story is the nastiness of Superman's death. Luthor fries him slowly under the aforementioned lamp and forces Lois, Perry White and Jimmy Olsen to watch. In Luthor's own words, "He wriggled and twisted like a worm on a hook! He sweated and turned green and the last thing he ever saw was my grinning face!" It’s grim stuff, at least by the standards of sixties Superman comics, but also very entertaining.<br />
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<b>10. 'The Challenge of Terra Man' <i>Superman</i> #249 (1972)</b><br />
Writer: Cary Bates</div>
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Penciler: Curt Swan<br />
Inker: Murphy Anderson<br />
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This fantastically daft Bronze Age tale features Superman suffering from the annual birthday depression that apparently all Kryptonians must endure. As a result our melancholic Man of Steel is woefully unprepared for an attack from Terra-Man, a villainous cowboy who wields expanding, atomic bullets and killer cigar smoke. Superman is having a super freakout and his powers are behaving unpredictably. In one brilliant bit his X Ray vision is reversed and he is forced to stare in horror at his own brain! I don't know about you but Superman fighting a Super-Cowboy with Killer Cigars while he flies upside down and stares at his own brain sounds pretty entertaining to me.<br />
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<b>9. 'Superman Smashes the Klan' (2019-2020)</b><br />
Writer: Gene Luen Yang<br />
Artist: Gurihiru<br />
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Adapted from the 1946 Superman radio serial 'The Klan of the Fiery Cross', this story examines Superman as an immigrant probably more successfully than any other story in the character's history. The story unfolds through the eyes of Roberta and Tommy Lee, young Chinese American siblings in 1946 whose family is targeted by a group of hooded, racist fanatics. Alongside this we follow Superman's struggle to come to terms with the fact that he's not from this planet. Writer Gene Luen Yang draws on his experience as an Asian American son of immigrants to give this story an authentic voice. Appropriately, as Superman faces the truth about his alien origins he's never felt more human and easier to identify with. For example, Yang's description of the effects of Kryptonite on the Man of Steel is the most evocative I've read. He even describes the smell of Kryptonite, which I've never seen done before. Gurihuru's clean, clear and fun artwork helps make this an accesible tale for all ages. Also, Superman punches a load of racists, which is always brilliant. </div>
<b><br /></b><b>8. 'Unconventional Warfare/ That Healing Touch/ Ruin Revealed' <i>The</i> <i>Adventures of Superman #</i>625-648 (2004-2005)</b><br />
Writer: Greg Rucka<br />
Penciler: Various<br />
Inker: Various<br />
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During Greg Rucka's run on <i>The</i> <i>Adventures of Superman, </i>our hero is forced to ask himself some pretty hard questions. Lois Lane is shot while reporting in the Middle East and the consequences of rescuing her forces Superman to confront the influence his very presence has on human history. Clark and Lois wonder whether to start a family or not and Mr Mxyzptlk gives them a glimpse of what it might be like to raise a super-child. Wonder Woman is forced to kill a foe to save Superman, and the two heroes (as well as Clark and Lois) debate whether it's ever acceptable to take a life. Throughout it all Superman is being targeted by a ruthless enemy named Ruin who knows his secrets. The brilliant thing about this run is that Rucka deals with these moral quandaries intelligently without allowing Superman to get bogged down by uncharacteristic moping or angst. Superman ultimately provides the answer to these dilemmas the only way he can, by being Superman.<br />
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<b>7. 'Superman and the Men of Steel/ Bulletproof/ At the End of Days' <i>Action Comics </i>(vol. 2) #0-18 (2011-2013)</b><br />
Writer: Grant Morrison<br />
Penciller: Rags Morales & Various<br />
Inker: Rick Bryant & Various<br />
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The mind-bending, cosmic concepts of writer Grant Morrison done in the style of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's fast paced, two-fisted 1930s Superman strips! This run is split into several different stories of the Man of Steel, including his origin, his early years in Metropolis as a champion of the oppressed, his first encounter with Brainiac, his rescue of Krypto the Super-dog from the Phantom Zone, and his battles against the Anti-Superman Army with the Legion of Superheroes. There's even a detour into a parallel universe where an African American Superman is President. But together all these tales depict an attack on Superman from the 5th dimension, fought at different points in his life from Superman's perspective but all at the same time from the perspective of his foe! At the heart of all the multi-dimensional, meta-conceptual brain melting is a Superman for whom nothing is impossible, with no time for bullies!<br />
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<b>6. 'Superman under the Red Sun' <i>Action Comics</i> #300 (1963)</b><br />
Writer: Edmond Hamilton<br />
Penciler: Al Plastino<br />
Inker: Al Plastino<br />
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This is a surprisingly grim Silver Age tale of Superman trapped in a post-apocalyptic future. Robbed of his powers, Superman takes a long walk across a dried up ocean in order to reach his Fortress and find a way home. He encounters a variety of bizarre, mutated creatures along the way and is accompanied by a robotic duplicate of his boss, Perry White. The final panel of the story features a brooding Superman looking out over Metropolis and hoping that he will never again find himself the last man on Earth. Considering most stories from this period ended with Lois Lane getting annoyed while Superman winked at the reader, this rather dark ending really stands out.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>5. 'Reign of the Supermen' </b></div>
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<b><i>Action Comics </i>#687</b></div>
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<b><i>Superman: Man of Steel</i> #22</b></div>
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<b><i>Superman</i> #78</b></div>
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<b><i>Adventures of Superman</i> #501</b></div>
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<b><i>Action Comics</i> #688</b></div>
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<b><i>Superman: Man of Steel </i>#23</b></div>
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<b><i>Superman</i> #79</b></div>
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<b><i>Adventures of Superman</i> #502</b></div>
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<b><i>Action Comics</i> #689</b></div>
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<b><i>Superman: Man of Steel</i> #24</b></div>
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<b><i>Superman </i>#80</b></div>
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<b><i>Adventures of Superman</i> #503</b></div>
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<b><i>Action Comics</i> #690</b></div>
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<b><i>Superman: Man of Steel </i>#25</b></div>
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<b><i>Superman (Volume 2)</i> #81</b></div>
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<b><i>Adventures of Superman </i>#504</b></div>
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<b><i>Action Comics</i> #691</b></div>
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<b><i>Superman: Man of Steel </i>#26</b></div>
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<b><i>Green Lantern </i>#46</b></div>
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<b><i>Superman</i> #82</b></div>
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<b><i>Adventures of Superman </i>#505 </b></div>
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<b>(1993)</b></div>
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Writers: Dan Jurgens, Louise Simonson, Roger Stern, Karl Kesel<br />
Pencilers: Dan Jurgens, Jon Bogdanove, Jackson Guice, Tom Grummett<br />
Inkers: Denis Rodier, Dennis Janke, Brett Breeding, Doug Hazlewood</div>
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While Superman's death (not the one that appears at <b>#11 </b>in this list) is the most famous Super-story of the nineties, it doesn't amount to much more than a big cross country punch up. Superman's resurrection was far more interesting. Following the death of the Man of Steel four Super-pretenders turn up. A Cyborg, a grim vigilante, a super-teen and a man in super-armour. How nineties is that!? Neither the armoured guy (Steel) nor the teen (Superboy) were really claiming to be the real deal but the other two were strong contenders. At the time I was convinced that I had figured out which of them was the real Superman. Boy, did I back the wrong horse! This was the first time I'd ever read a comic and thought "Did they just do that!?" The story gave us two strong characters that have become important parts of the DC Universe, John Henry (Steel) Irons and Conner (Superboy) Kent. This almost makes up for the fact that this story was also the first appearance of Superman's short lived nineties mullet.<br />
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<b>4. 'Exile' <i>Adventures of Superman</i> #451-456,<i> Superman</i> #28-30, Superman #32-33, <i>Action Comics Annual </i>#2, <i>Action Comics</i> #643 (1989)</b></div>
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Writers: Roger Stern, Jerry Ordway, George Perez<br />
Pencilers: Dan Jurgens, Kerry Gammil, Mike Mignola, Curt Swan, Jerry Ordway, George Perez<br />
Inkers: Brett Breeding, Art Thibert, Dennis Janke, John Statema, George Perez<br />
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Writer/artist John Byrne's <i>Supergirl Saga - </i>the story in which Superman is forced to execute General Zod and his gang - gets discussed a lot among Superman fans. Aside from the controversial ending and the introduction of a new Supergirl, the story is actually pretty subpar and forgettable. But we must thank god it exists, because '<i>Exile</i>', the story that dealt with the consequences of the <i>Supergirl Saga</i> is one of the greatest Superman stories ever. Superman is traumatised by his actions and exiles himself into space, believing himself to be a danger to the Earth. During his journey through space he avenges the deaths of an entire Earth town, teleports inside a gigantic space blob, learns the bloody history of Krypton, and fights and wins in an alien gladiatorial arena (years before a certain green, gamma-irradiated Marvel monster did the same thing), Exile is the story of a lost Man of Steel gradually remembering who he is. That realisation comes with nine defiant words: <b>"MY NAME, TYRANT, IS SUPERMAN AND I DON'T KILL!"</b></div>
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<b>3. </b><b>'Superman and the Legion of Superheroes' <i>Action Comics</i> #858-863 (2007)</b><br />
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Writer: Geoff Johns<br />
Penciler: Gary Frank<br />
Inker: Jon Sibal</div>
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Superman goes back to the 31st Century to reunite his old teenage gang, the Legion of Superheroes. While there he battles super-powered, alien-hating human supremacists. This story is very accessible, despite the fact that it draws on decades of continuity to return the Legion to their roots. The getting-the-band-back-together plot and the array of colourful characters would make this a perfect basis for a Superman movie. This story is absolutely littered with moments so cool that I literally punched the air with joy while reading them. The best thing about the tale is that Superman is without his powers for most of it but you hardly notice because he's such a badass. Towards the end a powerless Superman pushes the main baddy, Earth Man through the window of a space station in order to battle him while plummeting through the atmosphere. Balls. Of. Steel.</div>
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<b>2. 'The Man of Steel' (1986)</b><br />
Writer: John Byrne<br />
Penciler: John Byrne<br />
Inker: Dick Giordano</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>This is the story that got me, at age eleven, into Superman. I'd read Superman comics before but I'd always viewed Superman as a bit stuffy and po-faced and I had always preferred Batman. That was until I read Man of Steel. Byrne took an approach to the character that had never been done before. He made Superman a bit less powerful and a bit more vulnerable, he could no longer move planets but he could be hurt. Byrne emphasised this vulnerability by having Superman's cape get visibly torn whenever he found himself in a particularly challenging battle. This effective little artistic trend continues to this day. But Byrne did much more than make Superman physically weaker. He strengthened Superman's ties to Earth. As a man who was born in England and yet spent most of his life in the United States, <a href="http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Byrne#Superman">Byrne felt </a>that Superman would be proud of his Kryptonian roots but wouldn't constantly pine for his lost world in the way the Silver and Bronze Age versions of the character had. Byrne also figured that as Superman never wore a mask, then people would have no reason to suspect that he had a secret identity. This gave Clark Kent the freedom to shed his meek, mild mannered image and live his life without holding back his courage and charm. To Byrne, Superman was the disguise and Clark Kent was very much the real person. This made for a character that was very easy for the eleven year old me to relate to. After all, this Superman was much more human than Batman, the aloof billionaire. Byrne's very human Superman was my gateway into the wider world of the Superman myth, and it's for this reason that I've placed this story at number two.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>1. 'All Star Superman' (2005-2008)</b><br />
Writer: Grant Morrison<br />
Penciler: Frank Quitely<br />
Inker: Jamie Grant</div>
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This is it. The ultimate Superman story. It's written by Grant Morrison, one of the best writers in comics today and it features everything that's good about Superman, and I mean EVERYTHING! Despite this it's not just a greatest hits package. Every aspect of the Superman myth is taken to its next logical extreme. This is Superman Plus!<br />
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The plot revolves around a dying Superman's attempts to perform twelve Herculean super-feats before he passes away. Like <i>Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow</i> it serves as an effective and poignant ending to the legend of Superman. But it's not all doom and gloom. <i>All Star Superman </i>is fun! It features, among other things, Superman and Lois kissing on the Moon, a version of Jimmy Olsen inspired by <i><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Barley">Nathan Barley</a>, </i>an arm wrestling contest with Samson and Atlas, a bizarro duplicate of Bizarro, an infant Universe created by Superman that in turn creates him, and Lex Luthor dressing an ape called Leopold in a Superman suit.<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>What do you think? What was left out? Does anything not belong there? Leave a comment and let us know!</b></span><br />
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Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-6547340588862478552019-11-10T14:47:00.000+00:002019-11-10T22:47:01.702+00:00How Frank Miller Ruined The Dark Knight Returns<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWvD7X38j1hGGyVZkvdbgirHhVnY4NZm3FEvXBAtMPvR-njcKfmgMcyZNtPFhbj3xj69ZRweC5QlEf6pVtAk9LhD0wqtW-5EOPBVFcZ1ZEVVgNksG-fgKB1uOUjTzg1-Vcjd_PA97DTc/s1600/the-rain-on-my-chest-is-a-baptism-1501264611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1141" data-original-width="780" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWvD7X38j1hGGyVZkvdbgirHhVnY4NZm3FEvXBAtMPvR-njcKfmgMcyZNtPFhbj3xj69ZRweC5QlEf6pVtAk9LhD0wqtW-5EOPBVFcZ1ZEVVgNksG-fgKB1uOUjTzg1-Vcjd_PA97DTc/s400/the-rain-on-my-chest-is-a-baptism-1501264611.jpg" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art from The Dark Knight Returns</td></tr>
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<i>The Dark Knight Returns </i>(1986) by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley is the story of Batman coming out of retirement at the age of 55 to find a more violent world that is less tolerant of his obsessive crime-fighting mission. It is one of the most influential superhero comics ever written. Since its publication it has shaped the way the character of Batman has been depicted in print and on film. It has also contributed to a change in how the medium of comics and the genre of superheroes are generally percieved. Ask a comics fan where to start when getting into comics and there's a good chance that <i>The Dark Knight Returns</i> will be one of the recommendations you recieve.<br />
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Unfortunately DC Comics and Frank Miller have spent the decades since the publication of <i>The Dark Knight Returns</i> doing their very best to lessen the impact of this seminal and unique comic.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBnyUOMybNIkrOwAHdX4frO1WL1aU0spgh88WL-5efGhJeQH6LlzynyRviygUP_37L-85k94Q3YVk-RKvgs_pPgYrhlvGBoYfQlK0Dp1l8hgdt6WfJ4GZaOO7jOJD2PWBLWN5d2d3dUo/s1600/main-qimg-6edd685ea04ee9f6f6d751d91a3e3d5c.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="602" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBnyUOMybNIkrOwAHdX4frO1WL1aU0spgh88WL-5efGhJeQH6LlzynyRviygUP_37L-85k94Q3YVk-RKvgs_pPgYrhlvGBoYfQlK0Dp1l8hgdt6WfJ4GZaOO7jOJD2PWBLWN5d2d3dUo/s320/main-qimg-6edd685ea04ee9f6f6d751d91a3e3d5c.webp" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art from Spawn/Batman by Todd Mcfarlane</td></tr>
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Since 1986 Frank Miller has written two sequels to <i>The Dark Knight Returns</i> - <i>The Dark Knight Strikes Again </i>(2002) & <i>The Dark Knight III: The Master Race </i>(2015). Miller has also proclaimed that all of his DC Comics stories featuring Batman are set in the same fictional universe. This means that <i>Batman: Year One </i>(1987)<i>, Spawn/Batman </i>(1994)<i>, All Star Batman and Robin </i>(2005),<i> The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade </i>(2015)<i>, </i>and <i>Superman: Year One</i> (2019) all feature the same man we see coming out of retirement in <i>The Dark Knight Returns</i>.<br />
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In my opinion this robs <i>The Dark Knight Returns </i>of much of its power, and much of what I found compelling about it as a story.<br />
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In his <a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_147901526"></span>introduction to the softcover collection of <i>The Dark Knight Returns<span id="goog_147901527"></span></i></a>, Alan Moore wrote:<br />
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<i>"Beyond the imagery, themes, and essential romance of Dark Knight, Miller has also managed to shape The Batman into a true legend by introducing that element without which all true legends are incomplete and yet which for some reason hardly seems to exist in the world depicted in the average comic book, and that element is time.</i><br />
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<i>All of our best and oldest legends recognize that time passes and that people grow old and die. The legend of Robin Hood would not be complete without the final blind arrow shot to determine the site of his grave. The Norse Legends would lose much of their power were it not for the knowledge of an eventual Ragnarek, as would the story of Davy Crockett without the existence of an Alamo. In comic books, however, given the commercial fact that a given character will still have to sell to a given audience in ten years' time, these elements are missing. The characters remain in the perpetual limbo of their mid-to-late twenties, and the presence of death in their world is at best a temporary and reversible phenomenon.</i><br />
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<i>With Dark Knight, time has come to the Batman and the capstone that makes legends what they are has finally been fitted."</i><br />
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Regardless of the content or quality of the sequels, their very existence robs <i>The Dark Knight Returns</i> of its status as capstone to a legend. It becomes just another Batman story where, like his mainstream depiction, the character is immune to the passing of time and all the pathos that entails.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRaJEH9bK_olPnWnklR24TWfCyI2AcZvxgWZ5N5tpmhHCAk8cnxLeLHhJOU5qr7VZGy0V8c38rSf4XNYJzXdETtqlTrhYFxkw_FQD_gIelkuY35WN8LBnQ6mQgeeBMHex2RK1X87SrIBI/s1600/robin+hood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="193" data-original-width="359" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRaJEH9bK_olPnWnklR24TWfCyI2AcZvxgWZ5N5tpmhHCAk8cnxLeLHhJOU5qr7VZGy0V8c38rSf4XNYJzXdETtqlTrhYFxkw_FQD_gIelkuY35WN8LBnQ6mQgeeBMHex2RK1X87SrIBI/s320/robin+hood.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The death of Robin Hood, as played by Sean Connery in Robin and Marian (1976)</td></tr>
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The prequels are just as damaging to the power of <i>The Dark Knight Returns</i> as the sequels. In my view <i>The Dark Knight Returns</i> works best as an ending for the same Batman we see in mainstream, ongoing DC comics. There's a poignancy to the idea that the ever-young Batman we see triumphing heroically every month ages & becomes an obsessive brute. Likewise there's a poignancy to the idea that Superman - the god who chose to live as a man so that he might be a hero for everybody - eventually becomes a secret weapon of the US government who has distanced himself from humanity.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEijvv24GYUgssv_FCISpGQ8PS4iLoUNAzzvxVJKDK19KeGBWDgphpTtbn-WShSLaSGzvtP0v6zfgp1_Jq6UV_JFKJr7OhoPveF-Z2OGIOp7nzHrcvJZJTGAzZejngvfef50Z3JpslTWk/s1600/2fd84742f34afd16acc4f3dd88fe7661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1076" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEijvv24GYUgssv_FCISpGQ8PS4iLoUNAzzvxVJKDK19KeGBWDgphpTtbn-WShSLaSGzvtP0v6zfgp1_Jq6UV_JFKJr7OhoPveF-Z2OGIOp7nzHrcvJZJTGAzZejngvfef50Z3JpslTWk/s320/2fd84742f34afd16acc4f3dd88fe7661.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art from the Dark Knight Returns</td></tr>
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<i>The Dark Knight Returns</i> forces the reader to consider that maybe Batman & Superman have always been these things and that in a world like ours there is no way they could ever have been anything else. Maybe it's only nostalgia and naivety that made us, and the characters themselves ever believe otherwise. However, in his prequels and sequels Miller explicitly demonstrates that yes, his version of Batman has always been an obsessive brute, and yes, Superman has always been removed from humanity. If <i>The Dark Knight Returns</i> is set in the same universe as all of Miller's other stories then it just becomes another story in the saga of this particularly violent version of Batman. There is now only one way of reading this story and it's impact is diminished.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYqeMNZKy25aAwTnjddH7ikBckdyFoPlq_yC4itdGgTgwLrj1VtZ07cGxUy57evaxQe_bgVhvHr8SdAOLTUiUuLKQPw5TZSY5b-D34gcexSNQumUWbbuucopP1DSUmvdoM_GnE7AVrpGI/s1600/all-star-superman-3-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1362" data-original-width="1600" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYqeMNZKy25aAwTnjddH7ikBckdyFoPlq_yC4itdGgTgwLrj1VtZ07cGxUy57evaxQe_bgVhvHr8SdAOLTUiUuLKQPw5TZSY5b-D34gcexSNQumUWbbuucopP1DSUmvdoM_GnE7AVrpGI/s320/all-star-superman-3-5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art from Superman Year One by John Romita Jr</td></tr>
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A particularly striking example of how the prequels and sequels have undermined the original story can be seen in Miller's depiction of Dick Grayson and his relationship with Batman. In <i>The Dark Knight Returns</i>, during his first battle with the Mutant Leader, Batman reminisces fondly about going into battle with Dick Grayson as Robin by his side. He remembers how Dick had named their car the Batmobile - a "kind of name a kid would come up with" and how Dick was always "his little monkey wrench." Upon seeing the Mutant Leader Batman reflects that he and Dick "never faced anything like this". We, the reader are compelled to join in with Batman's reminiscence of a simpler time as we recall the more straightforward, less violent adventures of Batman and Robin that were still being published in the regular Batman titles during the mid-80s.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_scmVQdmMO_nvPALeSgxUagcLbqaJ9LNSw6M9umDZOKXsIJ4lzVxhZcH8q9KtAYRhMi_qFltPRih9U7TYcAFmm_dB84M8M6icJalZTSN757cPfAIqnc25rYOd1hVAGmjnzAD8AcN21xY/s1600/dkt-24.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="721" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_scmVQdmMO_nvPALeSgxUagcLbqaJ9LNSw6M9umDZOKXsIJ4lzVxhZcH8q9KtAYRhMi_qFltPRih9U7TYcAFmm_dB84M8M6icJalZTSN757cPfAIqnc25rYOd1hVAGmjnzAD8AcN21xY/s320/dkt-24.png" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art from The Dark Knight Returns</td></tr>
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Yet we (and Batman) are simultaneously confronted with the reality of bringing a child into combat as we see Carrie Kelley, the latest Robin, desperately risk her life in a literal war zone to drag a horribly wounded Batman out of the muck and away from the Mutant Leader. Awaiting us back in the Batcave is the late Jason Todd's memorial display - "a good soldier". A hint that previous Robins were perhaps far more than "monkey wrenches" and that the villains Batman faced in his youth may have been just as deadly as the Mutant Leader.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-agl0o-r4hyraIBagERaGbZsalaxLibPAcAR4qLVwivSHKHR-pjDvgdoCw-wpCLhc1Y8CKrEuLkD7_GqjOl6lVFr4bw6lmYAZV4sLIjFlCEKDUErlB65M7VtRsaCj0i_prGleYV4g0hE/s1600/l72lt3ssuy511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-agl0o-r4hyraIBagERaGbZsalaxLibPAcAR4qLVwivSHKHR-pjDvgdoCw-wpCLhc1Y8CKrEuLkD7_GqjOl6lVFr4bw6lmYAZV4sLIjFlCEKDUErlB65M7VtRsaCj0i_prGleYV4g0hE/s320/l72lt3ssuy511.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art from All Star Batman and Robin by Jim Lee</td></tr>
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However, in the prequel series <i>All Star Batman and Robin</i> we see that rather than being the laughing daredevil of our (and Batman's) memories, Robin was definitely and unambiguously an abused child drafted into a war. The Nazi dominatrix/henchperson Bruno from <i>The Dark Knight Returns </i>makes an appearance, confirming that Batman did indeed face the same kind of menace in his youth as he will do after his "return".<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpb4EtlTMsyRhp8K_pI19TvqiAgKKTXTG40X6vPgstcBc-sYgWTCLstky6UamLu_kA86R7VhasVc6_r8OsB90ojS_IX7T6r9OndDd9M5n9ejQ21uIwEvRU5e75D_y2YqsjtOP-v2451fw/s1600/miller-spiral5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="405" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpb4EtlTMsyRhp8K_pI19TvqiAgKKTXTG40X6vPgstcBc-sYgWTCLstky6UamLu_kA86R7VhasVc6_r8OsB90ojS_IX7T6r9OndDd9M5n9ejQ21uIwEvRU5e75D_y2YqsjtOP-v2451fw/s320/miller-spiral5.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art from All Star Batman and Robin by Jim Lee</td></tr>
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In <i>The Dark Knight Strikes Again</i> we see the consequences of the abuse Dick suffered. We discover that Dick was fired for "cowardice" and has become a sadistic, shape changing murderer. Any subtlety, ambiguity and poignancy that the aforementioned <i>Dark Knight Returns</i> scenes may have had is removed.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmQrsri5BXZkelMCVYbdJRvFTcFV4NpQUsAMTaQ_-gvHVgrNHuBM2iXCIoWiameYU8owertiZA4YrWQ3bfCDhrZxPWIyCINn5EF1r0IAO3vrc6q6zjZb6-tmpxRhBpeI3wHDH93dXw5Y/s1600/main-qimg-48063da839046066e462cdd5a4cddab6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="602" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmQrsri5BXZkelMCVYbdJRvFTcFV4NpQUsAMTaQ_-gvHVgrNHuBM2iXCIoWiameYU8owertiZA4YrWQ3bfCDhrZxPWIyCINn5EF1r0IAO3vrc6q6zjZb6-tmpxRhBpeI3wHDH93dXw5Y/s320/main-qimg-48063da839046066e462cdd5a4cddab6.jpeg" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art from The Dark Knight Strikes Again by Frank Miller</td></tr>
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One might argue that the prequels and sequels can be easily ignored, and this is true. However I can't help but feel that people experiencing <i>The Dark Knight Returns</i> today, in the context of its many spin offs and expanded universe, aren't experiencing its full impact. When I first read the story in the early 90s it wasn't one of many alternate "Elseworld" depictions of the Dark Knight. It was the final exclamation point to a legend that made me look at the ongoing adventures of Batman with new eyes. That is still how I choose to experience it today.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_7QEE8ciiY0Gr9wnuI1ySfMBZ2Fu8AICaztKXVb7ylTuCbBvDV7RNc_UlBg_DBxUaHcanN07kNg7uG9uc6wUWGLWo4JD3xhhPhHYC7oL8K9MBDGfN6fVJcRVWPgIFpVvAhqyVR8MHpo/s1600/nwz3ow38dg7rz1xuwnku.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="657" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_7QEE8ciiY0Gr9wnuI1ySfMBZ2Fu8AICaztKXVb7ylTuCbBvDV7RNc_UlBg_DBxUaHcanN07kNg7uG9uc6wUWGLWo4JD3xhhPhHYC7oL8K9MBDGfN6fVJcRVWPgIFpVvAhqyVR8MHpo/s400/nwz3ow38dg7rz1xuwnku.webp" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art from The Dark Knight Returns</td></tr>
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Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-219393779213621882019-07-19T18:02:00.000+01:002019-07-19T18:04:05.996+01:00I failed to win a competition but look at my Doctor Who art anyway!I recently entered a BBC Doctor Who Fan Art competition. The winner and runners-up get their art sold on t-shirts at this year's San Diego Comic Con.<br />
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Well, San Diego Comic Con is happening right now and needless to say I haven't heard anything, so I thought I'd share my designs here. Feel free to lavish me with praise in the comments and on social media to soothe my wounded ego.<br />
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I was going for a Patrick Nagel, 1980s vibe with this one.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-5cr1uoavJ9blx8uC_YAVCSI5XzBgtMEU46p0FsF5MvlxLJQtGWpICFthTm2nwFWGblxZYKF16jbpQPCscPDnXlZSE_VFwmaREWRLrO7AaO-sti9IbhJIIkpZUh5kZkzd1TVTsu_L9A/s1600/colin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-5cr1uoavJ9blx8uC_YAVCSI5XzBgtMEU46p0FsF5MvlxLJQtGWpICFthTm2nwFWGblxZYKF16jbpQPCscPDnXlZSE_VFwmaREWRLrO7AaO-sti9IbhJIIkpZUh5kZkzd1TVTsu_L9A/s400/colin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And with this one I wanted to show the softer side of the Sixth Doctor.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIO_CaT96uIZZSkTuguuvoMybfFOGnD4-GpJLe6C8nGpqIF9AsOr_XLrzYJNYzBhARU0tOzrDIkYiS-ADkWoc0QMjbCU9p2sT5hA-U_TMz3QHwLtpv4olXkYo1Aq28__gibzxrYrTvN8/s1600/Doctor+Who+T-Shirt+Competition+Paul+Cornish+Design+2.5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIO_CaT96uIZZSkTuguuvoMybfFOGnD4-GpJLe6C8nGpqIF9AsOr_XLrzYJNYzBhARU0tOzrDIkYiS-ADkWoc0QMjbCU9p2sT5hA-U_TMz3QHwLtpv4olXkYo1Aq28__gibzxrYrTvN8/s400/Doctor+Who+T-Shirt+Competition+Paul+Cornish+Design+2.5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to show the second picture to the Sixth Doctor himself, Colin Baker, last month at a convention in Birmingham. He was very kind and assured me that it "wasn't shite". He also signed it for me and it now has pride of place on my wall.<br />
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So I may not have won the competition but I did get a nice memento from a personal hero of mine, so I can't complain.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWsQgAfdFE5ARJilOsujESv0HuEBOzDezqs7xpA0IXMJkBer11BZAQmNJtlyX2_Ruo05cTzJO-vlN_L1gDu7WpZSEAxoTDQtNbChUyIDd3M-AbuSKA_phNMn0gpuXY-DytYkFe3_7sers/s1600/20190716_184832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="778" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWsQgAfdFE5ARJilOsujESv0HuEBOzDezqs7xpA0IXMJkBer11BZAQmNJtlyX2_Ruo05cTzJO-vlN_L1gDu7WpZSEAxoTDQtNbChUyIDd3M-AbuSKA_phNMn0gpuXY-DytYkFe3_7sers/s400/20190716_184832.jpg" width="193" /></a></div>
Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-69098510418033026042019-07-17T18:27:00.001+01:002021-08-22T18:22:42.667+01:00Was the Moon Landing Faked? (Spoiler: No)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfRqyyNr8bglDko6imVtuXGZJtPFX-sWOQH0Cm6jrU1VWmvOJNQnGZV63SRapQPG2ClpajFTs23x7adDcbsEOiVvCBlJ5rAfYH5F1HjhxjgwIBbHB-f-DiDslU_TgtUaCoai1obf5d7Q/s1600/apollo-11-thumbnail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1371" data-original-width="1600" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfRqyyNr8bglDko6imVtuXGZJtPFX-sWOQH0Cm6jrU1VWmvOJNQnGZV63SRapQPG2ClpajFTs23x7adDcbsEOiVvCBlJ5rAfYH5F1HjhxjgwIBbHB-f-DiDslU_TgtUaCoai1obf5d7Q/s400/apollo-11-thumbnail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Apollo programme was developed with the objective of
landing humans on the Moon and returning them safely to Earth. Apollo 11 was
the first mission to achieve this on the 20<sup>th</sup> July 1969. In total 12
people have walked on the Moon, the last being the Apollo 17 astronauts on the
14<sup>th</sup> December 1972. Thanks to the Apollo missions we have a wealth
of information from the Moon, including photos, video footage, and rock
samples.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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But what if it was all a load of rubbish? <o:p></o:p></div>
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Fifty years after the Apollo 11 mission, some people are
still arguing that NASA’s Apollo programme was an elaborate façade and that the
Moon Landings were fake. What follows is some of the more common arguments made
by conspiracy theorists and some of the reasons why I think their arguments
just don’t hold water.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">One Giant Vegas Party
for Mankind<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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One of the earliest Moon landing
conspiracy theorists was Bill Kaysing, author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">We Never Went to the Moon: America's Thirty Billion Dollar Swindle
(1976). </i>According to Kaysing, the engines of Saturn V (the rocket that got
the Apollo missions to the Moon) were “totally unreliable” so smaller, weaker
but more reliable rocket engines were stashed inside Saturn V’s engines. In
1969 the public were shown the astronauts entering the Apollo spacecraft but they
actually snuck out with a high speed elevator. The rocket blasted off and
Apollo was placed in a parking orbit. Meanwhile the astronauts were living it
up in Las Vegas with a bunch of showgirls, pausing their debauchery only
briefly so they could fake the moonwalk on a film set. They were then flown to
Hawaii where they were dropped off in the Apollo Command Module in order to get
picked up again for their heroic return. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGLf1wnEC3hLwfrLBkUhrcRTsNV8I-Q_7KjnBy2FtHju4c0Vx9iWYyI1ssZpDTCjoH4BBVqgTdwJW1an9sQsXChm5_DKrTT1YpkC5KO25Ng-yTU2o0qhQnHWQ1coqJhZhsWFe-3Rqnoo/s1600/41QW4uUDujL._SX258_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="260" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGLf1wnEC3hLwfrLBkUhrcRTsNV8I-Q_7KjnBy2FtHju4c0Vx9iWYyI1ssZpDTCjoH4BBVqgTdwJW1an9sQsXChm5_DKrTT1YpkC5KO25Ng-yTU2o0qhQnHWQ1coqJhZhsWFe-3Rqnoo/s320/41QW4uUDujL._SX258_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk14275881;"></span>
<br />
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On what authority does Kaysing make these claims? Well, from
1956-1963 he was a senior technical writer, a service analyst, a service
engineer, and a publications analyst for Rocketdyne, the company that built the
F-1 engines used on the Saturn V rocket. Sounds quite impressive. But bear in
mind that he had no knowledge of rockets or technical writing when he got the
job, only a BA in English. Still, he did say that even before 1969 he had, in
his words "a hunch, an intuition, ... a true conviction" that no one
was going to the Moon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Kaysing’s hunch was enough to inspire a long line of moon
landing conspiracy theorists. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">For the love of God
why?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why would NASA want to fake the moon landings?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are three main reasons generally
provided by conspiracy theorists.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -36pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">i)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The Space Race –<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The USA wanted to beat their Cold War Rivals, the Soviet Union to the
Moon to prove their superiority.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -36pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">ii)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->NASA funding – NASA wanted to avoid humiliation
and justify the money they’d been given and not be known as the stupid gits
that failed to deliver on JFK’s promise to put a man on the Moon before the end
of the ‘60s.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -36pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">iii)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The Vietnam War – The USA wanted to distract
America and the world from its involvement in the Vietnam War.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -36pt;">
<br /></div>
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Let’s examine these motives one by one.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -36pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">i)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->If it was a hoax Russia would have noticed and
frankly wouldn’t have been able to shut up about it. Bart Sibrel has argued "the
Soviets did not have the capability to track deep space craft until late in
1972, immediately after which, the last three Apollo missions were abruptly
cancelled." Nothing about this statement is true. The Soviet Union had
been sending unmanned spacecraft to the Moon since 1959 and had deep space
tracking facilities since 1962. Also, the cancellation of the Apollo missions
wasn’t abrupt. It had been announced in 1970, two years before the last
mission. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OROlF8zB9z0&feature=youtu.be">Bart Sibrel by the way, is the man who got punched by Buzz Aldrin while trying to get him to swear on the Bible that the Moon landings were real.</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -36pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">ii)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->If NASA had indeed wanted to avoid humiliation
and scrutiny they did a pretty crappy job of it in 1967, when the crew of
Apollo 1 were tragically killed in a flash fire on the command module launch
pad, leading to NASA’s upper management team being questioned by the Senate and
House of Representatives space oversight committees.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -36pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->iii)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span><!--[endif]-->As mentioned earlier, the Apollo missions
didn’t suddenly end as soon as the Vietnam War ended. The cancellation of the
missions was announced in 1970, and one of the main reasons for this was
because NASA’s budget had been cut to pay for the Vietnam War!<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bloody huge!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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The most compelling argument against the Moon landings being
fake is <a href="http://www.clavius.org/scale.html">what aerospace engineer Jay Windley describes as a question of scale.</a> NASA doesn’t build spaceships all by itself, it hires private companies to do
it for them. It stands to reason that all conspiracy theories asserting that no
lunar landing took place must argue that faking the lunar landing was easier
than actually accomplishing it, otherwise why bother faking it. But how easy
would faking such a thing actually be when you take into account the number of
independent contractors that would have been involved. Windley has identified three
hypothetical scenarios that would had to have occurred: the Huge Conspiracy
Scenario, the Absolute Minimum Scenario, and the Need-To-Know Scenario.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Huge Conspiracy<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In this scenario NASA did not have the necessary technology
to go to the Moon and so all the private companies who were contracted by NASA
to contribute to this technology must have been paid to do nothing. Their big
NASA contract would have been announced in order to keep their shareholders
happy and then they would have sat on their arses for a few years. All the
employees of these companies who would presumably be expecting to get cracking
on this big new job they’d just been awarded, would be urged to keep quiet.
That’s a lot of people keeping their mouth shut. At the height of the Apollo
project almost half a million people were working on it. Yet in over thirty
years, not one of these half million people has come forward with incontestable
evidence to say they were part of the conspiracy. Were they all paid off? Even
presuming half a million people could be bought off, why aren’t we seeing hundreds
of thousands of suspiciously wealthy retired engineers all over America today,
living in mansions and driving sports cars? It’s possible they could have been
threatened with retribution from a NASA ninja-death squad, but there’s no evidence
of this. And it’s amazing that there’s been no death bed confessions in the
past fifty years. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNvZV_ysrjKBBewMroejerB8LleuiE6pGaYUjh41jCnWoYF2BGD0tqyGdzpPY3fyqoOsPVJ9xWcIrHIHtw7JoxhV9gOi1NHHucBVq1UD0k9ASsbo6ZTndTBowRmYpelXosN7qH6b6kuQ/s1600/brands.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1520" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNvZV_ysrjKBBewMroejerB8LleuiE6pGaYUjh41jCnWoYF2BGD0tqyGdzpPY3fyqoOsPVJ9xWcIrHIHtw7JoxhV9gOi1NHHucBVq1UD0k9ASsbo6ZTndTBowRmYpelXosN7qH6b6kuQ/s320/brands.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Absolute Minimum</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Perhaps then only a few unscrupulous types at the top were
in on the conspiracy and most people working on the Apollo missions thought
they were working on the real thing? In that case we’d have to believe that all
the engineers employed by these private companies believed they were really
contributing to an actual lunar mission. As far as they’re concerned they’ve
been paid to solve the problems inherent in sending people to the Moon. If so,
why would they sign off on materials and devices that they knew didn’t work. If
this was the case then NASA would have been provided with a bunch of stuff for
their fake Moon mission that was actually capable of sending people to the
Moon. So, why would they still want to fake it?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Need-to-Know<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Couldn’t the truth be somewhere in between? Perhaps only the
people who really needed to know were in on it. That would logically still have
involved the managers of the private companies contracted and, given their
technical knowhow, many of the engineers. We’re still talking about a heck of a
lot of people. <br />
<br />
The problem with the idea of a Moon landing conspiracy, argues Windley, is that
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“you have to buy off enough of the work
force in order to produce convincing hardware without producing working hardware.
In short, there is no middle of this road. Either you produce real hardware, or
you have a very large conspiracy with no leaks after thirty years…. The moral:
if you want to perpetrate a hoax, don't have it catered.” <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Directed by Stanley
Kubrick<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjQsKf3sMXL5DjTkglEjOhX6hL2BkoeITZlHQQBjhfcDjUFP66SJU3Wf_uEIU98v5RqXuyTlQcLKhiJJ8HBEDpMrGEq_LESd8zNGYCOXmUIS7DX7iwNKkQIKh9q1WFf71hL8JRpHH2pc/s1600/shinning.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="806" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjQsKf3sMXL5DjTkglEjOhX6hL2BkoeITZlHQQBjhfcDjUFP66SJU3Wf_uEIU98v5RqXuyTlQcLKhiJJ8HBEDpMrGEq_LESd8zNGYCOXmUIS7DX7iwNKkQIKh9q1WFf71hL8JRpHH2pc/s320/shinning.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mary Bennett and David S. Percy have argued that many of the
people who worked on the “hoax” did in fact blow the whistle, but they did so
by subtly hiding errors in the Moon landing that were so egregious that they
would eventually unravel the whole thing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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A similar theory involving whistle blowing with hidden clues
involves filmmaker Stanley Kubrick and his 1980 film, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Shining. </i>According to this theory Stanley Kubrick filmed the
Apollo 11 landing on a film set after being chosen for this task due to the
success of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2001: A Space Odyssey</i>. In fact,
Bennett and Percy argue that Kubrick, along with Arthur C. Clarke, were
involved in the conspiracy before <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2001 </i>was
released in 1968, and that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2001 </i>was
made to manage the public's expectations of what they were to see in 1969
when the “hoax” was carried out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Apparently, the guilt proved too much for Kubrick, and in
1980 he released a film that contained his veiled confession, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Shining</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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These clues include:<span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">The fact that the little boy in the film wears
an Apollo 11 jumper, and at one point rises (like a rocket??) up from the
carpet with a pattern that apparently resembles NASA's hexagonal launching
pads.</span></li>
<li>You can see tins of Tang in the pantry at one
point and astronauts drink Tang on missions.</li>
<li>There’s a Native American tapestry on display
that looks like it has rockets on it.</li>
<li>A 2015 film claimed to show interview footage
with Kubrick from before he died where Kubrick admits he helped fake it. This
is slightly undermined however by the fact that the man in the interview is just
a bloke with a beard who looks and sounds nothing like Kubrick.</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPeCGw_j8IcGtn5EAvhkbuqULFOMvVH1CI6oIfkmZquv1DQ5VsAfnYPt8ajVbSIJFYCN8DHQnCRRZQPboUAOv664qXxh_VsPNcezMiBo_ZIZQM2h_jZNDY4P1GLK_Y8tuljRq7MI0h8IA/s1600/not+kubrik.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="1352" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPeCGw_j8IcGtn5EAvhkbuqULFOMvVH1CI6oIfkmZquv1DQ5VsAfnYPt8ajVbSIJFYCN8DHQnCRRZQPboUAOv664qXxh_VsPNcezMiBo_ZIZQM2h_jZNDY4P1GLK_Y8tuljRq7MI0h8IA/s320/not+kubrik.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Moon Robot!</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One might wonder why whistle blowers felt the need for such
subtlety, given that they were up against evidence as compelling as actual photographs.
And we’re not just talking about the photos taken by the Apollo astronauts. The
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is a NASA robotic spacecraft launched in 2009 and currently
orbiting the Moon. It has provided us with photographs of the Apollo landing
sites. For example, here’s the Apollo 11 landing site. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWafgFtm-PTFW7hfD3O0LrVhBq1pMP6pIQBl4cg7vvgYX-eq7Rdnio8ed95HWYMC_QAbwKkpWqlM0t_k_COlVJlmQlhAOW-6Pkt6Sgk_Mg8fVGOPHQJCdnLGI7RNrwnifrs5FeEusCpc/s1600/moon+photo.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="752" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWafgFtm-PTFW7hfD3O0LrVhBq1pMP6pIQBl4cg7vvgYX-eq7Rdnio8ed95HWYMC_QAbwKkpWqlM0t_k_COlVJlmQlhAOW-6Pkt6Sgk_Mg8fVGOPHQJCdnLGI7RNrwnifrs5FeEusCpc/s320/moon+photo.png" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/space-images/earth/apollo-11-from-lro.html">http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/space-images/earth/apollo-11-from-lro.html</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Don’t just take NASA’s
word for it</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Plenty of parties not involved with NASA have been able to
verify NASA’s claims. Earlier I mentioned that the Soviet Union had monitored
the Apollo missions. Other countries have also encountered evidence of the
success of Apollo.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 2008 the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) SELENE
lunar probe provided us with a three-dimensional reconstructed photo that
matched the terrain of an Apollo 15 photo taken from the surface. In 2009,
India's lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 recorded evidence of disturbed soil around
the Apollo 15 landing site and tracks of the lunar rovers. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Planetary scientists who are unaffiliated with NASA have
studied the Moon rock brought back by Apollo and confirmed their age and
origin. They have been used to identify lunar meteorites collected from
Antartica. The rocks returned by Apollo have also been found to be very close in composition
to samples returned by the independent Soviet Luna programme.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Apollo astronauts left a bunch of mirrors on the Moon called
laser ranging retro-reflectors, or LRRRs. These mirrors have been used as
targets for Earth based tracking lasers. Photons reflected back to Earth by the
LRRRs have been detected. The NASA-independent Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur,
McDonald, Apache Point, and Haleakalā observatories regularly use the Apollo
LRRR.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>So, were they fake?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When one considers what a monumental feat the Moon Landings
really were its perhaps not surprising that people have their doubts. In an era
of fake news perhaps cynicism is healthy? But sometimes people aren’t trying to
catch you out. Sometimes things aren’t too good to be true. Sometimes real life
is just cool. Occasions where real people get together and accomplish something
genuinely amazing are rare. But that’s all the more reason to celebrate them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So yes, the
human race is full of liars and cheats and people who abuse their power. But
let’s give credit where it’s due.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We made it to the Moon. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bibliography/Further
Reading<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_landing_conspiracy_theories">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_landing_conspiracy_theories</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third-party_evidence_for_Apollo_Moon_landings">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third-party_evidence_for_Apollo_Moon_landings</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://pirlwww.lpl.arizona.edu/~jscotti/NOT_faked/">http://pirlwww.lpl.arizona.edu/~jscotti/NOT_faked/</a>
(James V. Scotti, astronomer)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.clavius.org/">http://www.clavius.org/</a>
(Jay Windley, aerospace engineer)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://lightsinthedark.com/2014/05/22/no-the-moon-landings-werent-faked-and-heres-how-you-can-tell/">https://lightsinthedark.com/2014/05/22/no-the-moon-landings-werent-faked-and-heres-how-you-can-tell/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OROlF8zB9z0&feature=youtu.be">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OROlF8zB9z0&feature=youtu.be</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">David S. Percy & Mary Bennet <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">DARK MOON : Apollo and the Whistle-Blowers </b>(1999)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-27326642692857936622019-06-04T14:09:00.000+01:002019-06-04T14:09:23.270+01:00I met SUPERMAN!This weekend I went to Collectormania 26 at the NEC in Birmingham and got my picture taken with Brandon Routh AKA SUPERMAN!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's yer actual Superman that is.</td></tr>
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As you might imagine, he was really lovely. I attended his Q & A session on the Saturday and he was kind enough to answer my question. I asked him if there was any talk of creating a shared DC Comics Cinematic Universe while he was involved with Superman, and if he thinks shared cinematic universes are a good idea. He replied that he does think they're a good idea, if there are strong, well crafted relationships between the characters. He also said that there was talk of doing <i>Batman v Superman</i> after <i>Superman Returns</i> but that it wasn't a scenario he ever understood. He explained that as far as he was concerned, even if Batman got to a point where he felt that he needed to battle Superman, Superman still wouldn't let that battle happen. Routh went on to say that if he had been asked to play Superman in <i>Man of Steel</i> and <i>Batman v Superman</i> he would have either used what influence he had to change how Superman was portrayed or turned the project down.<br />
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It was a real thrill for me to meet Routh, as I'm a huge Superman fan and a massive fan of <i>Superman Returns</i>. I went to see it twice when it came out in the cinema, and embarrassingly I even wrote an indignant letter to the Guardian when a columnist slagged the film off. Thankfully the letter wasn't published. I'm also a massive fan of <i>Man of Steel</i> and <i>Batman v Superman</i>, but it was nevertheless fascinating to hear Routh's thoughts.<br />
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As well as meeting Superman I also got my picture taken with Sophie Aldred, Frazer Hines, Wendy Padbury, and Mark Strickson, who played classic Doctor Who companions Ace, Jamie, Zoe, and Turlough. I also attended their Q & A sessions, an Allo Allo cast Q & A, and I met my favourite Doctor, Colin Baker again. Colin was kind enough to sign a piece of art I made of his Doctor. He assured me it was "not shite". I won't share it here as I've entered it into a<a href="https://www.doctorwho.tv/competitions/fan-art"> BBC competition to design a t-shirt </a> but I'll post it next month as soon I know that I haven't won. I'm not too bothered about losing, as having my work proclaimed "not shite" by the Sixth Doctor is all the prize I need.<br />
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<br />Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-44885547209323302532019-05-09T19:07:00.000+01:002019-05-10T04:55:30.333+01:00How Avengers Endgame sets up the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe<b><i>SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS ENDGAME!!!!!</i></b><br />
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<i>Avengers Endgame</i> is an astounding cinematic achievement. It manages to be a coherent, satisfying film in its own right while also serving as the culmination of a number of stories that have been unfolding across 11 years and 22 films.<br />
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There's so much to love about <i>Endgame</i>, but my favourite aspect of it is the way it brings the story of Tony Stark AKA Iron Man to an end. In my opinion, this ending has come at exactly the right time, and it may even have set up the circumstances in which the next big character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe can emerge.<br />
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Tony Stark's cinematic story began in 2008 in <i>Iron Man</i>, the first film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Throughout most of the next 21 films (even some of the ones he's not in) we grew to understand the context in which Tony exists, and had the pleasure of seeing him grow and develop as a character. We saw a selfish, narcissistic playboy become a man determined to take responsibility for his actions. In a way Stark weaponised his own narcissism, as he allowed the belief that he was responsible for protecting everybody on Earth become his primary motivation. Tony's efforts to protect the world led to the creation of the menace known as Ultron, and to a personal battle with PTSD. But ultimately he was able to fulfil his mission and atone for his past mistakes by sacrificing his life to save the world. Tony was played throughout all of this by Robert Downey Jr, who gave the most considered, nuanced, entertaining, and true to the character portrayal of a superhero since Christopher Reeve's Superman.<br />
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As much as I loved watching Tony's story unfold, his end was a timely one. In 2008, Tony Stark was the right superhero at the right time - the world was ready for a capitalist superhero who had made things worse in the Middle East but felt bad about it, and was now ready to save us all with technology. But now in 2019 a new generation has started to worry about wealth inequality and we've realised that the tech bros won't save us because they're basically Nazis. A millionaire playboy became the American president and it turns out he's just a revolting old man. The white guy redemption story has been done to death in films and TV and we've all started to move on from it. Tony's story has come to an end not a moment too soon.<br />
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So where does that leave the Marvel Cinematic Universe? What's next?<br />
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There's an account on Twitter that appears to have some kind of insider access, and has had some success in predicting what will happen in Marvel films. This account has predicted that the Thunderbolts will feature heavily in the next phase.<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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Don't worry, Marvel still has big plans for Zemo, Ghost, Justin Hammer, General Ross, and the Abomimation. The Leader is being discussed to return as the main villain of Thunderbolts, which is being planned as a trilogy. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/marvelstudios?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#marvelstudios</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mcu?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#mcu</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/thunderbolts?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#thunderbolts</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/baronzemo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#baronzemo</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/avengers4?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#avengers4</a></div>
— Roger Wardell (@RogerWardell) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerWardell/status/1070465411387404289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2018</a></blockquote>
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In the comics, the Thunderbolts are usually depicted as a team of villains working as superheroes, either as part of an evil scheme, an attempt to find redemption, or because they're being forced to do so by the government. One character that has featured prominently in <i>Thunderbolts</i> comics is Spider-Man's arch-nemesis Norman Osborn AKA The Green Goblin. It's worth remembering that Osborn is a Spider-Man character and as such, Marvel may have not yet recovered the rights to him from Sony. But if they have, I feel that Tony Stark's death has created the right set of circumstances for Norman Osborn to emerge.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike Deodata</td></tr>
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The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt9L1jCKGnE">trailer for the next Marvel film, </a><i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt9L1jCKGnE">Spider-Man Far From Home</a> </i>shows us a world that has placed Tony Stark on something of a pedestal. We see candles and graffiti left in gratitude to remember Tony's sacrifice. Spider-Man himself says "the world needs the next Iron Man."<br />
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What if this is a world that is scared after what it just went through in <i>Endgame,</i> and is desperate for the next Tony Stark to come along and protect them? What if this is a world that is so scared and desperate it will embrace the first charming, billionaire genius that comes along? What if that charming, billionaire, genius is Norman Osborn? Imagine Osborn, a petty, spiteful, greedy megalomaniac, playing on people's fear, cynically taking advantage of the situation the world's in, and setting himself up in a position of power. He could be a Tony Stark for the age of Trump.<br />
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Perhaps, just as the threat of Thanos and the events of<i> Infinity War</i> were set up in previous Marvel films, <i>Far from Home </i>and the films that follow it could set up Osborn and the Thunderbolts?<br />
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We could see Marvel taking on a critique of the very concept of superheroes. Putting all your faith in individuals is a dangerous business, because in all likelihood, they're not going to be Tony Stark, or Captain America. They're going to be someone who will hold on to any power you give them and eventually use it against you. This would be a pretty radical thread for a multi-billion dollar superhero movie franchise to pull at, but it's such a fascinating and relevant theme that I can't help but think that they're going to want to explore it.<br />
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Besides, the next big bad guy isn't the only thing that Tony Stark's death sets up. The events of <i>Endgame </i>have left us with a world that has experienced forces beyond their understanding meddling with everybody's life in a pretty huge way. Half of everybody on the planet died for five years before suddenly returning. It's not enough to merely defend the Earth from these forces, as the Avengers did. The world will need somebody to explore and understand these terrifying new frontiers.<br />
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Now if only Marvel had recently reacquired the film rights to a team of super-powered explorers of the strange and fantastic......<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NyaQtGw_p7fb6GRNke3PQU6Qcq5PVa2hofVSFj4C0vFJR9ISgs8YXI_EPVHfYthS2aArgPG1YH8wbeEKkatqEhQnertkbWFSxZCp_jAkVreoUJhG9sKGrpSGWBzT7VHFos6NSRQoCmo/s1600/FANTASTIC-FOUR-1-Ross-Virgin.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1040" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NyaQtGw_p7fb6GRNke3PQU6Qcq5PVa2hofVSFj4C0vFJR9ISgs8YXI_EPVHfYthS2aArgPG1YH8wbeEKkatqEhQnertkbWFSxZCp_jAkVreoUJhG9sKGrpSGWBzT7VHFos6NSRQoCmo/s400/FANTASTIC-FOUR-1-Ross-Virgin.png" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex Ross</td></tr>
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<i>If you'd like to see me take a small part in a discussion of Avengers Endgame involving lots of clever people, head over to <a href="https://www.comicscube.com/2019/04/mcu-roundtable-avengers-endgame.html">The Comics Cube</a>!</i>Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-11984702143526977962019-03-30T00:06:00.000+00:002019-03-30T00:06:19.501+00:00The Best Superman in the Best Superman CostumeHere's a picture I did of my favourite actor to play the Man of Steel wearing my favourite Superman costume - the Grant Morrison/Rags Morales Action Comics costume.<br />
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Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-9652584519901383282019-03-15T12:12:00.000+00:002019-03-15T12:12:10.262+00:00The Science of Obscure Superheroes<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Recently I gave a talk for the <a href="https://www.britishscienceassociation.org/reading-branch" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Reading branch of the British Science Association</a> on the subject of the science of superheroes. It's a subject that's been covered a great deal elsewhere and so I wanted to approach it from a different angle. I decided to focus on the science behind some lesser known superheroes. I chose to discuss <b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">The Whizzer</a>, <a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_13.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Chunk</a>, <a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_14.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Matter Eater Lad</a></b>, and <b>the Red Bee</b>. I looked at their powers and origin stories and tried to find parallels in real world science. I've adapted my talk into a four part article. </i><br />
<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></i>
<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Here are links to all four parts, and also the "reading list" I made for attendees of the talk. </i><br />
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<a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part.html">The Science of Obscure Superheroes Part One: The Whizzer</a></h3>
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<a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_13.html">The Science of Obscure Superheroes Part Two: Chunk</a></h3>
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<a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_14.html">The Science of Obscure Superheroes Part Three: Matter Eater Lad</a></h3>
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<a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_15.html">The Science of Obscure Superheroes Part Four: The Red Bee</a></h3>
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<a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_7.html">The Science of Obscure Superheroes: Reading List</a></h3>
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<i>Here are the illustrations I created for the talk:</i></div>
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Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-33226993784713352802019-03-15T11:59:00.000+00:002019-03-19T23:36:17.653+00:00The Science of Obscure Superheroes: Reading List<i>Recently I gave a talk for the <a href="https://www.britishscienceassociation.org/reading-branch">Reading branch of the British Science Association</a> on the subject of the science of superheroes. It's a subject that's been covered a great deal elsewhere and so I wanted to approach it from a different angle. I decided to focus on the science behind some lesser known superheroes. I chose to discuss <b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part.html">The Whizzer</a>, <a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_13.html">Chunk</a>, <a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_14.html">Matter Eater Lad</a></b>, and <b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_15.html">the Red Bee</a></b>. I looked at their powers and origin stories and tried to find parallels in real world science. I also created a list of some of my favourite comics featuring these characters, alongside a list of some of my favourite, vaguely science related comics.</i><br />
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<b>Here are some comics where you’ll find some of the characters from these articles: </b><br />
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<b>Legion of Super-Heroes The Silver Age Vol. 1 <br />By Various </b></div>
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<b><br /></b>These 1950s tales feature Superboy’s first adventures with his teenage pals in the futuristic Legion of Superheroes. These stories are endearingly daft and charming, but most importantly this collection features the first appearance of Matter Eater Lad! <br />
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<b>Superman and the Legion of Superheroes <br />By Geoff Johns and Gary Frank </b></div>
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<b><br /></b>While Matter Eater Lad doesn’t appear in this comic, his pals in the Legion of Superheroes do. The lesser known heroes of the Legion of Substitute Heroes also make an appearance. Superman gets transported to the 31st Century and he must reunite his childhood friends in order to fight space Nazis!!! <br />
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<b>Animal Man Vol. 1 <br />Animal Man Vol. 2: Origin of the Species <br />Animal Man Vol. 3 Deus Ex Machina <br />By Grant Morrison and various artists </b></div>
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<b><br /></b>During Grant Morrison’s run on Animal Man in the 80s, Animal Man gave up superheroing and began to focus on animal rights activism instead. As he did so he became one of the first superheroes to realize the truth of his existence - that he is actually a comic character living in a two-dimensional world. Along the way he encounters some pretty obscure superheroes, including B’wana Beast, Merryman, and our pal the Red Bee! <br />
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<b>Avengers Epic Collection: The Final Threat <br />By Gerry Conway, Jim Shooter, and various artists </b><br />
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Marvel fun from the 1970s. The Whizzer pops up to help the Avengers fight his villainous son, Nuklo! This collection also features appearances from Doctor Doom, Ultron, and Infinity War baddie Thanos! It also features some fantastic art from comics legends George Perez, Jim Starlin, and John Byrne. <br />
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<b>Flash (1987) #9-11 <br />By Mike Baron, Jackson Guice, Mike Collins, and Larry Mahlstedt </b><br />
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The first story to feature Chunk! These comics have never been collected to my knowledge but you’re likely to find them for quite cheap on ebay or in the bargain bin of a comics shop and they’re well worth hunting around for. <br />
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<b>Flash: Rogues <br />By Geoff Johns, Scott Kolins, and Doug Hazlewood </b><br />
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Chunk gets shot in the first story in this collection, and Flash must prevent all of Keystone City from getting sucked into his old friend. Then Flash battles a bunch of villains from his extensive rogue’s gallery, including Captain Cold, Fallout, and Gorilla Grodd! <br />
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<b>Here are some science related comics you might like: </b><br />
<b><br />Concrete, Vol. 1: Depths <br />By Paul Chadwick </b><br />
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Ron Lithgow gets his brain transplanted into a giant, alien, concrete body and tries to make a life for himself as an explorer and a writer. The interesting thing about Concrete is that aside from Concrete himself and the aliens who give him his body (who are never seen again after the first issue) there are no other sci-fi aspects to this comic. The ramifications of life in a giant concrete body are explored by applying real world physics, and conveyed through some stunning art from creator Paul Chadwick. <br />
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<b>Action Comics Vol. 1: Superman and the Men of Steel <br />Action Comics Vol. 2: Bulletproof <br />Action Comics Vol. 3: At The End Of Days <br />By Grant Morrison and various artists </b><br />
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Grant Morrison combines the feel of the original 1930s Superman comics by Siegel and Shuster with his own mind bending cosmic concepts. Superman battles a menace from the fifth dimension and Morrison realizes this threat in a fascinating way. Just as a fork from our three dimensional world might “attack” a two dimensional piece of paper at several different points simultaneously, Superman is attacked at several different points in his life simultaneously by his fifth dimensional foe. <br />
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<b>Ministry of Space <br />By Warren Ellis and Chris Weston </b><br />
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The murky, real life origins of the American space programme are used as an inspiration for this alternate history, where Britain got to all the Nazi rocket scientists after World War II instead of the Yanks. <br />
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<b>Invincible Iron Man Vol. 2: World's Most Wanted Book 1 <br />Invincible Iron Man Vol. 3: World's Most Wanted Book 2 <br />By Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca </b><br />
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Iron Man has always been one of the most science-y superheroes and this is one of his very best stories. The Green Goblin has taken over SHIELD and Tony Stark is on the run. Tony uploads a computer virus into his own brain to erase all his secrets and keep them out of the Goblin’s hands. He must evade capture until the virus has done its work. But how can he stay one step ahead while he’s gradually losing his greatest weapon – his mind? <br />
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<b>Tom Strong: Book 1 <br />By Alan Moore, Chris Sprouse, Alan Gordon </b><br />
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Tom Strong inhabits a fantastic world that’s more Jules Verne than Stan Lee. He isn’t a superhero, he’s “science-hero”! Raised on a remote West Indian island by his scientist father in a high gravity chamber that made him super strong, Tom Strong was educated to genius level. He now uses his mental and physical perfection to fight such science themed foes as the Modular Man, Ingrid Weiss and her flying Nazi girls, and even an invasion from a universe where the Aztec civilization survived and became Earth’s dominant culture.<i></i></div>
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<a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part.html"><b>Click here to read part one!</b></a><br />
<b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_13.html">Click here to read part two!</a></b><br />
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<b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_14.html">Click here to read part three!</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_15.html">Click here to read part four!</a></b></div>
Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-32900130139094519122019-03-15T11:48:00.001+00:002021-01-17T17:22:04.357+00:00The Science of Obscure Superheroes Part Four: The Red Bee<i>Recently I gave a talk for the <a href="https://www.britishscienceassociation.org/reading-branch">Reading branch of the British Science Association</a> on the subject of the science of superheroes. It's a subject that's been covered a great deal elsewhere and so I wanted to approach it from a different angle. I decided to focus on the science behind some lesser known superheroes. I chose to discuss <b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part.html">The Whizzer</a>, <a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_13.html">Chunk</a>, <a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_14.html">Matter Eater Lad</a></b>, and <b>the Red Bee</b>. I looked at their powers and origin stories and tried to find parallels in real world science. I've adapted my talk into a four part article. This part is about The Red Bee. </i><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The Red Bee
first appeared in Hit Comics #1 (1940). His name is Richard Raleigh, an
assistant district attorney who decides to dress up in a puffy shirt and fight
crime using bees! Red Bee uses lots of trained bees to fight Nazis and
gangsters, but his favourite bee is called Michael. Michael lives in Red Bee’s
hollow belt buckle and will only come out for special missions. The character
starred in 24 issues of Hit Comics before fading into obscurity. He was brought
back in the pages of All Star Squadron in the early ‘80s, only to be killed off
straight away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMK9ash8hSNiK79chjiE4Wbl4UHDqv0jNnZspVFbez0wumPN1H2sVmHwV3zSjkiqJFIney722U8ByLo8zxeuvaMbls2cfO5bNeHbtrWJFb3ZrhWes2AoQnE1U6ovb-gpmk03WxEE60GW8/s1600/download+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMK9ash8hSNiK79chjiE4Wbl4UHDqv0jNnZspVFbez0wumPN1H2sVmHwV3zSjkiqJFIney722U8ByLo8zxeuvaMbls2cfO5bNeHbtrWJFb3ZrhWes2AoQnE1U6ovb-gpmk03WxEE60GW8/s1600/download+%25282%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rick Hoberg</td></tr>
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Let’s talk
about Michael. Surely bees hang about together in huge swarms and inhabit
hives - they don’t sit on their own in some bloke’s belt buckle? Well, there are in
fact certain types of bees that do prefer a solitary existence. For example,
there is a type of bee found in the UK called Osmia bicornis, or more commonly,
the red mason bee!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsSFjv5DwVLMOQRs-SYdePMnN7Ub-niYm2VnuSoJGEn1JcdlrG-Sx1JlcjHa65XeSy-b43aJsTkALb0muOKNSxA15xEX-0sX2bStKOtchDBPF-X1sQBCr_cchcs6ADloJVan_VFwjzAHs/s1600/female-263x300.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsSFjv5DwVLMOQRs-SYdePMnN7Ub-niYm2VnuSoJGEn1JcdlrG-Sx1JlcjHa65XeSy-b43aJsTkALb0muOKNSxA15xEX-0sX2bStKOtchDBPF-X1sQBCr_cchcs6ADloJVan_VFwjzAHs/s1600/female-263x300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/redmasonbee/">Steven Falk</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Red mason
bees are usually found in gardens and parks. They nest in existing holes or
cavities, such as mortar joints, window frames, or dead wood, and prefer holes
in sunny south facing locations. It’s not a massive stretch to believe that
Richard Raleigh could have tempted such a bee into his belt buckle, provided he
was thrusting his hips towards the sun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Michael is
probably a female, as male mason bees
tend to hang around the nests where they first hatched from their cocoon,
waiting to have sex, before dying soon after the deed is done. That’s very much
what the kids call a “big mood” for me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">When the
females have chosen a place to make their nest they harvest mud which they use
to seal up their nest cells, allowing their young to safely develop, keeping
them warm over winter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Red Bee’s belt
buckle would probably be full of mud. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Once
Michael has been released from her mucky belt buckle, she may be more useful in
distracting criminals than actually hurting them. Red mason bees don’t sting
unless they’re threatened. The venom in a female red mason bee’s sting is
similar to the venom of a honeybee sting, but the red mason bee sting contains
fewer barbs than that of a honeybee. This could explain why the red mason bee’s
sting does not penetrate human skin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">While
Michael wouldn’t make much of a weapon, the Red Bee’s other bees could
potentially be a tenacious foe for any criminal that crossed their path. Africanised “killer” bees from Central America
have been known to chase a person into water and then patiently wait for them
to resurface before stinging them. These bees can recognise the chemical scent
of the breath of their target as air bubbles break the surface of the water. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykGpzhl-UT7ihCucxliYHMWy_QNyl_O_3po1fhO3BlZk_Qwv4cY4VSDUC1CvTJca2aFytOdDxv8uKQanqNp9g6eUW370zu2ntQKSpf3iJl6Vdn9VmdImzjOfggj9oKJ2nTQVH0ax_Ht4/s1600/44519.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="1000" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykGpzhl-UT7ihCucxliYHMWy_QNyl_O_3po1fhO3BlZk_Qwv4cY4VSDUC1CvTJca2aFytOdDxv8uKQanqNp9g6eUW370zu2ntQKSpf3iJl6Vdn9VmdImzjOfggj9oKJ2nTQVH0ax_Ht4/s320/44519.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/24/swarm-of-bees-follow-grandmothers-car-for-over-24-hours-attempti/">The Telegraph</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Honeybees
in the UK are less aggressive but are still known to be pretty tenacious. In
2016 a grandmother from West Wales returned from her shopping to find a swarm
of over 20,000 bees covering the back of her car. She called some local
beekeepers, who were able to remove the bees and she returned home. Over 24
hours later, outside her home she found the bees had returned to the car! The
beekeepers theorised that the queen bee may have become trapped somewhere in
the car.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">So bees
could potentially be an effective weapon against anyone who provoked them, but
how could the Red Bee control them? How could he make sure the bees attacked
the gangsters and not him? Smoke can be used to make bees docile, but dopey
bees might not be much use in the war against crime. Is there an alternative? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The answer
is smells! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">A queen bee
secretes a combination of chemical scents in order to communicate with the
worker bees. The queen’s scent can help control swarming, it can inhibit the
development of ovaries in the worker bees, and it can tell the workers whether
a queen has mated or not. The queen’s scent can also give workers the cue to
gather around the queen and form her own little entourage, or retinue to look
after her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In 2007
researchers in the University of Otago found that a queen bee can manipulate worker
bee’s behaviour by releasing a pheromone that blocks aversive learning in young
bees. This means that the queen can stop her offspring from learning from bad
experiences. This is necessary because being exposed to a chemical scent that
stops you from growing ovaries can be pretty unpleasant for a worker bee. By
preventing the young bees from developing aversive memories against her odour
the queen is ensuring that they will continue to tend her. Basically, she
smells bad but she makes the other bees forget how bad she smells. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">If The Red
Bee could harness these chemical scents, perhaps he could use them to convince
a colony of bees that he was their queen! If they ever decided that they didn’t
like the life of a crime fighter, he could make them forget that decision! A
real life Red Bee would perhaps be, not a man in a domino mask and a puffy
shirt, but a stinky, insect drag queen, armed with water pistols full of bee
sweat!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">But being a
queen bee is not all it’s cracked up to be. When a queen bee gets too old to
give off the right smells they are replaced by the workers in a procedure known
as "supersedure". The workers rear a replacement queen and when the
new one is ready the workers will kill the old one in a gruesome fashion. The
workers cluster tightly around her, “balling” her until she becomes so hot she
dies. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">If the Red Bee is a man who would be queen he must ensure he never runs
out of scent, lest he is balled to death by his insect minions! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEdZ6x3thQImcu0_2e7ze4S_VginCbfzZcb1DTbHBbXF3g1ny2v4GmjHz3UXUd96kPIPbTLKf3iOc8X9Mro2F4UWfDQetFzttm2F1n9Yw-CekcYlhv_kOUasV4nZ7gFTtnRKgjRMnpkxY/s1600/bee.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1163" data-original-width="1600" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEdZ6x3thQImcu0_2e7ze4S_VginCbfzZcb1DTbHBbXF3g1ny2v4GmjHz3UXUd96kPIPbTLKf3iOc8X9Mro2F4UWfDQetFzttm2F1n9Yw-CekcYlhv_kOUasV4nZ7gFTtnRKgjRMnpkxY/s400/bee.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part.html"><b>Click here to read part one!</b></a><br />
<b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_13.html">Click here to read part two!</a></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_14.html">Click here to read part three!</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_7.html">Click here for the Reading List!</a></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">References:</span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/redmasonbee/"><span lang="EN-GB">https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/redmasonbee/</span></a><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_bee"><span lang="EN-GB">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_bee</span></a><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmia_bicornis"><span lang="EN-GB">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmia_bicornis</span></a><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://beeinformed.org/2012/12/07/queen-pheromones/"><span lang="EN-GB">https://beeinformed.org/2012/12/07/queen-pheromones/</span></a><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/queen-bees-control-with-scent"><span lang="EN-GB">https://www.sciencealert.com/queen-bees-control-with-scent</span></a><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.nature.com/news/2007/070719/full/news070716-14.html"><span lang="EN-GB">https://www.nature.com/news/2007/070719/full/news070716-14.html</span></a><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/24/swarm-of-bees-follow-grandmothers-car-for-over-24-hours-attempti/"><span lang="EN-GB">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/24/swarm-of-bees-follow-grandmothers-car-for-over-24-hours-attempti/</span></a><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 115%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_bee#Supersedure">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_bee#Supersedure</a></span></span></span><br />
<span face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 115%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></span>
<b>Many thanks to insect experts Jade Hailes and <a href="http://antoniaforster.com/">Antonia Forster</a>.</b><i></i>Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-43717692636270806712019-03-14T13:57:00.000+00:002019-03-15T12:01:41.113+00:00The Science of Obscure Superheroes Part Three: Matter Eater Lad<i>Recently I gave a talk for the <a href="https://www.britishscienceassociation.org/reading-branch">Reading branch of the British Science Association</a> on the subject of the science of superheroes. It's a subject that's been covered a great deal elsewhere and so I wanted to approach it from a different angle. I decided to focus on the science behind some lesser known superheroes. I chose to discuss <b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part.html">The Whizzer</a>, <a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_13.html">Chunk</a>, Matter Eater Lad</b>, and <b>the Red Bee</b>. I looked at their powers and origin stories and tried to find parallels in real world science. I've adapted my talk into a four part article. This part is about Matter Eater Lad. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg31RCJOKfNLv3kEzKOMMaSbVPsVGscC5RtrADrG3Uuw4hSTwH-Y0rdDFq8cuy3ddSttVNed-CfHHo4Yi00eHsK_m-qUH3CdWKUzX47-tX6EmMopB6GKVHc-dfhoK6NHDXkb6j37FbkfM/s1600/matter+eater+link.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1523" data-original-width="1441" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg31RCJOKfNLv3kEzKOMMaSbVPsVGscC5RtrADrG3Uuw4hSTwH-Y0rdDFq8cuy3ddSttVNed-CfHHo4Yi00eHsK_m-qUH3CdWKUzX47-tX6EmMopB6GKVHc-dfhoK6NHDXkb6j37FbkfM/s400/matter+eater+link.png" width="377" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Matter
Eater Lad first appeared in Adventure Comics #303 (1962). In the 30th Century,
Tenzil Kem was sent from the planet Bismoll to represent his home world in the
Legion of Superheroes. On Bismoll microbes had made all food inedible, and so
the Bismollians evolved the ability to eat all matter. Matter Eater Lad can eat
any amount of any substance at super-speed. Writers have struggled to find
anything for Matter Eater Lad to do over the years – there’s only so many times
you can have a character escape a cage by eating the bars. As a result he is
often written out of the stories by being drafted into his home planet’s
political system. It’s a literal case of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I have to go now, my planet needs me!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXdsBbJ8zBpCPu1hiQ5s-KTfhpMKfE8VFyuyAG9XGcaWaJMG_syKHWg0u_MXSJPjYvT_76_a6pBJp4Gy1hMNw4ZIm5pQW-c7UvRH3bZz2fuo59FC5RYIbulz3LI2OR6xVdtkVrFbah_Y/s1600/DGQM-A4VYAA6i8F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXdsBbJ8zBpCPu1hiQ5s-KTfhpMKfE8VFyuyAG9XGcaWaJMG_syKHWg0u_MXSJPjYvT_76_a6pBJp4Gy1hMNw4ZIm5pQW-c7UvRH3bZz2fuo59FC5RYIbulz3LI2OR6xVdtkVrFbah_Y/s320/DGQM-A4VYAA6i8F.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">When I
first started to consider how Tenzil’s powers might work in real life I thought
I might find the answers with goats! Like a lot of people I was under the
impression that goats could eat the shirt off your back if they wanted to.
Could Matter Eater Lad be a kind of human goat?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In actual
fact, no he couldn’t be. The idea that goats can eat anything is a myth. Goats
are in fact incredibly picky eaters. The idea that they’ll eat anything comes
from the fact they are browsers. They will root through their potential meals
to find whatever they think will give them the most nutrition, even if it means
digging around in rubbish. A goat may well rip the shirt off your back and have
a chew on it but they would probably spit it out after a while once they’d decided
there was no goodness to be had from it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Matter
Eater Lad may not be a goat-man, but there is another member of the animal
kingdom who echoes his abilities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Crocodilians,
a group which includes alligators and crocodile, are far from picky eaters. Crocodiles
eat fish, amphibians, crustaceans, molluscs, birds, reptiles, and mammals, and even
smaller crocodiles. Certain types of crocodile have been known to eat, sharks,
wild boar, big cats, elephants, and hippos. Young alligators and crocodiles
have been observed eating up to 23% of their bodyweight in the lab in just one
sitting. That’s like a 70 kilogram (or 11 stone) person eating a 17 kilogram
(or 3 stone) turkey in one meal. There have even been seeds found in their poo,
suggesting that they also eat fruit! They can and will eat anything and they
don’t leave leftovers. If you're feeling particularly brave type "Crocodile eating" into Youtube for some examples.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmiyYnbcAFBEUVBwLPi4vHqcoRvOpWfwSO8xsGxqB25-nCipRC9bfW9wDshyphenhyphenBjXqccLs92vAAUWl2uFfSsjauidaQzfIwftNydKbmuEb1Doc0tUQqSgArjT21kRWi_-vry6JSUveo8Sk/s1600/film__4473-crocodile-dundee-hi_res-d8eec0e4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="970" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmiyYnbcAFBEUVBwLPi4vHqcoRvOpWfwSO8xsGxqB25-nCipRC9bfW9wDshyphenhyphenBjXqccLs92vAAUWl2uFfSsjauidaQzfIwftNydKbmuEb1Doc0tUQqSgArjT21kRWi_-vry6JSUveo8Sk/s320/film__4473-crocodile-dundee-hi_res-d8eec0e4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Crocodiles have
evolved sharp teeth for piercing and holding onto flesh, and powerful muscles
to close the jaws and hold them shut. They have the strongest bite of any
animal. But it’s their hearts and their stomachs that really make them such
successful eaters.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Crocodiles
have the most acidic stomach of any vertebrate. It can close off a part of its
heart on the right side and use a part of its heart on the left side to flush
blood loaded with carbon dioxide from its muscles directly to its stomach. This
makes its blood supply extra acidic, which in turn makes it much easier for the
stomach lining to secrete more stomach acid to quickly dissolve a lot of flesh
and bone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Crocodiles’
stomachs are also divided up into two sections. The first section is a muscular
pocket where the crocodiles keep any rocks that they might eat. All the hard
bits of their prey tend to remain in this area of the stomach for a few days at
a time. Once the bones are thoroughly crushed, they transfer over to the next
section of the stomach to finish up the digestion process. This process,
combined with the acidity of the stomach, means that every single part of the
crocodiles’ prey gets digested, including bones, horns, scales and hooves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Matter
Eater Lad could well be a sort of grotesque crocodile-man, if he actually
existed. It’s worth remembering though, since crocodiles get so much from their
prey, they don’t need to eat as often as other animals. Crocodiles usually eat
about once a week, although they have been known, in extreme situations, to live
off their own tissue for up to three years. If Matter Eater Lad was a human
crocodile, you’d have to hope that he hadn’t eaten recently if you expected him
to free you from a cage by eating the bars. Or on second thoughts maybe it
would be better if he had eaten recently, just in case you started to look
particularly tasty to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part.html"><b>Click here to read part one!</b></a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_13.html">Click here to read part two!</a></b></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_15.html">Click here to read part four!</a></b></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_7.html">Click here for the Reading List!</a></b></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">References:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.wideopenpets.com/goats-eat-everything/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.wideopenpets.com/goats-eat-everything/</span></a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://animals.mom.me/can-crocodiles-digest-bones-10786.html"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://animals.mom.me/can-crocodiles-digest-bones-10786.html</span></a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodile"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodile</span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.livescience.com/2259-crikey-crocs-digest-animals.html"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.livescience.com/2259-crikey-crocs-digest-animals.html</span></a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13285-super-size-me-alligators-reveal-digestive-trick/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13285-super-size-me-alligators-reveal-digestive-trick/</span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNTMfax5Q5w"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNTMfax5Q5w</span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.care2.com/causes/4-animals-who-can-live-without-food-for-more-than-a-year.html"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.care2.com/causes/4-animals-who-can-live-without-food-for-more-than-a-year.html</span></a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-77613445630520969002019-03-13T18:47:00.000+00:002019-04-11T01:15:52.800+01:00The Science of Obscure Superheroes Part Two: Chunk<i>Recently I gave a talk for the <a href="https://www.britishscienceassociation.org/reading-branch">Reading branch of the British Science Association</a> on the subject of the science of superheroes. It's a subject that's been covered a great deal elsewhere and so I wanted to approach it from a different angle. I decided to focus on the science behind some lesser known superheroes. I chose to discuss <b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part.html">The Whizzer</a>, Chunk, Matter Eater Lad</b>, and <b>the Red Bee</b>. I looked at their powers and origin stories and tried to find parallels in real world science. I've adapted my talk into a four part article. This part is about Chunk. </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxLzCbmWR7ujARgLGOsxq4RGAsDa5OdWR-Req1-ewX8Yd7cd5HF8mSNv9x55UYPDxvlW4FHnbKAsBM1Jec0uZ5NaYfFmu82RyQZTcTvnjOW5JL6WM0YR6_jiq-O3OKvbI1xoYMW6zXyM/s1600/chunk+link.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1523" data-original-width="1441" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxLzCbmWR7ujARgLGOsxq4RGAsDa5OdWR-Req1-ewX8Yd7cd5HF8mSNv9x55UYPDxvlW4FHnbKAsBM1Jec0uZ5NaYfFmu82RyQZTcTvnjOW5JL6WM0YR6_jiq-O3OKvbI1xoYMW6zXyM/s400/chunk+link.png" width="377" /></a></div>
First appearing in Flash #9 (1988), Chester Runk was a scientist who created a matter transmitting machine. The first time Runk activated the machine it imploded and he became merged with it. Runk was now Chunk, the human black hole! Chunk has the ability to teleport objects and people into another universe – a dead universe! He needs to continue feeding himself 47 times his own mass in dense materials to avoid permanently imploding into that dead universe.<br />
<br />
When the Flash first encountered him, Chunk was a villain, stealing diamonds to prevent himself from imploding, and trapping anyone who offended him in the dead universe. These included his therapist, a woman who turned him down for a date, a man who had cut him off in his car, and even a man whose shirt Chunk had taken a dislike to.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5sZmBuFzJTWuwK7YNFA-V3Ht3fQOKhKCawg71MdqQy5I1zMsEqS-al9LfobOKSV0p27SCpWP1lafNDqTxSD4O0bVRP5gyI9lFndFzqcI02jA69qcGl0ck7wpekulA0swq_BQKn2bU7c/s1600/RCO009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="953" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5sZmBuFzJTWuwK7YNFA-V3Ht3fQOKhKCawg71MdqQy5I1zMsEqS-al9LfobOKSV0p27SCpWP1lafNDqTxSD4O0bVRP5gyI9lFndFzqcI02jA69qcGl0ck7wpekulA0swq_BQKn2bU7c/s320/RCO009.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike Collins & Larry Mahlstedt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Eventually Chunk released his captives and became good friends with the Flash. Chunk started a waste disposal business and became a millionaire. He was a regular member of the Flash’s supporting cast for a while until the writers lost interest in him and just stopped mentioning him.<br />
<br />
But what would a human black hole actually be like?<br />
<br />
A black hole is a great amount of matter packed into a very small area. The result is a gravitational field so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. Scientists can’t see black holes but they can see how the strong gravity affects the stars and gas around the black hole. Also, when a black hole and a star are close together, high-energy light is made. This kind of light cannot be seen with human eyes. Scientists use satellites and space telescopes to see this light.<br />
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Black holes can be big or small. Scientists think the smallest black holes are as small as just one atom but have the mass of a large mountain. So theoretically Chunk could carry a black hole around inside him, but he’d have to be pretty damn strong to move about.<br />
<br />
Another kind of black hole is called "stellar." Its mass can be up to 20 times more than the mass of the sun. Stellar black holes are made when the centre of a very big star collapses. When this happens, it causes a supernova - an exploding star that blasts part of the star into space.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFWh1-ykWb-zSILoScPpkYwXGHUOaCJUJqVhPToT2UxbURwY3NaJmC1ZUHgoH2K2LRIiCMM94fO-Hmcf85BxmluVcpO8IKnEMCsfQSv4QDwaT07yNStFPYHXQQaMwUm0dAdRP4ahKQHc/s1600/RCO001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1041" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFWh1-ykWb-zSILoScPpkYwXGHUOaCJUJqVhPToT2UxbURwY3NaJmC1ZUHgoH2K2LRIiCMM94fO-Hmcf85BxmluVcpO8IKnEMCsfQSv4QDwaT07yNStFPYHXQQaMwUm0dAdRP4ahKQHc/s320/RCO001.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brian Bolland</td></tr>
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Chunk is depicted as a kind of big, walking Hoover, sucking people and objects into himself, but in actual fact objects have to get fairly close to a black hole to get sucked in. For example, if our sun was suddenly replaced by a black hole of similar mass, the planets would still continue to orbit as normal, they’d just be really cold and dark.<br />
<br />
In order to get sucked into a black hole you would have to pass the event horizon – the point at which escape becomes impossible, even for light! So if Chunk was a particularly powerful human black hole he would look more like a huge sphere of darkness, waddling around the place. This sphere would be surrounded by a flattened band of spinning matter called an accretion disc. An accretion disc is material, such as gas, dust and other stellar debris that has come close to a black hole but not quite fallen into it.<br />
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Due to the extreme gravity around a black hole, an object in its gravitational field experiences a slowing down of time, relative to observers outside the field. This is known as gravitational time dilation. A distant observer would see an object falling into a black hole appear to slow down and fade, approaching but never quite reaching the event horizon. Finally, at a point just before it reaches the event horizon, it becomes so dim that it can no longer be seen. Perhaps Chunk would be surrounded by fading statues?<br />
<br />
Once you were past the event horizon it’s really brown trousers time. The Flash could probably escape the event horizon as he can move faster than light, but you wouldn’t be so fortunate. You’d get torn apart as you were sucked towards the singularity, your body getting stretched and squeezed at the same time. This process is known as spaghettification. A singularity is the centre of a black hole, where the gravitational field becomes infinite! Chunk has been described as a living singularity. When you reached the singularity, you’d be crushed to infinite density and your mass would be added to the total of the black hole.<br />
<br />
But that’s only true of certain kinds of black holes. There are other kinds of black holes, charged, or rotating black holes, where it would be theoretically possible to avoid the singularity and pass through a wormhole into a different part of spacetime! We’re now talking about Einstein-Rosen bridges, and these might seem familiar if you’ve seen Thor Ragnarok!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFA8tANQeYMHikFkZaGuM_0qeb0UvHRrWuMtbC2pnQmeUsMgQwME8ZUdGPd2HSy2x_9X07UELKqqlaM9kF9M55TbYE1HSdYtLFJXX8HdPapUkGG0jHkvSFyeNuCJQBRTVI01TENtD1YhY/s1600/Untitled-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="881" data-original-width="1600" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFA8tANQeYMHikFkZaGuM_0qeb0UvHRrWuMtbC2pnQmeUsMgQwME8ZUdGPd2HSy2x_9X07UELKqqlaM9kF9M55TbYE1HSdYtLFJXX8HdPapUkGG0jHkvSFyeNuCJQBRTVI01TENtD1YhY/s400/Untitled-1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yes, Chunk could be a walking <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESl80VZUgyk">Devil’s Anus!</a><br />
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According to Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity a massive object like a star, creates a distortion in the surface of spacetime that we experience as gravity. Imagine putting a bowling ball in the centre of a trampoline. The ball would press down into the fabric, causing a dip. A marble rolled around the edge would spiral inward toward the bowling ball, pulled in much the same way that the gravity of a planet pulls at rocks in space. According to Einstein and Nathan Rosen, if an object has an even greater mass, like a black hole for example, it could great a "dip" so great that it creates a pathway to another part of space time! A shortcut or wormhole across time and space!<br />
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If Chunk’s mass created an Einstein Rosen bridge, maybe it would be possible for him to transport people and objects somewhere else, although it would be to another time and place in our universe rather than to a dead universe. Of course, anything that entered his event horizon would still be spaghettified, so Flash would be left with the gruesome task of retrieving the noodle shaped remains of Chunk's victims from another part of spacetime!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5WsQHYHRe5rHIpzIuMhw-xSorCXK2nScqBfcuDK2bJMEtXPg4RRX1bdsPdGVtmJBxvXwNMGdep-irMS5MlE1wAxP-Zhe87W7OFDq6pInkPycWFrE-iYh8yG5O0OTrT9jOIHHCfICafk/s1600/chunk.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1163" data-original-width="1600" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5WsQHYHRe5rHIpzIuMhw-xSorCXK2nScqBfcuDK2bJMEtXPg4RRX1bdsPdGVtmJBxvXwNMGdep-irMS5MlE1wAxP-Zhe87W7OFDq6pInkPycWFrE-iYh8yG5O0OTrT9jOIHHCfICafk/s400/chunk.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_15.html">Click here to read part four!</a></b><br />
<div>
<b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_14.html">Click here to read part three!</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part.html">Click here to read part one!</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_7.html">Click here for the Reading List!</a></b><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">References:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-a-black-hole-k4.html"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-a-black-hole-k4.html</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/black-holes"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/black-holes</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/universe/black-holes/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/universe/black-holes/</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hole"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hole</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_singularity"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_singularity</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hole#Event_horizon"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hole#Event_horizon</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.space.com/20881-wormholes.html"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">https://www.space.com/20881-wormholes.html</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.space.com/17661-theory-general-relativity.html">https://www.space.com/17661-theory-general-relativity.html</a></span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Many thanks to astrophysics experts Lee Pullen and Aimae Wood.</b></div>
<b></b></div>
Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-27289377708867607662019-03-12T22:07:00.000+00:002019-03-15T12:01:56.599+00:00The Science of Obscure Superheroes Part One: The Whizzer<i>Recently I gave a talk for the <a href="https://www.britishscienceassociation.org/reading-branch">Reading branch of the British Science Association</a> on the subject of the science of superheroes. It's a subject that's been covered a great deal elsewhere and so I wanted to approach it from a different angle. I decided to focus on the science behind some lesser known superheroes. I chose to discuss <b>The Whizzer, <a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_13.html">Chunk</a>, Matter Eater Lad</b>, and <b>the Red Bee</b>. I looked at their powers and origin stories and tried to find parallels in real world science. I've adapted my talk into a four part article. This part is about The Whizzer. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0OipxfzAXwbG6ToHtY2KKPGuXfZ5HmCaF2cgEyD-Q3UtWd6-vK91_tpZAGVaFoz3K9McF0OHkaKELwHYHaCWqIsSB3LwBipOsib6tZautn-lGmH5vtF8FRMhm5dKDt79CNLoRaYoud8/s1600/whizz+link.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1523" data-original-width="1441" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0OipxfzAXwbG6ToHtY2KKPGuXfZ5HmCaF2cgEyD-Q3UtWd6-vK91_tpZAGVaFoz3K9McF0OHkaKELwHYHaCWqIsSB3LwBipOsib6tZautn-lGmH5vtF8FRMhm5dKDt79CNLoRaYoud8/s400/whizz+link.png" width="377" /></a></div>
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In the 1940s, The Whizzer was Timely Comics' super-fast answer to The Flash. He first appeared in USA Comics #1 (1941). Robert Frank was bitten by a cobra while on a trip to Africa with his father, Dr. Emil Frank. To save Robert’s life, Emil did what any caring responsible, scientist dad would do. He transfused the blood of a mongoose into his son’s body. Luckily this granted Robert the gift of super speed! He found he could run at speeds of up to 100mph, create cyclones by running in circles, and could run up walls and across water. He of course, used these gifts to fight crime.</div>
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If the Whizzer sounds familiar to you it may be because a version of the character appeared in the second season of Jessica Jones. This Robert Frank was radically different from his comic book counterpart, although Netflix provided a little nod to his roots, by giving him a pet mongoose.</div>
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Robert Frank was the subject of xenotransfusion - the transfer of blood from one species into the veins of another. But how plausible is the idea that humans can take on the characteristics of animals through the transfusion of their blood? Well, very plausible, if you happen to be a scientist from the 17th Century. </div>
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On June 15th 1667 a French physician named Jean-Baptiste Denys performed the first documented blood transfusion on a human. Denys bled a feverish 15 year old boy with leeches before treating him with a transfusion of lamb’s blood. The idea was that the calm, gentle nature of the lamb would be transferred to the boy. The boy survived, although this was probably only because Denys had transfused so little of the lamb’s blood into him. Denys had further success performing the same experiment again on a butcher. It wasn’t until he performed it on a third subject that he got into trouble.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDOYpuwD5Q4LHsZk1slIAoj7V7v5VNRvxWj45C64wDHbKRRGDaWL2GXu4teI4OqqBg81Lja7OzXLKuP-aWH9UpYz8sP32w-XRiFrLo-IncEg7pEwQz1PZRHxgrFgXe7ASRUacNuM16UNM/s1600/600_40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="449" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDOYpuwD5Q4LHsZk1slIAoj7V7v5VNRvxWj45C64wDHbKRRGDaWL2GXu4teI4OqqBg81Lja7OzXLKuP-aWH9UpYz8sP32w-XRiFrLo-IncEg7pEwQz1PZRHxgrFgXe7ASRUacNuM16UNM/s320/600_40.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
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Antoine Mauroy was a mentally ill man, well known in Paris for terrifying the locals with his antics. Denys and his colleagues thought they might be able to cure Mauroy by replacing his “bad” blood with the “pure” blood of a calf. Mauroy was picked up off the street and forced to take part in the experiment against his will. Denys performed the experiment in the presence of a group of rich aristocrats whose hobbies included witnessing new and risky scientific procedures. The experiment was performed a second time and appeared to actually have a positive effect on Mauroy. According to science writer Pete Moore, there was a reason for Mauroy’s positive reaction to the transfusion that was peculiar to him. He had syphilis.</div>
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Mauroy’s white blood cells attacked the unfamiliar blood in much the same way as they would attack a disease. This caused a raging fever. Fever is a known treatment of tertiary syphilis. Two and a half centuries later, Julius Wagner-Jauregg would receive the Nobel Prize for treating syphilis by deliberately infecting patients with malaria. Denys had accidentally treated Mauroy’s syphilis!</div>
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After the second transfusion Mauroy went back to his debauched ways. His wife begged Denys to perform the procedure again, which he did. This time Mauroy died and Denys found himself on trial for murder.</div>
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You might be thinking “Serves the silly bugger right! This is what happens when you go injecting people full of cow’s blood”. But it wasn’t as cut and dried as it might have first seemed. It was later found that Mauroy had actually died of arsenic poisoning. Denys was let off the hook, and Mauroy’s wife was found guilty of poisoning his soup. It would seem that, in a plot worthy of Columbo, Mrs Mauroy had grown tired of her husband’s debauched antics and saw Denys’s experiments as a convenient scapegoat for his murder! Other historians have argued that Mrs Mauroy herself was a scapegoat and that enemies of the experiment murdered Mauroy in a successful effort to get the icky and ungodly practice of blood transfusion banned in Europe. Either way, it just goes to show that if you are going to practice risky, untested medical procedures then make sure you’re not performing them on a complete prat who everybody's trying to kill.</div>
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These days we know a lot more about the risks of blood transfusion. We know that even humans are not universally transfusion-compatible. Humans are divided into blood groups that determine who can receive blood from whom without suffering a severe immune reaction that can be fatal. That’s because our immune system senses molecules on the surface of red blood cells and reacts aggressively to red blood cells that don’t have the right kind of surface molecules. This is why when we receive blood transfusions our blood group has to match the donor blood. Our blood must have the same kind of surface molecules on its red blood cells as the cells in the donor blood. </div>
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These blood groups are not just limited to humans. They are also found in our close relatives in the animal kingdom, especially other primates. Theoretically you could receive a blood transfusion from a gorilla or a chimpanzee, if you shared the same blood group. You might wonder why we aren’t all getting monkey blood on the NHS. Well, there are still minor differences between the blood of humans, and apes, and we don’t know what effects these differences would have. Also, great apes are endangered and they’re not exactly easy to come by. </div>
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So, is there an animal alternative? And is it a mongoose!?</div>
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Xenotransfusion research is currently focusing on pigs rather than apes, and it’s not just because there’s bloody loads of pigs around the place. Pig’s blood is quite similar to human blood. Our red blood cells are about the same size and have the same life span as a pig’s red blood cells. There are other similarities too, such as the structure of the haemoglobin – the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. </div>
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Pigs could also be genetically modified to produce red blood cells that are equivalent to human type O negative. O Negative blood cells are called “universal” meaning they can be transfused to almost any patient in need. O Negative blood is what patients are given when they need an emergency transfusion and there’s no time to figure out the patient’s blood type.</div>
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You might be asking yourself “Yeah, but what about the poor pigs?” Rest assured that if we were to use pigs for blood transfusions there would be no need for them to come to any harm. Only 10% of the pig’s blood volume would be used each time, leaving the pig in need of nothing more than a biscuit and lie down. </div>
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Due to the fact that kind humans are still willing to donate blood, and also due to advances in both the storing of blood and in getting what we need from it, it’s unlikely that any of us will be receiving pig’s blood transfusions any time soon. Even if we did however, the process unfortunately would not grant us the strength, speed, and agility of a pig.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgK924w5kuK642fY7kFIFCGiAL9us_w0mw13Ud8zKXfLygmKNGfLmrRDkkckRlz503NEtEdLfzrzJ5OrOn4AOdR82Bf_YdN5W5qIi_n2Y-2RPJ9vYXs65L2BF07N7RvM1C577GVvLXZ0/s1600/whizzer+pig.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1163" data-original-width="1600" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgK924w5kuK642fY7kFIFCGiAL9us_w0mw13Ud8zKXfLygmKNGfLmrRDkkckRlz503NEtEdLfzrzJ5OrOn4AOdR82Bf_YdN5W5qIi_n2Y-2RPJ9vYXs65L2BF07N7RvM1C577GVvLXZ0/s400/whizzer+pig.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_13.html">Click here to read part two!</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_14.html">Click here to read part three!</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_15.html">Click here to read part four!</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://famousfanboy.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-science-of-obscure-superheroes-part_7.html">Click here for the Reading List!</a></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">References:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2011/04/04/thicker-than-water/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2011/04/04/thicker-than-water/</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4729204/Blood-not-spilt-in-vain.html"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4729204/Blood-not-spilt-in-vain.html</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/350-years-ago-doctor-performed-first-human-blood-transfusion-sheep-was-involved-180963631/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/350-years-ago-doctor-performed-first-human-blood-transfusion-sheep-was-involved-180963631/</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2016/01/25/ape-human-pig-human-blood-donations-xenotransfusions-work/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2016/01/25/ape-human-pig-human-blood-donations-xenotransfusions-work/</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenotransfusion"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenotransfusion</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://thebloodconnection.org/about-blood/blood-education/blood-types/o-negative/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://thebloodconnection.org/about-blood/blood-education/blood-types/o-negative/</span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-23518098993084711402019-01-01T02:25:00.002+00:002019-01-01T02:25:32.012+00:00Happy New Year, here's a drawing of Tom BakerI haven't written a post about my favourite stuff of 2018 this year as it seemed pointless. I pick pretty much the same stuff every year. If you're really curious, my favourite comics were <i>Man of Steel, Action Comics</i>, and <i>Superman</i>, (all written by Brian Bendis), my favourite film was <i>Aquaman</i>, and I loooooooved Series 11 of <i>Doctor Who</i>.<br />
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I'm going through a phase of not feeling very confident about my art, but I drew a couple of things this year that I was sort of happy with.<br />
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In July I drew a picture for <a href="https://pipmadeley.com/">Pip Madeley's</a> brilliant Fourth Doctor Night on Twitter. It was based on a <a href="http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/A_Life_in_the_Day_of_Tom_Baker">famous image from a Sunday Times interview Tom Baker did with Jeffrey Bernard in the 70s.</a> This week I remade it and chucked in a lot more references to my favourite Fourth Doctor stories. I'm still not happy with it if I'm honest, but it was fun to make.<br />
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Recently I also drew a comic strip about Doctor Who's many deaths.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlxPGpiAyGmBu5bsugTFSSzMZXHXAMD2PL8K7oTgysVg8dsyoHjFgu8PGp2p6FJHA5xQFZ5uSOl36AXw3fs9fJJTfq2g1mlfCbUyzdJM8iCwA6ZOo4O4E60f18A-otZGFEdjkFy-NBnQ/s1600/master+doctor+strip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1133" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlxPGpiAyGmBu5bsugTFSSzMZXHXAMD2PL8K7oTgysVg8dsyoHjFgu8PGp2p6FJHA5xQFZ5uSOl36AXw3fs9fJJTfq2g1mlfCbUyzdJM8iCwA6ZOo4O4E60f18A-otZGFEdjkFy-NBnQ/s400/master+doctor+strip.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/PaulGCornish?asc=u">You can buy them printed on stuff from redbubble if you fancy.</a><br />
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This year I resolve to write about politics less on social media but read about politics more. Let's see how long that lasts.<br />
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Happy New Year everyone! I'm sure 2019 will be splendid.Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-64669125147048439662018-12-01T22:15:00.000+00:002018-12-01T22:25:00.569+00:00Top Ten Best Marvel CharactersA few years ago<i> <a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/">Comics Should Be Good!</a></i> ran a poll to find the <a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/category/top-100-marvel-and-dc-characters/">Top 100 Marvel & DC Characters</a>. Of course I voted. Like all superhero comic fans I'm insufferably arrogant and believe that I know better than every other fan, so I thought I'd present my own personal list.<br />
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This is the Marvel list. Check out my DC list <a href="http://famousfanboy.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/top-ten-best-dc-comics-characters.html">here.</a><br />
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<b>10. Hulk (Bruce Banner)</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jose Luis Garcia Lopez</td></tr>
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<b>Where did Bruce come in CSBG's list?</b> <a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/11/01/top-50-marvel-characters-10-7/">#8 </a><br />
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<b>Who was #10 in CSBG's list? </b><a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/11/01/top-50-marvel-characters-10-7/">Cyclops</a><br />
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Dr. Bruce Banner would have us believe that his regular transformations into the gamma spawned manifestation of the raging beast that dwells within him (otherwise known as the Incredible Hulk) is a fate worse death. We, his fans, know better.<br />
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Whenever we lose our temper, somewhere deep beneath the red mist is a desire to be taken seriously. We may be frothing and spluttering incoherently as our skin turns pink and our eyes bulge, but what we're really saying is "Can't anyone see how important this is to me?" When Bruce Banner loses his rag, nobody can roll their eyes and say "Old purple pants is off on one again". People have to take him seriously. I think this is the key to Hulk's appeal, and possibly why so many of his adversaries are people who have attempted to duplicate his condition. We are all just a little bit jealous of the Hulk.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sal Buscema</td></tr>
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<b>9. She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters)</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-P7fKqM8euHWEa5WMdt_ldJmwyMfFyhHp4gHcLq2E5v6a8OIyDmQ4r1EnvTvUTQeBdl284ZF9O56M1VfMlW306pwKOVF1fXSwKKTsMkr_4zwHbG05iga9ckagIIo3PAYBJapC2CIqkn88/s1600/tumblr_n2odj6nAJF1rvm4udo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-P7fKqM8euHWEa5WMdt_ldJmwyMfFyhHp4gHcLq2E5v6a8OIyDmQ4r1EnvTvUTQeBdl284ZF9O56M1VfMlW306pwKOVF1fXSwKKTsMkr_4zwHbG05iga9ckagIIo3PAYBJapC2CIqkn88/s400/tumblr_n2odj6nAJF1rvm4udo1_1280.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Walt Simonson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b><b>Where did Jen come in CSBG's list?</b> <a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/10/28/top-marvel-characters-20-16/">#18</a><br />
<b><br /></b><b>Who was #9 in CSBG's list? </b><a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/11/01/top-50-marvel-characters-10-7/">Iron Man (Tony Stark) </a><br />
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She-Hulk initially began as a rip-off her Incredible cousin, a female Hulk who changed into a savage brute whenever she lost her cool. After the demise of her own comic she joined the Avengers, where she was never really much more than 'third Avenger from the left'. It wasn't until writer/artist John Byrne had her join the Fantastic Four that she really came into her own. In the pages of <i>FF</i> and then her own relaunched series Byrne emphasised the one aspect of She-Hulk that really made her unique; unlike her cousin she likes being a Hulk and is able to use her power to be a force for good, and have a lot of fun. Shulkie remains one of the most unique characters in comics. In the past ten years writers Dan Slott and Charles Soule have played up her day job as a super-hero lawyer to great effect. Whether She-Hulk is extraditing Doctor Doom's son, questioning a ghost who's a witness to his own murder, or helping Spider-man to sue himself, her comics are always like nothing else on the shelves.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSmm-VP2Lwb6-EzOa4WNAgHV0wxKTkddvQBpY0obTEb7DA_KKHOE0hQINCHid0aJ8uCy5FQLzuJtUjrUazIzcIJdfZspEpinsu_v3GDKeJTlxaYqlIRTNXOZfP_PjQHFEsNPBj01Xqgcn/s1600/no-one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSmm-VP2Lwb6-EzOa4WNAgHV0wxKTkddvQBpY0obTEb7DA_KKHOE0hQINCHid0aJ8uCy5FQLzuJtUjrUazIzcIJdfZspEpinsu_v3GDKeJTlxaYqlIRTNXOZfP_PjQHFEsNPBj01Xqgcn/s320/no-one.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px; text-align: left;">Javier Pulido</span></td></tr>
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<div>
<b>8. J.Jonah Jameson</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmABf7AW66WeZ9RzzCG7BaSGFQYZko5nGR_eOF2EzSXI4UxoqT4c4O54bmH_DG4sgFeWG0_oFs_byzGFNbly0wL5mXpi7x77TLPXV84Rtfj222yqtuLw3WUwoKc8bkiJKuY_ZSYP2qrAHx/s1600/134236352495513220782_jjj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmABf7AW66WeZ9RzzCG7BaSGFQYZko5nGR_eOF2EzSXI4UxoqT4c4O54bmH_DG4sgFeWG0_oFs_byzGFNbly0wL5mXpi7x77TLPXV84Rtfj222yqtuLw3WUwoKc8bkiJKuY_ZSYP2qrAHx/s400/134236352495513220782_jjj.jpg" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Romita</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
<b>Where did Jolly Jonah come in CSBG's list?</b><a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2016/01/17/2015-top-100-marvel-characters-100-51/"> #91</a></div>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Who was #8 in CSBG's list? </b><a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/11/01/top-50-marvel-characters-10-7/">Hulk (Bruce Banner) </a><br />
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The best thing about J. Jonah Jameson (newspaper editor, Spidey's #1 detractor, and Peter Parker's boss) is that he's essentially an honourable, principled man who just happens to also be a massive arsehole. Over the years we've seen Jonah severely damage the credibility and the bank balance of the Daily Bugle with a crusade against Spider-Man that can only be described as petty. Jonah's vendetta has even seen him finance the creation of at least three super-villains; The Scorpion, The Fly, and the Spider-Slayer. His hatred of the "wall-crawling menace" stems not from a staunch belief in the dangers of vigilantism but from his own feelings of inadequacy and desire to pull the heroic Spidey down to his level. (This motive was established very early on in Spidey's history and was probably influenced by co-creator Steve Ditko's wacky Randian worldview.) And yet, Jonah is also shown to be a brilliant, incorruptible and fiercely honest newspaperman. He has often fought for civil rights and risked his life to expose corruption. He is a loving husband to his wife Marla (or at least he was until she was killed off), and despite his bluster he treats his employees like family members.<br />
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Funny, angry, honest, deceitful, greedy, generous, dangerous, heroic. J.Jonah Jameson is a complicated, multi-layered, and completely brilliant character.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVafYHLvao5DU7u4kGLh7w5aGFb1mcWMveqrdb9pyg4s27sm9rpw58YjAUSdgp_tQCIr2d26NUQJ88HgcOrHF9NFsjGXUz78pIPxoGZni4WtF1UondXL2mmu6WmjtS2jza0RZg59CpNqD/s1600/Picture+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVafYHLvao5DU7u4kGLh7w5aGFb1mcWMveqrdb9pyg4s27sm9rpw58YjAUSdgp_tQCIr2d26NUQJ88HgcOrHF9NFsjGXUz78pIPxoGZni4WtF1UondXL2mmu6WmjtS2jza0RZg59CpNqD/s320/Picture+6.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve Ditko</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br />7. The Human Torch (Johnny Storm)</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMIGh4pYBwoQiciroDNtQyx1h1uWKUPRXut-XhcWtJrHL7gPIPI154qMPRXkLJoAsIyLwNZZ96tfsDak8uD1K9TiWJA6Gvec7tl37ax-BAIlw6_QKLCaei-v8Tw3gxyo_A0MPS2wmaM6X/s1600/JB%2527s+FF+%252873%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMIGh4pYBwoQiciroDNtQyx1h1uWKUPRXut-XhcWtJrHL7gPIPI154qMPRXkLJoAsIyLwNZZ96tfsDak8uD1K9TiWJA6Gvec7tl37ax-BAIlw6_QKLCaei-v8Tw3gxyo_A0MPS2wmaM6X/s400/JB%2527s+FF+%252873%2529.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
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<b>Where did Johnny come in CSBG's list?</b> <a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2016/01/17/2015-top-100-marvel-characters-100-51/4/">#63</a><br />
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<b>Who was #7 in CSBG's list? </b><a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/11/01/top-50-marvel-characters-10-7/2/">Thor (Odinson)</a><br />
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All the fans who moaned about Michael B. Jordan's casting as Johnny Storm in the recent <i>Fantastic Four</i> movie made me laugh. They insisted that their objections weren't motivated by racism but by a desire to stay true to the source material. When Stan Lee and Jack Kirby originally created Johnny they depicted him as a hot-headed, white, teen heart-throb. So by the moaners' logic the only truly faithful casting would have been Justin Bieber. Fanboys should be careful what they wish for.<br />
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These days Johnny is much more than a teen heart-throb. He is narcissistic, fame obsessed, and desperate to avoid responsibility and cling to his youth. He has been mothered his whole life by his older sister and as a result is always looking for a woman in his life to make him feel complete. He falls in love at the drop of a hat and is known for his intense but short relationships. While he is still fairly young he's already been married and divorced once, although to be fair his wife turned out to be a Skrull who gave birth to an egg that turned into a tentacled monster that tried to kill him. Despite being created in 1961 this perpetual man-child is truly a 21st Century hero. And yet, despite his immaturity Johnny is a hero through and through. He has sacrificed his life at least twice to save the world (he got better), and has literally gone to Hell and back for his family. Johnny mirrors the worst aspects of 21st Century Western culture, but hopefully we can try to mirror his best aspects.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQg2SmTDi4IlPRe3SHmoQfYWpy0mEQrkXVrvgO5c1YvIYKTQ6OXOzRW3iDRA5s6g0DBHuBRVw1YwpfsbqWRVOb1C0_z-XgaZvCJYTFy3_m36BB8Lklgrn2N3N3KB2evT4DpJq2ek9NcI1r/s1600/ujsoFm3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQg2SmTDi4IlPRe3SHmoQfYWpy0mEQrkXVrvgO5c1YvIYKTQ6OXOzRW3iDRA5s6g0DBHuBRVw1YwpfsbqWRVOb1C0_z-XgaZvCJYTFy3_m36BB8Lklgrn2N3N3KB2evT4DpJq2ek9NcI1r/s320/ujsoFm3.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dale Eaglesham</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b><b>6. The Invisible Woman (Sue Richards)</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4D125xx4PY5YdJSUiMw4wAKn_piEdSvY9i4CXIyqJMiBx-t_1xNRlx18gGJxm3aRpFAN4GwB4qf_WfSy6aI7Gvmuj03mI3GvTnmGEcgTLY4sIWnHATRGmqnLjgqxi1KUZIXWYf1tvRdZJ/s1600/JB%2527s+FF+%252872%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4D125xx4PY5YdJSUiMw4wAKn_piEdSvY9i4CXIyqJMiBx-t_1xNRlx18gGJxm3aRpFAN4GwB4qf_WfSy6aI7Gvmuj03mI3GvTnmGEcgTLY4sIWnHATRGmqnLjgqxi1KUZIXWYf1tvRdZJ/s400/JB%2527s+FF+%252872%2529.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Byrne</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Where did Sue come in CSBG's list?</b> <a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/10/20/2015-top-marvel-characters-40-36/">#39</a><br />
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<b>Who was #6 in CSBG's list? </b><a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/11/03/2015-top-50-marvel-characters-6-4/">Magneto</a><br />
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Initially Stan Lee and Jack Kirby depicted Sue Richards as a delicate, naive flower, forever overshadowed by the huge personalities of her team mates. Since the '80s Sue has been much, much more. Sue is the matriarch of the entire Marvel Universe. Pretty much every other character in the Marvel Universe loves her and respects her. Her husband Reed (and father to her two children) has the science-brains but she has the wisdom. Technically Reed's the leader of the Fantastic Four, but he's perpetually distracted and constantly one bad mood away from becoming a super villain. Sue is the real leader and has been for years. She does more to look after the team and hold them together than he's ever done. Sue is a lioness. She is loving and nurturing and will rip out your spine if you try and harm a member of her family.<br />
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Sue's not just defined by her family however. She is one of the most powerful Marvel characters and is capable of taking on all of the Avengers at once in battle. She is an Agent of SHIELD, an Ambassador to a race of long lost Atlanteans, and has an evil personality called Malice living in her head. While she loves her husband she also has a bit of a 'will-they-won't-they' thing going on with Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner. Both Reed and Namor are punching above their weight if you ask me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkH3RnlrezN-mNIr7mVgxuRt7mv2BDSvUqe89uTXN0RQGwVrdKXzWwYai1en8ia_WmsMgMsAlvs4titEYSd2oIgVJ_7q99VDM08KcBuJYPRs0IB9sR-wNWgMlQK-eMO8tTn1jWd9Y8Qn-e/s1600/1169122-prv4486_pg3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkH3RnlrezN-mNIr7mVgxuRt7mv2BDSvUqe89uTXN0RQGwVrdKXzWwYai1en8ia_WmsMgMsAlvs4titEYSd2oIgVJ_7q99VDM08KcBuJYPRs0IB9sR-wNWgMlQK-eMO8tTn1jWd9Y8Qn-e/s320/1169122-prv4486_pg3.jpg" width="204" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dale Eaglesham</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>5. Doctor Doom</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMzFiNHTybfSKFwu8svk3DESgfvOHmklIFMm2y4YfJeL7d495JR8hrK4hlV0ONULfEvBCQ3GoWl9DgtYuPsGl0JK2j9hddz0xHeQUXPevWB6CPjLC8RE_AVxQ3_1vClpdoAPKavNFWWy4/s1600/death-karen-page-106462.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMzFiNHTybfSKFwu8svk3DESgfvOHmklIFMm2y4YfJeL7d495JR8hrK4hlV0ONULfEvBCQ3GoWl9DgtYuPsGl0JK2j9hddz0xHeQUXPevWB6CPjLC8RE_AVxQ3_1vClpdoAPKavNFWWy4/s400/death-karen-page-106462.png" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Jack Kirby</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Where did Doom come in CSBG's list?<a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/11/03/2015-top-50-marvel-characters-6-4/"> </a></b><a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/11/03/2015-top-50-marvel-characters-6-4/">#5</a><br />
<b><br /></b><b>Who was #5 in CSBG's list? </b><a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/11/03/2015-top-50-marvel-characters-6-4/">Dr Doom</a><br />
<b><br /></b>Victor Von Doom is the perfect Super-Villain. He's a mad scientist, an evil sorcerer, and a ruthless dictator. He's horribly scarred but incredibly charismatic. He's motivated by a noble desire to rescue his mother from Hell, and by his small minded, petty resentment of the only man who's cleverer than him, Reed Richards. If you put every single great villain from history and legend into a blender you would end up with Doctor Doom. He's such a great character that he now has his very own plot device to absolve him from crappy stories. Whenever he appears in a story that's anything less than spectacular, writers have taken to explaining that <a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2007/04/26/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-100/">t</a><a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2007/04/26/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-100/">he Doom who featured in the disappointing tale was merely a 'Doombot', a robot minion created in Doom's likeness.</a><br />
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When Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created him, they created the ultimate, archetypal bastard, and the world loves a bastard.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmaALhxs7CrtlIPtRAexu4A_RARcUS-UAIpiFBoUssZi2JyiZSY-z-KHuXRrtySdK6GqpgMFUJeC-bC87YsnWHbjUjLVYu9kl9VmkPBm-ywmUoMF-KFEHBRSmznicOH1ess1gkrv1eEHY/s1600/the-face-of-doom-138525.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmaALhxs7CrtlIPtRAexu4A_RARcUS-UAIpiFBoUssZi2JyiZSY-z-KHuXRrtySdK6GqpgMFUJeC-bC87YsnWHbjUjLVYu9kl9VmkPBm-ywmUoMF-KFEHBRSmznicOH1ess1gkrv1eEHY/s320/the-face-of-doom-138525.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Esad Ribic<br />
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</tbody></table>
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<b>4. The Thing (Ben Grimm)</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsjcHzp1r1MHNIEI9qadFfIdGIysmvg46lKljPBxKYdbOqo7O_FffU9t4QR6VKt1rA-RWv4dkkz3pktzpnc2oF8XVNvrXEyKPndXrsRXy9RCxHXVR2HscKS-6_2tlS4qzlC1fbX7uJzpp/s1600/JB%2527s+FF+%252874%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsjcHzp1r1MHNIEI9qadFfIdGIysmvg46lKljPBxKYdbOqo7O_FffU9t4QR6VKt1rA-RWv4dkkz3pktzpnc2oF8XVNvrXEyKPndXrsRXy9RCxHXVR2HscKS-6_2tlS4qzlC1fbX7uJzpp/s400/JB%2527s+FF+%252874%2529.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Byrne</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b><b>Where did Ben come in CSBG's list?</b> <a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/10/30/top-marvel-characters-15-11/2/">#11</a><br />
<b><br /></b><b>Who was #4 in CSBG's list? </b><a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/11/03/2015-top-50-marvel-characters-6-4/">Daredevil</a><br />
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It's weird how a so-called monster, with a hair-trigger temper and a grumpy demeanour, can be the one character in the Marvel Universe who everybody is friends with, even most of the villains. Every character respects Captain America, and every character ends up teaming up with either Wolverine or Spider-Man at some point. But Ben is the guy that every character wants to hang out with, either to play poker or have a drink. Perhaps it's because of the fact that, despite his monstrous appearance, frequent mood swings, and love of "clobberin", he's actually one of the most sensitive characters in the Marvel Universe. Like his friend Johnny Storm he falls in love very easily and is fiercely loyal to his friends and family. He has chosen to turn down possible cures for his monstrousness on more than one occasion in order to save lives.<br />
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It's very telling that when the Marvel heroes went to war with each other over the issue of Superhuman Registration, each side was desperate to get Ben on their side. It was as if having Ben on board would legitimise their point of view. It's also very telling that Ben refused to join either side and buggered off to France instead. Ben is, more than any other character, the heart and soul of the Marvel Universe.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMEJh_D32Mc1-G2A66Af6IpJdO3vE7Qc4uM3gxOOk7UMQ-r3QNcUttVHBHrFSdQ_i40gKQO3KDJO5U1k7p_wSbZG0R6dVVE11fK1mgnyY72nH9ecUpsD_8UQggEWqtTVHqcSLOClVabYm/s1600/tumblr_mcsvr57f371qkhgmfo2_250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMEJh_D32Mc1-G2A66Af6IpJdO3vE7Qc4uM3gxOOk7UMQ-r3QNcUttVHBHrFSdQ_i40gKQO3KDJO5U1k7p_wSbZG0R6dVVE11fK1mgnyY72nH9ecUpsD_8UQggEWqtTVHqcSLOClVabYm/s1600/tumblr_mcsvr57f371qkhgmfo2_250.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brad Walker</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>3. Iron Man (Tony Stark)</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBHLJpdoRxWEOVVqVwEvXC-KUvQSHMs-UTQBkWdF7IoVmlNAxKpa4TqE6IutP14q1ebsUgslkT9BtA6mhd0NZrezORnk4EG3C3_qgV_p91VPwE5tnr_ixJN7oeCwP5y_qODaeSBhcFORn/s1600/whenmet5-4-15c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBHLJpdoRxWEOVVqVwEvXC-KUvQSHMs-UTQBkWdF7IoVmlNAxKpa4TqE6IutP14q1ebsUgslkT9BtA6mhd0NZrezORnk4EG3C3_qgV_p91VPwE5tnr_ixJN7oeCwP5y_qODaeSBhcFORn/s400/whenmet5-4-15c.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Bright</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Where did Tony come in CSBG's list?</b> <a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/11/01/top-50-marvel-characters-10-7/">#9</a><br />
<b><br /></b><b>Who was #3 in CSBG's list? </b><a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/11/05/2015-top-50-marvel-characters-3-1/">Wolverine</a><br />
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Tony Stark is one of the most real characters in the Marvel Universe. By that I don't mean realistic, he is after all a guy who flies around in a metal suit that fits in a briefcase. And I don't mean that he's a character that's easy to identify with. Well, he might be if you're a billionaire who's one of the cleverest men in the world, but for the rest of us he's a man with a lifestyle that we can only dream of. When I say that Stark is 'real' I mean that he is one of the most fully-developed characters in comics. He's a complete character with motives, and fears, and desires, and flaws, and hidden aspects to his personality. Stark is proud of his wealth and success, and simultaneously ashamed of his privilege. He's ruthless enough to use people to achieve his goals but compassionate enough to feel awful about it. He's desperate to be loved and yet willing to make himself the bad guy in order to serve the greater good. He's constantly looking towards the future and is occasionally horrified by what he sees, but is just arrogant enough to think he can steer us all on the right path. He embraces pleasure as only a man on borrowed time can. He is an alcoholic. There aren't many characters in comics as fully developed as Stark (maybe John Constantine). If Tony Stark were any more real I'd be typing this on a Stark Industries laptop.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0V2Rd8G4LeZ85da4hHa3WKITQv2agAvKLijaRU_klciyIkN-Fv4Vzr7OF0dIfM0-hAvAH121Ik3NqShbcbB1dwYEwUzNIaSHRxApIbxyUCUwVsppyOsJooH9AFpzlZOPKqQziKzKhk3a/s1600/190430109_02e7e83a26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0V2Rd8G4LeZ85da4hHa3WKITQv2agAvKLijaRU_klciyIkN-Fv4Vzr7OF0dIfM0-hAvAH121Ik3NqShbcbB1dwYEwUzNIaSHRxApIbxyUCUwVsppyOsJooH9AFpzlZOPKqQziKzKhk3a/s320/190430109_02e7e83a26.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack Kirby</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b>2. Mr Fantastic (Reed Richards)</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEionGKF634qN2JanZMx7MTDfI7_U75j6TRH6Pbb80NkHsQPUTwf5KNKTwXAC0M-BEr66saJM8-AzeF9lZAtAvwT3qM0Sern0VzjhFQINnKlEkWmiWEDKTSO_6pC_5H4sixcwwmTu6Jfno2l/s1600/JB%2527s+FF+%252871%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEionGKF634qN2JanZMx7MTDfI7_U75j6TRH6Pbb80NkHsQPUTwf5KNKTwXAC0M-BEr66saJM8-AzeF9lZAtAvwT3qM0Sern0VzjhFQINnKlEkWmiWEDKTSO_6pC_5H4sixcwwmTu6Jfno2l/s400/JB%2527s+FF+%252871%2529.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Byrne</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Where did Reed come in CSBG's list?</b> <a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/10/23/2015-top-marvel-characters-35-31/">#35</a><br />
<b><br /></b><b>Who was #2 in CSBG's list? </b><a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/11/05/2015-top-50-marvel-characters-3-1/">Captain America</a><br />
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Reed Richards is a hero, a born leader, a super-genius and the Marvel Universe's ultimate father figure. But these factors are only part of what makes him so appealing. In the fifty+ years since Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the <i>Fantastic Four</i> it's been pretty well established that Reed is just one bad day away from going completely batshit insane. Reed is the cleverest person on the planet and he's just one hissy fit away from deciding that everyone on Earth doesn't really know what they're doing and he'd be better off just taking over. There is of course one thing that keeps Reed grounded and stops him from crushing us all like the intellectual cockroaches we are. His family. The rest of the FF. Whenever Reed starts losing it, his wife, his brother-in-law, his best friend, his two children and sometimes even his deadbeat, time-travelling dad all manage to keep him on the straight and narrow. A man who can fit whole Universes into his brain but can't survive without his wife, kids, and best friends. There's something really beautiful about that. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn13WUp7_OGQ_bI3Y2m-BpNEryr34Oe7_CDw0wF7KEx2t9GiE0rzNjoc7yMau3JgoiOR3KC91rEJ60pEvKnC_4ysxMWWFzdsov0fVkkgX7PLY26TgqmH3_mhS8YEspeIplpCssi2djOV3M/s1600/1467204979118910533.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn13WUp7_OGQ_bI3Y2m-BpNEryr34Oe7_CDw0wF7KEx2t9GiE0rzNjoc7yMau3JgoiOR3KC91rEJ60pEvKnC_4ysxMWWFzdsov0fVkkgX7PLY26TgqmH3_mhS8YEspeIplpCssi2djOV3M/s320/1467204979118910533.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Esad Ribic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
<b>1. The Amazing Spider-Man (Peter Parker)</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhirVsMrfRx8viEWZFSJaK5M5fL3OIFCC8RAGKhNwNuKluYqT7Arlw07oSO-7WnF_rlRNL_rBi4T7w7UU5G0fuxZVCWjupKnWc2X_cEA_Y2n4JkQ2aHfC4TKDG75zr-YmpkzsySGpGx_KAp/s1600/4170474957_68d40d12dc_o.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhirVsMrfRx8viEWZFSJaK5M5fL3OIFCC8RAGKhNwNuKluYqT7Arlw07oSO-7WnF_rlRNL_rBi4T7w7UU5G0fuxZVCWjupKnWc2X_cEA_Y2n4JkQ2aHfC4TKDG75zr-YmpkzsySGpGx_KAp/s400/4170474957_68d40d12dc_o.png" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Romita</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Where did Pete come in CSBG's list?</b> <a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/10/23/2015-top-marvel-characters-35-31/">#1</a></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b><b>Who was #1 in CSBG's list? </b><a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2015/11/05/2015-top-50-marvel-characters-3-1/">Spider-Man (Peter Parker)</a><br />
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One of the first <i>Spider-Man</i> stories I ever read as a child ended with Spidey collapsing in an exhausted heap on his bed following a particularly intense battle with Electro. Nursing his burnt hands he says to himself "If this is a victory... I'd hate to be defeated." Even as a kid I realised this was miles away from Superman or Batman, but I didn't realise quite how different it was. I remember asking my dad if he had the next issue, where I assumed Spidey would pick himself up, solve his problems and win a decisive victory. I didn't realise that there was no second part to this story, this was Peter Parker's life! Even when he won he didn't really win.</div>
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Many Spidey stories over the years have begun with Pete acting out of anger or spite, or deciding to put himself first, or not thinking about the consequences of his actions. For me that's the wonderful thing about Pete. He makes mistakes, big mistakes. His origin revolves around him making a mistake, one with tragic consequences. Pete's not a hero because he always does the right thing. He's a hero because he tries to do the right thing and when he fails he faces up to his mistakes and does his best to make things right. That's the key to Spider-Man's popularity. He's not perfect, he's as flawed as us. But he never lets that stop him from trying to do the right thing, and neither should we.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqvCGl8_XprgxzKy-v5R-soMgBc2BqOTpXtYL96VvENq3XdfDZvwg_8acA3Fvsm3NllOQpCE4ViU48gHGk87MhR7JHLFN6J2gLIunJ-rIajsKFfqFpqfkec-yzJVrHS2uqqwgNdw_ev3f/s1600/tumblr_nsq81ujvrD1u5fe0zo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqvCGl8_XprgxzKy-v5R-soMgBc2BqOTpXtYL96VvENq3XdfDZvwg_8acA3Fvsm3NllOQpCE4ViU48gHGk87MhR7JHLFN6J2gLIunJ-rIajsKFfqFpqfkec-yzJVrHS2uqqwgNdw_ev3f/s320/tumblr_nsq81ujvrD1u5fe0zo1_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Salvador Larroca </td></tr>
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Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-10545000312157223592018-11-17T23:31:00.001+00:002023-12-20T19:18:02.625+00:00The Many Deaths of Doctor Who<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-65407778830739330122018-09-09T20:48:00.000+01:002018-09-09T20:48:45.436+01:00The Grim and Gritty Movie Committee - Episode Three: Richard's Donner's Superman<br />
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It's the third episode of <a href="https://soundcloud.com/grimngrittymoviecommittee/episode-3-who-killed-superman">The Grim and Gritty Movie Committee</a>, the podcast where two men who have been chained together for over 30 years by a mutual love of superheroes discuss superhero films.<br />
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This time me and Madeley discuss the greatest film of all time, Richard Donner's <i>Superman</i>. We ask the question; <b>Did Christopher Reeve kill Superman? </b>We discuss <b>the politics of Superman; is he a working class hero or a centrist dad?</b><br />
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It can be found on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-grim-and-gritty-movie-committee-087223/id1111785745?mt=2">iTunes</a><br />
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And Soundcloud: <iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="300" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/497526366&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
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Listen, like, comment, and share!Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-17137005220132680222018-05-12T20:23:00.000+01:002018-06-17T22:24:10.003+01:00Buy my stuff on Red Bubble!I've started sticking my artwork up on <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/PaulGCornish?asc=u">redbubble.com</a>. You can now <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/PaulGCornish?asc=u">order t-shirts, stationery, mugs, stickers and posters with my art on it</a>. I'm hoping to make a bit of much needed spare cash and also get that fleeting yet addictive hit of validation every time a sale is made. There's a lot of <i><b>Doctor Who</b></i> inspired designs, and a few more inspired by other bits of pop culture, with more designs on the way.<br />
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Here's a couple of satisfied customers wearing my art!<br />
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As south Wales's number 1 Dad Model I'm proud to wear and endorse a <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulGCornish?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PaulGCornish</a> original <a href="https://t.co/vtlHQwrLGP">pic.twitter.com/vtlHQwrLGP</a></div>
— Madeley (@Madeley) <a href="https://twitter.com/Madeley/status/992486138337218563?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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*Sucks it in*<br /><br />Look at the size of this lad...<a href="https://twitter.com/PaulGCornish?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PaulGCornish</a> <a href="https://t.co/NFUA9vzlGR">pic.twitter.com/NFUA9vzlGR</a></div>
— Nrrd 1965 (@djnrrd) <a href="https://twitter.com/djnrrd/status/1006506531641348096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<br />
I'm going to use this post to share a few examples of what I've got <a href="https://redbubble.com/people/PaulGCornish/shop">on offer</a> in the hopes of tempting some more people to make a few purchases. You can <a href="https://redbubble.com/people/PaulGCornish/shop">BUY MY STUFF BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK!</a><br />
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<br />Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-25903250900173256072018-03-30T00:39:00.001+01:002018-04-08T13:45:09.889+01:00The Grim and Gritty Movie Committee - Episode Two: Josh Trank's Fantastic Four<div>
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It's the second episode of <a href="https://soundcloud.com/grimandgrittymoviecommittee">The Grim and Gritty Movie Committee</a>, the podcast where two men who have been chained together for over 30 years by a mutual love of superheroes discuss superhero films.</div>
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This time me and <a href="https://twitter.com/Madeley">Madeley</a> discuss the film literally nobody liked except me, Josh Trank's <i>Fantastic Four</i>. Find out what I could possibly find to like about it, and if Madeley agrees with me.<br />
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It can be found on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-grim-and-gritty-movie-committee/id1111785745?mt=2">iTunes</a><br />
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And Soundcloud:<br /><br />UPDATE: We've fixed the sound so the musical interludes won't make your ears bleed!<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="300" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/426302388&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Please listen, share, comment, and subscribe!<br /><br />Also, follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/GrimNGrittyPod">Twitter!</a> </span></b>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-13407013033138129182018-02-25T19:00:00.003+00:002018-02-25T19:00:43.642+00:00MYTH TELLER 1: The Terrible Secret of King MarchI've recently began a storytelling project with my pal Hannah Berg. It's called <b>Myth Teller </b>and we're hoping to deliver myths and legends from around the world, told on Youtube, for audiences of all, ages, on a fairly regular basis. Here's episode one, based on the old Welsh legend of King March ap Meirchion of Lleyn. If you enjoy it please feel free to share wherever you can.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7ifGnRO_F0I" width="560"></iframe>Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-32973973941921115262018-02-02T04:47:00.000+00:002020-08-04T12:53:31.573+01:00Brian Michael Bendis writing Superman<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ivan Reis</td></tr>
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Former superstar Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis will begin writing Superman comics this year. According to <a href="https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/02/01/brian-bendis-man-steel-superman-1-action-comics-1001-dc-nation-jinxworld/">DC Comics' press release</a>,<br />
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Bendis’ first DC story will be with fan-favorite artist Jim Lee in ACTION COMICS #1000 (on sale April 18), but this is only the beginning when it comes to his relationship with Krypton’s Last Son. On May 30, Bendis debuts MAN OF STEEL, a six-issue weekly miniseries. Featuring six interconnected covers by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado, this series will shake up the classic story of Krypton’s final days and Kal-El’s path to becoming an iconic hero, introducing a new villain that knows a terrifying secret behind the destruction of Superman’s homeworld. Bendis’ story will feature an incredible lineup of artistic firepower, including Ivan Reis, Evan “Doc” Shaner, Ryan Sook, Kevin Maguire, Adam Hughes and Jason Fabok. A prelude to MAN OF STEEL by Bendis and artist Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez will be available on May 2, in the DC NATION #0 preview sampler.<br />
This July, more fireworks are in store for fans with not one, but two Superman-themed titles, both written by Bendis. July 11debuts SUPERMAN #1, with art by Ivan Reis. The conclusion of MAN OF STEEL will leave both fans and Superman reeling, and the debut story arc will dive deeper into its consequences, building on popularity already generated by co-writer Peter J. Tomasi and co-writer/artist Pat Gleason. On July 25, ACTION COMICS resumes with issue #1001; with art by Gleason, Bendis will deliver stories that are more character-focused, introduce new characters (both heroes and villains) and spotlight more of Clark Kent and his role at the Daily Planet. ACTION will also take a closer look at how the actions of Superman impact the DC Universe.</blockquote>
I'm generally a fan of Bendis' work but I must admit I've become increasingly bored and frustrated with his recent work. At Marvel his writing has become a bit predictable, and his main flaws as a writer are particularly prevalent. For example, he's always been stronger at character and dialogue than story, but his plots on books like <i>Spider-man</i> and <i>Infamous Iron Man</i> have been especially slow moving and meandering of late. As far as I'm concerned Bendis' move to DC Comics couldn't have come at a better time. Hopefully the change will reinvigorate him and we'll see him on top form again.<br />
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I cannot emphasise enough what a gift for character and dialogue Bendis has. Having said that, if certain characters don't interest him we can expect to see them written out of character, or even completely ignored. He's very good at creating new characters, so I think we'll see him bring in new cast members rather than resurrect old ones. Bendis will leave the Superman myth a richer place than he found it. I think his talent at writing very human, grounded people living through fantastical events will mean we'll get some great Daily Planet related stuff.<br />
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If you're unfamiliar with his work I recommend his Miles Morales Ultimate Spider-man stuff. Miles and his supporting cast are probably Bendis' greatest creations as far as I'm concerned.<br />
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In 2016 somebody used <a href="https://t.co/swEoae83S8">Tumblr to ask Bendis what he would like to write at DC Comics.</a> Among other things he said a "VERY back to original basics" Superman. Is that what we'll get? What does that even mean?<br />
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We're about to find out.Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4864210356049262187.post-21204471339908694222018-01-28T22:46:00.000+00:002018-01-29T23:32:18.810+00:00The Grim and Gritty Movie Committee - Episode One: Batman 1989<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6NMAd9XQuMNHXX0rnolF3QhiO-95rcoDf732YMYVnep4WhI4z7hYtXSgsZbLNAcmcyVsz5YR_8FNnZOGI-AzOgb1Y2lwgqyXUBzGnJcpRkuibFqgG6fNJc4yERG_4RgceoUy7ljTeAo/s1600/P1060548.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="1068" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6NMAd9XQuMNHXX0rnolF3QhiO-95rcoDf732YMYVnep4WhI4z7hYtXSgsZbLNAcmcyVsz5YR_8FNnZOGI-AzOgb1Y2lwgqyXUBzGnJcpRkuibFqgG6fNJc4yERG_4RgceoUy7ljTeAo/s400/P1060548.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's the first episode of <a href="https://soundcloud.com/grimandgrittymoviecommittee">The Grim and Gritty Movie Committee</a>, the podcast where two men who have been chained together for over 30 years by a mutual love of superheroes discuss superhero films.</div>
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Relive Batmania as me and my pal <a href="https://twitter.com/Madeley">Madeley</a> discuss Tim Burton's Batman (1989). Discover the film Batman almost became, the origin of Johnny Gobs, the secret of Joker's soldering iron, and the reason Madeley swore off milk in 1987.<br />
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It can be found on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-grim-and-gritty-movie-committee/id1111785745?mt=2">iTunes</a><br /><br />And Soundcloud:<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Please listen, share, comment, and subscribe!<br /><br />Also, follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/GrimNGrittyPod">Twitter!</a> </span></b></div>
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<br />Paul Cornishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10469101583887554968noreply@blogger.com0