Batsy Ross

admittedly I am a little tired of this soap opera resurrection thing that they do in Comics and Soap Operas, so I wasn't exactly heart broken when they made Bucky the new Cap.

it's not like this was some big giant shocker or story twist anyhow.

if anything, it was a thinly veiled unveiling that was more or less a linear move on the part of Marvel with the story line. Sure there may have been other characters who better represented the old fashioned Steve Rogers morals and Americanism, but come on, it's Bucky, the tormented little side kick stuck forever in the shadow of his mentor. He's all grown up now, he can shave and when he pees, his pee always knows where it's going. Let him be the king of the sandbox for a few days.

If it doesn't work out, I'm sure marvel will find a new character to be captain America and will dismiss Bucky's time as Cap as some kind of "magic". That would be the appropriate soap opera excuse for sudden story and character changes in the middle of an episode. I suspect we can apply the same logic here. I apply the "it was magic" excuse/logic to nearly 80% of everything I do at work. It wasn't the fact that I know how to read and write and tie my own shoes (if I wore shoes), it was Magic. Always with the Magic.

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I've been trudging through Superheroes and Philosophy, which fortunately will tie in with my history assignment this week regarding Socrates. Unfortunately the book isn't exactly a thriller, it's essentially a collection of essays and articles written picking apart the virtues of various heroes. The article on Matt Murdock and superheroes and religion was reasonably well done, and I greatly enjoy the analysis of the superhero genre.

But Let's toy with the Socrates a little.

In the Republic, Socrates argues that a man who lives a life of virtue and justice, instead of a life of evil and greed for personal gain, will live a much happier life. Even if said naughty man were never caught or punished for his naughty ways, he would not live as happy a life as the virtuous man. So why are superheroes good? If they possess the power to do many things, good or bad, why do they go the route of good when evil might be far more profitable? Have we decided that characters with such strengths and virtues should be good to give us hope and inspire us to continue to live strong moral lives? Discuss.

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1) I'm so glad Iron Man has returned to it's Iron Man focused storyline.

2) The T-1000 is still the best terminator out there.

3) Captain Harlock.

4) Building elaborate and confusing train tracks then using magnets, string and a captain america action figure to demonstrate the power of imagination.

5) Wearing a cape.

6) Aunt Fidget Wonkham-Strong and Captain Najork

7) Threatening children with the Nautical Almanac.

8) Being better than Batman.

9) Teaching children annoying songs to sing over and over and over and over again until you want to scream.

10) Tony Stark. Hands Down.

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Ok so you know who you are already and I don't need to bother with any explaining or details. You know it in your heart already so accept it.

The problem, Mr. CrazyEnragedFanBoy, is not that you have an opinion. No one is questioning the right of others to have an opinion.

What is the problem, Mr. SuperEngorgedWithRighteousnessFanBoy, is your unwavering commitment to the idea that while everyone can have an opinion, only your opinion is right.

This is not anything new; we've all seen it before during other topics that became heated. And while, again, no one is questioning anyone's right to have an opinion, some of us tend to start shouting how Our Opinion Is Right and everyone else's uninformed opinion is wrong. There is a subtle Conceit involved that some of us are noticing and not missing. And that causes us to shout louder.

Read carefully. Reviews of books, movies and albums mean the reviewer didn't like it. It's an opinion piece and there are countless books, movies, plays, albums, museums, restaurants, etc, that have all been tanked in reviews yet have also been very popular and rightly so. Basing an opinion on another person's is silly. And Uninformed.

Keep Reading, Mr. HystericalFanBoy, because there is always more. Always.

The chances of a director who's made six crummy movies making a seventh that is astoundingly good? Slim to none, but still possible. How many One Hit Wonder Bands, movies, actors, and writers are out there?

So, this thing doesn't look like it's going to meet your specifications. Ok. You have every right to voice your opinion on that. But let's review some statements made too.

"I don't have to touch it to know its crap."

Well, no, but it could be gold packaged like crap and without touching it, smelling it and tasting it, you would be dismissing it with a half baked assumption without any real concrete research.

"For all I know you could have seen it, hated it, and are embarrassed to admit you spent money on it"

Now that's just silly. Come on Buttercup, We know that the vast majority of the population will say, that they hated it, it sucked and they wasted their money on it.

You want to gage the real worth of a movie? Movie Reviewers get to see movies for free. No money invested in that. But Regular Joe on the Street? He or She works really hard for their money. Times are Tough. If it sucked, and they feel like they wasted their money? You can be damn sure that they are going to let us know.

Ok, so let's review. It’s not that you're wrong. It's that you seem unable to consider that perhaps you are so dedicated to being right that No one Else is allowed to question your opinion. They can have theirs, but they can't question yours.

Who died and made you Battle Pope?

Do you have to see a movie with bad reviews and a director that you don't like? No. Does that mean that the film is going to suck right off the bat? No. It's like making pancakes with soymilk, gluten free flour and splenda. Sounds like a very bad idea. But that doesn't mean it is. It just sounds bad. But when I set the plate down in front of you, you sure as hell better take a bite before you say it sucked. Because until that moment that the first morsel touches your tongue and you chew it with your teeth and actually taste, touch and smell it, you don’t know.

No, stop yourself there. Don't say "I just said it sounds bad, that I don't want to see it, that I'm not interested, I'm just sharing a funny review, it's everyone else who's jumping all over me, it's them interpreting my words to be this," because then we just have to go and get the big giant ruler of truth and justice and slap your hand for being snotty and talking back in class. Just stop yourself. Calm deep breathes. Now say the following, "I can have an opinion that no one agrees with but that doesn't mean that they can't have opinions that I don't agree with." and repeat it until it's your personal mantra.

Ok. With that said, let’s move on.

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There is no question in my mind about the parallels between several characters in The Tick and Several other superheroes and supervillains in the world of comics. We could list them all but honestly I think the really important thing here is...Who is Arthur?

It's saturday. That means pancakes in the shape of puffer fish and chocolate milk made with milk.

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