I'll be reviewing more Marvel work as well, along with the usual batch of DC books.

I'm not there now, but I'll make it next year.

 DISCLAIMER: THE FOLLOWING IS A SERIES OF NOTES THAT REFLECT MY OPINIONS AND VIEWS, MINE ALONE. READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION, FOR I'M NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU GET OFFENDED BY MY WORDS.

What does a sketch by George Carlin, viewing a video regarding The DC Universe: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book, and having to hear a Jehovah's Witness babble, have in common?

That George Carlin, God rest his soul, ironically, was right; Religion is bullshit.

When I put more attention to a mere children's pop-up book over sycophantic pleas and insincere compliments, you know a dead man's word is as much truth as the propaganda these salesmen of faith try to jam down people's throats. Aside from the obvious notion I have regarding this form of enlightenment, to which I'm increasingly being more distrusting about, seeing how these are the same people that constantly harassed my mother with sexual innuendos, the general attempt that they try to lure me in to their hive mind collective is pretty much insulting to me.

Simply put, what's the point of having free will, if you're being nagged and strong-armed into joining a religion, and God help you if you rebuke their offer, for it automatically sends you to damnation. I actually would feel a lot better if a person were to tell me a "Fuck You", at least it'd be sincere, and to the point.

Now, before you guys decide to say that I'm acting rash and irrational about this, let me stop you right here. I'm not. I'm saying all of this because I had to endure all of this early in my childhood.

Being ridiculed at Kingdom Halls for not remembering a certain quote from the Bible, being scolded for not singing a hymn along with the rest of the hypocrite sheep, actually having my time to watch The Batman/Superman Adventures interrupted because a pair of Witnesses wanted to do a surprise Bible Study...

It appears that John 8:7 has either slipped their mind, or decided to willingly ignore it altogether. Because for all the times I have been scolded and singled out by these two-faced suck-ups, just because I listened to Eminem, or watched Pokémon, they have committed worse things than I have done. They're a blight, and a warped misrepresentation of the concept of God Jehovah (See, JWs, I'm not that ignorant) and Jesus Christ's teachings. The fact that the people who judge me are nothing more than the same scum they vilify in their sermons, the same pigs who roll around in the pig sty that is indecency they visibly dislike, is already infuriating, and a concrete point in my argument, hence the saying, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

And don't get me started on the issue of birthdays...

But what ticks me off the most, is the same torture of having to go door-to-door, pushing this drivel to other people, subtly forcing them to believe what they believe, is still being practiced. The fact that I see kids nowadays, 6,7,8,9-year-old kids, trying to quickly pass you a Watchtower pamphlet in order to please their parents, is appalling to me, and in my opinion, is akin to child abuse. Sure, the physical assault isn't there, or the verbal abuse, but the fact that you're practically forcing your child to parrot your beliefs... Why that's no better than what Fox News is doing through Glenn Beck. Except, cops die after a person listens to Glenn Beck, or takes his crap seriously.

Now, this is where you point out that I'm a hypocrite, because at some point in either facebook, or if you're really lucky, you have met me in real life, have heard me use these concepts in a positive light. To that, I say, I did, in the sense that I believe in God Jehovah and Jesus Christ (See, I'm being a hypocrite right now, does that satisfy?), and I believe that the only commandments I have to follow are to love thy neighbor and cast the first stone if you're without sin.

I've been a thief, I'm sure as hell, have been an adulterer at most of my blooming life, I don't worship pagan statues, yet I've bear false witness in order to get even with people that fucked me over, on the Sabbath, all I do is sleep at my house, as for the rest of the week I either fuck around or go to school, take your pick. I would flesh out the rest of the commandments, but I have a feeling that it'll bore you, and there are some things that deserve to stay in my mind, 'kay?

Batman said it best in Secret Six #2: I leave temptation alone and temptation does me the same courtesy. I'm not going to outright fall into a vitriolic, antagonistic point of view to them forever and ever like Terry Funk. All I want is for this collective cesspool of hatred and lies (I'll give you a cookie if you catch the reference...) is to leave me alone, and I'll leave it alone. No more, no less. Simple as that.

And this is coming from a former Jehovah's Witness and a former Mormon. So yeah, more validity towards my manifest.

 Well, guys, it took me three times to properly review this movie, and I still think I should watch it some more so I can give a fair review of The Dark Knight, but here I go. First of all, the movie is like a roller-coaster ride from start to a surprising finish, with the late Mr. Heath Ledger headlining the attraction. What I really liked is how deep in realism this movie centered itself without going over the line, especially during the first 6 minutes, which is a beautiful nod to Michael Mann's Heat. Then Christian Bale's powerful rendition of Bruce Wayne, the troubled billionaire who worries less about meetings, and his alter ego Batman who uses inflation (the theme that he introduced at the end of Batman Begins) to replace his costume just because he can't move his neck, (another knack that was constant in almost all the Batman movies) but also in his constant fight against crime, he finally finds a saving grace in having D.A. Harvey Dent to be his "protege" of sorts in cleaning up the streets of Gotham City, albeit in the legal way. Aaron Eckhart's portrayal of Mr. Dent is stunning, earnest, and sometimes, you can tell his character has internal conflicts with his job, especially with putting his father's lucky coin into play. But there's also one person that ties both Mr.Wayne and Mr. Dent together, the affections of Ms. Rachel Dawes, played by Maggie Gylenhaal, who I must say, her acting is passable, but her looks, divine. She makes the simple paralegal dress-ups looks innocently seductive. And back to Mr. Ledger's gripping, brilliant acting of The Joker. He seriously distances his portrayal of the Joker away from Jack Nicholson's version, with the simple pretext of anarchy and how to spread it like a bad cold, and in which people die thanks to his unpredictability, his sadist attitude, and sometimes, his humorous torture of telling his origins of his "smile". He truly went all out into making The Joker the most disturbing person Batman has ever faced, forcing people to kill each other just to save their loved ones, but also it's tragic that when he states that he and Batman will do this for a long time, you can't help but notice that it won't happen, because Mr. Ledger passed away in January of this year. But enough dwelling on his death, his brilliant acting in many ways and forms, deserves a post-humous Oscar, since Peter Finch won it in 1976. If the Academy doesn't grant this wish, then I'll be seriously disappointed with their rationale of judgment. Honorable mentions also include Michael Caine's portrayal of Bruce's faithful butler/surrogate father Alfred, who constantly motivates Bruce into being the hero that Gotham needs, and Gary Oldman's ascending acting of Lt. Gordon really shows how must a cop deal with a uncontrollable predicament like The Joker, and its after effects that he provoked. Morgan Freeman's performance of Mr. Lucius Fox was at most times, there, but only for a brief bit, but we also learn that there are things that Mr. Fox wouldn't do in order to save Gotham, so the aspect of human integrity is played there as well. Clearly, Christopher Nolan has made a masterpiece that didn't care about how much money it made at the theaters (But then again, $740 Million worldwide isn't something you can just brush off), but he made this grand piece of filmmaking to show that Batman isn't exactly seen as a hero, especially under the circumstances that he has volunteered to be in, and that The Joker isn't your typical evil supervillain. If anything, all he wants is to be known in the most gruesome fashion possible, and that he sees Batman for lack of a better word, a "play pal" in Gotham's uncontrolled madness. I highly recommend watching this movie, even if you got the bootleg version, see this movie. The Batman you thought you knew may be different from the one you will see in "The Dark Knight." 

Before I started writing another entry in this lawlwess book of mine, several things have happened that greatly made me reflect.
 
As of late, I have always been judged by disapproving stares from people that doesn't comprehend my strifes, let alone, my conflicts. But little did I know, that irony would play to my favor. For once in this life, the world seems just. I have come from class, ruminating on doing the dreadful chores that await me. Now one of these self-proclaimed justifiers, the supposed shining example of the school skipped class, taking a page out of my former playbook. The irony was rich, instantaneous, and ecstatic. All I could do to respond to such event, was to stare into her eyes, a long, serious, deadly look that may have sunk into her soul.
 
At first I saw her confusion, and then I briefly saw her fear. Once I saw that, I ended my stare abruptly. The realization that I brought fear to someone without making any threats, physical or verbal, was almost too much for me to take in all at once. I felt and saw her fear, and what it devolved her and the people who she imitates. That without the makeup, without the hairstyle, without the designer clothes and all this irrelevant crap they parade with, they're broken shells of their false selves. Without that false sense of security, they're just as pathetic as they deem me to be. I felt their fear. And I loved it.

 What is it about human relationships that I always find so alluring?

The immediate gratification of physical reward that all long for, at one point or another in their lives? The reality that you're not alone in your despair, and that there are people willing to carry your load with you?

Or is these same qualities that I treat like the voice of siren when I first hear it, only to gradually become the agonizing shriek of a banshee? Do I put up this resistance in order not to become addicted and dependent on this blessing in disguise?

To explain why I relent, or at the most, doubt these ties to last for a long time, you have to go through every day of my life. My joys, my sorrows, my blessings, my curses, my redemption of my being, my heartbreaks and my leaps into insanity. It's hell thinking about the people that betrayed me, but it's an even bigger hell to deny the people who genuinely want to bring me into their lives.

Every day I think about it, and it always seems surreal... Kind souls who actually offer their kindness to me, who seek to make me strong, who highly consider my opinion, without any ulterior motive guiding their words. As I readily accept these gifts, I always wonder, when will the other boot drop?

Before, I was alone, broken, bitter, distrusting of everyone that spoke to me. Now, I'm just wondering, if these vicious cycle will repeat itself, but with me as the oppressor...

I'm not delusional. I linger in my mistakes, still, but not in a way to seek penance, but as a way to analyze what I do today to avoid being that vindictive person that has attacked and betrayed me without stabbing me in the back. As I watch the sun set into the darkness, I wonder on how long will this torture continue.

I would try to ignore it. A bottle of Heineken, a Black & Mild Vanilla, sure, that would be the easiest way... But all I'm doing is killing myself. And in a way, the bottle and the blunt is synonymous with these ties that bind me. I try my hardest not to lose myself in such concepts, but haven't I lost myself by being over analytical in these very concepts?

But at the end of it all, if these ties are going to be my noose, then hell, might as well let it do its job. For it gives me the death in which I don't feel the pain, but to the contrary, I dare compare it, with having the best sex with the most beautiful woman you can conjure up in your mind.

I only have one life, and I don't think I'll be reincarnated anytime soon. Might as well make this memorable, because... Just because.

By now, everyone has heard the news, LeBron James is going to the Miami Heat. Sure, people in Miami are ecstatic about realizing this grand, mad dream of gaining the triumvirate of LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade, but just as that's a solid fact, there's also the fact that Cleveland, Ohio is suffering the worst heartbreak they ever endured since Michael Jordan's shot crushed the Cavaliers in the 1992-93 Conference Finals. But as justified as their emotional anguish is towards LeBron, it also borders on the insane.
 
Dan Gilbert, the owner of these Cavaliers, went out of his way to lambaste, eviscerate, maim LeBron James' personality and respects towards making his all-too publicized "Decision", which was on ESPN, no less. From calling him narcissistic, to making an emotionally charged guarantee that Cleveland will win an NBA Title before James gets to achieve one, and declaring James' actions a betrayal. Oh, and calling him a bad example to kids, in the process, and calling him selfish for doing this just for the money and the championship. And then there's Clevelanders burning his jerseys like it was out of style.
 
This is childish. Not the fact that LeBron garnered all this attention to declare his decision, but the way Cleveland reacted to this series of events. I agree with Gilbert, that James seemed like he gave up in Games 5 and 6 against Boston, and that he could've warned them in advance. But this is disgraceful. Stupid. Senseless. Instead of burning those shirts, they could've hung them up, like a regular human being, or if you're a businessman, have the jersey framed and auctioned. But it seems that blind emotion won the day.
 
It also goes to show you what a difference a day makes. From being hailed as a hero and the face of the league, to a selfish villain who did it all for the fame. I can make a million cases that proves that James, Bosh, and Wade all willingly agreed to take a lower pay to sign with Miami in the hope of bringing championships to the Magic City. I can easily state that James could've stayed with Cleveland and take that six year/$120 million deal if he really wanted the money. He could've taken Charles Barkley's advice of just doing it on his own. But the thing with LeBron, is that, unlike Barkley, he's made it to the Finals. And unlike Barkley, once again, he will not rest until he wins an NBA Title.
 
All I have to say to this, let reason and common sense sink in. Cleveland, you're a city that endured so many heartbreaks, that you're given all the rights in the world to be mad at this travesty. But instead of hating this guy for wanting to be a winner, focus on being winners yourselves. This was going to happen, not just in Cleveland. It happened in Toronto with Bosh, but Bosh wasn't vilified for going to Miami, wasn't he? It happened in Phoenix, with Stoudemire going to the Knicks, but nobody went and burned his Suns jersey, did they?
 
Who knows, at the end of the day, maybe Miami can't handle all the pressure, maybe they will, and probably exceed expectations while they're at it. But the lesson that needs to be learned from this, emotions can make or break anyone. You don't believe me? Ask Don Gilbert, who's still seething in anger, both understandable and self-righteous.
 
What's your take on this, guys?

... whether to laugh or be insulted at this Ticketmaster quest. From misleading to absurd, to downright redundant.

I hate to say it, but there's a growing bias that favors all things Marvel and puts all DC work as secondary. At least here. I hope I'm wrong, but so far, the quests, the news, even though I emailed the wet blankets regarding Wonder Woman #600 being sold out, they're putting DC aside. I don't like this.