Marvel Musings

Probably one of my favorite illustrations of Cap.
So iconic.

So, this weekend was the opening of Captain America. And I have yet to go see it.

Normally, when a big movie comes out, I am more than willing to forgo the crowds on opening weekend and wait a good week or two. But for this one, I am chomping at the bit. I have been waiting for this movie for over 20 years. I still get giddy when I see the trailers (which I periodically watch, just to get my temporary fix). And after seeing a low-quality pirate of the after-credits Avengers teaser, I almost want to cry. So, it’s with some great sadness and frustration (mainly due to financial hiccups) that I sit idly and await the time when I do get to see what is, for me personally, the ultimate superhero movie so far.

I have always been a Marvel fanboy. I mean, I loves me some DC; Batman and his family (particularly Nightwing), Superman, and Captain Marvel have always been cool characters. But there is something about the Marvel Universe that always pulls me in. And within that universe, Captain America has long been my favorite. That’s probably due to some really great writing in the 80’s. Particularly the story that introduced John Walker as Super Patriot, who then went on to take over as Cap, and Steve Rogers became The Captain…anyways, yeah. Big Cap fan here.

I’ve spent the last week watching all 26 episodes of season 1 of Disney DX’s The Avengers cartoon on NetFlix. It is amazing! The animation is pretty tight, the action is nice and fast, and the stories and characters are so well-done. They take familiar character traits and story elements, mix in some elements of the new wave of movies, and come up with a show that is both fresh and exciting for new fans and old alike. If you have NetFlix, and can stream instantly, I highly recommend them.

But, I have one gripe about the “new” Marvel. Editor in Chief Joe Quesada came out with an alternate universe a few years back in which to re-invent the iconic characters of the Marvel Universe. He called it the Ultimate Universe, and it’s still around and has a lot of followers and fans. For the most part, they did a lot of cool things. But one change is both cool, and disheartening at the same time. Nick Fury.

As a lark, they modeled the Ultimate Nick after Samuel L. Jackson, with his permission. I thought it was a cool idea, and worked for the Ultimate Universe. But, it became so popular, that it worked its way into the movies. And even in the Avengers cartoon, Nick is a black guy. Why does this bother me?


This is the Nick Fury
I grew up on.


Because Nick Fury is white. He is a hero of WWII, leader of the Howling Commandos, he was created before Captain America*, and later fought alongside him. Nick took an experimental serum, meant to try to replicate the Super Soldier serum that created Cap. It didn’t work quite right. All it managed to do was to slow Nick’s aging down. So, even though he is over 90 years old, he looks and fights like a man of 30-35 years. That was one of the things that made Nick so cool. He had a huge amount of experience, and provides a good bridge for Cap, who is a man out of time.

But now, that Nick is slowly being forgotten. I would wager that there are many fans who don’t even know about the original Nick Fury. And that saddens me a little. But, times change, and so do comic book characters (despite them not ever seeming to).  Still, he does get some play.  He is featured (in a different form) in recent issues of Steve Rogers (a spin-off series after Steve was "killed" and gave up being Cap...again).  But it's not really Nick Fury.  Not the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D.  And who knows, maybe I am missing something.  Admittedly, I don't read comics nearly as much as I used to.

All that being said, as long as they are writing and telling good stories with the new Fury, I’m ok with it. I still have the memories of my old Nick, and he will always have a place in my geeky little heart.

So, here I sit, looking at the Captain America action figure on my desk, and eagerly anticipating this weekend, when I can finally see a dream come true. I tell ya, I actually get a little lump in my throat when I think about how wonderful this movie will be.

*EDIT: According to the Marvel Wiki, his first appearance was in 1963.  However, in the continuity of the Marvel Universe, Nick was fighting Nazis in WWII before Steve Rogers became Captain America.  So, technically I'm at least half-right.

General update

So, I have this need to blog today.  It helps me get the writing muscles warmed up, so I can move on to some fiction. 



This is how I envision Mahak.

Currently, that fiction is the story of Mahak the Vengeful.  I'm rather liking this one.  Yesterday I had to cover the front phones during lunch.  So, I took my notepad and pen, and in between fielding calls, I wrote out some notes.  Interestingly, I had started this story as just a straight-up, brutal action/revenge story.  But as I write, I find myself filling in details, which has lead to more subplots and story elements.  This is actually a good thing.  My aim was about 10,000 words.  The initial story I was trying to go for might have stretched enough to get to 5,000.  With these added elements, I think the thing will be closer to 7,500, maybe more.  We'll have to see.  Also, some elements are setting themselves up for sequel stories, and a lesser character that was intended to be for one scene and nothing more is suddenly playing a much larger role in the story as it progresses.  Amazing how that happens!

Thank you, Scott, for planting this seed in my head.

In other news, my computer at home is cranky.  It boots up, and then freezes.  There is obviously something in the whole process that is corrupted.  And I can't really run any good diagnostic programs, because the ones I need to run won't run in Safe Mode.  I've uninstalled a couple of programs (including Avast, my anti-virus software), in the hopes that they were the corrupted ones.  This all started not long after a new version of Avast came out.  But, it's still not working.  So, yesterday I decided to upgrade to Windows 7.  It's something I need to do anyways, and Michele is a student right now, so she can get a really good deal on it ($60 or so).  I hope that fixes it.  If not, it's off to the Geek Squad!

Related to that, we're thinking about getting me a new laptop, and making my desktop the "Family" computer.  But that won't happen until I figure out what I am going to do about grad school.  I have completely lost any semblance of interest in the program I was in, so I am dropping that.  But, being an online student (my life just does not allow for a traditional school), my options are limited.  We've decided that I should pursue something just for me, rather than something career-oriented.  I'm looking at a Masters in Military History from Norwich.  I think that would be way cool.

My wife is taking my 15-year old and her friend to Warped Tour today.  It's a bunch of neo-punk bands (very different from the punk of my youth, but the spirit is still there).  Funny thing is, my wife is very into fashion and what is currently cool (not only personally but professionally, as she's a hairdresser), so she is dressing pretty much like my daughter is, with her own flare added.  Normally, when moms attempt this, it's disastrous.  But Michele pulls it off well, and honestly, it's not that different from her normal look.  I'm looking forward to hearing about it, and how many teenage boys try hitting on her.  She looks a lot younger than she is.

Other than that, life moves on.  Looking forward to Captain America this weekend.  I'm bummed we won't be able to hit the first showing on Friday like we did with Thor.  But, it's ok.  I just get giddy when I think about how cool this movie is looking to be.

What are you guys up to?

So, I married a Geek

Before I even relocated to Wisconsin., she had me.

I'm a geek.  What can I say?  Fortunately, my wife finds that aspect of me very attractive.  Which is as it should be.  I used to try to hide my geekiness.  But, eventually I just decided to display it like a peacock and his tail-feathers.  And it netted me the most amazing peahen.  Seriously.

Last night we were watching Stargate SG-1 on NetFlix.  She had missed most of the pilot episode, so she had a few questions.  She had never seen the show before (it came out when she was still gaga over Buffy and Babylon 5, I believe), but she had seen the Kurt Russell film, and she had loved that.  So, I explained the relationship between the two, including trivia about Richard Dean Anderson's casting.  Then I mentioned that watching the show always made me miss playing the RPG back in San Diego, run by my long-time friend and fellow writer, Chris Blanchard.  She responded with "Do you still have all of the source materials?"

You see, my beautiful wife is a gamer too.  In fact, we have a D&D game tomorrow night with two other married couples.  She's also toying with the idea of starting an online multi-media empire about gamer chics.  Once she gets that going, it will be geek paradise!

She has this on a t-shirt.

Admittedly, her tastes run more "art house" than mine in some areas, such as comics.  Where I love 4-color superheroes, she loves Sandman (she has a Death t-shirt).  Her RPG passion has always been the World of Darkness games, particularly Vampire (I always liked Werewolves better, but that's just me).  Still, she is just as giddy as I am about all of these cool superhero movies coming out (though I daresay she is more excited for Harry Potter opening tomorrow than for Captain America opening next weekend).

All told, I think I really lucked out with this one.  And we are raising some good, wholesome geeky kids as well.  Both of my daughters like to read.  My eldest actually has tastes similar to my wife's.  I know none of them will ever read Robert E. Howard (well, maybe Connor might), but that doesn't matter.  I'm just glad that we are a house where reading is considered fun.  My 8-year old waffles on what she likes to read, but she's just exploring her tastes right now.  However, she does enjoy reading my comic books, and is a huge superhero fan.  And my teenager says she may join an RPG club at her new high school when she moves to Las Vegas after this Summer.  I figure if she does, and they are playing 4E, I will mail her my books.  I don't use them, and she would be well-served to have them.

Yesterday was Embrace Your Geekness Day (or some such).  For me, like most geeks I know, that's every day.

Old blogs and new Flicks

You see what I did there?

The other day, after suggesting to a friend that maybe a private journal would help him sort through some tough times, I dug up my old Xanga page.  I blogged there daily (often multiple times in a day) from late April to late November of 2006.  Mainly it was a place for me to try to sort my feelings about a very tumultuous time in my personal life.  It dealt with a huge break up, new romances, old romances renewed, and financial struggles.  I also talked about fitness, gaming and various and sundry other things.  But, it was mainly about relationships with women.

Looking back on those posts, I can't help but laugh.  I spoke so much of endless love and "soul mates".  Funny thing is, the last entry was just about the time I met Michele online.  It's pretty amazing how she came in and just swept all that crap away without even trying, or even intending to.  My life has taken some major turns since that time, and I have to say, I am ten times happier now because of those turns.

I had briefly considered recycling that account for my own use now.  But, really, why?  I don't have any personal demons to excise there anymore.  And I have this blog to chat about what is important now.  So, I'm just going to delete the account.  I mean, I skimmed through the whole thing this morning, just to see if there was anything worth saving.  Nope.  It's all pretty whiny and all over the place.  Nothing even worth talking about anymore.

Anyways, less than two weeks until Captain America opens in theaters!  I am positively quivering with excitement over this one.  Cap has been my favorite superhero since high school.  I mean, when I first started reading comics regularly, Spider-man was my favorite.  But I still loved Cap.  Eventually, Spider-man just kind of fell away, and Steve Rogers took the throne as the Coolest Superhero.  The movie looks amazing.  With enough old-school Cap, mixed with some updated designs and such.  Like all of the recent Marvel movies, it definitely draws a lot from their Ultimate Universe.  But, in the end, it's still the classic WWII super-soldier.

Also looking forward to Peter Jackson's The Hobbit.  When I first heard they were doing it as two movies, I was hesitant.  The Hobbit has always been my favorite of Tolkien's books, and I still occasionally watch the old Rankin-Bass animated movie.  But, I trust Pete to do the book justice.

In other news, been having a hard time concentrating on writing any fiction lately.  I have a bunch of ideas in my head, but when I sit at the keyboard to get them down, nothing comes out.  It's frustrating, but not uncommon for writers, so I hear.

Other than that, life moves on.

My Music and Me

If this music doesn't get you going,
you must be dead.

Ok, I'm not the most musically-inclined guy.  I can't play an instrument of any kind (beyond a few notes on a piano), and I am not much of a connoisseur of music.  But I do have my favorites, and my mood and mental state can be influenced by what I am listening to at any given moment.  Certain types of music, and more specifically, certain pieces of music, bring about certain behaviors and moods.

For instance, the scores to the Rocky movies still manage to get my blood going.  And I'm not just talking about "Gonna Fly Now" (though that one does indeed get me going...just like practically anyone else with a pulse).  The training montages from just about every one of them is great.  Particularly "Going the Distance" by Bill Conti from Rocky II, and "Training Montage" by Vince DiCola from Rocky IV.  Not to mention the various songs from those movies.  I mean, who doesn't feel like throwing a punch when they hear Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger"?  And "Hearts on Fire" by John Cafferty from Rocky IV is just awesome.  I hear these songs and I just picture in my mind's eye Rocky wailing away on a heavy bag (though that may have more to do with having seen all of them dozens of times each).

When I am writing, music is both a boon and a curse sometimes.  I tend to like silence when I write, as my brain is easily distracted.  However, the right music can help me along nicely.  When I write (especially when I write action), the scene tends to play out in my head like a movie.  And every good movie needs a soundtrack.  When it's fantasy/sword & sorcery I'm writing, I find that the soundtracks to Gladiator, Troy, The 13th Warrior and Conan the Barbarian are all particularly helpful.  I also like the Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack.  However, sometimes the music needs to fit the genre.  If I'm writing modern action, I prefer a heavy metal soundtrack.  Something with a lot of bass and electric guitar riffs.  Metallica works well, though I do tend to head back to the 80's for some of it.  The afore-mentioned John Cafferty did some great songs, such as "Voice of America's Sons" from Cobra, and "On the Dark Side" from Eddie and the Cruisers.

I also prefer certain music when I am just not doing anything.  I own all of Enya's CDs and will often just play her songs on my iPod when I need to relax.  In that regard, Loreena McKennit and Clannad are also good.  And sometimes I will put on those soundtracks I mentioned.  Gladiator is quite possibly the most emotionally charged soundtrack I have ever heard.

My first "favorite" album.

If you looked at my iPod you'd probably laugh.  I doubt there is much of anything on there (aside from a couple of soundtracks) that's less than 10 years old.  And most of it is probably closer to 25 years old.  I'm a huge fan of the 80's (I'm sure I've mentioned that a few times here), and this extends both to movies and music.  Heck, I even have a pair of black and white checkered Vans that I wear.  But my teenage daughter has a pair just like them, so that's not so bad.

Anyways, enough rambling.  Time to hit Play, and get on with the day.  Happy Friday, all!

Wishful thinking

Look, it's me and Michele! 
Except I don't play the sax.

So, today I find myself wishing for things I don't have.  I think that's a pretty common thing.  Most people call it "daydreaming".  When I was a kid, my folks tried selling Amway, and they called it "Visualizing" (would you belive that, at 9 years old, I could give The Plan in its entirety?).  Call it what you like, but today I am thinking about cars I like, cars I would want, cars I've had, and cars I wish I could have.

I have long been a fan of cars.  Oddly, I've never learned how to work on them, and only in recent years have I gotten a good grasp on how to properly maintain one.  But when I was about 7 years old, my mom married a guy who was big into hot rods, and I learned to share that love with him (aside from baseball, that's the only thing I shared with him, and now I don't even care for baseball).  Even after my mom thankfully left that abusive SOB, I still maintained my love of cars.

When I watch movies, if the hero drives a hot rod, he's just that much cooler to me (Stallone's Cobra was awesome for this).  My all-time favorite movie car is the 67' Camaro from Better Off Dead (which someone tracked down and restored). 

1968 Shelby Cobra

However, if I were to have one car that would just be a ME car, it would be a Shelby Cobra.  There is just something about this car that gives me feelings very close to those I feel when I look into my wife's beautiful eyes.

Yeah, at the risk of sounding creepy, it almost nears a sexual attraction in intensity.

Anyone have about $80,000 I could have for one?

The first car I bought with my own money, all on my own, was a 74' Nova.  It was red, had cool mags, no seatbelts, and was a total lemon.  But I loved that car, and if I could get another one I would love to fix it up and cruise.  That was when I was 19.  The only other "muscle" cars I have owned were an 87' Fiero and an 88' Trans Am.  I kind of miss both of those cars as well.

When we finally decide to retire and move to San Diego, I would like to get what I consider a "retirement" car.  Basically, a 2-seat roadster of some type.  Maybe something classic, maybe something that isn't even out yet (I have about 20 years before retirement is an issue).  But, if I were looking right now, I found a 1976 Fiat Spider project car that would be totally cool to own and fix up.

Eh, it's fun to dream.  Maybe I'll write a book someday, and have my character be a car afficianado, who drives something wicked cool.  That's probably as close as I will get (for a while).  But, hey, that's life for a middle-class dad, right?

Lazy days of Summer

I am lazy.  There, I said it.  I got it out in the open.

What?  You're not surprised?  Yeah, I suppose that comes as no shock to those who know me.  But lately I have been feeling even more so than usual.  I have written barely a paragraph or so in the last week.  Mainly because it seems that these days I can only really write while sitting at my computer at work.  And up until now that has worked, since my job is in a relatively new department of the state government, and I am still in the process of defining my exact function beyond a few necessary tasks.  However, things have been heating up, and I actually have work to do.  So, less time to just sit and compose.  Add to that the fact that sleep seems to be a commodity I am short on these days.  Not sure what is causing that.  You know, aside from staying up too late and getting up early.

Anyways, I have been writing a lot in my head.  I have completely revamped the entire opening of the Gorus book in my head.  So, all that I have written for it now will be going to the "Cut Bits" file I started, and I will be starting all over.  I think the tone and pace of this new idea is much better for the story and genre.  Basically, I'm starting with a barroom brawl.  Classic stuff.

I've also been developing some ideas for the Mahak story.  I think I may have enough for a book.  I'm also considering, if I can get a good short story done about him, submitting it to Scott Oden for his Orc anthology instead of the Orc Space Pirates one I did.  In reading a lot of the commentary on the Facebook page, it seems that most people are going for more dark tones, with the majority of the stories having an Orc as the protagonist.  In mine, the Orcs are the villains, and not a whole lot is explored about them.  With Mahak, I can explore Orc culture, as it exists in the community world that Scott is creating.  I dunno.  We'll have to see how it goes.

So, anyways, it's Independence Day.  Standard BBQ with friends.  Copious beer and brats and good conversation.  Remembering that our founding fathers, though not perfect, and quite reprehensible by modern standards, gave us something that will endure.  Something worth fighting for, and even dying for.  Freedom.

Enjoy your day, folks.  We'll talk later.