Encouraging Diabolical Tendencies

The other day my buddy brought me a box of action figures from the late 80's.  His parents wanted that crap out of their basement and he immediately thought of me!  Within the box I found a few Transformers and both the Batmobile and the Batwing from Tim Burton's Batman '89.  Also various action figures...including one of Superman that I used to have back in the day!

The Superman figure made me smile when I saw it again.  I got a lot of amusement out of it as a child, for you see, this figure has a special action feature.  Contained within the chest of the figure is a weak magnet.  Also included with the figure was a child-sized plastic ring with a green "gem"...a Kryptonite ring!  Just like the one Lex Luthor wears!  Obviously, the ring ALSO has a weak magnet within...and when you hold the ring up to Superman, the two magnets push against each other.  In effect, Superman is REPELLED by KRYTPONITE!  Cool!  The power of magnetism, finally useful!

Now, obviously I relate to Superman.  I wear the T-Shirt, I buy the comics, I even have my own Superman outfit.  However this action figure encouraged me as a child to play, not the hero, but rather the VILLAIN!  And so play the villain I did!  I often pretended that I was Lex Luthor...attacking Superman with Kryptonite...somehow changed into a giant through...you know, technology or something.  And it's fun to play the villain!  Externalize all of the heroics and let yourself eventually be "defeated" by an army of brave little toys...

I thought of it again when I saw the most recent issue of Superman Unchained:

Lex Luthor...holding a Superman action figure...just like me when I was 10!  Diabolical!

Winter Beard and Batman Toque...

I knew I had to keep shaving throughout October to keep my Halloween "Super"...but with the start of November, the mood has shifted!  The Sun has set on Metropolis and Winter is coming!

And along with Winter?  Long, dark nights...

Long dark nights that require a protector...a shadow to strike fear into the hearts of evildoers...A Dark Knight!

Move over Superman!  Clearly I have Batman on the brain!  My plans today include playing several hours of BATMAN: Arkham Origins and possibly taking a break to reorganize my Batmobile collection.

So clearly I'm busy and ought to get to the point...which is simply that it's late fall and I wanted to show off my Batman toque.  Bought it at FanExpo but it entered "active service" today!  Also, I'm growing a beard:

Winter! 

On any Thursday in November...

Yesterday I woke up early.  I had a shower and checked my email and then I wandered out into the city.  I took the subway to Bay street and had breakfast.  Then I hopped back on the train and went to Ossington for a haircut.

After the haircut I walked back to Bathurst to visit the record store.  I bought the albums Who's Next by the Who and a big double album - August and Everything After: Live at Town Hall by Counting Crows. 

I came home and ran a bath...lit some candles and put the Counting Crows album on the turntable.  The first track is a medley of the songs "Round Here" and "Raining in Baltimore", already two of my favourite songs, with an addition to the ending...a new verse about a girl trapped an island...

 
"So she sends a boat out on the sea - with a little note for me
 it says:

Why are all the girls so hungry?
So why are all the girls so hungry?
& why are all the boys so lonely?
& why can't anybody see me?  
Why?"

And I thought about it a lot and surely it's meant as a metaphor but I wonder...if all the girls in the world got together and conspired to each gain 15 pounds...the skinniest girl would still be the skinniest girl and the fattest girl would still be the fattest girl and all the girls might be a little less hungry and maybe a little nicer because of it....and maybe none of us would need to be quite as lonely as we are.

Of course it would never work...too many girls would cheat.

Too bad.  Speaking for myself, I'd much rather spend my time with a girl who is full and chubby and happy than a girl who is hungry and skinny and angry.  

I guess I just don't understand society.

But it doesn't matter...since of course it's not meant to be taken literally...

The NEW Adventures of Superman!

In a blur of motion, faster than a speeding bullet, SUPERMAN arrives!

"With my super-senses I heard loud noises and high-pitched squeals coming from this apartment!  I'd better investigate!"

"Have no  fear, Superman is here!!"

"I've found some sort of strange, alien technology!  I think it might be the key to saving the day...let me examine it more closely with my x-ray vision!"

"What could it be?  What is it for?"

 "Great Scott!  I think I've discovered the answer!!"

"It acts as some sort of hypnotic prison for hot girls!  These two ladies won't cause any more trouble tonight!"

"This looks like a job for SUPERMAN!!!"

"Up, up and away!!!" 

*With thanks to Jeff, Doris and Joy!