The Origin of Agent Liberty
During the current New Krypton storyline, Agent Liberty has returned to help the government deal with the large number of Kryptonians wandering the planet.
Who is Agent Liberty?
What role could he play in the government’s plan to take down Superman and all other Kryptonians?
Last week we played Continuity Catch-Up with Agent Liberty and his first appearance in Superman #60. This week it’s time to play Continuity Catch-Up with Agent Liberty’s origin in Agent Liberty #1.
Agent Liberty’s Origin as Told in Agent Liberty #1:
Agent Liberty’s real name is Ben Lockwood. Ben Lockwood was with the CIA until they betrayed him. Lockwood was part of a secret mission to free hostages being held captive in the U.S. embassy in Iran. During the mission the president decided to abort at the last minute. The government willingly left Ben Lockwood and his partner Paul Devlin stranded in Iran after the failed rescue attempt. Ben and Paul tried their best to blend in with the native Iranians while looking for safe passage back to the States. While the two American soldiers were in Tehran, the local Iranians were celebrating the American’s defeat by parading the bodies of the dead American soldiers through town. Paul Devlin, disguised as a local, notices that one of the dead soldiers was his brother. In a fit of rage, Devlin attacks the Iranians carrying his fallen brother. The mob quickly turns its attention to Devlin, beating him to a pulp. Ben Lockwood retreated from the town of Tehran, now truly alone and abandoned by his country.
A couple years later, after having to kill and fight his way to freedom, Lockwood returned to the United States. Once back in the states Lockwood joined the Sons of Liberty (SOL) as Agent Liberty.
The Sons of Liberty consists of Judge Ronal Kramer, Jay Harriman, the pilots of the helicopter named “Satellite,” and Agent Liberty. According to Judge Kramer, the Sons of Liberty “exists to bring this country back to its original values,” and they “seek the restoration of the spirit of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.” With Lockwood’s lost confidence in the current American government and his military beliefs, the Sons of Liberty seemed like a perfect place for a betrayed soldier.
Recap of Agent Liberty #1
The issue starts off with Agent Liberty running a routine equipment check that quickly turns from an “equipment check” to a “field test.” Utilizing his glider pack, energy force shield, snazzy retracting forearm blades, and his gun, he successfully stops a large group of “paramilitary types” from breaking into the Pentagon. With the arrival of “Satellite,” his all seeing helicopter partner, Agent Liberty not only stops the group of thieves but also sends them running. With the large group defeated and retreating, a lone thief sneaks into the Pentagon and easily sneaks away while Agent Liberty was preoccupied with the larger group.
Upon returning to the home base in Virginia, Agent Liberty and his crew learn that the items stolen from the Pentagon were directly linked to Agent Liberty’s origin - a recording of the president’s order to abort the Iran hostage mission.
Outraged, Agent Liberty goes after the stolen tape on his own without the permission of the Sons of Liberty. Lockwood begins his search at a local military bar. While at the bar, Lockwood is approached by an older solider who once worked a mission with Ben. Knowing that Ben is no longer in the military and impressed with his ability to survive what the government did to him, the older soldier offers Ben a job. The soldier continues to tell Ben that a guy is looking to hire mercenaries for a mission because he lost many of his men during the last mission. Lockwood puts two and two together and asks when and where he should start. Ben Lockwood changes into his Agent Liberty costume and takes off to find the thugs and thief from the night before.
The Sons of Liberty order Lockwood not to pursue the thief without backup or support. Liberty tells the other members of SOL that this is personal and they need to stay out of it. Judge Kramer, upset that Lockwood is not following orders, sends the helicopter to follow the tracking signal in Liberty’s costume.
After an hour of searching Agent Liberty finds a small airport where the paramilitary group is unloading a shipment from an Iranian plane. The soldiers recognize Liberty from the night before and immediately begin shooting. Agent Liberty keeps his guard up and easily avoids the gunfire from the hired help… until the leader emerges from the plane. The leader of the group emerges from the plane and to Lockwood’s surprise the man is his former partner Paul Devlin.
Shocked that his partner, and best friend, is alive he lets his guard down for a moment. The moment is long enough that Devlin is able to get three shots off - two deflected by Liberty’s costume and one burying itself deep into his chest. Devlin escapes in the Iranian plane leaving his lackeys to take care of Liberty. Satellite (the helicopter) arrives just in time to save Liberty from more bullets. Not letting the pain stop him, Agent Liberty takes to the sky chasing the plane that Devlin is escaped in.
Upon reaching the plane, Agent Liberty removes his mask and tries to reason with his friend. Devlin tells Lockwood that he, of all people should understand why he needs to release the recording. Lockwood agrees that the government wronged him and Devlin, but trying to tear down the establishment is the wrong approach to fix the corrupt system. Devlin still intending to shame America the way it shamed, him pulls the trigger of the gun pointed at his friend. Lockwood quickly activates his force shield, deflecting the bullet back towards Devlin and knocks him out of the plane. The story ends with Judge Kramer sharing his disappointment for the lack of “ruthlessness” of Agent Liberty and his disobeying of the order to execute Paul Devlin.
In this issue, the true nature of the Sons of Liberty started to show. Check back next week where we play Continuity Catch-Up with Agent Liberty, looking closer at him and the Sons of Liberty one last time to further understand what role he might play in the current New Krypton arc.
Continuity Catch-Up: Agent Liberty Part 3
Superman #69 and Adventures of Superman #492
Next Thursday!
1st Appearance - Agent Liberty
What started with Jimmy Olsen noticing a “floating man” and a helicopter during Superman’s battle with Atlas ended with a cross-country romp uncovering a military plot to take down Superman if necessary in the one-shot “Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen.” Immediately after learning that the government was creating weapons to take down the last Kryptonain hundreds of thousands of Kryptonians immigrate to Earth in the New Krypton Special.
With Cadmus, the Guardian, and a floating man communicating with a helicopter it only makes sense that another early nineties player enters this story - Agent Liberty.
Who is Agent Liberty?
What role could he play in the government’s plan to take down Superman and all other Kryptonians?
It’s time to play Continuity Catch-Up with Agent Liberty and his first appearance in Superman #60.
This issue begins with Clark Kent trying to take down Intergang. With two attempts on his life Kent wants to use the power of the news media to “out” Intergang and it’s crimes to both the police and public.
Not wanting to use his powers, and risk his secret identity, Clark Kent snatches a briefcase full of incriminating paperwork from the second in charge of Intergang - Louis Gillespie. Gillespie catches Clark in the act and places a gun to his head. Clark is scared, not of the gun but of getting shot and reviling his secret identity. Just before Gillespie can pull the trigger a new hero, Agent Liberty, makes his first appearance in the DCU and saves Clark Kent.
Instead of shooting Clark Kent, Gillespie takes a couple of shots at the more threatening of the two men - Agent Liberty. Liberty easily deflects the bullets using a fancy force-shield of energy that emanates from his costume’s glove. Intergang reinforcements arrive to the scene as Gillespie and Clark Kent run away and the new hero Agent Liberty flies off via his Glider Pack.
Clark Kent releases the information from the stolen briefcase to the news media most of Intergang are arrested.
Agent Liberty makes his second appearance of the issue doing something not so patriotic - breaking and entering. Agent Liberty breaks into Clark Kent’s apartment looking for the stolen briefcase. During this scene we see that Agent Liberty does not act alone. Throughout the issue Agent Liberty can bee seen talking to someone he calls “Satellite.” Satellite is either the name of a helicopter, or the person flying the chopper, that is Liberty’s eyes and ears from a distance.
After looking over the documents in Gillespie’s briefcase, Agent Liberty deduces that Clark Kent is planning to put Mannheim away with the rest of Intergang by catching him importing a shipment of drugs. Immediately Agent Liberty heads to the docks.
Not only is Intergang at the docks when Agent Liberty arrives, but Superman is also there dodging shots from Intergang’s Apokoliptic weapons. During the battle Mannheim reveals that he is not human and from Apokolips. Now donning Apokoliptic Bio-Armor Mannheim and Superman throw down.
While Superman and Mannheim sock each other in the face, a Boom Tube from Apokolips appears right next to Agent Liberty. Not knowing what a Boom Tube is, Liberty radios to his buddy Satellite for advise. The guy in the helicopter tells the new super-hero that a magnetic back-charge may close the portal before any anything can come through it to Earth. Sacrificing his magnetically powered Glider Pack, Agent Liberty is able to close the Boom Tube allowing only one Parademon through. Superman and Mannheim continue to play fisticuffs leaving only Liberty to handle the member of Darkseid’s army.
Against the Parademon Agent Liberty has an ace up his sleeve… not exactly an ace, but a snazzy retracting blade that springs out from each forearm. Liberty showcases both his new weapon and his hand-to-hand combat skills by taking down the Parademon with one punch. In the end Superman takes down Bruno Mannheim and locks him up while Agent Liberty flys off and is nowhere to be found.
At the end of this issue we never find who Agent Liberty was, and why exactly he was in Metropolis. Agent Liberty’s motive is shown in Superman #69 and Adventures of Superman #492 and his true origin is described in Agent Liberty #1.
Check back next Thursday for Continuity Catch-Up: Agent Liberty Part 2
Continuity Catch-Up: The General - Part 2: vs Robin
Last week we focused on the origin of Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong since it looks as if he may be the man behind the cowl of Red Robin it is time to play continuity catch-up.
SpaceBooger presents: Continuity Catch-Up: Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong: Robin vs. The General
Robin 19 & 20
When we last left the General (Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong) in Detective Comics #656 he was carted off to the youth jail. His next appearance starts off where the first left.
Ulysses returns home six months early to an excited mother and a father who along with Ulysses’ siblings wish that that the key was thrown away. The interaction between Ulysses and his family, his mother more so than the rest, is presented in a humorous way showcasing him as a pompous and arrogant child.
While on a field trip to the art museum Ulysses meets a bum dressed in a toga and a hotel bath towel and proceeds to save him from getting sent to jail for loitering at the museum. Ulysses takes the man who believes himself to be Julius Ceaser home telling his parents that he is doing charity work and helping the homeless.
Meanwhile at the Batcave the Boy Wonder notices that among the normal crimes in Gotham there was an amateur production of “Julius Caesar” that had all of it’s props and costumes stolen and the theft of a circus lion.
Ulysses, following suit from his first appearance in Detective Comics, employs a familiar tactic of taking over small street gangs to build his own army. Dressed in Roman warrior garb along with a nicer dressed Julius Julius Caesar, the General uses the earlier mentioned stolen lion to employ his first recruits. Robin, being the mini detective that he is, used his contacts on the street to determine that Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong was playing “The General” again on the streets of Gotham.
Ulysses and the homeless man dressed as Caesar begin to live like the ancient Romans they are pretending to be. After a humorous scene involving the Armstrong family and a near sacrifice of the family’s dog Robin appears on scene. Upon entering the Armstrong residence Robin falls into a trap - a covered pit complete with a ferocious lion. With the help of Ulysses’ siblings Robin escapes the pit. The other Armstrong kids show Robin Ulysses’ war room and ask that he puts their brother away for good this time.
Using the plans found in Ulysses’ room Robin figures out the next gang that the General plans to violently take over. After a couple page car chase Robin easily catches Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong and sends him back to the youth center.
These two issues were the first of many that feature Ulysses using his superior military knowledge to manipulate an adult to fight his battles for him. These issues were also the first to feature Ulysses not dressing like a modern soldier, instead he often wore replicas of other historical general’s uniforms. This characterization continued as Robin and the General met again in: Robin 36 & 37.
Robin 36 & 37
This story, like the previous one, starts off with Ulysses begin let out of the Youth Center early again much to his mothers surprise and his father and sibling’s despisement. Ulysses’ first night home and Robin pays him a visit just to let the General know that there will be a little bird watching him at all times.
Ulysses takes a shopping trip with his family in search for a new military action figure. Upon finding the limited edition action figure he wanted an adult snatches the toy before Ulysses can grab it. The man with the toy is no other than The Toyman.
Ulysses again joins forces with another adult playing the role as the military strategist. The General and the Toyman, who hats children, set out to steal one of Ulysses’ most sought out toy and the Toymaster’s greatest invention - the prototype Johnny Napalm action figure.
The Toyman hates Ulysses, because he is a child, but puts up with him so that he can use the General’s military genius to steal the rare toy from a collector who keeps his toys in a vault. Ulysses plants a robotic toy tank complete with a miniature army of robotic soldiers created by the Toyman at the collector’s mansion. The toy tank successfully blasts its way through the collectors vault alerting the owner and authorities of the theft.
Robin, doing what the sidekick of the world’s greatest detective would do, follows clues he found at Ulysses’s house to the home of Mr. Crouch the toy collector just as the toy army reaches the sought after Johnny Napalm. With the toy in hand, the Toyman turns on his military sidekick. Robin arrives at the scene just in time to save Ulysses. The ungrateful general instead of thanking the Boy Wonder he turns the scene into a three way battle. After a couple pages of fighting between two grown men, two teenagers, and tons of toys.
Again the setup is longer than the ending and Robin grabs Ulysses while Mr. Crouch, the toy collector, puts a shotgun to the Toyman’s head. Ulysses is sent back to the Youth Center while the Toyman went back to Metropolis to torture Superman… I guess.
There is one more appearance that features Robin vs. Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong continues for one more storyline in Robin 47 and 48. This story, like these other two, feature Ulysses dressing like old historical generals uses an army that is not his.
Now that Ulysses seems to be as old as Tim Drake he seems to have matured as much as Robin. I have recently stated in my “Last Week In Comics” posts that Tim has shown signs that he could (I said could, not would) take the mantle of the Bat from Bruce Wayne. If Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong has matured as much as Robin, then with his knowledge of military history and strategy he could be worth of being Robin’s arch enemy.
Continuity Catch-Up: Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong - Part 1
In Robin #179 one Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong has been hired by Spoiler to push Robin to his limits and make him a better hero.�
Could Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong be the man behind the cowl of the Red Robin as this issue suggests?�
Who is Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong?
Welcome to the first ever edition of Continuity Catch-Up where I present part one of two that looks back at continuity at the of Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong.
According to Wikipedia:
“Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong was a psychotic child with the mind of a military genius. Feeling bored of his life at a military school, he read books about military history. Ulysses later scares the bullies that picked on him into helping him to escape the school, and work as his henchmen. He goes to Gotham City to recruit gang members into his “army”, uses his military planning to grow his gang, and has taken on Black Mask’s gang. His reputation has gained him the nickname “The General”. He dresses himself and his henchmen, primarily gangs he has conquered, in historical attire as they act out crimes based on military history.”
Ulysses’ origin begins in Detective Comics #654 and ends in issue #656, just a couple issues before the Knightfall saga. Because of the lead into Knightfall an exhausted Batman is featured throught these issues, but does not play a role in Ulysses’ origin.
Ulysses’ origin begins with the stereotypical troubled youth who’s parents shipped him off to boarding school, Valley Pines Military Academy to be exact. Continuing the stereotype Ulysses was picked on and bullied by the other students forcing him to seek companionship elsewhere. Because of the bullying Ulysses spends most of his time in the school’s library reading, studding, and memorizing military history. After taking in a plethora of military history and knowledge he finds himself bored with the school and decides that it is time for him to go out and conquer, just like the military figures he idolized. Ulysses burns down Valley Pines Military Academy in the middle of the night taking revenge on those who had bullied him while providing him with a way for him to escape with everyone thinking he had died in the fire too.
Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong traveled to Gotham City and determined that here he would conquer the crime filled city stating that it is “ripe for the taking.” Ulysses begins his conquest of Gotham City by preying and taking over the weakest street gang.
Ulysses convinces this “small” gang that it would gain more respect with the larger gangs only after committing a big crime and upgrading their arsenal. The gang agrees and Ulysses leads them into battle at the National Guard Armory. During the robbery Ulysses murders the leader of the gang and takes his place as the new leader.
With a successful coup d’etat under his belt Ulysses decides to unite all of Gotham’s gangs together and wrestle the power away from Gotham’s mobs followed by the destruction of Gotham’s police department.
Batman has his first run in with Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong, now called The General, during an attept by Ulyssesto unite the gangs and mistakes him for a helpless kid. Batman believes that Ulysses is being held hostage by the gang and sucessfuly saves him only to be knocked out by Ulysses immediately after being rescued.
With the mob bosses out of the picture and Ulysses seeing Batman as weak and no longer a threat, he and his followers begin their conquest of the Gotham Police Department. The General takes a similar approach to overthrowing the police as he did with the gangs - prey on the weaker precincts first.
The General and his gangs attack Gotham’s Forty-Third Precinct and successfully forces the police officers to retreat into the holding cells for safety. Right on cue and before Ulysses and his followers can raid the impound room Batman shows up and begins to take out each thug one-by-one until he works his way to confront Ulysses.
Batman proceeds to tell Ulysses that he is not a General, but instead a scared little boy. Ulysses breaks down and beings to cry and begs Batman not to hurt him. Batman promises that he will not harm the boy and as a reslut Batman lets his guard down allowing Ulysses to thrust a knife into his ribs. Ulysses escapes Batman and retreats to the rooftops.
Batman quickly catches up with, and captures, Ulysses quickly learning his lesson from being duped earlier. Exhausted, hurt, and emotional Batman tells Ulysses that he is a murderer and will be tried as an adult.
The issue ends with the Armstrong family receiving a phone call informing them that Ulysses is in jail for murder. His mother, in denial, freaks out while his father and siblings hopes that Ulysses gets the electric chair.
I know that this article does not explain why Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong has a hatred for Robin, or may be the new Red Robin, but this is only the Part 1 of Continuity Catch-Up: Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong: Origin.
Check back next Thursday for Part 1 of Continuity Catch-Up: Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong: Robin vs. The General.
Why Superman: Reason 1
Why I am a Superman fanatic:
Reason #1
The Man of Steel #2
(from The Man of Steel Vol. 1)
John Byrne - Writer & Pencils
Dick Giordano - Inks
Marvel Adventures Hulk #2
Some would not consider a comic from one year ago retro, but once you read this comic you will fell 10 years old again.
This week the Scholastic Book Fair made its annual appearance and like normal I picked up the two newest collected versions of Bone. While there I decided to look at the other books for my son. Like always, the digest versions of the Marvel Adventures line were right next to Jeff Smith’s Bone, so I picked up the Iron Man one. The art was pretty but there were too many words, Calvin is only six-weeks old. I put that one back and picked up the Marvel Adventures Hulk, looked through it, and bought it.
Seeing how all good parents should keep up with the books that their children read, I decided I should read this before Calvin does… even though I have at least 5 years. I read through the first issue in the trade and it was good, but the second issue blew me away.
Marvel Adventures Hulk #2 was just as fun as the comics I read when I was younger, I felt 10 again.
This second issue is a one shot that does not directly tie into the previous story, nor does it connect to the next issue making it accessible to all readers. This story begins with Bruce Banner, Rick Jones, and Monkey (any comic with a monkey sidekick is a plus to me) are being mugged, complete with detailed narration. Before Bruce transforms into the Hulk to save the day Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man, steps in. As an avid comic reader I knew immediately what kind of powers Mr. Madrox possesses, but for new readers the narration quickly and clearly explains how he multiplies upon impact into a perfect copy of himself. The narration also does a nice job informing new, and younger, readers how each copy of himself contains only one of his personality traits.
After Madrox rescues Bruce, Rick, and Monkey he leads them a Gamma testing facility where Bruce wants to try to “cure” himself of the Hulk. One of Madrox’s dupes (copy), the paranoid one, thinks Banner is up to no good and tries to stop the experiment just as the gamma radiation is released resulting in the fusing of his powers with the Hulk. This my friends is where the fun starts.
The Hulk attempts to leave the lab by punching a hole in the wall which in turn creates another Hulk. The Hulk’s first instinct is to tackle this new Hulk, which results creation of two more Hulks from the 3 story fall. These Hulks then start punching each other and four becomes eight, eight becomes sixteen, etc…
Each Hulk created houses one of Bruce Banner’s personalities. The original Hulk is the fighter, there is a Lover Hulk, a Dancing Hulk, a Hulk that sits and poses as the Thinker, and an Intelligent Hulk just to name a few. Watching New York fill up with hundreds of different Hulks and how they interact is pure comedy gold.
In the end, the Intelligent Hulk, complete with glasses, tricks the original Hulk back to the Gamma Lab to reverse the effects of Jamie Madrox’s mutant power in the Hulk. The comic ends with Bruce, Rick, and Monkey leaving New York still searching for a way to remove the Hulk from Bruce. The whole comic is summed up with more narration from the narration… one of Multiple Man’s dupes.
In this world of deep and complicated comic stories, sometimes I forget how much fun single issues from the past were. Every once in a while a story like this comes around and I can’t wait to read this with Calvin. I am sure that this will be one of his favorite stories right along side the great Dr. Sues ones.
Thirty Three and a Sega CD
Today’s throwback goes back thirty three years to 1975 and fifteen years to 1993. Today is the thirty third anniversary of the day I was born, a.k.a. my birthday.
To celebrate my loving wife bought be a bottle of Knob Creek Burboun and a Sega CD. Ok… I bought the Sega CD, but it sounds rude to say I bought myself a birthday present… even though I did.
During college I was addicted to my Sega Genesis and tempted to purchase a SNES. Instead of being a traitor to my beloved Genesis the clerk at the local gaming store convinced me to purchase a Sega CD add-on along with this new game titled: Lunar - The Silver Star Story.
I have to admit I was blown away when I watched the introduction animation. So blown away that before that game I loathed the slow paced RPG genre. The intro animation and the cut scenes, which were never heard of before and rare at that time, and helped me cross over from action games to the story driven role playing games.
Soon after finishing Lunar I purchased and spent hours on other Sega CD games, focusing mainly on the following RPGs: Vay, Popful Mail (Action RPG), and Shining Force CD.
With the release of the Sony Playstation and Final Fantasy VII, my Sega CD began to collect dust for I found a new fix to satisfy my RPG need. I don’t remember when exactly or for what game but after the release of the PS1 I traded in my Sega Genesis and Sega CD.
Since then I have been feenin to relive my Sega CD days, and to finally beat some games that I never finished the first time around but the price of a working Sega CD is higher than what I wanted to spend… until I did some research on the internet.
Researching on the net I found that the Sega CD has a fuse that is known to go bad rendering the unit useless, but anyone with a little soldering skill can repair the unit for less than $5. So I found a used Genesis, broken Sega CD, and some games on ebay for $20+shipping. I also found a copy of Shining Force CD to go along with Lunar, Lunar2, Popful Mail, and Vay (which I luckily keep feeling that one day the would be collectors items) so I was set.
So, for my 33rd birthday I will celebrate it with a glass, or two, of bourbon and play some Popful Mail and Vay!
Retro Repost: Tribute to 9-11
Every year on September 11th I repost something that I wrote in May 2002. It took over six months for me to fully understand and sort out share my true emotions from that tragic September day. After the surreal effect of that day wore off I was ready to sort out my emotions and I then began to write. Today I present to you my original essay/post in it’s raw form. I have never proofread it other than spell check, nor have I edited since it’s creation. This essay was never edited because I feel that any grammatical errors or ramblings reflect my true feelings in pure form. I now present to you an emotional essay I wrote before this site ever existed and a masterpiece that’s meaning remains close to my heart, including any grammatical or writing errors.
“HERO NO MORE?”
I’m going back to my roots, comic books.
Ok, laugh all you want but I enjoyed comic books and found myself lost in the adventures every week. Notice the word “enjoyed”, with all the hype surrounding the new Spider-man movie, I found myself wondering what happened to my relaxing and refreshing escape from reality found in comic books. Well the answer is that I grew up. What a weak excuse if you think about it because my smile and eyes were just as large as any of the small children who sat in the theater this weekend, age didn’t seem to matter. You can’t imagine the rush I felt hours after the movie. I used to get this kind of rush all the time by reading comic books, again I wonder what happened?
While walking to the pool, where I go almost every night for swim practice, I remember seeing this older gentleman who lives on the street wearing the same dirty clothes and drinking out of a bottle hidden in a paper bag. He smiles at me with his yellow teeth showing through his nappy beard as if to say “Hi”, yet I never said anything in reply. Well usually I am very friendly and talk to everyone. For some reason I only seemed to notice him when I walk past, and as soon as I’m gone he is “out of sight - out of mind”. That’s when a crazy thought floated into my mind: What if superheroes really did exist? Do we even need them anymore? Maybe that old guy is Superman.
Ok now your thinking I’m crazy, but think about it for a minute…Hear me out. Why would we need Superman in this modern world? Who needs to be “Faster than a Speeding Bullet” when we have bullet trains, and can easily catch a flight from point “A” to point “B” for a reasonable price? Today who needs to “Leap Tall Buildings in a Single Bound” when strength and athletic achievements can be gained by chemically enhancing our bodies instead of hard work and training? Who needs to be “Stronger than a Locomotive”, most kids probably don’t even know what a locomotive is. Why do we need to be that strong, when we have machines and inventions to give the weakest man super-strength? Lastly (especially before 9-11-01) “Fighting for Truth, Justice, and the American Way” is unrealistic. Most of us are to self-centered and selfish to understand what Superman really stood for; we found it boring and too “Goody-Goody”. Nobody could be that good, and not have some kind of dark side.
If you think about all those points mentioned above, it’s very easy to see why Superman would be unshaven, dirty, drinking from a paper bag, and homeless - most of us act like we don’t need him anymore. When Superman first appeared our country was not exactly perfect, depression and world wars these were being battled everyday. The people of that time worked harder for luxuries that we find small, trivial, and expected. Few had machines to help with the tiring tasks that they faced every day. Only the well off could enjoy the then expensive commercial air travel. Most important was that the people back then knew evil; they saw things like segregation, war, and the holocaust - the principals of America on its own were strong and uplifting.
Today the country that created the Superman is the same that has cast him off as a “not cool” and unnecessary. As I think back to that old gentleman, I never made it over to speak with him that night, nor have I seen him there since then. But, he did make me think; maybe he was a hero of some war long forgotten by society, once praised as a hero of America, but lost in a society in which those old ideals no longer exist.
We miss you Superman!
(originally written on May 6, 2002)
I Am 8-Bit
Every Thursday I like to take a walk down memory lane and review, relive, or relearn about comics, music, and/or games from the past. With the creation of my own retro gaming arcade cabinet complete with M.A.M.E. (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) to my recent addiction to the Wii’s Virtual Console it can easily be said that I am addicted to retro gaming.
Last week I stumbled on some pictures from the 2008 “I Am 8-Bit” art exhibit in Hollywood California. The show focuses on video game characters and scenes from 1980’s video games that are reinterpreted by artists in a variety of mediums. I have chose a few images from the show to share for this week’s throwback post:
Bowser (Boss Level from Super Mario Brothers)
Movie Mock-Up Poster for Elevator Action
Jason Frudnick, Fred (the frog), and SOFIA from Blaster Master
and my favorite image
A realistic portrayal of Punch-Out!! in the real world
Check out full image galleries over at Joystiq and the Destructoid website. Also, if you are in need of a good conversation piece for your coffee table all of the images from the first I Am 8-Bit show in 2004 has been collected in a book titled “i am 8-bit: Art Inspired by Classic Videogames of the ’80s.”
You should also brows over to the I Am 8-Bit website to stay updated on future shows and read the Wikipedia entry to learn more about the show’s history.
Info and Images from:
- http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/joystiq-goes-to-i-am-8-bit/
- http://www.destructoid.com/art-attack-friday-i-am-8-bit-2008-99822.phtml
- http://www.iam8bit.net/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_am_8-bit
- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0811853195/
Repost: Legion Rap Attack
With my first child arriving home yesterday I had to be creative with this week’s Throwback Tuesday, thus the Retro Repost was born.
Ice Cube - It was a Good Day
Requested by Sara: LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out
Some Old Skool RUN DMC - Son of ByfordMake your own Meme:
Leave a comment with your Legion Rap and a link.
Images from Superboy staring The Legion of Super-Heroes #220, 1976
Original posted on 07/28/07
p.s. The “Make your own Meme” part is still vallid just post a link or your lyrics in the comment section of this post.
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