Friday, December 31, 2010

Year-end Comics talk!













Here we are at year's end, so what better way to end a blog largely about talking comics than to talk comics? Here we go!

In May of 2009, I had answered a question here in regards to whether I had ever given a shot to the nuts of any super dudes I fought. Here is my response from that previous time. In short, I said that us super ladies do nutshots mainly as a last resort, and almost never as the first strike, because the super strength dudes can shake it off fairly quickly (but it still does hurt, judging by their reactions!).

Anyway, in the recent Power Girl, (#19), it shows her giving a nutshot to a giant killer robot, with devastating results! So what happened? The lower half of his body blew up, leaving just bare metal legs in their place! Ouch! See, folks? Us super ladies aren't above such hits if it has the desired result! You shouldn't go around using your superior strength to go beating on ladies anyway, even if they do happen to be super as well! I can honestly say that I have rarely resorted to such a - er, low blow - but I can also say that in no instance did any of the dude's lower torsos explode! Although I'm sure it felt like it did, judging by their reaction!

Next comic! On the last page of this week's Incredible Hulks (#619), Bruce Banner's adult daughter from the future, named Lyra, has just explained why she is not interested in pursuing a father/daughter relationship with him; namely (and to make a long story short), back where she is from, having a father was a reason for shame, because in her future world, women ruled (a feminist dream come true!), and were able to have children without the aid of men. Lyra was brought into existence by way of her mother Thundra going back in time to acquire the Hulk's DNA and using it to create Lyra.

If you will note on the last page posted below, Bruce acknowledged the difficulties Lyra is going to have in this new world of hers, and that she would be better off getting guidance from Bruce's cousin, Jennifer Walters; AKA the She-Hulk. I have to disagree with Bruce's arguments on the last page. If he really wants Lyra to have a better understanding of the world she has chosen to live in, then she should work on establishing a relationship with her father. In the process, she could see why her future world's attitudes towards men were wrong. If Bruce really wants her to accept her new circumstances, then chucking aside a big part of that - having a relationship with her father - is a mistake. Girls in our present time have relationships with their fathers. I'll keep a tab on where this goes, but the writers are missing an opportunity to demonstrate the benefits that daughters can have with a healthy relationship with their fathers.













And speaking of Marvel Comics, I am not sure I like the direction of the recent storyline of Chaos War. I'm not sure what it is that I don't like yet, but it just seems right now to be the Marvel version of DC Comics' Black Lantern storyline. Oh yeah, and speaking of that, I have no idea where they are now going with this Brightest Day storyline. It's all over the place now! There seems to be no real focus or theme going on - it just seems to be moving along looking for a storyline, and it's this close to losing my interest.

I suggest to Marvel and DC to resolve to wrap these grandiose storylines up in 2011!

Okay, I gotta wrap this up for now. I hope you guys all have a great New Year's! See you next year!

Monday, December 27, 2010

The Death Panels are back!

It looks like Sarah Palin was right! The Dems have done a Yuletide sneak attack and slipped in the controversial death panel requirement for those who are near the "end of life! "

Oh, of course they call it "voluntary" but friends, trust me it will not be. It will be exactly as Sarah Palin predicted of "death panels" making decisions on whose Grandma and Grandpa gets cut off from needed lifecare based solely on utilitarian justifications. Yes, yes, the liberals will go on and on about how "great care and sensitivity" will be taken and this will be "totally voluntary", but, as I've said before (feel free to mouth the words to yourself. Hehe!) "I was raised by Marxists, so I know their thinking"!

Have I said this before? (shrugs shoulders)

Anyway, their alleged sensitivity and their alleged claims of "voluntary" are a load of bullshit, and it's also a cowardly way of going about putting this "end of life" stuff in despite the issues raised previously. See, these people think they are right and that the rest of us unwashed ignorant slobs will just have to accept it. None of this, including this chickenshit coward way of putting it back in is no surprise whatsoever to me; including the timing, by the way.

All the more reason to vote these people out in 2012, 2014, 2016, and however long it takes to get them all out of positions of power so that they will stop infecting our society with their brand of "humanitarianism" that is often the opposite of humanitarianism.

Don't forget this, folks! More is sure to come! Let these liberal lemmings take that plunge over that cliff!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a wonderful and excellent day. What a year, and how fast it went! :-D

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

New look! Just in time for Christmas!

Okay, kiddies! Check out my new holiday look of my blog! Cool, eh? It took me a second to notice it, but it's my costume made with a Santa theme, so this makes this a variant costume! LOL I loveitloveitloveit; right down to the Rudolph smiley face! X-D

Anyway, if this doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will!

The artwork above was brought to you by the wonderful and talented Chris Butler. Thanks so much, Chris! This will be going to my Facebook album, of course...

Here's the full work:



Thursday, December 16, 2010

"Wish me Merry Christmas" shirt now in mens!

Okay, dudes! Now you can join your lady friends in being wished Merry Christmas! I finally finished a t-shirt for you to wear!

And as with the ladies, if you get the shirt and if you're willing, then send me a pic of you wearing it, and I'll post it to my blog! This is even if it's past Christmas.

Man, I hope this catches on. It will be so cool! :-D

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

"It's okay to wish me Merry Christmas" - now in a t-shirt!

Yesterday on Facebook, I posted that it was okay to wish me Merry Christmas, even if you're not Christian. Well, the boss made a t-shirt design for me, and I then made a t-shirt out of it and posted it to Zazzle!

Thing is, friends, it really IS okay to wish me Merry Christmas! I promise that I won't be offended! So please don't give me the generic "Happy Holidays" or the even worse and perplexing "Seasons Greetings" (what the hell does that mean, anyway?). Just say Merry Christmas and know that I'll be one happy Yuletide camper!

Why did it become offensive to use the name of the holiday anyway? It's like everyone suddenly becomes Captain Marvel Jr at Christmastime and participates in the holiday in every other way except to call it what it is. Why do I say "Captain Marvel Jr", do you ask? Well, CMJr can do everything that CM can do, except say his name! If CMJr is asked his name and he says "Captain Marvel", then lightning strikes, and he's turned back into his unpowered human self! And that can be bad if he's in the middle of a fight! In case you don't already know, all the Marvels have a magic word that causes lightning to strike to turn them into their Marvel-ous selves. Everyone else says SHAZAM! - except CMJr, who has to say "Captain Marvel!" Why does he have a different magic word? Apparently the creator of CMJr hadn't thought that through! LOL

Anyway, that is apparently what happens at Christmastime: Everyone becomes a Yuletide CMJr and becomes afraid of saying Merry Christmas and becoming depowered like CMJr does when he says Captain Marvel. Well, I'm here to say that it won't happen. If anything, you'll be EMpowered rather than depowered. I say take back the holiday, and wish everyone in the way they should be wished, and had been wished before saying that became a victim of politically correct nuttiness.

And to be even more daring, buy the shirt! Even though I am a capitalist pig, I feel so strongly about this issue that I will make absolutely no profit from this. All the money spent will be going to Zazzle and not me. Currently, I have it only in women's, because I didn't like how any of the guys' shirts turned out, but I'll keep working on it and try to have it posted later today. Oh, and if you do buy the shirt, please mail me a pic of you in it, and I'll post it to my blog! Since it's getting close to Christmas, I'll be posting them after the big day, so feel free to send the pic to me even if it's after Christmas.

And before someone starts telling me - yes, not everyone is Christian and not everyone celebrates Christmas, and yes, the holiday has gotten too commercialized, and yadayadyada... For one, no one seems to have a problem saying Happy Hanukkah or Holy Ramadan or even Joyous Festivus, but freaks out when it comes to saying Merry Christmas. I am here to say, "Why?" Why not say Merry Christmas? If anyone gives you any grief about it, then it says more about them than it does about you, because you weren't wishing them ill. Quite the opposite, so why should they be offended? If they continue to be bothered, then direct them to this blog entry so that they can post their comments on it below, and I'll deal with them from there. We can win this holiday back, my friends, if we stick together!

Ahh, I feel good! It must be that ol' Christmas spirit! :-D


Friday, December 10, 2010

Q&A: Is Rudolph a superreindeer?










Hey, folks! Sorry to be away so much lately! It's not like I didn't have anything to write about; I just didn't have the time to write! Anyway, let's go ahead and hit upon a recent question, and that is this:

Q: Is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer the reindeer version of a superhuman?

A: You know, I had never thought about that, but he just might be, because regular reindeer do not have shiny noses! Unless they're intoxicated of course! ;-) LOL

Thing is, not only does Rudy have a shiny nose, he can also fly, and as you all know, regular reindeer can't fly. Hmm. You might even make the argument that all of Santa's reindeer are superreindeers, because they can also fly. But then, perhaps it can be argued that these reindeer fly because of "Christmas magic".

"Christmas magic", however, does not explain Rudolph's nose, because if it glowed because of Christmas magic, then Santa would have made all of the noses of his reindeer glow, or at least one other reindeer in case Rudolph got ill or met up with Sarah Palin.

So my answer is: At least Rudolph is the reindeer version of superhuman, and quite possibly all of Santa's reindeer.

Next week I will answer a question that has been on everyone's mind who has ever watched that TV special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: What was "misfit" about the doll in the Land of Misfit Toys?

Friday, December 3, 2010

Me? A drill sargent therapist? LOL



I've been told more than a few times that my personality is a lot like the drill sargent therapist in this commercial!

Well, they say that I care about others and their problems, but I don't have a lot of patience with people who are what I call "professional whiners", like that guy in the commercial who says that yellow makes him sad. Had it been me who was told that, I would have said, "So do you get depressed every time you piss, dude?"

I will admit that I could use a little more diplomacy when it comes to talking to such people, but maybe part of their problem is that they haven't had someone in their life to just lay it on the line for them by telling them that there are more important problems to worry about than what color makes them sad. In other words, there's being patient and tolerant, and then there's enabling, and when you think about it, we do a LOT more enabling in our society than we believe.

I guess you might say that this makes me the "bad cop" in the classic "good cop/bad cop" interrogation scenario! X-D LOL

Monday, November 29, 2010

Booyaah! I'm back!

Hey, friends! I'm back!

I had a crazy busy and hectic, and yet strangely satisfying week last week. I very much enjoyed it. Still, it's great to be able to put aside the hustle and bustle - at least for the time being, since Christmas is coming! - and get back to writing. As challenging and frustrating as writing a blog can be, I still enjoy it, and I'll keep writing as long as the boss wants me to.

One of the most fun parts of last week was when I was talking to the 12 year old daughter of one of my GFs during one of the Thanksgiving feasts I went to, who was surprised to learn that I read comics. I impressed her with my knowledge of current events in the DC and Marvel universes. And why can't adult women enjoy comics as well? It's not just the men who enjoy them!

I wasn't, however, up on the latest Call of Duty: Black Ops that just came out. The last version of CoD that I played was the second one, and I forgot what it was called. I may be a nerd, but apparently I am not a full-blown total nerdnik. My nerd-fu, I was told, was weak. Well, I'll just have to work on that, won't I? ;-)

Anywhoo... It's good to be back, and I'll hit the ground running as soon as tomorrow, but probably Wednesday. See you then!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Q&A Week: Catching up

My intent had been to post every day this week for Q&A Week, but those plans got shot by some unanticipated business that came up. So to make up for that somewhat, I am taking the remainder of the questions that I would have answered during the course of the week and am answering them all today. On to it!

First question: What's the toughest part about being superhuman?
Wow, where do I start? Is it the fact that with my super strength, I have to be cautious in how I handle everything from soft drink cups to handshakes? Or is it the fact that I can hear conversations from so far away, including those whose topics are about me and their opinions of everything from my political views to my attire? Maybe it's the fact that there are so few of us, and thus few of us who can truly understand and sympathize with what it's like being superhuman in a human world. I have to think about this one some more.

Next question: How did you end up a conservative if you were born to and raised by Marxists? Well, part of the answer is to ask the question of how so many baby boomer liberals arose from so "establishment" an upbringing as they had. When you think about it, you can't get much more "establishment" than growing up in the 1950's, so really the only way for the baby boomers to stand out was by standing against their parents. Fast forward to the 1980's when I was born, and you pretty much can't get much more "liberal establishment" than the people who were in charge at the time; in other words, the baby boomers.

Anyway, the current generation tends to rebel against previous generation. My parents rebelled against their Republican parents, while I rebelled against my liberal parents. My kids, when I have kids, will probably be more liberal than I am. I hope not. I hope I can teach and reach my kids so that they don't adopt a political viewpoint that requires you to leave your brain behind, but it's likely to happen anyway.

The last question comes from another GF who saw the cover below of the latest issue of Cosmopolitan. Note the title of one of the articles which says "Your Breasts Called... and they're feeling neglected. How to pamper and pleasure them." Her question for me is "If your breasts called, what would they say? What would you say to them in reply?" First, let me say that I have a strong dislike towards such "women's magazines", because they make women look like such shallow and hedonistic airheads. Still, given this blog's title, I can see why she sent this to me to try to answer, so I'll humor her. :-)

I know the ladies would complain of the constant jarring they get from my usual superhero activities. Despite a very sturdy bra, they still move around a lot. Well, they shouldn't have gotten so big! Also, even though I keep my cellphone in my bra, I would tell them to not use it to call me when I am right here. Oh, and stop texting Power Girl's boobs! That pisses her off, and then she calls me to bitch about it, and I'd rather not deal with a pissed-off Power Girl.

Terrible pun time: Do you know what my boobs and Power Girl's boobs call each other? Bosom buddies. :-P

Okay my little nerdlings, I will not be posting at all next week due to all that I have to do getting ready for Thanksgiving. Even though I have the week off, I still have a lot to do. However, I won't be completely out of touch, for I will be checking on my Facebook page sporadically, so if I have anything to say next week, then it will be there. If you haven't already friended me on Facebook, I am under the name "Andromeda Perseus". But fear not, I shall be back to blogging the following week! Until then, I hope you all have a fabulous Turkey Day! See you in a week!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Q&A Week: My take on the airport security rules

This question comes from the boss: What is my take on the controversial airport security rules?

Plain and simply, while I understand the need to screen for potential terror attacks at peak flight times such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, I think that this is overkill. I also have to question just how much of a deterrence this peep and grope show will have on deterring terrorist acts. Granted, no security measure will be 100% effective, but I'm not asking for perfection here.

My question is: Just how much of a deterrence are these new security measures? Do they cut down on the possibility of a terrorist attack by 50%? 25%? 10%? 1%? If the drop in the possibility of a terrorist attack is 50%, then there MIGHT be a justification in these invasive security procedures, but how do you quantify something like the effectiveness of airport searching procedures in regards to reducing the possibility of a terrorist attack?

But not only are these procedures invasive and intrusive (not to mention what those scanning rays might be doing to your body. Despite assurances from the government - or perhaps because of them! LOL - I have nagging doubts of the low health risk of repeated exposure to those scanning rays), to me it's also a sign that we are allowing ourselves to live in fear, and when we allow ourselves to give into our fears, then in this instance, to quote an often-used phrase, "the terrorists win".

No, there has to be a better way than this. I don't know what that is, but this peek-and-grope system is not it.

Fashion for Nerds blog! I love it!

Heh! Check this out! Fashion for Nerds

I am so going to try some of these! I hope that some of these looks will look good on the busty nerd that I am! I JUST might look into asking an artist to draw me in one of these outfits! LOL

I'm going to have to look into whether there is a difference between "geek chic" and what is often referred to as "boho chic".

Anyway, I'm now a fan! :-D

Added to the Cool Links list ---------->

Monday, November 15, 2010

Q&A Week!: Immigration question

In case you missed it on my Facebook page (or if you're not on Facebook), then I will be taking a real life vacation all next week, so I'll also take a break from blogging all next week. Despite being on vacation, I have a lot to do next week because of Thanksgiving; so it's just as well that I take a break from blogging, because I wouldn't be able to dedicate the kind of time that I would like to write my posts. I'll still probably check my Facebook page, though, so I won't be entirely gone.

But I do want to take care of some stuff before I go, so starting today and all week is going to be Q&A week! Today's question comes from a GF: Giving that the Obama administration is deporting more illegal immigrants than has been done in recent years, what say you now about your stand on immigration? Still say that our country is lax on illegal immigrants?

I say yes!

Read that article again and see if you missed something.

Did you read it again? All of it? Are you sure?

Well, if you're one of my liberal readers, then I wouldn't be surprised if you missed that "deportable noncriminal immigrants" are in fact themselves also criminals, because they are here -- ILLEGALLY! Why else would they be "deportable"?

But why does the article make the distinction between deportable "criminal" and "noncriminal" immigrants? Ah, my friends, it's so easy to answer that you'll kick yourself for not having thought of it! Well, it's easy for me because I was born and raised among liberals, so I know their thinking inside and out.

Here goes: "Deportable noncriminal immigrants" is code for "illegal immigrants that can help the Democratic Party by making them (that is, the Dems) look good by their helping 'the poor, lost immigrant who's only trying to find a better place for his or her family by making an honest living, and by working on jobs that regular Americans wouldn't want anyway.' " And of course, they "help" them by putting aside any of those "inconveniences" that keeps them from being citizens outright - namely, those mean, ol' nasty and racist immigration laws that forbid anyone from crossing the border and claiming the right to vote for Democrats.

However, the "deportable criminal immigrant" is code for "worthless scum that would only give the GOP ammo to make us look bad if we try to let them through like we're trying to let through the good, wholesome and noble (so long as they vote for Dems!) deportable noncriminal immigrants." In other words, since the criminal "deportable immigrants" can't do anything good for the Dems, they're then good to send back guilt-free.

But friends, it's a distinction of convenience to favor those who benefit from having immigrants here illegally, and not at all to the benefit to the illegal immigrants themselves. Look, let me go ahead a clarify something here in regards to both immigrants and immigrations. I am wholly and totally for immigration and for immigrants to come here - so long as they do it the right way. I've discussed this topic before, so there's no need for me to go over that again.

So don't be fooled by this article! The Dems haven't changed their views of illegal immigrants - they still see them as a pool of potential voters for 2012! It's all part of their plan to help stem the bleeding that they suffered at the ballot box earlier this month.

Aren't you glad to have me here to point these things out for ya? :-D

Thursday, November 11, 2010

El Gato Negro a stereotype? I think not!

Okay, when I read this piece titled Four Crazy Spanish Stereotypes in Tights, I just had to comment on the inclusion of a one El Gato Negro (by Richard Dominguez). While I think the author makes a case for the other three characters, I think to include EGN in this mix is a huge mistake! And of course, I'm about to explain why! LOL ;-)

Below is an excerpt from that article linked above that makes reference to EGN:

“El Gato Negro was not created by DC, but by Richard Dominguez who owns Azteca productions. El Gato Negro, The Black Cat, first came out in 1996, went on hiatus and came back in 2005. He is a pretty awesome character in the fact that he knows about every form of hardcore martial arts known to man. The only problem that makes this a stereotypical characterization of Latinos, in my eyes, is that it’s the same plot line as Zorro but with a different name. There is more to Latin hero stories than Zorro, as cool a character that he is—there is more to life than him. Also, El Gato Negro’s main enemies are drug smugglers and drug cartels. Yup, were there are Latin’s there are always drug cartels or smugglers. Let see Vibe is an ex-gang member and drug runner, Scarface is a coke king, and in every movie that has to do with Latin America there are Narcos. I am not trying to deny or even downplay drugs as a real problem for Latin America, my mom works for DEA, but it gets trying when it’s the only problem worth mentioning. Anyway other than those trite conventions, it seems like an interesting comic book from the excerpt I looked at. It has potential to being something more than Zorro fights of drug smugglers. In fact El Gato Negro is a social worker when he’s out of his cat suit which makes him seem like a really sensitive guy. He also seems to have an engaging relationship with his grandfather who was the former Gato Negro and now is his mentor. He even started his crime fighting streak not because his parents were murdered like most superheroes but because his best friend was killed by drug runners. Now if Dominguez is able to flesh out this character and give him more of an edge I think this will be a pretty interesting series."

If EGN ran around in a sombrero and a serape, and broke into Spanish song and dance in the presence of every pretty lady that he meets, then he would be a stereotype.

If EGN had a fat belly and a thick moustache and drank beer and spoke in a broken accent, then he would be a stereotype.

If EGN wore a mariachi suit and did the Cucaracha before each fight, then he’d be a stereotype.

If EGN ate “magic burritos” (or tacos, or enchiladas, or… you get the point. By the way, I just made myself hungry!) before each fight to temporarily give himself super powers, then he’d be a stereotype.

If EGN took “siestas” after each fight, then he’d be a stereotype.

What the writer had in mind by including EGN into the mix of the other obviously bad stereotypes is beyond me, because he was actually praising EGN and basically giving him an “incomplete”. So if the issue is not settled in his mind as to whether EGN is a stereotype, then why include him in this article?

Again, he made a very good case as to why those other guys are bad stereotypes (and I have to agree with him about those other guys!), but having EGN in this just looks wrong – and that’s because it IS wrong. So with that, here’s my case as to why EGN is NOT a stereotype.

First, let’s hit the fact that EGN fights drug smugglers and drug gangs. When Dominguez had this as one of his main themes for his book way back in the early 1990’s, he wasn’t perpetuating a stereotype; in truth, he was actually prophetic as to what eventually ended up happening in Mexico. I will make one concession in that yes, the Latin drug king storyline is a common one in most crime and superhero stories, but the character El Graduado in the EGN stories is an eerie precedent to a lot of the drug lords that exist nowadays. And on top of that was the fact that El Graduado, whose name translates to “The Graduate”, was an intelligent and well-educated man who could have achieved his profits legitimately, but instead chose the faster and easier path of having a hand in running an international drug organization.

Think of that: A man such as he could have been a success in legitimate fields of business, but instead chose this path. Why? For one, it was something of a family tradition. But also, the money - especially the potential for a lot of it – was probably such that greed overtook his common sense. Also, no doubt the thrill of running such an underground operation probably was addicting. Why else do those in real life with such advantages choose such a path, if not partly for the thrill of it? And friends, this is a common human trait, and not just a Latino one. That El Graduado happened to be Latino was just a fact about him, and not the cause of him turning to such a life of crime.

Next, think of what EGN does: He fights crime, risking life and limb in the process. This is not a Latino stereotype, but what many true, dedicated superheroes do. Not only that, he does it with no powers beyond his own wits and strength, along with the support of his grandfather. Also, consider that EGN is following in the footsteps of his grandfather, the previous EGN. That makes the current EGN a legacy, and I really like this part of the series, because it emphasizes family as well as tradition. None of this is a Latino stereotype. I think any comic reader, Latino or not, will be able to understand and appreciate the kind of selfless dedication that EGN puts into his superhero work.

I do agree with the writer that when Dominguez fleshes out EGN more, than the EGN series will be an interesting one to read and follow. However, I actually think it’s an interesting series NOW. I imagine if the EGN stories didn’t include ANY Latino elements, then EGN would be called “too white”, so writers like Dominguez will always be caught in the bind of trying to balance making a character - for example - to be recognizably Latino, but not so “Latino” that he or she is a stereotype. However, I think Dominguez does a better job than most in striking this balance.

So in summary, I think the writer of the article did a very good and informative and yet entertaining job to make his case, and he made his case very well. It’s amazing that DC Comics got away with such obviously bad stereotypes! But I can’t agree to the inclusion of EGN, for the reasons stated above. Dominguez does too much that is right with EGN to be included in such gaudy and tasteless company, and he deserves better than to have his creation to be included among them.

Monday, November 8, 2010

My comments on last week's election results

Over the weekend, as I expected, me and my GFs talked over the election’s results, and also as I expected, we became yet another episode of “The View” – with me being Elizabeth Hasselbeck, of course!

Thing is friends, what the election wasn’t was an acceptance of the GOP; what it was instead is the rejection of the Dems. Had there been a viable third alternative, then the voters would have taken that instead of the GOP, but since we are a two-party country, it was the GOP that was the beneficiary this time around, just as it was the Dems in 2006 and 2008 when the voters were dissatisfied with the GOP. It is my hope, however, that the GOP learns its lesson this time.

What was especially surprising (and definitely starting to the Dems!) was the sudden emergence and rapid growth of the phenomenon known as the Tea Party Movement (TPM from here on). What was deliciously ironic is that the TPM was exactly the sort of grassroots “uprising of the people” that the liberals have long drooled about, and yet this uprising didn’t go the way they wanted it to go. Remember folks, I was raised by Marxists, so I know what they wanted and what they expected, and I know why they were hostile to the TPM when they didn’t follow the script of “overthrowing the power structure” and putting them (that is, Democrats) in their place.

In the core of their little black hearts, today’s liberals are Marxists. It’s a fact that’s as obvious as the nose on your face if your eyes are truly open to see it. What Marxists want is what every other power monger wants: power. Don’t buy that line that they are out to help the “little guy” or the “common man” (AKA as “the worker” to Marxists), because it’s entirely NOT about the common man. No, the common man is only a means to an end, and if the common man gets in the way of the true goals of Marxists, then they will not hesitate to get them out of the way by whatever means possible. Had the Marxists TRULY been concerned for the interests of the common man, then they would have been all over gung-ho in favor of the TPM, because the TPM is exactly the sort of grassroots uprising that they’ve longed for with wistful, misty eyes.

One fact to understand about Marxists: Ultimately, regardless of what they might say otherwise, they are anti-humanistic nihilists; that is, they have a low, practically non-existent regard for the value of human life. It’s why they can support abortion and euthanasia without blinking an eye. It's also because of this that many of them have difficulty retaining their disgust and disdain for the common man. Oh, sure, they'll give the spiel about "the people" and such, but dudes, it's a load of shit. If you listen to them long enough (and it won't be long at all!), you'll begin to hear snide comments about how lacking in intelligence those "others" are, and it will be followed up by comments regarding how low on the evolutionary ladder they are, or something about a deficiency in their genetic structure, to their obsessive "clinging to their guns and religions" (a classic!), to other such comments that betray that the speaker is in fact a condescending, elitist Marxist. Oh, that's another thing: Elitist and condescending goes with the label Marxist like macaroni goes with cheese, because condescending elitists is exactly what they are - the whole lot of them.

Anyway, the reason I am saying all this is that the liberal/Marxists' disdain and disgust kept being displayed more and more since 2008, especially when they were trying to ram their magnum opus through Congress and against the will of the people. I refer of course to Obama"care"; better known as socialized medicine or government run health care. I do not recall another so bald and blatant an example of Marxism on display as we saw most of last year when the Dems were trying their hardest to get their health care "reform" through by hook or by crook.

Along the way we were treated with the displays of disdain and disgust as I described above from our Marxist in Chief and our Marxist of the House, Nancy Pelosi. And I don't use those terms facetiously; I really do mean that I believe Obama and Pelosi are Marxists, because they display the classic traits of Marxists of which I am so personally familiar with. Anyway, whenever they would encounter resistance to their ideas - specifically their health care plan - many times in their responses you can see the annoyance lurking beneath the surface of their gigantic intelligence even being questioned. For me, the clincher was when Obama had used the term "tea bagger" to refer to the TPM members. "Tea bagger" is the favorite insult of all American Marxists, and even when it fell out of favor to use in public, they still said it to themselves and in their tweets and other Internet social networks.

What was surprising to me is how quickly the Dems imploded. It took less than two years for them to show their true colors and to implode from within. My guess is that, with the election of 2008, the Dems got it in their head that the voters were handing them a "mandate" to do things the Democrat (aka Marxist) way, so they wasted no time trying to take advantage of it. But it didn't take long before their true colors (Marxist red, in other words) were displayed for all to see. They were SO blatant and SO obvious about their intents that even some of their supporters were shocked. In a real sense, it can be said that the past two years have actually been a good thing, because many people who have been blind to the Dems' overt Marxism finally had their eyes opened.

And so when the Dems exposed for what they are, and exposed by their own hand, it was a short leap of logic for the voters to know what to do what they ended up doing a week ago today: They voted out a stunning amount of Democrats, not just at the federal level, but at the state level as well. I indeed walked on air after the results were announced. And yet, folks, our work is not done, because the Dems will NOT learn their lesson. We saw that when Obama gave his take that we "didn't understand" what he was trying to do. It was beyond him that we did indeed understand, and we STILL rejected him. Such staggering megalomaniacalism should not be rewarded.

We need to vote him out along with more of the Democrats in 2012, because otherwise they will try to come back for more. Not only that, we also need to keep hammering away at the too many blind and clueless GOP members (mainly the leadership) who STILL don't get it. Here these fools had a genuine movement in their hands that they could have used to an even greater stunning and startling effect than we saw last week, and they were still trying to find ways to "get along" with the Dems instead of listening to the will of the people that had been on display for these past 18 months. I think a lot of our current GOP leadership needs to be replaced for missing a historic opportunity when it fell in their lap.

But right now, I feel good, folks. I feel really, really good. Sorry this post ran so long, but I had a lot to get off my chest. Oh, and one last note: In regards to Nancy Pelosi retaining a leadership position in her party, I say bring it on! The more and the longer she and her condescending elitist Marxism is on display for all to see, the better our chances to make the election results of 2012 outdo what we did this year. So please, GF - stay in power and do even more damage to your party! Why in the world would I object to that? Bwahahahahahaha!

Friday, November 5, 2010

My take on this week's election? Coming next week!

No doubt some of you are wondering why I haven't said anything about this week's election, especially giving that the GOP *stomped* the Dems!

Just so you know, I do have something to say about the subject, I'm just working on it right now. What I need to get me started is my GFs, whom I will get together with this weekend, so that I can listen to their viewpoints, and then I can say why I disagree with them. ;-)

Anyway, give me the weekend, and I'll get back with ya.

But yes, I'm very happy with the results!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Special surprise! New artwork of me!

Below is the special surprise that I mentioned last week on Facebook. It's a new artwork of me! Check it out! This comes to you via Big Chris' Gallery, whom has also done other artworks of me. I just love this pose, and that enigmatic smile. What am I up to, I wonder? Hehehehe.....

Thanks so much, Chris!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

THS IS IT! The Halloween Showdown! Ninja Vs Vampire!

Here it is, gang! The Big Finish! The Final Round! The Grand Tamale! Yes, today is the fight that you've waited all month for, the Halloween Showdown! Let's get right to it!

In this corner is the Tuxedoed Terror of Transylvania: The Vampire!

Strengths: Superhuman strength and a high level of tolerance for pain. Is able to literally drain the life of his opponent away by biting their neck with his fangs and sucking their blood, thus ending the fight.

Weaknesses: Extreme vulnerability to sunlight, so he only goes out at night. Also a weakness to garlic, and can be killed by a wooden stake driven through his heart. Is also vulnerable in the presence of a crucifix, but the wielder has to also be a believer.

How he got here: Defeated the Lawyer and the Homicidal Chainsaw Maniac.

And in this corner is the Silent Assassin from the Land of the Rising Sun: The Ninja!

Strengths: Moves extremely quiet from shadow to shadow, silently and patiently waiting for the right moment to strike his target. Then once in action, he is extremely fast with a sword or throwing star, often killing the target before the target can even react. You can't defend against what you don't see coming.

Weaknesses: Works best when there are dark corners or shadows to work from, so a lot of modern office buildings make for poor ninja stalking environments. If he misses with his first strike (which won't be often), then his main offensive strategy of striking from stealth is already blown. And despite his speed, even the fastest of ninjas can't outrun a bullet.

How he got here: Defeated the Pirate and the Werewolf.

Okay, ninjas are generally not Christian, so using the crucifix is out. Also, fighting in the sun is not only counter to his fighting from the shadows, it's also hot to wear all black when the sun is out, so the Ninja will be fighting when it's dark - when it also happens to benefit the Vampire. Now, for this fight, we are going to go through this blow by blow, so pay attention, because the action is going to happen fast!

The Ninja stealthily approaches the casket where the Vampire is resting. Wooden stake in hand, he drops down and thrusts the stake through the Vampire's heart, who emits a howl of pain. The Ninja then jumps down to the floor and draws one of his swords - just in case.

While ninjas are used to stabbing through their opponents chests, it's normally with steel swords, and not wooden stakes. To kill a vampire, this has to be done correctly, or it will fail to kill the vampire. Since this was the Ninja's first try at staking a vampire, he missed the kill by the smallest of margins, but it was enough for the Vampire to rise and remove the stake (although with a great deal of pain, but he also heals quickly).

Before the Vampire can do anything else, the Ninja thrusts his sword through the spot where the stake had previously been thrust. It's a good, clean thrust that would have killed a normal human, but it is only an annoyance to the Vampire, who simply backhands the Ninja away, stunning him momentarily. As the Ninja shakes it off, the Vampire grasps the sword's hilt and slowly removes the sword, and his flesh heals the spot where the sword wound is located.

As the Ninja gets back to his feet and draws his other sword, the Vampire removes his cape and lashes it like a whip towards the Ninja. As the cape cracks the air, it turns into a cluster of bats that flies toward the Ninja, who slashes through a couple of bats while he throws stars towards the other bats. While the Ninja is fighting the bats, the Vampire charges with the sword.

Despite being suprisingly fast, he misses the Ninja, who nimbly hurdles over the Vampire and lands on his feet behind him. The Ninja sheathes his sword and takes out his nunchucks. He twirls the chucks so fast that they hum like mad bees. One strike knocks the sword out of the Vampire's hand, and then he is subjected to multiple hits, with the final hit knocking him backwards. As the Vampire is momentarily stunned, the Ninja reaches for his second wooden stake and lunges towards the Vampire.

The Vampire recovers just in time to catch the hand that has the wooden stake, and he squeezes the Ninja's wrist so strongly that he drops the stake. Still holding onto his wrist, the Vampire then headbutts the Ninja, knocking him out - and while he's out, the Vampire exposes his neck to sink his fangs into. Fight over; Vampire wins.

And there you have it! The Vampire is the winner of this year's Halloween Showdown!

Thanks for reading, all!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Second Round! Ninja vs the Werewolf!

Today is the second of two fights for the Second Round of my eventual Halloween Showdown! The winner of today's bout goes on to fight the Vampire in the final round this coming Sunday!

In this corner, from the mysterious parts of the wilderness comes: The Werewolf!

Strengths: Fangs! Claws! Bestial attitude! The guy's a growling and slashing killer furball! Once he gets a blood frenzy going, he's virtually impossible to stop.

Weaknesses: An allergy to silver, and not just silver bullets, but anything coated with silver. It could be brass knuckles, a club, or simple kitchen utensils (although I wouldn't recommend trying to take down a werewolf with a butter knife!), and the greater the purity of silver, the more allergic the werewolf is to it. Also, once he is in a blood frenzy, then his reasoning is virtually absent, so he can be maneuvered into a trap or pit. Oh, and he hates fleas.

How he got here: Defeated the Zombie

And in this corner hiding in plain sight is the Ninja!

Strengths: Moves extremely quiet from shadow to shadow, silently and patiently waiting for the right moment to strike his target. Then once in action, he is extremely fast with a sword or throwing star, often killing the target before the target can even react. You can't defend against what you don't see coming.

Weaknesses: Works best when there are dark corners or shadows to work from, so a lot of modern office buildings make for poor ninja stalking environments. If he misses with his first strike (which won't be often), then his main offensive strategy of striking from stealth is already blown. And despite his speed, even the fastest of ninjas can't outrun a bullet.

How he got here: Defeated the Pirate.

Unlike the Zombie, the Werewolf's current opponent is bristling with sharp steel. And because ninjas tend to study their targets before stalking them, the Ninja would know to bring something coated with silver. Maybe not so much a sword, but perhaps a dagger. However, trying to stab the Werewolf with its own kryptonite is no easy task, even for the speedy Ninja!

Ninjas generally try to take out their targets with their first blow, so if that is not accomplished, then their work gets that much harder. And given that werewolves are rarely just standing around providing nice, juicy targets for their opponents, this makes it unlikely that the Ninja will be able to take out the Werewolf in one strike, so already the Ninja has his work cut out for him.

The silver-coated dagger is probably best to use, because a sword would be too long to use in close quarters, while a dagger is just long enough to stab through the heart. Still, having the sword at hand is useful, because although the Werewolf is very tough, even non-silver blades can still hurt, and most importantly, a particularly injurious sword attack can provide an opening for which to strike with the silver-coated dagger. The Ninja would have to move fast, though, because the Werewolf is no slouch either in the speed department!

However, I think the Ninja's skills with bladed weaponry is just enough to allow him to defeat the Werewolf, despite the Werewolf's height and size advantage. A quick stab through the heart, and it's over.

TODAY'S WINNER, THE NINJA!

Now the Ninja moves on to the final round with the Vampire in Sunday's Halloween Showdown!

So who do you think will win that titanic bout? Tune in Sunday and find out!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Second Round! HCM vs. The Vampire!

Second Round! HCM vs. Vampire!

Today starts the first of two fights for the second round of my eventual Halloween Showdown! The winners of these bouts goes on to the final round coming this Halloween!

In this corner, coming from a home with too many bad influences is the Homicidal Chainsaw Maniac (HCM)!

Strengths: Very strong, very large size, high tolerance for pain. And lest we forget, he comes bearing a big ol' freakin' chainsaw! His big size is intimidating enough, but add to that the noisy chainsaw and you got one giant, scary dude!

Weaknesses: Slow, lumbering speed. Limited vocal skills - not that he needs them for hacking people to death! Slow thought processes. If his chainsaw is somehow taken from him, then he is less of a threat. Not MUCH less, but it would be easier to stop him if he isn't waving a chainsaw in your face!

How he got here: Defeated the Demon-Possessed Action Figure.

And in this corner, coming at you from a casket in the bottom of some dark dungeon is The Vampire!

Strengths: Superhuman strength and a high level of tolerance for pain. Is able to literally drain the life of his opponent away by biting their neck with his fangs and sucking their blood, thus ending the fight.

Weaknesses: Extreme vulnerability to sunlight, so he only goes out at night. Also a weakness to garlic, and can be killed by a wooden stake driven through his heart. Is also vulnerable in the presence of a crucifix, but the wielder has to also be a believer.

How he got here: Defeated the Lawyer.

In this round, both contestants have a tougher fight on their hands. HCM is not dealing with a tiny opponent (albeit a nasty, vicious one!), and the Vampire is not dealing with an annoying but still rather weak Lawyer. This time, it’s Fangs vs. Saw!

Yes, this time, the Vampire has someone who can defend himself with something considerably more substantive than a court summons! And since both have a high tolerance for pain, this fight is going to last a bit longer. The HCM is strong enough to plunge a wooden stake into the Vampire's heart while he lay sleeping, but since he walks with all the grace and silence of a drunk wearing wooden shoes, his noisy entrance will be enough to wake the dead - or in this case, the undead.

Once the Vampire awakes, he leaps to action, only to be swatted away with the HCM's chainsaw. While the HCM can wield his chainsaw pretty skillfully, the Vampire is still too fast for him to make decent contact with. That, plus the fact that the Vampire is a more skillful fighter leaves this little doubt as to who would win this time around. The HCM could drag the Vampire out to sunlight, but he's not strong enough to hold him long enough for the sun to do its deadly work. Once the Vampire separates the HCM from his chainsaw, then it's a short trip to his neck and the Vampire wins.

TODAY'S WINNER: THE VAMPIRE!

He now moves on to the championship round and awaits the winner of the fight between the Ninja and the Werewolf, which comes this Thursday!

Friday, October 22, 2010

First Round! Ninja vs. Pirate!

And now we come to the final fight of the First Round of my eventual Halloween Showdown! Whoohoo!

In this corner lurking from nearly any dark shadow - LOOK OUT! - is the Ninja!

Strengths: Moves extremely quiet from shadow to shadow, silently and patiently waiting for the right moment to strike his target. Then once in action, he is extremely fast with a sword or throwing star, often killing the target before the target can even react. You can't defend against what you don't see coming.

Weaknesses: Works best when there are dark corners or shadows to work from, so a lot of modern office buildings make for poor ninja stalking environments. If he misses with his first strike (which won't be often), then his main offensive strategy of striking from stealth is already blown. And despite his speed, even the fastest of ninjas can't outrun a bullet.

And in this corner, from all parts of the seven seas is the Pirate!

Strengths: Very strong and very skilled at swinging a sword. Also, because he is often at different stages of intoxication most of the time, he has a high tolerance for pain. Despite the fact that he might be missing an eye or limbs, that only heightens his fear factor, since it demonstrates just how much punishment he can take and still keep going.

Weaknesses: Because he is often at different stages of intoxication, this means that his movements are not as fast as they could be if he wasn't loaded up with ale. And of course, the more intoxicated he is, the slower he is going to move. His attack strategies are basically attack until the other guy goes down. Works well for the Pirate when he has the upper hand, not so well when he doesn't have the upper hand.

If these two were fighting in a standard office building, then the Pirate would have the upper hand since most office buildings are brightly lit with few shadows to hide a ninja in, but since the Pirate often fights in dark places such as bars, he is fighting in an environment that favors the Ninja. Fortunately for the Pirate, he also has many weapons at hand, such as the broken beer bottle, steins, chairs, tables, and his smaller fellow pirates.

So even if the bar environment favors the Ninja, he won't have a quick, easy fight due to the amount of weapons and defense that the Pirate can put up. Plus, if the Ninja hasn't taken down the Pirate with his first strike, then the Ninja's cover is already blown. It will be a good fight, with many objects (and people!) being thrown. However, while the Ninja isn't likely to take down the Pirate with his first strike, he can still wear the Pirate out by continuing to strike from the shadows, thus preventing the Pirate from being able to react as quickly as he would like.

Plus, while being intoxicated may help the Pirate endure the many sword strikes that the Ninja delivers, it also slows him down to the point that he endures more sword strikes than he would have otherwise taken had he not been intoxicated. This also messes up the Pirate's aim for when he tries to shoot the Ninja with his pistol. Bottom line, the Pirate is too drunk and the Ninja simply moves too fast for the Pirate to get a good, solid hit on, so it will be the Ninja who wins in the end.

TODAY'S WINNER: THE NINJA!

This ends the first round. Starting next week will be the second round, which will determine who goes on to the Halloween Showdown! Make your bets, folks! Halloween will be here before you know it!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

I might be a liberal in a parallel universe!

Check this out! The classic comic books storyline of parallel universes just might be real!

It kinda creeps me out that I might be a freakin' liberal in another universe! Yikes! But then, if this is a mirror universe, then it means that my parents, rather than being Marxists, would instead be Ward and June Cleaver! LOL

Anyway, to help banish painful thoughts of me being liberal in a mirror universe, I whipped up this little ditty as a spoof of John Lennon's Imagine. Enjoy!

Imagine That!
-by Andromeda Perseus

Imagine there's no liberals
It's not easy , but go ahead and try
No global warming to scare us
No “green” taxes to make us cry
Imagine all the people
Keeping all their pay

Imagine there's no socialists
Yes, I know it’s hard to do
No Malthusian quotas to die for
And no death panels too
Imagine all the people
Having peace of mind

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday the libs will join us
So that in this world we’ll be left alone

Imagine keeping all your possessions
It’s a wonder if you can
No need to “spread the wealth”
Keeping all you earn – what a plan!
Imagine all the people
Keeping all their pay

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday the libs will join us
So that in this world we’ll be left alone

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

First Round! Werewolf vs. The Zombie!

The first round continues with the third fight of the eventual Halloween Showdown!

In this corner, from the darkest depths of the forest comes: The Werewolf!

Strengths: Fangs! Claws! Bestial attitude! The guy's a growling and slashing killer furball! Once he gets a blood frenzy going, he's virtually impossible to stop.

Weaknesses: An allergy to silver, and not just silver bullets, but anything coated with silver. It could be brass knuckles, a club, or simple kitchen utensils (although I wouldn't recommend trying to take down a werewolf with a butter knife!), and the greater the purity of silver, the more allergic the werewolf is to it. Also, once he is in a blood frenzy, then his reasoning is virtually absent, so he can be maneuvered into a trap or pit. Oh, and he hates fleas.

And this corner, rising from your local graveyard is: The Zombie!

Strengths: Total immunity to pain. You can stab him, you can shoot him, and he'll keep coming for you. He is virtually impossible to stop in his goal to consume your brains. Also because of his immunity to pain, he is stronger than you would expect a walking corpse to be. Normally when we try to break through a wall or door by throwing ourselves against it, it would severely injure us, but the Zombie can just keep throwing himself against a wall or door until it breaks down.

Weaknesses: Very slow, lumbering speed. Also, because he is still in the process of decaying, his limbs are likely to fall off with enough effort to remove them. And as with the Werewolf, his single-mindedness in pursuit of his goal can be used against him. He can be led into traps that will end in his demise, like firepits. Virtually no social or communication skills, but when someone smells like rotted flesh, why would you want to try to socialize with them anyway?

This battle would last surprisingly longer than you would think, because while the Werewolf can keep charging at the Zombie, the Zombie simply won't stay down. That, plus the enormous offending smell of the Zombie would be enough to keep the Werewolf from staying in close ranks for very long, since their sense of smell is much more acute than human senses of smell. And besides, no matter how much the Werewolf slashes at the Zombie, he will feel no pain, and he won't be brought down by numerous slashing wounds like the Werewolf's living prey would be.

The main reason that their battle would last longer than expected is because of both of their single-mindedness. However, eventually the Werewolf would win because he will eventually be capable of reasoning once he sees that his usual tactics aren't working this time around, while the Zombie isn't capable of reasoning at all, so he won't change tactics even when he needs to. My guess is that the Werewolf eventually figures out to slash the head off of the Zombie, which is one way to kill a zombie. He wouldn't use the other zombie killer - fire - because Werewolves aren't too keen on fire themselves.

TODAY'S WINNER: THE WEREWOLF!

There is one more fight in this first round, and that will come this Friday. Then next week are the finals before we get to the Halloween Showdown at the end of the month. You guys excited yet? Well, maybe the next fight will get your nerd juices flowing, because it will be the classic nerd debate of the fight between the Ninja and the Pirate!

And last, for your entertainment pleasure, here is a spoof of the classic Halloween song, Werewolves of London, which is timely not just because Halloween is coming up, but also the new game expansion, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, which has the new Alliance race, the Worgen. I present to you Worgen of Stormwind!

Friday, October 15, 2010

Book Review: World of Warcraft Shaman

I found Tokyopop's World of Warcraft Shaman when I was checking out the other graphic novels in the local bookstore. It is written by Paul Benjamin and illustrated by Rocio Zucchi. Once in a while when I am looking at the graphic novels, I also check out the manga section just for the heck of it, because some of them are interesting. I don't usually go through the manga section a lot, because many titles have very long storylines, and I often don't get the point of what the author is trying to say; and besides, many of them are just plain weird or juvenile.

However, this one caught my eye because it was tied into something I am familiar with, the online role-playing game World of Warcraft. It got my interest also because it's a "one-shot"; that is, while it's tied into the WoW "universe", it's also a story that is not continued into another book, so I figured it was worth a shot to check out. After I flipped through a few pages, I was interested enough to purchase it. And friends, I ended up enjoying this book very much.

The storyline was interesting in itself because of the way it portrayed religion - in this instance, shamanism as it is depicted in WoW, which is an element-centered belief system (and here the elements are earth, air, water, and fire, although it also adds an element called "life"). In brief, shamanistic beliefs requires that you ask and implore the elements to do your bidding, whether it is ask the water elements to bring rain to drought-stricken crops or to ask the earth elements to smite your enemies in a landslide. That's important to keep in mind here: You ASK the elements to do your bidding; you don't FORCE them to do it.

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Before I continue, I must note that the following contains spoilers, so if you want to read the book for yourself first, stop reading here and then get back to me later. You have been warned. :-)

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The main character is a tauren shaman leader named Muln Earthfury, who is the leader of a group of shamans called the Earthen Ring (whom the leader of the Horde, Thrall, also belongs to), and in the story he is teaching his apprentices about shamanism and how important it is to be in tune with the elements. One apprentice, a female orc named Kettara Bloodthirst, is probably the most attractively drawn female orc I've ever seen! LOL When you get the book, you'll see what I mean.

Anyway, the elements are in turmoil (by the way, this is meant to be a tie-in to the upcoming WoW expansion Cataclysm, although this is not mentioned in the story), which shakes the faith of Muln's apprentices, because the elements are either slow in responding to their pleas, or they're not responding at all. Then a very strange looking tauren shaman named Shotoa appears to help dispel a cyclone that the other shamans have not been able to dispel. Without getting too much into the story, Shotoa lived centuries ago and disappeared by being swallowed up by the earth while trying to rescue one of his apprentices. After all those centuries, he suddenly appears, and he looks very strange, with fire coming out of his eyes (literally!) and yet with horns adorned with icicles.

When Muln's apprentices are confronted with the success of Shotoa's successful commanding methods of ordering the elements to do his bidding versus the apparent failure of the traditional method of asking and imploring the elements to do their bidding, he seems like a revolutionary. They then begin to question whether it is time for shamanish to consider alternate methods of practicing their craft, and a group of them leave Muln to join Shotoa - including Kettara, for whom it is somewhat established that Muln loves like a daughter. Long story short, it then turns out that Shotoa is actually possessed by an evil fire god Ragnaros, and Shotoa was trying to wipe out shamanism by this plot.

Muln comes to the rescue and he has a "moment of truth" scene in which he has to decide how he will confront Shotoa - by the traditional method of imploring the elements or by Shotoa's method of ordering them. He ends up persuading them with logic, that if they don't do ask he asks, then they will be under the boot of the Ragnaros-possessed Shotoa, so they help in the defeat of him, while Muln gets the final, killing blow. And at the end, his apprentices see the errors of their ways and rejoin him.

I found this story to be an interesting twist to the usual way that "organized" religions are often portrayed in such stories. Unlike the usual storyline in which the bad guys are the leaders of the "establishment" religion and the good guys are the ones with the "new, revolutionary" ideas, here Muln's insistence on sticking to tradition is portrayed as a strength, and a strength that was tested in the climax of the story. I also thought that the departure of the apprentices was completely logical in the face of what they had just witnessed. It wasn't so much that they were weak, but that they were young, but they gained strength and wisdom from their experiences.

Ultimately, it was a stealth "pro-faith" story, and one that was nicely done. Given our modern culture's dislike (and often hatred) of organized religions, it's good to see a story that portrays how an organized religion can be a strength. After all, despite the fair and unfair criticisms of organized religions, there is something about them that led them to be sources of strength in the first place.

However, what also helped make this book is the awesome artwork by Rocio Zucchi. She drew such wonderful and expressive faces in the story. Her depictions of the female orc Kettara were especially beautiful. During the course of the story, you will see a broad range of facial expressions from her, from happiness to sadness to anger to idolizing hero worship when she first meets Muln. Zucchi even pulls off a wonderfully dramatic facial expression in which she is being crushed in the grip of an earth elemental, and yet you can see even through her pained expression the joy of seeing that her mentor Muln has arrived to save the day. Not only that, Zucchi pulled off something that you don't normally see: She made a female orc look sexy hot! LOL The illustrations were so wonderfully and expressively done that it was my favorite part of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Both the story and art complemented each other well. The one, lone criticism I have was at the end in which Kettara dies from her injures from being crushed by the earth elemental. This criticism is due both to the fact that I really liked Kettara, and also to the fact that, in the game, not only can shamans resurrect other players, they can even resurrect themselves, so it was almost a pointless death. Still, it was a very good story, and it is definitely one that I would recommend buying. On a scale of 1 to 10 in which 1 is a bomb and 10 is THE bomb, I give World of Warcraft: Shaman a 9. It would have been at least a 9.75, except I wasn't too happy with the ending. :-)

There does not appear to be any other WoW graphic novels coming anytime soon. I hope they reconsider, because I am also disappointed that Blizzard, the company that owns WoW, discontinued the comic. Why start a good thing only to discontinue it? This is the sort of thing that drives me nuts.








Thursday, October 14, 2010

First Round! Vampire vs the Lawyer!

First round continues with the second of four fights for the eventual Halloween Showdown!

In this corner, from a castle in Transylvania is the Vampire!

Strengths: Superhuman strength and a high level of tolerance for pain. Is able to literally drain the life of his opponent away by biting their neck with his fangs and sucking their blood, thus ending the fight.

Weaknesses: Extreme vulnerability to sunlight, so he only goes out at night. Also a weakness to garlic, and can be killed by a wooden stake driven through his heart. Is also vulnerable in the presence of a crucifix, but the wielder has to also be a believer.

And in this corner, from an ivy-covered university is the Lawyer!

Strengths: Many connections to "people who know people" who can cause you many great and expensive legal difficulties if you prove a problem to him. Also, has few to no moral or ethical difficulties to get in the way of whatever he needs to do to win his case. While charming on the outside, he will also not hesitate to switch sides should you prove to be a losing cause.

Weaknesses: Other than an aggressive and sometimes abrasive personality, he has no real defenses. Even the divorce lawyers have only a slightly higher level of stamina and endurance than other lawyers when it comes to a fight like this.

Since the Vampire can't go out in the daytime, the only time they could fight is at night, so right away the Lawyer is out of his element (that is, the courtroom). The Lawyer is nowhere near enough of a believer to use a crucifix (in fact, it might burn his own hands!), and the only garlic that he carries is on his breath, and while it might be strong, it won't be enough to stop the Vampire. Driving a stake through a vampire's heart is so "pedestrian" and beneath the lawyer to do himself, so he'll call Maria, his undocumented domestic help, to do the job for him. By the time she gets there, though, the Vampire will have awaken and attacked.

While it is true that the Lawyer can survive for a period of time without blood, he won't be able to fight it out against the Vampire's superhuman strength, so this fight is a short one. The only sort of satisfaction that the Lawyer can get (or would have gotten, if he wasn't dead!) is the fact that once the Lawyer's blood enters the Vampire's systems and he starts seeing the images and impressions of the Lawyer's life, he will be filled with shock, disgust, and revulsion over the Lawyer's many unethical and immoral acts that he committed over the years in the pursuit of winning his case. That, along with the enormous flood of guilt that the Lawyer had suppressed all these years might be enough for the Vampire to drive the wooden stake through his heart himself.

However, since we need the Vampire to live to fight at least one more battle, he has been sent to counseling to help him deal with all that, at least long enough to fight in the next round, and maybe even the final round should he last that long.

TODAY'S WINNER: THE VAMPIRE!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Andromeda decks Superman! Whoohoo!

Yes, it's true! In the artwork below, I am decking the Man of Steel himself! So what did Supes do to be decked by yours truly? Well, it's like this...

Just before I decked him, he said to me: "Hey Andromeda. Why are you wearing lead-lined underwea-- oops."

So I decked him and said "I'm telling Lois!" Yes, he's considerably stronger than me, but when properly motivated, I can bloody the nose of even a super man. Aim those x-ray peepers somewhere else, perv! LOL

This awesome piece of art was done by Jhomar Soriano ("That Scruffy Rhōnin Guy"), and that particular artwork can be found here.

Jhomar my friend, you have earned a spot on my list of Cool Links! ----------->

Thanks so much for a great piece of art! :-D

Friday, October 8, 2010

The dead, they are busy!

Just the other day, I had mentioned in my socialized medicine blog entry, how the dead vote. Now, apparently, they can also get federal stimulus money! See folks, and you thought I was exaggerating about the dead voting! Apparently, they are not only active, but busier than we thought! However, I gotta wonder if they would qualify for "cost of living" adjustments? LOL (maybe I shouldn't give anyone any ideas...)

Thing is, friends, this does not make me feel any easier about the efficiency of our government. Hell, if they can screw this up, how in the world does anyone think that they can manage a government-run health plan; AKA socialized medicine? If this stupid government run health plan idea gains roots, prepare for the dead to get health care!

First round! HCM vs DPAF!

Okay, it's time for the first fight for the eventual "Who Would Win?" Halloween Showdown!

In this corner, from some undoubtedly dysfunctional family comes... The Homicidal Chainsaw Maniac! Let's just call him HCM for short, even though he is very tall.

Strengths: Very strong, very large size, high tolerance for pain. And lest we forget, he comes bearing a big ol' freakin' chainsaw! His big size is intimidating enough, but add to that the noisy chainsaw and you got one giant, scary dude!

Weaknesses: Slow, lumbering speed. Limited vocal skills - not that he needs them for hacking people to death! Slow thought processes. If his chainsaw is somehow taken from him, then he is less of a threat. Not MUCH less, but it would be easier to stop him if he isn't waving a chainsaw in your face!

And in this corner, from the darkest pits of hell comes ...the Demon-Possessed Action Figure! We'll call him DPAF for short, and he happens to be short to boot! Just don't call him a doll! He is an action figure! There is a difference!

Strengths: Very intelligent and cunning. Due to his small size, he is excellent at hiding in dark corners until his victim is within range. Total immunity to pain, due to the fact that he inhabits a doll's body. Is able to hop to another doll body if the current body is destroyed.

Weaknesses: Due to small size, he is able to be swatted away or thrown if caught in time. And because of his obsessive/compulsive dedication to killing, it makes him predictable in what he plans to do next - not that it makes it much easier to stop him. Also is stuck in the doll body until it is destroyed.

So who would win in this battle of horror movie monsters? Here's my take: Ol' HCM would certainly have his hands full with a small little guy coming at him from all directions (plus he makes a very small target for his big honkin' chainsaw), but DPAF would have a harder time than usual to take down HCM because he can take a lot of pain.

Even if HCM managed to hack DPAF into pieces, the demonic essence can simply hop to another doll and his carnage continues. In theory, DPAF can just keep body-hopping until he wears HCM down. Despite HCM's limited intelligence, however, I think even he would figure out that DPAF is trapped in the doll body until it is destroyed, so he would have to use his brain for once.

My guess is that HCM would use his great strength to hurl DPAF against a wall to stun him long enough to stick him in a box, then he could either bury the box or have it entombed in cement, thus ending this battle. HCM would still probably need to take a lot of time to heal from the multiple stab wounds he got from DPAF, but he would live to hack unsuspecting teens another day.

TODAY'S WINNER: HCM!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

BSC PSA: I.C.E., I.C.E., Baby...

No, today's BSC PSA is NOT about Vanilla Ice, the rapper from the 1990's, but instead in regards to a suggestion forwarded to me from the boss.

I.C.E. actually stands for "In Case of Emergency". The forwarded e-mail made the suggestion to have in your cellphone the contact with the initials ICE along with the phone number of the person whom you want contacted immediately if your phone is found, or if you are found unconscious. This would especially be helpful to emergency workers who are trying to contact someone about you, in case you have something like diabetes or heart problems.

If you have others who can be contacted if your first contact is not available, then label them ICE2, ICE3, and so forth so that the caller has more than one option to go on if the others don't answer the phone. This could be a life-saving suggestion, so get on it pronto, amigo!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Why "socialized medicine" is a stupid idea

Over the weekend, I had one of my usual political discussions with my largely liberal friends. The topic this time: Socialized medicine (SM). Oh, they tried to call it something else - like Obamacare - but in essence they were talking about government run healthcare, which is pretty much SM. I told them that SM was a stupid idea, no matter what noble intents they have in mind, and of course, I explained why! ;-)

Their usual arguments was for the need to insure even the most poor among us; not only that, if I say that I am Christian, then one of my Christian beliefs is to help "the least of my brothers". Such emotional manipulation by liberals is common, and pretty much their only strategy to persuade others into thinking their way. The intent is the manipulate the person into thinking that "if I don't do as they say, then it shows that I'm a mean, heartless bastard, for what good person would deny (victim group) what they most need?", so the person being manipulated capitulates. It's a tactic that liberals have used to great effectiveness for at least four decades.

However, having been raised in such an environment, I am virtually immune to such tactics, so often have I been exposed to it. SM is still a stupid idea, regardless of the emotional propagandizing that is used to get it accepted. For one, if that's what liberals support, then call it what it is: Socialized Medicine. To try to find new terms for the same thing suggests doubt of the purity of what they are trying to peddle us. To try to push something despite the doubts they themselves have about it suggests a con game is afoot. And given that we are talking about the government running health care, the likelihood that a con game is afoot goes up to virtually 100%.

What makes me say that? Because, friends, who will be running the show if we get into government run health care? D.C. politicians and bureaucrats! So what do politicians care most about? Hell no, it's not the well-being of the voters - it's getting re-elected! I was gonna say that "well-being so long as they vote for them" - but hey, the dead have voted too (seriously!), so as long as they get your vote, you can be alive or dead! Once they get power, what's next? Keeping it, of course! So my view is that the Democrats' push for SM is a push for more power. If they can get this show on the road, then they'll further entrench themselves in power more so than they are now.

Such desires for power are paramount - even more than the health of their constituents. Hell, if the health of the constituents gets in the way of the acquiring of even more power, then they'll be allowed to die - that is, unless mandatory euthanasia is also passed. Don't think that they won't try to work that in next! Don't believe me? Which party talks the most about overpopulation: Republicans or Democrats? If all this is still not enough to scare you, then maybe this will: To pass SM is to hand your healthcare over to... lawyers! Do you seriously want your healthcare to be run by a bunch of lawyers?

Now don't get me wrong; I'm not blind to the failures and shortcomings of HMOs; so ultimately our healthcare decisions are based on whether we want to trust a bunch of greedmongers out for a profit (HMOs) or a bunch of powermongers out to score their next reelection (politicians). Either way, we're screwed, it seems. However, if we die, then HMOs get no more profit from us, so it's in the best interests for their bottom line for us to stay as healthy for as long as possible. For liberal politicians however, if we die, then that's one less carbon footprint to worry about. If they succeed in institutionalizing SM, then it's no sweat off of their collective brows whether we live or die, because remember, they can still get our vote even if we're dead!

Ultimately, however, SM is a stupid idea because it will never succeed in getting healthcare to the very poorest among us, because dear friends, there simply isn't enough money to do that with things the way they are now. This is because of the giant boondoggle of a bureaucracy that would be required to run SM, which would only succeed in ensnaring much needed funds in mountains of red tape. Thus, these funds won't reach the poorest of the poor, but only find their way to other "needy" folks - that is, those in need of being reelected. If we really want to get healthcare for the poorest among us (and arguments can certainly be made for why it's to all our benefit to do this, including the previously mentioned Christian belief.), then there are much better ways of doing this without lining the pockets of politicians. I just might make that a separate blog entry.

And last, the final reason that I think the liberals are fullacrap when it comes to their alleged belief in SM is this: If they feel that SM is going to be that beneficial, then get on it too. Here's the kicker, folks, and this is one of the reasons that I ultimately went down the path of conservatism: A lot of liberals are hypocrites, especially the wealthier they are. SM is supposed to be a healthcare utopia, yet they won't go on it if they can help it. Public transportation is supposed to be good because it helps the environment, yet how many ride the city bus? In fact, how many of them have fancy cars, and more than one? Public schools are supposed to be great because it keeps impressionable young people out of the hands of religious idealogues, and yet how many liberal parents send their kids to public schools?

If these things are supposed to be great, then shouldn't these liberals be setting the example for the rest of us by using them? That they don't speaks volumes of what they really believe. Along with not using SM, public transportation, and public schools, they are also not emotionally invested in the success of these things. With no emotional investment, then there is no motivation to make these things better. The rest of us can put up with crappy healthcare, poor public transportation, and failing schools so long as they exist as a shiny badge for the liberals to show off to their liberal friends.

I really, really hope that the upcoming election brings the sort of change that is feared by the Democrats, because it would be unprecedented, as well as shocking to the establishment. And I hope this groundswell carries over to 2012. That would truly be a populist uprising, and one that I could support.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

A month-long "Who Would Win?" Halloween Showdown!

Yes, as the new blog banner says, it's going to be a month-long "Who Would Win?" Halloween Showdown!

In case you don't already know, my "Who Would Win?" segments are my discussions of various parties pitted against each other, and I speculate on whom I think would win. This time, in the spirit of Halloween, I am trying a new format in which I pit 8 creatures in a bracket format to conclude with the final two on Halloween! So let's meet the contestants and their opponents for this first round!

First up is the Homicidal Chainsaw Maniac (HCM), who is what I just said he is: a crazed killer with a chainsaw! He is pitted against that vicious tiny terror, the Demon-Possessed Action Figure (DPAF)! Holy cow! It's the Saw vs. the Doll! It's sure to be a bloody fight!

Next is the classic battle for nerds everywhere! First up is the mysterious assassin, the Ninja! He skulks in dark corners to strike when the moment is right! He is pitted against the drunken ferocity of the Pirate! Despite his drunken stupor, he is still not one to trifle with! It's a clash of swords to finally settle the question that nerds have debated since the dawn of time! (okay, I'm exaggerating that just a bit...)

The third match pits the creepy Zombie against the savage Wolfman! The Zombie possesses an unstoppable will to consume brains, while the Wolfman is hell with fangs and claws! The fur and the corpse dust is sure to fly as the unstoppable bestial force battles the immovable undead object in this clash that is sure to be one for the ages!

And last, but certainly not least is the battle that will have you drooling! In this corner is the nocturnal terror, the Vampire! He vants to suck your blood! Bleh! Bleh! And in this corner is the monster of the courtroom, the Lawyer! Great galloping ghouls, this guy is probably the scariest one of all! It's the Fang vs the Summons, and the outcome is just too close to call!

Over the next few weeks, these monsters will fight to the finish until four are left standing. Then it's on to the semis when the Final Four will fight it out until two are left. Then come Halloween, our final two contestants will duel it out to see who is the scariest monster of all! So come one, come all! Make your bets and get ready to discuss and debate until the cows come home! The action begins later this week! Whoohoo!

So are you ready???? :-D

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Bio on Lucky Shot

Last week I introduced you to Lucky Shot. Today I present a bio on her. Coming next month I'll introduce one of my "universe's" villains! Enjoy!

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Michaela Saez started out life as the only child of her baby boomer parents. While her parents were very affluent, they were also status-seekers who spent little time tending to the upbringing of their daughter. Their inattentiveness was such that they weren’t aware that she had started running with local gangs at an early age when they were away at their jobs or their numerous social functions.

Unknown to Michaela, her power manifested itself early, although not in its current form of glowing eyes. Michaela had a knack for hitting distant objects with whatever nearby object that she could throw. She demonstrated this ability constantly, never missing whatever target she called out, and earned the name “Lucky Shot” by her fellow gang members, even though, as it turns out, luck had nothing to do with it. Her power also assisted in dice games, which earned her considerable sums of money. Despite many accusations of her using loaded dice, she demonstrated that she can win with whatever dice were given her. She could even take loaded dice and roll whatever number was called out.

During this time, Lucky – the name she was now calling herself – bonded with her fellow gang members in a family sense; perhaps subconsciously seeking the family life that didn’t exist among her real family members. Some gang members were true to her trust in them; others took advantage of it (which she would learn to her regret later). In any case, she had developed enough connections in the gang that she was able to move up the ranks to become a trusted lieutenant. During a party to celebrate her rise in rank, an event occurred afterwards that would change her life and attitudes towards being in a gang.

After the party, some of the gang members led the very intoxicated Lucky to one of their apartments. Once there and even while heavily inebriated, she realized that they were attempting to gang-rape her. Unknown to her, the eye-glowing aspect of her power manifested itself for the very first time. Suddenly, she knew where every one of them was in relation to each other and in relation to the room, like seeing the room in an x-ray.

One of them knocked her down, and as they were pulling her pants off, she grabbed a couple of beer bottles and instantly visualized the trajectory that she needed to ricochet the bottles around the room to hit two of her assailants in the back of the head to knock them out. She then managed to break free of her attackers’ grasp and grabbed two more beer bottles. She threw both of them at two more of her assailants, hitting both square in the nose, knocking both of them out instantly. She had one attacker remaining, a 6 foot 5 muscular gang member who served as the gang’s enforcer. Even drunk, he swung with such force that he knocked Lucky to the wall, stunning her.

He then tried to resume his plan to rape her. Lucky regained her senses, but not in time to prevent him from pinning her to the floor and putting his hand around her throat, almost suffocating her. As she put her hands around his wrist, her power instinctively scanned his body, reading it almost like reading a book. She instantly became aware of several actions that she could perform to stop him. She decided upon striking him in the throat to rob him of his breath, which she did by lunging a nearby beer bottle, using the spout to prompt a gag reflex. He released her and lurched backwards, grasping his throat, coughing and gagging.

She then jumped to her feet and grabbed a folded folding chair to swat him down and unconscious. Still unaware of her glowing eyes, she looked around the room and saw that no more attackers remained. Then her glowing eyes shut off, temporarily blinding her. She managed to find a pair of sunglasses and staggered out (because she was still intoxicated) of the apartment. Out of misplaced loyalty to the gang, she never reported their attack, but she never forgot it, either – nor did her attackers. Their attempts to retaliate never ceased until she turned herself in to the police the following year and submitted documentation of her gang and their activities.

In the time between the attack and her surrender to the police, she had borne a son from a former lover (he is not aware of his son). Because of the attack and because she was now a mother, Lucky began to have serious doubts about her association with the gang. However, it wasn’t until about 10 months later that she finally found the courage to leave, and that was a result of a battle with a crime-fighting vigilante nicknamed Shamrock (due to her Irish-themed costume), who managed to hand Lucky one of her rare defeats.

Whether Lucky was defeated because the Shamrock was a better fighter or because Lucky was now having serious doubts about the cause she was fighting for (and thus wasn’t putting out her best effort), Lucky had then finally had enough of the gang, because she realized that this assignment she was on was a set-up for her to either be killed by her fellow gang members or by the police. It was only because the Shamrock intervened that this plan didn’t bear out.

Mainly thinking out loud, she told the Shamrock that she was leaving the gang. The Shamrock was about to leave the scene, but overheard this statement, and stayed to talk to her. After a brief discussion, The Shamrock managed to talk her into turning herself in to the police and to come clean; if for no other reason than to set a good example for her son. Lucky never saw her again, but she never forgot her, and it was their conversation that gave her strength for the coming months in which she had to deal with being incarcerated and putting up with the police and their many, many questions about her gang and their activities.

By this time, Lucky had gotten the attention of the Department of Superhuman Studies (DSS), a federal agency that deals exclusively with superhumans and matters and issues related to them; especially in the obtaining and incarceration of destructive superhumans. Agents who go through police reports to find possible superhuman activity found the reports of her battles and had strong suspicions that she was a superhuman. Once this was confirmed, agents for the DSS went to the police with transfer papers for Lucky to go from the city police to U.S. Homeland Security (The DSS is a department of USHS). Despite many protests from various city officials and law enforcement, Lucky was declared a federal matter and removed from their jurisdiction. She was made available to the police for further questioning if necessary, but now they have to go through federal red tape in order to do this.

Lucky went from a jail cell to living quarters that included a day care center for her son. The DSS also provided tutoring for both her and her son. She was offered a deal: Clear her record by working for the DSS and using her powers to serve her country, or clear her record the longer way by going back to incarceration in the city jail, the police and their interrogations. It wasn’t much of a choice for her, and discovering that she was superhuman was another matter entirely for her to deal with. She finally agreed to join once she was told that the DSS had scientists and medical doctors that would help her to learn about her power. She was assigned to Andromeda, another superhuman, to help her with the transitional phase from leading a life of crime to one of law enforcement, and to help her deal with her powers.

Things did not start out smoothly for them, particularly because they are of opposite political ideologies. And yet, after a few missions together, both developed a begrudging respect for each other, even if they still didn’t like each other. Lucky saw that Andromeda was a true fighter and dedicated to protecting the innocent while Andromeda saw that Lucky was quite skilled in battle tactics and strategy, and she was impressed enough to recommend that she help coordinate some of the battles and skirmishes that they get into. Despite the fact that they still have words, they still work together when needed.

Lucky is now working towards getting a law degree with a specialty in defending superhumans. She was motivated to this vocation once she saw how some of the superhumans that are incarcerated by the DSS are treated, with virtually no rights. While superhumans are officially recognized by the federal government, the matter of their freedom was made dependent upon the kind of power they had and how much self control they had when it came to their powers.

Since some superhumans are capable of a lot more destruction than regular humans, a lot of leeway was given to the federal government in their incarceration and the methods they used to incarcerate them. In the one court case involving a superhuman, the landmark Burgenstein vs. United States (landmark because it officially gave federal recognition of the existence of superhumans), the decision laid down stated that in order to best facilitate the rights of superhumans, they would be dealt on a case-by-case basis by the federal government alone. This decision was the basis by which the DSS had obtained Lucky from the city police. While the DSS had existed for decades before the federal government had officially recognized the existence of superhumans, it was not until this landmark case that the existence of the DSS was made public.

Lucky stays with the DSS because of the help they provide for her and her son, and because she feels the need to make amends for all the problems she caused while a member of a gang. However, the more she learns about the mistreatment of some incarcerated superhumans, the more it weighs on her conscience. Andromeda’s suggestion of Lucky pursuing a law degree has helped her to focus her outrage over the treatment of her “race” (that is, superhumans) instead of lashing out blindly and possibly counterproductively to her progress while with the DSS. Time will tell if Lucky succeeds in getting her law degree first before leading a “rebellion” as she suggested doing one previous time.