Answers to The World’s Hardest Comic Book Quiz

OK, dig out your answers and compare them to what I have below.  I have added an explanation to each answer to give a little history.  I promise, you will stump your friends with at least one of these questions.  If you get 100% on this quiz you’re writing this blog from now on.

1.)  In Loki’s first appearance in Journey into Mystery #85 he couldn’t use his powers when:

     a.)  He didn’t have his helmet on
     b.)  He didn’t have his scepter
     c.)  When he was soaking wet
     d.)  During the night

As odd as it may seem, In his first Modern Age appearance (Journey Into Mystery #85) Loki couldn’t use magic when soaking wet.  That is no longer an issue apparently.

2.)  Wonder Woman’s bracelets were made of Amazonium, but in the 70’s TV Series they were named something different.   What was it?

     a.)  Vibranium
     b.)  Feminum
     c.)  Adamantium
     d.)  Indestructinum

“Amazonium”, the metal from which Wonder Woman’s bracelets are made, was renamed “Feminum” in the 70’s tv series.  I couldn’t locate a reason for this change.

3.)  In the Marvel Universe, Loki’s real father is ________, but in Norse Mythology that is actually Loki’s _________ name.

     a.)  Odin, brother’s
     b.)  Laufey, mother’s
     c.)  Zeus, son’s
     d.)  Odin, father’s

In the Marvel Universe Laufey is Loki’s father.  In Norse mythology Laufey is actually Loki’s mother’s name, while his father’s name is Farbauti.

4.)  Captain America set aside his original shield for his current discus shaped shield.  Who gave him the discus shaped shield?

     a.)  Tony Stark
     b.)  Tony Stark’s Dad
     c.)  Nick Fury
     d.)  Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Yes, given to him by the president and it was lighter than Caps old shield, bulletproof, and disc shaped so it’s easy to “hurl”.  The President goes on to say, “I’m told that the metal in the shield has some incredible properties.  If only the metallurgical accident which produced it could be duplicated..."

5.)  Batman once peed himself and admitted it (yes, it’s true).  He said that there was a large explosion with a sudden impact and he:

     a.)  had a bladder spasm
     b.)  peed himself
     c.)  secreted hydrogen dioxide
     d.)  found he had excessive moisture in his pants

Batman says, “And when I felt the size of the explosion and the sudden blast of searing heat...well...I had a...bladder spasm.”  To which another person says to him, “No!  You’re saying you wet your pants?”  Look for yourself in Batman: Year One.

6.)  Who was the first flying hero?

     a.)  Superman
     b.)  Namor the Sub-Mariner
     c.)  Captain Marvel
     d.)  Wonder Woman

Since Superman started flying only after the animated series (1943) and apparently Captain Marvel started in the fifth issue of Whiz Comics (1940), the first hero to fly was actually Namor, who was described in his first appearance on Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1 (1939) as “An ultra-man [who] flies in the air”.

7.)  Cyclops, from the X-Men, can light a fire with the beams that come from his eyes.

     a.)  True
     b.)  False

Cyclops’ optic blasts are not lasers -they only have concussive force- and they don’t generate any heat.
Sometimes writers don’t know about that, forget, or joke about it.  There are several panels in comics that show Cyclops lighting birthday candles or starting a fire.  In another panel, Corsair, Cyclops’ father, asks him to start a fire and Cyclops replies, “My eyes don’t give off that heat, Dad.”  Whatever “that heat” means.  Oddly enough, his laser blasts come from another dimension to which his eyes are a portal.  He is also immune to his own power which is why he doesn’t lose his eyelids.

Source (and Uncanny X-Men #391/#502)

8.)  In The Amazing Spider-Man #3, Doc Ock calls Spider-Man another name, what does he call him?

     a.)  Super-Spider
     b.)  Super-Man
     c.)  Spider-Web
     d.)  The Spider

The conversation went like this:

Spider-man (thought bubble):  My web! He snapped it!  Nobody has ever done that before!
Dock Ock:  And now, Super-Man, I grow bored with this game!  My time is too valuable!

Did you ever notice how everything they say, or think, is exclamatory?  They’re very excitable.

9.)  In the 2007 crossover “New Avengers Transformers” Iron Man comes up with an interesting way to fight the Transformers.  What does he do?

     a.)  He sprays them with a “Rusting Agent” which rusts them instantly
     b.)  He uses huge magnets to hold them until he can dismantle them
     c.)  He finds their inventor and asks him how to stop them
     d.)  He puts on his “Anti-Transformers” armor

There is nothing more to this than Tony’s ingenuity.  Yes, he created “Anti-Transformers” armor.

10.)  It’s a fact that “Kryptonite” was introduced on the Superman radio show, not in comic books.  In comic books it was first called “K-Metal” in an unpublished story in 1940, introduced by co-creator Jerry Siegel.  Why was kryptonite introduced into the radio show initially?

     a.)  Because Superman was too strong and he needed something to weaken him
     b.)  It was suggested by the creators of Superman as an alternate to “K-Metal”
     c.)  It was a slip of the tongue by the voice personality and they kept it in
     d.)  It was a plot device that allowed other characters to take the lead so the voice personality
           could take a vacation

Contrary to popular belief “Kryptonite” made its debut in the Superman radio drama, not in the comic books.  It was added as a plot device to allow Bud Collyer, Superman’s voice on radio, to be able to take some time off while other characters took over as the main characters for awhile.  The idea, however, did come from the unpublished comic by Jerry Siegel in 1940 called “The K-Metal from Krypton”.

11.)  Jamie Madrox, also known as Multiple Man, creates duplicates of himself that can live their own lives.  It’s interesting to note:

     a.)  that Jamie didn’t originally have this power until he died and was brought back to life
     b.)  that he got the power after falling into a vat of radioactive liquid that was being churned
     c.)  that one duplicate body started a family and became a Preacher
     d.)  that Jamie was asked to become part of the X-Men but turned it down

Bizarre but true, that is until Jamie reabsorbed said Preacher and his family was left to fend for themselves.

12.)  While the current Green Lantern Corp is weak against the color yellow, the first Green Lantern, Alan Scott, was weak against:

     a.)  the color yellow also
     b.)  other Green Lanterns so they couldn’t fight
     c.)  against himself, so he couldn’t use his powers to fly
     d.)  wood

While the modern age Green Lanterns can’t use their powers against yellow stuff, Alan Scott could not use his powers on wood.  Wikipedia states that "power ultimately corrupted the early Green Lantern, the one that predated Alan Scott, as he attempted to rule over mankind, which forced the Guardians to cause his ring to manifest a weakness to wood, the material from which most Earth weapons of the time were fashioned. This allowed the Chinese peasants to ultimately defeat their corrupted "champion". His ring and lantern were burned and it was during this process that the “intelligence” inhabiting the ring and the lantern, and linking them to the Guardians, was damaged. Over time, when it had occasion to manifest itself, this "intelligence" became known as the mystical 'Starheart' of fable."

13.)  What was Jack Kirby’s real name?

     a.)  Jacob Kurtzberg
     b.)  Jack Kirby
     c.)  Jacob Krigstein
     d.)  Jake Kurgsburg

He changed his name soon after he was married.

14.)  Arkham Asylum, the famous institution from the Batman comics, is names after:

     a.)  Arkham Sanitarium in Arkham, MA
     b.)  The actual Arkham Asylum that used to be in New York City
     c.)  It’s not named after anything, it was created by the writers of Batman
     d.)  It was named after Noah’s Ark because it held so many different “animals”

Arkham Asylum is a reference to Arkham Sanitarium in Arkham, MA.  Don’t see an Arkham in MA?  You won’t.  It’s fictional.  It’s taken from H.P. Lovecraft’s story “The Thing on the Doorstep”.

15.)  Which of these statements is false:

     a.)  Before Action Comics #1, Siegel and Schuster published a short story called “Reign of the
           Super-Man" where the Superman was a telepath trying to take over the world.
     b.)  In Age of Apocalypse, Magneto and Rogue are romantically involved.  In this reality, Rogue
           absorbs Polaris’ magnetic powers so that touching Magneto won’t put him into a coma
     c.)  Because of the time they spent together the Venom symbiote no longer triggers Spider-Man’s
           spider-sense.
     d.)  Nightcrawler is Mystique’s son, but she was the father thanks to her shapeshifting 
           capabilities.  Destiny is his mother.

a.)  It’s true!  Still wondering where the Superman idea came from?  Sadly, this evil Superman thing has 
      no relation to the Superdickery covers.  Look it up.
b.)  No strange explanation here.  It’s just how the story went.  This is certainly better than when they
       first got together and Rogue’s touch caused rather unfortunate reactions in Magneto.
c.)  Although it does trigger the spidey sense of spider-man’s clones created before Peter got the 
      symbiote.
d.)  Believe it or not, this storyline was considered. The idea was dropped due to the Comics Code 
      Authority’s limitations about gay or bisexual characters.

16.)  Which doctor did Squirrel Girl beat-up with the help of her Squirrels?

     a.)  Dr. Doom
     b.)  Dr. Strange
     c.)  Dr. Octopus
     d.)  Dr. Light

Squirrel Girl is a mutant with squirrel-like looks whose ability is to communicate with squirrels and also behave like one.  In Marvel Super-Heroes Volume 2 #8, where she made her first appearance, she managed to defeat Dr. Doom with the help of her squirrels (all the other Doombots laughed at him I would guess).  In the process she saved Iron-Man, who she was trying to impress.  That must have done the trick!

17.)  In his first stories, Bruce Banner didn’t turn into the Hulk when enraged.  It was actually triggered by:

     a.)  Being physically threatened
     b.)  Being struck
     c.)  When he concentrated on becoming the Hulk
     d.)  Sundown

Oddly true.  Prior to being enraged caused the transformation the change was triggered by the sun setting.

18.)  Natalia Romanov a.k.a Natasha Romanov, Black Widow, has kept her young looks due to a variation of the Super Soldier Serum.  How old is she actually?

     a.)  30
     b.)  50
     c.)  70
     d.)  90

This one speaks for itself.  ‘Nuff Said.

19.)  Batman is known for having a huge penny in his bat cave.  How did he get it?

     a.)  It was given to him by Two-Face
     b.)  He got it from “The Penny Plunderer” a villain he fought in the 40’s
     c.)  He had it made for him to remind him that there are two sides to every story
     d.)  It was a novelty made for Wayne Enterprises that was discarded during remodeling

Long thought to be a gift from Two-Face, it was actually owned by The Penny Plunderer, apparently a “penny-themed” villain.  I can’t even imagine who came up with this idea or what the villain looked like.

20.)  The original Hulk was gray, but later changed to green due to printing problems.  Why was the original color gray?

     a.)  The original drawings were black and white and the original gray coloring just stuck
     b.)  They wanted him to resemble the color of stone to symbolize strength
     c.)  They wanted a neutral color so as not to suggest a particular ethnic group
     d.)  He was supposed to be green all along, but at the time of the printing deadline they didn’t
           have enough green ink to satisfy the volume of comics to be produced.

It was Stan Lee who suggested that the original color be gray.  It was only changed after a printing problem caused him to go green.  I can’t see any ethnic group being offended by green, unless the “Kermits” have an issue with it.

So ends the World’s Hardest Comic Book Quiz.  How did you do?  Get a 100%?  Liar!  Admit your plans of a perfect score were foiled by me!!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and I expect you to name and drinks you win after me.

I would like to pay tribute to the website from which I pulled all of this information, Comicfacts.com.  So, no, I didn’t scour the web, I scoured this site.  Wikipedia filled in on the whole “Alan Scott” and “Wood” thing.

I would highly recommend you go there and see all of the other things you probably didn’t know about comic books.

The World’s Hardest Comic Book Quiz

OK, maybe not the WORLD’s hardest comic book quiz.  I’m sure there’s one that’s more difficult lying around somewhere.  But until you find that one, this one will have to do.

I have been searching the internet for odd comic book facts to put together one of the hardest comic book quizzes possible.  One that, I admit, I’m not sure I could pass.

The idea is to give you some interesting facts to use to baffle your comic reading colleagues.  But I want to baffle YOU first.

Take the quiz and be honest, tell me how you did:

1.)  In Loki’s first appearance in Journey into Mystery #85 he couldn’t use his powers when:

     a.)  He didn’t have his helmet on
     b.)  He didn’t have his scepter
     c.)  When he was soaking wet
     d.)  During the night

2.)  Wonder Woman’s bracelets were made of Amazonium, but in the 70’s TV Series they were named something different.   What was it?

     a.)  Vibranium
     b.)  Feminum
     c.)  Adamantium
     d.)  Indestructinum

3.)  In the Marvel Universe, Loki’s real father is ________, but in Norse Mythology that is actually Loki’s _________ name.

     a.)  Odin, brother’s
     b.)  Laufey, mother’s
     c.)  Zeus, son’s
     d.)  Odin, father’s

4.)  Captain America set aside his original shield for his current discus shaped shield.  Who gave him the discus shaped shield?

     a.)  Tony Stark
     b.)  Tony Stark’s Dad
     c.)  Nick Fury
     d.)  Franklin Delano Roosevelt

5.)  Batman once peed himself and admitted it (yes, it’s true).  He said that there was a large explosion with a sudden impact and he:

     a.)  had a bladder spasm
     b.)  peed himself
     c.)  secreted hydrogen dioxide
     d.)  found he had excessive moisture in his pants

6.)  Who was the first flying hero?

     a.)  Superman
     b.)  Namor the Sub-Mariner
     c.)  Captain Marvel
     d.)  Wonder Woman

7.)  Cyclops, from the X-Men, can light a fire with the beams that come from his eyes.

     a.)  True
     b.)  False

8.)  In The Amazing Spider-Man #3, Doc Ock calls Spider-Man another name, what does he call him?

     a.)  Super Spider
     b.)  Super Man
     c.)  Spider Web
     d.)  The Spider

9.)  In the 2007 crossover “New Avengers Transformers” Iron Man comes up with an interesting way to fight the Transformers.  What does he do?

     a.)  He sprays them with a “Rusting Agent” which rusts them instantly
     b.)  He uses huge magnets to hold them until he can dismantle them
     c.)  He finds their inventor and asks him how to stop them
     d.)  He puts on his “Anti-Transformers” armor

10.)  It’s a fact that “Kryptonite” was introduced on the Superman radio show, not in comic books.  In comic books it was first called “K-Metal” in an unpublished story in 1940, introduced by co-creator Jerry Siegel.  Why was kryptonite introduced into the radio show initially?

     a.)  Because Superman was too strong and he needed something to weaken him
     b.)  It was suggested by the creators of Superman as an alternate to “K-Metal”
     c.)  It was a slip of the tongue by the voice personality and they kept it in
     d.)  It was a plot device that allowed other characters to take the lead so the voice
           personality could take a vacation

11.)  Jamie Madrox, also known as Multiple Man, creates duplicates of himself that can live their own lives.  It’s interesting to note:

     a.)  that Jamie didn’t originally have this power until he died and was brought back
           to life
     b.)  that he got the power after falling into a vat of radioactive liquid that was being
           churned
     c.)  that one duplicate body started a family and became a preacher
     d.)  that Jamie was asked to become part of the X-Men but turned it down

12.)  While the current Green Lantern Corp is weak against the color yellow, the first Green Lantern, Alan Scott, was weak against:

     a.)  the color yellow also
     b.)  other Green Lanterns so they couldn’t fight
     c.)  against himself, so he couldn’t use his powers to fly
     d.)  wood

13.)  What was Jack Kirby’s real name?

     a.)  Jacob Kurtzberg
     b.)  Jack Kirby
     c.)  Jacob Krigstein
     d.)  Jake Kurgsburg

14.)  Arkham Asylum, the famous institution from the Batman comics, is names after:

     a.)  Arkham Sanitarium in Arkham, MA
     b.)  The actual Arkham Asylum that used to be in New York City
     c.)  It’s not named after anything, it was created by the writers of Batman
     d.)  It was named after Noah’s Ark because it held so many different “animals”

15.)  Which of these statements is false:

     a.)  Before Action Comics #1, Siegel and Schuster published a short story called “Reign
           of the Super-Man" where the Superman was a telepath trying to take over the world.
     b.)  In Age of Apocalypse, Magneto and Rogue are romantically involved.  In this reality,
           Rogue absorbs Polaris’ magnetic powers so that touching Magneto won’t put him into
           a coma
     c.)  Because of the time they spent together the Venom symbiote no longer triggers
           Spider-Man’s spider-sense.
     d.)  Nightcrawler is Mystique’s son, but she was the father thanks to her shapeshifting
           capabilities. Destiny is his mother.

16.)  Which doctor did Squirrel Girl beat-up with the help of her Squirrels?

     a.)  Dr. Doom
     b.)  Dr. Strange
     c.)  Dr. Octopus
     d.)  Dr. Light

17.)  In his first stories, Bruce Banner didn’t turn into the Hulk when enraged.  It was actually triggered by:

     a.)  Being physically threatened
     b.)  Being struck
     c.)  When he concentrated on becoming the Hulk
     d.)  Sundown

18.)  Natalia Romanov a.k.a Natasha Romanov, Black Widow, has kept her young looks due to a variation of the Super Soldier Serum.  How old is she actually?

     a.)  30
     b.)  50
     c.)  70
     d.)  90

19.)  Batman is known for having a huge penny in his bat cave.  How did he get it?

     a.)  It was given to him by Two-Face
     b.)  He got it from “The Penny Plunderer” a villain he fought in the 40’s
     c.)  He had it made for him to remind him that there are two sides to every story
     d.)  It was a novelty made for Wayne Enterprises that was discarded during remodeling

20.)  The original Hulk was gray, but later changed to green due to printing problems.  Why was the original color gray?

     a.)  The original drawings were black and white and the original gray coloring just stuck
     b.)  They wanted him to resemble the color of stone to symbolize strength
     c.)  They wanted a neutral color so as not to suggest a particular ethnic group
     d.)  He was supposed to be green all along, but at the time of the printing deadline they
           didn’t have enough green ink to satisfy the volume of comics to be produced.


I hope you wrote down your answers.  If you didn’t, go back and do it now because the answers are not in this blog, they will be included in the next one with explanations to go with each.

If you stuck to the initial instructions and didn’t look any of these up, give yourself a pat on the back. You are a person of honor and valor.  If you did look them up, then you really need to brush up on your “instruction following skills”.

Look for the answers tomorrow at 5 p.m. EST!

Criticizing the Critic...Has it been done yet?

I remember the first-ever critics that were taken seriously.  I also remember the first questions about the first critics taken seriously...how does one become a critic?

How hard is it to criticize a film?

I have to ask.  Has there ever been a critic of critics?

I am asking for a reason.  My friend and I have gotten together every single Friday for the past 10 years and watched a movie.  That’s alot of movies.  It’s true that we can critique every one, but does that qualify us as critics?  One thing is for sure, movies we like were given the little green splotchy thing by Rotten Tomatoes but loved by the iTunes reviewers on almost every occasion.  That turned out to be the way we judged what we would watch.  If Rotten Tomatoes hated it, but the iTunes universe loved it, we’d watch it and usually liked it.  But enough about me.  Let’s talk about who critiques the critics.

Frankly, there has never been a better time to ask.  The launch of the catastrophic bomb that is “The Fantastic Four” has the critics climbing over each other to lambast the film.  More importantly, their input lowers, or raises, the percentage on “Rotten Tomatoes”.   Yes, this group of anonymous people actually help determine whether some people go to see a movie or not.

Let’s look at this a little closer.

As a movie-goer you typically rely on other people as to whether you should see a film or not, especially if you are on the fence about seeing it.  Those people, however, are people you usually know and whose opinion you respect.  Rotten Tomatoes, however, is a group of people you don’t know.  Tens of thousands of people rely on whether Rotten Tomatoes has given “two thumbs up” or not (yes, an homage to the old Siskel and Ebert days).  Not only that, but the movie industry is swayed by what is said by critics, including those on Rotten Tomatoes.

Think about it, a web site of people who have credentials most couldn’t name, determining whether a movie is seen, or not seen, by people because they have an opinion people read.  It’s amazing how this industry became so influential and how many people rely on that industry.

To put this in perspective, if a stranger on the street comes over to you and says, “The new pizza at the local pizza shop tastes terrible and has rat hair in it.” would you take them at their word?  Probably not, I certainly wouldn’t.  I have no idea who that person is.  They could be the competitor across the street!  But that is what we do with movies.  We take the word of someone who could be a complete dunce, or may have not even seen the movie, as to whether we should see a movie.  It boggles the mind.

But who criticizes the critics?  Who determines whether a critic is even worth listening to?  Is there some governing body that says that one critic should be listened to and another is just a worthless hack?  Further, if a person is worth having an opinion, is there a rating on their writing of the reviews?  In other words, can the typical movie-goers even understand what is being said in the review?  Before you think I’m saying that people are dumb, wait until you read some quotes below, you’ll understand what I mean.

Here’s an example of a critique on the newest Fantastic Four movie:

"The film is all foreplay without an orgasm. . . . Visual effects supervisor Kevin Mack must have still been slaphappy from his work on 'Fight Club.’” 

This was written by Brandon Judell of the Huffington Post.

Here’s his picture:

First, yikes.  This looks like a photo that gets shown on a “60 Minutes” murder mystery where he is the suspect.  As a disclaimer, I don’t believe this is the case, so please don’t write to me telling me this is slander or whatever.  I’m sure he’s a perfectly nice man.  If this is even his picture.  You never know nowadays.

Second, “all foreplay without an orgasm”?  Does one get an orgasm during foreplay?  Wouldn’t it better written as “all sex without an orgasm”?  Either way, I’m not even sure why one would use this in a movie review to begin with.

Third, in this same critique, Brandon is quoted as saying, "Based upon the venerated Marvel comic that debuted in 1961, whether this take is faithful or not I can't say, having spent my formative years reading Hermann Hesse and The Hardy Boys. “  Come on, a person who NEVER picked up a comic book is critiquing whether a movie based on the first family of superheroes is good or not?  Shouldn’t the person offering the critique know something about what they are critiquing?  That’s like me saying the new tool used by astrophysicists is a bad one.  I can barely spell astrophysicist let alone judge anything that has to do with them.

Last, but certainly not least, is the question; who uses the word “slaphappy” anymore?  Is this the way he sets himself apart from the other critics all saying the exact same thing but in different words?  I can’t take anyone serious who uses words like “slaphappy”, “zany”, or “fantabulous”.  Brandon is only guilty of one of these, but it’s more than enough.

Brandon, the not so wise one, gave the movie a little green splotchy thing signifying that the movie did not quite hit the mark.  The incredible thing?  People use this as a reason to go, or not to go, to see the movie.  In my opinion Brandon’s review is worthless based on his lack of comic reading alone.

So we don’t strictly dwell on Brandon, let’s take someone else.   Hmmmm, who should it be?  The winner is Jonathan Romney of the Observer (UK).

Here is a quote from Jonathan about the film, "But this unnecessary reboot is a solemn affair, visually murky and misjudged. After a laborious build-up about plucky young things building a teleportation machine, the revelation of the quartet’s transformations feels incongruously macabre, with the faintest overtones of David Cronenberg.”

“Incongruously macabre”?  “plucky young things”?  “visually murky and misjudged”?  “faintest overtones of David Cronenberg”?  Where does he come up with all of this lingo that he feels is impressive?  Again, is this to put himself above the other critics all struggling to be read by the public?

Let’s start with his picture which was left off the critique.  Wise move, Jonathan.  Now no one can recognize you on the street and throw rotten tomatoes (play on words is purely intentional...sorry)

I have a slight idea, but what does 'incongruously macabre’ mean exactly?  If someone said that what you just watched was ‘incongruously macabre’ would you know exactly what they meant?

How about ‘plucky young thing’?  Add the word “plucky” to the list of words that will keep me from taking anyone seriously.  Frankly, if he called my kids “plucky young things” I would punch him in the face.  It sounds like he has ill intentions and that there are not-so-nice undertones.  I can also tell you that never, in all my years of reading the Fantastic Four, felt that they were ever “plucky young things”.  I know he’s referring to the actors, but still...

Lastly, a film having the “faintest overtones of David Cronenberg” assumes that you know the films of David Cronenberg.  Can you rattle off a list?  If you can, put yourself in the top 10% of moviegoers.  The remaining 90% have no idea what movies they are and after watching hundreds and hundreds of movies I feel I should.  Maybe this is my bad.

Now, before you think I am giving Jonathan the little green splotchy thing, which he did to this movie, let me say that this sentence impressed me:

"For anyone who remembers the strip as drawn by Jack Kirby in its wildly inventive 60s prime, this is beyond depressing.”

At least Jonathan, unlike Brandon, can successfully tie the movie in to the comic book origins.  This gives him some credibility at the very least.

But all of these things make me wonder.  Are the critics writing for the general moviegoing public or are they writing to impress other critics by using words that others haven’t?  More importantly, are you doing yourself a disservice by relying on this group of misfits to guide your movie choices?  People like Brandon and Jonathan are telling you that the movie is trash and neither should be telling anyone anything.

I think I would like to continue to critique the critics, but would like to hear your feedback as to whether you liked it.  I’m as qualified as anyone and, actually, so are you.   In the meantime, judge a movie for yourself.  Check the movie time and buy tickets, but don’t look at any critic reviews.  I’m relatively sure you will be able to give feedback without the words “plucky” or “slaphappy”, and that would be a favor to everyone.

Old School Collecting

I am fortunate enough to live near a bagel shop that is owned by a gentleman and his wife that sells comic book art along with their deli/bagel items.   The funny thing is that he tells me his shop has been there for 12 years and I never saw it because it was on a road I don’t normally take.  Having lived here for more than 15 years I may have missed out on some good items.  The good thing is that I now know it’s there.

The gentleman is easily recognized when you walk through the door.  Not because he is the only gentleman behind the counter but because underneath the hat he wears is a crop of bright green hair.   Hair that can easily be confused with the hair of the comic book villain, the Joker.  I would put a picture of this gentleman, but I haven’t gotten his permission to do so and I don’t feel comfortable doing it.  Take my word for it, though, he looks like the Joker would if he worked at a bagel shop.

I commented on his hair and he handed me his card.  He is famous for going to ComicCons and dressing as the Joker.  It’s no secret that I live in CT and he calls himself CT Joker.  My son, knowing that there is a person who dresses as the Joker at local ComicCons, and is known for his high pitched Joker-like laugh, asked him if he was, in fact, him.  He responded by laughing this high pitched shrill laugh that could easily be that of the Joker himself.  It was him.

What a rare find, a bagel shop owned by someone who may be the Joker come to life, and it was miles from my front door.  The comic art for sale was an incredible find as well.  It will soon find it’s way onto the walls of my office.

Needless to say we all got talking comics, collecting, and the value of individual comics we have.  The topic eventually came around to old school notions about collecting and grading comic books.  I had to get in a plug for my business, so I started digging into his thoughts after collecting for 35 years himself:

“I’m The Comic Whisperer and I have a local business that is known for buying, selling and comic book grading.”

“Wow, that’s cool.  I don’t think I’ve ever heard of an independent appraiser outside of CGC doing grading on comics I see on eBay.”

“No, you won’t.  I do more of private stock for old school collectors.  I’ve been grading comics for over 40 years.  I was grading before the appraisers at CGC were even born.  I’m not criticizing them, it’s just a fact.”

“Yea, I wanted to get a comic book graded but I didn’t feel comfortable sending a valuable comic of mine through the mail not knowing who got it and how it was handled.”

“I know what you mean.  Many people feel like that and that is where my business comes in.”

I went into a gratuitous advertisement for my business that you really don’t want to read, so I’ll skip ahead.  He continued:

“I’m more old school when it comes to collecting.”

“Yep, me too.”

So, what does old school mean?  For those of you that are in your 20’s or 30’s you won’t know exactly what he is referring to, but I do (I’m way out of my 20’s and 30’s).  Old school means that you treat every comic book with care, don’t let anyone else handle them without you watching like a hawk, and you still like to read your collection.  This means you don’t get your comics sealed in a shell, you still read your comic books, you don’t send them away for a stranger to handle, and you certainly don’t sell them unless you are forced to at gunpoint.  In other words, you treat your comics with tender loving care, like your kids.  Your don’t lock your kids in a shell, you still like to talk to your kids, you don’t let strangers babysit your kids, and you would’t give them up for anything in the world.  THAT is old school.

I have to say it’s nice being old and watching how comic book collecting has evolved over the years.  I don’t always like the way the trends are going, that comics are treated like museum pieces not to be touched or read and they are sold at the drop of a hat for a profit.  But things change and that’s good, I like change.  My way isn’t always the right way and without change I’d still be riding a horse to a client’s house.

The very next day we were back at the flea market looking for good deals on comics and something hit me.  It hit me when we got to a stand that was selling an old dental hygienist chair that dates back to the 70’s (still younger than me...sigh).  There was a crowd around it of people talking about what a great find it was.  I talked to an older gentleman next to me (yes, older than me) and said:

“It looks like what was out is now coming back in.”

He nodded his head and smiled and said:

“So true, I wish that I had kept all my stuff instead of getting rid of it.  I could sell it for a fortune today.  It’s all coming full circle.”

I couldn't agree more.  All of these new fangled ideas of locking comics away never to be read again or buying them just to flip them for a buck (my apologies to those who have comic book businesses or stores, you are the exception and the reason for me living) will come to pass and the old school will come back again.  It all does come full circle.

I’ll be ready when it does and please remember who I am.  I am The Comic Whisperer.  I can be reached at any time of the day or night and comics are my life.  Please follow me at:

Facebook:         The Comic Whisperer
Twitter:             @Comic_Whisperer
Instagram:         The Comic Whisperer

I also have a charity in which I collect donations and old comic books to donate to children who are just learning to read.  You can donate at:

www.gofundme.com/comicshelpkidsread

I look forward to working with anyone who want their comics treated like they’re my own.

The Comic Hero/Villain Graveyard

Before you read any further I want you to do something.  I want you to think of your favorite comic book character.

Go ahead...I can wait.  

Got it?  Now close your eyes and try to picture that character clearly. 

Got it?  

Now, take a quick count in your head, how many items including comic books, movies, cartoons, figurines, etc. do you have of that character?  

If you went into a store tomorrow and they had a statue of that character at a reasonable price, would you buy it?  

Yes...yes you would.  You would because you can relate to that character in one way or another.  Maybe you like the way they dress or like their powers or just the way they kick butt.

My favorite happens to be Midnighter.  I like the character not just because he is cool looking, wears all black and kicks butt in his comics, but I also like the artistry and the ingenuity that is put into the writing.  This is all to say nothing of his skill set.  He is...well...never mind.  This isn’t a blog about Midnighter.  I’ll move on...

But there is another side to the comic book heroes and villains.  A side very much like an Elephant Graveyard, you know the infamous place where all elephants supposedly went to die?  Let’s call it the Character Graveyard.  CG for short.

In this CG there are dozens and dozens of character which just didn’t make it for one reason or another.    Chances are it all boiled down to money.  The comic didn’t take off as well as they wanted or another project took away all of the talent.  In cases like this there is always a chance that the character will be reinvigorated.  Maybe someone doing market research said that they should give the character another shot.

But some characters are thrown into the Character Graveyard never to be seen again.  Here is a small, but by no means comprehensive, list of characters who we may never see again:

The Black Lamp

Coldblood

Egg Fu

Electroid

Hardedge

Humbug

Icicle

Match

Mokkari

Rose Tattoo

The Red Bee

Xorn

Yetrigar

Now, let’s be honest.  There are some characters here that you can just tell are not going to be in the theaters anytime soon.  

Electroid?  It looks like he’s unencumbered by a proper diet.  

The Red Bee?  Come on, The Red Bee?  What possible powers could he have the would make one overlook the wimpy name he has?  

Egg Fu?  Don’t even start with the Chinese menu jokes.

Humbug?  Is he only out at Christmas?  What could his power set possibly be?

Xorn?  He looks cool, but the name?

Here are some more for you to cut your teeth on:

Giz

Protex

Andromeda

OK, let’s give some credit.  Protex has some creativity, I’ll give them that at least.  Andromeda?  Good name, she look intimidating and I like the warrior motif.  The blue skin, however, has been overdone and if she gets even a little sweaty that knife on her thigh is going to slip right off.

Come to think of it, when was the last time you saw a hero or villain sweat?  It’s not often.  I sweat at the drop of a hat so I would have to go with the Crusher Creel look.  Just pants and shoes.

The last one to address is “Giz”.  I think we all know that this is probably short for Gizmo, but “Giz”, really?  I have to say that not everything that came to my mind reading the name was not clean.  I won’t say any more.

You can see that this list is not too lengthy, but be honest, how many of these characters did you know (other than Crusher Creel which I GAVE you)?  Until I started researching this I didn’t know the names of any of these characters who may have made it to the CG by now.

So the next time you think about the comic book world and all the characters in it, count how many heroes there are whose name you recognize.  It’s kind of like wrestling (if you follow that kind of thing).  You have the same 20 guys and gals wrestling all the time, but since they are in different combinations it seems like alot.  

Also, if you’re so inclined, count how many NEW heroes and villains there are in the last 5 years.  I’ll bet you won’t need more than your fingers to count!

How We Occasionally Suspend Belief

Picture this conversation taking place between two friends:

Friend 1:     “I was watching old reruns of Batman the other day and saw the one where he uses Shark Repellant.”

Friend 2:     “Yea, I’ve seen that one.  I want to see the little pocket on his utility belt that he pulled that from.”

Friend 1:      “Right?  I was thinking the same thing.  But who cares, it was a cool idea.”

Now, let’s put those two friends in a different situation and see how the conversation goes:

Friend 1:     “I was just over at Junk Mart and they had a sale so I picked up a couple of items.”

Friend 2:     “That’s cool, what all did you get and, most importantly, did you get anything for me?

Friend 1:     “Not unless you want this can of Shark Repellant that I bought, you go out on the water more often than I do.

Friend 2:      “I’m sorry, did you say Shark Repellant?  What the hell is that?”

Friend 1:      “You know, like in the old Batman TV show.  Shark Repellant.”

Friend 2:      “Yeah, but that’s a stupid TV show, I didn’t think they made it in real life.”

Friend 1:      “Apparently they do."

Friend 2:      “So, what’s in it?  What’s it made of?  When sprayed do the sharks swim away or die?”  It’s important that I know what happens when I spray them.”

Friend 1:      “I don’t know.  Come to think of it, would this pollute the water?  What effect would it have on other fish?”

Our brains are hard wired to suspend belief at certain times at not at others.  It has even been found that we suspend belief in one area so that other areas make more sense to us.  Here’s an example:

The upcoming release of the movie Batman vs. Superman, if you think about it, is somewhat of a joke.  Sure, all the Batman fans can think whatever they want, but it would be a very short movie if they were both allowed to go all out.  We can argue forever on this, but let’s talk about selective suspension of belief.

First, if you were walking down the street in your hometown and a person dressed as a bat jumped out of a tree and said they were there to protect you and fight crime, how would you react?  Disbelief?  Maybe you’re scared or maybe you want to laugh because of the costume?  Maybe you even call the police.  What you probably would NOT do is take them seriously.

Second, if you were walking down that same street and a man flew out of the sky and landed before you and said he was there to protect you and fight crime, how would you react?  My guess is you would say, “Y-y-y-y-you f-f-f-f-f-flew.  How did you do that?  Can I do that?  Can you show me how?  What else can you do?  Can you show me?  Chances are you would overwhelm Superman to the point where he would just up and leave.

But we suspend all that belief to make movies make sense.  It’s an incredible ability we have and it’s all unconscious.

Let’s take it a step further.  Let’s say that you became friends with Superman and he told you the story of his birth on Krypton and the reasons he is super strong and vulnerable to kryptonite, your head would be swimming.  You wouldn’t be able to fully comprehend things for days.  Frankly, the whole thing might be a little scary.

Frankly, if you know the history of Superman you know that he didn’t have the ability to fly, only to leap talk buildings in a single bound.  Now, not only can he fly, but he can fly faster than the Flash can run.  As Daniel Tosh said, how does he actually fly faster?  He just “Pushes Harder” and it makes him fly faster?  I’ve never questioned him flying faster, but it’s another area where I need to suspend belief.

Anyway, back to the movie.  We as comic lovers have become so caught up in the movies that suspending belief has become totally unconscious and a no-brainer.

-We no longer question how Batman came in possession of kryptonite, we just agree that he has some
-We no longer question how the Justice League got a satellite headquarters in space, we just know they have one.
-We no longer question that it will be an even battle between Batman and Superman, as a matter of fact we expect it.

We actually suspend belief to the point where we argue about which of these fictional characters would win in an actual head-to-head fight.  Frankly, I can’t imagine anything Batman could do to beat Superman.  Batman fans feel the exact opposite way and I can’t blame them.

Our ability to suspend belief is the foundation for many things we do nowadays including watching a James Bond film, reading comic books and watching superhero movies, among other things.

It goes in reverse as well, however.

Many believe in things easier when they are in writing, one such instance is Jesus walking the earth and gathering disciples many many moons ago.  It’s easy to see a powerful book like the Bible eschewing facts as it’s written down.  We go by the “it’s in writing, it must be true” theory.  (please don’t write to me and argue that the Bible is, or isn’t, true.  It’s not relevant.  It’s just an example and I didn’t think Hansel and Gretel would have the same punch).   However, if you had someone walking down the street of New York City dressed in a white robe claiming they were Jesus and they were gathering disciples, there would be few who take him seriously.  But why not?  Isn’t it just as likely that Jesus’ rebirth happened today?  People are awaiting the rebirth, but few ask them how they would verify it’s him.

I don’t want to get into a religious argument, I have respect for whatever belief systems people have.  What I do want to point out is that there are very few areas we can touch on today in which we don’t suspend belief to some degree.  We sometimes need to suspend belief to make everything fit together the right way.  After all, isn’t politics just a suspension of belief.  The mouth of the politician moves, and we know they are lying or just saying what we want to hear, but we suspend belief and vote for them hoping they will do good anyway.

So, let’s get back to the conversations had by our friends with some “belief suspension” taking place.

Friend 1:     “I was just over at Junk Mart and they had a sale so I picked up a couple of items.”

Friend 2:     “That’s cool, what all did you get and, most importantly, did you get anything for me?

Friend 1:     “Not unless you want this can of Shark Repellant that I bought, you go out on the water more often than I do.

Friend 2:      “Shark Repellant?  Awesome!  Just like that old Batman show."

Friend 1:      “Yea, you remember that scene on the surfboard where he pulled it out?"

Friend 2:      “I thought that was so cool and now I have a can of my own!  Does it actually spray anything or does it just spray compressed air?  In other words, is it supposed to work or is it just a prop?"

Friend 1:      “I think it’s just a prop.  Read the can."

Friend 2:      “It claims that it works and that it’s not a prop.  I’m taking it with me the next time I go Kayaking.  What could it hurt?  I have nothing else to use.  Thanks man!"

Friend 1:      “No problem!  I figured for $1.50 why not.  Let me know how it works!”

Let’s face it, without belief suspension superhero movies and movies like Jurassic Park would never get off the ground.

What makes me laugh is when people can suspend belief enough to watch the movies, but then write articles as to why the movie had it’s “facts” wrong or why certain things “didn’t make sense”.  Ahem, you suspended belief to watch the movie, why are you viewing some things as though they should make sense?

As an ending to this article let me review a couple of “Problems” people had with Jurassic World.  Apparently they could suspend their beliefs to enjoy the movie, but then had to find fault with the science in a FICTION movie acting like they are facts.

For your enjoyment, here are the main faults people have found with Jurassic World:

1.)  Why didn’t the Gyrospheres have a kill switchs or a way to call them back during an 
       emergency?
   
One reviewer called it “infuriating”.  So, you’re OK with huge dinosaurs walking around a park, and the fact that people can ride in a bubble right next to them, but no killswitch or override in the  gyrosphere has your knickers in a knot?  You’re kidding right?

2.)  Why was there no evacuation procedure for emergencies like the one in the movie?

       

Really?  How does one develop a procedure for dinosaurs running amok?  Further, would the film look better if people filed out in an orderly fashion versus running, screaming and trampling one another?  An evacuation procedure?  Come on...

3.)  How did the Mosasaurus Dino-Ex-Machina in at the end? (this is exactly how it was written, I have NO idea what ‘Dino-Ex-Machina’ means.  I guessed.)

     

The question here, dear reader, is how was the Mosasaurus able to leap out of its tank to devour another dinosaur at the end.  If it could do that why couldn’t it have just jumped out and eaten a person viewing in one of the front row seats.  Weren’t there any safety measure taken?  Some kind of moat or fence?  This, to me, is a ridiculous question.  You suspend belief enough that you can understand how they get a huge dinosaur, put it in a water tank, and feed it the exact nutrient it needs to survive; but you worry about how it selectively left the tank.  Frankly, when it jumped out of the water to eat another dinosaur at the end of the movie it was quite a surprise.  My first thought was NOT “why didn’t it jump out before this”?  Maybe I’m just not smart enough to watch these movies.

None of this is meant to criticize anyone and their views.  OK, maybe a little.  But it’s meant to say why suspend certain levels of belief (a park filled with living breathing dinosaurs) to focus on something that wouldn’t even be in existence (no escape plans, no emergency buttons in the gyrosphere, etc.) if not for the park filled with living breathing dinosaurs.  Just sit and watch the friggin’ movie, willya?

We are funny creatures and I’m glad we are.  Life wouldn’t be quite as much fun without our bizarre tendencies to suspend belief here and stick to belief there...all in the same story.