The best stories are driven by conflict, and comic books are no exception.
Good vs. Evil, life and death, the fate of our civilization, the world, the universe, all reasons why readers keep coming back year after year.
And yet one of the most horrific acts of violence, one that has stayed with this reader all these years, centered on the flipping of an urn.
It remains distressing to this very day.
Continue reading “‘Tomb of Dracula’: The Lord of Vampires is the Worst Houseguest Ever”
“The LEGO Batman Movie” deserves to win the Best Picture Oscar.
No, “The LEGO Batman Movie” deserves to win all the Oscars.
Sure, the film doesn’t hit theaters until Feb. 10, but I am confident it is the best film either you or I will ever see in our lifetimes.
Check out the trailer!
Continue reading “I am Obsessed with ‘The LEGO Batman Movie.’ Send Help.”
Dear President Obama,
As a child of the ’60s, I’ve seen my share of presidents – some good, some bad, some well-meaning, some corrupt.
Like many of my generation, I have a cynical view of politicians. The word seems to suggest, if not a charlatan, then certainly an opportunist.
You changed that and more.
When you became the 44th president of the United States in 2009, you inherited an economy in crisis and a country fighting two wars in the Middle East.
As the first African-American leader of the free world, you faced unparalleled opposition from Republicans, who vowed to thwart your every initiative even before you took the oath of office.
He’s the mighty mite, a six-inch dynamo with the weight and density of a full-grown man, the small scourge of crime everywhere.
He’s …. the Ant-Man!
You’re probably thinking of Marvel Comics’ Hank Pym right about now.
No, it’s not him.
Or maybe you’re guessing it must be his successor, Scott Lang, who recently received the big-screen treatment and was hilarious.
Sorry. This is DC’s Ant-Man – a character who made but one appearance in “Batman” No. 156, cover date June 1963.
Continue reading “Meet the Ant-Man! Not him. No, not the other one. DC’s Ant-Man!”
Most people are exposed to the classics at the worst time of their lives.
When they are teenagers.
Young people typically have no patience or interest in the best works in literature and regard them, alas, as a slog to get through to graduation.
Part of the blame has to fall on school systems, which present these works about as appealing as the municipal tax code.
Continue reading “‘Recalled to Life’: A Case for Re-reading the Classics”
Mark Perigard 