Posted in Freedom Friday

Superpowers

The other day I read how someone believed everyone in this world has a superpower. In a sense, I believe that is true. I would have never assumed the art of writing as a superpower, but if it moves people to change is some way, no matter how small a change, then yes, I would say writing is a superpower. Sounds crazy for a Freedom Friday post, doesn’t it?

Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics

The very definition of superpower is the accentuation of strength beyond normal boundaries. That strength can be physical, but it also can be a mental or spiritual power. For instance, up until recently, I believed the Marvel and DC Comics superheroes were characters whom I would classify possessing superpowers. And why not?

Superman is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and is able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Captain America possesses super speed and strength beyond that of mere mortals. Thor has the power of thunder rattling within his bones. And Hulk is a formidable opponent against just about anything.

Other superheroes, however, are natural superheroes based on their integrity to stand for truth and justice. Batman and Iron Man fall into this category, owning superpowers beyond the equipment they utilize to help fight crime. Should they not have their equipment, they would equally be able to defeat their enemies with their superpowers of persuasion, honesty and firm resolve. Their inherent powers are from within, unseen on a physical level, but evident in situations when called upon.

DC Comics
DC Comics

Similarly, if someone were to tell me I do not possess superpowers like comic book superheroes, I would agree. I am not faster than a speeding bullet. I mean, it would surprise me if I can catch the train on time. I am not more powerful than a locomotive. After all, I’m a scrawny guy with limited capacity to lift anything beyond a milk jug. And I cannot leap a tall building in a single bound. If I can lift my feet to climb the stairs, then that is as far as I’ll go exerting any physical activity for the day.

Of course, I’m being facetious. It’s fun making stuff up as I go along.

No, I may not be a superhero according to the standard definition, but neither is anyone else I know—at least to my knowledge. What I do know is every person on this planet has something they are really good at and no other person in this world can replace them doing what they do. Does that make sense?

Look at it this way, a brilliant writer who submits a 250-word article to a prominent magazine once a month will get paid $250 bucks. That’s a buck a word. For every “a”, “and” and “the”—that’s a buck. To be able to do that on a consistent level is having a superpower beyond imagination.

My dad had a superpower. He could do all sorts of plumbing. He used to crawl into exhaust tubes to retrofit vast arrays of water pipes from source to destination. At times, the pipes would burst and drench him from head to toe, but he’d always survive. There are only so many people in the world that couldn’t do that. To me, that is a superpower.

If you are a mom, then you would know you’ve got all those superheroes beat. No one can touch you. And no one can say you’re second-best.

I guess what I’m saying is you don’t have to be Superman, Captain America, Batman or Iron Man to make a difference in life. Your superpower is what you’re good at, and you can share it with the world.

And that is an amazing thing.

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RANGER MARTIN AND THE ALIEN INVASION, on sale now.
RANGER MARTIN AND THE SEARCH FOR PARADISE, on sale October 20.

What is your superpower?

Posted in Monday Mayhem

Superhero Powers

If you had a choice of superpowers, which one would you choose? Given superheroes don’t have that choice, and they don whatever superpower they come to acquire, I’m sure those of us who have thought about this would pick a superpower that would compliment who we are.

Iron Man
Iron Man

The question for Monday Mayhem is which superpower would you choose?

I’ve thought about this a lot. The common superpower that comes to mind is super-strength. To me though, I find that power as a prerequisite to being a superhero. Take for instance Spider-Man, Wolverine and Superman, they all have super-strength as part of their superhero makeup. Yet, they also possess something intrinsically different that makes them who they are. Spider-Man can climb walls. Wolverine can regenerate from an injury, including a bullet to the head. And Superman can fly.

Aside from their super-strength, superheroes have powers that make them unique in the comic book world.

Batman Suit
Batman Suit

The other side of the coin are the superheroes who possess none of the superpowers inherent with their natural counterparts, but make up for it with their ability to utilize equipment and their incredible willpower to defeat their archenemies. Batman and Iron Man fall into this category. Although Batman doesn’t possess any natural superpower, he rises to the occasion with all his cool toys. Same goes for Iron Man, who has a vast arsenal at his disposal that he can deploy at will. What makes these characters unique is even stripping the equipment from them, they will still stand for justice.

With that in mind, which superpower would you choose?

From my perspective, I once thought being invisible was the most awesome of powers. Think about it, you can sneak into a building where the bad guys make it their headquarters and take them down without much of a fight. Knocking them out from behind would simply do the job. But then I thought being invisible wouldn’t guarantee your clothes would be invisible too. If anything, I’d have to become like Mystique and shed my clothing in order to get anything done. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather maintain my sense of decency once I slip from invisibility mode.

I also thought having the ability to fly would be something cool to have. Yet, the logistics behind the superpower left me wanting something else. For instance, when flying, I’d have to carry a comb everywhere I go to ensure no one suspects me of flying. Try to explain a windy day when outside was the calmest day of the year, weather-wise. Then there’s the whole cape thing. I’m not into capes. They look great on Superman and Thor, but I find them distracting. I’d rather have my own style. Which brings us back to clothing. Imagine how many shoes I’d have to through when landing from a thousand foot plummet. The soles of my shoes would be paper-thin in no time.

No. What I’d choose for my superpower has nothing to do with physical ability, even if it means I wouldn’t ever be able to outrun a locomotive. I’d rather choose a superpower that would defy my archenemies in a way they wouldn’t suspect.

I’d choose a high IQ as my superpower.

A high IQ would grant me the ability to defeat naysayers at their own game. A high IQ would afford me the strength to repel an attack by stemming the threat from the very beginning. A high IQ would permit me to argue my way out of a mess rather than use muscles to make a point.

Yeah, a high IQ is boring, but it’s the one superpower that I wouldn’t need to worry about taking my clothes off.

Which superpower would you choose?

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RANGER MARTIN AND THE ALIEN INVASION, on sale now.
RANGER MARTIN AND THE SEARCH FOR PARADISE, on sale October 20.

Which comic book hero do you relate to the most? What superpower does your comic book hero have that you wouldn’t mind possessing yourself?

Posted in Freedom Friday

The Avengers

Who is ready for the new Avengers movie? I know I am. I’ve been waiting for it ever since the studio announced it. It’s the summer go-to movie, which I also suspect will break every conceivable opening day record known to humanity—not that I’m making a big deal out of it or anything.

The Avengers
The Avengers

Freedom Friday wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t tell you which character of the team I love the most.

Okay, forget about the suspense. My favorite Avenger has to be Captain America. I like him because he stands for good. When I say that I don’t mean he represents good, but sometimes does bad things for the benefit of the good. He genuinely represents the crystal clear interpretation of virtue. He attempts to stay within the confines of the law, and he sticks to decisions that will not compromise his character.

My second favorite is Thor. He’s great. I love the character to death. In the first Thor movie he announces an awful lot. He announces when he’s hungry. He announces his intention to leave. And he announces his glorified ego as the God of Thunder. Like I said, he announces a lot. But you know what? I love that the most about him. There’s no lying in him. He says what he’s going to do, then does it. No second guessing.

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Avengers: Age of Ultron

Iron Man is my third favorite. Gosh, and here I thought Thor had an ego. Iron Man takes the prize for the most befitting rendition of a contemporary AC/DC song ever. Whenever his alter ego Tony Stark walks into a room, it’s all about him. And why not? He’s earned it. He’s saved the earth a few times in the comics, so a little hero worship does Iron Man justice.

Rounding out my favorites is Black Widow as the kick-ass martial arts expert. Does anyone get excited whenever a gang of thugs has her surrounded with an impenetrable wall of bodies, six-packs and all? I’ll be the first to put up my hand. Then there’s Hulk—oh, yeah. Whenever I see him on screen all I can hear in my head is: Hulk. Smash. I don’t think you need me to explain what that means.

Of all the villains The Avengers have fought Loki is best of all of them. This is what a true villain is all about. He stands for evil, but he does it such a way that it’s difficult to hate the guy. He has a certain appeal with the audience, and I’m one of those guys he has a fan for life.

Now, what would I love to see in future Avengers movies? This is an easy question to answer. Spider-Man. Oh, what an amazing movie to have Spider-Man in the midst of all those superheroes. His sarcastic remarks would play well against Captain America’s matter-of-fact approach to situations. Hey, wouldn’t it be even more awesome if Wolverine were thrown into the mix? Wouldn’t that be something? Imagine the banter that would go back and forth between Spidey and Wolverine. I’d go see it, and I’m pretty sure the entire planet would, too!

Jack is looking forward to Avengers: Age of Ultron.

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, on sale now.
RANGER MARTIN AND THE ALIEN INVASION, on sale now.

Who is your favorite Avenger and why? Are you going to see the new movie hitting theaters today?

Posted in Women Who Wow Wednesday

Black Widow

Making her first appearance in the film Iron Man 2 as Natalia “Natasha” Alianovna Romanova, also known as Natasha Romanoff, and reappearing in The Avengers, Black Widow dominates the screen as the female superhero with a dark history.

Black Widow
Black Widow

Past Women Who Wow Wednesday posts have focused on female characters that could empower women into becoming better in whatever position life has given them. But after having thoroughly researched Black Widow’s record, this writer is at odds with placing this woman on a pedestal.

What can one say of Black Widow’s behavior that in some form or another wouldn’t cause someone to cringe? Definitely not the following:

  • In Ultimate Marvel, Romanova is a former KGB spy and assassin
  • Genetic or cybernetic implants make her a formidable combatant
  • The woman is known for killing her ex-husbands
  • Responsible for the death of Hawkeye’s wife and children
  • Publicly revealed Bruce Banner’s connection to the Hulk
  • Collaborated with the Liberators in their invasion of the U.S.

There’s more, yet that would involve divulging major plot points in Black Widow’s history. Suffice it to say she leaves much to be desired on the honor and trustworthiness scale.

Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff
Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff

However, when she appears in Iron Man 2, she’s Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson), Stark Industries’ replacement for personal assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) who moves into the company’s CEO position. No one knows what to make of the redhead until S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury reveals Natalie Rushman is covert operative Natasha Romanoff, planted to monitor Iron Man, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). You see, Tony’s dying, and she needs to keep him from harm’s way. Natasha also injects Tony with a special serum to slow the palladium poisoning he’s been experiencing due to his use of the arc reactor that keeps him alive.

In the movie The Avengers, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind where Black Widow’s loyalty lies. From the very first frame, we see her in a quandary. A Russian general is about to interrogate Natasha as three soldiers stand in the wings. She dispatches them whole—tied up, no less. The information flows from the general’s mouth.

Yeah, but can anyone trust her? Nick Fury can. He trusts her with the most important assignment of all—bringing in Bruce Banner. No other Avenger can do what she can. Nick doesn’t trust anyone else to do what she can. One wrong move and Bruce turns into the big green guy. No doubt, she did it. She brought him in without a fight.

Once on the helicarrier, her next assignment gets more complex. Interrogate Loki. What’s your plan? Of course she didn’t ask the direct question. Through subterfuge and ploy, Natasha discovers Loki’s nefarious design to deploy Hulk to do his dirty work. One problem, though: When Bruce Banner does turn into the big green guy, Natasha is the only one to delay the inevitable—the absolute destruction of the ship.

When the final battle occurs in New York City, Black Widow’s the only one who understands someone has to close the portal spewing the Chitauri upon the earth. Iron Man’s pathetic attempt at brutal stoppage does not work. Thankfully, she follows through with her genius plan and saves the city from destruction.

No matter what her past, Black Widow has redeemed herself with The Avengers.

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Have you seen The Avengers? What did you think of it? Do you know of Black Widow’s past?