Posted in Wednesday Warriors

Tony Stark: Iron Man

Flamboyant. Captain to industry. CEO to a weapons firm. The self-centered Tony seems he can conquer anything. His ego is larger than life. So what is this genius doing held captive in an Afghan cave while everything around him collapses?

Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man

Wednesday Warriors presents Iron Man (a.k.a. Tony Stark), the industrialist who makes creating weapons technology look easy.

[Spoilers lie therein.]

Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) is a daily headline. He along with the rest of the other superheroes protect the world from criminals determined to destroy the innocent. But with great power comes great controversy. Eventually, the superheroes would fight among themselves to produce one the greatest civil wars in comic book history.

Tony is one of those superheroes.

Dressed in designer suits, fashionable glasses and sporting a sarcastic wit, Tony can’t imagine a better place to be than performing research for his late father’s weapons company, Stark Industries. As the cliché goes, he has the bull by the horns and isn’t about to let go for anyone—especially not for anyone who dares threatens his livelihood.

Iron Man
Iron Man

Tony’s life from jet setting entrepreneur takes a turn for the worse when a mission to demonstrate his latest weapon throws him behind enemy lines—a place, days earlier, he wouldn’t have imagined possible. Compounding his problems, he creates a heart out of a car battery to keep himself alive while he devises an escape plan.

Soon, what becomes his scheme to survive transforms him into a superhero of reckoning. The classy super suit is all Tony needs to defeat his enemies and anything else standing in his way. Even if Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), his father’s former partner, attempts to stand in his way to uphold justice, Tony will do anything to ensure the super suit will not fall in the wrong hands.

The film Iron Man highlights what happens when an ordinary man comes to acquire superhuman strength. Among the funny scenes resides a powerful story built on the simple premise that good overcomes evil. Within the sarcastic dialog comes the character Iron Man. He’s strong, resilient and difficult to get rid of. His power though, does not come from his super suit but his will to do good, even if it means dying for what is right.

That is the mark of a true hero.

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Have you seen any of the Iron Man movies? What did you think of Tony Stark?

Posted in Monday Mayhem

Being a Superhero

I’ve been thinking a lot about superheroes, what it would be like to be a superhero, what kind of problems superheroes face living in among us while the rest of us depend on them for our survival. I know it sounds silly to think about this stuff, especially during the winter when we’re all comfy and warm in our homes watching Jurassic World, or, for that matter, the first six episodes of Star Wars. The closest we can ever come with anyone saving us would be the cable going out, sparing us from previews of the latest reality show.

Chris Evans as Captain America
Chris Evans as Captain America

In all seriousness though, being a superhero must be a tough gig. Think about it. For instance, wouldn’t superheroes always have to wear their uniform under their normal clothes? What about capes? No one can tell me those fit under a shirt and unravel without a wrinkle. Who takes care of their dry cleaning? And in the case of Captain America, where does he put his shield when he’s not using it. A pocket isn’t large enough to stuff that thing.

Daisy Ridley as Rey
Daisy Ridley as Rey

Then there’s the family thing going on. Suppose you were a superhero and you also had a birthday to attend to but during the cake cutting ceremony, you have to scoot because you feel a great disturbance in the force. Wait a minute. I think I’m getting confused again with Star Wars. But, you know what I mean. What are you going to do? Do you change there at the party, or leave without mentioning it to anyone? What if you drove there with someone else? Does this mean you have to take the car, even though you can fly or run fast where you need to go. I’m sure you’ll get questions asking you about transportation. For me, it would be equally difficult since I live in a small town. How can I explain needing to go to the big city with our car?

Okay, let’s look at it from another angle. What if you live in the big city and you see a mugging. What will you do? Do you run to the victim’s aid, all the while revealing your identity to the perpetrators? What if you’re walking down the street with family and friends? Will you ignore them in order to fulfill your superhero duties? Again, you’ll have a lot of explaining to do if you were heading to see a movie.

As you can see, the logistics to superherodom is a nightmare. Oh, sure, I suppose you can look at the lives you save versus the inconvenience. But what if you didn’t ask for it? Let’s say you are merrily walking along and BAM! all of a sudden you’re a superhero? How would you feel about that? Even more so, how would you feel if everything you thought regarding of being a superhero is all wrong? I’m sure you’d feel pretty darn silly knowing you’d have to run around for the rest of your life in tights.

Well, I guess being a superhero isn’t all that thrilling after all. Maybe I should shoot for simply being me. My family already considers me a superhero anyway.

Get the Ranger Martin trilogy now!

Have you ever wanted to be a superhero? Ever wonder what it’d be like?

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.

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, on sale now.
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?

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, on sale now.
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, Other Things

Random Thoughts

I haven’t written one of these random posts where I talk about nothing for a while now. I guess I could do it today. What do you think? I’ll write it and if anything comes from it, I’ll keep it. If not, you’ll never know I had written it for Freedom Friday.

Jurassic World
Jurassic World

The first thing on my mind is the Apple EarPods I’ve been using for the past year. I’ve had the older model where the sound just didn’t quite make the cut in quality. The music sounded like it was playing through a tin can. I had wished a redesign of them since they came out with the first iPod I had purchased in the early 2000’s. Well, to say the least, these new ones are impressive. I love the warm sound they give, and I enjoy listening to things in the music I never heard before. Equally as great is the comfortable feel in my ears. I wish I had these years ago before I went out to buy expensive headphones that don’t nearly give the same awesome sound. Am I the only one who feels this way?

Next on my list of random things I’ve wanted to mention for a while is 3D in movies. I’m not sure, but is anyone else feeling 3D has had its day in the theater? For instance in Jurassic World, don’t worry I won’t spoil the movie, a few of the flyby scenes showing landscapes seem too clean and precise. Helicopters, especially, look like models. I’m not knocking the movie. I thought it was intense and I got my money’s worth. The thing about it though, 3D didn’t do justice to this film. That’s my opinion, of course. Avengers: Age of Ultron is the same. I saw it in 3D, but there really wasn’t a wow factor associated with the film. I suppose if the film is great, then the 3D is great, but that’s neither here or there. However, Furious 7, which I didn’t see in 3D, was awesome. It proves to me that story is everything, regardless how much studios would like to convince its audience 3D is better.

Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock

Movie trailers are on my list, too. When did all of a sudden movie trailers become mini movies? Even more so, why do trailers have to give away vital plot elements to lure the audience into seeing the film? Take the original trailer for Jurassic Park from 1993. Watching it, you’d declare an oath you saw all the dinosaurs featured in the film. If you think that, you are wrong. What you see is a foot, a paw, an eye. You don’t see the entire dinosaur in all its glory. That’s because trailers back then were cool. They didn’t reveal the film, but they did know how to entice an audience with sights and sounds much like Alfred Hitchcock did with his movies. He didn’t show the murder, but you knew it took place because you heard the screams, you saw the knife, and you saw the terror on the victim’s face. Trailers nowadays, reveal too much.

Last thing on my list is mowing the lawn. I agree, it is a weird topic. Hear me out, though. Doing the lawn is fun again. Last year, I bought one of these fancy schmancy lawn mowers that propels itself. Actually, that’s not true. I have to hold it, but I don’t have to push it to where I want it to go. I point the way and it travels on its own. It’s a marvel of technology. Considering my backyard is hill country, this lawn mower beats dragging my tail to get the lawn done. I’m telling you, it’s the next best thing since the invention of the fridge.

Okay, that’s all I had on my mind.

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

What’s on your mind? Anything new and exciting you’d like to chat about?

Posted in Wednesday Warriors

Captain America

Of all the superheroes that impress me, one deserves recognition above all others. He’s fast, tough, and upstanding in his morals. He takes ownership for the safety of humanity. He’s a team player.

Chris Evans is Captain America
Chris Evans is Captain America

Captain America is today’s Wednesday Warriors highlight.

In World War II, when the army needed soldiers, Steve Rogers volunteered for an opportunity to fill the ranks. His enthusiasm and his unwillingness to surrender made him a prime candidate for the front line. His only problem? He was short. And he wasn’t very strong.

A military experiment Steve Rogers took part in changed all that. He no long had height as an issue to hold him back. And he certainly didn’t worry about muscles either. The experiment made him physically superhuman, but retained his go-for-it attitude intact. This scrawny individual became Captain America.

I grew up with Captain America. I had his action figure complete with uniform, boots and shield I enjoyed playing with him when I was eleven. My mom had bought it for me. It was my favorite action figure at that time. I really didn’t know the full story behind this Marvel action hero, but I loved how he looked and what he represented. I eventually bought the comics to read of his adventures in the safety of my bedroom. He became a hero I followed into my adulthood.

Captain America
Captain America

The thing about Captain America is he knows who he is. He’s not one of those dark comic book figures who has to go through an inner struggle to overcome demons from the past. He genuinely cares for the people he saves, which isn’t much different from any superhero. Yet, his struggle is an external one, against those who want to bring humanity to the brink of annihilation.

The Cap also possesses impeccable character. At times he may fail, but he’s always ready to admit when he’s wrong. He doesn’t blame anyone for his mistakes but himself. As strong as he appears, he doesn’t allow his super-strength to affect his ego. If anything, The Cap doesn’t have an ego. This is what makes him different and a superhero other superheroes follow into battle.

I would say the best part about Captain America is how he can remain determined in the face of adversity. The world could be falling apart all around him, but he picks up from his losses and moves forward without looking back.

Captain America may make the world a safer place to live, but it’s his integrity as an honest individual that drives his fans to want to continue following him.

Captain America is the First Avenger.

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

What do you like about Captain America?

Posted in Monday Mayhem

Zombie Apocalypse: Alternate Endings

Every enemy has a weakness. Every foe has a flaw. With zombies, it’s the head. You’ve heard it before. Shoot them pointblank in the face and they will no longer pose a threat.

Photo by Martin SoulStealer [Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.]
Photo by Martin SoulStealer [Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.]
But what if a new breed of zombie doesn’t respond to the universal bullet to the temple, then what? What if zombies could withstand a pummeling, and rise again to keep advancing toward a fragile humanity ready for extinction?

We’d all be in trouble, wouldn’t we?

For today’s Monday Mayhem, let’s explore the universe of zombies and their alternate endings. Humans can’t always win.

An Invincible Brain—In the 1978 movie Halloween, Michael Myers is a little boy who grows up to become a possessed psychotic out to seek vengeance against his hometown. Michael withstands a knife to the face and a coat hanger to the eye. Yet, he still keeps coming back again and again. Imagine a zombie with the same talent as Michael. It would be the ultimate opponent to defeat. Bullets would no longer work. Knives would become playthings. The undead would rule the earth and humans would flee for the mountains. There wouldn’t be anyone left after they’d get through with us.

Self-Healing—Imagine a world where zombies could self-heal from their wounds. The comic superhero Wolverine has the power to self-heal despite a body riddled with bullets or knife slashes to the throat. Take it a step further and ponder on the thought of zombies possessing that same power. No telling what would become of humanity if the guns can’t stop the undead from attacking. Every wound would heal. No one would be safe from the zombies’ destructive path. In this case, it bleeds but we can’t kill it.

Contagious Scratch—The zombie bite is the universal form for spreading the undead contagion. However, what if that was to change? What if the zombie bite no longer posed a threat? What then? What if instead of the bite a simple scratch would prove equally as menacing? No longer would the undead seek to propagate their kind with their teeth, but they would rip through doors with extended arms searching for people to scratch. The rate of infection would rise and the population would suddenly become undead in a matter of days. All because of a little scratch. A Band-Aid won’t help in this case.

If zombies featured invincible brains, self-healing as part of their makeup or a contagious scratch, one thing is certain, there wouldn’t be anyone left to tell the tale. Nevertheless, should humans know in advance of the fundamental shift in zombie behavior, the arms dealers throughout the world would dream of new defenses for the cities and new weaponry to put the undead back in their place—the grave.

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ALIEN INVASION, on sale October 21.

What new zombie trait would you find the biggest threat to humanity?