superhero – Looking to God

Tony Stark: Iron Man

Posted on February 10, 2016February 9, 2016 by Jack Flacco

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?

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.

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?

Monday Mayhem

Being a Superhero

Posted on January 11, 2016January 10, 2016 by Jack Flacco

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.

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.

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?

Wednesday Warriors

Captain America

Posted on May 6, 2015May 5, 2015 by Jack Flacco

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.

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.

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.

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

What do you like about Captain America?

Wednesday Warriors

Mr. Incredible

Posted on April 8, 2015April 14, 2015 by Jack Flacco

Mild mannered. Father of four. Husband to a flexible wife. The muscle-packed Bob seems out of place working for an insurance company. His forearm alone is about the size of his boss’ head. So what is this hulk of a man doing working in one of the most low-key positions the corporate world has to offer?

Wednesday Warriors presents Mr. Incredible (a.k.a. Bob Parr), the animated superhero who makes fighting an archenemy look easy.

[Spoilers lie therein.]

Mr. Incredible was once a daily headline. He, along with the rest of the other supers, protected the country from criminals hell-bent on robbing, pillaging and killing innocent bystanders. But with great power comes great lawsuits. Eventually, the supers couldn’t come up with the cash to pay the judgments for the massive damage they had caused to the nation’s infrastructure and had to go into hiding.

Bob is one of those supers.

Dressed in a white shirt, black pants and sporting a tie tucked tightly around his neck, Bob can imagine a better place than sitting in an office watching a mugging take place just outside his boss’ window. Suffice it to say, once his boss gives him an ultimatum, Bob doesn’t work there anymore. Neither does his boss, considering a trip to the hospital reveals that almost every bone in his body is broken.

Bob’s life from drab insurance adjuster takes a turn for the better when someone contacts the former superhero with a special mission. The mission isn’t exactly what he expected though. He finds himself the target of a sinister plan—a plan dedicated to eliminating supers everywhere.

What becomes his escape from the real world suddenly throws Bob wanting to escape from a nefarious genius. It doesn’t help him in the least that his wife and children are supers as well. If anything, they all become targets to the evil menace who wants to see his arch-rival dead.

The film The Incredibles highlights what happens when good intentions yield bad results. Among the hilarious jokes resides a powerful story built on the simple premise that good overcomes evil. Within the smart dialog comes the character Mr. Incredible. He’s strong, resilient and difficult to get rid of. His power though, does not come from his sheer physical strength but his willpower to do good, even if it means dying for what’s right.

That is what it means to be a true hero.

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

Have you seen The Incredibles? What did you think of Bob?

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