Young gumshoe Dave Gibb couldn’t believe what he was seeing or hearing.  “You—Stephanie Moriarty—want me—Dave Gibb—to solve a case—a real case—for you?”

“That’s MISS Moriarty, and yes,” confirmed his medical-masked teacher.  “It’s very important to me.  It involves my pet rabbit.”

“Oh,” said Dave, “I see.  Listen, I may be young, but there are no small detectives--just small cases.  And I don’t have time for kiddie games.”

“This isn’t a game! Every…”  Miss M stopped, took a deep breath, and lowered her voice once again.  “Every day for the last 10 days, when I go out to change Pysanka’s water, I have found eggs in her hutch with her.  I find them before school sometimes and after I get home at night at other times.”

Dave analyzed her every word as she said it.  Pysanka—a Ukranian word for Easter egg.  Perhaps Moriarty shared Mrs. Fletcher’s suspected Russian mob ties.  Dave would have to make a note of that in her file when he got back to the Dave Cave.

“Pysanka.  That’s your rabbit’s name?” asked Dave.

“Yes.  I got her over spring break when I visited the World’s Largest Easter Egg in Alberta.”

“And are they real or artificial eggs in with her?”

“Real.  White ones.  The whitest eggs I’ve ever seen.  I’ve never eaten them, though, of course.  You should never eat any food or candy when you don’t know where or whom it came from,” Miss M explained.

Dave speculated, “So, either Pysanka is the Easter Bunny, or—“

“—Or someone is tampering with her hutch.  I’m afraid whomever it is could harm her.”  Miss M looked genuinely worried.  Perhaps this wouldn’t be a wild goose chase after all.

Dave conceded, “Okay.  I’ll take the case.  But there are a few things I’ll need.”

“Whatever you want,” Miss M agreed with relief.

Dave stated, “I’d like a plastic egg with a real treat in it like the rest of the students got.”

“Of course!” laughed Miss M.

“And 2 boxes of oatmeal-and-peanut butter Do-si-dos.

----------

As the rest of Miss M’s students stood in line to trade their duck-bobbing tokens for prizes, Dave pulled Art aside for a quick debriefing.

“Go with you tomorrow?”  Art hesitated.  “As in the day after today?”

“Yup.  That’s the tomorrow I’m talking about.”

Dave wanted to get started on his new case first thing in the morning.  He had a lot of staking out to do, and wanted Art as an extra set of eyes and ears.

“Um… I can’t tomorrow.  I have to…show my family my…uh…my new watch,” said Art.

“…Okay…” Dave retorted.  “How about at least helping me do some research on eggs after school today?”

“Afraid I can’t go today, either, “Art said sheepishly.  “I…uh…I have to go……oh—buy the watch.”

Art was acting even odder than usual, and his face was redder than a Red Delicious.  But that was a riddle that would have to go unsolved at the moment.  Dave had to pack up his Batman briefcase and be ready to head to the library as soon as the bell rang.

----------

At home that night, Dave flipped through several books.  Bright white eggs were not much to go on, but Moriarty said she had thrown away the eggs each day, so looking at books and building his mental repertoire was the best Dave could do until he could get an egg sample.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.  Dave stealthily mounted his stepstool.  A look through the peephole revealed a familiar eyeball peeping back at him, eyelashes batting.  The eye’s owner was wearing a brown felt hat embroidered with a yellow pixie badge.  Dave sighed, stepped down from the stool, and reluctantly opened the door.

“Hi, Davey.” 

“Golly gee, Catherine.  Don’t we see enough of each other during the day?”

“Never,” Cathy Liu giggled.  “Anyway, Miss M said you wanted some Do-si-dos.  Being the troop member living closest to you, I volunteered to deliver them, personally.  Isn’t that ace?”

“Peachy keen,” muttered Dave, his gut instinct knowing full well that, if Cathy lived 10 miles away, she still would have volunteered.

Cathy handed Dave two boxes of cookies.  Beaming from ear to ear, she said, “I had no idea you had a sweet tooth for Girl Scout cookies.” 

“I don’t.”

Dave shut the door and resumed his egg research.

----------

The next morning, our young hero’s investigation commenced at the playground.  Scoping out the scene from behind a maple tree, Dave saw that the coast was clear.  He deduced that it was either too early for anyone else to be out, or everyone was preparing for the town Easter festival at the city park set for later that day.

Dave quickly, yet surreptitiously made his way across the playground, slipping from behind a tree to under a bush and so forth.  He made sure to walk flat-footedly—just like Tonto had taught the Lone Ranger to do to make his human steps indistinguishable from those of animals.

Alas, Dave reached the rendezvous point—a giant green Little Tikes turtle sandbox.  The turtle’s shell lid was in place.  On it was a sign that said “Out of Order.”

Dave picked up the tin can attached to a string sticking out of the sandbox.  He covered the open end of the can with his Our Man Flint handkerchief and whispered into it, “The tortoise and the hare tried out for the majors.”

“How’d they do in the playoffs?” came the reply from the turtle.

“The tortoise won by six points in the 11^th,” answered Dave.

 “Far out.  You got the goods?”

Dave set down the makeshift telephone and rattled the boxes of Do-si-dos. 

The turtles shell raised up a crack.  Inside was Dave’s classmate, Brian.  Nothing went on in the entire elementary school that Brian didn’t know about.  And he would tell you anything—for the right amount of (cookie) dough.  (Brian would, in fact, carry on a lifelong love for Cookies.)

Dave filled Brian in on Miss M’s dilemma.  “Is it Big Jim?” Dave asked.

Brian held out his hand, which Dave subsequently filled with some cookies. 

“No,” said Brian, crunching as he talked.  Then, responding to a glare from Dave, he continued, “But I have an idea who it might be.” 

“Who?” asked Dave, again filling the hand protruding from the turtle.

"Little Lenny Piccolo.”

“What?”  Not much caused Dave to raise an eyebrow, but this did.  “Okay.  Give me the skinny on Lenny.”

The inspiring informant explained, “Lenny is Ol’ Lady Fletcher’s nephew.  While she was around, she kept Big Jim on a tight leash.  Miss M don’t have as much control over Jim, and now Lenny is sufferin’ for it.  I’d bet my sweet snickerdoodle that he’s your guy.”

“Be careful, amigo,” said Dave.  “The temptation to form premature theories upon insufficient data is the bane of our profession.”

“…Huh?” puzzled Brian.

“Sherlock Holmes.  Point is, Leonard is innocent until proven guilty, but he is definitely a suspect.  Thanks.”  Dave started on his way.

“Ahem,” said Brian, seeing the nearly full box of cookies still in Dave’s hand.  “Word on the playground also has it that you and a certain Miss Liu have been, shall we say, ‘sittin’ in a tree’—if you know what I mean.”

Dave could feel his blood boil.  He turned, single-handedly pulled Brian from the sandbox, and shoved the small cookie box into Brian’s now-gaping mouth.  Brian then watched, giggling and finishing off the Do-si-dos, as Dave commanded, “CHANGE the word on the playground!” and coolly stormed away.

--------------------------------------------------

Join us in a couple of days for the continuing adventures of our favorite young sleuth in Chapter 3: The Bunny Bully.

Valiant Dave Gibb’s head plunged into the murky abyss.  Dave fought his way up and struggled for a quick breath before once again being swallowed up by the cold, callous waters.  All the while, the fledgling detective’s short, yet adventurous life flashed through his mind. 

He could hear the audio recordings he covertly taped of each of his uncles, trying to decipher which one could be the Angels’ Charlie.

He could hear McGarrett telling Danno to “Book’em.”

He could hear his imperious teacher, Miss Moriarty, calling his name.

“Davey,” she would shrilly call him in class.

“Dave!” her menacing voice echoed.

“David!  Now!!  It’s Cindy’s turn to bob!”

Dave lurched his head out of the water in the giant wooden barrel, a yellow rubber duck clenched in his mouth.  Dave had survived another mission—literally by the skin of his teeth.

It was Easter week, and Dave’s class was having a party.  Dave wiped off the duck and looked at the number written on its bottom to see how many prize tokens he could turn it in for at the end of the day.  “All that for a lousy 4 tokens?  Bah!”  He tossed the duck aside.  “Whoever heard of bobbing for ducks, anyway?” he muttered. 

A sudden giggle startled him.  “Heeeere, Daaavy.  I saved you a warm towel to dry off with.”

It was Cathy Liu.  Cathy—like most girls Dave knew—had had her sights set on Dave since preschool.  Cathy lived right next door to him.  And now they were both in the same class at school—which meant having to see her even more…

…Not that Dave minded that much.  Under the surface, Dave had always been somewhat intrigued by Cathy.  He had never seen a girl who could cipher addition on her fingers so quickly.  But he could never let anyone know it.  It would give Dave an Achilles’ heel in the minds of his enemies.

“Thanks, anyway, Catherine, but I can take care of it.”  With that, Dave, not unlike a Labrador Retriever fresh in from the rain, abruptly shook the duck water off of him—and onto Cathy’s fuzzy peach Easter Bunny sweater.

“I’m telling Miss M!” Cathy squealed, and scurried away.

“Why’d you do that, Dave? Miss M will make you stay in at recess—again.”  This time it was Dave’s best friend and reluctant sidekick, Art Wimsey.

Art was right.  Ever since she replaced Mrs. Fletcher, who was reportedly out on maternity leave (though Dave had evidence suggesting she may secretly be in cahoots with the Russian mob), Miss Stephanie Moriarty had had it out for Dave.  He could find nothing on where she came or how long she would be around; she was most often cloaked in black; she was constantly on him to do his homework (which, as a junior private eye, Dave hardly had time for); and she had even—for no reason—confiscated Dave’s Acme Deluxe Pink Panther extendable spyglass/megaphone (after it had aided Dave in the discovery of and lunchroom proclamation that Principal Auric’s hair was actually a toupee).  To Dave, Miss Moriarty was indubitably a rogue.

“Arthur, I don’t have time to worry with Catherine or Moriarty,” Dave replied, “Inspector Poriot once said ALL women are evil except your mother.”

“Ah,” said Art.  Then, scratching his head, Art asked, “But how does Poirot know my mother?”

Dave sighed.  Art wasn’t the sharpest sword in the scabbard, but, what he lacked in wit, he made up for in loyalty.  “Never mind, pal.  Let’s see what else there is to do.”

Dave and Art espied several activities going on within the classroom.  Cathy, Marcia, and Jan were gluing cotton balls onto construction paper lambs (and Jan was currently complaining that Marcia had been given more cotton balls than her).  Big Jim, the class bully, was playing an egg tossing game (although, instead of throwing the eggs into the basket, he was throwing them at little Lenny Piccolo’s head).  And Carlin was sitting at his desk, on which was a small stack of comic books and 2 large brown eggs.

“Wow, Carlin!  Those are the biggest chocolate eggs I’ve ever seen!”  declared Art.

“Huh?” asked Carlin, a bit startled.

“Those eggs right in front of you.  The Easter Bunny sure must like you,” Art said.

“Stop hitting him, James!  Somebody bring me a nurse’s pass,” they heard Miss Moriarty yell from across the room.

“Oh,” said Carlin.  “Brown eggs.  Chocolate.  Right.  I didn’t have time to…um…eat them this morning.”

“Hey!” said Dave, looking at the comics.  “Atomic Rabbit!  These are getting hard to find.  What issue is this?”  He picked up the comic on top of the stack.

“Hey, leave that alone,” pleaded Carlin.

Dave saw that the first several pages of the comic were torn off.  Then he saw that all the comics in the stack had tears and rips in them.

“They are getting hard to find in very good condition,” explained Carlin.

“Ah, well.  At least you can read part of the stories.  You want to come play pin-the-cottontail-on-the-rabbit with us?”  asked Dave (hardly believing the words that had just come out of his mouth).

“No.  I just want to be left alone,” snapped Carlin.  “Please.”

“Okay.  Talk to you later.”  Dave and Art went on their way.

“Did Carlin seem a little jumpy to you?” asked Art.  “He’s usually really nice and calm.”

“I’m not surprised,” said Dave.  Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, both natural stimulants.  Considering the size of those eggs and Carlin’s probable low BMI, he was most likely on a chocolate high.”

“…Right,” said Art, still processing Dave’s response.

----------

After the games, the students all returned to their desks.  On each desk was a plastic pastel egg. 

“There’s a little treat for everybody,” explained Miss M.  “Please wait to open your eggs until you’re outside at recess.  When you get back, we’ll continue reading about Peter Rabbit.  Have a good time.”

Dave had noted that Moriarty was always doing nice things and handing out treats to everybody.  He deduced she was most likely putting herself in a position to be able to blackmail any one of them in the future. 

----------

Outside, the students inspected their eggs. 

“Mine rattles,” said Art.  “Sounds like a stuffed toy maybe.”  He carefully opened his blue egg.  “A marshmallow Peep.  Neat!” reeled Art.

“Mine rattles, too,” said Big Jim.  “Sounds just like when I turn Jakey Simmons upside down and shake him.” 

Dave and Art exchanged glances as Jim tore open his green egg. 

“Wow!  Chocolate coins!” mused Big Jim.  “I know just whose nose these are going up.”  And, with that, he skipped away.

“Mine doesn’t rattle,” warned Dave.  “Stand back, Arthur!  It might be booby trapped.” 

Dave threw his egg at the giant brick wall that surrounded the playground, then pummeled Art as he dived to the ground for cover.

“Dave!” groaned Art, his voice strained from Dave’s weight on top of him.

“No need to thank me, Arthur,” said Dave.  “All in a detective’s job description.”  Dave picked himself and Art up off the ground.  Then Dave walked over to the two pieces of his cracked lavender egg.  Something was taped inside one of the shells. 

“A note,” said Dave.  ”It says, ‘Meet me in the nurse’s office ASAP.’”

“I told you,” said Art.

“Yeah, yeah,” said Dave.  “You know the protocol.  If you don’t see me as soon as recess ends, take this to the authorities.”  Dave handed Art a small envelope and hurried inside.

Art looked inside the envelope.  There was a sketch artist’s rendering of Miss Moriarty, a picture of Dave taken that morning, and a swatch of cloth with Dave’s scent on it. 

“He never skips a beat…” puzzled Art.

----------

When Dave got to the nurse’s door, he quickly scanned his surroundings.  In the center of the room was an empty desk with an “Out to Lunch” sign hanging on the chair.  At the left side of the room was a bed, on which Lenny was lying, holding an ice pack on his head and moaning.  On the right side hung a curtain, which quarantined a space for sudden sufferers of chicken pox or head lice.

Dave heard a “Psssssst!” come from behind the curtain.  “Behind here, David,” it urgently whispered.

Dave peaked inside and gasped.

Behind the curtain was a person dressed in scrubs from head-to-toe.  The person in question was also wearing a face mask and shower cap.

“Miss Moriarty?”

“Sshhhh!” warned the mysterious miss.  “There’s a reason I’m wearing a disguise, David.”

“L..lll…listen,” stuttered Dave.  “About Catherine’s shirt.  I’ll replace it!  And duck bobbing’s a fun game!  Honest!”

“David, you’re not in trouble,” insisted Miss M.  “I have a case for you to solve.”

--------------------------------------------------

To be continued in Chapter 2: The Benefactor Bunny.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It’s one of the most heartbreaking scenes in comic book history.  Young Peter Parker (the budding superhero Spider-Man) holds in his arms his dying uncle and surrogate father, Ben.  With the one ounce of strength Ben has left, he tells his beloved nephew to remember, “With great power comes great responsibility.”  While that sentence has become famous as Spider-man’s mantra, the wisdom behind it is as old as time.  In fact, Jesus, himself, often muttered the catchphrase (if not in so many words).

One example is an exchange described in Matthew.  The disciples James and John’s mother asked Jesus for a big honor for her sons someday—for one to sit at each side of Jesus in heaven (Matthew 20:20-21).  Think about that: she wanted her sons to sit on each side of the throne of the Prince of Heaven, Himself.  Great power.

Jesus responded by asking if they could handle such great responsibility (Matthew 20:22-27).  Verse 22:

“You don’t know what you are asking (With great power),” Jesus said to them.  “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink (comes great responsibility)?”

He told them that anyone who wants to be great in a spiritual sense must often live what is considered a lowly life on earth.  Even Jesus was held to this standard (v. 28).  He was God’s Son and would someday judge the earth and rule heaven (great power), but first He would be ridiculed in life, die by the grizzliest of capital punishments via hanging on a cross like a criminal, AND even have to conquer death (great responsibility).

There is a lot of abuse of power and ducking of responsibility in the world.  For example, people take advantage of their power to mate without giving any thought about the responsibility of being a parent.  People study to become teachers or doctors because of the benefits and opportunities afforded, but couldn’t care less if their students learn anything or patients feel cared for.  People run for office because of the power it gives them, but then forget that their first responsibility is that of public servants and ambassadors of what their constituents want.

Unfortunately, Christians are guilty of responsibility-dodging, too.  I think that can be explained by people taking too lightly the responsibility of being a representative of God on earth.

A young man once approached Jesus and asked Him what it would take to achieve eternal life (great power).  Jesus went through a checklist of responsibilities (not murdering, loving people, etc.).  The young man said he kept all of those commandments.  But then Jesus asked the man (who happened to be rich) to give away all his wealth to the poor and then come follow Jesus.  The young man went away sad.  He knew he could not accept that great of a responsibility (Matthew 19:16-22). 

Lots of people claim to be Christians.  They talk the talk.  However, they do not walk the walk.  The young man got hung up when asked to give something he didn’t want to.  Had I been the one to approach Jesus, He might have asked me to give up anger or procrastination, and I would sadly have struggled (and do) just as the rich man did. 

That young man ultimately made an infinitely poor decision in not giving himself to Christ, but you have to give him credit for considering and respecting the great responsibilities that come with being a genuine Christ-follower.  We need to take following Christ that seriously.  Unlike that young man, though, we must choose to do our best to turn away from our sins and follow Jesus. 

If you claim to love God, but then rant about how much you hate people, you’re ignoring your responsibility.  If we put fish emblems on our cars, but then flip people off in traffic, we are forgetting our responsibility.  If I claim to know God, but can’t remember the last time I cracked open my Bible to learn or share about Him, I’m abandoning my responsibility.  If you claim to be a Christian, but aren’t even sure if you believe Jesus was who He said He was, what’s the point?

Just saying that you’re a Christian means nothing.  We do all have to start somewhere and being a Christian is a lifelong learning and growing process; however, we need to be proactive in it. 

Thankfully, if you ask for God’s forgiveness of your sins and turn away from them, He will give you power to help bear the responsibility of trying to live a righteous life in a sinful world.  It’s not easy, but it’s doable.  (Each of the Apostles—other than Judas—made incredible sacrifices, but they were able to do incredible work for God during their lives.)  You, likewise must do your best to “take up your cross daily” and follow God’s direction for your life (Matthew 16:24-26). 

If you accept the benefits that come with having a friend, make sure you carry out the responsibility of being a friend.  If you accept the power of any leadership position, make sure you conduct yourself responsibly in that position.  And if you claim to be a Christian and want the great power (both earthly and spiritual) that comes with it, make sure you accept the great responsibility of learning what following Christ really means and then try your best every single day to carry out that great responsibility.

Saturday

7:48 AM

My eyes crawl up the formidable chest of my subjugator. The dual validation and shock hit me like lightning.

"Dad?!"

"David."

"You were behind this all along, weren't you? The packages, the playhouse, the girls. What is all this for?"

"To keep you out of the house last night. We needed your room for some business." He doesn't even flinch at his admission.

"We? You mean Mom is in on this scheme, too?" What kind of rogues are these whose blood runs through my veins?

"Yes. And your Aunt Honey."

"What all went on here? Why are there scratches on the door? Was someone struggling to get out?"

"Yes. All night. There was a lot of yelping, too." Dad remains cool, collected.

Mother and Honey enter the room. The three scoundrels have me surrounded. My dander is up, my heart is broken, but, as a trained ace junior detective, I am prepared for just such a pickle.

I grab the pillow from my bed behind me, rip it in two, and throw the pieces at the villainous lot, causing feathers to fly all over the place. While my would-be captors are diverted, I grab my officially licensed Zorro rapier and turn the tables on them.

"The jig is up! What do you have to say for yourselves before I read you your rights and call the Mounties?"

Dad nonchalantly speaks. "Just one thing. Happy Valentine's Day, Davey."

It's fitting I should settle my destiny on this of all days, the anniversary of the famous massacre.

Dad whistles. Some sort of signal for backup, I deduce. I hear footsteps from the hall. Four feet pound closer and closer; I brace myself to take on both cronies. Dave Gibb's not going down without a fight. I gulp, turn to the door, and prepare to look my doom square in the eyes.

The footsteps stop just inside the door...yet I see nothing.

"Woof!"

I look down.

"Woof! Woof!"

"...A...puppy?"

"Surprise!" my relatives lightheartedly squeal.

"A Weimaraner. He's your valentine from us!" beams Mom.

"A baby dog..." I say in a half-stupor.

"Along with these," says Honey, as she picks up the opened packages. "A doggie nail trimmers, puppy training pads..."

"...A leash," adds my dad, indicating the rope in his hand, "and several other things you haven't opened yet. We knew you'd never open the valentine boxes, so they were the prefect place for hiding the supplies in plain sight."

My face involuntarily contorts upward, and I find myself at a loss for words. My eyes start to water a bit, and there's a lump in my throat. ...Must be getting a cold...

"Sorry we had to coax you into staying in your playhouse last night, but we wanted to keep the puppy in here and surprise you today. Poor Cathy and her friends were such good helpers," finishes Mom.

Sure. Poor Cathy had it so rough. But I'm too excited to dwell on Cathy or last night or anything else. I kneel down, and the little fella runs over to lick my face and hands.

"The sidekick I've always wanted! Happy Valentine's Day, little buddy."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday

9:10 PM

This mystery, which, henceforth, will be referred to as 'The Case of the Concealed Canine,' is now closed. I plan to cut back on casework temporarily while I commence training the little guy in the art and science of being a puppy private eye.

Until next time, this is Dave Gibb (and his new sidekick, Nero Wolfe), signing out.

 

Friday

3:07 PM

The house is quiet. Unsettlingly quiet. My parents are out on an undisclosed mission and won't be back for a couple of hours. I take advantage of the downtime to catch up on some recent case files. Soon, I finish orating my notes and turn off my McGraw Edison Envoy Dictating Tape Recorder.

"Davey!"

It's Aunt Honey. My parents always have her come over so I can watch her when they're gone. She says a package has just arrived for me. I see it sitting in the living room, along with an attached note that says, "To David, with love," but I shrug it off. It's the fourth of what will be many.

Every year, it's the same. February comes, and girls get hearts in their eyes. They all start sending notes and packages, negotiating for me to check a box or sign my name if I like them. I'm not putting in writing anything that I might have to testify to in court.

I set the unopened package in my room with the others, pick up my audio logs, and head for my cloak-and-dagger base of operations. I go to my closet, peel back the corner of my Funky Phantom throw rug, lift up the false floor panel underneath, replace it behind me, and slide down the laundry shoot into our subterranean storage cellar. I tiptoe to the far southwest corner and set aside my life-size Carmine Infantino-drawn cardboard Batman standee to reveal a window to the outside. I squeeze through the window and quickly, stealthily sneak through our backyard towards the Dave Cave.

If only it was as quiet outside as it was indoors. I hear hammers pounding and little broads giggling. The femme fatale next door, Catherine Liu (alias "Cathy"), and her merry swarm of mischief makers are up to something. They've been whispering and passing notes behind my back at school all week, but I haven't time for their elementary shenanigans.

"Daaaaveeeey!" they squeal.

Catherine is an enigma and a thorn in my side. She's always showing up unexpectedly, interrupting my top secret missions, and inviting me to alleged "tea parties."

"Sorry, ladies. No time."

"That's what yoooou thiiiink."

What's that supposed to mean? I tell myself to shake it off. There's no room for women in a young detective's line of work. Too dangerous.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3:38 PM

I get to the front door of my undercover office and speak the password-of-the-day into the Funtronics electronic voice recognition system I built. The door unlocks, and I step inside. I approach my Bontempi Console Organ and play the secret chords. This awakens my Ideal Robot Commando unit, Hymie, who is on the other side of a hidden door in the wall. He unlatches the lock from the inside and opens the door panel. I enter, making sure not to step on the string which, if tripped by intruders, will set off my Remco Johnny Reb Cannon.

Moments later, as I finish filing my recordings in the archives, my keen sense of impending danger leads me to look out my two-way mirror window and see what Catherine and her cohorts are up to.

To my surprise and dismay, the harpies have erected a playhouse--mere yards away from my private fort. To my indignation, they have adorned theirs with signs that say, "Secret Club" and "No DAVES Allowed."

To their surprise, I'm sure, I don't give it a second thought...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3:46 PM

..."No DAVES Allowed." How quaint, Catherine. How original.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3:50 PM

...I mean, who cares about their crummy club, anyway? Not me.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3:52 PM

But... The smartest villains are often those who hide their deeds in plain sight. I wonder what malice they're up to.

My mental inquest is interrupted by a knock on the outside door. Peculiar. I send Hymie to see who--or what--it is. Seconds later, he rolls back in, a note stuck to his arm. It reads, "What are you looking at, David? Jokes on you. --Cathy"

Jokes on me?! Fuming, I punch my Monster Squad Punch Me bag. Then I remember the Junior P.I. Canadian Union creed and recover my cool.

'He who laughs last,' Catherine. I'll figure out your evil scheme. Just you wait and see.

__________________________________________________________________

TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW IN "CHAPTER 2: THE INFILTRATION."

Sometimes praying seems like the simplest thing we can do.  However, it is also one of the most powerful things we can do.  Think about it: any of us can speak (aloud or to ourselves) to the one mighty God who created the universe, AND He promises to always listen.  He will never tire of hearing from us.  Sure, God knows how we are feeling and what we need before we tell Him, but, just like any good Father, God likes to hear from His children.  In fact, the Bible encourages us to never stop praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and to not hold back:

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Ephesians 6:18a (NIV)

Dangerously, though, how we tend to view God’s part in prayer can sometimes be summed up by the comic book story of Billy Batson. 

Billy (pre-NU52) is a boy with an incredible gift.  When in need, he calls out the name of a wizard, “Shazam!” and, immediately, in a flash of lightning, Billy is transformed into the super powerful Captain Marvel.

We sometimes regard prayer similarly.  We express a need to God (“Shazam!”), then expect Him to answer immediately exactly the way we want.  Prayer can work that way (there is no telling how many times each day God miraculously saves us from a car accident or from falling down the stairs or from forgetting something).  However, if we think this is the only way prayer should work, we are severely limiting God’s work in our lives and probably damaging our hope in the power of prayer  every time “Shazam!” doesn’t happen for us. 

Indeed, God’s ways of answering prayer can be as varied as the types of prayers and requests He receives.  As I stated previously, sometimes, not unlike Shazam, God does answer our prayers affirmatively and immediately.  The Old Testament recounts a time when three men were in immediate need of God’s help.  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship anyone or anything except God, so the king threw them into a blazing furnace.  However, God protected them (by sending what was presumably an angel), and they came out alive and unharmed (Daniel 3:13-39).

At other times, God answers our prayers affirmatively, yet we may still have to do what is in our power to do.  If you pray for God to help you on a math test, yet you constantly skip classes and never crack open the textbook, chances are He probably won’t make the answers to the test miraculously appear in your head.  However, if you do your best in class and pray for God’s assistance, He will most likely help (perhaps by giving you energy, bringing into your life friends who are good at math tutoring, etc.).

At other times still, God answers our prayers affirmatively, but waits to do so in His time--the right time.  For years, Abraham and Sarah prayed for a child.  Alas, when Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90, God granted them a son (Genesis 17:17, 21:1-3).  God waited until all the right circumstances were in place to allow Abraham and Sarah to conceive.

Sometimes God responds to prayer exactly the way we ask, and other times He answers in ways that we may not expect.  Sometimes God answers our prayers immediately, sometimes He waits for a better time.  In other words, God may not always answer our prayers in the style of “Shazam!”  However, God does always respond in some way when we are ready and willing to receive the answers He has for us. 

We will continue our discussion on prayer in the next devotional, in which we will discuss times when God seemingly responds with a “no” as we examine Superman #659 (Feb 2007).

THE BAD NEWS: Genes and related environmental factors can account for 50% of a person’s susceptibility to exerting abusive behaviors. People whose parents misuse alcohol or drugs are 3 x more likely to have the addictions, themselves. And children of parents who are in prison are 5 x more likely than their peers to end up incarcerated. In short, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

One such fallen apple is Harry Osborn. Harry’s father, Norman, resents Harry from the minute Harry is born. When Norman isn’t ignoring his son, he’s unleashing his wrath on him. Nonetheless, Harry would do anything to earn his dad’s approval. This is especially tragic since Norman is the evil Green Goblin, Spider-Man’s archenemy. When Norman is killed, dutiful Harry follows in his father’s menacing footsteps and becomes the second Green Goblin. Harry’s wrong-doing eventually leads to his own death. But the Osborns’ haunting heritage almost doesn’t end there. It turns out Harry had set up a computer program that would, upon his death, kidnap Harry’s son, Normie, and inject him with the Goblin serum! Will the bad bloodline never end?

THE GOOD NEWS: Where and who YOU came from does not have to determine where you go and who you can be. Your early life may have been rocky road, but you can choose to take a detour to a better life—the life God wants for you. The Bible says:

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Unlike Harry, Orion etched his own path. Orion is a son of Darkseid (one of Superman’s most formidable foes). Despite being raised away from Apokolips, Orion inherits anger issues. However, he works very hard and uses a Mother Box to control his rage. Orion becomes a mighty warrior for the side of good. He is sometimes a member of the Justice League. And, in an ultimate show of his independence from the sins of his father, Orion actually defeats Darkseid in battle.

Just like Orion was not bound to follow Darkseid’s ways, you are not bound to follow any dark paths of your predecessors. It’s up to you to discover God’s calling for you and to choose to take a better path in your life.

I know it’s not easy—there will be a lot to work through and overcome, and you’ll still probably have to deal with some of the people in your life who have caused you pain. But you are not alone. Did you know some of Jesus’s earthly relatives were not supportive of Him? This is illustrated in an instance when Jesus had been preaching His message all day.

“And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” Mark 3:21 (ESV)

Jesus even observed: “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” Mark 6:4b (NLT)

Maybe you were abused, or your family structure had some missing pieces, or your neighborhood was riddled with crime or poverty. None of that has to determine your future. You can choose better.

“Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; then stick to the path and stay safe.” Proverbs 4:25-26 (NLT)

May your Heavenly Father—who always has and always will love you—help heal your past hurts, uproot any bad seeds that have been planted in your life, and bless you as you strive to walk in His ways.

This week, DC Comics announced that in issue twelve of Justice League of America, Superman and Wonder Woman would become an item.

As usual, the more vocal members of fandom gave Chicken Little a run for his money, volume-wise.  The usual "threats" of boycotts, blasphemy, and Ragnarok-level global catastophe ensued.  Of course, the declarations from the people who've decided they may pronounce how much of a "true fan" you are (to find them, they will post that "everyone" agrees with them) insist that Superman, DC Comics, and the funnybook publishing field in general is even more ruined than ever.

As Tom DeFalco (former Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief and currently writing Superboy and Legion Lost for DC) used to say, "Give unto me the break."

Have you ever heard of "The Tracy Bond Syndrome?"  In On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming, uber-spy James Bond falls in love with Teresa "Tracy" di Vicenzo and marries her.  However, Fleming didn't want to deal with the idea of 007 being true to one woman and not getting to flirt with as many women as possible in future novels.  So at the end of the book, Ernest Stavro Blofeld gets his revenge on Bond by murdering Tracy en route to her honeymoon.  Problem solved.

For years, many staffers at DC Comics complained that having Superman married to Lois Lane limited the story possibilities for the Man of Steel.  Meanwhile, some of the Super-books' writers made some decent stories out of Clark having to reveal his dual identity to his fiancee, the problems with having to balance a home life with one's crime-fighting career, and actually being Superman and getting caught wearing a  wedding band.

A similar problem faced the creative teams behind Spider-Man across town.  Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada openly declared his abhorrence towards Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson being married.  He did cite, to be fair, that being married to a supermodel actress kinda took away from the "loser" vibe of the classic versions of the hero.  However, the two characters would periodically split up, get back together, dispute over Peter's life choices, and even face complications when trying to start a family together. 

To end the Parker's marriage, Quesada plotted and pencilled a serial called "One More Day."  In this, Peter's double ID has been revealed to the world.  As a result, his Aunt May was shot by a criminal and while Peter scrambled to get medical care for her, Mephisto appeared to Peter and Mary Jane.  In exchange for their marriage, their very love for each other, Mephisto promised to make the world forget about Peter's revelation and to heal Aunt May.  While Peter schemed to find a loophole in the bargain, Mary Jane sealed the deal, vowing that their love would simply rekindle later on.  With that, Mephisto rewrote history so they were never married, just living together, and didn't recall the deal they'd made.

This story was met with a critical (and sales) backlash.  In fact, I've only bought ONE issue of The Amazing Spider-Man since.  Despite the best efforts of some great creative people, I will not support a comic that portrays the institution of marriage is a creative dead end, that allows a hero an easy out by GIVING UP, and that portrays Mary Jane (one of the more progressive female characters in the Marvel Universe) as the weak one in the relationship (despite her rationalization),   I understand why it was done ... but I don't have to support it and I don't waste time and energy bitching about it.

Back to Superman.  As a result of the Flashback event, the entire DC Universe has been rebooted.  Many of the mainstays of the DC Universe are now in their mid-20s.  Among other obvious changes to the earlier DCU, Barry Allen is no longer married to Iris and Lois Lane is a colleague and supervisor to Clark Kent, nothing more.  And now, Kal-El and Diana will be more than friends, probably with "benefits."  This, of course, raises the hackles of some people.

Big bleepin' deal!

At various points in time, Clark Kent worked as an anchorman for a Metropolis TV station, dressed like someone gave him a key to a Men's Warehouse, rekindled a romance with Lana Lang, could only activate his powers when he imagined a lynx, lost his powers to a sand creature, wasn't Superboy, wasn't an orphan, was a member of the Justice Society of America, wasn't a founding member of the Justice League, wore his Underoos over his costume and needed a belt to keep them up.

Superman... heck, ALL comics ... they function under what Stan Lee used to call "The Illusion of Change."  So what if Peter Parker stops working for J. Jonah Jameson?  In two years, he'll be back (and has been).  In the '60s, Wonder Woman lost both her super powers and Steve Trevor.  By the Seventies, she got them both back.   Bucky Barnes has been dead longer than he's been alive ... BOTH times.

It always changes back.  Always!

When John Byrne announced the changes he planned to bring to the Superman legend in 1986, I wasn't very happy.  I didn't mind letting anyone within shouting distance know either.  But when I'd complain that his adoptive parents would be alive again and who knew HOW the Legion of Super-Heroes would be inspired, the usual reaction was, "That sounds interesting.  I'll have to pick it up."

So instead of warning people off, I became part of the advertising campaign ... and I was working for free!  But once I accepted that no one at DC was going to change just because I resisted it, I got to read some really, really good stories.

I suspect when someone preaches to the choir about Wonder Woman and Superman checking in at the local Days Inn, ten people are going to make a mental note to buy Justice League #12 when it hits the stands.  Way to control the damage, people.

It's great to care about the characters.  I know I do!  But STUDY the history of comics.  Become a more educated consumer and DON'T FALL FOR THE HYPE.  If you did, you'd know that DC actually announced this BEFORE the New 52 hit the stands.  To paraphrase Heath Ledger, why so SURPRISED???

If you are as vehement about the changes as you claim, send Dan DiDio and Jim Lee a note.  Don't just complain on Facebook in a forum where you KNOW they won't read it.  Show a minimal amount of guts and try to affect some change because really, isn't that what a real superhero (like Superman) would do?

And as history shows, everything changes back.  Clark went back to The Daily Planet in his basic blue jackets and white shirts.  Kandor returned and Pa Kent left us again.  The Hulk went back to speaking the third person again, as well as the more erudite manner he'd done for over a decade.  Batman went from Lone Avenger of the Night to having not just one Robin, but a couple extra.

Wait for the story to show up before complaining about it.  It might actually be a well-done tale, for all we know.  History shows it won't have any lasting impact, just like last year's Action Comics story where Superman supposedly renounced his global citizenship and nothing ever came of it.  If this is still going on 20 years from now, I promise to apologize.

This story will join other events like Daredevil being "Mike Murdock," Dick Grayson being Batman, Eddie March being Iron Man, and George Lazenby portraying James Bond.  It's all been done before and it all returns to normal sooner or later.  Just be patient.

He was also the creator of great characters like Ragman, Tor and Firehair (as well as the 3-D process for comics) while doing what many consider the definitive versions of Sgt. Rock, two generations of Hawkman, The Golden Age Flash, and scores of other characters.  For a couple of decades, he edited a variety of comics for DC such as their war titles (where he stressed the message of "Make War No More") and books as diverse as Rima, The Jungle Girl and Arion, Lord of Atlantis. 

Joe also created the Joe Kubert School of Comic Book Art.  Opening this fully-accredited facility back in the '70s, he staffed it with professional artists and writers from the comics field to pass on their knowledge.  Previously, art schools taught the illustrative arts for commercial/advertising/fine art purposes, skills that found their ways into the comics field (even if they weren't always utilized).  From this school came talents such as Steve Bissette, Tim Truman, Jan Duursema, Tom Mandrake, Tom Yeates, Fernando Ruiz, and so many more.  In fact, two of Joe's sons (Andy and Adam) became instructors as well as top comics talents.

On a personal level, years ago, I transcribed Bill Schelly's interviews with Joe for Man of Rock, the definitive biography of the great man.  What struck me was that for all of his accomplishments, Joe ended the interview by asking Bill in all sincerity why a biography was being done about him, of all people.  If anyone was entitled to an ego, it was Joe Kubert ... but he was too good a man to have one.

When I look back upon all the best comics I've ever read, Joe's name could be found in many of them.  His contributions to the comic book field are legion and we are all the lesser for his passing.

My prayers of strength and comfort go to his friends, family, and his scores of admirers.

 

Insurance is one of the most lucrative industries in our society, and not just in terms of money. Sure, premiums drain our billfolds each month, but insurance companies also determine which doctors we can see, how much services will cost, what medical procedures we can have, what kind of medicines we can take, and even if we can get a license to drive a car. Ludicrous, right? Well, then, why do we put up with it?

Because greater than the inconvenience of insurance is our fear of suffering a setback. Life is full of setbacks. We get sick, lose jobs, fail in relationships, and go under financially, and we want to do our best to prepare for the worst.

We are all going to face setbacks from time to time, whether the fault is ours, someone else’s, or no one’s. What is most important is what attitudes and actions we choose to take when hardships come. Two comic characters are perfect examples of how our reactions can determine the outcome of setbacks.

Hank Henshaw is a man plagued with setbacks. He and three other crew members are on the space shuttle Excaliber when a solar flare erupts. The bodies of Hank, his wife, and two friends all mutate grotesquely. Then, when the crew makes it back to Earth in hope of getting some help, they are set back again when Superman mistakes them for monsters and attacks them. Hank eventually transfers his mind into a robotic body, but then one of his crew members dies, and Hank’s wife and other crew member each commit suicide. Hank carries on for a while, exploring the universe. But, he grows paranoid, then outraged, blames all his problems on Superman, and becomes bent on revenge. Hank’s new purpose, ever-increasing in fervor, is to ruin or destroy the lives of most beings he encounters. At times he even wishes to terminate his own life.

Hank suffers setbacks beyond his control. Life is unfair to him at times. He has good reason to mourn. But, because he lets heartbreak, bitterness, and hate overwhelm and control him, Hank Henshaw (a.k.a. the Cyborg) is now one of DC’s most formidable villains.

On the other hand, there is Victor Stone. He is a young man who faces his own series of setbacks. During an experiment at S.T.A.R. Labs, Victor’s mother is killed, and Victor, himself, is severely mutilated. Victor’s dad saves Victor’s life by replacing much of Vic’s destroyed body with prosthetics. But, when Victor sees that half of his body is now metal, he is horrified and wants to die. However, Victor realizes that there is a time to grieve and then a time to get better. Victor eventually adjusts to his appearance and learns to control his new limbs.

Victor’s troubles, unfortunately, do not end there. Victor falls behind in school, is rejected by his girlfriend and classmates, and is banned from participating in sports, all while having to deal with several body rebuilds. However, time and again, rather than getting bitter and agreeing to do evil with his new power, Victor chooses to use his powers for good, makes new friends in the Teen Titans, serves as an inspiration to other people who have lost limbs, and, therefore, Victor (a.k.a. Cyborg) is now (thanks to retconning) a founding member of the Justice League.

Sure, it is easy to talk about fictional superheroes overcoming adversity. But there are numerous real people throughout history and in the Bible who have come out ahead even after being set back.

1 Samuel recounts an incident involving David. After a battle, David and his men return home to discover that their city has been burned to the ground, their possessions have been destroyed or stolen, and their families have been kidnapped by the enemy. Major setback. This understandably does not set well with them.

“So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.” 1 Samuel 30:4 (NIV)

David and his men take time to acknowledge and deal with their hurt. BUT they do not dwell or give up. They go to their enemies, defeat them, and take back their families and possessions. This would not have happened if David and his men would have stayed focused on their losses rather than working back up the metaphorical hill.

If we do not give up, we can overcome and learn from setbacks. Sometimes setbacks can even help us move farther ahead in life.

If Joseph had not been sold into slavery by his brothers, then been wrongly accused of a crime and imprisoned, he would never have become Pharaoh’s right-hand man. (See Genesis.)

If Victor Stone had not suffered the injuries he did, he would not have gained his super abilities to fight crime.

If Jesus had not been betrayed by Judas, wrongly imprisoned, and crucified, our sins would not be paid for.

It is unfortunate that we will have to face many setbacks in life without the protection of insurance. However, we can have the ASSURANCE that, through whatever we face, God will always be there with us and for us. He can help us get through any setback and turn it into a victory for His namesake.

“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NLT)

“Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.” James 1:2-4 (NLT)

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 (NLT)

1. Be conscious of fabrics and colors and long sleeves while planning out your costume. If you're wearing dark colors or long sleeves or anything heavy, plan to take lots of breaks and drink extra water. If this is your first time coming to Metropolis, just beware of the fact that at least half of the Celebration takes place outside in muggy heat and it almost always rains at least once during the weekend. So-WATERPROOF.

2. Bring a repair kit. This should include a needle and thread, extra buttons/snaps/velcro, safety pins, duct tape and/or some sort of glue, extra make-up, an extra pair of tights/fishnets if you're wearing those, and a stain pen just in case.

3. Try to make your footwear as comfortable as possible. Line your boots with Dr. Scholls inserts, wear a double layer of thicker socks.

4. Drink lots of water and reapply sunscreen. Nothing like a really bad sunscreen to ruin a costume (and worse, put you at risk for skin cancer)

5. Give yourself a lot of time to walk from point A to point B. Chances are you will get stopped with people wanting your picture and wanting to talk to you. Enjoy it, but plan ahead. And if you do need to dash from place to place, it's okay to politely decline pictures at the moment and just try to let them know where you'll be later so they can get their second chance at a picture.

6. If you are new to costuming or even if you simply get anxious about wearing a costume or posing for pictures, look at pictures of your character and practice a few poses in the mirror beforehand. You might feel silly, but it is extremely helpful to have a few 'go-to' poses so that you don't freeze up when people want your picture.

7. Plan to at least store your costumes nicely after you get back to your room so you don't ruin your hard work. You might even want to plan to do a quick handwashing to make sure they don't get sweat stained after spending all day outside. It might be more work, but think about how much more work it would be to remake the costume entirely.

8. While this last one isn't a survival tip, it is something that I think most of us can agree on. Whether you decide to go all out and fully get into character or not, please don't smoke or swear or engage in any sort of rude behavior if you're costuming as a character who wouldn't do that sort of thing. This is a family friendly festival after all and there's always the chance that some kid might see 'Superman' smoking or swearing and that's not cool. (Sorry guys, my Mom-ness came out on that one!)

For those who've never experienced the fun for the first time, here's a guide to making the best time of your year even better.

(comments and other tips are appreciated)

PLAN AHEAD!

A trip always presents an opportunity for things to go wrong and just one mess-up can ruin an entire weekend -- and for some people this is THE vacation for the family so there's only one shot to get it right.

GET YOUR ROOM EARLY!

Many visitors to the City of Tomorrow book their accommodations six months out and wisely so.  The closer the hotel to Market Street, the sooner they fill up.  You can't always hope that someone will cancel their reservation at the last minute.  Otherwise, you might wind up sleeping at the rest stop north of town or in the Wal-Mart or Sam's Club parking lots in Paducah.

Don't be surprised that the cost of rooms on the Illinois side of the Ohio River skyrocket over the weekend.  They know we're a captive audience and we'll pay.  Rooms across the river in Paducah are often not quite as expensive as in Metropolis, but one should also factor in the time spent driving and the gas being burned.

If your lodging offers a benefits card, sign up for it.  They're usually free and the points you earn for the stay you booked anyway can be redeemed for gifts and even future stays.  Also, for instance, the Wyndham Rewards card is good at the Baymont as well as the Super 8 and several other chain operations.  Thus, it's easier to accrue points as you travel.

STOCK UP!

Metropolis is junk food paradise.  Aside from several decent restaurants, the main strip is lined with vendors who'll deep fry just about anything from 'gator to snack cakes.  What you pop into your belly is the fuel that moves you from event to event.  While whatever gets breaded and boiled on Market Street tastes good, make sure you eat at least one balanced meal per day.  Load up on veggies and fresh fruit because that'll give you the most energy with the least fat and calories.

But most importantly, stay hydrated!  Drink a LOT of water because the temperature is usually in the mid-nineties with lots of humidity.  Carry water with you and refill that bottle often.  It's far better for you than any soda, tea, or coffee and more easily replenishable than sports drinks.

Frequently, one of the local concerns offers free bottled water for the asking.  However, most of the food vendors will carry ice cold water.  There are also grocery stores, convenience stores, and other places that will have bottled water.

Take advantage of the mini-fridge, should your room have one.  Stock up on food and beverages from the local stores (spread the financial love around locally, don'tcha know?).

DRESS FOR SUCCESS!

Since it will be way hot and muggy, as much as possible, wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothing and a hat/cap that provides some shade.  Any exposed flesh should be covered in sunblocker (and don't forget your neck, ears and top of your head.  Also, don't forget the tops of your feet if you wear sandals.

When you go indoors, take off your hat and release the built-up heat since your head is where most of your body heat exits.

If you are costuming, drink extra water!  Many super-hero fabrics don't breathe so stay hydrated so you'll keep on breathing for years to come.

OTHER TIPS!

This is not a comic book convention.   The Superman Celebration is a local street fair with a little more geek oomph to it, but certainly no less enjoyable (for many of us, a LOT more enjoyable).  Expect to make new friends.

Getting opportunities to meet certain celebrities, mostly the media guests, may require a bit of inconvenience for you.  While you might find the process annoying, it is not unfair.  Also, you can get certain things signed for free, but not always everything, even if it's something you brought.  The list of what's what will be posted in the event schedule and usually on site.

Bring a bag for your autographables, water, and extra supplies.  You don't want to ruin your sketchbook by sweating on it, do you?

When getting something signed, have it ready to be signed by the time it's your turn.  This helps the already long lines to move just that much faster.

As soon as the event schedule is released, plan your itinerary.  Many of the Super Friends-related events (Bowling, Meet-And-Greet, Radio Re-enactment, Opening and Closing Skits) are on the official schedule so don't pass up a chance to hook up with us.  Any event not put on the official schedule will be posted here or on the Facebook page.

Don't forget that camera!  You'll want a record of the events and the people you share them with.  And let us know if you post them on Facebook, here, Twitter, your website, etc.

Remember that not all events can be paid for with credit cards.  Bring an appropriate amount of cash, but be careful about flashing your wad in public.  Keep some money in your vehicle or back in your room, just to be safe.

Travel with other people.  Not only is it more fun, they can watch you (as you'll be monitoring them) for signs of heatstroke. 

Know the signs of too much sun and heat!  If someone turns bright red, stops sweating, becomes disorientated or dizzy, and their flesh becomes hot to the touch, get them into the shade immediately.  An air conditioned room is even better.  Pour water over their head -- dignity be damned -- until they cool down.  Also, get them to drink some of what they're being doused with.  Be ready to summon medical help at the first sign of heat stroke.

Many costumers appreciate being called by the name of the character they are portraying.  You shouldn't call them by their civilian names unless you receive permission.  Many of them have worked up poses and love showing off so don't be shy about asking for a  photograph either alone or with someone.  On the other hand, some do not appreciate being photographed while eating, drinking, or even not in a casual situation.  "May I take your picture?" is a question that solves many problems.

If you host a podcast or want to spread the word about your website, bring business cards.  They're easier to carry around than a flyer.

Be a little more patient than usual.  Remember that everyone around you is hot, thirsty, and uncomfortable too.  A little courtesy makes everything better.

Remember that we are guests in Metropolis.  Let's leave it as nice, or better, than how we found it.  And be polite to the locals, especially the members of the MetroChamber who work hard to put on a great event every year.

Most of all, travel safely and have fun.

Any other ideas?

I woke up about 3:30 am, after going to sleep the Saturday night before, after a dream that I don't even remember that jarred me awake and made me realize I was uncomfortable. I quickly turned in bed to readjust. Afterwards I was wheezing and short of breath for a few minutes. I finally fell back to sleep. The next morning when I woke up it felt as if I had a 20 pound weight on my chest and couldn't catch my breath very easily for about 30 minutes. That was a pretty good sign that I needed to make a change.

Now I've described my effort to quit smoking as discarding my Kryptonite in relation to Superman. As we all know, Supes can't just get rid of his Kryptonite. He has no choice in how it affects him. What's worse though, a weakness you have no control over or one that you do but you let it consume you? I'm going with the latter.

If I think about it, perhaps then smoking can be related to the Red Kryptonite in Smallville. It's not good for Clark but he seems to enjoy the sensation it brings to him without taking into account the dangers that come with it. That's what smoking is for me, or anybody! Don't take me wrong though, this is not me becoming some overall non smoking advocate and gaining an "Oh you smoke, that's so bad. You're a terrible human being" attitude. That would just be somewhat hypocritical. I realize how bad smoking is but I'm not going to bash someone because they smoke. I know how hard it is to quit and how addictive it can be, obviously. I'm just realizing for myself that I am ready to put my best efforts into giving it up.

Do I still want a cigarette? At this point yes but not as bad as I thought I would. Heck, I broke myself of the habit of smoking in the car I just bought within a week of buying it. That just shows my will power is stronger than I thought cause I've smoked in my car since about the time I started smoking. "It's my car, I'll do what I want." was my thought. Now I have a car that's only a couple years old and I remember the smell, the burns and the mess. I'd like to avoid that with this one.

One thing that is helping me is the E-Cig or Electronic Cigarette. I bought one of those and all it does is allow you to control your cravings with water vapor, flavored if you so wish, I got mint, with some nicotine in it therefore eliminating the smoke, carbon dioxide and other toxic chemicals.

(Not to mention that nasty Tar, which we ALL know is certainly no good. Just look what it did to Supes after Gus Gorman used it to replace the unknown ingredient in Kryptonite in Superman 3!!)

I use the e-cig less, it satisfies my cravings, tastes better and no harm to myself! After all, the nicotine is what's addictive but it's not what is bad for you. It is very addictive and acts as a stimulant but in itself it's not especially harmful. It's the usual methods of nicotine intake with cigarettes and chew that cause the health issues.

I also noticed a couple funny things as of today. I knew they would happen but nonetheless it was surprising.

As I walked around the office today I kept noticing that I was smelling different foods that people would be eating perhaps at lunch or maybe a snack. Perfumes and colognes were very noticeable as well. Also, my boss likes to treat us to chocolate covered treats on occasion such as pecans and almonds. I had a chco-pecan today, it tasted better than I remember! Smoking does effect ones sense of smell and taste, I just didn't expect those senses to be coming back so soon. It was pretty awesome!

I'm also breathing easier after just 3 days! It's easier to wake up in the morning when you don't feel like you have to stop and catch your breath before throwing the covers back and getting out of bed. I can't wait to see how I feel after a few weeks go by.

Overall, I just have to remember things like that and how I felt last weekend to help keep me on the right path. My family and friends are helping too. They have been a great support for me since I told them and have been cheering me on. With any luck I'll be completely smoke free in a month or so and not look back.

Anyway, I just felt I would share that as one; I haven't posted a blog in a while and two; I'm pretty happy with the decision I've made. I'm hoping to see most if not all of you this June in Metropolis (If I can swing it, still hoping I'll be able to afford it) and be able to announce that I am done smoking for good.

Action Comics #1 arrived in the first full week of releases of the DC relaunch.  In this one, in a tale from five years ago, we meet a Superman who invades the penthouse home of a Mr. Glenmorgan, a local developer who uses bribery and substandard materials to fill his coffers.  The Metropolis police arrive to see Glenmorgan in the arms of a character who holds the man effortlessly over his head and then leaps over the side to easily survive the fall.  Needless to say, the criminal begins to confess to his many misdeeds.  But instead of being grateful (and probably aware of what a confession under duress means in court), the cops pursue the man in blue and red, but to no avail.  The Superman disguises himself as Clark Kent, a crusading reporter for The Daily Star.

However, General Sam Lane has his eye on Superman as does consultant Lex Luthor.  Since sighting Superman six months prior, the being's power seems to have increased.  To prove his point, Lex stages a trap for the Man of Steel, knowing it would endanger innocent lives.  But after repelling the military's attack, the people put themselves in harm's way to allow Superman time to escape.

Clark warns his friend Jimmy Olsen to not board the local trains, saying that they are part of Glenmorgan's retaliation for being arrested.  However, Lois Lane of The Daily Planet tracks Glenmorgan's muscle to one of those trains ... which begins to pick up speed.  Clark changes to Superman in time to stop the train.  However, pinned against the side of the Daily Planet building, our hero appears to be drained of all strength ... as Lex Luthor tells General Lane that he's made good on his promise to deliver the alien.

I'm NOT a huge Grant Morrison fan.  He can be absolutely brilliant (Animal Man, 52, Zenith, Batman, All-Star Superman) or lose sight of his plotting in the light of his high concepts (Infinite Crisis, The Invisibles, Skull-Kill Crew).  In this story -- and it is a story -- he is focused like a laser.  This Superman is a bit cocky, morally outraged, and willing to use his powers to help the helpless.  A nod is given to events in the original Action #1 ("I heard about a woman in Bakerline whose husband was beating her every night until Superman heard her crying and threw the guy out the window and into the river.") along with a nod towards the real life consequences ("Broke both his hips and six ribs.").  His Clark Kent is capable and low key, similar to the George Reeves and John Byrne versions.  In fact, the supporting characters all ring true as well.

If Rags Morales had any reservations about accepting the art assignment, as evidenced in his blog, he doesn't show it.  The storytelling is solid and a good balance between cartoony and more realistic.  Inker Rick Bryant and colorist Brad Anderson round out the visuals with rich blacks and plenty of light, bright colors.

Complain all you want about the end of the Modern Age Superman ... this is a Superman with solid roots in the past who shows traces of the hero and inspiration he will become, wrapped in a well-paced story that makes a good jumping on point for new readers and a solid read for veteran readers who are giving it a chance in droves (Action #1 will go through a second printing soon).  My only complaint about this issue might be that I have to wait a month between issues.

             I have been a fan of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and even Hulk, Spider-Man and other comic book heroes for years.  Add in Star Wars, Star Trek (at least the movies) and other sci-fi and fantasy related things and you have the makings of a true nerd.  I mean honestly, I even know Superman’s favorite movie…To Kill a Mockingbird and I know that Clark Kent’s middle name is Joseph (Or Jerome according to Lois and Clark).  Certainly only something a geek can answer.  On the other hand…

             It’s September, the NFL is back for another season of football fun!  I myself am a Chicago Bears fan and hope they are going all the way this year!  They looked GREAT on Sunday VS the Atlanta Falcons but there are some things I’m concerned about this year.  I’m not sure that running back Marion Barber is going to be a big asset to us based on his performance the last couple years, and having him on a fantasy football team last year.  Plus, Barber is already hurt and missed the first regular season game Sunday.  Add to that defensive linebacker Lance Briggs wanting to be traded due to not getting an increase in salary, Briggs is one of our best defensive players.  Although one pick up we got, wide receiver Roy Williams, did better than I thought he’d do so maybe he’ll be good this year.  Overall if they keep up what they did Sunday we’ve got a great shot…GO BEARS!!

             One of my fantasy football teams is looking good though, quarterback Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints threw a hell of a game last Thursday night vs. the Green Bay Packers.  The Saints didn’t win but the job Brees did still got me 33 points!  Glad to have him back in my roster this year, on one of my 3 leagues that I am doing anyway.  In the other 2 leagues I have Ben Roethlisberger as my starting QB.  Not a fan of him personally but he is a good player, as long as he improves from Sunday’s dismal performance.  I’m hoping to be able to kick some butt this year with my fantasy teams.

             Why do I bring this up?  To show that someone can be a geek about anything if they are passionate about it.  There are people who know football or sports in general, cars, hunting, stamp collecting, comic books, movies, etc.  Unfortunately, some interests are seen as more geeky than others.  Nevertheless ones passions are part of what make them who they are, whether you know the stats of every NASCAR driver on the circuit or you can recite every line in Spaceballs.  I myself enjoy being a multi-geek as it were.  As much as I look forward to following Superman’s adventures I also enjoy spending a Sunday with friends watching football and rooting for Da Bears.

             Obviously those of us on the SuperFriends of Metropolis Website are fans of Superman but what other passions do you have besides the Man of Steel? 

 That being said I think these topics are a good reason to ask…What is your favorite interpretation of Superman?  Are you a fan of an entire era of Superman, one storyline, one moment in his history?  It could be from the movies, TV, books, comics, radio, any media form of Supes that rings true with you. 

 In my lifetime I grew up with Christopher Reeve personifying Superman for me so in film he is by far my favorite.  If we are referring to the comics I would have to say the reinvention of Clark and his journey to becoming Superman done by John Byrne is the one that stands out for me.

 What are your thoughts?  Let me know your favorite interpretation of Superman. 
 

One month from now, DC will restart its entire mainstream line with all-new #1 issues.  Many series will take the opportunity to tweak continuity, others will use it as a fresh start.  One of the latter is SUPERMAN and ACTION COMICS.  When this was announced, the funnybook punditocracy couldn't gnash it's teeth more.

Sundry moaned and wailed, "Why are they destroying MY Superman?  Doesn't DC care about its fans?"

Honestly ... the fans have let DC down ... that's why they're taking this financial and creative risk.

When Jack Lebowitz was publisher at DC, the policy was that ANY comic that sold under 200,000 copies would be kicked to the curb.  BATMAN and DETECTIVE COMICS almost saw cancelation TWICE because of this policy.  Fast forward to the present ... SUPERMAN now sells under 50,000 copies an issue (actually now more like 45,000 and dropping) and ACTION was last reported to be selling around 30,000.  Many a creative superstar has worked on each title in the last five years but the downward sales trend (one that's reflected in the entire comics industry right now) has continued after the slight spike in curiosity sales. (source= www.comicsbeat.com, various entries)

One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.  Top talent hasn't arrested the sales decline.  Dropping the price by a dollar didn't do it.  The business model is failing to register with the public at large, many of whom are unaware that comics are still being produced.

And now we have a still of Henry Cavill as the new film Superman ... and the wailing begins anew.  "The costume is plastic, it's too textured, he's not an American, and where's the spitcurl?"  And on the heels of the pic came the  announcement that Lawrence Fishburne is cast as Perry White.  The volume of carping increased once again.

If you are aware of the history of Superman, he's changed a LOT over the years due to the demands of readers (as opposed to "fans") and the marketplace.  Superman used to be a vigilante who wasn't above coercion to gain info from criminals or to mete out violent judgment without due process.  But to appeal to parents, he basically became a family-friendly right arm to Law Enforcement.  When older readers entered the comics marketplace in the late 60s and asked why Superman didn't mop up in Viet Nam, tackle pollution, or even move out of the newspaper field and become a TV anchorman, the comics responded appropriately.  When readers thought Superman was too powerful, he lost some of his uber-abilities.

But he always changed back.  Every time.  He could turn his attention to Lana Lang, as in the '70s, but he always returned to Lois.  Kryptonite might change to Iron or Pa Kent might live to see his adopted son grow up, but that changed back too.

And Superman can be the mischevious vigilante, the guy who lights suns with huge matches, the guy who had to visualize a lynx to access his powers, the George Reeves who could split into two or walk through walls, the Christopher Reeve who could toss all the nukes into the Sun, the Brandon Routh who left Earth to confirm the death of his home world, or whomever.  The point is that SOME version of Superman is someone else's Superman.  None of us have a lock on THE Superman, except for the one that has resonance for us.

But some so-called fans seem to think the sky is falling.  Some insist that a business decision is somehow personal, that DC is trying to drive away its readership.  Nonsense!  The fans aren't coming to the party so DC is inviting new guests.  The hope is that this new version will have a broader appeal and it would HAVE to.  The current version seems to have run out of sales steam.

And some call for the heads of the DC editorial and creative staff and even express the idea that DC should go out of business because of this.  So who wants all those writers, artists, letterers, colorists, editors, production people to lose their jobs, especially in THIS economy?  How can anyone be so cold, so unsympathetic, so un-SUPERMAN about this result of the change?

A mystery writer of note once had one of his books made into a spectacularly bad film.  When asked how he felt now that his book had been ruined, the writer pointed to a copy on his bookshelf and said, "Look at it.  It's not ruined.  It's still a good book."

YOUR Superman is still out there.  He may be on DVD or in reprints or in issues you missed the first time.  But he's still out there, every bit as valid as the other versions. 

As for the new more alien, never married to Lois, armored and collared version, perhaps it will keep the character in the public eye for another 25 years, the length of time since the last major revamp of the legend.  Without seeing more than a few pages of unlettered art, how will you know that you won't enjoy it more (or could at least live with it)? 

So BUY the new book and read it with an open mind.  Watch the film with no expectations except that it will be a well-constructed action movie.  If you don't enjoy them, send DC a letter (not an e-mail) and tell them calmly, politely, why.  But THAT is in the spirit of Superman, gathering the proper information like Clark Kent, making a rational decision, but wishing no one ill for enjoying the new stories just like Jonathan and Martha raised their boy to do.  Anything else spits on the true spirit of the character.

Then let the new readers and movie fans enjoy what could become THEIR Superman because the alternative could be NO Superman at all.  And I doubt even the most callous of so-called "fans" would want a world without a Superman.

I'm obviously no different from the rest of you in that I love my superheroes and villains.  I'd say I know more about them than an average person, but when I read other fan posts on this site, and on Facebook, I end up feeling like a big dummy because I don't read comics.  I've learned very quickly that I've got a lot to learn, especially about the history of Superman in comics. 

So the purpose of this blog is to ask all of you to offer your tips and advice on how to ease into comic geekdom, and I hope that other novices, like me, can benefit from your experience.  Here are my issues (pun intended) that have contributed to me not getting too involved with comics.  Please feel free to respond to any or all of them.  I prefer DC, but am open to Marvel suggestions, too.  FYI--I really like Aquaman, so if anybody can make recommendations on his storylines, that would be fabulous.

1.  I'm impatient and don't like cliffhangers.  Many storylines are stretched out over several issues, and cross over into other titles.  That drives me nuts.  I know that it's common practice now to publish all parts into one hardcover or paperback edition, so you get the whole story, rather than being stuck chasing down individual issues.  This could be a good thing for me, but I don't know where to start.  Which storylines, that are available in graphic novel format, do you recommend?

2.  Are there any titles that don't do as much stretching of stories, and are comprised of more one-shot stories.  I really like those better.  I like a quick little fun/interesting story that I can read as a minor diversion.

3.  As a way to be exposed to a wide spectrum of characters, which titles typically feature more heroes and villains?  I'll assume any Justice League, Teen Titans, X-Men books would be a good start, but I know there are probably a lot of variations of these titles.  Which ones are the best?

4.  Comic collecting can be an expensive hobby, and I'm not in the position, right now, to start spending more money on randomly filling in my collection.  If I did want to start hunting down issues again, where is the best place to start?  Flea markets, eBay, collector shows???  I'm a cheapskate and try to just go through the back issue bins for $1 books.

5.  I like to be light-heartedly entertained, so I probably won't like getting into really heavy or complicated stories.  Are there any specific titles that are written a little more fun, and less dark.  I think superheroes are fun, and I think that I'd prefer fun stories over the really deep stuff, ya know?

Thanks for any advice you guys and gals can offer up!
 

Having just attended a screening of "Captain America", I was encouraged in writing to you to offer a few words.

Captain America made his debut in comic books in March of 1941, just under a year after the first appearance of my predecessor, Alan Scott, the first Green Lantern, in July of 1940, so, so-to-speak, the Captain and I have been known to the public for about the same amount of time.  Now, I suffer no illusions that Captain America was probably a little more well-known than me prior to our respective movies, but I maintain that our similar age, as well as our multitude of fans each, put us on a relatively similar level.  So, when it came down to our movies being competition-of-sorts in this summer's box office, I - as well as many others, I'm sure - assumed the 'winner' (in terms of audience favorite, which presumably would be reflected in the box office intake) would be a complete toss-up.  After all, while Captain may have been more popular, the visual brilliance of my powers and his lack thereof seemed to be an ace in the hole for me.  Especially with 3D (which seems made precisely for a movie about me) being so popular, it really did seem clear that a movie about me would sweep moviegoers off their feet.

So what happened?

Honestly, for me, it took a while for the 'Green Lantern' movie to sink in.  Of course I was a bit jaded going in (pun intended), so it really had to digest a few days.  But after those few days of really breaking it down and thinking about it, I came to realize that there was hardly anything, and I mean ANYTHING, redeemable about my film.  "Perhaps this is just in the nature of these types of movies!" I thought to myself.  I really wanted to like my movie, you see, but something just wasn't right.  So again I thought to myself, "Wait until you see Cap - see what they have in common - what ailments seem to befall both - and perhaps ALL - comic book movies and then, THEN you can truly judge 'Green Lantern' in proper context.", so I waited.

This brings me to this afternoon, wherein I saw "Captain America", and I must say - my thinking was correct, because 'Captain America' really helped me form my final opinion of 'Green Lantern': I hated it.

It takes a very large and specific amount of disdain to really *hate* something, ESPECIALLY a movie that is based on you.  Or maybe it's the other way around.  Regardless, I like to think of myself as a clearheaded individual, and there's no doubt that I do have a considerable amount of willpower and self-discipline (see the Green Lantern Corps selection process), so I'm confident that my opinion of this film is in no way biased - for or against - by the fact that it was based on me.

That said; let's discuss what 'Captain America' did right and what 'Green Lantern' did very, very wrong:

Character development:

In 'Green Lantern', we're introduced to "Hal Jordan" - cocky, lazy, self-seeking, haunted playboy.  Basically Tony Stark.  And for the record, had any of the screenwriters taken the time to, I don't know, talk to me before trying to capture me for the film, maybe they would have realized how unfitting and offensive their portrayal of me was.  I mean, I have my faults, I know, and I've certainly overcome many more since before getting the ring, but come on - if you're going to make me look like a jerk, at least give me some credit.  But this is all just an aside - the point is that you learn those things about "Hal" pretty early into the film... and then that's it.  Nothing further.  An added total of about 10 minutes was spent showing who "I" was, which was about all that was needed considering this was a cliché character-type that everyone has seen before.  No sense wasting time, eh?

 This was far from the case with ‘Captain America’, where about 70% of the movie was character development.  At first glance, this might seem a bit overdone and even, perhaps, boring, but the skill of the filmmakers prevented such tragedy.  You see, they recognized that for audiences to really love a character, they needed to get to know him, and so ‘Captain America’ spends a great deal of its runtime letting viewers into the mind and world of Captain, or, rather, Steve Rogers.  He’s a pathetic guy with aspirations that extend far beyond his capability, much like “Hal”, but the difference here is that people ACTUALLY CARE.

When it comes down to it, effects and humor are great, but they’re mere puddles of icing if there’s not a delicious cake for it to adorn.  Think about it this way: my associate, Guy Gardner, has the exact same power ring as I do.  No difference.  But if you ask anyone, they’ll say I’m the more powerful hero.  Why is that?  Because there’s more to me underneath that ring than there is him.  It’s my heart that makes me the endearing hero that I am (Sorry if you’re reading this, Guy, but I think you’ll see my point).  ‘Captain America’, both the film and the character, had a wealth of heart that viewers could see – ‘Green Lantern’, on the other hand, had none.

Special effects:

As I said before, when it comes to special effects, it seemed pretty clear to anyone, I’m sure, that ‘Green Lantern’ would stand miles above ‘Captain America’.  After all, my powers basically ARE CGI, how hard could it be to mess this one up?

I’ll start off by saying that the effects done on the obvious thing, my ring, were great.  They captured exactly as they needed to and my holographic hat is tipped to the animators who slaved away for hours working on those effects.  Had the movie consisted of those effects and only those, things would have been fine.  Problem is; they didn’t.  It was like the computer effects department got so high on what they were doing that they called up the camera men and props/set guys and basically said, “Chill out, I got this.”

Frankly put, many of the things in this movie just did NOT need to be computer generated.  The aliens?  Okay, maybe, even though some CGI-assisted puppets, ala ‘Jurassic Park’, probably would have been cheaper and looked more realistic, helping to ground the rather ‘out there’ movie into a little more believable territory.  The costume?  Totally unnecessary.  Again, maybe some assistance, making some cool green light radiate out from every seam would have been neat, but this was just overkill and – let’s face it – just an attempt to look cool since CGI is the ‘happening thing’ these days.

On the other side of the spectrum, we have ‘Captain America’.  A movie not without its share of CGI, sure, but done much more beautifully.  Instead of wasting their effects budget on computer-generating every tank, car and background, the filmmakers instead choice a more subtle approach.  Computer-ASSISTED imagery made up the entire first third of the film, sure, but the number of things completely created on computer were few and far between.

Now, you might be saying to yourself that this is all apples and oranges, that one can’t really compare a movie with virtually no need for CGI to a film that relied on it, but that’s precisely my point: ‘Captain America’ proves that a film doesn’t NEED CGI to work, that CGI should be used entirely as a tool and not a selling point.  Similarly, ‘Green Lantern’, proved that a complete over-reliance on cool effects was not enough to make for a great film.  Had the filmmakers of GL made the film as if CGI wasn’t even an option at first, perhaps they would have been forced to make a film that doesn’t need CGI, at which point the effects would be introduced, as they should be, as icing onto an already delicious cake.

----

Oh, shoot - trouble on Titan, I'll have to finish this later.  To be continued in Part 2.

 

Green Lantern of Sector 2814 out!