Super Heroes.....

I was trying to think of a name for a Super Hero, one that hasnt been used. You may think that its a easy thing... but with over 70 years of pop culture the well has been getting a bit low.

Back in our “Champions” days I had Kid Rocket and Ambush... and I wouldn't be surprised if they had both been used by now. I remember Manta Man, Cerberus, Shadow Warrior (who was a Ninja...go figure) and Chiron ( Also Tron and Bladerunner... but those were the least original and I was responsible for one) from our old game. We would spend hours trying to think of names.

I was thinking “The Rebel”, yes I know it carries a certain Redneck quality but it also means someone who stands apart from the crowd who won’t just bow his head and go with the herd. I’m not sure if the name has been used but a a quick google didnt show anything.

The Rebel would be a man with no memory, he would now how to do things but have no memory of ever learning them... He is not a Amnesiac per say... but everything prior to him waking up in a Lab simply does not exist in his brain.

His powers would be the result of Genetic Manipulation and not “Mutant”, the result of a experiment. All other test subjects were either A. horribly disfigured or B. driven stark raving bonkers by the process. The Rebel is the soul survivor ( out of 237), who was ordered “Disposed of” but was saved by a Dr. who recognized a difference in his readouts. for 10 years, the tube containing The Rebel sat humming away on a island off the coast of New York while what or who ever he was before, transformed into The Rebel.

or something like that...

I wish we still played champions every now and then, I miss the banter between the “Blast Them” Heroes and the “ We have to take them in alive” Heroes. Those were fun times, fueled by Frito’s and Jalopano cheese dip. My god did we use to roll some dice in that game.

My Super Bowl Victory....

Yes, I like the Packers and Yes.... Yes they won, but that is not my super bowl victory. My Victory came in the form of of a 30 second spot during the 2nd quarter.

Yes it was the first Trailer for the up coming movie “Captain America: The First Avenger”. Its no surprise to those who know me that I am a big Captain America fan. I have been waiting for some footage from this movie since they first announced it. The stills have been great, I have loved what they did with Cap’s costume and Chris Evans I think, has really stepped up and looks the part.

The Trailer was ... IMO... Fantastic, It showed Cap as a scrawny teenager, then him as a scrawny soldier ( I believe in the original books he was actually 4F and unable to enlist but thats ok). They show him receive the Super Soldier Serum and BAM!! Buff Chris Evans.

Another thing I noticed (In fact like a good geek I ran home to my computer and frame by framed it) Were Members of the Howling Commandos in some scenes... the Derby Wearing “Dum-Dum” Dugan and someone who appears to be “Pinky” Pinkerton ( The Beret wearing limey) can be seen as well as what appears to be a oriental fellow??

Now I am still very upset that Samuel L Jackson is Nick Fury, that still bugs me... but the addition of these characters is nothing but more icing on a already iced cake. The Red Skull looks good as well and Hydra is in evidence through out the clip.

And the Shield...oh yes, they even showed the shield, both in it painted and unpainted form. I probably would have like a more dramatic reveal of the the shield... but I am happy with what they showed.

Someone did mention that there weren't going to be Nazi’s and just Hydra... and that would bother me. Why bother to show Cap in his original setting if you weren’t going to have him go toe to toe with those goose stepping bums, But we’ll have to see.

You may have enjoyed your car commercials... your Soda can Slinging, cell phone hawking dorito selling spots, hell you may have even enjoyed the game.... but for me, the victory was seeing that first Trailer for Captain America.

The link to the trailer is http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810026349/video/24097036

Note: In the picture above, that is supposedly Bucky standing to Caps right (our right).

A Dredd-full post...

Ok... as I said I was a Comic fan, during that golden time I attended A collectables show at the Christiana mall ( This was in the early 80’s) while my mother shopped I mindlessly went through the booths of antiques, collectables and knick-knacks. One fellow was selling old newspapers and magazines, I went through his bargain bin and found a armful of what appeared to be a sunday morning comics section... they were “2000 AD” a english publication that ran some serialized US comics and there own... one of those was a comic called “Judge Dredd”

I loved it, in fact at of all the “2000 AD” comics it is the only one I really remember, especially Judge Dredds battle against Judge Death. Citadel... that was what Games Workshop was called in the olde days published a game set in the world of Judge Dredd and I think I was the only person in the US to buy it.

Judge Dredd was the law in every sense of the word, the Judges had the power to not only apprehend criminals but to charge and pass sentence on the spot. They did this in the massive Megacity 1 ( which covered most of the US NE) with its rebelling robots and rioting citizens.

Then came the year 1995... and they made a movie staring Sylvester Stalone... ok, it wasn't that good, to level set, it also starred Rob Schneider... the true herald of a piece of S movie. I just subjected myself to watching this movie... twice, truth is I think they did alright with some of the design elements, it was truly the story and acting that sunk that movie ( and Diane Lane could arrest me anyday dressed like that).

One of the things that really bugged me about the movie, was Dredd’s face, in the comic, his face had been disfigured in a fight against a “Perp”... I mean horribly disfigured... One time he was fighting some carjackers and they squirted something on his helmet and he had to take it off ( a censored bar appeared over Dredds face in the next panel) all the Criminals freaked he was so ugly... but they dropped that. Dredd in the comic was not a hulking mass of muscle... but he was in the movie.

The movie I believe is another case of hollywood not taking a comic “Seriously”, this was the standard issue in 90’s comics movies... in fact I would say that the only movies to buck the trend are some of the recent Dark Knight movies, “Sin City”, “The Watchmen” and “The 300 hundred”.

I was posting Dredd movie quotes on FB and a friend... whom we’ll call Matt Uaneray... mentioned they maybe doing a new Dredd movie with Karl Urban as Dredd... I looked it up and sure enough they are... I honestly wish them luck and have high hopes... if not.. I shall judge them.