Those Blasted Superfriends: Superfriends Rest in Peace

On By Charlie BrooksIn Comics, Film1 Comment

I might seem mean-spirited with these rants against Superfriends, but I laugh because I love. These old cartoons provided me with many hours of entertainment as a kid, although I suppose that’s arguably proof that television rots your brain.

This time around, I’m graduating to the more “mature” version of the show, Challenge of the Superfriends. Specifically, the episode I’m looking at is called “Superfriends Rest in Peace,” which actually proves quite dark for the era and results in the on-screen “deaths” of multiple superheroes.

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Comics & Quests: The Dragonreach Saga

On By Charlie BrooksIn Comics, Role-Playing GamesLeave a comment

It tooks all the way until “Phases of the Moon” for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons comic to deliver my favorite storyline, but the Forgotten Realms line did it in its second story. That said, while I enjoy “The Dragonreach Saga” for its main story, the real thing that gets me to latch onto this tale as something wonderful comes in its B-plot.

Let’s dive into a tale of dragons, villainy, and…mid-wifery?

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Time for Some Christmas Specials: How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

On By Charlie BrooksIn FilmLeave a comment

Growing up, there were two things my brothers and I always did every Christmas. First, we’d always listen to my dad read The Night Before Christmas while changing the words each time, much to our consternation. Second, we made it a point to catch the 1966 animated special How the Grinch Stole Christmas! on television. Several filmmakers have tried adapting Dr. Seuss’ classic story since, but none of them ever came close to the perfection that the 1966 crew achieved.

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Supervillain Evolutions: The Joker

On By Charlie BrooksIn ComicsLeave a comment

The Joker is one of the most interesting characters in comics. He somehow positioned himself as the evil counterpart to Batman, despite there being no obvious connection between bats and clowns. Over the years he’s been a precision killer, a laughingstock, and a mass murderer. With so many stories featuring him from so many different perspectives, the quality of his villainy and stories often oscillates between great and terrible.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the Joker’s history, how he became so iconic, and why I now try to avoid reading any stories he appears in.

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Election Day 2024 Fallout

On By Charlie BrooksIn Miscellaneous RamblingsLeave a comment

Well, here we are again.

In 2021, I wrote a reflection about the Donald Trump presidency and the beginning of Joe Biden’s term. I had hoped we were closing an ugly chapter of American history, but I ended by pointing out that it’s not over. And it’s not. Here we are in 2024, and the American voting public decided to bring Trump back for a second term.

In addition to my warning last time of, “It’s not over,” the headers in my previous reflection included:

  • Hubris was One Enemy…
  • …and Cowardice was Another
  • America’s Institutions Held, but Only Barely

So let’s look at those three items again, along with an important question: What happens now?

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Superhero Evolutions: Batman

On By Charlie BrooksIn ComicsLeave a comment

Criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot, so my disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts. I must be a creature of the night, black, terrible…

A seemingly perfect counterbalance to Superman, Batman first appeared in 1939 in Detective Comics #27. A creation of Bob Kane and Bill Finger, Batman was dark and brooding where Superman was colorful and bright, fallible where Superman was seemingly invincible. He perfectly defined the other side of costumed superheroes, becoming the archetype of the highly competent yet still mortal vigilante.

Along with Superman and Wonder Woman, Batman forms DC Comics’ “Big Three,” the most recognizable and longest-lasting comic book icons in history. That recognition doesn’t give him immunity to people mucking around with the core concept of who the character is, though.

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Meddling Heroes: Eva Corson

On By Charlie BrooksIn FictionLeave a comment

Over the years, I’ve represented sentient robots, hyper-intelligent gorillas, and time-displaced cavemen. They all followed one simple rule: they wore pants in my office.

In a world of vigilantes and supervillains, a good defense lawyer never stops working. Eva Corson is one of the best, having made a living defending the dangerous, the evil, and the criminally insane. For many superheroes, she is worse than the villains she defends. In her eyes, though, everything she does is about the pursuit of justice and redemption.

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