Batman Rises and Falls and Rises Again

I am currently conjuring up ideas which I plan to incept into a novel at the moment, so I will be adding to my log whenever I can, whenever I get the chance, whenever I get thirsty for more online mind spewing. But for the moment, let's dip ourselves into a little "bat goo" in honor of the recently released bat flick, The Dark Knight Rises.

And like before, the rise and fall and rise again concept comes to mind.

Like the Star Wars saga, Christopher Nolan's Batman films are all part of one solid shell, one solid story arc that takes the main character and his comrades on many escapades and adventurous debacles. There are catchy themes and values, quotes and morals, and who could forget those classy, yet eminent villains? Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and the newest offspring, The Dark Knight Rises tell the tale of a man who takes tragedy and turns it into an ultimate victory, becoming a black caped vigilante of the night and helping people so they don't face the same horrors he faced as a child. The Batman saga embodies a story of many grand elements. There is tragedy, revenge, justice, courage, corruption, deception, and most importantly, avenging nature. Like many films of today's movie going generation, the Christopher Nolan Batman films take an already existing creation and turn it into something entirely contemporary, realistic, and relatable. In other words, the films take real world situations and realities and mix it in with the Batman we have all come to love and adore.

He's my favorite DC character, not because he does what's right for himself, because he does what he can to dignify and purify his character, touching lives and striking fear into the hearts of the retched in the process. He proves that you don't need to be Kryptonian to make a phenomenal difference and change the world, a world full of insanity and crime causers. He's just a regular, ordinary businessman, still trying to find who he is and what he was put on the Earth to accomplish.

It's not who he is underneath, but what he does that defines him. 

Now, you probably question yourself as to how Batman fits on the pegs of the rise and fall and rise again concept I developed in my Phantom to Jedi essay. Well, I suggest pondering on the matter, and you may understand and see things never before seen. Look from a different perspective and you can set eyes on different things just as I do.

It's all how you look at it. It's all on the hands of your point of view.

And when I looked at it from a certain point of view, it came quite clear to my brain. Batman is just like the heroes of the Star Wars saga. He carries a bit of the tragic greek hero, the Shakespearean outcast, the common folk hero who seems haunting, but ultimately proves beneficially in the story's grand scheme of things. And like Anakin Skywalker, he withstands horrifying events throughout his life. However, unlike Anakin Skywalker, he uses what happens to him as a sword, a sword to bring the retched to their knees so they don't inflict pain on others. He basically uses tragedy to motivate himself to save the day, as all superheroes do at some point. He doesn't believe in revenge and won't kill, because that will make him the same as the guy who murdered his parents. It's like in Return of the Jedi, when Luke is tempted to strike down Darth Vader, only realizing that it will make him as equal as Vader himself.



Batman is the great Greek hero, like Hercules, but in order to take on the "retched pinheads of Gotham" as the Penguin calls them, he must transform himself into his lifelong fear. By taking on the form of a bat, Bruce Wayne becomes that great intimidating hero he wants to be, the great intimidating hero that will send the crooks back to their holes. Like Anakin Skywalker, Batman uses the darkness to not only conceal himself, but to strike terror on his enemies. However, unlike Anakin Skywalker, Batman uses the darkness to drive the wretchedness away, not to promote it. Batman uses the darkness to do good, while Anakin, who has been consumed by the Vader persona, uses the darkness to spread his hatred and disgust for the galaxy all over...well..the galaxy. In a documentary I fluently observed one day, it stated that Bruce Wayne is a lot like Theodore Roosevelt. Like Batman, Roosevelt lost his cherished loved ones and was on the verge of doing evil deeds, however, like Bruce Wayne in the first act of Batman Begins, he pulls himself out of the thick mud and ultimately goes down as a glorified legend, a legend who made a substantial difference in the lives of the many.

In Batman Begins, young Bruce Wayne witnesses something ghastly, something a child should never have to witness. After the death of his parents, Bruce embarks on a revenge mission, a mission to get back at Joe Chill, his parent's murderer. It works very differently than the origin told in Tim Burton's first Batman film from 1989 in which Jack Napier, who eventually becomes the Joker, kills Wayne's parents. In that film, Batman inadvertently drops Napier into a pool of green chemicals which transforms him into the Joker, but Bruce later realizes that it's the same man that murdered his parents. The Joker creates Batman and Batman creates the Joker and they both embark on a quest to get back at one another for what they did to each other. In the end, Batman realizes that revenge is not the answer and although he would go on to stop other villains in the Burton/Schumacher universe (THE ICEMAN COMETH!), he doesn't want to kill anyone, just bring them to their knees so they leave Gotham alone. It's similar to what Chris O'Donnell's Dick Grayson aka Robin suffers from in Batman Forever. But let's get back to Begins, because the Burton and Schumacher Batmans are very diverse from the Nolan Batman.



After the death of his parents, Bruce Wayne is continuously haunted by his horrid past days and when his parents' murderer is finally put on trial, Bruce debates on killing him and getting back at Chill for what he put him through. As Bruce goes to shoot Chill, someone else pulls the trigger and kills him instead. Angered by his failure to stop the man who terrorized his childhood, Bruce embarks on another revenge mission, to hunt down the man who hired the woman to kill Joe Chill. Bruce eventually finds the man, Carmine Falcone, and while talking with him, Falcone taunts him on his parents' murder, saying his father "begged for mercy like a dog". Bruce is beaten by Falcone's men, thrown into the streets, and it's at that moment that he realizes the treachery and chaos he could ensure if he embarks on a revenge mission. If he embarks on a revenge mission against society, then he could become equal to Chill and Falcone instead of defending the innocent against people like them. He realizes what evil he could do and throws his gun into the water, like he's throwing away his inner demon. He later struggles to find his way into society's importance and at one point, he is arrested and thrown into jail. And when he is in jail, he realizes that he could spend the rest of his life behind bars if he follows in the steps of revenge, in the steps of Joe Chill's murderous ways.

He is soon after summoned by Henry Ducard, a warrior under allegiance to Ra's Al Ghul, and Ducard trains him, taunting him and tormenting him just like the criminals he would later face would. Bruce learns many things, learns many arts and defense strategies, but also learns to never take a life for his own satisfaction. As Rachel Dawes once told him, justice is about making society a better place, revenge is only about making yourself feel better. It once again harkens back to the Star Wars saga, as Luke is given the choice to defeat Vader (what Obi-Wan and Yoda want) or join Vader. In Batman Begins, Bruce is given the choice to kill Ra's Al Ghul's prisoner (what Ducard and Al Ghul want) or leave the criminal be, for he has learned his lesson already and death will not make matters better. So Bruce creates another alternative, just as Luke does, to go back to Gotham and fight criminals like Al Ghul's prisoner, and he defies all the things Ducard and Al Ghul want, making a swift escape and burning Al Ghul's home to the ground. As Bruce leaves the unconscious Ducard with a local villager, he sets his coordinates back to Gotham City, establishing the Batcave, building a vast array of weaponry and gadgets, and starting his journeys as Batman, the Caped Crusader.

Batman's early days as Batman don't start out so pleasant. As he is constantly torn to bits by Gotham's adversaries such as the Scarecrow and his reign of "fear gas, Batman once again faces great haunts and perils he wished he'd never have to endure again. In my eyes, Batman Begins has a recurring theme of fear and how to take on that fear, even when that fear is molded into a person who uses it for his or her advantage. The Scarecrow is a villain who feeds on fear, and in the beginning of Batman's story, he uses Batman's fear to push him to his downfall, but Batman uses his experience to guide him in the right directions, just as he did when he decided to become Batman in the first place.



Striking terror in good people like Sergeant Jim Gordon to gain their allegiance, he teams up with them on several occasions to hunt down the twisted mad men who wish to make Gotham City an unpleasant place. In the end, the people of Gotham come to admire Batman as a great "night savior" as he goes onto defeat Ducard, who is revealed to be the real Ra's Al Ghul. Ghul plans to destroy Gotham and poison it's water supply, but Batman, being as cunning and wise as he is, spoils his plans and makes sure all the grotesque things he has in mind go to the waste bin. As he and Ra's fight in the train, Batman, vowing never to kill or take revenge, says that he will not kill Ra's, but he doesn't have to save him. As Batman glides away from the upcoming wreckage, Ra's is killed when the train falls from the broken tracks. Gotham is saved, the baddies are locked up in prison, Gordon is promoted to Lieutenant, and the people of Gotham's feeling towards Batman suddenly shift from suspicions to trust.

Batman becomes a well respected vigilante who is summoned when even the most deadly of clowns rises to spread havoc. And he leaves behind a symbol, a symbol once thought to be terrifying in the eyes of another. He leaves behind the symbol of a bat, and when it is lit up in the night sky, it gives the citizens of Gotham a feeling of hope, a feeling of relief, a feeling of safety. Batman is guaranteed to be there when evil seeps through the cracks once more, and along with Gordon and the other Gotham police officers, he will do everything in his ability to lock up the gnarly enemies that stand in his way. To put it sweet and simple, Batman RISES for the first time, but little does he know that he will fall, fall far from the respect and glory the Gotham people hold for him. The Joker is coming to town, and terrible, monstrous things are about to hit the fan.

TUNE IN NEXT TIME
SAME BAT TIME, SAME BAT BLOG 

The Video Game In My Memories

When I don't feel like indulging myself in stories told through literature, a surge of graphics across the television usually does the trick


Because in my opinion, video games are as great of storytellers as paperbacks and parchment


But there was one game, an oddball game that loomed in obscurity for eons and eons following


I remembered the game vaguely, and struggled to find it for a time and time again 


I vaguely remembered the graphics and the characters, the atmospheres and the surroundings


The defenses and mechanisms, the meanings and morals


It was all fuzzy, all blurry


All I could interpret was the music, the high pitched, jingly tune of happy go lucky serendipity 


The music stuck in my convoluted brain like a shard of nostalgia or fascination 


And I tried to use the music to guide me to the mysterious game 


It was like a flashlight, pulling me through dark, cloudy areas I couldn't see through 


It was a heck of a journey, it took my months and years, decades perhaps


And I grew jittery, I grew hungry to know what the game was, what it stood for


I felt like ripping my clothes off and turning green, pulling every ounce of hair out of my scalp


There was something about the game that brought on merry memories of past time


There was something about the game that brought on merry memories of childhood ambitions, hobbies, and explorations


There was something about the game that brought on merry memories of what I once was


I was a bouncy child, a child who got into everything and was blown to the ceiling by even the simplest of occurrences


I was a child obsessed with purple dinosaurs, mystery solving Great Danes, mice with red shorts, annoying rabbits and flabbergasted ducks, clowns who ate too many hamburgers, and yellow cartoon people who drooled over donuts 


I was a child who loved stories and pixelated stories only you could maneuver 


I loved every ounce of that matter, I still do


I love it as much as a Dr. Pepper rainstorm 


But I was destine, destine in one form or another to come across this game, the glory game of fond past days


Then, I discovered it, like an archaeologist  finding an ancient relic of an ancient tribe


You see, I was a big fanatic of the Adventure Island series of games. Just the title alone made me feel like I was stranded on a desert island, fighting snails with a hammer and decapitated island demons and I attempted to rescue my girlfriend





I was first introduced to the game series through Super Adventure Island for the SNES, but that game was in the possession of my relatives


And as I sat playing the pixelated adventure, I said to my erratic noggin


There is something familiar about this game series, something, something remarkable reminiscent 


I had to figure it out somehow, you wouldn't believe that that was a heck of a journey as well


I researched the Adventure Island games on the web and I was stunted to learn that the first game, the game that kicked things off, was a mock of another game, an arcade game to be exact


The game was Wonder Boy, the brain bells starting ringing! 





I rushed to another location of the web and saw footage of the game....but


Darnit! It was the WRONG version. It wasn't the version I recalled in my memory strands. It wasn't the one that made me think of how much childhood meant in my spirit. The music wasn't even the same cheerful harmony I whistled as I slept at evening 


 It was a console version of the game. What a sundae with poop topping on top! 


Talk about a devilish disappointment


But even that devilish disappointment didn't stop me from continuing my research


I simply said to myself, I WILL SEARCH FOR THE ARCADE VERSION, PLAY IT PERHAPS


 I typed in WONDER BOY ARCADE VERSION, pressed ENTER, let the screen load, and without a single drop of hesitation, I set my fingers to a small video clip


I pushed the ENTER button, like I was opening a portal to the past


Could this be the game I fancied for thousands of days and nights? 


Could this be the game that plays that legendary theme as the protagonist rides skateboards to victory? 


The music still played in my memory strands, the brain bells were about the ring off the hook 


It all was about to climb back to the surface


It did, at last! 


The arcade version was the game, the game I doodled with as a curious todd, the game I admired as one of the first I ever set eye sockets too 





It was the game of all games, the game that played that joyful, jolly tune like an ice cream truck


I finally found that idol from the ancient tribe 


And the ancient tribe was my childhood, waving it's hands and saying a quick hello


It all returned for a brief reunion, and I savored it like sweet honey


I finally found the electronic piece of gold, Wonder Boy


How wondrous it was when I found the wondrous Wonder Boy


The journey was over, and I can go to the grass knowing I found the game


The eminent, the exciting video game in my memories 


What a treat 

Moves Like Chaplin

There is something about that black mustache and derby that sends me in a frenzy.

His moves are as legendary as the moves of a penguin

And as I recall, I did my sixth grade language arts project on him

And his uncanny legacy

But who is that man, I had once asked myself

Who is that "scary" fellow with the rugged attire and mannerisms 

He's the Chap, He's The Tramp, He's The Son of a Gun

He's The Great Dictator, in many countless ways

He's the great warrior of the silent black and white days 

He's Charlie, not Mccarthy nor Sheen

Chaplin



He's the guy who made dinner rolls bounce off the walls

He's the guy who turned a cane into a "holy grail" of weaponry

He's the guy who made Hitler look like a Carebear

He's the guy who ran like a frog who had one too many cocktails

He's the guy who smiled like he had stealthy things up his sleeve 

He's the guy who raised children in ways an ordinary dad wouldn't 

He's the guy whose face gleams like a cow's fur

And he's the guy who moves like he has legs made of decayed wood...or something of the sort



Though, at times, I can't help but feel he has inspired many Hollywood boomers

They move a lot like he did 

The great Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd move a lot like Chaplin

They sure know how to run from boulders and hang from clock towers! 

Mario moves a lot like Chaplin

Though he's got a pocket full of growth mushrooms and fire flowers

Simon Belmont moves a lot like Chaplin

Though he carries a heavy whip and gallons of holy water

Igor moves a lot like Chaplin

But I suggest you try carrying a heavy hump on your back! 

Now Jar Jar Binks, Jar Jar Binks certainly moves like Chaplin

He's the spitting image, in Gungan form of course 

He is "cawazy' and bumbling, just like Chaplin was

And he sure knows how to stumble and trip over everything in existence

His eyes bug, just like Chaplin's 

And his smile is enough to send the rats back to their holes in the wall 

He's fun loving, just like Chaplin

He's existence is a powerful nod to Chaplin's impact

And Chaplin's impact is prudent

And although the characters I just spoke of move like Chaplin

NO ONE, CERTAINLY NO ONE, moves better than Chaplin than Chaplin


Don't mess with the Chap

He's got legs paves in gold

It's like they're made of rubber or something 

The Amazing Spider-Man: A Retrospective

Today, I want to do a movie review in my original style, and what better way to do it than to talk about the recent web slinger rehash.

Spider-Man. Whenever you hear the term, a lean guy in red and blue spandex appears, swinging webs and conjuring up psychotic, brightly colored adversaries. Spider-Man, like the muscular Kryptonian Superman and the dark caped Batman, has gone down as a critical icon in American pop culture and has become a hero we can not only relate too, but a hero we can look up to and admire with great passion. He's my favorite hero, and I often find myself comparing my image to his because he deals with a lot of perils all young adults go through at some point, and he has to learn that with all the power in the world comes great responsibility on his hands. He was destine to do something great like a lot of us, in one form or another. He sets out on a quest to find who he is and what he was placed upon the Earth to do. That's what a lot of young adults try to accomplish, find their zing and zang, for it's not the easiest nut to crack.



Spider-Man has had a lot of adaptations over the eons, and would you believe that this August, the web head will be celebrating his 50th anniversary? Spidey has appeared in Scooby-Doo style cartoons, teamed up with Firestar and Iceman, fought in a giant robot (in the Japan TV show), encountered gangsters with mind controlling contraptions, and even went on a tap dancing spree at a jazz club. Yes, of course I am referring to that exotic scene in Spider-Man 3, but that doesn't mean I completely despise the film. It's not a perfect film by any means (then again, no film is perfect), but there is still a lot to like about it, just like there is a lot to like about the Sam Raimi directed trilogy as a whole. It's got that iconic, inspiring coating just like the classic Tim Burton Batman films and Tobey Maguire embodies Spidey just like Christopher Reeve embodies Superman. The Sam Raimi films certainly made Spidey the legendary figure he is today, and when you hear the term Spider-Man in a conversation, you almost immediately envision Tobey donning the red and blue on the silver screen. It's that darn catchy, HOW COULD ANYONE THAT ISN'T TOBEY DON THE SPIDER PAJAMAS and leave the same breathtaking crater of epicness. Well, I'm about to tell you how.

The Amazing Spider-Man, directed by Marc Webb, is just as appealing and imaginative as it's brothers and sisters, in my eyes at least. It's got that same "glossy" atmosphere and has a lot to offer when it comes to catching your attention and making you feel captivated and sucked in. I did feel the film had a lot in common with Raimi's first film from 2002, but I think that's what I liked best about it. It has the same ingredients that made the first installments a success, but it envisions them in a completely different cover and reinterprets them in a manner a lot of us have never seen before. After all, it is a reboot. If Batman Begins could do it, why not Petey and his stunning wall crawling abilities? I personally savored all the film had to offer, and you could really tell that the people who made the film tried enviously to do something outside the house and make Spidey something entirely unique and refreshing. Spidey is relatable in this flick, and I'm not saying that Tobey's Spidey wasn't relatable, it's just that Andrew Garfield's Spidey is a lot like the kids of today. He struggles to find his place and find acceptance on the Earth, and the strange disappearance of his parents, Richard and Mary Parker, continues to torment him and make him feel isolated. He's also bullied, something teens like myself have gone through at some point in their lives.



Something else the film had heading towards it is that it was able to take legendary points from the Spider-Man mythology and rearrange them, yet they still delivered that emotional or exhilarating punch to the gut. Martin Sheen's Uncle Ben is killed off in a different way than Cliff Robinson's Uncle Ben in the Raimi films, but you still feel emotionally compromised and you can feel a bit of remorse. Spidey's transformation into, well, Spidey is also something that sends shivers up the spinal cord and I must say, they did a phenomenal job turning Peter into Spider-Man in a completely different manner than in the previous films. It was so diverse, but it was still memorable and surely not done before in either film or comic strip. When you think of Spider-Man becoming Spider-Man, you think of a spider crawling onto his hand and biting him that way. It happens entirely different in this motion picture, and I praise them greatly for doing it so differently.

Spidey getting his arachnid powers isn't the only black sheep element this film carries. Spidey's transformation from a selfish, arrogant tyrant into a gallant, responsible hero also progresses uniquely in this flick, and it's interesting to note that there isn't any Bonesaw Mcgraw or Crusher Hogan wrestler for Spidey to go up against. There is however a wrestling arena and we get to see where Spider-Man gets the inspiration for his mask, right before he decides to make his classic jumpsuit to swing around New York with. In the Sam Raimi films, Spidey's web shooting ability is a natural trait spawned from the spider bite. I didn't really mind  this change that much, but I was interested to see that in this film, they gave him the web shooters he was known for in the comics. Spidey also retains his witty and humorous personality from the comics, and I still wet my pants over the scene involving him and the car thief (ANYTHING BUT KNIVES!). In the Sam Raimi films, Spidey did in fact carry a bit of this characteristic, but Tobey was overall a more headstrong, serious web slinger.

Now let's digress and talk about Spidey's supporting friends and foes. I did like Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, Spidey's original flame from the early Ditko days who suffers a tragic death at the hands of the Green Goblin. She was more supportive of Peter/Spider-Man than Mary Jane was in the Raimi trilogy, and she even proves helpful in a few scenes when Spidey fights off the villains that stick to his webs. She is also not a damsel in distress like MJ,  and she is more dignified as she struggles through the same rubble Spidey struggles through. Rhys Ifans is certainly something as Dr. Curtis Connors aka The Lizard, juggling aggressive, passive and laid back personalities. I didn't really mind Lizzy that much in this film, for the same things people are complaining about him are the same things they complained about William Dafoe's Green Goblin from the first Raimi film. The look of the Lizard is okay from my viewing, although he would have looked a bit better if he kept the white lab coat on the entire time. Ifans' Connors is just a man who wants to make a difference and change the world, although his choices ultimately lead him down the path of darkness, and before he knows it, he's sprouting tons of green scales and sharp fingernails. He's a poor guy who just wants to regrow his arm, you can't blame the guy for trying! If he regrows his arm, he could help others regrow their lost limbs. I bet Anakin Skywalker would do anything for some of Connors' reptilian regrowth formula.

All the other actors and actresses were also great in their respected roles. Denis Leary's Captain George Stacy is a HUGE departure from his comic book counterpart, but he's still a prominent character who ultimately proves useful in the film's grand scheme of things. Similar to his comic book counterpart is that he suffers a tragic death, a death Spider-Man feels responsible for and a death that makes Gwen Stacy despise Spider-Man in the comics, because unlike in this movie, Gwen doesn't know Peter is Spider-Man and this later proves pivotal when Gwen is killed off in Issue #121. Aunt May and Uncle Ben are nothing more than brilliant, especially in the shoes of Sally Field and Martin Sheen. Sheen's Ben Parker is just as wise, conservative and caring as Cliff Robinson's Ben Parker was, and Sally Field's Aunt May is different than that of Rosemary Harris' Aunt May, but Field's performance still grandmotherly in many grand ways. I couldn't help but feel that Mrs. Doubtfire was going to pop up at any moment! I can't really talk that much about Peter's parents, played by Campbell Scott and Embeth Davidtz, because they weren't really present in the film that much, but there is no doubt that their story will unfold in upcoming Spider-Man reboot sequels. Maybe, however unlikely, they will be revealed to be S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, tying the Spider reboot into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Maybe the Oscorp Building will appear in Iron Man 3 or the Avengers sequel.

The effects and visuals of The Amazing Spider-Man were very comic book like, unlike the effects of Christopher Nolan's Batman films, which were made to be more realistic and life like. There were some scenes where you were in Spidey's body, swinging and spinning in a first person perspective. There were some scenes where Spidey hurled towards and away from the camera. There were some scenes where Spidey moved a lot like an actually eight legged arthropod. But you can't beat the scene where Spidey leaps onto the side of a building and you see his reflection on the building itself. Those who saw the teaser trailer for the reboot will know exactly what I'm talking about. Every time Spidey activated his web shooter devices, you heard a great robotic sound and the devices lit up with a neon red. Every time Spidey took off his mask, he put it back on with a slick, dramatic style. Every time Spider-Man swung a web, he hurled like a light speed bullet. It's all a solid oatmeal, and it further solidifies Spidey's character and makes him diverse than that of Tobey Maguire. The film is also fast paced and slow paced at the proper moments, delivering that great formula of suspense, drama, humor, terror, and climax. I couldn't help but feel that this was horror movie Spider-Man at some moments.

Stan Lee's cameo was the best Stan Lee cameo yet. I didn't know he was such a fanatic of classical music!

Spider-Man is back on the big screen and I enjoyed what he had to offer this time around. It was very similar to the 2002 film, but I like it best that way, for the film reinvented these tools and made them brand new again. The Amazing Spider-Man will no doubt be sandwiched in between the likes of The Avengers and the inevitable masterpiece, The Dark Knight Rises, and it will no doubt be ridiculed for being retooled so soon after the Raimi trilogy ended. But I say, it's a good summer soda flick and it brought back a lot of the golden Spider-Man memories I had when I saw the Raimi films for the first time. It has loads to keep Spidey fans' tummies full and if you like the 60s cartoon, the 80s cartoon, the 90s cartoon, the live action 70s show, or just Spider-Man in general, I say, give it a bottoms up and enjoy. Some might be disappointed that it's not Tobey donning the red and blue pajamas, but what can you do? I loved this film just as much as the previous installments and I would even put it on par with superhero get together smash, The Avengers.

As Maxwell House Coffee puts it, it's good to the last drop, although I don't drink coffee.

Spider-Man and X-Men in the Marvel Movie World

Spidey is in the clutches of Sony

X-Men is in the clutches of Fox

But it's often fun to think of what it would be like if the web head and the mutant team crossed over with our favorite multi colored comrades from the Avengers. I, for some time, pondered on the idea of an epic superhero crossover with heroes from all ends of the Marvel universe, but all that seems to be at the end of the river because of silly copyright disputes. Spidey and the X-Men have even appeared on shows like Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but when it comes to motion pictures on the silver screen, it's something people have to pay tons and tons and tons and tons of money to make happen.

 Still, I love the thought of such epic crossing over and have decided to incept a scenario of what it would be like if the web slinger and the uncanny mutants of Charles Xavier had their place in a world filled with Stark Industries, vita rays, Asgardian magic, and super soldier serum. It was fascinating and still is fascinating to ponder about, so let's see just how things would be if such an unexpected occurence would occur. This is what Spider-Man and the X-Men would be like in the unfolding Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In the words of Doc Ock

Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts!

Let's cross over the upcoming film, The Amazing Spider-Man and X-Men: First Class

X-Men: First Class



Now, I've heard rumors that the First Class sequel would be following the Days of Future Past storyline, which had a lot to do with time traveling mutants and mutants coming across their future selves, who warn them about upcoming events.

What if Sebastian Shaw and Emma Frost were from the future. After the events of X-Men: The Last Stand, Shaw and his "then" Hellfire Club terrorized the X-Men and during their use of dark magic, they resurrected Cyclops, who was driven insane by the recent loss of Jean Grey. Vowing to get back at Logan and the X-Men, Cyclops joins Shaw and they vow to start a war that will eventually result in the extinction of the human race. The X-Men, who are desperate to recruit new mutants to fight in the upcoming battle, come across new members of the team including an older Gambit, Thunderbird, and two time traveling mutants, Cable and Bishop. Meanwhile, Shaw gives into Cyclops' demands and resurrects Jean Grey, twisting her mind and making her truly evil like Cyclops.

A catastrophic war breaks out between both sides and mutants such as Colossus and Gambit are killed. All hope seems lost for the X-Men just as Magneto and his new Brotherhood arrives including members like Pyro, Spiral, Lady Deathstrike, Avalanche and the Blob. The Brotherhood teams up with the X-Men to fight Shaw and as Cable and Bishop fight Cyclops and Jean Grey, Cable reveals to them that he is their son from the future. Cyclops and Jean are shocked by the news and they reform with the X-Men to fight the Hellfire Club. As Cable attempts to fight Shaw and his minions, his time travel device malfunctions, sending Shaw and Frost (who has aged considerably since X-Men Origins: Wolverine) back in time to the early 1940s.

Shaw goes undercover as a German scientist named Klaus Schmidt (named after the Red Skull, Johann Schmidt). After hearing of Abraham Erskine's success in creating a "super soldier", Shaw begins experimenting on Jewish people being held at the concentration camps, particularly young children. He then comes across young Eric Lensherr, who he knows from the future, and Shaw intends to mold him and make him something of his own. He tries to test the boy and after Eric is unable to flip a coin with his metal moving powers, Shaw shoots and kills his mother, sending Eric into a violent rage.



Shaw begins experimenting on Eric, trying to make his powers stable and to his liking, but the newly christened Captain America arrives and fights off Shaw and his forces with his Howling Commandos by his side. He frees Eric from Shaw's bondage and Eric vows to get back at Shaw for what he has done to him, no matter what the cost.

Of course, I don't have to go into any further detail, because if I did, I would be describing the entire X-Men: First Class movie. But it was certainly intriguing to try and tie together the convoluted continuity of the X-Men film series with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, let's move onto the wall crawler.

The Amazing Spider-Man



Now, I can't go into great description with this one because the movie isn't even out yet. But let's go into some light speculating with what we do know.



Peter Parker's parents are in the new revamp. Perhaps Peter's parents worked with Dr. Curtis Connors to try and perfect the super soldier serum, perfected by Abraham Erskine decades earlier. They worked with things such as cross species genetics, lizard's blood and of coarse, spiders. Peter's parents went as far to create an alien like substance that could completely envelope a human being and give them superior abilities and endurance.



But the government wasn't too happy with their findings and attempted to hunt them down. So Richard and Mary Parker went into hiding and placed Peter in the care of Richard's brother, Ben, and his wife May. Dr. Connors continued to try and find ways to make humans evolve and even attempted to try and cure cancer, plagues and lost limbs. The Parkers knew this and they knew that this would eventually lead Connors to loss his mind and terrorize the city. So when they left Peter with his aunt and uncle, they left him a suitcase which, as we all know, Peter finds in his teenage years. This suitcase, which Peter humbly observes, leads him to Oscorp, where he eventually stumbles across his father's abandoned "spider room". There, Peter is bitten by a genetically enhanced spider, the spider his parents always intended him to be bitten by. Of coarse, Peter becomes Spider-Man and he is able to fight off Connors when he eventually looses his humanity and becomes the nefarious Lizard.

The only one who knew of his parents' secret was Rajit Ratha.

Richard and Mary Parker went on to become agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. under the leadership of Nick Fury. Peter became a crime fighter and hunted vigilante.

As I stated earlier, this is just for fun, just to see what it would be like if Spider-Man and the X-Men were in the same consistency as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and the Hulk. It surely is interesting if you think about it and I surely hope that one day, Spidey and the X-Men can play in the same Marvel ball game and be part of the same excellent kingdom we have come to adore through the Avengers. The possibilities are endless, and the sky's the limit, so keep believing and something splendid might come along, unexpected but splendid. As I said before, stories come in all shapes and sizes, but if we observe them carefully, we can come across many remarkable things, things we didn't see during the first glance.

This is the Storyteller signing out....

Avengers, A Continuing Character Study

When we last left the Storyteller, he was elaborating on the marvelous and magical entities in Joss Whedon's blockbuster flick, The Avengers. Now, he wishes to continue down the Avengers' yellow brick road and build upon another ensemble of the film's core key characters. Will he succeed in tackling these superhero celebrities or will he fall prey to Loki's cosmic ray of doom?

Let's find out......RIGHT NOW

Loki


A calculating trickster with a ridiculous helmet

An inhuman made to look human

He struggles to conquer a land far from his own

And come to truce with his mighty sibling

He will not throw in the towel nor will he let go of his enchanted staff

He has enchanted abilities like no other eminent god

And he has a alien armada, the Chitauri, to fall to his feet and obey nefarious commands

But he craves more, much more, more than meets a regular human eyeball

He will drag the whole universe down if he wishes

And he could even end the life of the one he once called brother

He's no Joker, but he sure plays games that could force others to the tombstones

Loki, you just don't want to crumble this cookie. He's fun loving and curious, but in a "bad-guyish" sort of way, and he thinks himself so mighty that he shrouds his head in a golden helmet equipped with long horns, horns as long as elephant trunks. He's got scheming eyes, a devilish smile, and a thirst for Avengers blood, but only the Hulk knows how to swiftly take out this meany



Black Widow



This red head is slick, swift and sassy

Even if she lacks the russian accent, she still pays the parking ticket

She's got moves that would make Spider-Man cry home to Aunt May

But she has a retched, horrid origin that she wishes not to speak of

It haunts her even when the villains taunt her about it

Nevertheless, she is an expert in making a pistol a pivotal tool in kicking Chitauri rump

And she has a way of using a chair to stomp the toes of nasty russian hostage holders

She loves mashing in the skulls of those who get in her path

And she performs it all in a smooth, black uniform in the heart of all S.H.I.E.L.D agents

She takes poop poop from nobody, not even the armored, patriotic, green skinned allies she fights aside of

Black Widow, just as a girl crime fighter should behave. She has more spunk than your average S.H.I.E.L.D. associates and she turns any household item into a weapon that makes baddies look like three year olds in diapers. She has methods with the guys and has quite a thing going on with our next Avenger hero.....

Hawkeye



He's a blend between Legolus and Catniss Everdeen

Only he's not always a sweetie pie in the eyes of others

He's put under Loki's cosmic mind control spell

And forced to do mean, nasty, scummy, terrible, monstrous things

But he comes out of the trance like a rabbit in a rabbit hole

And he puts that bow and arrow to Chitauri tackling use

He glides from building to building and even climbs one or two with a swift hand

But he shoots arrows at villainous vermin

And when the day subsides, he chows down on delicious, mouth watering, delectable schwarma...whatever that is

Hawkeye, he's got sunglasses and a bow, and that alone makes him stick out like a stormtrooper at a Star Trek convention. He's got that smirk only Jeremy Renner could present and when he aims that arrow at enemy faces, they know of his threat and they know he is someone they don't want to play ball with. He's got vision like a soaring bird and reflexes like butter, and he's proud of the intense life he leads.

Nick Fury



He's Mace Windu with an eyepatch, and the mind behind S.H.I.E.L.D.'s collective operations

He's not afraid to SPEW HIS MIND, and he gets fire red when a plan goes down the crapper

He's got collections of weaponry, and a ship you can ride on both sky and water

But he's not taking doodoo from anyone, not even Loki and his Chitauri loving obscenity

And he forces those reluctant Avengers to band together like a rubber band ball

This eventually leads them down a road of gold, and he is overjoyed to have pushed them to the outer boundaries

He needs them to defend Earth and spare it's soil so the humans can live casually

And with high tech everything and a bit of Sameul L. Jackson's dynamism, he can get the barriers set straight and make you wish you were a chicken. You don't want to step upon this guy's already dirty shoes.

He might break you like decaying wood

Nick Fury, someone with extreme and infinite edge. He symbolizes a crumbling, disintegrating Earth that is willing to jump back on the trampoline and make a mark against the tyranny of outsiders. His organization makes the U.S. government look like a kindergarten tea party and there is no doubt all that computerized tech costed a ginormous penny, a penny the size of Hong Kong!

And now, some more minor characters that deserve spotlight

Agent Coulson



He's awesome and jammed packed with woop-butt at the same time

I always imagined him becoming the Human Torch or something like that

Maria Hill



She's always got a stern look on her pretty little face

But I guess she wants to get down to business

The World Security Council



Just a bunch of shadowy people with big voices

The Other

He really needs some facial cream!


Thanos



He sure knows how to give a smile to the camera!

In a nutshell, the Avengers was as fun as a bowl of ice cream. It's chalked with iconic characters and settings no superhero flick should do without. I would even go as far to say that it's the...

BEST SUPERHERO FILM I EVER PAYED $7.50 T0 SEE!

It's everything I ever wanted in a film, especially a superhero film and whatever unfolds next in the Marvel Movie Universe, which is going down as one of the best franchises in history, there is no doubt in my pink brain that it will be served good and hot!

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE

and go make me a sandwich

Busy, It's Been...But I Have To Spew My Mind

When I found myself graduating from my area High School or delivering a speech in front of a curious, yet enchanted group of individuals, I couldn't possibly weasel in the time to collaborate on this magnificent memoir I have diligently incepted. Not to mention that my computer has been plagued by a mysterious complication for many eons. But now I have stepped through this entryway once more and I am prepared to face the curious, captivating obstacles of being a writer, a storyteller, and a mind expresser. It's not always an ice cream sundae with extra cherry sauce, but I get good kicks and sticks out of spewing words whether I spew them onto a computer screen or a piece of shriveled line paper. Opening my head like a lobotomy has as many thrills as a trip down the rabbit hole and I always find myself at ends I never thought I'd encounter in my journey, ends that can leave you with super sweet, sour and tangy feelings.

It can be a splendid ride.

When I was a boy with a diaper and a bottle with a yellow sucker on top, I was often taken to special spaces when I observed the works of Walt Disney, Dr. Seuss, Hanna and Barbera, and the Muppet Master Jim Henson. I savored greatly what they did and I often wonder what brought them to those imaginative and innovative points where their uncanny work left such gallant impacts. Then, like a massive cheeseball, it hit me over the head and left a swelling lump that continues to swell to this very day. They were brought to those imaginative and innovative points because they opened their minds and let what lied within soar out like a wild bird within a rusty cage.

They let their imagination and passions do the talking.

Imagine a world without Disney, or Seuss, or Hanna and Barbera, or Jim Henson. That would mean a world with Mickey Mouse, or the Cat in the Hat, or Scooby Doo, or Kermit the Frog and the Sesame Street gang. Luckily, that's not the case, and we continue to admire all these creatively powerful people who took us to lands lightyears away. And the reason they were able to transport us to lands lightyears away is because they cut open their minds and let things spew out....like glue in an Elmer's bottle. They had something cooking in those mind ovens and they wanted to take it out and share it with the people dwelling within the world. Their ideas were very much like cake. They whipped it up in their craniums, they baked it for a while, and then finally, they sliced it up and shared it with the whole world to eat and cherish.

EAT AND CHERISH. TAKE IN AND FILL WITH A GORGEOUS FEELING

If we didn't spew our minds and liberate whatever was lurking in there, it would be imprisoned for a very long time without ever being seen or heard by the eyes and hears of human beings. So, as I bring what I have started to a conclusion, remember this.

If you find something living in your brain, just let it out and see what happens. You never know what happens. This thing living in your brain can drag you to many exotic and interesting locations and it can certainly be met with elevated praise by those who consume it and observe it. Great brainchilds, great ideas spring from your very brain, and you can manipulate these brainchilds or expand upon them to your beating heart's content. These ideas, these offspring which we benevolently incept can lead us one step closer into the "impossible".

Get my drift?

I think I will close this up with the words of Fred Rogers, who has had a pretty popular Youtube video about him released recently.....



"You can grow great things in the garden of your mind"

Mr. Rogers was quite a character. He certainly is an inspiration to several souls, myself included.