Will Wonder Woman ever be ready for a close-up?

Wonder Woman made a big return last month in her own movie. Did anyone notice? Fans of the comic book heroine are devout, yet, the character’s mass appeal never seems to be actualized. Superman, Batman, Ironman, and even the Watchmen, have all made a splash on the big screen, but Wonder Woman never seems to be pushed to the A-list. Will the Amazonian princess be forever relegated to play sidekick to her male counterparts?

For the past 40 years, the Wonder Woman has had almost as many make-overs as Barbie. A change in appearance, abilities, and back story have created a character that seems as malleable as a folk tale. Its not without effort that the character hasn’t been given a big break. Baby boomers may recall Wonder Woman as played by Lynda Carter, with spinning transformation sequences and bullet-blocking abilities. Gen X’ers remember her as one of the few female characters featured in the Superfriends. Millennials know Wonder Woman from her role as naive and honorable Diana from Justice League. With each new introduction, the character took on changes to reflect the era, serving as a symbol of female empowerment. read more

The Weird Merchandise from the Watchmen

I had the pleasure of getting to see The Watchmen this week. Having never read the graphic novel, the film was somewhat of a surprise to me. Although the super hero film genre has been exhausted lately, I still found the movie a fun escape. As Spider-man, Batman, and the X-men have proven, each successful super hero franchise comes with a load of merchandise. Here are a few of my favorites:

Rorschach Ski Mask
This ink blot mask  is perfect to protect your identity while you’re robbing a bank…I mean fighting bad guys.

Night Owl Dark Roast
Super heroes have to stay up late. Of course they need an all organic coffee.

Dr. Manhattan Lunchbox
Send your kid to school with a lunchbox that features a glowing naked man on it. read more

Life should be so simple….

Darth Vader, Lord Voldemort, Saruman, The Joker, Carnage, evil aliens, brain-craving zombies, blood sucking fiends, and Uzi Toting Drug Dealers. In movies, books, and comics the goal is always clear: Blow up the Death Star, kill the bad guys, defeat the darkside, toss The Joker in Arkham, restore order, and maintain balance.  Then throw a kegger and celebrate with the Ewoks.  The path is never simple, but at least you know what must be done.  There’s no second guessing.  The hero’s job is to defeat the bad guys.  There isn’t any long exposition about what needs to be done.  How to do it maybe, but never a question of what to do.  There are always twists and turns along the way, and unexpected conflict but in the end, good triumphs over evil. read more

Epic Time Waster or Why My Blogs Are Late

Cover for ShortPacked! vol 2

I am usually quite skilled at procrastination all on my own, but every once I awhile something comes along that just pushes me over the edge of what is a reasonable amount of time to put something off. I could not motivate myself to write this week because a coworker suggested this site. Good readers I give you ShortPacked. It’s a web comic. It’s a brilliant Webcomic, which you should go read, bookmark and enjoy. The blend of geekdom and comedy, driven by interesting characters creates one of the best webcomics I’ve read.

The story follows the employees of a small toy store run by an ego-maniacal man bent on world domination. While there are several supporting characters there are really only three that are central to the ongoing storyline. Ethan, a hopeless geek to his very core, Robin, neurotic and cheerful and Amber, who starts off quiet and mousy but becomes much more rounded as the strip progresses. About the time you start to get used to the characters and plot Robin goes and pulls the Drama Tag and all hell breaks loose.

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