Fascinating Story: "The Amazing! Incredible! Uncanny Oral History of Marvel Comics"

It should be no surprise whatsoever that I love Marvel Comics. I do. Very much. I believe I've made that apparent over the past two or three years, both on this blog and on Twitter.

That said, this story/article/oral history of Marvel Comics is fascinating to me. I first came across it via Ryan Penagos (@Agent_M on Twitter), but it's certainly worth the read if you A) like comic books or B) enjoy reading the history of a company that rose to greatness, fell into bankruptcy and internal strife and disruption and rose from the ashes (like it's own Phoenix character), as told by the creators and editors that lived it themselves.

Tons of great quotes, but two of my favorites are here (from article writer Sean T. Collins)...

"While artists like Kirby and Steve Ditko added personal style and psychedelic flourishes to Lee’s soap-operatic stories, Lee became an in-demand speaker on campuses and a fixture in the comics’ letters column, painting Marvel as one big, happy family fans were welcome to join."

...and this (not necessarily good quote) from Executive Editor Tom Brevoort about Marvel at its peak...

"Everyone had expense accounts. Christmas parties became decadent affairs—the
hotel in Grand Central Station, big ice sculptures of Spider-Man, crazy DJs in a
control room like Professor X. It was an insane spectacle of excess."

The story does a great job of reflecting both the good and the bad, and it's seriously worth reading.

Here's the link one more time. Enjoy: http://www.maxim.com/humor/stupid-fun/83588/amazing-incredible-uncanny-oral-history-marvel-comics.html?p=1

On a final note, here's my favorite recent comic book image. It's a cover from an upcoming Captain America comic by Leinil Yu...

FEAR THE FUTURE! (Or embrace it, Marvel Comics style...)

The future is coming! For some, that's common sense. For others, it's a terrifying concept. With a future full of Terminators and living on the moon and whatnot, the advances of technology will continue to blow our minds in ways both good and bad. Of course, the aforementioned advances won’t be happening for at least ten or eleven more years.

So what do we have until then? Well, digital reading devices for one. Unfortunately, some of the people most equipped to capitalize on this ever-growing reading medium fear digital reading devices as if a Kindle were a T-800.

"Watch out! - It's got a KINDLE!"

Not exactly sure what I mean by that?

Watch this video from DC Comics’ VP of Marketing, John Cunningham, to see his thoughts on where the technology of the future will be taking comic books. Here’s a spoiler – he thinks items like Amazon’s Kindle (or Kindle 2, now) could bring about the downfall of the comic book industry. Imagine the tragedy of losing Thor to the Ragnarök that is the Amazon Kindle...

Oh wait, it’s only DC that fears the future, not all comic book companies. Enter: Marvel Comics. Why? Because while DC talks about the terror of losing comic books to digital reading devices, Marvel spends its time preparing for the eventual digital revolution. Just take a look at their Marvel Digital Comics section to see for yourself. Or, if you want to read one for free, click here and give a comic a read.

Now, Marvel doesn’t have any comics ready for the Kindle 2 or anything like that as far as I know, and I shouldn’t get ahead of myself (or themselves, really). The point of this post isn’t that Marvel has digital comics. The point is that, while other companies are woefully unprepared for the trends of the future, Marvel has taken an approach that will certainly guide them along the right path on the road to the future.

Fifty years from now, when we’re all using digital reading devices (just like 15 years from now we’ll probably only be using MP3 players or whatever comes after them), I’m inclined to believe Marvel will have made that transition a little bit more smoothly than DC could ever hope to. They’re already halfway there, with a huge library of comics floating around in the digital realm, looking for a home more mobile than your desktop browser.

Now, you may be wondering, “Why should I care about having comic books on a reading device I don’t even own?” That’s a good question. The point of my post is this: The future is coming, whether you want to accept it or not. If you’re a company that understands this fact, you’ll be in a good place down the line. If you’re a company that fears the oncoming technological advances of society, you’ll probably struggle as you get blown out of the water by those who do get it.

Be an innovator. Make change happen for you, rather than against you. Whether you work for a bank, a restaurant, a strategic marketing firm looking to help underdog small businesses reach their full potential, or a comic book company, be sure to keep your eye on the horizon for what could change your industry. Then, make it happen. I have no doubt it’s going to work for Marvel, and they will see plenty of benefit as a result.

It’s nice to know that, while Superman and Batman may be lost forever after the “dreaded” digital revolution that DC’s VPs apparently fear, the space kids of 2150 AD will be reading about Spider-Man and Captain America on their Mobile Hologram Projecto-Glasses or whatever reading devices space kids will have by then.

Seeing as every other invention from comic books comes true at some point or another, it makes sense that a comic book company would have the most insightful vision for the future. Doesn’t mean us normal people can’t come in with some foresight of our own along the way.


“Finally, robotic beings rule the world…the humans are dead…”

UPDATE - 5:09 p.m. CT: Of course, immediately following my posting of this post, I find that Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada has basically reflected my sentiments entirely. Click here to read his thoughts on the issue. While I can genuinely and honestly say that I had not yet read his analysis of the DC VP's opinion, it doesn't surprise me at all that he is optimistic about the future. Why not? Because Joe Q is awesome.

Why Michael Cera could become my least favorite actor ever...

There are constant talks of Michael Cera not wanting to reprise his role as George Michael Bluth in the continuously-rumored Arrested Development movie.

Now, regardless of his status as an actor (having starred in and been in fairly successful films since leaving Arrested Development), I think that's pretty selfish of him. You know, seeing as he got his start on a TV show that the fans love with a passion and support wholeheartedly.

NOTE: I am well aware that I'm only giving my opinion/side of the story. I don't call him and chat regularly on the phone with him, so he could have a million valid reasons not to be in the movie that I don't know about. I just don't care. He's being selfish.

Anyway, my main thought for what his logic could be is this - perhaps he doesn't want to reassert any typecast he may have received as an awkward, geeky teenager. It's reasonable. Look what happened to Anthony Michael Hall.

However (and this portion of the blog is directed toward Mr. Cera), THE ONLY ROLES YOU'VE TAKEN SO FAR ARE AWKWARD, GEEKY TEENAGER ROLES!

I mean, honestly, if you haven't typecast yourself as awkward already, then reprising your most beloved role probably isn't going to make it any worse for you. I seriously can't see Michael Cera being anything besides an awkward kid other than the bad comic relief in an awful action film (just kidding, Surf Ninjas, you know I love you), or his other choice of going the creepy, stalker/murderer route in some suspense thriller. And that's fine, but at least be in an Arrested Development movie before you start creeping everybody out.

Bottom line - I'm probably wrong. I don't know all the details. I do know that I want Michael Cera to play George Michael in an Arrested Development movie. I also know that I don't want anyone else to play that role. If this is simply a matter of him being selfish, then I'm disappointed. And if he chooses not to do it, I'll say this - when I'm a famous movie producer or director, I don't intend to let him act in any of my films. So yeah...take that Michael Cera!


"Hey, whatcha tryin' ta say to me?"

Bose: Rocking off faces (and gaining lifelong customers)...

Yesterday, my Bose in-ear headphones went bad on me. The reason I went expensive and bought Bose isn’t because I have the money to afford Bose ear-buds and simply thought it would make me look cool. I bought Bose ear-buds because, as far as I could tell, it is the only company I’ve seen that gives you a year-long warranty rather than 90 day warranty.

For some reason that I don’t understand, headphones and I don’t manage to have relationships longer than 3 or 4 months. Granted, I listen to music and wear my ear-buds just about 24-7 for any and all activities, but it’s not like I swing from chandeliers on them or anything. I did, however, save all of the original packaging and the receipt, assuming they would one day bite the dust on me.

Anyway, not surprisingly, they died after five months (a record headphone survival length in itself, which merits an award on Bose's part), and I decided to put my 1-year limited warranty to good use. Bear in mind that I subjected my ear buds to NONE of the warranty-violating conditions (water, insects, lightning, etc.). I think I just wear them too much. And if that’s wrong, I don’t wanna be right.

So I called the customer service number, expecting the typical 7 minute wait before even talking to someone who might be able to help me. After only two “Push 1 for English” and “Push 2 for headphone products” recordings, I was directed to the waiting queue and was told that all the representatives were on the line. Again, expecting to wait, I put my cell on speakerphone and popped open the Daily Jumble online.

Imagine my surprise when, before I had even started on today’s Jumble, the line started ringing and a representative was on the line. After explaining the situation, he asked for my name (bear in mind, this is still only 1:30 into my initial dialing of the Bose 1-800 number...that's not very long), and confirmed my information based on my registration from awhile ago (a point I’ll get to in a second). Regardless, by about 2 minutes and 15 seconds into the call, we were all squared away with the information exchange. Time for the arduous replacement discussion and warranty haggling...or so I thought.

*For the record, I regret not remembering the guy's name. I think I was still in a temporary state of shock at how efficiently things had been going, but if I could remember the guy’s name, I’d give him a mad shout out here: "Thanks _____________."

And why's that? Beause then, ___________ immediately said, “Mike, I’ll be sending you an e-mail with the information you need on how to send your ear-buds back in, and we will replace them for you and send the replacement ear-buds as quickly as we can.”

To which I almost choked on my gum and replied, “…wait…that’s it?”

“Yes. Just go ahead and follow the instructions in the e-mail, and you should be all set. Anything else I can help you with?”

“Uhhh…nope. Is that it? Because if that’s it, then you just totally rocked my face off” (and yes, I actually said those words to him).

“I'm glad we could help. If there’s nothing else I can do for you, thanks and have a great day.”

Let's recap: it took THREE TOTAL MINUTES. That’s it. No sneaky, “we’re not really responsible so we’ll use this loophole” attempt. No being transferred to four different customer service reps. No hassle, period. And it was probably the most pleasant customer service call I’ve ever had to make (I don’t even want to get started on my iPod Photo quadruple-replacement fiasco). I mean…it took three minutes.

Now, obviously I should clarify that previously registering my product clearly streamlined this process, but it doesn’t take away from the impact Bose’s customer service had on me in the situation. Something I expected to be a 20 minute ordeal (minimum) and overall frustrating experience was over before I knew it even started.

Consequently, it’s likely that every set of ear-buds or sound system I ever purchase will be Bose (possibly for the rest of my life). I’d say that’s probably not a bad deal for them. A little extra touch on customer service just got them a lifelong customer.

Has anybody else had a similar experience with other companies providing stellar customer service? What about their efforts did you appreciate? The person? The results? The efficiency? What about the flip side? Any miserable experience that lost a customer for a company or product? I’d love to hear your experiences and thoughts on the matter. Who knows…your comment could save me some hassle in the future. And that would be nice.

Why Twitter comes naturally to me...

I’ve moved quite a few times in my life. Basically, throughout my formative years, I moved four times (and five times total for six different locations). At age 6, at age 11, at age 12, and age 18, I moved to entirely different states and communities. From Houston, Texas to Fargo, North Dakota, to Long Island, New York to College Station, Texas, and having recently settled (and going on five years) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, it’s clear that the places are…diverse.

Quite possibly the last picture taken of me before my rigorous moving cycle began...

Now, the reason I’m telling you this is because I think these moves have resulted in a strong passion for social media and, specifically, a social medium like Twitter. Many of my friends seem to struggle with the concept of Twitter. Part of that is because I currently live in Sioux Falls, where we’re occasionally a few months to a few years behind many communities in terms of technology and things of that nature. Another reason, however, is that many of my friends don’t understand the benefit of having numerous friends in numerous locations.

This makes me think back to my days of junior high and high school. Specifically, the cafeteria. Now, most people grow up with their childhood friends and they sit with those friends every day at lunch from first grade through their senior year of high school. But, when you’ve left your childhood friends behind to move into uncharted territories, you don’t have the luxury of lifelong friends. The result? For me, it was floating around to various places and hanging out with various people. Different lunch tables meant different conversations, different learning experiences, and different elements of life to appreciate.

This process continued after I moved to Sioux Falls for college. Different class schedules on different days meant I was spending time with different people. Although I might spend a Friday night celebrating a victory with the Men’s Basketball Team, I was just as likely to turn around and spend that Saturday night hanging out with all of the theatre friends I made while taking Theatre 220 (an acting class…which was a unique experience in itself that I recommend everybody do at some point in their lives). Or, I may have just spent the weekend with my regular, non-acting, non-athlete friends and had a great time going to a Twins game in Minneapolis or hitting up a Joey Ryan & The Inks concert in Dinkytown.

Here I am, rockin' a Twins game with friends @Hale_Storm & @brennifresh

The bottom line – My life has almost always been a social one that involves many different people in many different places at any given time.

Enter Twitter.

Suddenly I’m presented with an online version of what my life has always been. Now, I can make friends with people in different states (which eventually lead to the realization that inspired this post), come across new people who live here in Sioux Falls, or I can reconnect with friends from the past, all in a much more direct and open way than I could do through Facebook or regular, old-fashioned e-mails.

Twitter is basically a huge win for me – it gives me the usual benefits of moving (new friends, new thoughts, new avenues in life to pursue), without the downside of moving (moving). That’s not to say I don’t intend to move again at some point in my life. Although it’s usually not easy, moving has been ingrained in my life as a necessary element. Especially when South Dakota ends up being colder than 32 degrees five months a year. The only thing that could be worse is if polar bears lived here too.

Social media does for me what moving used to do for me. It allows me to open new doors and new conversations, ultimately forming new relationships with people all over the world. In the last few months alone, I’ve been able to discover new music, new TV shows, and entirely new mindsets, all as a result of listening to others and sharing my thoughts with the world.

So, if you enjoy Twitter and other online media services, I'm curious - What do they do for you? How do you use a social network like Twitter? Is it strictly business, is it meeting new people, or is it a reason you can’t quite put your finger on? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave a comment and let me know what you’re thinking.

-“…said I dig ya baby, but I gotta keep movin’…on…keep movin’ on…”

Dude to Dad: One man's social media journey into fatherhood...

I’ve had some exciting things happen in the last few days. The most exciting of which was posting this blog post about Marvel Comics’ dominant social media presence on the internet and then finding out that Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief, Joe Quesada, passed it around to folks at the Marvel office (I even have the tweets to prove it, here, here, and here) and THEN having the Marvel Twitter account tweet it for everyone to read.

That completely rocks my world. Especially since that was not even in the least bit an expected result. As a long-time comic book fan (if I could find my homemade childhood Spider-Man and Captain America Halloween costume pictures, I'd post them here), my head just about exploded.

Thankfully it didn’t, and I’m back to post again. This time, it’s about a social media presence on which I am actually working. The concept is called “Dude to Dad,” and it’s the brainchild of my friend (and future boss) Hugh Weber.

Hugh decided that, seeing as he’ll be a father in fewer than 100 days, he needed to soon make the transition from “Dude” to “Dad,” by the time his child was born. Unfortunately, many of the “books” you can buy regarding this subject are more or less based on helping the mother-to-be during her pregnancy and not so much based on being a not-crappy father.

So, Dude to Dad is Hugh’s real-life journey into fatherhood, and it will be told through videos, tweets, blogging, and the Ning-created social networking site, dudetodad.com. The videos, which I personally think are hilarious (I’ll embed the intro video below if you’d like to see for yourself) are a huge part, but another major area we’re focused on is the back-and-forth discussion taking place on the site’s forum section. We want to know what makes a good “Dad” (both from the male and female perspectives), how difficult it is to transition from the ever-enjoyable “Dude” phase of life (I promise that is NOT me), and any other bits of information Hugh (and all dudes to dads) should know during this terrifying journey into dadhood.

Find more videos like this on Dude to Dad


So what role do I play in this shenanigans-filled combination of humor, true-life experiences, and fellowship, cooperation, and unity of soon-to-be fathers? Well, as a 22-year-old with no intentions of becoming a father anytime soon, I will be serving as Hugh’s “Dude Wingman,” and representing the urges of “dudeness” that he will need to be overcoming as he makes his transition.

Also, on a more technical note, I’ll be serving as the social media presence, site maintainer, writing editor, rap song parody writer (you don’t even know what’s coming), and eventual video guest star. I'll also help maintain the Dude to Dad Twitter account and Facebook page, all in the name of helping dudes become dads. It’s going to be an awesome ride and I definitely hope you’ll join us for it. Dude, dad, dudette, or anything else, you’re welcome to join us at dudetodad.com today and contribute to the site, the discussion, or anything else to which you care to contribute.

I could use some backup in the realm of Dude Wingmen as well, so if you’re young and not planning on being a dad anytime soon (like me), help me come up with ways to challenge Hugh to overcome the pratfalls of dudedom (all with the purpose of helping him become a better father, of course).

Bottom line, this is a big project and I’m looking forward to taking it on and changing the way dads grow into fatherhood. I hope to be on the path from Dude to Dad someday, and I have a feeling that Dude to Dad will be the first place to which I turn for advice, guidance, and friendship. Especially if this initial run goes well for Hugh. I guess we’ll find out together as we go...

P.S. - I'll go ahead and embed the latest video (which features Barack Obama, by the way). It's a pretty sweet video if you ask me:



-Then to my knees and I begged the Lord please…let me be a good daddy , all he needs…”

Marvel - The most "powerful" social media presence on the web...

Social networking and social media make my life fantastic. Hours of my day spent on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and various blogs are actually considered “work” for me. Concepts like this drive people like my dad (killer 'stache, pops) crazy because “it just doesn’t make sense.”

But it rocks my face off. And pays me dollars. What a great, great combo!

Consequently, many organizations have yet to grasp the concept of exactly what New Media can do for them. However, a few companies have managed to approach and enter the doors that new, social, and online media can open for them, and I’d like to point one out as having done this very successfully.

The company to which I’m referring is my life-long (metaphoric) friend, Marvel. Yes, Marvel as in Marvel Comics. Here’s why (and don't forget to click a link or two)…


The Marvel Twitterverse…

Marvel isn’t just on Twitter…it basically dominates Twitter. 80+ affiliates of Marvel (comic writers, artists, art directors, editors, online creators, audio and video production staff, interns (EDITOR'S NOTE: @ldnallen721, as formerly linked to on the "interns" link, is NOT an intern, she is a web developer...my sincerest apologies...I only know past interns like@nogs), Skrulls, and more...even Senior VPs!) range from light/moderate usage to downright living on Twitter (much like myself) in terms of the number of tweets they send out. Courtesy of @Agent_M (arguably the most active-online facet of Marvel.com’s editorial staff), the Twitterverse has been blessed with a bevy of benevolent Twitterers who are willing to share their lives online (and, consequently, draw me in even closer to the organization that is Marvel). Beyond that, the Marvel account itself (@Marvel on Twitter) is constantly present and available to share new developments, teasers, links, and, most importantly, the account actually ENGAGES Marvel fans by answering questions and sharing in conversations with its 2,500+ Twitter supporters (yes...that's Marvel telling me that it loves me).

On the flipside, I don’t know if the Distinguished Competition (DC Comics) even has a single Twitter account. If so, it hasn’t caused much of a buzz at this point as far as I can tell. Which is quite typical of them, but we’ll get to that later.

Bottom line, @Agent_M got on Twitter long before many people in general, and Marvel has reaped the benefits of being willing to let him encourage anyone and everyone to jump on and share a more personal side of the organization. They’re also wise enough to use Twitter to find stellar interns and other talented individuals in order to stay atop the comic book industry.

Marvel and Facebook/MySpace…

Another thing Marvel does very well is cover its bases with the older social networking sites like our dear friends Facebook and MySpace (both of which are networks you’ll quickly abandon once you spend a few weeks on Twitter). Not only do they use these sites effectively, but they also work hard to incorporate various methods of keeping fans engaged. For example, a Marvel employee might ask for questions for the weekly “MyCup o’ Joe" Q&A with Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada via Twitter. Those questions, asked for on Twitter, can then end up being asked in the Q&A which is featured on the website. This engagement takes you beyond having an interview shoved in your face and creates a conversation between the fan and the Marvel organization. As a comic book fan, having your question asked to Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief is just sweet (I mean…the dude goes on the Colbert Report all the time). The next step they take is putting these interviews up on MySpace, adding links on Facebook, and, most importantly, keeping all of these networks fresh and updated. Marvel works hard to accomplish this, which is certainly no easy task for a company that creates comics, movies and TV shows, video games, toys, exclusive interviews, exclusive art, and dozens of other things I could link to if I had time.

Bottom line: Marvel maintains a strong presence on various internet fronts. And that’s not even on the Marvel.com site itself…

The Marvel.com site…

Speaking of the Marvel.com site, just check it out. Marvel.com presents, provides, and shares as much content as any other company’s website you can find on the internet. From news releases to writer and celebrity interviews to wallpapers to games (and an entire site devoted strictly to kids), Marvel.com is vast, powerful, and full of reasons to keep coming back. Most importantly, the comments and replies are unrestricted. If you don’t like a certain comic, let that comic's editor know in the comment section of his blog. If you loved the Iron Man movie, share your thoughts on an Iron Man news story comment section. It’s all open (although I believe it might be edited to keep out profanity/vulgarity/etc.), and that’s what makes Marvel’s leap into the social media world even more impressive. Right now, in December, 2008, the number of companies willing to be that transparent is very small in the relative sense of how many companies in the world have an online presence.

The rest of Marvel’s depth…

Beyond these social and online media elements of the site, Marvel does plenty of other stuff to engage people. From the entertaining Mighty Marvel Podcasts (hosted by Twitterer @Suterman himself) to an EXTENSIVE Online Digital Comics archive (where you can read thousands of comics straight from your computer) to other cool, fan-interactive tools like @Agent_M’s CoverItLive liveblogging at some of the recent ComicCons (comic conventions…which are awesome…just ask Johnny Drama), Marvel is unafraid to dabble in all sorts of new technologies. This leads me to believe that they will continually be on the cusp of technology in relation to the comics industry and beyond. Which is awesome as a Marvel Comics fan.

Last (and probably least)…

This is the website for DC (Marvel’s largest rival): http://www.dccomics.com/

No, I’m not kidding. That’s it. For the company with the second largest market share of the comic book industry, that is what they consider an online presence (apparently they do a podcast, but I couldn't find them on Facebook or MySpace or Twitter). My instincts tell me that they MUST have a site revamp coming sometime in the near future but…if not…wow…

Even non-comic fans can agree - it's "Spectacular"...

Honestly, I challenge you to find companies with such an engaged, engaging, and innovative online presence as Marvel. I’m sure you’ll come across a few that can compare, but I honestly doubt you’ll find many that surpass Marvel by much. You may not be a comic book fan, but in an age when forming tribes, communities, and conversations is a key to business success, Marvel has managed to do so with a group of individuals who are fiercely loyal, with or without superpowers. On that, I commend them. And thank them.

So, if you have any examples of good social media efforts, I'd love to see them in the comments section. Disagree with my post? Let me know. Want to talk about comics? Drop me a line. I could talk about comics all day, so I'd be happy to discuss them with you. Share your thoughts and I'll be happy to respond, no matter what the topic may be.

And now, I’m off to go spend too much of my money on the non-digital aspect of Marvel - comic books.

“I’ve been browsin’, inspectin’…X-Men comics, you know I collect ‘em…”

UPDATE (12-5-2008): It has come to my attention that Marvel's Editor-in-Chief, Joe Quesada, is now on Twitter (@JoeQuesada). That is so awesome. Not that it was in question, but I will forever be making mine Marvel...

UPDATE 2 (12-16-08): As of today, DC has joined Twitter with the name @DC_Nation. A little late to the party, but it's still a better late than never kind of thing and I can commend them for starting now. They just have a LOT of ground to make up. Make mine Marvel, either way!

An unlikely conversion...

Growing up, I thought baseball was the most boring sport in the world. It took forever, nothing exciting happened, and when it did, I didn’t particularly care because I didn’t have a “favorite team” in the first place. It was basically a sport that was on when basketball wasn’t (which is probably one more reason I didn’t particularly care for it).

I still played it growing up, but enjoyed it about as much as I enjoyed pre-season conditioning in high school basketball. For the record, I did not enjoy pre-season conditioning in high school basketball. But I did it anyway. Needless to say, not having a team to support and not enjoying the actual playing of the sport left me quite jaded about baseball.

Also, I sucked at the Nintendo 64 Ken Griffey Jr.’s Major League Baseball in junior high (watch the intro, then skip to about 4:20 to see the gameplay and you'll understand), and that’s like…the best baseball game of all time. So that was always a degrading procedure when I’d have to play that game with my friends and lose 14-1.

After living that many years not liking baseball, you’d think I would have hated it by the time I was in college.

Well…I did. And, worse, I was in a region where everybody within 450 miles worshipped the same team. Always having been a guy who supported teams that nobody in the area liked (Arizona Wildcat college basketball ((and AZ Wildcat Softball)) and the Chicago Bears while living in Texas), it was mind-numbingly painful to see these Minnesota Twins-obsessed fans who were all infatuated with both a team and, more specifically, a sport that I truly couldn’t stand.

Those weird Twins fans understood (and loved) stuff like this...

Befriending the obsessed...
Well, turns out I ended up rooming with possibly the most Minnesota sports-loving person in the entire region (yeah…it’s like something out of a cheesy sitcom). I mean, my roommate could tell you the hometowns and high school baseball stats of guys who are on the Twins minor league teams. He knows the high school and college football stats for probably 90% of the Minnesota Vikings. He lives and dies with every Minnesota Golden Gopher touchdown, wrestling pin-fall, and hockey goal.

Although I clicked with him better than probably anyone on the campus of Augustana College, we were exact opposites when it came to sports.

But…after a full year of listening to him tell me about Minnesota Twins trades, players sent down to and brought up from the minor leagues, and season-ending injuries that would devastate the team, I realized that I knew the entire Twins roster without seeing a single game. I was also fascinated by the fact that there were individual players in Major League Baseball who, for one season, were paid almost half as much as the Twins ENTIRE roster's total payroll. And the Twins were still somehow playoff contenders.

So, I figured I should give them a chance.

The conversion...
It just so happened that I began to disprove my entire life’s schema about baseball. It might have been the fact that my roommate, who I genuinely enjoyed being around, watched games every night in our room and it was easier to just sit and watch them than it was to leave. It might have been the fact that all of my friends would sit around and have beers while watching the Twins play (and usually play some drinking game based on hits, strikeouts, runs, etc.), and I certainly wasn’t going to be left out of that. Or it might have just been the fact that I was tired of fighting a losing battle against Minnesota sports team-obsessed fans (just kidding, I still hate the Vikings).

Whatever it was, my roommate’s passion had rubbed off on me. I was a Twins fan. I’ll say it again: I was a Twins fan. Then, in the 2006 season (my junior year), the Twins ended up winning the A.L. Central Division and the excitement around that process basically cemented the fact that, from now on, I would be responding with “Twins, baby!” when asked which baseball team was my favorite.

There I am at the Metrodome, actually being a Twins fan...

Can he do that?...
Now, I justify my Twins fandom as not being a bandwagon jump (one of the most loathsome acts one can commit in the sports universe...I think the last sentence of that link's story sums it up nicely) due to the logic that I was never a baseball fan to begin with and, therefore, did not abandon a team I had once supported for a winning, locally-popular team. I simply began to truly appreciate the Twins and what they accomplish in Major League Baseball, as well as the efforts the organization puts into its regional fan bases to keep the connection with fans strong not only in the heart of Minneapolis-St. Paul, but also out in rural communities three, four, and up to six or seven hours away. It’s a group of hard-working athletes who do everything they can to win. It’s just about impossible not to respect them. And, consequently, it makes their success all the more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, the Twins lost tonight to the Chicago White Sox (a club I’ve grown to dislike) in a playoff tie-breaker game that would have made them Division Champions and thus would have gotten them into the American League playoffs. In a gut-wrenching, 1-0 loss, hundreds of thousands (and possibly millions) of fans had their hearts broken by an always-lethal Jim Thome home run that put Chicago ahead for the win.


So...now what happens?
Three years ago, I wouldn’t have cared (and probably would have laughed at the “whining” Twins fans who took their baseball just a little too seriously). Tonight, it just sucked. Straight up. Now, there is no doubt in my mind that there are Twins fans who are much, much more upset than me right now (it’s safe to say my former roommate is one of them). The problem is that, now, I empathize with those fans and I’m quite frustrated that I won’t be watching the Twins and supporting them in the playoffs, enjoying beers with my friends while the Twins tried to win the pennant, and celebrating the joy that can only come from that fiery passion that a sport ignites in the hearts of competitors around the world.

Instead…I’ll have to sit around waiting for basketball season to start. And for one of the rare times in my entire life, that does not appeal to me anywhere near as much as the thought of watching Justin Morneau hit a walk-off game-winner or watching Joe Nathan seal the win in the bottom of the ninth with a low fastball. It’s a weird feeling, but thanks to my friends, this region, and the Minnesota Twins, it’s one that I hope lasts for a long, long time.

But man…do I hate Jim Thome right now…

Have you had a similar experience? Let me know which team won you over (or lost your love) over the years. Which teams would you cry for in a championship loss or celebrate with ecstatic joy for in a championship victory? Do you even like sports? If not, which video game, computer operating system, or awesome book series won you over? Leave a comment and let me know so I can look into any and all of them. Maybe I'll be converted to those too...

Please help me with this...

Somebody please explain this to me:

I acquired the above image from this site, which has listed multiple pictures of bad parking jobs (the specific blog post title being "Parking a Car Too Difficult For You?"), but I find it hard to believe that this was any legitimate attempt whatsoever by a human being to actually park a car. It looks like it was on the WCPO-Channel 9 News, so I feel like it is probably legitimate.

I would love any and all comments that might give some insight as to how this occurred. I posted a similar post a few months ago, but that was more for comedic effect. This one...I just need some explanation.

I promise you, I will not mock ANY response you post in reply to this. I will only mock the person who "parked" this vehicle. So...if you are the person who "parked" this vehicle...then I probably will make fun of your comment. Or maybe just you. Sorry.

Comic books are NOT just for kids...part 2

This blog post is (also) for all the idiots in the world who think comic books (and other fantasy stories) are only for kids.

Ok, that may have (still) been harsh, but I needed to get your attention (again) without you immediately discarding the blog post.

First of all, read this post. Then read the one below.

This post will focus on the merits of reading literature that many may deem “childish” or immature. I can assure you that this is a somewhat ignorant outlook to take regarding the issue. Fortunately, brilliant philosophical and intellectual minds like the one belonging to C.S. Lewis are here to support me in my quest to prove that comic books aren’t “just for kids.”

Here’s Mr. Lewis with this quote on fiction:

“It is usual to speak in a playfully apologetic tone about one’s adult enjoyment of what are called ‘children’s books.’ I think the convention a silly one. No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally (and often far more) worth reading at the age of fifty – except, of course, books of information. The only imaginative works we ought to grow out of are those which it would have been better not to have read at all. A mature palate will probably not much care for crème de menthe; but it ought to still enjoy bread and butter and honey.”

-C.S. Lewis, from the essay On Stories

Comic books = ...dessert?
Now, I’m not going to sit here and analyze each line in the quote. I think if you take time to read through it more than once, it should make sense. But I am going to look at, and elaborate on, the last line of that quotation.

See, I look at that quote in a more specific way. This is my (or possibly Lewis’s in another essay or book that I can’t remember) interpretation:

When you are young (childhood age), you enjoy some form of desert (fill in cake, ice cream, brownies, etc…for simplicity’s sake, I’m going to stick with ice cream). As a kid, you enjoy ice cream whenever you can get your hands on it. At that same age, you may not at all enjoy meatloaf (substitute a meal you did not particularly care for in your youth). However, as you grew into adulthood, you may have, over time, acquired a taste for and enjoyment of meatloaf. This, however, DOES NOT mean that, in your maturing process, you lost your love for ice cream. In fact, it is quite likely that you will not only enjoy a meatloaf dinner, but you will also still savor the delicious sweetness of an ice cream cone or an ice cream sundae. While you’ve added to your palette, you haven’t necessarily “changed” your pallet.

This, to me, describes my passion for comic books. I have always enjoyed them. Since my youthful innocence when I would beg my mom to buy me Spider-Man comics in the grocery store as a kid, to buying them for $2.99 and $3.99 each every Wednesday at the comic book store, comic books have been an intellectual and mind-freeing medium of fiction that has consistently satiated my love for visual effects combined with fantasy storylines (and the “man I wish I could do that” factor in my life).

You may still enjoy THIS as a "grown-up"...

...the same way I still enjoy THIS as a "grown-up"...

The difference is, now (as an adult) I am able to enjoy so many more forms of fiction than I could in my younger years. I can read a 448-page historical fiction war novel, and be as captivated by the exploits of Alcibiades in Ancient Greece as I am with the Silver Surfer’s command of the Power Cosmic throughout the galaxies. I can be as blown away by the conclusion of 1984 and Of Mice and Men as I can by the deeply moving self-sacrifice made by Colossus in order to prevent the mutant race from being exterminated by a deadly virus.

Can you enjoy both?

To me, the comic book is simply one more medium that has remained on my palette as a form of intellectual stimulation. I refuse to “replace” it with a more “substantive” medium of fiction because I don’t feel it is necessary to do so. Can I read Great Expectations and decipher the themes and motifs within such a literary masterpiece? Yes, I feel that I am quite capable of doing so. Can I read Alan Moore’s Watchmen and find intense gravity and depth in Rorschach’s absolutist outlook on life or Ozymandias’s consequentialist attitude? Yes. Those themes (and more) are present in a work such as Watchmen. They are simply packaged in a visually-stunning comic book series/graphic novel. That, however, does not take away from the content of each page and each dialogue bubble.

So, my overall point is this: comic books, when given the chance they deserve, contain plenty of wisdom and profundity as long as they are well-written. Comics may be unrealistic fiction, but that doesn’t take away from the overall purpose of the writer’s efforts as a serious author. If a space novel or fantasy tale can be considered literature (and many of them are), then I find it hard to believe that comic books don’t deserve the same. Whether or not one thinks they are strictly for kids, the truth of the matter is that even if a “kid” can enjoy a comic book, there is often plenty of substance for a 22-year-old (or 42-year-old for that matter) to absorb and later reflect upon.

Unless you believe that name-calling and pretentiousness are the only ways to handle someone else’s passion for a literary format you have yet to examine. In which case, keep making fun of the people who read comic books.

P.S. - I understand that one argument against my C.S. Lewis quote may be “What if I never liked ice cream (fantasy stories) in the first place?” and I agree that, in such a case, comic books are probably not a fictional medium of choice for you. I can respect that. My point is that I should not have to defend my enjoyment of comic books due to the notion that they “are for kids.”

I’m also very much open to any discussion you may deem relevant in the “Comments” section of this post (or the previous one) regarding this subject. In fact, I encourage you to participate if you have any interest whatsoever. I’d love to hear some other sides/elements of this argument if you have any to offer.

I won’t be as rude as I was in the opening line. I promise.

"Spider-Man, Spider-Man...does whatever a spider can..."

Why comic books are NOT just for kids...

This blog post is also for all the idiots in the world who think comic books are for kids.

Ok, that may have been harsh, but I needed to get your attention without you immediately discarding this post. You see, I’ve recently been engaging more than ever in a debate regarding the merits and quality of comic books as fiction. I finally decided it was time to explain to the world why I justify comic books as literature and how, unbeknownst to many, comic books can be completely centered on themes more adult-oriented and in-depth than your average best-selling novel.

Here’s a little backstory as to where this post is coming from. Basically, these are the types of comments I’ve heard all my life regarding my passion for comic books and graphic novels (as a now-22 year old):

-“Yeah…yeah comic books were cool…when I was SEVEN!”
-“Hey when you’re done reading your comics, come over and we’ll play POGS!”
-“I’m ignorant and think I know everything about everything and you’re a moron for liking things that may be enjoyed by someone who isn’t a grown and ignorant adult like me!”

Yes, I know, the last one is an example of what runs through my head after I hear the first two. But you get the picture. The point is that people don’t always have an intellectual respect for comics, and I think two major elements exist to make said lack of respect a reality.

The first of these major elements is that some people don’t understand the content and substance of today’s comic literature. These individuals have no clue as to the intellectual depth and gravity of a well-written series of comic book. The extent of their comic book awareness is the “BAM!...POW!” 60s Batman show, the original “X-Men” animated series, and the Spider-Man movies. Sadly, only one of those three things listed does any kind of justice to its comic book counterpart. Good work X-Men.

The second element is going to be covered in part 2 of this blog post, which will be posted very, very soon (UPDATE: It has now been posted here...but finish reading this one first). It considers the frivolous notion that enjoying comic books isn’t appropriate for an individual over the age of seven and incorporates sage wisdom from an unlikely source to refute this idea of what is or is not appropriate for a 22-year-old.

But we’re going to focus on the content of comics right now. All of the stuff that the casual/non-comic book fan doesn’t ever see because he or she would “never be a big enough baby to pick up a comic book and read it.”

Point blank: If you are one of those people, you are ignorant and you are missing out on something quite enjoyable as a result of your ignorance.

A literary (comic book) masterpiece…

The inspiration behind this post was a discussion regarding the literary achievements of and accolades received by Alan Moore’s Watchmen. Here you have a novel that is the only graphic novel (comic book collection) on Time Magazine’s "100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present" (long title, I know) and the only graphic novel to win a Hugo Award. These aren’t comic book awards. These are awards and distinctions that truly separate the graphic novel from Archie Comics and Sunday funnies as a literary work of fiction.

The themes of Watchmen are intense. The graphic novel covers quite a few of the issues we face (or faced) as humans in the world, ranging from an entire underlying theme of the nation’s distrust and fear as a result of the Cold War to death, murder, justice (legal and vigilante), rape, love, governmental conspiracy, heroism, and the value of human life. And that’s in a 12-issue comic series.

Watchmen isn’t a story about a bunch guys in capes conquering “evil-doers” with one-punch knockouts or masked men catching bank robbers and saving the day. While it has a few similar elements, Watchmen is written in a style that, if one were to replace the comic book illustration with explanatory dialogue, would be considered a captivating work of literary fiction. Let’s be honest, it didn’t make Time’s previously-noted “100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present” list because of the pictures (which is not to say that Dave Gibbons’ artwork doesn’t bring the graphic novel into the pantheon of great comic book masterpieces, because it surely does).

If you feel like comic books aren’t for adults, please give Watchmen a valid reading attempt. I promise: if you are even remotely intelligent, it will change your stance on the issue.

Even so, I can’t rely on this one graphic novel to prove my point. Which is why I’ll take a much more current cultural phenomenon and let it speak for me.

The Dark Knight’s darkness in comic form…

The Dark Knight is already widely considered to be the best superhero movie ever made. Many attribute much of this success to Heath Ledger’s chilling portrayal of a conscious-absent Joker that deviates mightily from the clown-like prankster featured in the 60s television series and the original Batman film (skip to the commercial at 1:12).

But, I ask you this: do you have any idea where the inspiration behind Heath Ledger’s Joker came from? The motivation behind Heath Ledger’s Joker came from COMIC BOOKS. That’s right – the terrifyingly careless man who values human life less than he values his mouth-shredding pocket knife is based on the comic books that portray the Joker as a psychopath who fears nothing.

We’re talking about a Joker that (most non-comic book fans would be appalled to know) beat the second Robin to death right in front of his mother’s eyes…and then BLEW THEM BOTH UP! Here, see the vicious assault for yourself:



And then...




Yeah. Joker beats him down and lets him die. Because, in the comics (before The Dark Knight was even a in its beginning stages), the Joker was that brutal.

Fortunately (and unrealistically), Jason Todd turned up alive years later. Only to be doing things like this (this one is rather graphic, be warned):



Still think comics are simply for little kids?

The Point?

I didn’t write this post to show you some grisly comic book pictures. I wrote it to explain that comic books aren’t just for kids. It’s not only sticky-fingered 7-year-olds that can and should enjoy comic books and graphic novels. I'm in no way saying it's the violence that makes them good, I'm just showing that they aren't as fun-natured, bubbly, and cartoony as some might think.

Comic books employ as many deeply-themed fictional storylines as full-length works of fiction. While the art and pictures in comics help to tell the tale in the place of flowery description, the content and message of the comic’s themes are often much deeper than the stereotypical thoughts people have of them.

Do bad, corny, and otherwise awful comics exist in the world? Of course – just like cheesy romance novels and stupidly gruesome monster murder stories exist for cheap thrills and enjoyment. But that doesn’t mean that, just like any other work of fictional literature, comics can’t provide a well-written, engrossing, and captivating storyline to those who are open-minded enough to invest the time and effort into a comic book.

So, before you make some snide comment to a friend who buys comic books weekly or a coworker who is aggravated by the newest superhero movie’s deviation from its epic 1997 comic storyline, give that person the benefit of the doubt. Keep in mind that maybe, just maybe, the friend or co-worker is currently reading a work of fiction in comic book form that has more substance to it than the current novel you are trudging through each night.

Or maybe he or she is just some adult that needs to grow up and stop acting like a kid.

I’ll be more than happy to continue this discussion in the comments section as well. It’s already far too long a post, but it’s something about which I am passionate and I didn’t want to emaciate the content or message behind it. I said I’d start writing shorter posts, and I feel like I was doing a decent job until this one, so bear with me.


“I been browsin’, inspectin’, X-Men comics, you know I collect ‘em…”

Too long a break...

I apologize. I've been spreading myself too thin and, consequently, have been lacking in the blog post department. Unfortunately, this absence is detrimental to me seeing as my writing will hopefully serve as one of the many facets I hope to present a potential employer regarding my future avenues of income and life happiness.

So, here is the plan. I'm going to go and clear my head this weekend. I'm taking a rare vacation and will be visiting a dear, close friend of mine named Dave Matthews. Dave has this "band" of "musicians" and they manage to play music that makes me question whether Heaven consists of St. Peter at the Pearly Gates or just some grungy guy taking tickets for an eternal DMB concert. I would be so happy if it were the latter.

So once I've left surreality and have grudgingly returned to this world known as "reality," I will be getting back to work both in the professional sense and in the personal sense. If you are going to be at Alpine Valley this weekend and want to say hello, send me an e-mail and we can get in touch. If you aren't going to be at Alpine Valley this Saturday and Sunday, I would highly recommend that you do everything that is remotely within the realm of possibility to try and get out there.

I mean...how often do you get to enjoy Heaven on earth?

I know I tend to end my posts with song lyrics, but I thought I'd instead give you a few samples of the happiness that will be bestowed upon me in 43.5 hours...

The first of these clips is what I consider to be my favorite live version of any DMB song. While Warehouse isn't necessarily my favorite song overall, nothing tops this Central Park performance in my book...



The poetically beautiful insanity of the next video is one of the many reasons my legs feel like I've run a marathon the day after a DMB concert...dancing in place (on a hill) can be so tiring...



Finally, a rendition of my all-time favorite DMB song...not necessarily this specific version, (although this is a darn good one). God I love Two Step...

This made me laugh out loud today...

This is a very short post. In fact, it's just one picture. But it made me laugh out loud multiple times throughout the morning.

Whether it's been photoshopped has now come into question at this point, but the truth is, I don't really care. I'm just going to assume it's not and continue to laugh at it every time I see it...

What makes a great "literary" work?

As a preface, this was originally intended to be a quick Tumblr post rather than a full-fledged blog post. But I like to write, so it turned into both. Consequently, this post doesn't contain my usual number of random links and videos, but since it's a slightly more serious subject than my usual posts, I think that'll be ok. Anyway, sorry for the boring intro.

I’ve recently engaged in a conversation/discussion regarding whether or not comic books and Harry Potter can be classified as legitimate “literature.” Well, not necessarily that they aren’t literature, but that they are on similar levels of what qualifies as actual literature.

This catalyst of this discussion was my excitement over the recent release of the trailer for the Hugo Award-winning graphic novel “Watchmen.” I explained, via Twitter, that “Watchmen” is an unbelievably deep and well-written work that is without a doubt more on the level of a literary novel than a comic book. In fact, it’s the only graphic novel (which is basically a comic book novel if you aren’t aware) to make Time Magazine’s “100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present.”

From there, the Harry Potter series was brought into the discussion as being compared to “Watchmen” in terms of literary level. This brought me to my first question, which is “What qualifies something as ‘literature’ in today’s day and age?” Unfortunately, due to time and space constraints, I’ll focus on the Harry Potter side of the discussion. The comic books as literature argument will come on a day when I have more time to concentrate on my words. I’m very defensive about my comic books, you see.

Moving along. In my opinion, Rowling’s ability to write a literary work that appeals to people ranged from age 6 to age 56 shows that she has indeed crafted what could be considered one of the “great pieces of writing ever written" (the quote from the other side of the discussion being that she had not created one of the "great pieces of writing ever written").

One reason I consider it to be so is that, while it may be written toward a younger audience, people of all ages have no problem enjoying the novels. Obviously it’s no “Pride and Prejudice” or “Great Expectations,” but at the same time, those novels are more or less unreadable for anyone under the age of 17 or 18 (even then, readers at that age will unlikely understand the depth and themes of the works). On the other hand, readers of almost any age can find very deep and important issues underlying the wizardry, spells, and flying broomsticks. Harry Potter covers themes ranging from the basic battle of Good vs. Evil to racism, discrimination, class-distinction, and accepting death as an inevitable part of life.

Specifically, the argument was presented that the Harry Potter series is one that, in 20-30 years, will not be something that appeals to adults due to its adolescent themes. My response to this: The Lord of the Rings is a series that has captivated readers of all ages since 1954. And while the films clearly gave it a major revival in 2001, it had certainly managed to stand the test of time even before the films were released.

My question is, between the Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia (which were released around the same time) and the release of the Harry Potter series, which literary works have had that kind of influence and inspired (in people of all ages) a desire to pick up an old-fashioned book and spend weeks, days, or (in my case) hours reading it?

Also, the argument was presented that people in 20-30 years will have little interest in reading the Harry Potter novels. I would say, as a 22-year-old reader who very much enjoys fantasy and science-fiction (as well as non-sci-fi literary “classics” like “1984,” “Lord of the Flies,” and “Of Mice and Men”), that I did not read any Harry Potter books until I was 20 years old and I immediately read the Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time following my completion of “The Half-Blood Prince.” Now, under the premise of people "not wanting to read something like that 20-30 years later," (paraphrased) I might be considered an anomaly. And I’m very ready to concede that it was also a result of the exciting Lord of the Rings movies (which, I will again concede, in Harry Potter’s case, will be quite dated in 20-30 years), but that doesn’t mean I didn’t thoroughly enjoy reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy 20-30 years after it was written and published.

Similarly, some people are absolutely obsessed (not necessarily in a good way) with the Harry Potter series. I find it hard to believe that these same people, in the next 10-15 years, won’t be sharing their passion with their own children. I know, from personal experience with my mother, that parents will be inclined to share things with their children in the hopes that said children will enjoy those things as well. The reason I love reading as much as I do is because my mom read “Where the Red Fern Grows” to me as a six-year-old. I cried at the end, and I realized how moving a made-up story written on paper could be. Then she told me that, when she was my age, she had the same reaction to the novel.

Regardless, I think Harry Potter will have a hold on society for a long time because, as opposed to other works written for children and teenagers, Harry Potter was written for everyone, kids and adults alike. To me, that’s what lifts it from a level of an elementary-level work of fiction to a truly great work of literature. New trends will certainly appear over time, but, much like the Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia have failed to fall into the abyss of societal neglect, I feel Harry Potter will manage to survive and thrive as the series’ adoring fans continue to love the novels and pass them down to generation after generation.

This coming from someone who didn’t read his first page of a Harry Potter book until he was 20-years-old. Of course, that may be the reason I see it as a literary work rather than a children’s book.

My Top 5 Childhood Movies: The Final 2...

Ok, I’m back, and I know you’re excited. As I’m sure you were all on the edge of your seat (just like the last time), I thought it would be best to finish out my Top 5 list of my favorite/most influential childhood movies.

For a quick recap before reading these last two, check out the previous blog post if you haven't yet.

Let me preface these final two with this thought. I wish that at some point I had thought to count how many times I watched these movies. I’m almost positive that each would number well over 100 each (and probably many, many more). I realized this when, a year ago, I watched the #2 movie for the first time in about eleven years and discovered that I still knew probably 70% of the lines from the film. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, I’m not really sure. But I was happy. Here we go!

#2
In all honesty, even though this film is #2 of my Top 5, it’s the one that inspired this specific blog post in the first place. Why, you ask? Because the premise of 3 Ninjas was so absolutely preposterous that I was struggling to understand how I could have ever enjoyed it. You may think I’m kidding, but I was a pretty intelligent (and modest) child growing up. I understood a lot of concepts that most kids would have blindly overlooked in lieu of enjoying something for what it was worth. I realized that many of the shows I watched were absolutely unrealistic, and I often mocked them (while hypocritically watching them, obviously…but at least I knew they were stupid).

But somehow, throughout my youth, I always thought maybe…just maybe…it might have been possible for three very young kids to defeat hundreds of ninjas in battle due solely to their ninja prowess. Looking back on it, I think that was one of my (very) few moments of sheer idiocy:




In my defense, much like Surf Ninjas, 3 Ninjas had all of the elements of my childhood I cherished and revered: violence, humor, video games (the handheld Ninja Turtles LCD game they play in the film is the same one I owned…how cool is that?!?), and while it may not have featured Barbara Ann like Surf Ninjas did, it did feature a really, really sweet alarm that lit up when their mom was coming up the stairs to their room. If that didn’t get you excited as a kid, I don’t know what did.


#1
And here we go. The number one most influential movie to ever grace my childhood fantasies and dreams: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze. I wish I could even sort of begin to express how important this movie was to me in my youth. I mean, as much as I loved 3 Ninjas, TMNT II is miles above 3 Ninjas as my all-time favorite movie as a kid. I watched it over. And over. And over. Just ask my mom.

Let’s get past the fact that I had been obsessed with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles since as far back as I can remember. I have buckets of toys (yeah...I had the Pizza Thrower) that I won’t allow my mom to throw/give away (and I don’t even think she would because she cherishes my childhood happiness probably more than I do), I measured time in cartoon episode lengths (Mom's quote: "We're only three Ninja Turtle episodes away from Byron now, Mike") and the movies were fantastic (well...1 and 2 were...).

Now, I understand that the first of the TMNT movies is the “better film.” In fact, as a 22-year-old, I like it more than Secret of the Ooze. But, in terms of my childhood, this was the real deal for me. This was what I would watch any time I could. And then I’d act it out with toys, or, even better, live action fight sequences with stuffed animals and WWF Wrestling Buddies. Plus, Ernie Reyes Jr. (that’s right folks, of Surf Ninja stardom…although I believe his role in this movie came first) is the main sidekick. He was in TWO OF MY TOP 5 movies. I want to meet him and tell him this.

Anyway, here are just a few of the reasons I will always cherish TMNT II as my favorite childhood cinematic event:

The classic Vanilla Ice appearance and club fight scene:

And just some of the many fight scenes all conveniently compiled into one video (imagine me as a child acting these out…I reminisce frequently…)




And, as homage to the cartoon, here’s the first 7 minutes of an animated series episode. Nothing special about it other than the fact that it was available on YouTube so I figured I’d throw it in.

So there you have it. The top 5 movies of my childhood, summed up in two easy blog posts. I’m sure I’ll eventually write an entire post devoted to all of the aspects of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in my youth, but, for now, this will have to do.

And I’d love to hear your top 5 childhood films as well. Or even your top 3. Or just your number one favorite childhood movie. Nothing like some good contrasting and comparing. So please leave a comment and let me know.


Rocky loves EM-I-LY, Rocky loves EM-I-LY, Rocky loves EM-I-LY…

The Shaping of My Childhood...

So, an internal discussion I’ve had with myself quite frequently is which movies from my childhood rank as my all-time favorites? The possibilities are more or less endless. Although I’d like to think that a classic like Disney's Robin Hood would be in my top five, it is one of the many that I’ll always love…but not that much.

And while I unexpectedly (and contrary to what I’m sure would have been my mother’s wishes) got to see Wayne’s World at age 7, forever cementing it as a favorite of mine due to the fact that my mom would have probably cut off her own fingers before letting me watch it as a child, even that memory isn’t enough to pull it into my top 5.

So, now that I’ve got you on the edge of your seat, I’m sure you’re wondering what other classic films from my childhood rank as my most important, both as influences and as repeated joy-bringers into my innocent youth. Well, I’ll go ahead and share them with you…

#5:
There was a not-surprising battle for the 5th place spot because there are so many good movies that could make the list. And while an imagination-inspiring film like Blank Check could have been on the list, I have to give the number 5 spot to an even greater classic: The Sandlot. At one point I had a link to the perfect video, but it has since been removed from YouTube, sadly. So just pretend there's a great video clip here.

P.S. – there’s no doubt in my mind that The Sandlot is a much better movie than some of those coming up on the list as far as quality of film and storytelling goes, but it’s my childhood, not the Academy’s childhood that we’re focusing on here.

#4:
Ok, number 4 is probably the least-known of the five movies I’ll put in my top 5. Chances are, if you aren’t between the ages of 20-23 you might not even know this movie exists. But, in my formative childhood years, Surf Ninjas contained every element of film necessary to make it a Billeter Classic Movie (that’ll be my movie network someday).

Surf Ninjas had karate:



video games:



and humor:



And it had Barbara Ann in it:



It was so perfect. I have the VHS if you’d like to borrow it sometime. If you haven’t seen it, I’d be happy to sit and watch it with you. Twice even.

#3:
This one has got to be a movie you’re familiar with. I would hope. Especially if you’re from this general region (specifically, Minnesota, but usually South Dakotans tend to love teams and things from "The Cities," so I think it’s ok). Regardless, if you haven’t quoted this movie at least once, I don’t think we’re from the same generation. I probably watched D2: The Mighty Ducks 150 times as a kid. From the unbelievably exciting team re-gathering sequence when they rollerblade over fountains and stuff, to this epic scene,



D2: The Mighty Ducks was my rainy day, sunny day, and any day movie. Sometimes it even made me wish I played hockey. And any movie that could make me wish I played hockey, even as a kid, deserves some mad props (that means recognition for you old-timers).


Tell you what…I’ve got 2 movies left in this top 5 list (and I can assure you, they’re fantastic), but this blog post is already far too long. So go ahead and check out Part 2, featuring my top 2 movies, whenever you feel like reminiscing about some classic cinematic masterpieces.


Weeeee are the champions my friends…and weeeee’ll keep on fighting, ‘til the end…