RE: Superior Spider-Man Part 2 (Or "I Admit That 'Superior' Has Been Actually Pretty Cool So Far, but I Still Prefer the Return of 'Amazing'")

In my last rant about the Superior Spider-Man, I had argued that what makes Spider-Man special is because of Peter Parker.   Spidey is a character that we, fans, can easily relate to, and because of that, any heroic or positive qualities of his have more impact on us.  He is an emphatic and charismatic fictional role model, and those qualities that make him such are derived from his alter ego, Peter Parker.  Therefore, for Spider-Man to have this significant connection with readers, it is necessary for Peter Parker to be the one behind that mask.     

That’s my main beef with Superior Spider-Man.  Because, technically, it is no longer Peter Parker that is wearing the Spidey mask. 

The Superior Spider-Man is Otto Octavius possessing Peter Parker’s body and memories. When I was still speculating who the Superior Spider-Man is going to be, one of my options was somebody using Doc Ock’s “body switching” technology (as what the villain had used in Amazing Spider-Man’s final storyline) to possess Peter’s body, but it’s NOT Doc Ock himself.  My exact words were “Marvel is being stupid with this Superior Spider-Man development, but I don’t think they’re that stupid to indeed settle with Doc Ock possessing Pete’s body as the Superior Spider-Man.”  Boy, was I wrong.    

So in Amazing’s last storyline, Otto Octavius successfully stole Spider-Man’s body for himself while concurrently trapping the hero on his own dying body.  All this time, it seemed Otto just wanted to live the life of Spider-Man (oh, really?!).  For his own selfish reasons, of course.  Spidey, in Otto’s failing body, made an attempt to take back his body but was unfortunately unsuccessful.  Defeated and helplessly expiring in Otto’s body, Spidey now realizing that getting his body and life back is now out of the question opted instead to insure that he won’t be leaving the legacy of Spider-Man to a villain.  As a desperate gambit to reform Otto Octavius, Spidey transferred all his memories to him.  And it worked.   This made Otto “live out” the life of Peter Parker, making the former empathetic to the latter’s experience and development.  This made Otto realize what being Spider-Man is all about – there is a tremendous responsibility that goes with the terrific power.  Peter Parker dies in Dr. Octopus’ body and Otto Octavius vowed to become a superior Spider-Man than Peter.        

A great amount of people were, of course, pissed.  Death threats were even made by some.     

I was also greatly pissed.   Doc Ock won?!  Peter Parker didn’t deserve this!  It made me sicker and madder than what I’ve felt after the horrible “One More Day” storyline.  It actually surprised me that I can feel this strongly about a fictional character.  That a development in fiction could draw out such amount of emotion in me.  Oh, fiction has moved me before many times, but not this much.  This kind of intensity was a first.  I didn’t make death threats, but I was upset enough to kind of nearly understand why some did. (Important note: it doesn’t mean I commend or empathize with those fans that made death threats.  In fact, I admonish the making of death threats.  It’s actually a sadder thing when death threats arise because of a disappointment on a work of fiction.  That’s ridiculous and terrible.)     

To be fair, if I try to calm down and look at it in an open-minded, broader viewpoint, I would find that this Superior Spider-Man twist is actually brilliant and beautiful.  Initially, it just seemed to be a gimmicky bad idea, but at a second thought, it starts to look striking and fresh.  I’ve never seen this stuff in comics before.  In fact, if this was not Spider-Man (a character I am so attached to) we’re talking about, I could have enthusiastically applauded this.  

We can look at the (supposedly) last issue of Amazing Spider-Man, issue 700, as a unique and moving superhero origin story for the Superior Spider-Man and a bittersweet and powerful “shining moment” for Peter Parker. 

A “heel-face turn” or a bad guy becoming a good guy is an impactful development in a work of fiction.  But in comics alone, we have already seen former villains leaving their former ways and choosing the path of becoming heroes many times before.  But in the case of Otto Octavius, his change of heart was unique.  It was “forced” upon Otto by Peter Parker after the former had already beaten the latter!  Here’s the bad buy winning against his mortal foe – the good guy – but it was through this victory that he had his change of heart.  That is unheard of.  Most of the time, the good guys needed to “break” the bad guys for them to see the error of their ways which would lead them to eventually decide to become heroes.  Moreover, this bad guy’s conversion to good was a result of literally becoming the good guy that he had been fighting as a bad guy.  If this was your usual “heel-face turn”, the supervillain Dr. Octopus would have just become the superhero Dr. Octopus.  But in this case, the bad guy Dr. Octopus had not only become just A “good guy” but had become THE good guy – Spider-Man himself!  That’s outrageous and original – a completely different use of the “heel-face turn.”

Peter Parker has a hero’s heart till the end.  He was defeated.  He was dying.  But still in the last moment of his life, he gave his all.  By giving all his memories to Otto, he gave Otto complete capability to live out the life of Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-Man!  Peter gifted his enemy a “second lease in life” – a gift to start over as a good guy by living his life.  This is the same enemy who just stole his entire life away from him in the first place and imprisoned him in a diseased, dying body.  But Pete did it anyway.  All that matters to him in the last moment of life is he would leave the world a Spider-Man that would remain as a hero; it doesn’t matter if he’s letting the same person who took his life away from him get what he wanted.    It’s as if Peter just went, “so you want to be Spider-Man?  Fine, you be Spider-Man.  It sucks that you would be living my life now.  It’s not that I have any choice anyway.  But not so fast, buster.  Here are all my memories.  Understand the moral obligations of being Spider-Man!”  Peter Parker was spectacular till the end.  In a sense, it was still a victory for the Amazing Spider-Man in spite of getting defeated.    

As a Spider-Man fan, I hated ASM #700 and the fact Otto took over Pete’s body to become Superior Spider-Man.  Again, Pete doesn’t deserve this crap to happen to him!  But as a fiction fan, looking at it in the light I’ve mentioned previously, I have started to appreciate at least the concept.

Besides, I have to admit, the Superior Spider-Man has been, so far, kind of a kickass.  He has been significantly more efficient, calculative, and organized, albeit darker and colder.  He now has cybernetic goggles, spiderbots, retractable talons on his fingertips, and raptor-like claws under his feet – significant upgrades of Spider-Man hardware.    

The Superior Spider-Man has the feel of Batman.  But if you tell him this – despite the fact that comparing him to Batman was meant as a compliment – he would probably be insulted; and would then point out how flawed, substandard, and stupid Batman is compared to him.  That’s what this new Spider-Man is all about. 

In fact, despite being “brainwashed” into becoming a superhero, Otto still possessed his villainous qualities.  Scheming and cunning.  Has a massive superiority complex.  Conceited.  Arrogant.  Impatient.  A first class A-hole.  But a brilliant A-hole.  Will remind you of Dr. House.  And will charm you the same way Dr. House did.         

Anyway, in spite of his sincere desire for redemption and heroism, he is being a superhero in a Dr. Octopus way – ruthless, menacing, and self-seeking. 

HE EVEN KILLED!!!

And I don’t like it one bit.  Killing has never been Spider-Man’s thing.  He’s not the Punisher.  He’s Spider-Man.  And Spider-Man doesn’t kill!  

The creepiest thing about Otto occupying Pete’s body is he has the opportunity to take advantage of Mary Jane.

Fortunately, it was Otto himself who broke things off with MJ (in issue 2) after logically assessing the situation between them – the “Pete-MJ-Spidey” relationship – and concluded that being a couple won’t work within them.

(I don’t quite agree with Otto’s analysis.  But that’s okay.  As long as it’ll keep Otto away from MJ)

So here we have Otto living the life of Peter Parker and is seemingly living it out better than Pete did.  “Peter Parker” is now almost always on time with appointments since he can now balance his time well between being Spider-Man and Peter Parker.  As Spider-Man, he has become anti-heroic, more cunning, more intelligent, and operates and fights more efficiently – gone are the jokes and childish antics.  And as a fictional character, he displays magnificent depth and appeal because of the unique nature and concept of his persona.

Still, I would prefer Peter Parker back.  And, thank God, that in the last page of the very first issue of Superior Spider-Man, it was revealed that the “hope” element is part of Superior Spider-Man.

Pete is still around!  That is actually the reason that many Spidey fans still stuck around with Superior Spider-Man at this point. 

Of course, with Peter actually still existing inside his own body’s consciousness, a battle for Peter Parker’s body is inevitable between Pete and Otto (with regards to the implication of the last Superior issue as of writing). 

Yikes!

And, as what’s suggested by the previews of future issues, this battle would lead to another Spider-Man costume change, with Otto still in control in the end?!

Just have to wait and see.

So in summary: Superior Spider-Man is not as bad as I’ve thought it was going to be, BUT – a big BUT – I would still prefer for Peter Parker to win back his body and return as Spider-Man ASAP!   

More thoughts coming up as the Superior Spider-Man drama progresses.  

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Sidekicks Reloaded

To tie-in with Joy Church once again hosting this year's Vacation Bible School (VBS) seminar for teachers, our team made a video recording of our own renditions of this year's VBS songs.  The theme of this year's VBS is "Sidekicks Reloaded" and features five songs.  

click here for more videos

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Top 10 Androids

Those who don’t possess a bit of nerdy knowledge often mix up “androids” and “cyborgs” with each other.  Of course, the two are different.  In my top 10 cyborgs list, I’ve already explained what makes a cyborg: they are beings with both organic and mechanical parts.  Now, this time around, it’s the androids’ turn to be discussed.  Androids are synthetic organisms – usually robotic in nature – meticulously designed to be in the likeness of the human form; any appearance of “flesh” is synthetic in origin.  Also, androids usually possess advance levels of artificial intelligence that give them the capability of human-like free will, independent thought, cognitive processes and logical reasoning – with some even having mental abilities exceeding human capacity – and, sometimes, simulation of human  emotion.               

10.) BRAINIAC

Brainiac, a Coluan (an alien race) android, is one of Superman’s most famous and powerful archenemies.  As his name suggests, Brainiac is a super genius.  He has a so-called “12^th-level intellect” (humanity, in general, is only capable of up to “6^th-level intelligence”), giving him superhuman memory capability; superhuman calculative prowess; and extensive knowledge of theoretical and applied sciences, engineering, and technologies of different alien origins.  Aside from his mental powers, Brainiac had possessed various other powers and abilities as well (depending on the incarnation). 

9.) BISHOP (341-B)

Michael Fassbender earned some praise for playing the android character David in Prometheus (the semi-prequel to the Alien movie franchise).  David, they said, has been a charismatic character.  I, however, was unimpressed.  If you were able to see Aliens (second movie in the Alienmovie franchise), you can’t help but compare David with Aliens’ own android, Bishop, (played by Lance Henriksen) and then conclude that David greatly pales in comparison when compared to Bishop.  Bishop was designed to have the same appearance of his creator, Michael Weyland (who himself resembles his ancestor, Charles Bishop Weyland).  Despite of not being primarily programmed as a combatant, he has been programmed to keep humans from harm as best as he could and he displayed badassery and heroism in performing this function by aiding human survivors to escape the murderous Xenomorphs.   Moreover, this awesome knife scene is enough to immortalize Bishop:

8.) NAOMI ARMITAGE

 

Naomi Armitage is the protagonist of the terrific cyberpunk anime movie series, Armitage III.  The story is set in a futuristic Mars – made habitable by the help of “first type” robots – where humans and “second type” androids, improved versions of the “first type”, co-exist.  Armitage was introduced as a Martian cop working with a new partner, Ross Syllibus, who was from Earth, as they hunt the murderer of a famous country singer.  Because of the killing, this singer was revealed to be a never before seen “third type” android – a highly-advance model that is already very much human-like in function and appearance that no one can tell them apart from human beings.  The discovery of the existence of “third type” androids prompted human beings to hunt them down, who had been secretly living amongst humans.  Halfway through the story, it was revealed that Naomi is herself a “third type” android.  Later on, the already kickass gunslinging girl would undergo modifications – i.e. cybernetic wings and particle cannons – to become more kickass and dangerous.  Armitage is so much of an advance android that she is even capable of getting pregnant; she and Ross would raise a daughter named Yoko. 

7.) DATA

 

Spock is my favorite character in the original Star Trek. And Data is my favorite character in Star Trek: the Next Generation because he serves as the Spock figure there.  But due to being an advanced android, he is capable of advance mental calculations and is probably superior in practicing logic than Spock.  And in contrast with Spock who avoids emotion as much as possible (because of his Vulcan roots), Data is very much fascinated with it – hinting of his desire to achieve his own humanity or something close to it by experiencing this important aspect of humanity (i.e. emotion).         

6.) CELL

 

Cell is the main villain during the “Android Arc” of Dragon Ball Z.  Possessing genetic materials from different warriors in the Dragon Ball Z universe – including Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, and Frieza – Cell was designed by his creator Dr. Gero to be the “perfect warrior” of the universe; thus, Cell possesses a wide range of powers, skills, techniques, abilities and traits.  Cell is an evolving android, and with each evolution, aside from getting more powerful and cunning, he also undergoes drastic personality changes – projecting traits and attitudes of those warriors his genetic make-up is derived.  He was able to achieve his ultimate form after absorbing Androids 17 and 18 (who are technically not androids at all, but cyborgs).  Because of his very versatile and developing nature, he is easily one of the most exciting characters in Dragon Ball Z (in fact, in my book, Buu is the only greater Dragon Ball Z villain).

5.) HUMAN TORCH

 

When we mention the name “Human Torch”, what comes to mind first is Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four.  Unbeknownst to most non-comic book enthusiasts, Johnny is not the first “Human Torch” in the Marvel Universe.  The original Human Torch was an android who took the civilian name of Jim Hammond and was one of Marvel Comics’ “Big 3” (the other two of the three being Captain America and Namor) during its early years, back when the company still goes by the name of Timely Comics.  Just like Johnny Storm, the original Human Torch – Jim Hammond – has the ability to envelop his entire body or portions of it with flames, shoot out flames, and fly.  While Johnny gained his powers the same way as the other members of the FF, that is via cosmic radiations, Jim’s flame powers are due to the photoelectric solar cells – his power source – that cover his entire body which ignites his epidermis into flames upon contact with oxygen. 

4.) VISION

 

The Vision is arguably Marvel Comics’ most popular android character.  Probably because of being a prominent Avenger for years.   The Vision is a synthezoid built by the robot villain Ultron (who himself is a creation of Hank Pym a.k.a. Ant-Man/Giant-Man/Yellowjacket/the Scientist Supreme) from the remains of a divergent Human Torch (see number 5) with neural processors similar to the brain patterns of Wonder Man.  Originally intended to be used against Avengers, the Vision was able to overcome his initial programming and instead aided the Avengers against his creator Ultron.  Since then, the Vision has been a loyal and valiant Avenger.  The Vision has an array of powers but his most iconic power is the ability to turn intangible and phase through solid objects.

3.) ROCKMAN

Rockman, also known as Megaman, is one of the most iconic video game characters in history.  I remember that I had greatly enjoyed playing my Mega Man game (can’t remember which game was it) in our FamCom.  And Rockman was one of my top choices for my team when I was playing Marvel vs. Capcom.  The character is sometimes erroneously identified as a cyborg, but he is not.  As what is clearly established by his origin story, he is 100% robot (with human appearance).  He was created by Dr. Light to serve as his lab assistant and was christened “Rock”.  To effectively carry out his intended function, Rock has a “Variable Tool System” that allows him to mimic any tool after observing how it had been used.  When Dr. Light’s envious nemesis, Dr. Wiley, reprogrammed Dr. Light’s robots to become his minions with intentions of world domination, Rock the lab assistant volunteered to be converted into a fighting robot to stop Wiley and his robots.  He then applies his ability to mimic tools in his crusade by copying the special weapons or abilities of the robots he defeats – making the character and the games’ concept unique and exciting.      

2.) MACHINE MAN (X-51)

I am not really sure why but at that time I picked up that old Machine Man comicbook (bought it along with other old comics surplus), he became my most favorite android superhero.  Maybe because of his X-Men-like struggle – just as the X-Men are being hated and feared by the world they protect for being mutants, Machine Man was being hated and feared by the world he protects for being a robot.  Or maybe because of his dramatic origin story (his predecessors – 50 past X-model robots – became dangerously delusional and psychotic due to insufficient programming.  His “father”, Dr. Able Stack, however, theorized that the only way a robot will function like a human is if it was raised as one, and this is what Dr. Stack did with X-51.  Of course, as typical of heroes of that time, there’s a need for a tragedy to occur to push him into becoming a hero.  In the case of X-51, his “father” Dr. Stack was killed when he removed an auto-destruct device from X-51 to save him from it.  X-51 vowed to usher in Dr. Stack’s dream of peaceful co-existence between AI robots and humans.  He would adopt the name of Aaron Stack, and as Machine Man, he became a superhero while blending in among humans and being a fugitive from the military).  Or maybe because of his cool Inspector Gadget-esque collection of robotic abilities, especially the telescopic limbs.  Or maybe because he is the connection between the Marvel Universe and the sci-fi classic 2001: A Space Odyssey (Seriously.  I kid you not).  Or just all of them put together.  Whatever reason/s, I just found myself drawn to the character of Aaron Stack a.k.a. Machine Man and I wish he would gain more popularity as a comic book character.  (Considering he already had been an Avenger before, I am surprised he is not included in the roster of the upcoming Avengers A.I.)           

1.) R. DANEEL OLIVAW

 

I really love Isaac Asimov’s Robot novels and Foundation novels, and it was awesome how he linked the two book series, along with the Empire novels, together.  And Daneel was the most identifiable connection.  In the early Robot novels (Caves of Steel and Naked Sun), we get to be first introduced to Daneel.  He is human in appearance but is actually a robot, as indicated with the “R.” in his name (with “R” meaning “robot”); and, just like other robots in Asimov’s Robot universe, is subject to the “Three Laws of Robotics”:

1.) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2.) A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3.) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.
(If a robot violates or thinks it has violated any of the Laws, the robot’s positronic brain will self-destruct.)

Daneel was the first of the only two “humaniforms” (robots that have human appearances and are very indistinguishable from human beings, with regards to outward appearance) ever created.  He, in three of the four Robot novels, served as an invaluable partner to Elijah Baley – one of the most fascinating detectives in fiction – in his investigations of the novels’ respective murder mysteries.  Daneel possesses a special ability called “cerebroanalysis”, which allows him to read mental and emotional states of the humans he meets.  Later on, R. Giskard Reventlov would transfer his telepathic abilities to Daneel before his deactivation, enabling the latter to completely read human minds and influence their thoughts and emotions to carry out the Zeroth Law of Robotics – "A robot may not harm humanity, or through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm."  This Law, which supposedly transcends the original Three Laws of Robotics, was devised by Daneel and Giskard after discourses of the Three Laws’ limitations.  From that day onwards of the Zeroth Law’s inception, for millennia, Daneel would work behind the scenes of human history – including events in the Foundation and Empire novels – manipulating humanity into paths he believes would improve or preserve the human race.  It was through his machinations and pushing that would lead to Hari Seldon to create “psychohistory” – application of statistics to predict future historical events.  This was the same “psychohistory” or “Laws of Humanics” that Daneel and Giskard had theorized during their discourse which they believed would allow them to execute the Zeroth Law in a quantitative sense.             

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Top 10 "Captain"-Named Superheroes

Aside of “Man” (e.g. Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Power Man), “Captain” is probably the most archetypal or common word attached on a superhero name.   Having the “Captain” in his name doesn’t necessarily mean he has this particular military or maritime title (though there are some in this list who does have the appropriate military background for it), but it does imply that this superhero has some chops as a leader and/or is an “A-list” type of superhero. 

10.) CAPTAIN CAVEMAN

To start this list, let’s have a Hanna-Barbera character, who is an obvious gag of the whole “slapping ‘Captain’ on the superhero’s name” thing.  So with “Captain” preceding “Caveman”, we get a superhero from the Stone Age.  Simple eye-roll inducing superhero christening.  Anyway, I still find Captain Caveman a fun character when I was a kid, especially because of his ability to pull different objects hidden in his hairy body and hilariously crashing whenever he flies (because of losing “energy”). 

9.) CAPTAIN HAMMER

 

Captain Hammer might be a “superhero” but he serves as the antagonist (the only antagonist in this list) of the terrific musical short film Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog.  Being a narcissist, Captain Hammer’s “heroic” actions are more for the sake of feeding his vanity and ego.  Despite of this, he is easily a likable character – probably because of actor Nathan Fillion’s charm and how the story’s climax used Captain Hammer’s super-strength as an illustration to introduce a thought-provoking facet of the said super power: to be invulnerable, due to super strength, means having the whole concept of pain foreign to the one bearing this power; thus, having no idea of what pain is gives him a low tolerance for pain that when he feels it for the first time – no matter how minor – since he’s not used to what pain is and has developed no idea on dealing with it, he will be completely overwhelmed by the feeling, causing massive trauma.      

8.) CAPTAIN COMMANDO

Captain Commando is one of the most fascinating video game characters I’ve encountered as a kid.  I love his self-titled game and he’s one of my favorite characters in the Marvel vs. Capcom game.  Captain Commando is supposed to be a futuristic superhero that fights super-powered crime.  He possesses several gadgets, most notably his “Energy Gloves” which allows him to shoot fire and electricity bolts.  He attaches the word “Captain” in all his techniques, like “Captain Kick”, “Captain Cannon”, “Captain Goggles”, etc.  Now doing this is absolutely corny, but these techniques however are highly invaluable and his fire and electricity attacks are powerfully badass.  He is assisted by the “Commando Team” which is made up of a mummy, a ninja, and a baby piloting a mecha. 

7.) CAPTAIN ATOM

Captain Atom is said to be the inspiration of the nigh omnipotent character in Watchmen, Dr. Manhattan, hence, the almost similar origin stories, powers, and character appearance.  Captain Atom is probably one of the most powerful superheroes in the DC Universe because of his ability to absorb and manipulate infinite amounts of energy to a near limitless extent.  He can manifest the energy he stores through a variety of ways like flight, super strength, self-sustenance, projection of energy attacks in various forms, and even the conversion of energy into matter.  He is also an actual holder of a “captain” rank, being a former Air Force soldier.      

6.) CAPTAIN UNIVERSE

This superhero is somewhat unique.  Captain Universe is not a superhero dependent on a single identity.  Rather, the Captain Universe character is a merger of the Uni-Power, an extra-dimensional force, and its chosen host.  The Uni-Power would impose the power and costume of Captain Universe to a worthy host whenever a severe crisis or threat is at hand.  After the crisis is resolved, the Uni-Mind would usually leave the host immediately, returning the host to his or her status quo.  Dr. Strange (combining with the Micronaut leader, Commander Arcturus Rann), Spider-Man, the Hulk, a toddler, a dog, an astronaut, a small-time crook, and even a pair of identical twins are some of those chosen to become Captain Universe in the past to deal with a situation.  Captain Universe possesses immense amount of power and his (or her) abilities include superhuman strength, flight, time travel, telekinesis, highly enhanced senses, and unlimited projection and supply of energy.  An African-American woman named Tamara Devoux is the current Captain Universe and is, surprisingly, a member of the current roster of Avengers.  It’s still not yet fully revealed what is this Captain Universe’s mission and why she had joined the Avengers.    

5.) CAPTAIN PLANET

Whenever the Planeteers found themselves on a tight corner or in a fight that they couldn’t win on their own, they combine their elemental ring powers – earth, fire, wind, water, and heart (which is supposed to be the element of emotion, if I understood it right) – to summon Captain Planet, who possesses all of these elemental powers magnified (as what the end song of the show said).  Captain Planet has various abilities, which includes weather control; flight; invisibility; telepathy; and fire, water, wind, and earth projection and manipulation.  His power increases whenever he gets in contact with nature or pure, clean forms of natural elements (i.e. clean water, sunlight, lava, etc.).  But despite of being a powerful hero, he is also greatly vulnerable to pollution.  Captain Planet fights in the same way as Spider-Man and Buffy: he makes quips, puns, taunts, and wisecracks during action or combat (probably the main reason I started to like the character).         

4.) CAPTAIN BRITAIN

Though Captain Britain has been meant to be the UK counterpart of Captain America, the character has been able to separate himself from being a mere Captain America rip-off and had made a name for himself as a distinctive and interesting superhero.  Despite of having ties with Science as a brilliant physicist, Captain Britain’s powers, however, originated from magical sources – specifically, Merlyn (yes, an obvious reference to Merlin).  He has the usual package of typical superhero abilities – flight; and superhuman speed, stamina, strength, senses, agility, reflexes, etc. – as well as being able to create force fields.  At the present, Captain Britain’s power is dependent on his confidence and emotions.  Thus, whenever he feels confident, he’s powerful, but whenever he begins to doubt himself, his power grows weaker.  Aside of becoming a prominent member of British superhero teams like Excalibur (UK’s X-Men counterpart) and MI-13 (UK’s S.H.I.E.L.D./Avengers counterpart), Captain Britain had also been an Avenger and is an automatic member of the Captain Britain Corps, a group of superheroes made up of the different Captain Britains of different universes or realities whose purpose is to serve as guardians of the Multiverse.

3.) CAPTAIN MARVEL

 

There had been various supeheroes in Marvel Comics that had taken the name of “Captain Marvel”.  My most favorite among them is the most recent “Captain Marvel”: Carol Danvers, who had been Ms. Marvel for most of her superhero career.  I admit that it’s probably because I greatly adore Ms. Marvel – the most badass female Avenger, in my opinion (wish she’s on the next Avengers movie) – and am apathetic with those different male Captain Marvels.  Recently, she decided to take the mantle of “Captain Marvel” for herself to carry on the legend of the original Captain Marvel (the Kree, Mar-Vell).  And I totally dig this development.  We always assume that a “Captain” superhero should be male when being a “Captain” is not at all limited to males.  Females can have the title of “Captain” as well.  So kudos to whoever had this idea (I like the Ms. Marvel costume though over Carol’s new Captain Marvel look) to make Carol Danvers a female superhero having a “Captain” superhero name.  I strongly support any attempt – if any – of pushing Captain Marvel to become the “Wonder Woman” of Marvel Comics.  The character – when she was still Ms. Marvel – has somewhat earned it in my book. 

2.) CAPTAIN MARVEL

Chosen by the wizard Shazam to inherit his powers and be a champion for good, whenever teenage Billy Batson exclaims the wizard’s name – “Shazam!” – he is struck by a bolt of lightning and transforms into his adult alter-ego, Captain Marvel.  The word “Shazam” also serves as an acronym for Greco-Roman mythological names (with the exception of Solomon) that serve as representation of what powers Batson gains when he becomes Captain Marvel: these are Solomon (vast knowledge and wisdom), Hercules (super strength), Atlas (stamina, endurance, healing factor, invulnerability), Zeus (lightning bolts), Achilles (courage, fighting skills, invulnerability), and Mercury (super speed, flight).  Because Marvel Comics owns the trademark for the Captain Marveltitle, DC’s Captain Marvel has been marketed and alternately referred to as “Shazam” for years, which would ultimately force DC to officially rename the character as “Shazam” in its recent New 52 reboot.  Despite of this, Shazam/Captain Marvel remains the most popular and most remarkable “Captain Marvel” character there has ever been (there was even a time when he was more popular than Superman, in terms of comicbook sales) in the history of comics.  

1.) CAPTAIN AMERICA

Dozens of superheroes may be out there bearing the “Captain” in their names, but there is only one “Captain” that would always stand above them all.   There is only one “Captain” that can be nicknamed and referred to as “Cap” and be distinguished above all other “Captains”.  This “Captain” is THE Captain.  In fact, there had been times Steve Rogers had taken the name of “The Captain” when his birthright superhero name, “Captain America”, is unavailable or unsuitable for use. 

Spider-Man (or Wolverine) might be Marvel Comics’ most popular character but in the Marvel Universe, Captain America is “The Man” – the most respected, esteemed, admired, and beloved superhero in the Marvel U.  He is more than a superhero; he is the icon of the superhero community.   He is easily looked up to as a leader by other superheroes – particularly, the Avengers – not only because of being a superior tactician and brilliant field commander (due to his military background), but also because he has the innate ability to inspire others and bring out the best in them. 

Captain America is selfless, bold, noble, and extremely loyal to the ideas, morals, and principles he stands for – the same ideas, morals, and principles the United States of America had been historically founded upon (which, I like to believe, is a fact and not merely a product of historical romanticism).  He would pursue a righteous objective with dogged determination and burning tenacity, and would make a stand for what he believes is right with uncompromising stubbornness, unshakable conviction, and unflinching courage; regardless if his objective or stand is against impossible odds, unpopular, or/and very costly or dangerous to do.   

Take note that Cap has no superhuman powers whatsoever.  The super-soldier serum that Steve Rogers took only gave him – who was thin and frail prior the treatment he had undergone – a physique that is the zenith of what a human body can attain.  Any physical strength, athleticism, conditioning, and stamina he gained are only that of the extent of what’s humanly possible.  Thus, he is closer to the Batman-type of superhero (no super powers) than to the Superman-type (with super powers).  The difference is Batman attained the apex of human physicality through brutal exercise while Cap attained it through a serum.  However, this doesn’t mean that Captain America is no hard worker.  Not at all.  Captain America became one of the most skilled and deadly combatants in the Marvel Universe because of rigorous and intensive training.  He studied different fighting disciplines and martial arts, assimilating them into his own fighting style, which incorporates the use of his formidable trademark shield.        

Superman is Captain America’s counterpart in DC Universe as the icon that all other superheroes look up to.  Yes, Superman is one of the most heroic of superheroes; uncompromising, morally steadfast, brave in facing threats and danger, selflessly putting himself in harm’s way to protect others, etc.  But Superman is a very powerful superhero. Supes is bullet-proof, nigh invulnerable.  Captain America, however, has these heroic convictions that Superman has and does these heroic things that Superman does despite having no superpowers at all.  He is mortal.  He is not bullet-proof.  And, if you look at it in this light, that is more impressive.  Captain America is sheer heart, guts, and badassery.   

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Top 10 Brain Twisters/Riddles

I consider brain twisters/riddles as one of the most pleasurable types of mental stimulation.  Primarily because – since it’s, first and foremost, designed for fun – they don’t usually have the burden of pressure and consequences, as what is involved with most problem solving thinking situations.  And, of course, the overwhelming experience of getting your “mind blown” is always thrilling (though the best mind blowing experiences are still found in thought experiments, which can be a considered a “higher” kind of brain twisters), and finding a solution to a problem or solving any mystery by using your mind gives a feeling of special satisfaction.        

Throughout my life of enjoying brain twisters, I share here the top 10 that fascinated me most… by the way, the answer to each brain twister is after the “SOLUTION:” notice.  Just highlight the yellow-shaded parts with your mouse to reveal the answers.   

10.) THE SERVANT’S WISH

Once upon a time, in the West Lake village, a servant lived with his master. After service of 30 years, his master became ill and was going to die. One day, the master called his servant and offered him for a wish. It could be any wish but just one. The master gave him one day to think about it. The servant became very happy and went to his mother to discuss the wish. His mother was blind and she asked her son to wish for her eye-sight to come back. Next, the servant went to his wife. She became very excited and asked for a son as they were childless for many years. After that, the servant went to his father who wanted to be rich and so he asked his son to wish for a lot of money. The next day he went to his master and made one wish through which all the three (mother, father, wife) got what they wanted. What was his wish?

To be honest, I wasn’t able to solve this at all. 

SOLUTION: "I wish for my mother to see her grandson swinging on a swing of gold."

  

9.) MISSING SQUARE PUZZLE

This geometrical paradox blew me away when I first encountered it.  “How could this be?  How come when the parts of the 13x5 triangle are rearranged, a missing 1x1 square part is exposed?  Bah, Math is sorcery!”   Clue: It’s an optical illusion (which means it’s not what it seems), thus, trickery is involved.  

SOLUTION: Neither of the “triangles” is actually a triangle.  It only appears that they are.  But they aren’t.  The “hypotenuse” is flawed.  It is bent and doesn’t have a proper slope.  Thus, with no proper slope, a proper 13x5 triangle can’t be actually made from the given parts.      

8.) 5 APPLES IN A BASKET

A basket contains 5 apples.  There are 5 people in the room.  You need to distribute the apples among the 5 people so that each one has an apple, with one apple still remaining in the basket.  How can it be done? 

The answer to this riddle is very easy.  You just need to think out of the box.  Tip: some simple smartassery is required.  I’ve always been a smartass that on the first time I encountered this riddle, I gave the correct answer in a second. 

SOLUTION: 4 persons each get an apple.  The fifth gets the basket with the fifth apple still in it.   

7.) CLEVEREST FUNNY RIDDLE EVER

The Pope has it but he does not use it.  

Your father has it but your mother uses it. 

Nuns do not need it. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger has a big one, 

Michael J. Fox’s is quite small. 

What is it?

This one is guaranteed to incite chuckles and giggles.  Especially if it’s the first time you hear this.  The answer is obvious when you think about it (and, oh, it’s not green at all!).  

SOLUTION: Surname

6.) SOCKS IN THE DARKNESS

There are several variations of this sock riddle.  But the first time I encountered this riddle was on the Vol. 1 No. 2 issue of the International Edition of Disney Adventures magazine.  Here’s how it went:

Jacquie got up before sunrise to set off on the annual family holiday.  She was a hopeless early-morning riser, so before she went to bed she had packed her bags and carefully laid out on the chair at the end of her bed the clothes she would wear on the first day of journey. 

When Jacquie awoke and began to get ready, the light globe in her room blew.  She managed to find all her clothes in the dark except her socks, which she had forgotten to lay out.  She knew she had 10 red socks and 10 polka-dot socks in her drawer, and could find them by touch, but the trouble was the socks were not paired. 

She didn’t care whether she wore red socks or polka-dot socks that day, but she did want to wear a matching pair. 

Jacquie could hear her folks yelling at her to hurry up.  She didn’t have much time.  What was the least number of socks Jacquie would have to take from her drawer to make sure she had a matching pair of socks?  

Again, this is actually quite easy when you carefully think about it. 

SOLUTION: Three.  The possible combinations are: a.) she’ll get three red socks; b.) she’ll get three polka-dot socks; c.) she’ll get two red socks and a polka-dot sock; and d.) she’ll get two polka-dot socks and a red sock.  No matter what of the four possibilities turns up, she’ll surely get a matching pair.    

5.) BEAR HUNTING

Much like number 6, there are several variations of this.  But the first one I encountered – and still the best so far – went something like this:

A hunter returns to his tent to find it trashed by a bear.  Furious, the hunter quickly went back out to search for the bear.  He walked one mile south and then one mile west.  He found the bear and killed it with his rifle.  He then traveled one mile north back to his tenth.  What color was the bear?  

This brain twister would require someone to have decent analytical and logical skills.  Once a proper train of thought or reasoning is established with the help of the given facts, an answer can be easily derived. 

SOLUTION: White.  It was a polar bear since the hunter’s tent was located on the North Pole (as established by the description of the hunter’s journey from and back to the cabin). 

4.) THE HARDEST LOGIC PUZZLE EVER

Three gods A , B , and C are called, in some order, True, False, and Random. True always speaks truly, False always speaks falsely, but whether Random speaks truly or falsely is a completely random matter. Your task is to determine the identities of A , B , and C by asking three yes-no questions; each question must be put to exactly one god. The gods understand English, but will answer in their own language, in which the words for yes and no are “da” and “ja”, in some order. You do not know which word means which.

Now, I don’t expect you to be able to solve this puzzle.  There’s a reason that this puzzle invented by the logician and puzzle-master Raymond Smullyan, and slightly modified by the computer scientist John McCarthy, has been coined “The Hardest Logic Puzzle Ever” by George Boolos (a legendary philosopher, logician, and teacher in MIT).  You should be a logician in the super-genius level to solve this.  Nonetheless, this puzzle is pretty fascinating to me.  I was intrigued that a puzzle has been given such a title as “The Hardest Logic Puzzle Ever”.  This hard, complex problem puts perspective on, no matter how good of a logician I am, I am still so far off from the big leagues.  Really made me feel small.  LOL.

Anyway, just Google for the solution if you are interested in knowing the solution.

  

3.) LOGIC PROBLEMS

I think the most popular of this is the “Who owns the fish?” Logic Problem, which is a variation of the “Zebra Puzzle.”  The “Zebra Puzzle” is also known as “Einstein’s Puzzle” or “Einstein’s Riddle” because, according to legend, he invented it when he was a boy.  It is very hard to solve (but easier than number 3) that it’s sometimes said that only 2% of the world’s population can solve it.  Anyway, this is how the “Who owns the fish?” variation goes:

There are five houses in a row and each house is a different color.

A different man lives in each house and is from a different country.

Each person drinks a certain drink, plays a certain sport, and keeps a certain pet.

No two people drink the same drink, play the same sport, or raise the same pet.

Use the following 15 facts to determine who owns the fish:
-The Brit lives in a red house
-The Swede keeps dogs
-The Dane drinks tea
-The green house is on the left of the white house
-The green house owner drinks coffee
-The person who plays polo rears birds
-The owner of the yellow house plays hockey
-The man living in the house right in the center drinks milk
-The Norwegian lives in the first house
-The man who plays baseball lives next to the man who keeps cats
-The man who keeps horses lives next to the one who plays hockey
-The man who plays billiards drinks beer
-The German plays soccer
-The Norwegian lives next to the blue house
-The man who plays baseball has a neighbor who drinks water.  

SOLUTION: The German owns the fish.  (Google for yourself the process how)

This kind of logic problems is solvable by the help of making matrixes.  Example, if you have five characters with five different things for five different occasions, you’ll need three 5-by-5 charts: characters to things, characters to occasions, and things to occasions. (If you have four things to solve for, you’ll need six charts.  You get the idea.)  Then merely use logic to eliminate and connect.

Here’s an easier Logic Problem, one of the earliest I have encountered and was able to solve (this is found in the book “The Complete Book of Bible Puzzles 1” by Randy Petersen):

Zechariah saw a vision of seven lamps on a lampstand.  Each was connected by a pipe to a bowl of oil, which was supplied by olive trees.  Well, let’s play with this picture a bit.  Let’s say each of the lamps bears a different name – in honor of the promised Messiah.  The names are “Branch”, “Son of Man”, “Ancient of Days”, “Root”, “Ruler”, “Prince of Peace”, and “Sun of Righteousness.”

In addition, each of the pipes is made of a different metal – gold, silver, bronze, zinc, iron, copper, and tin.  Each pipe connects with one of the two trees – either to the left one or the right one.  See if you can determine which metal made up the pipe leading to which lamp, and which of the two trees it got its oil from.

Info:

1.) The gold pipe leads to the lamp that gets its name from Zechariah 6:12.

2.) The olive tree on the left supplies tree of the lamps.

3.) The silver and tin pipes lead to lamps whose names begin with the same letter.  Those two pipes also hook up to the same tree.

4.) There are two lamps that get their names from Daniel 7:13.  These are connected to two pipes whose metals are mentioned in Daniel 2:32.

5.) Two of the pipes leading from the left tree are copper and zinc.

6.) The lamp whose name comes from Isaiah 9:6 is hooked up to the same tree that supplies the iron pipe.

7.) The names of the lamps supplied by the copper and zinc pipes begin with different letters.

8.) The lamp named “Ruler” is supplied by a pipe whose metal also ends with an R.

 Those clues should be enough. But if you need more, here are some more clues…

9.) Only one name starts with a vowel.  Its lamp is hooked up to the tree on the right.

10.) The lamps named “Baruch” and “Root” are hooked up to different trees.

11.) The lamp whose name comes from Micah 5:2 is connected to a different tree from the one that supplies the bronze pipe.

12.) Of the lamps named “Ancient of Day”, “Ruler”, and “Prince of Peace”, only one hooks up to the tree on the right.

This time, I won’t provide the solution.   (Too lazy to type it. LOL)  It’s easy.  Just work on it.

2.) DINGBATS/REBUS PUZZLES

I was first introduced to this kind of puzzle during my freshmen English class (our English teacher was awesome; she is probably my most favorite teacher ever).  The objective of the puzzle is to determine what common saying, term, word, or phrase is being interpreted by the picture.  Example:

The answer is “Tricycle” because of the word “Cycle” being repeated three times. 

Another example:

That’s “Reading between the lines”.

Here’s some that you can try solving:

SOLUTION: “Six feet underground”, “Apple pie”, “Seven seas”, “Three degrees below zero”, “Standing ovation”, “Just around the corner”, and “Jack in a box”

1.) TWO-MINUTE MYSTERIES

This is my most favorite kind of brain twister.  “Two-Minute Mysteries” (written by Donald J. Sobol) are bite-sized cases (which had been compiled into paperback volumes) featuring Dr. Haledjian, who is arguably one of the most brilliant detectives in fiction.  After each short tale (in which the clues and details are presented), the reader is given the opportunity to solve the mystery.  Thus, reading “Two-Minute Mysteries” is guaranteed to be both engagingly entertaining and mentally stimulating.  It tests the extent of the reader’s stock knowledge, attention to detail, and analytical skill.  Here’s a two-minute mystery sample, “The Case of the Dead Frenchman”:

The body of Yves du Motier was found in the bedroom of the apartment belonging to Silas Howe, the coin collector.
Du Motier had been stabbed to death with a letter opener.  The body lay four feet from the rumpled bed.
“Death occurred about 8:30 am, or half an hour before the body was discovered,” Inspector Winters told Dr. Haledjian.
“I telephoned Silas Howe, who has been in Philadelphia attending a numismatics convention.  He says that last month he brought du Motier, a French coin collector and an old friend, from France for an operation to restore du Motier’s hearing.
“The way it looks, somebody used a skeleton key to get into Howe’s apartment and tried to steal his rare coin.  Du Motier must have awakened, seen the intruder, and in the struggle was slain.  The safe where Howe keeps his coins was unopened.  No coins are missing as far as we can tell.”
“Who notified the police?” inquired Haledjian.
“James Wilkes, a neighbor in the apartment house.  Wilkes was on his way to work when he saw Howe’s door open, and hearing the alarm clock ringing, investigated.  He found the Frenchman dead on the floor.”
“When did Howe leave for Philadelphia, and who can verify his presence there?” asked Haledjian.
“He left three days ago,” said the Insepector.  “We contacted his hotel manager, who swears Howe was in and out on each of the past three days. Say – I see what you’re getting at!”
Whom did Haledjian suspect?        

SOLUTION: Wilkes – who claimed to have been attracted by the ringing of the alarm clock – a fatal slip, since du Motier who was deaf would not have set the alarm. 

If you are able to find a volume of “Two-Minute Mysteries” in a bookstore, buy it.  It’s going to be worth it.  

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A Weather Storm is Brewing

Just around the corner, a Weather Machine sits…

A terrifying storm is brewing…

You can feel it in the air.

Tingling feeling from increasing static. 

Rapid change in pressure.

You can almost smell the ozone forming.

It’s coming soon...
  

00:00

Suddenly…

Thick, dark clouds swiftly gather above

Darkness envelopes the place.

Then… the Wrath of Heaven blasts down!

Massive devastation.

The scariest thing about this is:

Even if you aren’t the target all,

With all those deadly lightning bolts chaotically striking about,

You can easily become part of the collateral damage.

Lightning storms almost spare no one.

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2012 in Review (Part 7): Wrap-Up

I would have wanted to do two or three more parts for this series, but it’s March already and I have to wrap this up.  Maybe having a series format for the review of 2012 wasn’t a good idea after all; never found the time to finish all the parts in January, as intended.  Won’t do this again for the review of 2013. LOL.

So how would I evaluate 2012? Hmmm.  It was okay… but could have been better.  Both 2010 and 2011 had been more awesomely notable.  Since 2009, I felt that each successive year has been better than the previous.  Now 2012 had some amazing stuff for me, however, I can’t say it was a better year than 2011.  Let’s say, that with 2012, I feel like I’m still stuck with the “step one.”  Still, I am thankful of 2012.        

In 2012, I screwed up aplenty, but God is so gracious, He bailed me a lot, too.  Of course, I’m deeply sorry of all my mistakes, but eternally grateful for God’s mercy and protection. 

God has shielded me from any major tragedies and sufferings (and I pray He would continually do so).  There were some heartbreaks, but, because of God’s grace, immediate speedy healing follows.  There were some discouragements, but I was always reminded to put my hope in God always and trust His wisdom. 

There weren’t much personal glory obtained during the year, but that doesn’t matter; I just hope I was able to amply give glory to God in 2012, which is more important.

Lastly, I think the top highlight of 2012 in my life is the fact that I gained a lot of weight that I’m now officially fat (never had a fat physique since I was in my early parts of being a twelve year old).  Hehe.

2012 wasn’t really as terrific as I wanted it to be.  But it didn’t suck either.  I had a blessed year as always.  Life has always been full of struggles.  But God is good.  And everyday in my life, He makes sure that I am reminded of this.    

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