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Tuesday 23 April 2013

Iron Man

What started out as a suspense series about a Jerk that got a second chance at life, upgraded into one of the most awesome founding members of the Avengers.  Iron Man showed that you don't need Superpowers in order to save the world, as long as you had genius level intellect and a lot of money. As well as how a bastard like Tony Stark who was one of the main people responsible for one more day In-universe got started. But that was later on this was when he was not such a jackass.  Iron Man does have a special place in my heart though because his story has a few zig zags in it.   Before I even read Tales from Suspense, I didn't even know he was supposed to stay in that armor for life.

The story goes like so, Genius Billionare Playboy Philanthropist, Tony Stark goes on a tour of Vietnam (Afghanistan in the film) to promote his newest inventions for the troops to use in the war.  During an assault he get's wounded by shrapnel and held hostage by the Vietcong (Ten Rings in the film) along with Yinsen, a friendly scientist, in order to construct weapons for the hostage takers.   Yinsen and Stark work together to make an electrical  chest-plate (Arc Reactor in the film)  which keeps the shrapnel from killing him.  In the process Stark designs a suit of armor in a plan to help him and Yinsen escape.  However the armor was not finished yet and Yinsen was slaughtered while stalling for time.  So in revenge Tony takes out his captors and escapes back to America,  where he claims Iron Man is his bodyguard.  In secret however he upgrades his armor and becomes one of the founding members of the Avengers.


Now for the fun part.  Could Iron Man Exist In Real Life?

First and foremost Tony Stark does exist in two forms.  The first one being Howard Hughes whom his father Howard Stark was also based off of.  Hughes was often known for his mad genius and helped revolutionize aviation technology, which helped become a key factor in Iron Man's flying abilities.  The other is, you guessed it Robert Downey Jr.  Want proof?  He himself stated that he is Tony Stark.

As for the suit that's more complicated the Iron Man Suit.  Because over time the suit has been changed and upgraded so many time I am gonna stick to the basics.

For starters, the suit itself is just Armor. Anyone with the right qualifications in chemistry and clothes making could make a suit that could protect them from all sorts of impact and hazards.  A famous example would  be Troy Hurtubise and Project Grizzly.  He made a suit of armor that was capable of being hit, shot, set on fire and survive bear attacks with out so much as a scratch on it. 

Second we have the Repulsor Technologly.   Much of the reason this article took so long was I could never find a real life equivilant to the Repulsor tech.....until now.  First let's say what it is.  Repulsor technology was designed to use light and air as propulsion in order to get the suit to fly.  It also doubles as a concussive weapon which depending on how powerful it is will either knock you down or kill you.  It wasn't till I started writing this that I found the real life equivalent: Beam Powered Propulsion.  In which a laser is used to ignite the surrounding air of the craft being used, in order to achieve propulsion and lift.   A famous example is the Lightcraft.  A small UFO shaped model which uses high intensity lasers on the craft to produce plasma in order to propel the craft into the air. 

Last but not least is the Arc reactor itself.  If you guys read my Star Wars article, you'll know that I recommend looking up Dr. Michio Kaku on making a lightsaber.   For those who didn't I'll give you the point.  When making a lightsaber, the main key is the power it needs for the blade.  For this Kaku went to MIT and spoke with Professor Brian Wardle who is currently studying Carbon Nanotubes.  Warden and Kaku believe that these Nanotubes can conduct 1000 more times electricity than copper. The same concept goes with the Arc Reactor.  Just replace the fictional elements used in creating it with the very real Carbon Nanotubes and you got yourself a power source.

Now normally this is the part where I do say don't try this at home and I do advise this. However upon upon finding out what it takes to make something like this so real I do encourage qualified individuals to try it out. Just don't be reckless like Tony Stark.

Other than that Debate, Argue and Let Me Know What I Miss.  Stay Tuned for more.  This is the last of superhero month.

Thursday 18 April 2013

Important Announcement

On This Day April 18 2013, The Bill Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act or CISPA for short, has passed The House Of Representatives votes.   However it has yet to get to the Senate.   I urge any and all American viewers of this site to appeal to your respective Senators to put a stop to this bill.  If that doesn't work protest the hell out of them. I spent my entire life trying to find the real in fictional universes and one thing is for certain, I don't wish for concepts of George Orwell's 1984 to be one of them.  This bill reprsents all the things that not only Americans, but human beings all over the world swore to destroy in the name of peace.   If this bill becomes law then similar bills and laws will pass.  Not just in the United States, but all over the world. Laws that will tear this planet apart if we let it.   Albert Einstein once said "I do not know what weapons World War 3 will be fought, but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones."  Well we know what weapons will be fought.  The Internet is that weapon, both the users and the people who strive to control it are the soldiers.  Should Cispa be passed, World War 3 will begin.  So which one are you, are you one of the users or are you the ones that support this bill.  Now most people would say "It's just an internet law it doesn't effect us."  I say you are wrong.  The internet is not some machine that you can turn on and off.  It's a force that binds the world together through communication and sharing.  Because of it we made friends all over the world.  Provided each other with entertaining stories and jokes.  Shared our cultures with one and other without having to leave each other's countries and even fought with each other over minor and major arguments.  Shows like Nostalgia Critic and Atop The Fourth Wall have given us people that represent both our love of old movies and comics as well as reflected the rage we felt when certain things from said mediums made us look bad.   If this bill passes, we may never hear these people who made such an impact on us ever again.

Charlie Chaplin once said "Dictators free themselves, but they enslave the people."  Well I can think of no other dictator than Mike Rogers.  For proposing that bill twice and insulting the people that oppose it calling them "14 year old basement dwellers."   Well to that I say I'm 22 I live in a home of my own and I oppose you.  I am not even from the United States and I know what you are doing unconstitutional.  Rogers, you should be arrested, tried and sentenced to Leavenworth for what you did.  And I urge the people of Michigan specifically, if he has to run for office again, vote on the other guy even if he is a different party than when you are used to. Vote his sorry ass away.  You guys deserve better than that you're state is the home of Detroit, the biggest car manufacturing city in the world and one of my favorite hero's Robocop was born in said city your state is in.  You are also home to Flint, the first city that passed the Civil Rights act.  Passing this bill would be like spitting on that part of your city since internet is a civil right and it's being censored.  I don't know the rest of Michigan, but I am pretty sure there is more greatness than in just the two cities.  And I am even more sure Rogers is spitting on that with this bill.

Now most people are thinking, I am probably overreacting since while it did pass the house of reps, Obama will veto it.  I have high hopes that it's possible.  However Vetoing is only half the battle you have to show your country that you don't want this bill, you want the right to protect your privacy.  So far all I see is mostly complaining.  If you want this to stop then go out and make it stop.  Today it's the US tomorrow it could be the world. 

As I have said before, Debate, Argue, and Let me know what I miss.  Stay Tuned For More....I hope.  And go kick some ass.

If Doctor Who was American

I thought I would take a short break from superhero month to do something a little different. A sort of what if.   As I mentioned before I believed in the possibility of a multiverse. Where every possibility could happen for better and for worse. A debate I once had with someone on Youtube a while back sort of inspired me of one hypothetical one.  If Doctor Who was invented by American TV  instead of BBC.  Now before I go into the details here's how it would go down.  Same, show, same plotlines both the good and bad. But more or less the show taking place in the US and with North American Actors.  I am not doing this with intention to piss anyone who's a fan of the series.  Hell I only watched a few, the rest I just looked up and I love the concepts.  But I often wonder what would happen if they did things differently like that time Two Episodes of the original 60s Show were Remade as movies Starring Peter Cushing.  In this case out of mostly personal opinion I am gonna pick North American actors from each time period that would fit the roles.


For the First Doctor it would be James Coburn.  He has starred in many movies from light hearted action to straight out parodies most famously Our Man Flint, who parodies the James Bond Series before Austin Powers made it cool.  So he knows how to go from comic to comically serious like the original first Doctor.


The Second Doctor would be Travolta.  Before he became a serious actor he was mostly played the type of lighthearted impish characters even movies that required him to be the tough guys.  Plus who better to play a Timelord than a guy that actually believes aliens helped shape this earth.

The Third Doctor would be Marlon Brando.  For starters he has had experience playing an alien scientist before. Other times he's often played the Suave adventurous type. The kind you know is badass even if he does nothing throughout the entire film.  These Traits were essential to the Third Doctor.


The Fourth would be Tom Hanks.  While Hanks has been known for a lot of roles some of which earned him his share of the Oscars.  Many people don't know was that when he is not being a serious character he is often quirky and wild almost like a child.  The same kind of character traits that Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor caused him to last longer than the other Doctors before and after him.

The Fifth would be Jeff Bridges.  Much like Peter Davidson, Bridges has been well known to be one of the nicest people on and off screen.  In many of his movies (One's where he's the protagonist anyway.)  he often has tried to find ways to solve a problem without resorting to violence, however unlike the original Fifth, some of them actually work out quite well.

The Sixth would be George C Scott.  Both Colin Baker and George C. Scott have been known to play Manic Egotistical Arrogant characters.  In George's case, General Patton, Ebenezer Scrooge and even a man who thought he was Sherlock Holmes.  That persona would have been perfect for him and let's face it. You can just picture General Patton in Baker's place trying to strangle Peri.

Peter Falk would be the seventh.  The Seventh Doctor has been portrayed as Bumbling on the outside, but on the inside a bit of a chess master, knowing how to get through almost any situation with just his brain.  Kinda like a certain NBC mystery movie star we know and love.  Give Columbo a TARDIS and a question Mark umbrella and you got the whole package.


T

The Eighth Doctor has been described as a person who encourages others to seize life instead of withdrawing from it.   Robin Williams is that type to do so and the fact that like Brando before him he's played an alien in the past cements it. Plus it has been implied that The Eighth was responsible for destroying both sides of the Time War.  When I think of someone with this persona capable of such destruction of that magnitude I think Robin Williams.  I don't know why but I can totally see him destroying Daleks and Time Lords in the near future.

Now here's where it gets difficult. The Modern day 3.



The Ninth Doctor had been described as all the heartbreak in his life finally taking toll on him.  Losing his Companions, losing his race, almost even losing his mind when he comes across his old enemies the Dalek's.  I could think of no one else better to be his American equivalent than. Robert Downey Jr.  Before we knew him as one of the greatest Superheroes in the world, he almost had little to no career.  Many things in his life had beaten him down almost to the point where he would have gone insane with depression.  However despite all that he was able to rise above it get better and even become loved once again.  The same reaction the audience got when Chris Eccelston helped bring back a series long thought to be dead.  If there was an American Doctor Who RDJ would be the 9th.


The Tenth has often been said to Teeter Totter between being lighthearted and quirky as well as vengfull and unforgiving.  That is why I think Doug Walker would be him.  When he is himself he is often a nice person, often being too apologetic whenever he makes a mistake.  However when he becomes Nostalgia Critic he shows off his dark side in a way you would never expect if you only met Doug first.





Last but not least Eleventh.  This man ranges from Brash to eccentric as well as a fashion sense which would cause any normal sane man to thing WTF?  That is why Johnny Depp would be the 11th Doctor.  He has been known to play odd ball characters before, some of which with weirder tastes in fashion.  Yet despite all that, much like the Doctor he is well loved by all.  Heck he would also make a good BBC Doctor since he is one of the few Ameican actors in the world that can fake a British accent successfully. Plus much to his frustration he has been known to keep a youthful appearance despite being almost 50 now. If he isn't a time lord than what the hell is he?

So there you have it 11 American Actors that I think would make good Doctors if Doctor Who was created in America instead.   As usual debate, argue, and let me know what I missed. Stay Tuned For More.

Runners Up: I was Originally gonna put Fred Rogers on the 5th Doctor Spot, but while he does fit the personality I felt since 5 was the youngest at the time I would pick a nice guy that would be the youngest at the time the 5th Doctor started out. 

The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk has a long and complicated history.  It started out as what would happen if the classic Universal Movie Monsters such as Frankenstein, Wolfman and Mr Hyde was one of the good guys and then he ended up as one of the Avenger's most bragged about assets.  As Tony Stark mentions as the counter to Loki's Army.   The show like many of the other Avengers founding members has had every treatment given to them.  Movies, comics, video games some of which where you can turn into Hulk willingly. The most famous being the 1970s TV series starring the Late Bill Bixby and the still living Lou Ferrigino as both Title Characters. Lou to this day continuing to be the voice of the Hulk.


It all started when Doctor Robert Bruce Banner was doing a testing on a Gamma Bomb.  The place was supposed to be abandoned so that no one would, well get killed.  However, local teen Rick Jones for some stupid reason decides to park his car there.  Seconds away from detonation Banner rushes out to try to warn the poor kid of his impending doom.   The bomb explodes and he take the bulk of the blast.  Now whenever the moon is full Banner will change into a grey musclebound terror that answers to no one but himself, Joe Fixit.  (seriously folks that's what the original story was.) As time went on Joe Fixit started to cease to exist and in his stead was a green nearly mindless monster that only comes out when Banner is under extreme cases of anger and unstoppable rage.  This Monster was known as the Hulk.  However despite the Army being on call to try to put him down, the Hulk unlike Fixit isn't a villain.  He is only misunderstood and only lashes out to those that anger him, whilst Bruce tries to either control or cure himself of the raging spirit within him. Depending on who's in charge he's either accepted by society or banished. (I'm looking at you Quesada.)

Now for the fun part.  Could it Exist in Real Life.

Now before we go through it let's get one thing out of the way.  Gamma Radiation does not give you superpowers.  Stan Lee even admitted that the Gamma Bomb thing was not gonna work and welcome any retcons as an attempt to see if realistically the Hulk could be created.   The most famous are in three Mediums. 

The First was the 70s TV Show.  While they still used Gamma Radiation in order to be more like the comic they did three things better. One, they made it so rather than an explosion triggering it, a machine that uses a concentrated amount that would be the difference between too little power, too much power, and killing said subject of tests the only accident part being that Banner (now David) used too much.  Two, they based more of it on a real life old scientific test of Hysterical Strength, A phenomena where a person could use more of their strength and brain power under extreme duress that they can't use in everyday life.  You all heard the story of the mother or child that lifted the car to save a loved one.  That actually exists, in fact "William Shatner's Weird or What?" Proved it with a test that measured the heart rate, brain waves and muscle usage that the person used in danger.  Nice one Shatner, you not only proved how much Star Trek exists but other mediums of your time.  Three, the opening also claimed that Banner also had a unique body chemistry, that would have allowed him this strength anyway.  Something I'll cover in the next two.

The second was the 2003 Ang Lee Film.  They went a step ahead and attributed it two other factors.  One being that Bruce had a genetic disorder passed down from his father, which also helped explain his sudden transition from regular to green skin.  Two, Nanomeds.   A concept that this movie invented, which it was intended that nano technology used to heal wounded soldiers.  The Gamma Radiation was just merely used as a means to power the tiny machinery electrically.  In other words much like the series above, the power was in Bruce the whole time.  However before him the other test subjects didn't survive. So testing this theory out could be deadly.

The Third and Final Retcon was in the 2008 Film Starring Edward Norton.  In that one, the idea was that Banner was hired to create a chemical compound that was used to resist radiation poisoning.  What he didn't know was that the chemicals he was given to work with were part of a scrapped project in order to recreate the Super Soldier Serum. (Yes that one.)  He of coursed used the same machinery as the 1970s counterpart.  The result was horribly right.  See Captain America in regards to the Triple S formula.  However unlike the above examples the power wasn't in him save for the brain power when he figured out the right combination. 

Now that I gotten the methods of creating the Hulk out of the way.  (Which I do not advise, because we don't want a bunch of Rage Monsters if it worked or corpses if it didn't) Let's talk about the Hulk Persona.   Unfortunately it does exist whether or not he made the body for it. 

See the thing is Banner suffers from a real disorder known as Multiple Personality Disorder.  Bruce had a complicated childhood.  His mother loved him dearly and his father hated him because of his mother's love for him.  His father, another atomic scientist believed that his own work on atomic research mutated his own DNA to create a mutant son.  This all as a result caused him to be physically abusive to his son and murder his own wife.   He was arrested, but the damage had been done.  For what people didn't know was while Bruce was a kindhearted if not withdrawn person, inside him was an angry revenge hungry monster.   When his father was released, he tried to kill Bruce and in the result, Bruce killed him.  While in an attempt to defend himself from his father, his actions are what became the Hulk's first kill.  As I said in the first 2 examples Bruce had the power to become the Hulk whether or not the Gamma intervened.  This is what I meant.  There is no magic or mad science that released it it merely sped it up and gave Bruce a form so that he would be as powerful as he thought he was at the time.  In other words, Hulk Strongest There Is. He wasn't bragging he really was that strong.  Could The Hulk Exist In Real Life? Yes he can, because he is us.  On the outside we strive to do good in the world while on the inside there's the raging beast within us that makes us go out and do it.

As usual debate, argue and let me know what I missed.  Stay Tuned For More.

Tuesday 16 April 2013

The Mighty Thor

What started as a horror comic, ended in becoming one of the founding members of the Avengers.  Thor was synonymous for being one of the first Mythological figures in the world becoming a superhero.  Most of the time Mythical Figures, Gods, Demons and so on have been usually side characters or off-screen supporters.  This character has had a comic series in both mainstream and ultimate marvel and many appearances on TV shows, movies and cartoon series.  Most infamously in the Incredible Hulk Returns. However unlike most comic fans I actually liked that incarnation of him better than The Avengers.......Now that I taken the time to watch out for lynchers. Let's ease the minds of those that don't know what I am talking about.

The story begins with Donald Blake. A partially disabled, man who while on vacation in Norway discovers Mjolnir a hammer that only those worthy enough can wield it's powers.  Upon grabbing it, Blake discovers that he is really Thor, the Norse God who was banished from Asgard by Odin in order to teach him humility.  Upon becoming Thor, Blake leads a double life saving the world foes.  Most notably Loki, Thor's adoptive brother, the god of mischief  who wants nothing more than to make Thor suffer.  Over the years Thor becomes a hero in his own right and becomes a member of the Avengers along with Iron Man and Captain America.

Now for the moment you all been waiting for.  Could It Exist In Real Life.

For starters I consider mythology to be real, exaggerated, but real and I'll tell you why.  There is no way in hell that stories as great as myths are pulled out of the sky.   Sure over the years the myths could be chewed up and told differently, but in order for them to be known in the first place. Someone somewhere would have had to witness these feats.

However you want more than just belief so I shall not disappoint you.

For proof of Thor, Loki and Odin one has to prove the existence of Asgard.  So doing some digging on how far back the myth went back to I discovered a poem Prose Edda written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson.  He believed that Asgard was located in Troy the same place the Greek Trojan War took place in.  Ah Snorri, you did defictionalizing before it was cool.   

Now if Asgard did exist in Troy, then in turn the inhabitants in Asgard also exists.  Much like the Holy Grail inadvertently proving the existence of King Arthur and to an extent Jesus of Nazareth .

As usual debate, argue and let me know what I missed. Verily Stay Tuned For More.

Monday 15 April 2013

Dead Franchises

While I was searching for more Superheroes to defictionalize, I came across a lot of things they have in common along with other mediums: Their Franchises die out.  Not just comics, but TV movies and what not. So while I am searching I thought I would entertain you the readers with a little humorous game you all can participate in order to pay tribute to said franchises. 


The game is simple I have a template of a head stone.

What you do is you take it, mark it and post it on your own site and send me the link through the comments section like so.....


This one is my contribution..

Now it can be any type of cause.  Be it a show cancelling, it just not being cool anymore, or something still ongoing but to you fans is still pretty dead and as shown above it can be any language even fictional ones like Klingon.

Enjoy, have fun and let me know what I missed.  Stay tuned for more.

Saturday 13 April 2013

Superman

Superman has been regarded as one of the first old fashioned Superheroes.  A brain child of both Canadian Joe Shuster and American Jerry Siegel, this comic lives up to it's reputation of being one of the oldest franchises in the world back before there was even a DC comics.  It has had a currently ongoing comic series, Serials, A TV series starring the late George Reeves, various cartoons both solo and Justice League.  Most Notably a series of films, the most famous starring the late Christopher Reeve.  I mentioned once before that he was the real Superman and I still stick to it.  When I first watched Superman it was the 3rd movie one of the things that stuck in my memory was the junkyard fight between him and Clark Kent.  All I could say about that is. "Why are you hitting yourself? Stop hitting yourself."

The story goes like so.  Krypton a planet billions of years ahead of earth is about to explode.  Resident Scientist Jor-El tries to warn the government, only to be rebuffed.  How it's destruction was set off is unknown but debatable.  Desperate to save one piece of his planet, Jor-El and Lara Zor-El send their only son, Kal-El out into space in hopes he can reach Earth.  Using a ship of his own design, Jor-El sends Kal-El out in the nick of time as the planet along with it's red sun explode into chunks of radioactive pieces.  Kal-El lands on earth near the home of John and Martha Kent, who adopt him and rename him Clark Kent.  When he becomes a teenager, he finds that he has extraordinary powers, such as super strength, speed and the ability to jump long distances.  Upon learning his alien heritage, Clark leaves his home town and goes to Metropolis.  By day he is a mild mannered reporter and a clumsy coward foolishly trying to woo Lois Lane. The only useful feature he has being that he is the fastest typist in the world.  However when danger is around, he becomes.....Superman.  Champion of truth, justice and the American way fighting crime and rescuing those who need rescuing.  Along the way he becomes fast enemies of Alexander Luthor,  a super genius who is focusing most of his power on harming the man of steel.

Now for the fun part.  Could It Exist In Real Life?

Let's start with the abilities.  I am only gonna go with the original Action Comics No. 1 since History Channel's Science of Superman explained the rest. 

The first ability is his ability to superspeed.  Now the fastest a human being can run at peak physical condition is 35 - 40 miles an hour that's about as fast as a car on a regular drive.  However Superman is faster than a speeding Bullet.  The speed of a bullet is 1000 miles per hour.  An average human is only 10 mph from being 20% of Superman's Speed.  However the physical part of the super speed does not debunk it's existence.  Smallville came up with a different concept behind the Man of Steel's super speed by being one of the first mediums to show superspeed in Clark Kent's point of view.  As he begins to run fast, it looks like the rest of the world is standing still. In our POV it looks like he either disappeared or depending on where he went and came back from, he never left. According to Wingmakers, the effect is commonly known as Chronokinesis a psychic ability in which the user could slow down or speed up time with their mind.  In Kent's case, he slowed down time just enough so he could be everywhere in a microsecond. As for the existence of said abilities ask your self this.  Every time you've gone to sleep, it seems like only seconds before the next morning you wait yet, you really slept 8 hours. How is that possible?

The next ability is his super strength.   According to New Scientist: Andy Boulton a weightlifter from Britain set the record by lifting up  457.5 kg of weights from the floor to his thigh. That is about over 1000 pounds or half a ton.   The car Superman lifts is at least 2200 pounds, that's considered minimum since he could level buildings with his fists.  However that also means in peak physical condition us humans could be able to lift half a car.  I advise not to try it, for you could be at risk of either crushing yourself or breaking every body part of your body trying.  That being said, our muscles are actually capable of lifting more than what our minds inhibit from us. How that's possible I shall explain in my next article. 

Last but not least is leaping tall buildings in a single bound.  This is possible only as soon as you master super strength since that's what it is. Only instead of lifting things you are propelling yourself. But as stated before don't try any dangerous stunts with this information.

Next is the Kryptonite.  Radioactive pieces of Superman's home planet of Krypton that are deadly to him. This actually exists.  On earth many iradiated pieces of our own planet could kill us from over exposure.  Most common is uranium which is what's mostly used in Nuclear power plants.  Without any safety precautions, this could give us a disease known as lymphoma a rare cancer that is a slow and painful way to die. Luckily for Supes, all he has to do is go into the sun and recharge, however for us there is no quick cure.

Last but not least is Kryptonians themselves.  They can and do exist in two forms.  The first is according to abc news, scientists have theorized many Earth like planets all over the universe.  Some of which are near Red Dwarf stars.  Red sun + earth-like planet. = Real Life Krypton. Second we are the Kryptonians.  As stated in many of Superman's adaptations, we are billions of years behind them meaning eventually we shall reach their state technologically and politically.  However tragically like Krypton we will end up too oblivious to the end of our planet until it is too late.  So I advise everyone reading this article to devise and maintain an evacuation procedure, so that billions of years from now, we'd be ready to do what Krypton failed to do, save for a scientist and his wife who only wanted to save their only son.  As Jor-El said "They can be a great people Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way."  Be that light ladies and gentlemen.

As usual debate, argue and let me know what I miss. Stay Tuned For More.   

Thursday 4 April 2013

Spider-man

Since 1962 Spider-man has been revolutionary in the superhero genre.  He was the first teenage solo hero, he was the first hero to have real problems, and he was the first hypocrite in the world.  Though that was during Quesada's run.  Seriously though read One More Day and Superior Spider-man if you are a comic writer and want to know how not to screw your cash cow characters.  Your fans and your wallet will thank you.

Anywho the basic premise goes like so.  Peter Parker,  an awkward teenager with Einstein level intelligence but with a whole load of problems. Most frequently is that he is considered a school outcast and bullied for his love of science rather than the "important" things in life, like sports and.....sports.  Seriously folks high school in the 60s is hell if you A. Weren't a hippie or B. Aren't an aspiring athlete since being Academic didn't start being cool until Bill Gates got rich and Doug Penhall went undercover as a nerd who nearly broke a local bully's hand. Anywho he attends a radiation demonstration where a Spider gets caught in the machine.  It then lands on Peter's hand and bites him.  Peter, not feeling well decides to leave early almost getting hit by a car.  Here he finds out that not only could he sense danger, he could jump and stick to walls.  He also finds out that he has super-strength and puts 2 and 2 together finding out the spider that bit him was the cause.  With his newfound abilities he decides to do the most logical thing......become a professional wrestler and TV Star. During said events he creates a costume complete with devices to shoot web and calls himself Spider-man.   After letting a robber pass him by, Spider-man decides to call it a day and go home.   He finds out that his Uncle Ben had been shot during a botched burglary.  Donning his costume Spider-man chases down and takes out the robber, finding out to his shock that it's the same burglar he let go earlier.  Since then Spidey had taken the responsibility of his new found power and become a superhero.

Now for the fun part, Could It Exist In Real Life?

First off let me point out that getting bit by a radioactive spider will not give you super powers.  The movies and future comics corrected that mistake in their own ways.  The Raimi and Reboot Series made it so it was a genetically altered Spider whose DNA fused with Parker upon biting.   This can exist through Gene Splicing however I advise you not to try this at home even if you are a qualified scientist.  Let the Lizard be a prime example of how consequential the results could be if one mistake was made. Whilst the comics and cartoons imply his powers as well as the spider that bit him were of supernatural origin.

Second of all, there is the abilities, some of which can be achieved without doing something stupid like splicing yourself with that of a Spider.  The Wall Crawling ability.  According to io9.com  UC Berkley has created a type of micro fiber similar to gecko's feet that can stick to any smooth surface allowing the wearer to walk on walls and even ceilings.   For the Super Strength see my Captain America analysis.  Lastly the Spider-sense,  a near precognition ability that allows the user to sense danger before it happens.  This exists, not just in Spiders but in all life, even humans.  Ask yourself this, have you ever felt a certain vibe that sort of itches at you, and you never knew what that was about until a few seconds later.  Maybe a car is about to crash into your house or a friend is in danger but you don't know what kind.  That there is an instinct that all life has.

Third is the gadgets, more specifically the web shooters.   Among things it's used to trap criminals and swing across buildings.  This can exist also.   According to Mad Scientist's Lair.  The shooter is easy, but it's the web fluid that is the hard part despite being a simple combo.   The combination is Glue for the web to stick, plastic to keep it durable enough for swings and pulling things as well as elastic enough, and a solvent that melts it all into a fluid.  The writer of this site is pretty good too there are pics of his prototype shooter.

Last but not least Spider-Man, could he exist in real life?  Yes,  for he is us.  When Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created him they wanted him to have  the same problems as an every day person.  The person who had all the responsibilities that they struggle to maintain in their lives: Work, Money, Debts, Social Life and many more.  We all have our struggles with at least one of these or all of these when we go out in the real world, but like Spidey we all hope that it balances out in the end. 

As usual debate, argue and let me know what I missed. Stay Tuned For More, and remember, like Stan Lee says "With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility."

Monday 1 April 2013

Batman

In 1939 after the success of Superman, Bob Kane wanted to do a superhero who's name strike's terror in the hearts of men all without using a single superpower. Taking inspiration from the Shadow and Zorro, Kane and Bill Finger made the ultimate hero Batman. Since then there have been thousands of comics, serials, TV Shows in both his solo career and his stints with the Justice League, as well as various videogames and movies that are too much to count.

The Story goes like so,  young Bruce Wayne was with his parents after seeing the movie "Mark of Zorro."  (depending on which era it took place in it was either the Silent, or the 40s remake.)  His parents get mugged and murdered by an unknown assailant leaving the boy orphaned and raised by his loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth.  Since then, Bruce has privately declared war on crime.  Training his body and mind in the arts of Combat, Forensic Science and Theatricality, Wayne becomes a creature of the night. A terror that to this day has become an urban legend within the conics as well as in real life.  Seriously ask anyone from comic geek to normal adult and they say they could swear that they seen him somewhere.  Who is he? He's Batman.  Since then Batman has faced off his fair share of villains most memorable is the Joker.  A psychotic clown who is everything that Batman hates in criminals.  Stealing, murdering and even planning citywide mayhem and destruction.  Worst of all, that is just his average work day. 

Now for the fun part Could It Exist In Real Life?

Now for those who read my Justice League analysis I still stand by my theory that Prince Harry is Batman.  The fact that he attended the England premier of Dark Knight Rises now cements it. However there are others that qualify too.

Bruce Lee for example, he has mastered all forms of Martial Arts in less time that it takes most people. He has also performed feats that make people believe he is superhuman.  Give him a suit and some gadgets and he doesn't need a Bale-esque voice to make criminals wet their pants.  Ironically Lee fought Batman and Robin in the episode "Batman's Satisfaction."  Go watch that it's worth all the bad puns.

However the person is only one concept.there are other things in question to be addressed.

First off there is the batsuit.  Depending on each era the batsuit varies in material.  From 1939 to the late 70s the suit was just ordinary cloth woven properly to achieve it's look.  Interesting to note that the first comic despite what readers say otherwise, the suit is all black.  Yes it looks like grey black with purple gloves, but that was so we could see it.  However what the criminals see is a man dressed in black with demonic ears and a Dracula cape.  I wasn't until Tim Burton created the 1989 Batman movie, that the concept of body armor was introduced.  In this case between Batman and Batman Forever, it was an industrial strength rubber that could withstand gunfire.  This also exists, while the movie version was just easily breakable foam rubber. The armor was based off the concept of Dragon Skin silocone a rubber that is not only bullet proof but can withstand an certain degree of fire.  It was famously used in Mythbusters when they reinvented Buster the crash test dummy.  Last but not least there is the armor in The Dark Knight saga.  This was actually two separate concepts.  The first is the Nomex Survival Suit mixed with Kevlar.  This can exist in theory,  Nomex is a material Firefighters use when battling a blaze, whilst Kevlar is a lighter material used to stop bullets and knives.  However in order for someone to be Batman,  protection is only half the battle.  You would need to design it in a way that you could not only perform your feats with minimal resistance, but also be able to scare the living Sh** out of criminals.  Theatricality and Deception are powerful tools.

The next is the gadgets, more specifically the grappling hook and the batarang.  The Batarang is easy since it's based off  a boomerang.  If properly sculpted you could have the shape of a bat while still keep the proper aerodynamics.  Begins took it further by making it into a Ninja Star.  The Grappling hook is another story, much like the comics, the real thing existed in some form or another.   The most famous being the Grapple Gun.  This one was also introduced by Tim Burton along with the armor.  However unlike the hookshot the Grapple Gun is more complicated.  Oh it's not impossible you just need two things to come into factor.  One is the string that can support your weight and the other is to find away to compact it all in the gun.

Last but not least is the Batmobile.  An Armored Car that brings Batman anywhere he can't go on foot.  This not only exists in various forms, but also more than one of these has been made.  The armor part is easy, famous celebrities have rigged their cars with such protection.  They are also very expensive.  The gadgets on the other hand as well as the mobile itself are a yes and no.  The movies went out of their way to make the batmobile as realistic looking as possible.  The gadgets, weapons and even the jet engine on the back works.  However it is no different than a prop gun, so they would only fire blanks.  If you do have one of the movie batmobile's in your posession, don't be a hero.

As usual debate, argue and let me know what I missed. Stay Tuned For More.