Not your Father's Heroes

    With how mainstream superheroes are becoming, both in television and in the movies, sooner or later there were going to be hot button issues that fans of these characters would be divided upon.  One issue that has surfaced in recent months is a character's sexuality.
    In February, on the CW show Arrow, Sara Lance, the Canary, was shown to be bisexual through a relationship with Nyssa Al Ghul.  This relationship had begun during Sara's time with the League of Assassins.  There was no fanfare from the CW, no announcement, or anything like that.  It was a natural progression  and worked for the character in the storyline. Now, realize that Sara is not the Black Canary from DC Comics, she is a character created for the show which I have truly enjoyed watching grow over the now concluded Season 2 of the Arrow hit.  Her possibilities for the future are nearly limitless, as well as those of the CW show.  The success of Arrow has spawned The Flash as a new series coming to the CW. Already announced as characters coming this season in the CWverse are Ronnie Raymond(Firstorm), Crystal Frost(Killer Frost), Ray Palmer(the Atom), Yoshi Tatsu(Katana), and Paco Ramone(Vibe). The possibilities are indeed limitless in my opinion.
   On the contrary, NBC is releasing a new series in October called Constantine. Constantine has already undergone a character change from the pilot.   If you don't know Constantine, that is okay.  Because, we are getting a brand new TV series about the cigarette smoking occult detective with almost 30 years of history.  Constantine has investigated the forces of darkness and become one of the most popular new characters of the last 3 decades.  Part of that popularity, in my opinion, comes from the unpredictability of the character and the multiple nuances which manifest.  One of those nuances in the comics, is that Constantine is a bisexual.  Not something you see everyday in comics to be sure.  But, fear not...according to NBC and the producers of Constantine will be straight.  It is not something you are going to see on the mainstream network, thus limiting a character's possibilities.  He isn't gonna smoke on the show, you'll see him stubbing a cigarette.  NBC is quick to pull the plug on series(see The Cape), and alienating part of the established fanbase is not a great move to me. There are rumors that Jim Corrigan(Spectre) is slated to appear in episode #5, let's hope the show makes it that long.
   My main hope that comes out of this whole situation is that we as fans of pop culture and heroes and villains send the message that it is 2014, we don't care if a character is straight or bisexual or gay.  Those are not what make a good tv show. The aspects which go into a good show include characters we invest in, characters who can grow through the creativity of the writers being able to evolve those heroes and villains and supporting characters.   This is not a LGBT issue in my opinion, it is an issue of not allowing a creator to flourish.
   

Love

It really is strange.  My life has changed so much in the last year.  I felt torn down.  I felt that life had handed me more crap and I just kept taking it.  I kept telling myself, it will all be worth it, little did I know how right I was.  I met someone, no not someone, THE ONE!  You know the one, that you can't stop thinking about, the one who is your other half.  The person who finally after 42 years proved to me that a soul mate could exist.  It has been difficult at times, it has been complex, but for the last 10 weeks it has breathed life into me as much as oxygen ever has.

And then, I am told..."I love you" but...the but is never a good sign.  In this case, the worst thing it could be.

I love you.  I will wait for you, I appreciate the blessing to keep myself open to meeting someone...I do not want someone, I want the one, and that is you!

Alice's Restaurant

If you are reading this, check out my newest venture at the Alice's Restaurant message board. I want it to be a fun place to hang out, relax, and talk about just about anything you want...

Wizard World New Orleans Loot

Some would say I went overboard, but I'd say it was a labor of love.http://s264.photobucket.com/albums/ii199/gkelley71/custom%20con/Wizard%20World%20New%20Orleans%20loot/?albumview=slideshow

Wizard Convention Loot

Tales of an Aquafan: The 40 Year Old Wizard World Virgin. Part One

Part One: 2011 A Comic Geek Odyssey

On Friday afternoon I set off from Houston for New Orleans with a couple of friends for the Wizard World convention set in New Orleans Lousiana. For those unaware Wizard World is a comic book/sci fi/fantasy convention held in various cities across the U.S. and Toronto. They pretty much have at least one a month. I was originally going to try to attend the Austin version in November, but Kim had some training to do and my kids really don't share my love of sci fi. My plan was scrapped. So about a month before this convention, I let a couple of friends from school know that the show was going to be in New Orleans, I didn't want to go alone and would they be interested in the trip. Matt Hoffpauir and Bill Robinson both wanted to head that way and our Band of Geeky Travelers was set. Matt has been a Star Wars fanatic since we were kids, Bill may be the biggest Bat-Fan I know and writes for an online publication called the Examiner, based in Houston. So with his media affiliation, he was a reporter this weekend. By the way, Bill is my inspiration for writing about the trip, so thank him for my long windedness. I, as you can tell from the title, am an Aquaman fanatic.
On Friday the 27th, I was planning on working a few hours and going to pick up Bill so we could set off on our journey. I had planned everything, got the mapquest route, the hotel reserved, my comic wants list, you name it. I got to work, spent an hour and half at the store and realized that I would not be able to concentrate, I was taking a vacation day anyway so it was time to go. I got to Pasadena, and realized that as much as I thought I had planned everything, my printed ticket was in my desk at home, no problem I was going back through Baytown anyway. As soon as I had picked up Bill, the trek officially began. We started talking about what we had been up to in our lives, our families and how excited we were. It was an hour to pick Matt up after I stopped by the house to get my ticket and that hour flew by. We stopped to pick up our third stooge and were treated to see his Matt-Cave. Very impressed with what I will refer to as his cave by the way, he and Kim,his wife, and Elizabeth, his daughter, are converting the cave into his collectibles room and he has a very nice start(though he added to his swag this weekend). Upon reaching Orange, we met his wife for lunch and finally got on our way to New Orleans about 1230. While most people would consider a 320 mile trip to be long and unending, to me it flew by. We continued to talk about the old days, listen to cds, crack jokes, goof off, and laugh. By about 5:15 we were in New Orleans during rush hour and got to the hotel about 530.
To be continued:

Stuffed Chicken Breast

Okay, for the stuffed chicken breast recipe, You are gonna need:
Chicken breasts
Garlic-2 cloves minced
Olive Oil tablespoon
Jalapeno Jack Cheese or Spinach and Goat Cheese
Turkey Bacon
salt and pepper for taste


Slice the chicken down the middle to create kind of a pocket. Utilize whichever you prefer (jalapeno or spinach mix,my kids eat the spinach w/o complaints) to stuff the breasts and tooth pick the sides down.
Crisp the bacon a bit and wrap breasts inside if you are doing the jalapeno mix(2 to 3 per breast)
Pre Heat oven to 400 degrees
Heat Oil, salt and pepper and garlic in a skillet for a cuple of minutes until the garlic is fragrant. Place chicken on skillet to brown each side(about 4 minutes per side).

For the jalapeno mix, brush with your favorite BBQ sauce and top w/ a bit more of your cheese.
Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes depending on thickness of chicken.
Hopefully this works for ya.

On Stage

Tonight, I went to a try-out for Comedy Sportz. If you have never been to a Comedy Sportz event it is an improv comedy troupe that is totally kid friendly. My kids love it, and so do Kim and I. If you are in a city which offers it, give it a try. There were about 50 hopefuls in attendance and we each participated in a couple of improv exercises in groups of 4 which were really designed to see how we interacted with others and thought on our feet. I kind of bombed on the first one, I guess from a combination of nerves and hesitance. The second exercise went much better as I got a pretty big laugh from one of my lines. The problem was I really couldn't play off of the others and knew that I had kind of screwed up.
After the improvs there was a break so the monitors could decided who they wanted to see more of. Needless to say, I was not asked to stay. Let me say that there were a lot of VERY talented people in attendance tonight and I hope to see some of them on stage someday soon.
Now, here is the important message that I want to convey. While some may be reading this with a bit of sympathy or disappointment on my behalf, there is no need for such thoughts. I went there tonight to try something new(I succeeded), I went to get out of my box and try to be creative in some way(success) , I wanted to make people laugh(success).

I didn't get picked for the team. Big deal...I tried out. That is the most important thing. To try. It is better to try and fail than succeed at doing nothing. I am proud of me tonight and I feel a sense of accomplishment that I hasn't been there in a Looonnnggg time.

Out of My Box

I posted on here a while back about my experience in Junior High Drama with a buddy of mine, Bill Robinson. We did Who's on First and the room roared with laughter. Well, tomorrow night, I am going to some tryouts for an improv comedy troupe in Houston. If things go well, it could turn into a nice little hobby and a lot of fun. I like to try different things and this could turn out to be really cool. Even with the blues I have felt this week, this could really be very cool. If you read this in the next 22 hours wish me luck. I just hope I don't have to sing(For everyone's sake.)

Been a While

A Year and three months ago, my dad and I had an argument. Not the typical father-son thing. This one got messy. My wife was brought into it, my kids were brought into it. You name it. During those 15 or so months I have blamed myself for what happened. I blamed myself for not heading off a situation which could have turned bad(and did). I have felt guilt for not caving in to what he wanted. But mostly, I have felt bad because my kids no longer have a relationship with their Papa. Well, my kids have gotten over things quite a bit, Kim has moved on, and gotten a promotion. Me, I haven't. Over the last 15 months I have written no poetry, not done any painting or anything creative. The only thing I have done is add 40 lbs. I have been stagnant as far as expressing myself.
You see, all of my life I have tried to hold things in as much as possible. When I was younger I tried to be mature beyond my years. I wanted to prove to others that I could be someone that they could depend on. I have now been in the workforce for 21 years and held only 2 jobs(Albertson's left me, I didn't leave it). I work with some great people that I consider great friends and I feel like a success because of it. More importantly, I have a wife of almost 14 years that I love more deeply every single day and two beautiful kids who are learning to express themselves in wondrous and exciting ways. So, I guess what I am saying here is I have done pretty well at being someone that others can count on.
I miss my mom and felt like a failure after she passed because I could not keep the peace between my family and dad. At almost 40 years old, I finally realized something. It may only take one to fight a battle, but it takes two to keep the peace. I did my best to do my part. It's time to be okay and accept what has happened. It is time to move on. It is time to be the creative person that I want to be again. Maybe this will get me started at writing again...maybe not.
Talk to you soon...Wayne