Identity Crisis

Title: Identity Crisis

Writer: Brad Meltzer

Artists: Rags Morales and Michael Bair

Publisher: DC Comics

Boy, have comic books gotten real mature since I was a kid.  I must confess, I haven’t read many comics in my life.  I mean as a kid I did like to buy them as much as any other kid, and in high school I only read a few here and there.  But I never stayed with the scene.  The problem for me always was that I didn’t like the dreaded ‘to be continued’ at the end of a comic.  I felt almost cheated knowing that what I paid for didn’t have an ending.  Of course all of this changed when a comic book store worker recommend that I should read graphic novels, after I told him my “to be continued” issue.  He told me that graphic novels basically are a collection of comic books that do have an ending.  Ever since then I have loved to read graphic novels.  However what I didn’t expect to find in these novels was issues dealing with adult subjects.  The graphic novel, Identity Crisis is a perfectly good example of what I’m talking about.  It starts off with Elongated Man and Firehawk doing some surveillance on some would-be criminals.  Firehawk then starts asking Elongated Man how he met his wife.  He tells her the story of how they met, and why he loves her so much.

Suddenly the would-be criminals start to move and as Elongated Man expands to see, he hears the voice of his wife calling for help.  He then rushes home to her, but by the time he gets there it is too late because someone has killed her.  At her funeral almost every superhero shows up to the service.  After the funeral they all decide to split into groups and investigate the murder.  However Elongated Man and a few more superheroes stay behind because they want to go after the man they think is the real murderer, Dr. Light.  The Flash who is there then asks why they think it is him.  What follows is the story of when Dr. Light raped Elongated Man’s wife, and as a result the superheroes chose to punish him by erasing some of his mind.

The Flash becomes angry with the group because they did this, but the Green Arrow defends their actions.  Eventually the mystery of who killed Elongated Man’s wife is solved, but more importantly the Green Arrows explains his reasoning behind the decision to erase some of Dr. Lights mind.  According to him, guys like Superman and Batman get to be the big-shots when the villains are caught and they get to leave.  However for guys like the Green Arrow they have to stay behind and deal with the clean up.  In a previous story a captured villain knew their real identities, and so the “clean-up” heroes had no choice but to prevent him from ever sharing that information with other villains by erasing his memory.  According to the Green Arrow this was because it would have placed their loved ones in jeopardy.

Because of moral issues such as this one and other issues that come up during this novel, I really liked this book.  They demonstrate how comics are no longer simple stories of good vs. evil, but can really intrigue the reader and make them question a lot of things.  While issues dealing with murder and rape can be troublesome to read, it does bring a little bit off reality into comics which keeps you focused on the story.  Although the story is sad to read, I did like the ending because it was emotionally sweet and   I would recommend it to anyone that wants to read a good graphic novel.

Wikipedia link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_Crisis_(DC_Comics)

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Identity-Crisis-Comics-Brad-Meltzer/dp/1401204589

Cleaning my sneakers: Adidas Superstars

I must confess, I hate cleaning; I hate yard work, I hate washing my car and I hate house hold duties.  Naturally this vexation for cleaning stuff transfers over to the stuff that I wear.  That’s why I usually like to wear stuff like jeans, t-shirts, hats and hoodies because you don’t need to struggle to keep them clean.  The exception to this rule is my sneakers; I like them to look as clean as possible.  This becomes even more difficult when you like to wear white sneakers such as Adidas Superstars, Nike Air Force 1’s, and Converse All Stars.  For some unexplained reason white sneakers just look good with anything you wear, so I can’t give them up.

However wearing a pair that is yellow, beat up, and dirty all over can ruin any outfit you wear, so that’s why it’s important to keep them clean.  This is where I compromise my hatred of cleaning and put some effort into cleaning my shoes so they always look new.  Besides the appearance, having them look good can save you money because you don’t need to keep buying the same shoe over and over again.  The basic first rule of keeping your sneakers clean is to make sure you take care of them by not walking in the rain or in the mud, and if you do get them wet make sure to dry them off before you store them away.

As for storing my shoes I like to keep them in a place that is always cool and dry, such as the basement.  Any place that fluctuates in temperatures or that is hot will turn your shoes yellow and can lead to cracking of the midsole.  The second rule of keeping your sneakers clean is to wash them every so often when they get dirty.  To wash my sneakers I like to use household cleaning products that I have around the house.  I usually like to use Vim or Comet with a little bleach (though using too much bleach can actually stain your sneakers yellow), and then add some water and use a tooth brush to scrub away the dirt.

Once the dirt is gone, pass a wet paper towel on the areas that you scrubbed to wipe away the excess bleach.  Then let them air dry in a place where the sun doesn’t hit them directly.  You can also clean your sneakers by putting them in the washing machine, but I avoid this because they can become warped.  I do however like to put the laces in the washing machine because it doesn’t affect them.  Once my sneakers are dry I like to use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to wipe any stains that are left (wet Q-tips can also be used).  Once you’re done, you’re ready to hit the pavement again and show off your sneakers with pride.

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23u96O8O_34

Optimus Prime Papercraft

Recently I’ve been looking to buy a new Transformers toy, more specifically an Optimus Prime.  Optimus isn’t just a good guy, but he’s also the biggest and baddest hero you can find.  This makes him really popular and a toy that many people want to have in their collection.  Unfortunately his popularity also makes his toy really expensive and hard to find.  My local toy store had the 25^th anniversary collection version but it was so expensive I decided to look around for a better price.

While I was still looking for an Optimus Prime, I decided to do a papercraft version of him.  This papercraft version of Optimus Prime comes in color, takes up about two pages for the template and one for instructions, and uses rubber or string to attach it all together.  While the actual template might seem a little armature at first, when you are done you will notice how professional it really is and how special this papercraft is compared to others.  What makes it stand out from the rest is that since it is a Transformer, it actually transforms from robot to truck; how cool is that!  This papercraft took me about a couple of days to finish, and I would really recommend it to anyone that loves transformers and wants to have their own Optimus Prime in paper.

New link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ihJgnSOAmME9nGNz-vjlwtMF_qZRycNV/view?usp=sharing
Papercraft template link:

http://www.paperrobots1999.com/model04.html

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25c_7bpWNwA

Raspberries

One of the joy’s about summer in Canada is enjoying all the summer fruits and vegetables that are in season.  They’re not only good for you, but are also cheaper to buy.  While going to the supermarket and buying all these fruits and vegetables is fun, I also really enjoy going to farms and picking my own fruit.  A local farm that I love is Brooks Farms, a farm just north of Markham Ontario (where I live).  While Brooks Farms has many fruits to ‘pick’ from, my favorite to collect is the raspberry.  Raspberries are in season from July to August, but it’s best to visit early in order to pick the best fruit first.

Someone once told me that the raspberry is the champagne of berries, and after eating a couple I concurred.  Raspberries are fragrant, sweet, and are good for your health.  Raspberries contain lots of vitamins, and also have antioxidants that protect against free-radicals.  The only negative part about raspberries is the price and the seeds they come with.  Even though they are pretty expensive, I figure I would much rather spend my money on something that is not only delicious but healthy, than on some fast food junk that is bad for my body and can upset my stomach.

As for the seeds, they’re not much of a bother because I like to scarf the berries down when I eat them, lol.  However one solution to the seed problem that I have found is to make raspberry juice and remove the seeds.  Making raspberry juice is pretty simple; to start off, after bringing home your berries you just want to give them a light wash.  I then like to store mine in zip-loc bags, and I use a straw to suck all the air out of the bag so that I may store them in the freezer (for up to 12 months).  Then whenever I am ready to make juice I defrost the bag for a few hours, then put it in the blender, add some sugar and water and mix.  Once it is fully mixed I like to strain the juice to remove the seeds, and finally put it in a pitcher with lots of ice.  Once that is done you can sit back and enjoy a nice glass of raspberry juice and reflect on all your hard work.

Brooks Farms:

www.brooksfarms.com

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w4rUquIp10