The Brave and the Bold #2 (May 2007)

Back in August of 2025, I wrote about the first issue of The Brave and the Bold, a team-up comic whose name had a long history. You can learn more about that here. That comic was from the third revival of the title, which lasted until 2010. The title was started by the powerhouse creative team of writer Mark Waid and artist George Perez, and they showed their greatness in that issue. 

We were left in that issue with a bit of a cliffhanger. Batman and the Hal Jordan Green Lantern had been investigating an odd murder which led them to Las Vegas. When there, they discovered that the murder was over the powerful artifact known as the Book of Destiny, a tome that contains all knowledge of the past, the present, and the future. Such a book could not just make for interesting reading, but it would also be devastating in the wrong hands. And last we saw, an alien known as a Venturan had gotten their paws on the book, so that means our heroes are going to need some further help. So, where do we go from here? Let's find out in The Brave and the Bold #2!

The cover is a George Perez and Tom Smith piece. Naturally, it's incredible. It depicts the Hal Jordan Green Lantern and the Kara Zor-El Supergirl in the skies over the planet of Ventura. It's incredibly colorful and detailed. The planet is a casino and gambling world. Think of it as Las Vegas as a planet, and the art shows that well.

"The Lords of Luck (Part II) - Ventura"
Writer: Mrk Waid
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Colorist: Tom Smith
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Executive Editor: Dan DiDio

The story begins with the Girl of Steel, the Maiden of Might, Supergirl. This isn't the same Kara Zor-El that we last met on this blog battling Kraken. That version was erased from history. This is the post-Crisis version of Kara, a chatty teenager. She's flying in space with Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern.

"No, Kara. Superman said Khund coffee makes you crazy."

The two have some banter, and Hal catches her up (as well as us) on the last issue. Basically, an alien has made off with the Book of Souls, a powerful artifact that has all knowledge of past, present, and the future in its pages. Batman and Hal started the investigation, and the Dark Knight is continuing the investigation on Earth. Hal called in Supergirl to help track the alien...and the trail leads to the planet known as Ventura.

Ventura is, in the tradition of the "Planet of Hats" trope, is basically a massive casino. Their economy is based on gambling. Kara spots a man being tossed out a window...

...from a very high floor of a building. The Kryptonian powerhouse swoops down and saves the man's life. He begs her to help him, claiming that the casino swindled him out of his life savings. A cop tells Kara to not get involved and takes her away. It's revealed to be Hal Jordan in disguise, who explains to her that the man wasn't cheated, he was just unlucky.

You see, a planet of gambling has very strict regulations. Which is how it can be sustained. Hal shows her an example in the form of a time-traveler arriving at a casino. Now, he thinks he has an easy advantage, knowing future lottery numbers. Problem for him is...Ventura has regulations for that, too.

"Smithers...release the hounds."

They also are not fond of Green Lanterns, hence why Hal not only needed backup, he also had to go incognito. My guess is Ventura doesn't like Green Lanterns because their rings allow wielders to find ways to get around the various security devices they use to avoid cheating. 

Supergirl and Hal fly off, Hal pointing out that the perp is using the book to stay ahead of them. Hal cannot assume that they're going to fail, and that it's supposed to be that way. Let's look in on Earth, shall we?

On a nice night in the skies over Texas, a charter plane is flying. The pilot is talking with his wife about their anniversary plans. Batman has stowed away on the plane, and one of the beings that attacked Las Vegas in the last issue has a very nasty alien weapon locked on him. However, the Dark Knight has a savior: Jaime Reyes, the new Blue Beetle.

"Batman always has to be in everything, doesn't he?!"

He shows Batman where he took down the alien sniper...only to find that he's vanished.

And to make things worse, they're now both in the crosshairs. Back on Ventura, Hal and Kara continue their search. The book is in the hands of a powerful alien bookmaker. 

"Ladies, my new novel is a New York Times Bestseller! My thanks to you all!"

He's feeling good. With this book, he could make the biggest killing in Venturan history. He sees an image in the book change, and it leads him to wonder if the book...just rewrote itself?

Elsewhere, Kara and Hal are witnessing a fight between some aliens and a pair of gladiators called the Cragg Brothers. Well, it was a less a fight and more a brutal beatdown from said Craggs. When the Craggs fight, you do not pray to win, you pray to live. 

You see, Hal figures that the book thief were here. Most people would not gamble with small stakes if they had a book that knew the future. They'd want the big score. They want big money, and this arena deals with amounts of currency greater than some planets have.

Kara tries to flirt with Hal, but he's had enough of it. He awkwardly tries to get her to knock it off, but she just flies off in a huff, angry that Hal thinks she's a child. And things just got harder.

The announcer...announces that there is a new combatant in the arena tonight, fresh meat for the Craggs to slaughter. 

Kara planned to murder the costume designer.

Hal then realizes the Maid of Might has got a little plan going.

The Cragg Brothers charge at her, but being a Kryptonian, she easily makes the rocky warriors into piles of rubble. Hal grabs a betting robot and looks up who bet on Supergirl to win. After all, thanks to the Book of Destiny, a better would not only know that the Cragg Brothers would fight Supergirl, but that also she would fight them and win. The Lantern ditches his disguise to get the Venturan, but he's gone, his box a wreck. The Gambling Police arrive and start shooting at our man. Thankfully, Supergirl has his back. She spots him with the book thanks to her telescopic vision. Said Venturan looks through the book to see how he escapes, but it only shows him getting shot and killed. Which happens right then and there. And then someone else makes off with the book.

"Oh Zarquon, my horoscope said this would happen!"

Hey, it's that gambler Supergirl saved earlier! He flees, but Hal manages to catch him. It turns out that he's from the planet Rann, which is associated with the space-faring Adam Strange. He has adventures there. He's actually on Ventura because of a mission. He's a member of an underground rebellion. He came to Ventura to get funds for Rann's war against Thanagar. With this book, Rann could not only win the war against Thanagar, the Thanagarians could be destroyed. He tries to escape with a Zeta Beam, which ends up taking Hal as well.

Supergirl tries to rescue Hal but ends up eating arena floor. Her outfit got torn up, revealing that she was wearing her Supergirl outfit...complete with the Superman logo on it. One of the most famous emblems in the DC Universe. Yeah, she's in trouble.

I have to admit, like the first issue, I really enjoyed this one as well. I liked the exploration of Ventura. The idea that they have all these security features against telepaths and time-travelers and the like makes a lot of sense considering its hat is gambling. There are a lot of ways to cheat in the DCU, and for Ventura, a planet whose economy is clearly heavily dependent on gambling, preventing that is paramount. After all, who'd want to gamble at a casino where there's no fair chance to win? It also is a great subtle way to show just how powerful the Book of Destiny is. If it can foil all of these security measures, then it's something truly dangerous. 

I also got some laughs out of Hal's interactions with Kara Zor-El and Batman's with Jaime Reyes. Intergenerational banter is quite amusing. I couldn't help but feel a bit for Hal. After all, a teenage girl making doe-eyes at Hal and his awkwardness when trying to deal with this? Yeah, poor Hal just wanted to be professional about it.

The Venturan using the book to gamble on a disguised Supergirl winning makes a lot of sense. After all, if you had a powerful artifact that could tell you the future, the temptation to change things to make your own life better will come with it. Supergirl using this trope to her advantage is great as it helps show that she's hardly your stereotypical bubble-headed blonde. And of course, we got one exciting pair of cliffhangers, Hal on his way to Rann and Supergirl getting exposed. 

As for George Perez's art here, well...come on. If you're a regular reader of this blog, you all know how much I love his art, and how sad it is that he's no longer with us. The man left behind an incredible body of work, something to admire for any comic book artist. I hope that more budding comic artists discover his work and get inspired by it.  

If you want to read this story for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2024 trade paperback The Brave and the Bold: The Lords of Luck. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give my blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time! 

Mother's Day

 Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

Celebrated on the second Sunday in May, Mother's Day is the day we celebrate mothers and mother figures and all they do for us.

The holiday has its roots in 1868. One Ann Jarvis attempted to create "Mother's Friendship Day" as a way to help families get back together after the American Civil War. Jarvis wanted to expand this into an actual memorial for mothers done yearly, but her death in 1905 prevented that. However, her daughter Anna would continue her mother's efforts.

Anna Jarvis would go on to establish the current Mother's Day as we know it in 1905. She campaigned to make it a national holiday. In 1910, West Virginia would be the first U.S. state to declare the holiday officially, the other states at the time quickly following suit. On May 8, 1914, Congress passed a law declaring the second Sunday in May be Mother's Day, which led then-President Woodrow Wilson to declare Mother's Day a national holiday the next day.

Since then, the holiday has been seen as a time to show a little extra love for the mothers of the world, mainly celebrated through the giving of flowers and gifts. So, I hope you got your mother a nice bouquet of flowers and an equally nice little gift today. As well as showed her a little extra love today. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give my blog a little additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

Firestorm the Nuclear Man #3 (June 1978)

With the passing of Gerry Conway, I thought a good way to honor him would be to look at something he wrote this week. Now, Conway left behind a rather extensive body of work, not just in comics, but also in television. And since I wanted to look at more DC stuff, I decided to look at something Conway wrote for DC. And it was an opportunity for me to revisit a character we haven't seen much of in this blog: Firestorm. 

Conway created the character alongside another name familiar to Marvel fans: artist/inker/writer/editor Al Milgrom. Conway wanted to bring some of that Marvel energy to DC and write a youthful Spider-Man like teenage character. Firestorm's flaming head design came from Conway's love of the whole "hair on fire" thing. Firestorm was also unique as the hero was two people merged into one, mainly the iconic combination of teenage Ronnie Raymond and middle-aged scientist. This came about as Conway had wanted to not only play about with the trope of the teenage hero getting powers. His idea was to portray the teenager as not the sharpest guy around and ending up sharing the powers with an older person who would understand the power. Hence why Firestorm is two people fused into one.

Al Milgrom, Firestorm's other creator, also took inspiration from Jack Kirby when it comes to the character's design, in particular the character of Lightray. Mainly, in the headpiece he wears. 

As I have said before, this ongoing series ended up not lasting long thanks to the "DC Implosion" of the late 1970s. It seemed as if Firestorm would be doomed to obscurity...thankfully, Conway was also writing the Justice League book, and brought Firestorm into the group, making him one of DC's icons. I can't help but wonder if Firestorm stayed on the team during the Detroit Era, how would his interactions have gone with Vibe, Steel, Vixen, and Cyndi Reynolds? I think he would have been a great mentor to them. Missed opportunity there. Anyway, let's take a look once again at the early days of Firestorm in Firestorm the Nuclear Man #3!

The cover is an Al Milgrom piece. It's pretty good, depicting the newest member of Firestorm's rogues gallery, Killer Frost, giving our hero a big ol' freezing smooch. Behind her is a group of frozen skeletons. This lady has a weird sense of aesthetics. 

"Kiss Not the Lips of Killer Frost!"
Writer: Gerry Conway
Penciller: Al Milgrom
Inker: Bob McLeod
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Mario Sen
Editors: Gerry Conway, Jack C. Harris
Executive Editor: Joe Orlando

The story begins with Firestorm arriving at Bradley High School. Is he there to give a pep talk to the student body? Well...sort of.

"Where's my money, Carmichael?!"

If you've looked at my past reviews of Firestorm issues, you may be familiar with Mr. Clifford "Cliff" Carmichael, years before he'd become an incarnation of the Thinker. Firestorm threatens Cliff that if he starts making cracks about anyone in the school, he'll put him six feet under. Martin Stein, the elder half of Firestorm, is naturally rather annoyed by this. It's bad enough that Ronnie can drag him into becoming Firestorm any time he wants (remember, he was unconscious when he and Ronnie were merged), but now he's just going around threatening people. Ronnie's irresponsibility is hurting him as well. 

The Nuclear Man splits back into his dual identities, Martin having no memory of his time being merged. Again, this is due to him being unconscious when he and Ronnie were merged. Ronnie does feel lousy about the whole thing. He heads to school, noticing Cliff walk by, making no smarmy comments. He is so overjoyed by this he fails to notice Doreen Day trying to get his attention so she can ask him out.

Elsewhere, Stein is taken to the Arctic. You see, there's a geothermal plant being constructed there called Project Mohole in response to the energy crisis (remember, this is the late 70s). Stein is there because he had developed a condensing device that'll help the plant work. It's here he reunites with an old student of his.

"SHUT UP GUYS HE'S MINE!"

Meet Crystal Frost, the only woman on this project, but she was the designer of the plant, and she 2recommended Stein be here. The other scientists all crowd around him, much to Frost's fury. She feels they're ignoring her because she's a woman. Uh, Dr. Frost? I don't doubt you had to deal with sexist BS from insecure manchildren (it was the 70s), and that is really not cool, but I think your reaction is a 2bit...much here.

Frost shows Stein around, while being overjoyed to see him again after all these years. You see, when she studied under Stein in college, she was thrilled that he wasn't bothered by her gender but accepted her mind and skills. She ended falling in love with Stein, and she believes he felt the same way. No other man in the college compared to him as far as she's concerned. She found them all boorish, patronizing, and aggressive. Her words, not mine. They gave her a nickname: the Ice Maiden. 

She goes up to Stein and hugs him while diagnosing her problem. She confesses her feelings to him, but he only saw her as a fellow scientist. He never felt the way towards her that she did towards him. Thing is, I can imagine that Stein does have a lot of respect for Frost, considering what she has achieved. I can imagine he would have had nothing but good things to say about her as a student. Heck, I can imagine he'd have no issue with having Frost as a friend. But he never looked at her in the romantic sense. 

Thing is, Stein is being a bit overly brusque about brushing off her feelings. This infuriates Frost, and she tells him to go laugh it up with the other men. She stomps away feeling angry and bitter when she notices that the thermofrost unit (basically a big super-fridge) was left open.

Indeed, it's not. It's always supposed to be closed. For some bizarre reason, she goes inside the unit and ends up knocking the door closed, trapping her inside. 

Frosty, you couldn't close the door from the outside?! Really?! She ends up trapped in there for two hours. Welp, nice knowing you, Frosty! The other men search for her. Stein can't help but feel this is his fault. he tells the others that Frost was a very withdrawn student. He tried to get her to open up. Come out of her shell, as it were. From his perspective, she always seemed to be...at war with herself mentally, and he hoped that helping her open up would, well, help her find some kind of peace. But she clearly misinterpreted his motives, and he didn't realize it. This helps the others discover where she's at. One of the men tries to unlock the door, but a blast of cold air forces it open. Crystal Frost has been reborn.

"Am I pretty now, Ma?! AM I PRETTY NOW?!"

Evidently the transformation also gave Frosty a haircut and a new outfit. I also think it screwed up her brain. She kisses one of the men, freezing him solid. A group of security men arrive, and they become human icebergs as well. She has one main target: Martin Stein. 

Over at Bradley High in Manhattan, Ronnie Raymond is playing basketball. He shoots, and he SCORES! The Bradley High basketball team (I'm calling them the Atoms. Get it? Because Firestorm the Nuclear Man?) is now twelve points in the lead. Ronnie is thrilled as his girl Doreen is there. He also notices someone talking to Principal Hapgood, and it's gotten him concerned. 

"I'm sorry, but you have to know this: your refrigerator is running."

Back in the Arctic, Killer Frost has cornered Stein and gives him her freezing kiss. Ronnie feels the chill and realizes that Stein's in trouble. He races off in the middle of the game and transforms into Firestorm...ending up in Frost's arms.

"Thanks for helping me try this new lipstick, Firestorm!"

I can imagine Frost is a bit weirded out right now.

The kiss traps Firestorm and causes him to become frozen as well. He manages to break out of the ice. He starts to apply a bit of Pokémon logic. Killer Frost is an Ice-Type, he's a Fire-type. Fire beats Ice, right?

2Blasting Frost with fire only seems to make her stronger somehow. She freezes the ceiling, causing it to come down on our heroes. Firestorm turns the ceiling shards into harmless snowflakes. Ronnie tries to use his matter alteration power on her. Stein warns him that he's never used the power on living beings. It could cause a disaster. And he's right.

"AH, THE CONSEQUENCES OF MY ACTIONS!"

Our hero recovers quickly, and pursues Frost, only for her to seemingly crush him with a piece of wall. However, as part of his power set, Firestorm can pass through solid matter, so it doesn't hurt him. He goes through the floor, Frost in hot pursuit. Stein then has a moment of inspiration.

Frost is now a heat vampire. If she needs heat, then what happens if she is trapped in somewhere cold? That gives Ronnie his own idea, using his power to surround Frost and trap her in a refrigeration unit. As the temperature drops, she slowly becomes immobile. She pleads with Firestorm to let her out but then turns around and screams that she'll kill him. The issue ends with her being frozen solid, and Ronnie lamenting the situation. 

This was an... alright issue. I do think that Killer Frost being a heat vampire and using it to fuel her powers is a neat twist on how cryokinetic powers work. Other adaptations tend to ignore this aspect of her powers, and I think it's a shame. But I can understand why. Adaptations like to simplify where possible, after all.  

Honestly, I think Frost's transformation would have had more impact had we gotten to know the character a bit more when she was still human. Also, she talks about how she is treated with disrespect by her male co-workers, I would have liked to have seen more of that here. I also liked the tragic nature of Crystal's story. She thought she had found love with Stein, but he just saw her as a good student who needed a mentor and a friend. If Stein wasn't so brusque towards her, maybe things would have been different. 

I did like the scene where Stein and Ronnie were arguing early on about Ronnie misusing his powers, and how becoming Firestorm upends his own life. It makes sense there'd be friction between the two over being Firestorm. Remember, at this time, Stein has no control over the Firestorm Matrix. It's all Ronnie in the driver's seat. And even worse? At the time, Stein would have no memory of being Firestorm. So yeah, his life gets wrecked because Ronnie is high on being Firestorm. It's a shame this issue doesn't really resolve it or set up some way of resolving it in the future. I do get the intention of the ending, I just think the execution could be better. 

Al Milgrom is a fine artist. His work isn't unique like a Byrne or a Kirby or a Perez, or even the Buscemas, but the man does great artwork in his own right. It does the job just fine. 

Crystal Frost was the first Killer Frost, but she's arguably the most obscure of the Killer Frosts. That's because she didn't stick around too long. In Firestorm #21 (March 1984), it was discovered that her mutation was deteriorating her body, slowly killing her. Firestorm tried to give her his power in order to help sustain her, but her body couldn't handle it and she, well, blew up real good. But it would not be the end for Killer Frost.

Frost had a friend named Louise Lincoln. In her grief and desiring revenge against Firestorm over Crystal's death, she recreated the experiment that transformed Frost and became the second Killer Frost in Firestorm #34 (April 1985). She would be the current Killer Frost until the New 52 reboot.

With the New 52, a new Killer Frost was introduced: Caitlin Snow. First appearing in Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #19 (June 2013), she would be a member of the Suicide Squad and the Justice League. Now, I'm not sure if she was created for the CW Flash series and then brought into the comics, or it was the reverse like it was for the Ava Ayala incarnation of the White Tiger. Based on what I could figure out, she did come from the comics originally, but don't quote me on that. And since the DCU's been through at least twenty thousand continuity reboots since then, Killer Frost's history in the DCU now is basically just...who knows. 

To Gerry Conway, I say this: Thank you. Thank you for all your contributions to comics and television. Rest well. You earned it.

If you want to read this story for yourself, I suggest tracking down the 2011 trade paperback Firestorm: The Nuclear Man. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give my blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

World Donkey Day

Happy World Donkey Day, everyone!

May 8 is World Donkey Day. This is a day to celebrate and recognize the hardworking animal known as the donkey. World Donkey Day (May 8) was started by a scientist named Ark Raziq. Raziq's scientific specialty was the study of desert-dwelling animals. He realized that the donkey had played a big part in helping build human society, and he felt they should be recognized for it. The first World Donkey Day was set up and celebrated in 2018, descended from a Facebook group he started dedicated to donkeys.

The donkey's relationship with humans is a long one, with humans having first domesticated them in Africa around 5000-7000 years ago. The origin of the word "Donkey" is lost to history, although there are some theories. 

Donkeys have long been valued by humans because they are seemingly the perfect working animal. Donkeys can run up to around 30 mph. They are strong animals, able to tug heavy loads for many miles. They are also somewhat self-sufficient and can bear harsh conditions. These animals have a reputation for being stubborn, but diligent and persistent. They can live between 50-54 years. Donkeys can be found all over the world, being used for various purposes, from working farms to being pets. They have also been used for meat and milk. 

There are believed to be over 40 million donkeys in the world, most of them living in underdeveloped places. There are also feral populations of donkeys in various places around the world, including North America. Australia has them, but they're considered an invasive pest. In more developed places, donkeys tend to be used as pets or to guard livestock. Wild donkeys primarily live in deserts, where they are solitary and form home ranges. Donkeys were introduced to North America by the Spanish in the 15th century. They became popular in Ireland in the 17th century thanks to Oliver Cromwell confiscating horses there. 

So, yeah. Donkeys are hardworking critters, and they should be given their flowers for that, as they say. Thanks for reading this blog entry! if you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and ant to give my blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

Cinco de Mayo

 Today is Cinco de Mayo!

You're probably asking yourself, what is Cinco de Mayo? Well, it's a holiday celebrated in both the United States and in Mexico on May 5, Cinco de Mayo literally meaning "May 5th" in Spanish.

Both countries celebrate the holiday rather differently. In the US, the day is seen as a celebration of Mexican-American culture. In fact, it's often mistakenly seen as the Mexican Independence Day, but that's not accurate. The actual Mexican Independence Day is September 16th, which celebrates the Cry of Dolores, the event that triggered Mexico's fight for independence from Spain.

The American version of Cinco de Mayo is believed to have started in 1863, among Mexican miners in California. They were overjoyed that their home nation was standing up to the French Empire, so overjoyed that they broke into spontaneous celebration. The American Cinco de Mayo would mainly be celebrated in California up into the 1940s, when the rising Chicano Movement would help spread it to the rest of the United States. In the 1980s, many marketing firms, especially beer companies, sensed the celebratory nature of the holiday and used it to promote various products. This would help make the holiday much more popular in the US, and further evolve it into the modern celebration of Mexican-American culture it is.

In Mexico, it's a minor holiday. There, it's the day where the Mexican Army, led by Ignacio Zaragoza, defeated the French Army at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. In 1860, the Mexican Civil War, aka the Reform War, had ended. The war had wrecked Mexico economically. As a result, then-President Benito Juarez had been forced to suspend payments of interest on foreign debts for a couple of years, which angered Spain, Great Britain, and France. The three countries formed the Tripartite Alliance, the goal to basically invade Mexico and force them to make the payments.

The three nations would invade in 1861, occupying the port city of Veracruz, and marching to the city of Orizaba. Mexico was able to negotiate with Britain and Spain, and the two countries withdrew from Mexico. But France, under Napoleon III at the time, wanted a war. France wanted to rule Mexico. France wanted to make Mexico part of its empire.

At the Battle of Puebla, 4,000 Mexican Army soldiers stood up against 6,500 Frenchmen. The Mexicans managed to defeat the French at this battle, despite the French being better-equipped. 87 Mexicans died in the battle, 131 got wounded, and 12 went missing. They managed to capture 35 Frenchmen, wound 304, and kill 476. The Battle of Puebla was not just a big political victory for Mexico, it also provided a major morale boost for the people and defenders of Mexico.

In 1862, Juarez had declared May 5th a national holiday in Mexico, where it's called "Battle of Puebla Day" or "The Battle of Cinco de Mayo". It's mainly celebrated in Puebla City, where the battle occurred, with limited celebrations throughout the rest of Mexico.

And that is Cinco de Mayo. I hope you have a wonderful day, and you got to learn something neat! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give my blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

Star Wars Day

  Happy Star Wars Day!

Star Wars Day is an informal holiday that celebrates the Star Wars franchise. Fans of the franchise have celebrated this day since the first Star Wars movie came out in 1977. The usage of this date as "Star Wars Day" is because it's a bit of a pun. "May the Fourth", as in "May the Force be with you!" 

The first Star Wars movie actually was released on May 25, but again, the "May 4" pun. That day has been celebrated as Geek Pride Day. In 2011, the first organized celebration of Star Wars Day was performed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada by the Toronto Underground Cinema. The celebration included a costume contest and showing of fan films. 

The Star Wars franchise is considered one of the most successful live-action film franchises in history, having made over $10 billion in the box office over the last nearly fifty years. It also has greatly expanded to other mediums: television, novels, comics, cartoons, etc. It has fired the imaginations of fans the world over, inspiring other directors like Peter Jackson and Christopher Nolan. And to this day, it's still going strong. So, enjoy some Star Wars today! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give my blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

International Leopard Day

Today is International Leopard Day!

There are eight species of leopards, native to Africa and Asia. Leopards also used to be native to Europe, but they ended up extinct during the Late Pleistocene era.

Leopards have soft thick fur, which is especially soft at the belly. Leopards are known for having spot-like markings on their bodies, which are actually called rosettes. Since leopards live in a variety of areas, their colorings and rosettes can vary depending on the species. While leopards are commonly thought of as yellow in color with dark rosettes, leopards can actually come in a variety of colors, from pale cream to ochre, and even black. No one knows the exact purpose of the rosettes, but the general theory is that it's a form of camouflage. 

Wild leopards have the biggest distribution of all the big cats, but it's under great threat from human activities and population fragmentation. As I said earlier, leopards live in a variety of areas: rainforests, steppes, and even mountains. They mainly prey on large hoofed animals and primates, hunting by stalking and ambushing. They will drag their prey up a tree, as leopards are good climbers. Leopards also have great senses of sight and hearing, which aids in their hunting. They have strong jaw muscles, which allows them to tow carcasses larger than them. They are primarily nocturnal animals, active from dusk till dawn.

Leopards are generally solitary animals, with male and female leopards alike having home ranges. A male's home range can overlap several female ones, presumably as a way to increase chances of having cubs. Leopard litters can have about 2-4 cubs in them, and females normally birth litters every 15-24 months. 

Leopards have been part of many cultural myths. Among the Ashanti, for example, leopards are symbolic of leadership. In Ancient Greece, leopards were associated with Dionysus. In the myths, he used leopards as a form of transportation. He was once rescued from pirates by a pair of leopards, according to another myth.

So, yeah. Leopards are fascinating, beautiful creatures that have fascinated humanity for centuries. Show them some love today! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!