Sherlock Holmes Day

Happy Sherlock Holmes Day!

The reason May 22 is the day to celebrate this holiday is because on this day in 1859, his creator, English author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born. 

The character of Sherlock Holmes first appeared in the 1887 novel A Study in Scarlet. However, he would become popular thanks to short stories starring the character in The Strand, a British magazine. Doyle would go on to write four novels and 56 short stories focused on the character. In the over 150 years since his debut, Holmes's adventures have not only been adapted into various forms of other media, but many authors have written new stories with the character. He also has been parodied and pastiched many a time.

While not the first fictional detective, Holmes is arguably one of the most famous, and helped popularize the genre. Doyle is believed to have drawn inspiration from American writer Edgar Allan Poe's C. Auguste Dupin and French writer Emile Gaboriau's Monsieur Lecoq. Doyle himself has said that one of the inspirations for Holmes was Scottish surgeon Joseph Bell. Doyle had worked for Bell as a clerk, and Bell was known to be quite observant, able to deduce things from a glance.

My first exposure to the character was a small book. It had a gray cover, and it was part of a series of classic literature adapted for children. This small book collected three Sherlock Holmes short stories: The Red-Headed League, The Adventure of the Copper Beeches...and a third. I forget which one it was. But I loved that little book, and I would read the heck out of it.

World Turtle Day

 Happy World Turtle Day!

World Turtle Day is a day to celebrate, well, the turtle! This day is also intended to celebrate its more land-based counterpart, the tortoise. People often use the names interchangeably, but they do have differences. Turtles tend to have flatter shells and live near and in water, whereas tortoises have domed shells and live only on land.

This day was first observed in 2000. It would be sponsored by the animal rescue organization known as American Tortoise Rescue. The organization is dedicated to rehabilitating, rescuing, and protection of turtle and tortoise species. 

You can learn more about this day right here. Thanks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!

International Tea Day

Happy International Tea Day!

This day is one that is rather close to my heart, as I am a proud tea-drinker. The first International Tea Day was held on December 15, 2005. This day was held in countries known for the production of tea, including Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Kenya, and Uganda. In 2019, the Intergovernmental Group on Tea decided to celebrate it on May 21. The United Nations made a resolution to celebrate International Tea Day on December 19, 2020. The U.N. would celebrate the first International Tea Day post-resolution on this day in 2021. 

What is the purpose of this day, you may ask? Well, the purpose of this day is to raise awareness of the history and cultural signifiance of tea around the world. It's not surprising. Tea is one of the most-consumed drinks in the world. You know which country consumes the most tea? You're thinking England, right?

Nope. England has a lot of tea drinkers, but India is the country with the most tea drinkers. They love their tea over there. 

Some of the earliest records of tea drinking can be traced to China's Shang Dynasty, in which it was drunk as a medicine. According to Chinese legend, Emperor Shennong discovered tea thanks to some leaves blowing into his cup of hot water. He drank the mixture and was like, "Hey, this is pretty darn good!" A medical text by physician Hua Tuo from 220 AD is an early credible record of ancient tea drinking. However, 21st century research has been rather inconclusive about the health benefits of tea.

In 1555, Italian explorer Giovanni Battista Ramusio would first make Europe aware of tea thanks to his publication Voyages and Travels. In the 16th century that tea would come to the West, thanks to Portuguese priests. Later on, the British would introduce tea to India in an attempt to break China's monopoly on the drink, but it wouldn't be until the late 20th century that tea would become truly popular there.

In the US, for a long time, tea (at least hot tea) would not be popular thanks to British taxation on British taxation on tea while it was a bunch of colonies. In more recent years, specialty teas would become popular, and sweet tea is quite popular in the South.

So yeah, tea has quite a long and fascinating history, more than I could talk about here. But it is an incredible drink. One that I enjoy a nice cup of every morning. Thanks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!

World Bee Day

 Happy World Bee Day! 

The first World Bee Day was held on May 20, 2014. This day was proposed by the Slovenian Beekeepers' Association to raise awareness of the importance of bees and the pollination process. It's also on this day in 1734 that Anton Jansa, a pioneering figure in beekeeping, was baptized. This was done with the support of the Slovenian government. In 2015, this initiative would become international thanks to Apimondia, aka the International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations.

Beekeeping has been practiced by humanity since the days of ancient Egypt and Greece. The Mayans also practiced it in pre-Columbian times.

Bees are very important to ecologies because they are pollinators. They help flowering plants reproduce. As a result, bees can be found in every continent except for Antarctica, naturally.

The most common kind of bee is the Halictidae, or the sweat bees. They're called that because they're believed to be attracted to sweat. There are 4,500 species of bee in this family. The largest bee family is the Apidae family, with over 5,700 bee species. Halictidae bees are the most common bees in the Northern Hemisphere. 

It's estimated that about a third of the human food supply comes from flowering plants. Thing is, bees are under threat. And there are a lot of reasons why. Pesticide usage, loss of habitat, disease, and climate change. Farmers have been working to mitigate this, mainly by planting native flowering plants to encourage bee population growth. 

Bees are important and fascinating little critters. They also are the reason you may enjoy honey. You can learn more about the importance of World Bee Day here. Thanks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!

All-Star Superman #5 (September 2006)

It's that time again! It's time to look in on the last days of the Man of Steel in All-Star Superman! In the last issue, we saw Jimmy Olsen have to save Metropolis from a Superman crazed by Black Kryptonite. So, what adventure will Superman find next as his time runs out? Let's find out in All-Star Superman #5!

The cover is a Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant piece. It depicts Clark Kent hiding behind Lex Luthor in a prison.

"The Gospel According to Lex Luthor"
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciler: Frank Quitely
Inker: Jamie Grant
Colorist: Jamie Grant
Letterer: Phil Balsman
Editors: Brandon Montclare, Bob Schreck
Executive Editor: Dan DiDio

The story begins in a courtroom. No, this mini-series didn't suddenly become an episode of Law & Order, we are witnessing the trial of Lex Luthor. The judge is rattling off names. Names like Al Capone, Atilla the Hun. Genghis Khan. Adolf Hitler. These men were conquerors and murderers. These are men that Lex admires and considers his heroes. For years, Luthor's schemes have menaced the lives of people all over the world. The judge asks if Luthor has anything to say before the verdict is brought down. What is Luthor's response?

Superman made me do it. He should be on trial here.

Yup. As is typical of Luthor, nothing is ever his fault. Luthor sees the trial as a farce, and he just wants to get this over with. The judge takes great pleasure in giving Lex the verdict for his many crimes: Death by electric chair. Luthor's reaction is rather unusual.

Page 105, Panel 1

Yeah. He's smiling. He's not afraid, he's not panicking, he's smiling. Considering this is Luthor, he likely has something up his sleeve. 

Later on, a helicopter is heading for Stryker's Island, a prison originally built in the 1930s to house the gangsters of Metropolis. This is presumably a reference to Intergang. Clark Kent is there to interview Lex Luthor. He arrives at Luthor's cell, and the reporter has one hour.

Clark does the whole "clumsy big guy" shtick to help maintain his secret identity. Luthor takes Clark to a treadmill, as the bald madman is in the mood for a run. 

(run away)

No, not that kind of running. He wants to run for exercise. He wants to know how Clark feels about Superman. Clark's all "He's a nice guy, pretty friendly around the office. Nobody has anything bad to say about him." Luthor then asks an interesting question in a follow-up: "You don't feel in any way diminished by his presence on this planet?" It's something Luthor finds strange. This is a nice little way of showing that Luthor views everything through the lens of his twisted ego. Clark being Superman aside, it makes sense that since Superman is a walking talking attack on his own ego, Luthor would believe everyone else thinks the exact same way about Superman. In a little funny moment, Luthor tries to read Clark's notes, and he can't make heads or tails of it, despite his knowledge of every code. That's because Clark is writing in Shorthand. 

As Luthor works out, he tries to get Clark to imagine what it would be like if Superman never came to Earth. Maybe Lois Lane would notice him. But here, that will never happen. To Luthor, Superman is an impossibility. Something that no one can possibly compete against. What's the point if trying to be great if you'll never outdo Superman? Again, it's clearly Lex projecting. 

Luthor then asks how Superman is doing. Clark claims he seems fine, but Luthor knows the Man of Steel is not in the best of health right now. Remember back in issue #1? That's why he knows. Lex brings Clark down to the courtyard.

Page 112, Panel 2

Evidently Stryker's also takes prisoners from Remulak. Luthor continues on his spiel, saying he's turning the prison into a new society. This is his final revenge, to show that he is right. The Parasite is overheard threatening to gut Luthor, but the bald madman isn't bothered by it. He sees the former janitor as nothing more than a big dumb brick, needing a superior brain to guide him. Thing is, Clark's presence causes the Parasite to literally swell with power. He breaks out of his restraints, and this causes a riot.

Luthor welcomes this, as chaos is needed to start building a new order. The Parasite keeps absorbing power. Clark realizes that Luthor is in danger. The Parasite wants Luthor's head, and with the power he's absorbing remotely from the Man of Steel, he could easily get it. Luthor tries to get Clark to safety, grumbling how he thinks someone he sees as weak and pathetic is stuck covering him. Clark cleverly uses his powers discreetly to help protect Luthor.

The bald madman wants Clark alive to tell his tale. He wants the world to see him as a hero, as someone who refused to bend the knee to an invader from Krypton. The Parasite attacks. Luthor tries to shoot the metahuman criminal, but the kinetic energy from the bullets hitting him only adds on to his power supply. The Parasite then gets so bloated with power that he collapses, too massive to hold himself up. 

Page 120, Panel 3

Clark finds it sad. Parasite's own greed and lust for more power caused him to end up in this state. Luthor savagely beats the downed villain, screaming and ranting that nobody gets in Luthor's way. Not the Parasite, not the law, not even Superman. 

Superman will write the story. After all, it's his job. He points out that Lex can't be all bad, as he protected the reporter during the riot. Lex then says something hilarious. He points out that he always liked Clark, as he sees Clark as everything Superman is supposedly not: a humble regular uncoordinated human. He brings Clark to his cell, that has also become his lab. 

Page 122, Panel 5

Yes, that is a monkey in a Superman suit. Lex used a robot he built earlier in the issue to tunnel his way out of his cell to a body of water. There Lex has a boat waiting, the rower being his niece Nasthalthia, aka "Nasty". 

Page 123, Panel 2

Unlike a lot of All-Star Superman's borrowing from the Silver Age, Nasthalthia is actually from the Bronze Age of Comics. First debuting in Adventure Comics #397 (September 1970), she was created by Mike Sekowsky. She was the daughter of Lex's elder sister who eloped in Europe, which was not revealed in a story, but by Sekowsky himself in a letter column. In the original Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths Earth-One, she was actually a nemesis of the Kara Zor-El Supergirl. I'm presuming she was created so that Kara would have her own Luthor to face. She was erased from canon alongside Kara herself when DC editorial desired to revamp and streamline Superman's mythos post-Crisis. She's never appeared in post-Crisis canon to my knowledge, but considering all the constant rebooting and retconning the DCU has undergone post-New 52, her status is now as up in the air as anything else in the DCU. A version of her did appear in the Scooby-Doo Team-Up comic, though.  

Right, right, right. Anyway, it turns out the boat is not for Lex himself, but for Clark. You see, Lex is actually happy to go to the electric chair. He confirms that he caused the disaster that is killing Superman. He's got the one thing he wants more than anything in the world now: the death of Superman. The Man of Tomorrow will never stand in anyone's way ever again. The story ends with Nasthalthia rowing Clark away, asking where he wants her to take him. 

I enjoyed this issue. It's a character study of Lex Luthor, really. And it shows that Lex really sees himself as Earth's greatest hero, despite his obvious villainous nature. This issue shows that Lex also views the whole world through the lens of his twisted ego. The prison riot shows that he genuinely sees himself as superior not just to Superman, but everyone else. Really shows how much of a megalomaniac he is. Also I liked the nod at the end to mythology, with Nasthalthia playing Charon. Morrison has long espoused that superheroes are basically modern mythology, that our enjoyment of them is a spiritual successor to worshipping the ancient gods, like Zeus and Rama.

I have said before that I always had a mixed view of Frank Quitely's art. Mainly because of the way he draws people. There's an uncanny valley to his renditions of people that I always find rather..."off" for some reason. But there is plenty I am willing to praise. He's a good storyteller, and he's also good at facial expressions. The last panel of Luthor in the issue is chilling. The evil grin on the face of a monster who sees himself as a savior. Funny enough, I also like his rendition of Nasthalthia, as she looks more like an actual person than other people Quitely draws. 

Ironheart Trailer, My Thoughts

The mighty Marvel Cinematic Universe marches on! And we got a new adventure on the way, focusing on one of the next generation of MCU heroes: Riri Williams, aka Ironheart! Having debuted in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, portrayed by Dominique Thorne, she is going to be reprising her role here. Created by Chinaka Hodge (who is also head writer), Ironheart (the 14th television mini-series) in the MCU, it sees Riri return to her native Chicago after her adventure in Wakanda to find herself facing a new kind of threat. One that is...more mystical in nature. A threat named Parker Robbins, aka...the Hood.

Alongside Thorne, the series boasts quite a cast: Aiden Ehrenreich (He played the titular bounty hunter in Solo: A Star Wars Story), Jim Rash (He voiced Gyro Gearloose in the 2017 DuckTales reboot), Cree Summer (you may likely have heard her voice in a ton of things if you're my age), and Sasha Baron Cohen. Let's look at the trailer!

Since Ryan Coogler's involved, I can't see this being bad. Loved the Black Panther movies, and I heard Sinners was good. I'd watch it, but I'm a big chicken when it comes to horror movies.

"This had better not be a prank. I will knock out another one of your teeth, Bill!"

Welcome to being a superhero, Riri.

I like this scene. It helps show Riri's character in a nutshell: She's smart, she's a quick thinker who can improvise on her feet, and she prefers to do things her own way. 

I will laugh so hard if they somehow reference Gyro Gearloose here: "*sighs* Yes, Ms. Williams. I was like you once. Granted, I was a complete idiot..."

Again, this helps show another aspect of her character: She wants to make a splash. She wants to make it big. She's a bit more like Tony Stark than people realize.

Having the Hood, who is a mystical villain, as the antagonist is an inspired choice if you ask me. Think about it. This series is the first crossover between the more technological and mystical aspects of the MCU. It allows Riri to stand out further from Tony as the villains he fought in the MCU tend to lie more on the sci-fi end (power armors, aliens). Not to mention there's great storytelling possibilities in a magic/technology clash. 

Interesting statement there...

Her new armor looks great! 

Careful, Riri. Even you can only chew so much...

Well, this looks like it will be a lot of fun! I think this series will tackle the idea of what it will take to accomplish your dreams. Riri wants to be iconic. She wants to be a legend. But in the classic tradition, she may find herself having to choose between her principles and her dreams. How far will she go? Well, we just may have to find out! Thanks for reading this blog entry! Take care of yourself and each other! 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 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! See you next time!