Old school.

Right now, I'm attempting to set up a date to see Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  My prospective companion is a geek, but not, I think, a comic book geek - which no longer really matters when attending any of the recent wave of comic book movies. I think that writers and directors have adequately filled the gap in terms of continuity and backstory to the point where anyone can attend one of the films and know who's who and what's what.

This has been accomplished by recapitulating the evolution of the comic book universes created by Marvel and DC, particularly in the case of the Marvel universe.  We've seen the origins of Iron Man and the Hulk; watched Captain America descend into frigid arctic waters, only to be rediscovered decades later; witnessed Thor's arrival on Midgard; and winced not once but twice as both versions of Peter Parker have encountered radioactive spiders.

And that's a bit of a problem for me.  I started reading comic books in the late 1960s, when Marvel Comics was in the early days of developing the complex layers of character, plot, continuity and retro-continuity that form the current Marvel milieu. As a result, I knew perfectly well that Peter Parker would get bitten by an irradiated arachnid - he has to get bitten, that's what happens, I know that. Similarly, the effects of gamma rays on mild-mannered scientists is a given. I'm aware of Tony Stark's problems with alcohol, there's a Donald Blake joke in the first Thor movie that non-fans would miss completely; and it's a little extra funny to me when the Hulk dismisses Loki as a "puny god". 

As a result, when I go to a comic book movie, I have a pretty good idea of how things are going to go. In the case of the new Captain America film, I already know perfectly well who the Winter Soldier is, I'm keeping an eye out for Agent 13, and I find it a bit amusing to compare the original Black Falcon with the current version - who, in these enlightened times, is probably just "The Falcon".

But, don't get me wrong, I'm not really complaining. In fact, that's why I enjoy these movies, I appreciate the manner in which they are faithful to their origins while updating the look and feel from the world of four-colour press, and rewarding the old school types in the audience with in-jokes and references to the original comics.

As an example, I laughed a bit when I saw someone named Batroc in the opening sequence from The Winter Soldier which has been on YouTube™ for some time.  There is no sign as to whether or not he will leap:  if you got that joke without looking it up, then you know exactly what I've been talking about.  If not - well, enjoy the movie!

 - Sid

P.S. Just for the record, the outfit worn by the comic book Falcon in the picture above is not his original costume, but it is the one in which he was able to fly.

"The Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator"

 

I'm pleased to say that my Buck Rogers XZ-38 Disintegrator pistol arrived in the mail today, more or less on schedule.

I somehow had in my head that it was nine inches long, and I was right - well, nine and a quarter, actually. Regardless of the actual size, it's a bit smaller than I had pictured it, but it fits comfortably in my hand, which is a little surprising given that I'm six feet tall and have average-sized hands.  It must have felt like a serious piece of weaponry in the grip of a ten-year-old in 1935.  To my eye, it doesn't look hokey or funny, it's a well-designed device with an Art Deco feel to it.

As I expected from the pictures, there's some corrosion on the tri-thermal convergence unit* at the end of the barrel, and a slightly wide gap on the back of the grip compared to the rest of the body. A couple of the sub-atomic condenser flanges* are a bit dented, and there's some rust inside the bell itself.

If someone told me that the convergence unit had fallen off at some point in the pistol's life and been soldered back on by some sympathetic handyman, I'd believe them:  the join between the end of the beam definer tube* and the unit looks tinned, the same way that copper water pipes look near a join.

The spring mechanism for the energy release lever* is completely missing in action.  The hinge mechanism is still sound, but when I pull on the trigger it doesn't return to position, and I have to tug it back out of the frame. Whatever sort of noise or spark was supposed to be produced is lost to the vagaries of time.

The finish is in acceptable shape, not perfect but what you'd expect under the circumstances, the joins between halves of the body are good, and it actually feels quite solid when I hold it, well balanced and comfortable. The various Pat. Pending documentation and the Buck Rogers Registered Trademark information is sharp and clear on the side of the body.

Overall, I'd have to say that I'm pleased with my unexpected purchase, regardless of its various signs of age.  All it needs is a fresh impulse generator cell*, perhaps an adjustment of the beam collimation coils* in the convergence unit, and it would be ready once again for use against the enemies of Earth.

 - Sid

* All of these except one are the actual names for the parts of the disintegrator as per the original Daisy box - the other one I just made up based on my extensive background in focused energy weapons.

Travel snapshots.

Photocomp by Jason Major

I love that we're now able to get regular photos from Mars. This particular shot is from the Curiousity rover, who took a break en route to Mount Sharp to bang the dust off some sampling tools and take a few pictures.  As with the Opportunity rover, it's difficult to avoid imagining something like Wall-E, repeatedly thwacking its sieve against a rock, scrutinizing it briefly but intensely, then rapidly banging it again before rolling off with a general air of satisfaction at a job well done.

On the other hand, I'm a little surprised that NASA doesn't have a more sophisticated solution to dust buildup on geological sampling devices than "thwacking".

 - Sid