T-shirt #359 - Sandman - Shakespeare - Tempest

TODAY'S COUNT: 06 blog posts remaining in the T-shirt year!!

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T-shirt #359 - Sandman - Shakespeare - the Tempest


Hello and welcome to one of the few remaining installments of the DAILY TRANSMISSION of the 365 T-shirts blog project.

A couple of things before I share the main content of today's post, which will be for the most part my review of The Tempest at the WHAT A DO THEATRE of Battle Creek.

But first two subjects: COSMOS and the BLOG JOURNEY/ BLOG OUTLOOK.

COSMOS

I missed the premiere of the new Cosmos program on FOX, but Liesel and I watched it tonight (which is actually last night as I am writing this a day later but time is dilated like that).

I had already seen some Facebook posts about the program, and one of the authors I follow, John Scalzi, wrote about it on his blog: JOHN SCALZI AT WHATEVER BLOG ON COSMOS, the series.

Like many, Scalzi was disappointed in the music, which was decent but the same caliber as the original Vangelis music. Since I read his reactions, I was watching for the asteroid belt during the tour of the solar system, and I have to agree: too many asteroids.

I did not know that Neil deGrasse Tyson was so well known in memes shared on Facebook. I am not well acquainted with the man, I must admit. Though I liked his narration quite a bit.

I agree with Scalzi on most points, except that the animation sequence featuring Giordano Bruno went long. I liked it. Though watching the original transmissions of the show conflicts with our watching of The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, I have set the DVR, and Liesel and I will surely keep up with it.

Here's a bit I liked best from Scalzi's blog:

But the main reason why the show works this time is the same reason why the show worked the first time — it’s unabashedly aimed at a popular audience. I’ve said before that one of the things I learned from the original series is that so much of science is understandable to the average person; I thumbnail it as “anyone can get 80% of any scientific topic.” That other 20% is what takes real attention — but if you can get most people 80% of the way there, just by speaking plain language and being engaging while you do so, the benefits can be enormous in the long run. This series is made to provide that 80%. 

THE BLOG JOURNEY - THE BLOG OUTLOOK

I could surely go on and on rhapsodically about the blog in each of these remaining blog posts. I could treat you to a lot of "Yipee! I am going to make it!" And then, I could close with a final "YIPEE! I MADE IT!!" But I suspect that will get tedious. I cannot promise to refrain from such ecstatic, prideful exhortations of glee, but I will try to keep these cries of joy somewhat minimal and low key.

In sharing about The Tempest today, I am reminded of what it seemed to mean to Shakespeare and why Neil Gaiman invoked it at the end of his run on the Sandman comic book as seen on Today's T-shirt. Shakespeare was putting an end to his magic when he wrote The Tempest, breaking his magic staff and drowning his magic book.

In a sense, I am doing the same thing as my magical year comes to a close. I had the merest glimmer of a notion that I dismissed as difficult and narcissistic, which I revisited after being diagnosed with cancer. Could I write something every day? This question plagued me the most. I needed to know that I could keep pace with a blog that would demand a daily installment. A secondary question also occurred to me: would anyone care? Would anyone read? I was less interested in the answer to this question, but I have been pleased with the results. My links do not always get liked on Facebook, and I do not get comments there or here on a regular basis, but I see activity, and I am inspired to do more writing and writing of other kinds (not just t-shirts) in the future.

In a way, I have woven my own magic spells in daily castings with this blog. I could presume to suggest that the spell worked on you, dear reader. But this idea is very presumptuous. I would rather declare that the spell worked its magic on me. I explored many aspects of my self and my interests over the course of this year of T-shirt blogging, and the spell I made shrouds me in comfort. I am more comfortable in who I am and why I am as well as where I am going. The blog has given me a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment that I was lacking. And now I am geared for more accomplishment and challenges and tests of my fire.

The analogy with the Tempest is not quite in sync. I am neither breaking my staff nor drowning my book. Not only will the T-shirt blog continue but my writing and my blogging will also continue. I will be somewhat relieved to no longer be tied--by lashings of my own making to be sure but still ones I took seriously--to daily transmissions. I will still broadcast at least weekly, if not multiple times a week, and I am planning to continue a daily writing regimen, but the daily transmissions will cease as will the need to post an incomplete entry let alone leaving entries incomplete (there are still six incomplete entries on this blog as of this writing). And though my regular transmissions will broadcast from my other blog, the T-shirt blog will continue since I still have shirts remaining that were in my possession when I started the blog project as well as a bunch of new shirts and plans for some extensive love letters, such as my post on the soap opera The Young and the Restless (yes, I am a fan), which has languished in various states of draft and incompletion since at least August if not earlier. I late updated the Y&R blog post on September 17th.

The Blog Journey has been rich and fulfilling, and the Blog Outlook promises good weather and favorable winds to propel me through the rest of this year. I hope you will stay tuned.

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THE TEMPEST

I am blessed with the opportunity to see great local theater, write my views, and have these published in The Battle Creek Enquirer. I saw a very special production Friday night that truly was a work of art. here's the link to the published review.

Review: 'Tempest' spirits audience away to magical world

Next, I will share the promotional text for the show, some promotional videos, and my unedited review.

Thanks for reading.

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WHAT A DO'S PROMOTIONAL TEXT - 

What A Do Theatre’s second production of the New Artist Series will feature Resident Company Member Tara Bouldrey as director and welcomes Chicago-based aerial choreographer Genevieve Lally-Knuth in this enchanting version of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” Set on a remote island the exiled Duchess of Milan, Prospera, plots to restore her daughter Miranda to her rightful place using illusion and skillful manipulation. The eponymous Tempest brings to the island Prospera’s usurping sister Antonia as well as the complicit Alonso, King of Naples, and his royal entourage. Three plots are intertwined throughout the rest of the play and are eloquently told under Bouldrey’s direction and Lally-Knuth’s aerial choreography.
“It was when Genevieve Lally-Knuth came to see “Back County Crimes” last January that the idea for this production was born. A Chicago-based performer, Genevieve has a long history with physical theatre, Shakespeare and aerial acrobatics. She was instantly drawn to the steel rafters that contribute to the unique performance space at What A Do,” says Bouldrey.
The new artist series strives to spotlight up-and-coming artists and allow for that art to be incorporated into elements on the stage. Bouldrey made the decision to take the original text and cut it heavily in order to establish the mysterious and magically masque-like atmosphere under which “The Tempest” was originally performed. This production is a must-see as the space, cast and production team are utilized to their fullest capacity.
Lally-Knuth states that, “The work is all done as an ensemble so that the finished product really showcases the strengths each actors brings with them. And I love that we all have such stock in the finished piece. We built it together. This is true ensemble work.”
This production features Kristin Marie Stelter, Averi Beck, Sam Friia, Joshua Olgine, Emily James, Rachel Markillie, Heather Cerridwen, Jared Sheldon, Vanessa Banister, Quinton McDougall, Stefani Lynn Wallace, Lars J. Loofboro, Tara Bouldrey, and Genevieve Lally-Knuth.

Performance dates are: March 14 & 15 - 8PMMarch 20, 21, & 22 - 8P

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The Tempest- Shipwreck

The Tempest- Teaser What A Do Theatre

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"The Tempest”
a production of What A Do Theatre
Attended Date: March 14, 2014
reviewed by Christopher Tower

Welcome to the storm. Magic, aerial choreography, and special effects merge in an organic aesthetic quite unlike anything seen before with the second production of the New Artist Series launched by the What A Do Theatre Company. Resident artist Tara Bouldrey collaborates with Chicago-based aerial choreographer Genevieve Lally-Knuth for a unique interpretation of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.”

Upon entering the unique space of the Dickman Road theater, the magical and other dimensional ambience of this special production takes shape. Large fabric curtains shield the performance space, painted with cabala and mandala, some adorned with runic or astrological symbols, which effectively shrouds the performers in the magical spells of the show’s main character. Eerie lighting effects and insistent, infectious music add to the other worldly feel as the theatrical journey spirits the audience away from the mundane world to a magical world, much like the characters are transported in what is considered to be Shakespeare’s last play.

The spectacle of this production is unlike anything attempted yet at What A Do or anywhere in the west Michigan area. As an organic work of art, a whole, this production of “The Tempest” is unique, powerful, and beautiful. Though not perfect in every aspect, the elements that recommend this production far and away outweigh those that would count against it.

For Shakespearean purists, some adjustments will be necessary as Bouldrey not only cut the script extensively but recast many of the roles, reversing genders. The re-interpretation works very well and fits the aesthetic of the entire show, though the performances do not always well support the interpretation.
Though in the original, the magician and rightful Duke of Milan Prospero and daughter Miranda are shipwrecked on an island after he was betrayed and cast off to sea by his brother Antonio, aided by Alonso, King of Naples, for the dukedom of Milan. Here, the magician is Prospera (Kristin Marie Stelter), mother of Miranda (Averi Beck), whose sister Antonia (Vanessa Banister) has conspired with Alonso (Rachel Markillie) to depose her from her rightful place as Duchess. Prospera’s servants, Caliban (Joshua Olgine) and Ariel (Sam Friia) remain male, though other characters see gender reversals, such as Ferdinand (Emily James) and Trincula, a jester (Stefani Lynn Wallace).

The core story survives. Prospera engineers the romance between his daughter Miranda and Alonso’s son Ferdinand. Caliban hatches a plot to kill Prospera with the drunken Trincula and Stephano (Lars J. Loofboro), and Antonia and Sebastian (Jared Sheldon) conspire to kill Alonso. This last plot works all the better now with Antonia as a woman thus entangling the two romantically, which is a reading of the relationships well supported in the original text.

Much of the original Shakespearean script is supplanted by choreographed sequences by Genevieve Lally-Knuth. The performing space features hanging fabrics and one hoop that are used in various ways for amazing aerial movement sequences. The storm that shipwrecks the cast on Prospera’s island and a later sequence in which Prospera ensorcels Alonso and his cadre are among the show’s most impressive scenes. The aerial choreography is reason enough to go see this show, but Bouldrey’s strong direction and smart choices with the Shakespearean text make it all the more worthwhile. The show flows artfully and exquisitely like a masterwork symphony due to the synergy of these two brilliant creators.

And yet, direction and special effects alone might not be enough to satisfy all audiences if performances were lacking. And though Shakespeare demands much of its performers, the majority of the performances in this show are awe-inspiring.

Left: Kristin Marie Stelter as Prospera;
right: Joshua Olgine as Caliban

Kristin Marie Stelter continues to prove that she is one of the most important and talented members of the What A Do company with her majestic work as Prospera. She is regal and frightening when the role demands it and aggrieved and miserable when stripped of her powers at the end of the show. Her work is sophisticated and a driving force for the production.

Joshua Olgine has proven many times that he is an extremely talented actor, but his work in the role of Caliban is mind-blowing. He is a consummate actor with a range so vast that he is transformed to an almost unrecognizable state in this role. Olgine contorts his body in ways only a yoga master could attain. He performs for most of the show in crouched position with his torso bobbing near the stage floor. His vocal work as well as movement in addition to his shaved head and body painted skin make his role one of the most special in the show.

Sam Friia as Ariel

Sam Friia turns in his best work to date in the role of Ariel. He is true to every moment, every nuance, and subtlety in this role. Averi Beck proves once again that she has talents beyond her years with impeccable diction and stature in the role of Miranda. Beck has achieved a quality of talent and mastery of the craft by the age of fifteen rarely seen in performers of her age. The drunken clowns played by Loofboro and Wallace are over the top hilarious and without flaws. And Vanessa Banister’s Antonia is sufficiently sinister early on and later redeemed as Propsera forgives her.

In nearly every aspect, this production of “The Tempest” is a complete and organic work of art. Direction, choreography, special effects, and performances merge into a two and a half hour spectacle of magic, power, and energy rarely seen on stages in our Michigan communities. Innovative, well-conceived, appropriate, and even true to the essence of the original despite the re-interpretations this production is a special achievement that repeats through March 22nd. Don’t miss it!

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this is the shirt
I am actually wearing today

OFFICIAL BOILERPLATE TEXT OF THE LAST TWENTY POSTS COUNTDOWN: Hi. Thanks for reading. I am posting this "boilerplate" text everyday for the last TWENTY posts in the T-SHIRT blog year, which started on March 22, 2013. I will close out daily transmission on March 21st, day 365 of my T-shirt blog-tastic extravaganza spectacular. I will give myself a short hiatus of total non-transmission or  publication for an as yet undetermined period of time, though I am estimating about two weeks. After my blog vacation hiatus, I will resume T-shirt posts on a regular basis, also as yet to be determined (weekly? Twice monthly?) to finish blogging about all the T-shirts that were not featured in the blog year. At some point, once I feel I am rolling along nicely, I will begin regular posting through my main blog: SENSE OF DOUBT. T-shirt posts will direct to the T-shirt blog from SENSE OF DOUBT. I will continue to post THE WEEKLY COMIC LIST, the features of occasional T-SHIRTS I AM WEARING THIS WEEK, book reviews, comic book reviews, and other popular culture nonsense as I have been for a year now but all will go up at SENSE OF DOUBT and some will direct back here to 365 T-SHIRTS. Ultimately, I will begin Internet publication of my fiction, primarily the comic book satire episodic story called POP! among other projects. So, in summary, 365 T-SHIRTS will continue though intermittently. SENSE OF DOUBT will host my main blog presence and fiction writing as well as links to any T-shirt posts shared here. I hope you will continue to follow me in my journey as a writer and a content provider. Thank you for your kind attention and time you have spent with me on this and/or any other day this year. I am humbled and blessed by your readership. - chris tower, blogger, originated 1403.02
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COUNTDOWN TO END OF THE BLOG YEAR - 06 shirts remaining

- chris tower - first published - 1403.15 - 19:57

Final Publication - 1403.16 - 13:07

T-shirt #347 - Unknown Superhero T-shirt - Yellow Star on Black

TODAY'S COUNT: 18 blog posts remaining in the T-shirt year!!

OFFICIAL BOILERPLATE TEXT OF THE LAST TWENTY POSTS COUTNDOWN: Hi. Thanks for reading. I am posting this "boilerplate" text everyday for the last TWENTY posts in the T-SHIRT blog year, which started on March 22, 2013. I will close out daily transmission on March 21st, day 365 of my T-shirt blog-tastic extravaganza spectacular. I will give myself a short hiatus of total non-transmission or  publication for an as yet undetermined period of time, though I am estimating about two weeks. After my blog vacation hiatus, I will resume T-shirt posts on a regular basis, also as yet to be determined (weekly? Twice monthly?) to finish blogging about all the T-shirts that were not featured in the blog year. At some point, once I feel I am rolling along nicely, I will begin regular posting through my main blog: SENSE OF DOUBT. T-shirt posts will direct to the T-shirt blog from SENSE OF DOUBT. I will continue to post THE WEEKLY COMIC LIST, the features of occasional T-SHIRTS I AM WEARING THIS WEEK, book reviews, comic book reviews, and other popular culture nonsense as I have been for a year now but all will go up at SENSE OF DOUBT and some will direct back here to 365 T-SHIRTS. Ultimately, I will begin Internet publication of my fiction, primarily the comic book satire episodic story called POP! among other projects. So, in summary, 365 T-SHIRTS will continue though intermittently. SENSE OF DOUBT will host my main blog presence and fiction writing as well as links to any T-shirt posts shared here. I hope you will continue to follow me in my journey as a writer and a content provider. Thank you for your kind attention and time you have spent with me on this and/or any other day this year. I am humbled and blessed by your readership. - chris tower, blogger, originated 1403.02

T-shirt #347 - Unknown Superhero T-shirt - Yellow Star on Black - DC Comics - circa 2000

I have no idea what this shirt is supposed to depict.

I know that this is a DC Comics character, probably a superhero, and I know that the T-shirt was printed and sold in the year 2000. I tried some searching to discover the true identity of what this shirt is meant to resemble, and I have found nothing.

The Internet may be powerful, but one comes up with very little useful imagery searching for "DC Comics 2000 yellow star on black T-shirt." Given the logo, it's possible that this is one of the many variations of Starman. But all such searches produced no results. Given that the shirt is fourteen years old, a general search for DC Comics shirts produced no useful results either.

I just looked through this list at the following link and found nothing to match this shirt.

TOP 100 DC COMICS CHARACTERS COMIC VINE

Okay, so I don't know what this shirt is supposed to replicate.

How about a variety of comic book related content to fill out this happy Monday in March.

Some jackass wrote that

KIRBY WOULD NOT BE RELEVANT IN COMICS TODAY

This is a ridiculous statement on many levels. The link above is a retort to a debate on many comic book boards by a blogger (Manuel Carmona) who disagrees with the argument that Kirby would not be relevant today. So apparently the jackass (or jackasses) are the people on the message boards arguing about Jack Kirby. It's inane arguments like this one that keep me from frequenting comic book message boards. Back in the day, I used to frequent Compuserve comic book message boards and subscribed to Yahoo Groups for various comic book groups, and eventually I left this all behind because debates of this kind would drive me completely nuts.

We would not have modern comics as they are today without Jack Kirby, so arguing his relevance to today's comics predisposes he already existed to drive the comic industry to its current state. I could move to dismiss the argument just based on this faulty reasoning.

Saying Jack Kirby would not be relevant TODAY and his comics would not sell also assumes that if Kirby were working today, he would be producing comics in the styles of the 1960s and 1970s. This is also a ridiculous assumption because if Kirby were a current creator of the present his work would do what it did in the past, which is to innovate and make more dynamic the characters, stories, and situations that he tackles. He would also be able to produce an enormous amount of work even more efficiently and brilliantly.

This specious argument is also like saying that Shakespeare would not be relevant and sell plays today. These creators are products of their time and advanced their work beyond the quotidian dreck churning about the in the frothy canals of the time period. The genius of these creators would rise to the surface and be self evident no matter what time period they worked in, and they would find ways to innovate the current status quo.

I just added the rss feed for TRUTHFUL COMICS (the right thinker blogger above) to my reader. We need more right thinking people.

VARIOUS FUN ART & COVER GALLERY

Above, fan created artwork Wallpaper from HERE.

JLA and Avengers -
art by the Maestro -
George Pérez.

CLOSE UPS OF MY AVENGERS PRINT

I have shared pictures of the 41st Avengers print by George Pérez and Tom Smith before. But here's some close up shots. A wee bit of glare from the glass, which adds a nice ghostly effect.

1963 - COVER GALLERY

Speaking of Jack Kirby, Alan Moore and various artists did a take-off a few years ago on Marvel Comics circa 1963 (mainly the work of Jack Kirby but also Steve Ditko and others). These are brilliant and FUN comic books, smartly conceived and executed.

I have been meaning to share about them for a while now. Today is about pulling things out of my T-shirts Blog folder to fill up content since I cannot write about the shirt as I do not know what it is.

Read more about these comics via the following links. The Tor and CBR links are particularly good.

1963 on COMIC VINE

TOR - THE GREAT ALAN MOORE RE-READ

CBR ON 1963

1963 ON WIKIPEDIA

 

COUNTDOWN TO END OF THE BLOG YEAR - 18 shirts remaining

- chris tower - 1403.03 - 19:51

T-shirt #334 - And the last TPTA Corporate Olympics Shirt

 T-shirt #334 - And the last TPTA Corporate Olympics Shirt

This the last of the TPTA corporate shirts. This is a duplicate of T-shirt #326. This is another TPTA Corporate Olympics shirt to go with the entries for T-shirt #307,T-shirt #309, and T-shirt #318. There is very little to share on the subject of the actual shirt that has not been shared before.

HIATUS TEXT: REVISED 1402.18:  I have been trying to maintain a hiatus from large or over involved blog posts beginning with the start date of my hiatus on January 20th (almost a month ago) during which time I logged 21 posts, which I consider "Hiatus Shirts." By this term, Hiatus Shirt, I mean the shirt is not one that would cause me to write a great deal on the subject it features. These are shirts about which I can write anything, either a lot or a very little. The hiatus will continue, though as it has for the last few weeks, not consecutively as I will continue to mix Hiatus and Non-Hiatus shirts. The blog's year (365 shirts) draws close to a close. (I like the double word use in that previous sentence.) I hope to finish strong with some good entries with high quality content and imagery on some beloved subjects. To earn this time, I will need to intersperse shirts of little consequence, what I have come to call Hiatus Shirts.

My original goal of working ahead remains. I need time to write the enormously lengthy text to complete the extensive love letter to certain beloved popular culture icons featured on my many special shirts. Even with "Hiatus Shirts," I will try to share some worthy content as I have either an idea, a new suggestion of something to read/look at/listen to, or another installment of my various features, such as the WHY T-SHIRTS item, the WEEKLY COMIC BOOK LISTS, and the SHIRT I AM ACTUALLY WEARING TODAY among others. BTW, this is the standard HIATUS TEXT that I will include in every "hiatus shirt" entry.

Thanks for reading. I am always honored that people have taken some of their valuable time to look at my ongoing web writing project. Keep checking this address. I promise to make it worthwhile.

Above, you will see a picture of my sleeping puppy, tired from her day of demanding and arduous play at Camp Fido yesterday. We have a snow day today, which only affects the teenager, but it does mean that shuttle service to and from school is suspended.

To the left, you will see the shirt I am actually wearing today, which was featured all the way back in T-shirt #4. Everyone should recognize it, even people with the most cursory knowledge of geek world. But for those who do not recognize it, it's the COMMAND shirt from Star Trek the Original Series.

If you click the link for T-shirt #4, you will see that back then, when I first started the blog, I was not writing very much. I was also taking boring pictures, which is one reason why I wanted to re-visit some of those early shirts. Also, though I am not extremely self-conscious about my weight, I think I look very fat in the picture featured on the page for T-shirt #4.

Did you click the link? I don't blame you. I know many people do not follow my many links. Often I am inserting links simply for my own reference.

Here, I will save you the trouble of looking it up.

Monday, March 25, 2013

T-Shirt #4: Original Star Trek - Command - Gold

T-Shirt #4: Original Star Trek - Command - Gold

Star Trek! One of those Facebook ads that show up because the social web 2.0 knows I love Star Trek snared me. Now that I am married, I am a lot more comfortable showing my true geek self. Not that I was all that shy about it before I got married. But there was quite a bit of hiding my in the closet, so to speak. I think the "closet" comparison is somewhat apt, not to minimize the way the term is usually applied, which is far more serious. Now, I am more comfortable with who I am. Also , geek (or nerd, if you prefer) has become cool. I always loved these uniforms. Once the ad caught me in its trap, I sprung for the blue and red ones, too. Damn. "Now, would be a good time to beam me up, Scotty..." - 1303.25 9:25

Wow... see how little text is there? Along the way of this Blog Journey, I have discovered my voice and the way in which I like to build entries. If I were to tackle this Star Trek shirt now, for one thing, I may put it off until I had sufficient time to deliver some quality content, but I would surely write about ten times as much text as I did originally.

Maybe the real lesson is to find the way to deliver quality content in the size of this entry. Food for thought as I close out my Blog Journey, the year of T-shirts.

Observe Yvonne Craig as the Orion slave girl, Marta, from the "Whom Gods Destroy" episode. Kirk's gold Command uniform, replicated with the t-shirt in the picture of me can be seen in this video. I have had these things lingering on my computer for months waiting for a chance to share.

For those who need a jog to the memory, Yvonne Craig also played BATGIRL, whom I lovingly described in T-shirt #28: BATGIRL and T-shirt #94: Batman, the 1960s TV show.

ORION SLAVE GIRL Marta (Whom Gods Destroy)

LAST THING, I PROMISE

To close today, I also want to share something I have been saving for a while. A comic book!!

Brave and the Bold 29 (volume 1) was originally published in May of 1960 as one of the earliest appearances of the Justice League, before the DC Comics team was featured in its own comic book, according to the DC Comics Wiki.

This is a classic, published before I was born. Gardner Fox is a famous writer in comic book circles for many of the classic Silver Age DC Comics work. The art is by Mike Sekowsky, who drew many of the early Justice League adventures. The entire production was overseen by Julius Schwartz.

One thing I love about this comic is "challenge" aspect. This was a common thing at DC. Unsure of how to do a team book, the team would often split, and so would the story. Told in chapters with individuals overcoming single challenges or small groups (duos in this case) overcoming a challenge, the team aspect seemed more manageable and the story more like the Olympics, almost as if the heroes are competing in individual events or in small team (two-person) events.

Synopsis for "Challenge of the Weapons Master!"
In the year 11,960 A.D. the super-criminal known as Xotar is fleeing the interstellar police. Having found the tattered remains of Wonder Woman's diary which documented the adventures of the Justice League, Xotar knows that he is destined to travel into the past and battle them where he believes that at least one of his super-weapons from the future will defeat the Justice League.

Traveling to the past, Xotar targets the League's honorary member, Snapper Carr. Using him as a pawn at the next Justice League meeting, Xotar immobilizes the group and has them challenge him to see if they are able to defeat him. The arriving members are Aquaman, Green Lantern, Flash, Batman, Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman. He first challenges the Flash, who is able to destroy Xotar's shrink ray. Next he challenges Aquaman and Martain Manhunter to destroy his de-evolution ray, which the duo manage to destroy. Next Xotar challenges Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern to try and stop his magneto-bubble device, which they succeed in destroying. Believing that his final weapon, an illusion caster will destroy the Justice League, he allows them all to attack at once.


Having the upper hand at first, the timely arrival of Superman turns the tide, the Man of Steel destroys Xotar's weapons and the heroes return Xotar to his own time and turn him over to the authorities. As history would have it, the words in Wonder Woman's diary which were rubbed out over the centuries indicated that none of Xotar's weapons would defeat the League.

COUNTDOWN TO END OF THE BLOG YEAR - 31 shirts remaining

- chris tower - 1402.18 - 15:54

T-shirt #330 - Gotham City Athletic Department

T-shirt #330 -Gotham City Athletic Department

I am not engaging in any special content for Valentine's Day. Okay, that's a lie. My shirt is not Valentine's Day themed, and there is not much in the way of Valentine's content. But I will post a lovely Warren Ellis and his wife created last year about the true meaning of Valentine's Day. It's at the end of today's blog entry.

Okay, I am such a huge liar. One other thing. I wrote a story many years ago about a couple having an argument about Valentine's Day. The wrong-headed husband did not want to buy into the commercialism and insanity. He felt that he showed his wife that he loved her in many ways all the time, and he did not need to do anything unusual on Valentine's Day. She countered that the day is important to her, and so it should not matter if it's over commercialized because recognizing it is a sign that he truly loves her puts her wishes above his own highly debatable principles.

UPDATE 1403.13: This entry, like a few others, has gone long unfinished. When I fell behind in my pace to provide quality T-shirt-related content on the Internet, I eventually reached a stage in which I let go of the stress and pressure under which I was putting myself to provide substantial content each day. I mean, that's just crazy. So, now, almost a month later, I am finishing this post without too much excessive content.

ABOUT THE SHIRT

I was surprised as I went through my closet and discovered that I had not shared this shirt yet. Choosing this short provided a fortuitous occasion to both share another installment of WHY T-SHIRTS and this week's WEEKLY COMIC LIST. Plus, I had not yet shared my first comic book, which happened to feature Batman, and so that sharing follows.


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WHY T-SHIRTS EXPLANATORY BLURB
I am doing a series of snippets that will add up to a larger whole answering the "Why T-shirts?" or "What's with all the T-shirts?" question. I have also decided to include the previous items in an ever growing list, hence the "previous items" section next.
PREVIOUS ITEMS
#1: T-SHIRTS ARE COOL
#2: I BE BRANDED - CHOOSING TO ADVERTISE
#3: It's my tattoo
#4 PRIDE AND STATUS - "It's my thing."
#5 -  "LET ME GEEK FLAG FLY!!"
#6 - UNIFORM SHIRTS ARE COOL
#7. PROOF THAT I DID IT - SHIRTS FOR EVENTS
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TODAY'S ITEM - 

WHY T-SHIRTS #8. THE FICTIONAL REALITY - THIS T-SHIRT WOULD EXIST

I do not know who had the idea, but I love these shirts that look like a real product of the fictional world from which they draw their subject matter.

For example, "athletic department" shirts are common place in our world, and so they would be common place in a fictional world, such as Gotham City as well. I have featured shirts passing for Shield Agent, Smallville Athletics, Gotham Police Department SWAT, Daily Planet staffer, among many others.

This is the kind of branding I can get behind. There's a "cool" factor here, almost like an inside joke. Nudge, nudge: do you "get" my shirt? I like that feeling.

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MY FIRST COMIC BOOK

This is the comic book cover from the first comic book I ever owned, originally published in May of 1966. I was four years old and living in Traverse City.

I do not remember much about the story, and it would take me a long time to track down the actual issue in all the boxes; the issue itself is almost complete destroyed because it has been read so many times and handled by a small child (me).

It's a Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino issue. I wrote about Infantino during the earliest days of this blog (T-shirt #20) because he passed away. Since this is my first comic book, Infantino was the first comic book artist I knew.

I loved this issue to death, and the nature of this story with its tricky series of traps. A brilliant storyteller, Gardner Fox's work had a profound effect on my own sensibilities and ideas about story telling as a young person.

The Cluemaster is a very silly villain. I mean, why would you want to taunt the super hero trying to catch you by leaving CLUES. Well, unless you're crazy like a loon as most of Batman's villains are.

The again, what do you expect of a former GAME SHOW HOST turned villain.

I would keep an eye on Drew Carey if I were you.

MY FIRST COMIC BOOK - MY OLDEST BATMAN COMIC BOOK 

Detective Comics #351 - "The Cluemaster's Topsy-Turvy Crimes"

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WEEKLY COMICS LIST

It had to happen eventually. And maybe I decided to do it because I just wrote about it on Sunday February 9th. Or maybe it would have happened anyway. But The Walking Dead finally fell out of the top spot.

And it dropped TWO SLOTS?? Why you ask? It's funny that you would ask that because I am about to explain.

UPDATE 1403.13: Since I posted this entry a month ago, I have read most of these issues (all but the last three, which languish in the current back log). I just finished Fatale volume four two nights ago, but I had to re-read the first three volumes to make sense of the fourth (my memory is poor). I plan to review those books soon, though soon means sometimes past March 13th, which is the day I am writing these words and sending them back through time to this blog entry.

I am planning on a few very short comic book reviews after I share the list. Short so I can get this posted and get back to work. Actually, I am trying a new incentive to keep me working. Blog a little, grade a little, blog a little, grade a little. And so on.

These comics were all enjoyable. SHE-HULK  may be the greatest surprise in this list as I ranked it low and now, since I did not order it, I cannot get the second issue, which sold out.
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COMICS FOR 1402.12

Winter Soldier #001
Kick Ass 3 #6
The Walking Dead #121
Avengers #026
All New X-Men #23 (The Trial of Jean Grey part 3 of 5)
(From two weeks ago week) Thor God of Thunder #018
- + - + - - + - + - - + -  reading virtual mark as of today 1402.14 - - + - + - - + - + - - + - + - - + - + - - +
Thor God of Thunder #019.NOW (The Last Days of Midgard #1)

Superman and Wonder Woman #5
Superior Spider-Man #027.NOW (Goblin Nation #1)
Nightwing #28
Batgirl #28
Batman #28
Secret Avengers #015
X-Force #001
Red Sonja Special #1 ($1.00)
Justice League of America #12
She- Hulk #001
Legenderry #2
Astro City #9
Suicide Squad #28

BACK LOG

There's back log and then there's deep back log. I won't even try to tell you about the chasm, the deepest back log. Okay, maybe I will tell.
Anyway...

Great Pacific #13
Ten Grand #7

SPECIAL PURCHASE

Fatale: Book Four: Pray For Rain


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COMIC BOOK REVIEWS




COUNTDOWN TO END OF THE BLOG YEAR -35 shirts remaining

- chris tower - first published - 1402.14 - 15:00

T-shirt #323 - Robin #3 - Tim Drake - Logo

T-shirt #323 - Robin #3 - Tim Drake - Logo

This shirt was released when Tim Drake became Robin (Robin #3) in 1994, making it currently one of my oldest T-shirts still in closet and that still gets worn from time to time.

I have always been a huge fan of Robin, but more a fan of Richard "Dick" Grayson than of the Robin identity in particular.

As you can see two of my original MEGO Robin figures, seen in the pictures to the left, have seen better days. One is in an Aquaman costume and the other in some turtleneck from another action figure set entirely, though missing part of one leg.

I could not find a figure in an actual Robin costume in my stash of toys.

Though this shirt, and thus this blog, will be mostly about Tim Drake, I need to expend some content on the original Robin first.

I explained my fandom of Dick Grayson in what has become one of my most popular blog entries so far in the history of this little project: T-shirt #62: Nightwing.

Since its debut on May 22 (exactly two months since the debut of the blog) , my Nightwing page has received 129 visitors ("page views," which may not represent 129 different people and some are not people at all). This makes it fourth in the top five entries with the most page views.

Dick Grayson as Robin was the original leader of the Teen Titans, a team of superhero sidekicks and the adventures they had when not doing the sidekick bit.

As seen in these photos, and explained in the weekly comic list, I just used a gift certificate to buy the items I can be seen holding in the first picture. One is a book collecting Jim Starlin's Adam Warlock, which I will discuss in a future blog, and the other is the second volume (I already own the first) of the Silver Age stories of the Teen Titans.

I love the Teen Titans as I have already remarked on other occasions and will remark on again in the future. For now, I am working my way around to discussing Tim Drake Robin.

From the start, Bruce Wayne took in Dick Grayson (though he never adopted him officially, which has always rankled many fans) because the boy had suffered a similar tragedy, losing his parents. Bruce trained Robin not just to get revenge on his parents' killers but really as his replacement. Someday Batman would have to retire and Robin would take over as Batman.



But since Robin could not continue to be a "boy wonder" as an adult, eventually he gave up his identity as Robin and became Nightwing (as explained in my post T-shirt #62: Nightwing). Batman took on another boy, Jason Todd, as Robin, universally hated by comic fans, they all voted that he should be killed, and so DC killed him off. I never overly liked Jason Todd, but the whole story seemed motivated by selling comic books more than telling a good story.

From the WIKIPEDIA PAGE FOR JASON TODD: (highlights by me)

The vote was set up in the four-part story "A Death in the Family" that was published in Batman #426–429 in 1988. At the end of Batman #427, Todd was beaten by the Joker and left to die in an explosion. The inside back cover of the issue listed two 1-900 numbers that readers could call to vote for the character's death or survival. Within the 36-hour period allotted for voting, the poll received 10,614 votes. The verdict in favor of the character's death won by a slim margin of 5,343 votes to 5,271.^[10] The following issue of Batman, issue 428, was published featuring Todd's death. Years later, O'Neil would admit hundreds of votes in the "Jason Dies" line came from a single person, adding a large degree of uncertainty to the honesty of results regarding a poll designed to determine the character's popularity. "I heard it was one guy, who programmed his computer to dial the thumbs down number every ninety seconds for eight hours, who made the difference", O'Neil said in a Newsarama interview conducted alongside writer Judd Winick during the "Under The Hood" arc.^[11] Based on O'Neil's information, that figures out to 320 votes over eight hours from one person or roughly six percent of the death line's total calls. O'Neil would later repeat the claim with further specifics: "I heard it was a lawyer who was using a MacIntosh and lived in California — I obviously don’t have hard information on this, but I heard someone out there programmed his computer to dial it every couple of minutes, and since there was only about 65 votes that made the difference, if that story is true, that guy, that guy killed Jason Todd!"^[12]

Interior art of Batman #428 (1988): "A Death in the Family". Art by Jim Aparo.

Despite the poll results, O'Neil noted, "We did the deed, and we got a blast of hate mail and a blast of negative commentary in the press."^[13] A few comics creators voiced their displeasure at the event. Writer/artist Frank Miller, who had worked onBatman: The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One, said, "To me the whole killing of Robin thing was probably the ugliest thing I've seen in comics, and the most cynical."^[14] However, DC stood behind the outcome of the poll. O'Neil was quoted on the back cover of A Death in the Family trade paperback collecting the story with Todd's death as saying, "It would be a really sleazy stunt to bring him back."^[15] O'Neil would later regret his comment.^[16]

There was a degree of discontinuity between the Batman and Detective Comics titles with regards to the portrayal of Jason Todd. A great deal of adventures occurred post-Crisis which fit with the circus acrobat era and in some cases ran simultaneously in Detective as the street kid origin was being laid out in Batman. This led to a blackout of almost any Robin appearances in Detective. This became especially apparent after his death. Eleven months passed between Jason's death in Batman #428 and the first mention of his passing in Detective Comics #606.

In 1989 Denny O'Neil, Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick would introduce Tim Drake, who would later go on as the third Robin. Mindful of the poor reception Jason received from readers, O'Neil arranged for a more nuanced introduction in which Tim first introduced himself to Dick Grayson and impressed the former Robin with his skills and was revealed to share a history with Grayson. Batman himself would slowly grow to accept Tim as his new partner, although the memory of Jason would continue to play a heavy part in his behavior towards partners and how he trained Tim in the months building up to his official appearance as Robin.^[17][18]

Tim Drake, the subject of today's blog became the third Robin, and though two girls have filled in as Robin and one link farther below purports TEN different Robin characters (which seems a bit contrived simply to get a top ten list), there are technically only four, the fourth being Batman's actual son, Damian, who was recently killed in a Batman spin off book as I reported in T-shirt #7: Batman Incorporated.

But since Jason Todd was dead and brought back to life, it's likely that Damian Wayne will be resurrected at some point as well.

One last thing about Dick Grayson, I liked that while Batman was presumed dead after Final Crisis, Dick Grayson assumes the mantle, dons the cowl, and takes on the role of Batman for a time with young Damian as his sidekick. A new comic titled Batman and Robin was the main title examining Dick Grayson's work as Batman.

In the new 52, Nightwing (Dick Grayson) is in dire straits as a victim of the Crime Syndicate of Forever Evil. Damian Wayne is dead. Bruce Wayne is Batman. Jason Todd is the Red Hood leading a team of anti-heroes known as the Outlaws, and Tim Drake is Red Robin and leads the Teen Titans.





It's important to note that DC has re-launched its heroes line calling its comics THE NEW 52 (because the company released fifty-two new comics titles in a single month in in September of 2011. DC's NEW 52 is very selective about what history its keeping from its more recent post-Crisis stories (1985-2011) and its deeper past pre-Crisis stories (pre-1985).

The Batman stories are one area that the company has been more faithful to its history, accounting for all the previous Robin incarnations and histories, minus Stephanie Brown (seen in this blog as Tim Drake's girlfriend and briefly as Robin) and Cassandra Cain, whose histories have been erased.

Though I have enjoyed the run of Robin issues that told the story of Tim Drake (pre-the new 52), I am still a devoted and loyal, number one Richard Grayson as Robin/Nightwing (even as Batman) fan. I am unclear the status of the different characters to be Robin in Batman's life in the New 52. In the previous incarnation, Bruce Wayne never adopted any of the boys, and I do believe that Richard Grayson in recent issues of Forever Evil was referred to as Bruce Wayne's "ward." But in the previous incarnation, Bruce Wayne officially adopted Tim Drake, which the family angle that fans wanted to see with Grayson and even with Jason Todd.

And now a variety of links....

MY BATMAN RELATED ENTRIES SO FAR
These show entries in which Batman is in some way related to the shirt's image and/or text not entries in which I write about Batman, such as those in which I have reviewed the Batman comic book.

T-shirt #294 - The New Shirt - Darth Knight

T-shirt #232 - We Can Be Heroes - a DC Org

T-shirt #204 - Gotham City Police Department - SWAT

T-shirt #155: Batman by Alex Ross

T-shirt #94: Batman: The 1960s TV Show

T-shirt #62: Nightwing

T-shirt #57: Batman the Animated Series and my Mimobot

T-shirt #28: Batgirl (spoiler alerts)

T-Shirt #7: Batman Incorporated (Spoiler Alert!)

TIM DRAKE AS ROBIN RESOURCES
If you want further reading, the Comic Vine pages are much more extensive and complete than the Wikipedia pages.

TIM DRAKE ON WIKIPEDIA

TIM DRAKE ROBIN - COMIC VINE

TIM DRAKE ROBIN COMICS AT COMIC VINE

RATING THE BEST ROBIN - THREE TAKES ON THAT SCORE
I am not the only one ranking Robins. This seems to be a popular past time. I am amazed at the power of the Internet. I rarely fail to find an article addressing some idea I have. However, sadly, Richard Grayson is not number one in all of these polls, which is rather dubious.

WHO IS THE BEST ROBIN? - COMIC VINE

RANKING ROBINS - Newsarama

RANKING ROBINS - WHAT CULTURE

With the exception of a huge cover gallery this the extent of my Robin content for this post. There is so much history that I could write several more volumes. However, given that I am typing these words on 1402.23, sixteen days after I originally published this entry, my goal is just to have something completed that I can post via social media announcing it's complete.

WEEKLY COMICS LIST

Tough call this week with the rankings. When there's a comic book issue featuring Doctor Strange on the cover, I am strongly tempted to rank it very highly. After all, I LOVE Doctor Strange as described in T-shirt #119. But Simon Bianchi is not one of my favorite artists. If it had been Deodato or Greg Land, the New Avengers issue would have topped the list. But Bianchi's work drops it to the fifth place.

Here's a so-so review of the comic.

AVENGERS 014 REVIEW

Here's a nifty feature showing all the Marvel comics as they come out, week-to-week. There are other such pages hosted by other Internet sites.

MARVEL.COM-CALENDAR

Lazarus almost took the top slot. But both Green Arrow and Black Widow edge the Carlyle Lazarus because both comics are just a wee bit easier to read.

Really, the top three from this week are all more or less tied, but I have to read them in some order. In the end, the choice is somewhat arbitrary.

By fandom, I would have read the New Avengers first due to it Doctor Strange content. The issue was excellent despite my misgivings about the art. My main complaint with Hickman's Avengers is that he's trying to do too much. I do like huge earth shattering, potentially apocalyptic, conflicts, but not all the time. The strength of the Avengers has always been the human melodrama going on around the cosmic battles as well as a good mix of different conflicts and different kinds of stories. Hickman is over indulging in the space-faring, world-shattering, end of everything type scenarios to the exclusion of the characters, their stories, and some smaller less cataclysmic stories.

One of the strengths of New Avengers #014 is that it focused for the most part just on what Doctor Strange is doing to save the earth from complete destruction. Though it could have been more character focused, the story revealed a new piece of the plot, which could have serious and impressive consequences. Despite my criticisms, it's not like I am going to stop reading! :-)

COMICS FOR 1402.05

Green Arrow #28
Black Widow #003
Lazarus #6
Forever Evil #5 (of 7)
New Avengers #014
Mighty Avengers #006
All New Invaders #002
Captain America #016.NOW
Avengers AI #009
Iron Man #021
The Punisher #001
God is Dead #6
Codename: Action #5
Earth Two #20
Ms. Marvel #001
X-Men (Ghosts #1) #010.NOW
Batman: Detective Comics (Gothtopia) #28
Green Lantern #28 (flips with Red Lantern #28)
Sidekick #5
Apocalypse Al #1

BACKLOG

Action Comics #28
Fairest #23
Trillium #6

SPECIAL PURCHASES
- Using a gift certificate given to me by a close friend.

Warlock - The Complete Collection by Jim Starlin (trade paperback)

The Silver Age Teen Titans Archive - Volume Two

The Walking Dead Ten Year Anniversary T-shirt

ROBIN COVER GALLERY

COUNTDOWN TO END OF THE BLOG YEAR - 42 shirts remaining

- chris tower - first published - 1402.07 - 19:50
final publication - 1402.23 - 7:48