Super Duper

First, I was exposed to Superman stories through the old DC comic books my brothers left in the attic, and the old black & white TV show starring George Reeves. 

Christopher Reeves flew over for 4 films which I watched on VHS before released to TV. My parents loved those movies with Margo Kidder as Lois.

The next Super guy, Henry Cavill, was brought to my attention by a co-worker who was getting Blockbuster bluerays on subscription and giving me the regular dvds. Henry did a bang up job as the Man of Steel in these more modern films, all seen on dvd and now playing on TNT as I am writing. Crossover films with Batman and Wonder Woman are faves too (Batman vs Superman, Justice League).

 I never did see Superman Returns, much of Smallville, and zero of Superman and Lois. 

The past few weeks I rented the SYFY dvds for a prequel series, Krypton. It takes place 200 years before Superman is born on the planet he was sent from.

I had never heard of it, but saw it at the library and knew I was interested.

It aired in 2018 and '19, only 2 seasons, and I lament, left the story continuation incomplete. 

The plot was very twisty, and included characters Adam Strange and General Zod going back in time to Krypton, Adam wanting to be sure Superman was sent to Earth, and Zod to prevent Krypton's impending doom. Without giving too much away here...

Other villains are mixed in to confuse the story of Kal El's grandfather, Seg El and Great-grandfather, Val El, making lovely plot chaos in the works.  Leaders are overthrown, Law keepers, Sagitari,  turned into rebels, and multible war conflicts arise.

Other alien races come after the characters and planet too. Most notably, "Brainiac," the collector of worlds, posing as a religious leader, then becoming a parasite, who proves indestructible. 

There is so much killing and gorey stuff  going on in this story, it is amazing there are any Kryptonians left!

I would really like to see the part about how Krypton got to its breaking point, and if that happens or not as affected by the time tampering. Also, Cor El, (later Jor-El), the infant is taken off-world by Brainiac, and the story stops right where the Mother character is tracking him down.

FireFly finished its series story up with the movie "Serenity", when producers were finally convinced it would be a hit due to the huge, loyal audience base. 

I haven't heard about any fans rallying to get back to the Krypton Series. What a shame. Maybe there is a way to find relevant comic book continuation to figure out where the story goes, but much was invented for the series. 

You would think with generations of Superman theme media fans, there would be more interest in the story they were doing. But the plot was too complex perhaps for fans  to follow. 

Meanwhile, I'll just have to guess on the possibilities, until the rest can be visualized, maybe someday... Or be lost forever in the planet of Cancelled without Conclusion Stories.

911 21 Years Later

On the NECN news yesterday a guy did a piece on how most asked millennials now don't even remember what we are supposed to never forget. Sad...

My generation, part of the Boomers, never forgets about JFK, Elvis, John Lennon, or the Challenger events... Somehow, living through experiencing that news trauma engrains indelibly on our soul a gut-wrenching loss feeling easy to conjure back upon hearing the subject again. 

911 was the biggest one day loss of life between 4 crash sites and impacting 5 locations (including Boston , where the planes took off), ever before in the USA due to a co-ordinated attack by terrorists. 

Agencies and US citizens had become very complacent in freely flying about the country. If something needed to be stopped, no one realized the extent of the damage that could possibly be inflicted with how things were done then.

Certain places and groups will forever be dedicated to remembering the lost souls. 

I will always pay tribute to them, lives blotted out early, disrupting family and friends of the 2,996 people who paid for that complacency. 

I fear many of the young here have again become complacent about being careful with so many lives. 

They worry more about an unbalanced person attacking with a gun at school, or public places, shootings that now are almost daily happenings all around the country. Someone has a bad day and takes it out on those around them, then suicides them self.

The young brush it off, it didn't happen to them. If they didn't know someone affected, why get worried or upset about it? Don't get your knickers in a twist.

We seem to be living in a culture of beautiful funerals, where it is now normal for this to be expected.

Living through the 911 tragedy in 2001 affected every single witness, whether there or on TV. Some more than others. 

I heard how my old classmate, who was a NY police officer, attended HUNDREDS of funerals for the fallen first responders. Some people I know lost friends they grew up with. My sister's bbf lost a son to cancer he got from volunteering to clean up ground zero. Losses were not contained just to immediate victims.

 Many lives were changed forever, physically and internally. It affected me. I had not been paying attention to news at all. After the event, I spent 3 days straight watching news reports to ingest what happened while I was at work that day. It woke me up. Pay attention!

Always think of how things can be safer. Question actions of authorities. Improve what can be. Somehow... Remain free.

McShivers

 Recently I read in the " ClanLands " book,  the actor guys ( Sam Heughan and Graham Mctavish )  went in a kayak to explore an island in Loch Leven used solely for burial, the Isle of Covenant or Ratification, (after the Battle of Glencoe in 1692). 

As the sunset pretty over the countless ancient gravestones from many slaughters, they notice one in particular which is quoted: 

" My glass has run.

Yours is running 

Be wise in time

Your hour is coming "

Shivers !

...........

This sparked a long ago memory from my teenage-hood, which Joan , Alison, and Jimmy may remember. ( Was Teresa on that ride ? My memory is not perfect after all those late teen parties...) 

We went on a 22 mile bike ride to Lexington and Concord MA from Newtonville. ( Nowadays my daughter, over 40 years old does that distance all the time, thinking nothing of it. ) 

But back then we didn't have the best bikes, and city traffic made it treacherous. We were kind of out of shape for all that exercise, even though we danced a lot, not something we often tried. 

Across from the town green where we stopped before heading back, we saw ancient headstones in a graveyard across the road near a church. 

We went over and looked at the markings from American Revolution times, remarking at names, young ages, and thoughtful inscriptions. 

One headstone was so buried by dirt and thick grass that it was unreadable. So we got down on knees and set to clear it up to be readable.

Once cleared,  we got the Heebee Geebees reading:

"As you peer over my grave to see, Remember you must follow me."

And ran away screeching ...

An inscription forever etched in my brain.

 And so far, we are all fortunate to have lasted this long...