I’m back, though in a way I’ve always been here.

Hello, everyone reading this! I know it’s been well over a year now since I last updated this blog, and good God has a lot happened, but I’m taking this space back for my use and moving forward with power! I launched a podcast–Eighthworld–on YouTube back in February. That became my haven for expression. Now I want to combine my endeavors and begin dropping links for my podcast episodes right here, where they may grow among my thoughts of yesteryear. It’s good to be back! Expect more in the near future right here. Without further to-do, here is a link to Episode 0 of my podcast. Pardon my whispering; I was new and nervous at the time.

Also, Candice’s previous business endeavors are still up and running, so in addition to this Instagram pic for my account, I’ll also include a nice list of places you can find us and follow us! Behold!

Follow me on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EighthworldP

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eighthworld.podcast/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eighthworld.podcast/

Or email me at eighthworld.podcast@gmail.com

Follow Misplaced Muse Creative:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/misplaced_muse

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misplaced.muse.creative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/misplaced.muse.creative/

Or check out the website at https://www.misplacedmusecreative.com/

 

Thanks for stopping by! Don’t be a stranger!

A Near Retrospective: Season 1 of Eighthworld, Episode 1

Hello, everyone! I hope you are all doing well today. Please take a moment to listen to my official first episode of Eighthworld Podcast if you haven’t already. I recorded it not long after starting on Star Trek: Picard, so it focuses entirely on that. I’ll also share other episodes of my podcast here for your enjoyment in the near future!

The Eighthworld Podcast Season 1 Finale is Live!

The two Batman comics drawn by Vince Giarrano

Good evening, everyone! I hope you are all doing well. I just wanted to announce my podcast season finale on YouTube, which can be found here: https://youtu.be/nSkNj79_4F4.

More posts regarding my podcast (including past episodes) to follow. Be sure to check it out and give me a like and a follow!

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Vince Giarrano’s art from the first issue of Batman I ever owned. Obviously, Batman and all associated IP property of DC Comics/AOL/Time Warner

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Is it just me, or is there a resemblance between Eclipso (DC) and Malekith (Marvel)?

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I loved the advertisements and teasers in this comic!

One last look at that cover, burned into my memory as it was.

Thoughts on the State of the Thoughts (5-29-19)

Hello, everyone! I know it hasn’t been too long since I started maintaining this blog again, but I’m going to have to back off a little bit. Between this, work, and more important obligations, I just don’t have time in my week to continue churning out new content for a handful of readers. I also feel it’s a bit of a disservice to lean too heavily on older posts I wrote years ago to carry me for entire weeks at a time. That said, I’ll still be around and probably putting out a new post and a throwback post every week. I think I can handle that better. If you are reading this, or actively reading anything on this blog, let me know. I’d appreciate engagement and feedback. This type of writing is a relationship, after all. 😉 Let’s have a conversation!

 

If you’re a fan of books and hot beverages, check us out at Blue Spider Books. And check out our blog here!

The Appeal of Black Widow in Avengers: Endgame

I’m genuinely confused by a lot of the online reaction to Natasha Romanov in this film. I loved her performance; I felt she exuded nothing but strength. Some armchair critics have decided, however, that the character was “fridged,” and that her death was ultimately meaningless. 

First off, the concept of “fridging” a woman in comic book properties refers back to the death of Alexandra Dewitt, an early girlfriend of fourth human Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner. The 90s were a weird time in comics, and in this instance they saw a weird, body-suited, genital-less government villain called Major Force wanting to get back at Kyle Rayner by going to Rayner’s apartment and killing Alexandra Dewitt and stuffing her body into his refrigerator. You following so far? Good, because this story was bizarre. Basically, when the term is used now, people want to say a female character has been murdered just to motivate male characters. I really do not see Black Widow’s noble sacrifice in this light.

In Avengers: Endgame, we are shown that Natasha has effectively become leader of the Avengers (whatever form existed at that point) during the period after the Snap, and unused or unfilmed threads also refer to her personally caring for vast numbers of children orphaned by the Snap. She is kind, she is thoughtful as she pushes her uneaten sandwich to Steve Rogers when he comes to visit, and she continues to do her best to keep what’s left of the world safe. This is how I’ve always seen her, and her positive, heroic traits are only enhanced as the film goes on.

Natasha’s sacrifice for the soul stone came down to a 50/50 chance between her and Hawkeye. They were each other’s best friend and closest family left in the world, and either one dying for the other would be a suitable loss to acquire the stone. Additionally, either one of them would also be giving up a chance at seeing the rest of their families return. I feel that Natasha being the one to make the final plunge adds even more strength and respectability to her character. I just can’t see any negatives. Her sacrifice secured ultimate victory.

Either way, in the comics there is an entire universe inside the soul stone. I like to think that Natasha and Gamora both are somehow in that world, and that it endures even with the stone destroyed, if that one truly can be. Black Widow has a solo movie coming up soon, and that will likely either play into this idea, or be an origin movie that finally explains all those Budapest references.

What do you think? Let me know! I’m always eager to converse on these topics.

 

If you’re a fan of books and hot beverages, check us out at Blue Spider Books. And check out our blog here!

The Appeal of Batman as a Timeless Figure

And here is the third post for today, as promised. This is the 75th anniversary retrospective I did on Batman for Sourcerer back in 2014. I hope you enjoy my words even now, five years on!

Batman Turns 75

 

If you’re a fan of books and hot beverages, check us out at Blue Spider Books. And check out our blog here!

The Appeal of Batman as an Instructional Figure

How did Batman become the Dark Knight? Here’s a post I did at Sourcerer a few years ago detailing his early years training under a number of masters around the world.

Batman’s Six Masters

 

If you’re a fan of books and hot beverages, check us out at Blue Spider Books. And check out our blog here!

The Appeal of Batman as a Mythic Figure

Good day, everyone! Been a busy week, so much so that I messed up and completely lost track of my blogging schedule. To make up for that, I’ll actually share three older posts today that sort of represent a beginning, middle, and ending for Batman over at Sourcerer. Here’s the first!

Blogging A to Z Day 2: Batman (2015)

 

If you’re a fan of books and hot beverages, check us out at Blue Spider Books. And check out our blog here!

The Appeal of Damian Wayne as Batman

Here’s another Sourcerer throwback. The character of Damian Wayne, son of Batman, has certainly undergone a lot in the past five years, but I think my ideas still hold some weight. Check them out at the link below!

Batman: The Beloved and Reviled Damian Wayne

 

If you’re a fan of books and hot beverages, check us out at Blue Spider Books. And check out our blog here!

The Appeal of Tim Burton’s Batman Returns (1992)

Good day, everyone! In keeping with my review reblog from last weekend, here is its original follow-up. Stay frosty, Gothamites!

Review: Batman Returns

 

If you’re a fan of books and hot beverages, check us out at Blue Spider Books. And check out our blog here!