Attempting to Explain the Summers Family Tree

RAIN - Fan Film

Here is an interesting Fan Film on the X-Men known as Storm. It is like her version of the movie Old Man Logan.  Definitely in the same style and taste!

Surprising No One, 'One Million Moms' Is Mad About Gay X-Men - ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews

There has been much media attention given to the X-Man Northstar marring another male character in the comics next month. I think that the commentary by Chris Sims of Comics Alliance should be taken notice of. I respect Chris Sims and enjoy his commentary on culture and media. I don't always agree with him but I like the way he expresses himself. At times he's really insightful. In this case he weighs in on the "One Million Moms" group attacking the move by Marvel and calling for parents to boycott.

He quotes the group's website:

Children desire to be just like superheroes. Children mimic superhero actions and even dress up in costumes to resemble these characters as much as possible. Can you imagine little boys saying, "I want a boyfriend or husband like X-Men?"

Read More: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/05/25/one-one-million-moms-mad-about-gay-x-men/#ixzz1w2p7La5E

I agree with Mr Sims that this is really stupid. Neither reading a book or watching a movie or television makes you gay. Really, really stupid.

I also agree with Sims that the lesson we should get from X-Men and other superheroes:

What they teach you is that you should use your abilities to help the people around you and make the world a better place rather than just throwing your weight around to be a bully. And they teach you that when the world hates and fears someone just because they're different, it's the world that's wrong.

Read More: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/05/25/one-one-million-moms-mad-about-gay-x-men/#ixzz1w2pnoNO0

The thing I disagree with is that pointing out embracing a behavior or actions that go against a person's well being is bullying and hatred.  Unfortunately, Christians have not given gay people the love they deserve. Homosexuality is no worse a sin than lying or stealing or murder, but often Christians tell Homosexuals that what they are doing is the worse possible sin you can do. That's not what the Bible says. God doesn't hate homosexuals. God calls all of us to repentance and holiness. Not just homosexuals. We all have sinned not just homosexuals. How is it hatred to tell someone that God loves you and has better for you if you just trust God and obey God. God has got the best for you.God will improve your life. You don't have to settle for less than the very best God has for you. 

The following verse applies to all of us.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will. - Romans 12:1,2

But you can't do it without God and God will help you if you give yourself to God.

Surprising No One, 'One Million Moms' Is Mad About Gay X-Men - ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews

Professor X is Not Martin Luther King | Tor.com

Okay. I just saw X-Men: First Class  and I did like it. One of the best things about X-Men is it's moral message: Everyone is valuable no matter your race, gender,  genes, or any difference from what the majority of people consider "normal". I think it is too simple and inaccurate to equate Professor X with Martin Luther King Jr and Magneto with Malcolm X. I found this article about the issue at the following link.

Professor X is Not Martin Luther King | Tor.com by  Steven Padnick

He wrote:

King was a pacifist who refused to use violence, even to defend himself. Professor X, on the other hand, trains his teenage students to be masked freedom fighters who beat the crap out of anyone, human or mutant, who threaten the lives of mutants.

No, Professor X’s belief that mutants have the right, and sometimes the need, to use violence to defend themselves makes him a lot closer to, appropriately enough, Malcolm X.
Which brings up the second point, borrowed from Comics Alliance’s David Brothers: Magneto is NOT Malcolm X.

Magneto is a supervillain, tried and true, which means he has both goals (the enslavement of humanity) and tactics (conquering Manhattan) that are just outside the realm of human understanding, and any comparison to a real person or movement gets ridiculous, if not insulting.

I would not say that Professor X is only about using violent to protect Mutants. Professor X wants to protect all humans! Even those who would kill him and his fellow mutants. That is a high morality. Something worth emulating. Though Martin Luther King's protests and philosophy were nonviolent, that does not mean that they were not confrontational. Getting into your oppressor's face and pointing out why they are wrong takes great courage - using the resources you have. Malcolm X is not like Magneto because Malcolm wasn't for exterminating his opponents only not willing to settle for scraps.

Personally, I think David Brother's review is much better than this one. He does a much more complete job describing how the racial politics of Hollywood in the 21st Century are illustrated in this movie. I agree with him. He is very complete so I'd read his article after you see the movie.

The Best and Worst of 'X-Men: First Class' -- Moral Complexity and Depressing Racial Politics

Astonishing X-Men: Motion Comics, Why Bother? [Review] - ComicsAlliance | Comics culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews

I've written about Motion Comics before but this review caught my attention. Astonishing X-Men, as well as the other Motion Comics I've seen were enjoyable to me. I admit that at times they do remind me of the 60's Marvel Cartoons (I like them too). I have to disagree with the reviewer from Comics Alliance, because I think that there is a niche for Motion Comics. They sit between a comic book and a cartoon. Kind of like the way the iPad is between a laptop/netbook and a smartphone/iPod - taking the best of each but replacing neither. I'm not sure which is more expensive to produce Motion Comics vs traditional animation but I suspect that motion comics run a large range because the Astonishing X-Men version had a lot of animation, but Iron Man, Black Panther, Spider-Woman, and most of the ones I've seen from DC comics have much less. Motion Comics seems to me a way to get your animation fix but not cost the consumers or production as much money.

Astonishing X-Men: Motion Comics, Why Bother? [Review] - ComicsAlliance | Comics culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews

The Gospel According to "X-Men Origins: Wolverine "

A lot of negative comments have been made about Wolverine as being "shallow" when it comes to philosophy and character development. While I agree that there was little character development, I disagree that it had nothing to say about the human condition. As a character, Wolverine is always walking that razor edge between his humanity and beastial - bezerker nature. He constantly is making choices as to whether or not he is going to be rational or give in to his rage. I think that this was explored in the movie.

The movie also explored the idea of "choice". Wolverine chose to undergo the antimantium process because he wanted the added powerto kill Victor Creed whom he believed killed his lover, Silverfox. After Stryker tried to wipe Wolverine's memories and then later tried to kill him, Wolverine told the nice old man who helped him after the he escaped from Weapon X that he had no choice but to seek revenge. The old man called him on that...that we always have choices. I find that when we, as people, say "I have no choice." what we mean is that "I have no other choice that I would rather make". I mean Wolverine could have chosen to walk away and not look for Stryker or Victor, but he didn't. Okay, had he done that there would not have been a movie, but again, he could have done it.

So that gets me to thinking. "Do we, as people, have free will?" I've been studying what the Bible says about Free Will. I have come to the conclusion that it depends on how you define what "Free Will" is and is not. Many folks define "libertarian free will" as the ability to make decisions without being led, coerced, or contrained. This definition is not the way the Bible talks about how people function. The Bible says that God does everything according to his will....not ours. Nothing happens without God knowing about it. I want to write more on this subject. I'll be giving more in another post coming soon.

Read a review on my Favorite Fiction blog.