I’ve never actually understood my husband’s hobby. For years, he has been collecting superhero figurines and reading comic books. I think since he was at least 10 years old. I’ve never been able to figure out what draws people to stories about Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Firestorm (my husband’s favorite character). Is it the costumes? Or the powers they have? What is it….

I was surfing channels on TV last night, when it hit me. One bad news story after another. News shows talked about the Casey Anthony trial. The “love child” of John Edwards. A missing child in a far away state. Sexual predator arrested in Florida. More and more sad, depressing stories. I turned off the TV and decided we do need superheroes.

My parents were my “superheroes.” But not everyone is so lucky. Caylee Anthony. Michael David and Alexander Tyler Smith. Paul, Luke, Mary, Noah and John Yates. I am sure you recognize the name Caylee Anthony since the trial is going on now. Do you remember Susan Smith? She killed her two sons by driving her car into a lake. Andrea Yates killed her five children because they couldn’t be “saved.” You get the idea.

Your parents are supposed to be your role models. Give you unconditional love. If your parents aren’t the ones who teach you right from wrong, then you turn to others. So, maybe superheroes aren’t so bad. Everyone needs a good role model.

So bring on the superhero movies….Captain America, Green Lantern, Spider-man.

It’s a reproduction of the cover to Wonder Woman #253 dated March 1979.  The artists were Jose Delbo and Dick Giordano, with a story written by Jack C. Harris.  If you want one of these shirts for yourself or your loved one, they are available at Wal-Mart for only $12.

Also worth mentioning, JCPenney has just launched a new line of Supergirl clothes for girls. If you have a daughter, little sister, niece or whatever it might be time for a shopping trip!  Click here for more details on the Supergirl line at JCPenney.

Since my office upgraded my computer, I noticed when I open Internet Explorer that MSN comes up as my default. I’ve been meaning to change it, but it is not first on the list of my priorities at work. A week ago, I happened to see a reference to Stretch Armstrong on the page. It piqued my interest. I loved my brother’s Stretch Armstrong. Then, I saw the mention of Twilight. Ding! (Imagine light bulb over my head). Yes, I am a Twihard. So, Taylor Lautner who plays Jacob in Twilight is being considered for the role of Stretch Armstrong. Hmmmm….. I can’t see that, but I’ll stay open. I guess Lautner will become a blond for the role and wear cute little blue swim shorts. He definitely has the muscles. (P.S. I am Edward fan).

The first thing I asked my husband was if I could put Lautner in our refrigerator. If you had a Stretch Armstrong, you know what I mean. He was gel inside. My Mom would put him in the frig to keep him in top condition. Of course, I always wanted to cut Stretch open to see what he looked like inside. What color was the gel? Did it smell? My brother and I would test the limits of how far we could stretch “Stretch.” Could we make it from the kitchen sink to the dining room table without Stretch losing his elasticity?

If Stretch Armstrong was invented in this decade, it would have been recalled before it ever hit the shelves. He could stretch so far, you could definitely wrap it around your brother or sister’s head. Talk about a strangulation hazard. If you cut it open, you might be poisoned by the gel inside. I’m sure some organization would have a problem with Stretch’s lack of clothing.

Everyone has fond memories of childhood. My memories definitely include my old buddy, Stretch Armstrong. Good luck Lautner playing a popular action figure from the ’70s adored by children, By the way, does anyone know the color of the gel inside?

Labor Day Weekend … The weekend my husband looks forward to all year, to sleep in a hotel room with at least five other guys, eat junk food all weekend, and see science fiction celebrities, comic book artists and scantily clad women dressed as superheroes. I’ve seen the pictures… some of them should not be wearing those outfits. My mom, myself, plus our two children get a condo in Destin for the weekend and spend time at the beach, the pool and visiting my other relatives who are staying in a condo nearby. We have fun. It is my time bonding with my children and my mom. You see, I love the beach and Shag hates the beach (Editor Note: Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Believe me, there is no way my wife will call me Shag). Shag loves superheroes and science fiction, and my science fiction is Twilight, True Blood and Eureka. I don’t “get” his stuff, and he doesn’t “get” my stuff. They do say opposites attract.

Anyway, I know Shag has good time and he enjoys seeing his pals. He gets excited seeing Dirk Benedict, Lou Ferrigno (for the fourteenth time) and watching the parade (I have seen the parade before and it was pretty cool). I was excited this year that Eric Roberts was there (I am sure Shag is laughing at this) and some Twilight folks were there, too. The beach is my solitude. I look across the ocean and I am exactly where I want to be. Here is the catch, I don’t like being in the water. You see, there are things in the ocean – big things – that eat you and bite you. So my toes go in, and I hang out in my chair.

I like looking at Shag’s pictures afterward of all of the costumes. Some are pretty cool, and some I don’t quite understand. Why does some one dress up like Steve off Blue’s Clues at DragonCon? I’ve come to understand some of my husband’s science fiction addictions like Doctor Who. I watched some of the episodes with Christopher Eccleston and was quite upset when David Tennant came along. Then you get used to him and they switch him again! My kids like superheroes. Our daughter likes to wear her Supergirl costume and both kids like going to the comic book store.

I do realize that Shag could instead be an avid hunter or golfer instead of my geek. Then I would never see him and I would have dead animals hanging on my wall. For those of you who do not know me, I am an animal lover and a long time vegetarian. So, I think I will take geekdom, DragonCon and ONCE UPON A GEEK any day.

I do love him very much. He is the person I waited for all of my life. So, let him have his weekend with the guys in the tiny hotel room all snoring. Let him have his Incredible Hulk. I have him the rest of the year.

Click the image for a larger version.  On the left is me as I currently am, on the right is me as I was 20 years ago, hence the title, “Shag of Two Eras”.  In the middle in mortal peril are my nine year old step-son and three year old daughter.

An amazing illustration!  My family presented me with an 11×17 framed print of the cover on Father’s Day morning.  I was totally stunned.  Even now, hours later, I can’t take my eyes off it.  What an incredibly thoughtful gift to give to a comic book geek like me.

In case you’re not familiar with the homage, check out the cover of Flash #123 below (September 1961).  This is one of the most important comic books in publishing history.

Just for reference, here are pictures of me nowadays and back in 1988.

I’ve known the artist, Billy Penn, for over 15 years.  He shopped at the comic book store I managed when he was in high school.  Now he’s a high school art teacher himself.  He’s incredibly skilled and has a few published works, including Platinum Studio’s Hot Shot and Mighty Girl original graphic novel, and a back-up story in Savage Dragon #130.  I’ve always been impressed with the way he draws faces.  They are so wonderfully expressive!

I’m amazed at Billy’s attention to detail in the commission he did for my wife!  He reproduced so many details from the Flash cover while making them specific to me. Some fun details that you might miss include: the shape of the comic logo, the ONCE UPON A GEEK circle in the top left, the date and the comics code authority seal, the body language of the Flashes and the two Shags, the skyline of my hometown in the background, all the goofy 80′s trappings legitimately worn by me back then, and the accuracy of my children’s eye color and clothing.

As I mentioned, I was completely surprised and stunned.  What an unbelievable gift!!!  Its comic books and my children… all rolled up into one.  My wife is an amazing woman.  This is a gift I’ll cherish forever.

Here is a shot of my wife, the Irrepressible Gena, along with Batman and Wonder Woman.  The picture was taken at the Florida Capitol building in March while they were celebrating Children’s week.  They had tons of activities and games for the kids.  My family was quite surprised to see Batman and Wonder Woman at the event giving out anti-smoking comics (last year’s FREE COMIC BOOK DAY issue of Justice League).  According to Gena, the guy playing Batman was dead-on.  He even used the gravely voice when talking with my daughter.  Gena also mentioned that Wonder Woman was super nice!  However, my wife was a little shocked that this Wonder Woman’s briefs revealed a lot more than Lynda Carter’s did (apparently the not-pictured backside was pretty skimpy).

While my children enjoyed the event, I think my wife enjoyed meeting Batman even more.  … I’m watching you, Bruce Wayne.  Stay away from my girl!

Sorry the kids aren’t in the picture.  Gotta protect the innocent, y’know.

Inkheart… The movie title sounds like a romantic story of a man who pens his undying love for his one and only true love…but it’s not. The movie is about a father when he reads aloud can make characters from the book enter his world, but someone from his world goes into the book. Imagine if he read King Kong aloud.

My husband and I enjoyed dinner and a movie with another couple this past weekend. Quite a treat for us, since we usually only get to go to Chick-Fil-A with our children. I actually wanted to see Underworld: Rise of the Lycans but I was outvoted. So, I settled in my theater seat to watch Brendan Fraser (Errr… I mean… Inkheart). I figured it had to be a decent movie. I loved Brendan Fraser in The Mummy and Journey to the Center of the Earth. This movie was good. Just good. Nothing really special. A good story with a happy ending. I can imagine what was happening in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans though….. Vampires against Werewolves….Just like the Twilight books I am enjoying.

Inkheart is a book of medieval castles and strange creatures where the movie gets its name. Come to find out there is an Inkworld Trilogy, so I can see more movies developing from this one. My favorite character was Dustfinger played by Paul Bettany, who was also Silas in The Da Vinci Code.

I don’t want to give too much away about the movie. I know that my 9 year old son would have loved it. Shag and I told him we went to see Saw V, so he wouldn’t be mad at us for going without him.

Hey… give the movie a try. And if you can, let me know how Underworld: Rise of the Lycans was. I doubt I will get another adult night to go see it anytime soon.