To the Office of the President of the United States:
I am Albert Berry, co-producer of a small internet radio program called Hour 42 (www.blogtalkradio.com/hour42). On Hour 42 we discuss Super Heroes, both fictional and non-fictional.
My question is this: How does the President feel about his depiction of himself within of comic books like Savage Dragon and Spiderman - and now Bomber Girl?
I appreicate his, and his staffs, time in considering this question and for the response in advance.
When I give thought to my heroes I first consider the ones given to me as a very young child. At 7, I was at the court house getting my last name changed to match the man who married my mother. It occured to me then that I would be cool to be called John Wayne. At the age of 9, I discovered Doctor Who.
However, it wouldn't be until the age of 11 that he would take hold and become my lifelong hero.
Doctor Who is a show that always had clear definitions of what was good and what was bad. In some ways this wasn't a good thing. It caused me to see the world in Black and White, make hasty judgements of others and assume I was always right. Those were the negatives.
On the postive side, it did instill within me a sense of justice and gave me a moral code of conduct. Doctor Who made me WANT to be the hero. But, as I grew up, and found out the world was mostly gray, I nearly felt lied too. Of course, Doctor Who was always intended to entertain. It was I who added into it all the things a child needs in growing up: a Role Model.
Doctor Who had been on for 20 years when I started watching. It had a sense of solidity - a need we all have. It had variety - another need. The thing about Doctor Who is, it had the ability to fill ALL the needs a person has. To feel like you are a part of something grander then the self.
When other people look back at Doctor Who from back in the day, they see a cheesy show. I see, like all old friends, flaws that make them unique and special. I really enjoy Doctor Who of today. I think it is fantastic in fact. It is like seeing an old friend again after they have been travelling abroad. I know he won't be able to stay around forever, but I am sure glad he's come back for a while. But, I always knew he'd come back - he said as much:
Tonight, @ThePeterPixie and I welcome our first guest with his own listing on IMDB - Ray Grimes, writer and director of the new independent superhero film, Super Capers! We'll talk to him about his experience so far as a relatively new filmmaker, and try to get a few good Adam West stories out of him.
Peter and I will also trade notes on G.I. Joe - what, you thought I'd let him get away without seeing it? Also:
* Just two weeks after San Diego, Chicago hosts its own comic-book convention - we'll bring you the highlights. * We'll talk about some of the rather ... interesting creative choices that were published this week. Bottle of grappa, anyone? * Plus YOUR comments and questions at 646-716-4799
In the meantime, if you want to catch up on last week's show, which featured even more guest-stars, just click on the handy-dandy player below - then come on back and join us at 7pm PST (10p EST) tonight for HOUR 42!
With the post-Comic-Con coma fading, El Secreto & @thepeterpixie unpacked some of the good stuff ES collected while he was there, including interviews with:
* A red-carpet chat with Power Girl writer Jimmy Palmiotti, who gave us the skinny on his new project for Radical Publishing * An encounter with Carrot Top - what ever could have brought him to Con? Find out here. * We also played an excerpt from ES' interview with Bleeding Cool founder and longtime comics journalist Rich Johnston, which triggered a classic fanboy gaffe from our roving reporter. To hear what we're talking about, and the full interview, click on the fierce pic* below:
And if you click on the handy-dandy player below, you can listen to the full episode, where the boys cover:
* Yet another new line-up for the Justice League - when is a Trinity not a Trinity? * Marvel's upcoming Necrosha crossover * Some potentially bad news for Torchwood fans involving John Barrowman - and much more, including a sneak-preview of next week's show, chock-full of movie goodness!
Welcome to the official blog for HOUR 42 -- covering heroes on the air, in the air and all around us! Join Peter Pixie and El Secreto LIVE every Sunday at 8pm PST at blogtalkradio.com/Hour42 and catch all the fun!
