Technolandy

Day 128 (of 2024/25) I’m going to TCAF! (And a comment about other ‘lesser known superheroes)

ComicCommentary first, announcement at the end…

Maybe I’m too connected… but this week was another share about ‘lesser-known’ heroes, and I had some thoughts: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/entertainment/movies/20-lesser-known-superheroes-the-mainstream-world-isn-t-ready-for/ss-AA1ApnYf?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=dc9ce74ff4d748acf7369bd30c2a51af&ei=130

Plastic Sam (as I first knew him) was on the cover, so I knew that “lesser known” would be a relative term… and my son and I love the series of comics that highlight some of the ‘less well known characters’ – just ‘finished’ The League of Regrettable Sidekicks!

1. Maxx… definitely not a name I’m familiar with (and I read Sledge Hammer!) so we are off to a good start – can you be a regular person ‘here’ and a superhero in an ‘alternate dimension’??
2. Squirrel Girl – comes up in many conversations when I go for a walk with my son. Quirky and strange as the name suggests, with unlimited cosmic power (to quote an all powerful genie) I know more about her than I would prefer…
3. Ted Kord – better known as a Blue Beetle (not as seen in the more recent move…) a more classic crime fighter – the successor to the original Beetle Dan Garret (when the comic was taken over by DC)
4. Martian Manhunter – ‘lesser known?!?’ I shout at the screen! A regular ‘special guest’ who is often compared to Superman, in terms of strength and abilities – though his fear/weakness of fire is debilitating at times. Fabulous Justice League member!
5. Booster Gold – again!! Great character (especially when teamed up with Blue Beetle) – a time traveller who would not be opposed to placing a bet on a sporting event or buying a lottery ticket… Definitely well known in some corners of the comic book world!
6. Spawn – another ?!? About fame – great character by Todd McFarlane – super powered and much better than the movie was able to portray!
7. WildCat – another ‘special guest star’ in Batman comics (and Black Canary) – could be a neat ‘deep cut’ character for DC movies to explore….
8. Mister Miracle – connected with Darkseid. Looks like IronMan, I remember him from Justice League International – but not that well/fondly…
9. Animal Man – kay – I’ll add that name to ‘lesser known’ – did a quick look and liked that I saw him as a member of “Forgotten Heroes”!
10. Etrigan – speaks in rhymes – that’s what made me remember him a bit… got a key segment of fans apparently – just not me!
11. Bat Mite – not on my radar, but a 5th dimensional imp that does not go away he says his name backwards… big fan of batman – not that his help actually works for the worlds greatest detective…
12. Guardian – one I’m aware of because of some old comics I have – great golden shield (inspired by a police badge) and is very similar to Captain America (introduced about a year earlier)… Vigilante style who probably also inspired the Punisher decades later
13. Jack of Hearts – sure he became part of the Avengers… but ignore him unless you want to explore the (very good) Avengers Disassembled storyline.
14. Sleepwalker – Nope…very much a ‘lesser known’ entity
15. Matter-Eater Lad – has come up on my walks with my son… usually with me rolling my eyes… lets go with: quirky
16. Starfox – aka Eros aka Harry Styles at the end of Eternals. Brother of Thanos…
17. Plastic Man – the photo of this article and not someone I would declare ‘lesser known’ – seen in a variety of books over the years and even in animated series. Origin story is a tad tragic (at least the one I read) and a great comedic addition to any series arc
18. Dazzler – the Hannah Montana of the comic book world… ‘nuff said
19. Captain Atom – regular member of the Justice League Unlimited and was supposed to be Monarch in the Armageddon 2001 story arc – but because the story was leaked, they changed it to Hawk when Dove died (oops – spoiler warning!) but this was a huge mistake and very very unpopular (I’m still sour about it) – shoulda stuck with Captain Atom – sometimes the obvious build is the right choice to stick with.
20. The Question – Just a guy in a fedora posting conspiracies on the deep web. Showing we can all be superhero vigilantes in our own way…

Anyway, knowing too much about comics has led me over the past year+ to put some emphasis on this in my school environment – last year we ended the year with a comic-con (and I’m not sure why I never thought of doing that in a school in earlier years…) and started a comic book library (we don’t have a library in our building and our program is online/home based, so I don’t think we’ll be starting a traditional library anytime soon). These have been fun and valuable additions to our school program, and I shared the idea with TCAF – Toronto Comic Art Festival – and they invited me to come to do a share this June – so I will be sharing our story on the Library & Education Day and have offered myself for any other education type panels as needed! Lots of fun – and I’ll reshare here some of my early work using ’single panel super hero origin stories’ to help readers find stories they ended up connecting with https://technolandy.wordpress.com/2018/03/08/day-117-of-186-guided-reading-using-comics-to-start-conversations-and-inspire-reading-hopefully/

TCAF: https://www.torontocomics.com/

And if you want a debate… this article on 20 marvel superhero who could ‘easily’ beat superman (when DeathBattle routinely shows how not even Goku can beat hIm) https://www.msn.com/en-ca/entertainment/movies/20-marvel-characters-who-could-easily-beat-superman/ss-AA1BDXcy?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=a876a152ea904d1abf2f8fc6cd7fe203&ei=77

Superman has a weakness to magic, not an allergy! Superman is always as strong as he needs to be to win – that’s what makes him unbeatable… gonna reread Death and Life of Superman… greatest superman story – that the movie messed up …

More specifics on TCAF coming soon!