Happy Birthday to the King!

So today is Jack "The King" Kirby's Birthday! As artist and writer, friends and co-creators he and Stan Lee are responsible for so much of our comic book mythology.  Spiderman, Capain America, X-Men, Thor, The Hulk  and the list goes on and on.

I had the pleasure of hearing stories about him, Stan Lee and the original Marvel days from Dennis "Denny" O'Neill [who taught me everything I know about writing for comics and gave me so much insight into what it really takes to write in any genre].  These gentlemen are quite literally giants in the realm of imagination and icons that are still entertaining us today and will continue to entertain us and American culture for many, many years to come.

If you want a little taste of who Kiby was what he left us all and the mindset of such a creative soul listen to  this interview from 87 - also Stan Lee joins in. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1yJZKDwIRE

Human nurture vs Mutant nature?

So last week being an authentic X-Men BW comic book fan [BW: Before Wolverine] I made a point to go see X-Men First Class on the big screen before it leaves the two theaters in Manhattan still showing the fifth Mutant movie and second prequel [Wolverine being the first] of a seeming unending series.

To be honest my expectations were low - real low.  I foresaw stimulating visuals with a storyline that took me from one CGI event to the next.  Instead what I experienced was a tale about retribution and reciprocity wrapped in the familiar historical events of World War II and the Cuban Missile Crisis. 

For the first seventy minutes or so [with a noteworthy score setting the mood] it doesn't even feel like the X-Men movies before it.  Something I attribute to a script, casting and acting that only pays attention to the Mutant comic book world when necessary to remind you it's a franchise.  The rest of the time it's a true nature vs nurture story of two men that to their benefit and detriment cannot change who they are and who they wish each other to be.