Struggling with struggle identity

To say that we live in a post-racial society is pretty ridiculous. But at the same time we are making strides in social attitudes at an amazing pace. But with all the specialized support and awareness groups focused on eliminating these social imbalances, it makes me wonder if in some way we NEED things to be unfair. That without injustice, those with the genetic impulse to fight for justice will suddenly lose their identity. Basically, can an activist ever truly be at peace?

Peaceful Race Relations Booth

Invasion U.S.A.

Taking a quick note of the movie landscape it suddenly occurred to me how many are about the U.S. somehow being attacked or invaded. I realize G.I. Joe: Retaliation and Red Dawn were both delayed releases but add Olympus Has Fallen to the mix and it we're suddenly giving the world all sorts of creative ideas. Maybe this isn't such a hot idea. It all seems like some sick game of "I Dare You to Invade Us."

Prison Tats. No Regrets.

The Magic Kingdom

Wooden Swords

I suppose this is a good follow up to last week's strip about sword fights. In the past few months I've taken to making wooden swords (and an axe). Mostly well-known ones from movies of TV shows.

Sting

Gimli's Axe

TMNT Leonardo's double katanas (scaled for my three-year-old)

And most recently a tanto that can be disassembled.

Not sure what I'll make next but I find working with wood a refreshing change as a creative outlet. I'm still working on things I really enjoy but I like to think I'm expanding my skill set and learning to appreciate what REAL woodworkers can do. I highly recommend it.

Sword Fight!

Got Soy Sauce?

Stan Lee's Annihilator

It seems that comic book god and all around good guy Stan Lee has a new project that he is developing as a film property. Annihilator is the latest creation by Lee and bring to the world the story of a man named Ming (yes, Ming) who is forced to choose between remaining in a Chinese prison or enlisting in some secret US super soldier program that would give him some sort of animal based super power. His pre-super soldier powers include "extreme resolve" and Qijong and martial arts training. Please excuse me for a second, I have to sit down. I just face palmed myself about twenty times really fast. Stan Lee's characters are some of the most popular and enduring ones on the planet. To imagine a world without Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the Hulk is, well, unimaginable. But the last few creative attempts at character creation from Stan Lee have been far from successful. The mighty forgettable Mighty 7, the Who Wants to be a Superhero? based reality show winner Fat Momma, and the what-were-you-thinking Stripperella featuring the lung talents of Pamela Anderson. While Annihilator has decent talent on board like producer Barry Josephson (Bones, Wild Wild West, Enchanted) and writer Dan Gilroy (Real Steel, The Bourne Legacy) there's little hope that our friend Ming will become the next Peter Parker. I'll applaud ANY attempt to get more Asian male faces on screen (especially in a lead role!) but I'm going to have to chalk this one up to a step in the right direction as opposed to a watershed moment in Asian culture and certainly not one for Asian American culture. Lee should have just worked on a Amadeus Cho story line with a Hercules and Hulk tie-in. Now THAT I would go see. I will always love Stan Lee's core characters and will gladly support his new creations … as long as they're good.

So God Made an Asian

I don't normally post this early but I figured I may as well strike while the iron was hot.

This strip is a reaction to Ram Trucks' Superbowl ad based on the "So God Made a Farmer" speech by Paul Harvey. A lot of buzz going around about how it completely ignored the real demographics of farming and the hiring practices of farmers to keep costs down. But it actually made me think of ALL people who do things despite the challenges they face. Sure, farmers can be seen as good, heroic people and I'm sure a good number of them are. But Ram Trucks really missed an opportunity to include a wide range of people and fell into the comfort of nostalgia.