Merry Christmas from Santa, Superman and Great Caesar’s Post!

Hey, guess who’s having a birthday?!

That’s right, America — it’s you!

Happy Independence Day, everyone! And remember — I want you to promise me you’re not gonna stop this fight, no matter what. No matter what!

Happy Highfather’s Day!

And then there was the time Superman and Sgt. Rock teamed up to fight Nazis

Comics have a grand history of featuring America’s fighting forces, going back to the medium’s earliest days to more recent, rebooted war titles. I read a bunch of these growing up, and still have a soft spot for the genre, particularly DC’s books. Enemy Ace, The Unknown Soldier, Weird War Tales — I ate all that stuff up. My favorite, though — without question — was Sgt. Rock.

Slogging through World War II Europe, Sgt. Rock and Easy Co. had that war-weariness you imagine every soldier reaches after enough time on the front lines. And while they fought heroically, selflessly — like their flashier super-powered cousins in the rest of the DC Universe — they did something else. They died. Most of the core characters would survive from issue to issue, but it was never a sure bet. Reading Sgt. Rock meant knowing that war isn’t fair, and no one was safe. Add to that Joe Kubert’s gritty, you-are-there artwork and you’ve got a compelling, sometimes harrowing, war comic.

Of course, the title would sometimes dip into the superhero silliness of the main DCU. Because how else would Sgt. Rock meet Superman? Heck, it would probably take a bomb hidden in a French award, time travel, amnesia, and some good ol’ fashioned Nazi-fightin’ to make that work. Luckily, writer Cary Bates and penciller Joe Staton put all that (and more) together for DC Comics Presents #10, in a story called “The Miracle Man of Easy Company” — enjoy, and happy Memorial Day!

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Memorial Day is for remembering

I’m pretty far from what anyone would consider a “hawk.” I’m generally opposed to armed conflict, and have been specifically outspoken against the fronts the United States has put itself on in the last few decades. But there’s a distinction that some people — of all political stripes — tend to overlook. While I detest war on principle, I fully support a person’s decision to join the military, and I’m exceptionally grateful for their service and willingness to put themselves in a position that could literally come at the cost of their life.

My dad was in the Air Force. My uncle was a Marine. My oldest friend was in the Navy. Many more friends served in the Army. Luckily, they all came home, more or less intact. All of them have some of the most hilarious stories to tell that I’ve ever heard. Some of them have things they don’t talk about.

I might not always agree with the reasons for going to war, but I never forget that it’s people — real, everyday people — who fight in them. Saying thanks seems like the least I can do.

‘The tomb! It is open!’

As I might have mentioned before, I’m not a particularly religious person. While I was raised as a hybrid Methodist/Catholic (don’t ask),  I was also raised by parents who encouraged open-mindedness, personal responsibility and an attitude toward church that could be summed up with an indifferent shrug.

Which isn’t to say I necessarily have any disdain for religion. When viewed as philosophy I think many religions have a lot of positive thought to offer (I won’t get into where I think the problems start, but let’s just say human nature tends to be far from divine). And as a kid there was a period in my life when I was thinking about Christianity a lot, and I had plenty of questions. To help me find some of the answers — and probably to get them out of their hair once in a while — my parents got me The Picture Bible, which is basically a comic book version of the usually impenetrable classic Christian bible. As rendered by scripter Iva Hoth and artist Andre LeBlanc, the Picture Bible simplifies the language and convoluted storyline, puts faces to the names, and turns the Greatest Story Ever Told into something you might actually want to read.

When I was a kid, I pored over it. It seems pretty distant nowadays, but I can’t deny my sorta-spiritual upbringing or my fondness for this edition of the Bible, which introduced me to a particular brand of morality and God’s Own Superheroes. (Seriously, that whole Samson thing? Awesome.) Whatever your own religious leanings may be, I hope you’ll enjoy this kinda famous tale-to-astonish presented the way God intended — as a comic book.

Happy Labor Day!