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Tag Archives: comics

Dr. McLuchador’s assistants

In case you weren’t aware of his existence, short as it was, this is

(links back to original website).

He was one of Dr. McNinja’s

(Guys, this is the cover to the next TPB! You should get the TPB! Pre-orders are 20% off!)

nemeses.

And this

(links to a slideshow of ridiculous)

is ridiculous.  No seriously, I don’t think I’ve seen anything so ridiculous in a long time.  They look like they’re ardent fans of Dr. McLuchador or something.  Obviously, this deserves mention on this blog.

So, why do all those Asian women look like they want to be Mexican wrestlers?  It’s because they’re afraid of looking like peasants.  How does that make any sense at all?  Because in Asian culture, having a tanned face means that you have to labor out in the fields all day like a peasant.  And looking like a peasant is not fashionable.  So it’s necessary to protect one’s face from the sun to avoid being tanned.  If not by covering it, then by using so many chemical skin lighteners until your face peels off (ok, not really until your face peels off).

Thus, enter the face-kini.  Why did they append “-kini” after “face”?  I don’t know.  It doesn’t make that much sense to me either.  But anyway, these ski mask like things are to help prevent your face from tanning.  Apparently they are all the rage at beaches in China.  And…they really don’t make much sense to me (in case you were not already aware).

Ok, yes.  They are made of nylon, and nylon is one of the synthetic materials that can be used for sun protection.  But they all seem to be dyed light colors.  Darker colors are generally better for sun protection than lighter colors.  I can see why they wouldn’t want to dye these masks a darker color, since they absorb more energy from the sun and get hot, which would be uncomfortable against the skin.  So, how much are these masks helping?  Are they really any better than a good sunscreen?

And then there are holes for the eyes, nose, and mouth.  For obvious reasons, yes.  My guess is that these people aren’t applying sunscreen to the exposed areas of their face.  So now you get this weird raccoon tan thing on your face?  And you get burnt lips?  (Lips don’t tan, you see, they just burn.)  Raccoon tans are fashionable?

This whole thing is ridiculous.  And it’s all because looking like a peasant is unfashionable.  But really…how fashionable (and comfortable) is looking like one of Dr. McLuchador’s assistants?

Real life superheroes

I write about superpowers a lot and superheros and superpowers go together. So, It has recently come to my attention that there is a real, live superhero in Vancouver. Well, he’s described as a superhero and I kind of disagree with that. I believe superheroes should have superpowers, because they are…super. As far as I can tell, this guy doesn’t have any superpowers. But this guy could probably be considered a hero. At least, he’s a nice guy trying to make a difference in his home town. He may be on par with that Batman guy who visits children’s hospitals to cheer up the kids there. Except that his superhero identity isn’t based on an existing one. So anyway, his superhero name is Thanatos.

Thanatos (image links to photo shoot with a bunch of superheros)

Thanatos goes out once a month, early in the morning, and helps the homeless community in Vancouver. He goes in full costume. He didn’t always. He used to do this just as a normal guy and apparently the homeless he was helping couldn’t remember him. Then it dawned on him that he should make his appearance more memorable. Enter the costume.

Thanatos, the superhero, based his name (and thus costume) on Thanatos, the daemon personification of death in Greek mythology. You may know him from the story of Sisyphus. Sisyphus first cheated death by tricking Thanatos into his own shackles. That must have been a sight to see. How do you trick people into binding themselves? But anyway…

So Thanatos, the superhero, wears predominately black, has a black tie with skulls on it, a black hat, a utility belt, and a green skull mask. It must be an interesting sight to see. I mean, think about it, you’re comfortably drowsing in a corner close to a streetlight in the black of night. And out of the mist, you waken to see a dark, looming figure approach you. He seemingly floats above the mist. Perhaps frightened and wary, you huddle into your corner a bit more. The figure enters into the beam of light cast by the streetlight, and you see a striking, green skull ominously glaring down at you. And then this dark-cloaked, beskulled person hands you a care package and tells you to be well. HOW IS THIS NOT INTERESTING?

I imagine it would look like this…

The fact that this guy decided to base his superhero persona on a minor figure in Greek mythology is interesting. The fact that he based his superhero persona on a figure of death is interesting. He’s not the grim reaper collecting the souls of the homeless on the streets of Vancouver. He’s giving them care packages! He’s trying to help them out! It’s this guy, dressed in black and a green skull, helping people out in the dark! THIS IS INTERESTING.

Anyway, it turns out that the person behind Thanatos is in his 60s. He enjoys what he does and would like to continue doing it for a long time. And when mobility starts being a problem, he says he will be out patrolling the streets in the “Hoveraround of Justice” and with the “Walker of the Free.”

  • This is how I first learned about Thanatos.
  • Here is a pretty interesting interview with Thanatos.
  • Here is Peter Tangen’s site on real life superheroes (the Telegraph article was an excerpt of sorts).