DO's and DON'T's for a HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2012!

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To help ensure that everyone has a truly

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

this year, I thought I'd offer a few DO's & DON'T's as to how to go about it - as exemplified by some of my favorite Marvel Comics characters.

First off; remember that while it might be traditional to have a roast turkey (or other such fowl), it isn't necessary.
Perhaps some TOFUrkey as a tasty and humane alternative.
That roast bird might be someone you know.

Howard The (roast) Duck.

"Waugh!" indeed.

I know the recipe says to "dress" the bird, but I don't think the hat and tie were really what they meant.

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Also, when preparing for visitors or if you are visiting others, remember to dress your best and offer to help set the table. Perhaps bring a centerpiece. And try not to drink too much. Drunkenness is not attractive.

Doctor Strange may have misunderstood the proper etiquette for centerpiece display.

And Wong seems to have got smashed before he finished tidying up.

(smashed against a wall, that is...)

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And don't be afraid to tackle cooking multiple items at once. It's not easy to be a proper chef on such a big holiday, but don't let it scare you.

Because, whosoever knows fear BURNS at the Man-Thing's touch.

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But most important of all, when enjoying your meal, be sure to walk away from the table BEFORE you feel full. There's nothing that will ruin your festivities than the bloated feeling that you will burst!

Dang... shouldn't have had the third helping of sweet potato pie there, Manny.

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So, those are my helpful tidbits for your approval to help ensure a very merry, safe, healthy and

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

*All tips and pics from DEADPOOL KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE (2012) # 1-4

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2011 From A TURKEY of a DUCK! WAUGH!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

to all my American friends!

(And a Happy Thursday, to all the rest of the world.)

From Howard the Duck and Beverly Switzer!

Since my previous Thanksgiving posts dealt with Doctor Strange (the Sanctum Sanctorum as a part of the MACY's Thanksgiving Day Parade [HERE]), (the culinary tastes of Doctor Strange -[HERE]), I was looking for some sort of image that might feature either of my other blog-centric characters (Man-Thing, ROM; Spaceknight, etc...) and thought that it shouldn't be too difficult to find one of Howard the Duck facing the fate of a Thanksgiving Day turkey.
Face to face (so to speak) with a cooked cousin.

Turns out... it has been hinted at, and alluded to, but never shown outright.
Weird. I would have thought the threat of being plucked, stuffed and basted would have been a default threat for our favorite feathered fowl.

But, not to be deterred, I came across some stills from the 1986 Howard The Duck film and I knew that I had found my image(s).

Seen as a TURKEY in its own right, that movie, while ROASTED, and lambasted for the gastrointestinal discomfort experienced by most (if not all) of those who have ever seen it, has always held a sweet spot in my heart.
I always come back for a second-helping.
Seriously. I truly like that movie, Marvel's very FIRST official big-screen outing.

And one of the reasons is Lea Thompson, as Howard's human love; Beverly Switzer.

So, without further ado... I present some pics (trust me, there are plenty more - and far naughtier photos - that I could have posted) to show Howard... OBVIOUSLY THANKFUL for the bounty which has come into his life!

(The easiest jokes would be something about: "would you prefer breast or thigh?", stuffing, a wishbone and saying grace... but I won't do it.)

I, however, am thankful for many things, not the least of which are my many readers and the fine friendship which they show to me and my blog.

I love you all.

Howard does too.

THANKSGIVING THAUMATURGICAL TASTE TEST! -or-BY THE ONION RINGS OF OSHTUR... THE MASTER OF THE MASTICATING ARTS!

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THANKSGIVING IS HERE! *

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...and as such, besides being a day for the giving of thanks for what we have, it has also become a day synonymous with stuffing a turkey (or tofurfky for the vegans) and stuffing your face!

A lavish table of many courses, side dishes and deserts is usually in the offing, and in many places, extravagantly prepared fine-dining experiences are to be had.

Surely one would expect one such as Doctor Stephen Strange, a man surrounded by the trappings of wealth and taste (as well as a live-in man-servant) to be well versed in the culinary delights of Haute cuisine.

One would expect the likes of Doctor Strange to always be seated at a well-laid table, spread with every type of delicacy.
And yet, I tell you that is not the case.
Doctor Strange is a man of basic food tastes!
No gourmand, he.

Oh, certainly... scenes can be found that will show Strange sitting at a lavishly prepared table, but those are few and far between, and in the instances that I found, he is not eating. He may be reading a tome at the table, or in the company of others, but more often than not, he is not actually eating the fine cuisine.

Now...it being late Autumn, on the cusp of Winter, many may say that the season for BBQ (Bar-b-Que) is over and done.

Well, those fickle, fair-weather feeders are NOT the Master of the Mystic (and Masticating) Arts.

It seems that Doctor Strange has a deep hankering for hot-dogs, hamburgers and the Roving Rings of Red-Onion!

As they say, the proof is in the pudding... or the potato-salad as the case may be, because as of late, I have seen many instances to prove my statement.

I received the following trading card by the awesome blog-master over at "Strange Occasions" (check him out... he's fab!)

The card, a rare promo for the Super Hero Squad collectible card game features Doc making a CheeseBurger. A sorcerous "slider", as it were.

"Anticipation!"

(readers under 30 will have no idea what I'm referring to here)

By coincidence or design, the original sketches for Doctor Strange for the Super Hero Squad show have him conjuring a singing, dancing hot-dog.

"Oh, I wish I had an Oscar Mayer wiener..." 

Lest you think that all I can procure are SHS images... from DEADPOOL and CABLE # 49 (reprinted in the recently released Deadpool & Cable Ultimate Collection Vol. 03 TPB ) is this little scene...

"By the Onion Rings of Burger King - - You Are Undone!"

And, to show that this is not merely relegated to recent happenstance, and that Doc's more mundane taste in foodstuffs goes back a bit further in history... readers of this blog well remember this shirt (that I blogged about along with many other Dr. Strange related garments [HERE])...

"By the Salaminous Buns of Poupon!"

DOCTOR STRANGE conjuring forth some eats while wearing a Bar-B-Que bib!

"I want a hamburger... no, cheeseburger. I want a hot dog..."

Designed as the OFFICIAL shirt worn at the Marvel company PICNIC in 1996, it sets up an early precedent for Strange's more "American" palette.

But, that's not even the EARLIEST such example of Dr. Strange's unrefined gourmet leanings...

No.
From 1972, in the pages of Marvel Premiere # 4 is THIS little scene:

A deeper unfathomable unknown than even the most cosmic mysteries is... 
from what exactly is a hot dog made?
Doc don't know. Doc don't care.

"Oh, sure," I hear you say... "Pick the few scenes of Strange eating junk from a few sources"...
Well, what would you say if I showed you proof positive that Doctor Strange not only EATS such street-level meals, but he also PREPARES recipes for same?


The 1977 MARVEL SUPERHEROES COOKBOOK featured several "recipes" by Dr. Stephen Strange:

"Add 1 Eye of Newt. 2 Wings of Bat. A pinch of powdered dragon scales..."

One such recipe was for "DR. STRANGE's MYSTERIOUS STEW".

Now, while stew may be one of MY personal favorites, and while it might entail some "cooking", it is basically tossing whatever you have into a pot of water and putting it to a near boil.
Hardly anything fit for a banquet table.

Strange also offered a little side-dish:
SALAD!

Doctor Strange tosses salad... oh, man... And a fruit salad at that.

Strange's tossed salad isn't specified on the page, however there is one for "Deviled Ham Salad". That sounds appropos...

Still, the illustration shows Doc levitating FRUIT into a crystal vessel of some sort, so... it's most likely a fruit salad (another favorite of mine).

Basically, nothing more than chopping up whatever fruit you have lying around and tossing it into a bowl.

Sensing a pattern yet?
No?

OK. This last one will definitely set it all to light.

Bachelor Chow!

"Doctor Strange, INSTANT EATERY!"

And I quote:

"INSTANT EATERY IS ANY FOOD THAT YOU CAN GRAB FROM THE REFRIGERATOR OR BREAD BOX AND PUT IN YOUR MOUTH WITHOUT COOKING IT."

And that is Awesome!
Judging by our shared style of food preparation... it looks like perhaps I AM INDEED Doctor Strange.

So, as many of us sit to sup with friends and family and (hopefully) enjoy a well-cooked meal, let's remember poor Stephen Strange and his hot-dog and finger-food tastes.

It's a good thing that WONG is around to cook his meals.

 

Oh, Nevermind.

Happy Thanksgiving, to all! 

Tamam Shud!
~P~

*

(For those in the United States it is always on the 4th Thursday in November. Canadian Thanksgiving is on the 2nd Monday of October. Sadly, most other countries do not have such a holiday. More so's the pity)

ANGELS on Earth. -or- BEHOLD... METATRON!

THINGS that MUST be SAID.

I have had the pleasure of being a recipient of some recent good - becoming acquainted - via the internet - with someone who brought forth pure, kind light to my small corner of dim reality and showed me that sometimes, good does happen to good people - because of good people.

Reader, (and online presence) SUSANNAH had felt my grief several months back, when, after my job downsizing, I lamented my loss of laptops with which to post content on my blogs. I have tower machines, and had been trying to keep up a pace of blogging, but due to my life situation; looking for jobs, taking care of things around the house, packing for a relocation, most of my "free" blogging hours were late at night, tapping away on laptops - since my towers are hard to access while the household sleeps.

Susannah perhaps saw, in me, a good enough person with a worthwhile enough message, ( - hey, some of my posts are positive and spiritually uplifting - when I'm not bashing Bendis' latest handling of Dr. Strange ... or maybe she prefers it WHEN I'm doing that,) dealing with a fan-site of Doctor Strange, a character usually favored by those with a more, spiritual, mystical nature (as well as the Man-Thing, an empathic, tortured soul, and ROM - an ultimate do-gooder and hero), and saw that perhaps such a blog and blogger might be aided by an act of kindness.

More likely still, she was - in herself - a good person with ample kindness to share.

Such a good-natured soul, she stated that she really did not desire/require any public mention or acknowledgment, now or ever. It was "no big thing" to her.
However, what she thought of as "no big thing" was, to me a gesture of pure goodness.

After a few emails, where we shared some thoughts on the deeper meanings of things, Susannah sent me a huge box - filled with technological delight.

BEHOLD... METATRON!

"Dude... you're getting a DELL!"

Susannah awed me with this complete blogger's dream.
She gave me an AWESOME package of things that she said she was no longer using and that they would be better served by me than languishing in a closet or being sold off.

I want her to know that even if the system wasn't as wicked cool as it is, even if it were a broken down clunker - it would still be an amazing and most appreciated act of kindness.

However, it isn't a clunker at all.
A Dell Inspiron 6000, 1.86 GHz Centrino, with multiple USB ports and DVD-RW drive.
It's hefty! Weighing about 7 lbs, so I don't have to handle it with kid gloves.
And she included a flat USB-powered fan that can be placed underneath (my lap thanks her even more for that - ouchie! Hot! Hot! Hot!).

With a dedicated graphics card, It has a 75GB HD, 2GB of RAM and a wireless modem in it.
The 15.1" WXGA screen is hi-res (1920 x 1024) so it's good for doing Photoshop and Illustrator work and watching DVDs (which, I will admit to doing).

Even though I spent most of my time over the past several years on MACs, this Dell PC's OS is WinXP Pro SP3, which is a close enough approximation to Mac's OSX that I fell seamlessly into it.

But that wasn't all!
Aside from the machine that was loaded with software, she also included an 600GB External HD - jam packed with goodies, AND wireless mice and wireless USB adaptor.
That, (and some swell comic-themed books) all inside a beautiful carry bag.

To perhaps better illuminate her more 'spiritual' nature, I should note that she named the system; Metatron.

For those who are unaware, Metatron has been referred to as one of the (if not "the") highest of the Seraphim (and, not merely the "Shields of the..." kind); the highest choir of Angels, and is the scribe and message-bearer of Heaven under God.
(For comic-book fans, see the Kevin Smith movie; DOGMA. Alan Rickman plays Metatron - for some laughs.)

She told me that I could rename it, but why would I?
That is its name and I honor that.
(I also don't rename pets if I take in one that already has a name. I may give added nick-names, but you are who you are. Not who I want you to be.)

Sadly, due to my packing up the house the past few months, I hadn't had a chance to use Metatron as much as I'd have wished.

I'm still intent on wrapping up my remaining reviews, and showcasing more swag from my SANCTUM collection (which, truthfully was the main reason for my starting this blog), but since things are mostly packed up in boxes (from a relocation that was aborted - after I already moved half of our house to the new place - ugh - more on that craziness later), I've been doing little hit-and-run posts here and there for the past month or so.

Still, before I could even start to get back in the swing of things, I had to give thanks where thanks are most honestly deserved.
I needed to give this glowing post to honor a "fan"/ friend/ kind (kindred) soul who has gone way above and beyond the call.
I should not fail to also give thanks to Susannah's husband, who - when she said that she'd be giving this stuff away said "OK" and even packed it up to be shipped out to me.

And, they are not alone.
I often get notes, comments and emails expressing good thoughts and kind wishes - from all corners of the web. There are good people out there, often drowned out by the snark and grousing.

But I wanted - NEEDED - to give thanks to those who helped me out for no other reason than that they are awesome.

Thank you.

"Tamam Shud!"
~P~

HOUSING CRISIS : SANCTUS INTERRUPTUS Part IV - SANCTUM on PARADE - a THANKSGIVING DAY SPECIAL EDITION

* Part III in this series: here *
* Part II in this series: here *
* Part I in this series: here *

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A Happy Thanksgiving Day to our American readers!
(To all the other - most welcome - readers from other spots around the globe - we gave Thanks for you as well!)

Today's entry sees the Sanctum Sanctorum in a pitched and chaotic battle - between the forces of good and evil on the very streets of New York City... when the Sanctum Sanctorum was transported through the street for the annual
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

This occurred only TWO TIMES!
Once in 01987 and the other in 01989!

------------- 1987 -------------

Witness the HULK tearing down a section of a tower, as Captain America, Wolverine and other heroes are in gloriously campy combat with The Enchantress, Dr. Doom, Magneto and other villains!

The Sanctum is the centerpiece setting to the whole battle royale!




The Sanctum Sanctorum might have only suffered some minor damage in the conflagration (that clock-tower that the Hulk tears down... is technically a part of it for all intents and purposes), but luckily for our purposes - AND the DAY's... we can safely present it here.

------------- 1989 -------------

And although, the set / float was used only one other time (in 1989), one would have to logically assume that by now, the float and the Sanctum have long been dismantled.

However, we can still watch this madcap pantomime battle any time (with special vocal guest Melba Moore - lipsynching to "I need a Hero").

Special note: the female TV personality who is introducing the float gets ALL her facts wrong. See if YOU can count how many mistakes she makes!

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Dimly remembered glimpses of that first parade from Thanksgiving Day 1987, swirled through my mind for many years.

I had only caught a second or two from out of the corner of my eye when it was live on the air, but that WINDOW design was all I needed to see - for even a fraction of a second - to then be consumed with locating a copy of this video footage.

For YEARS I searched records libraries and called tv stations looking for a copy of the footage - all to no avail.

Then, almost two decades later, I came across it during a routine search on the internet * and I was able to relive the half-remembered (to the point where I had wondered if I had just IMAGINED this) awesome parade float.

To see Doctor Strange and the Sanctum Sanctorum given such prominence...
it's a thing of beauty!
Like a full-scale "Marvel World" playset brought to glorious life!


A destroyed Sanctum in any way, shape or form is still a destroyed Sanctum and as such - should be showcased here for this special series.

* Many thanks to X-E for the files!

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Series Continues - here in:
HOUSING CRISIS : SANCTUS INTERRUPTUS
- Part V -
Wolves at the Door and Ghosts in the Attic
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