The real deal: A collector's guide to finding authentic memorabilia

Over the last couple of years, we've had some awesome ("Guardians of the Galaxy") and not-so-awesome ("Fantastic Four") superhero movies, and that's great for a fan like me. Now that we've seen movies about some of the comic book world's most popular heroes like Superman, Batman, Iron Man, Spiderman, and the Avengers, though, I think it's high time Hollywood started mining deeper into vaults for other more interesting though probably not as famous heroes.

Image source: dc.wikia.com

For instance, I think a movie focusing on DC's Teen Titans is a great idea. Not only is this team of mostly-sidekicks a formidable team of heroes, but they're also younger than the Justice League, so there's an opportunity for teen angst, romance, and hijinks. Plus, some of their regular villains are actually scary such as Deathstroke, the mercenary, and Trigon, who's basically the devil in the DC Universe. I'd also recommend a movie about the multi-generational team of Justice Society of America. I think crime-fighting and navigating relationships between old and novice superheroes can be fun.
On the Marvel side of things, it might be cheating since he's already been in a movie but I'd love to see Hawkeye in his own motion picture, especially as based on the Matt Fraction comics run. I don't know how they might translate the artwork onscreen if it's live action, but that's a great challenge – perhaps one only a superhero can solve. I also recommend a movie starring the perfect for all ages Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. It has an adorable and super-smart lead, Moon Girl, and it has a powerful, intelligent red dinosaur, Devil Dinosaur. This has tremendous potential to be a fun holiday movie for the entire family.

Image source: sequart.org

Finally, for more serious fare, there's Darkhorse's Concrete. He's a superhero as much as a guy whose brain was transplanted by aliens into concrete-like body can be. He performs mundane and extraordinary tasks with varying levels of success while contemplating his humanity inside a concrete shell. If there ever was a philosophical superhero movie, it'd be this.
I'm Bradley J. Sterling, and if you couldn't already tell, I'm a big fan of superhero movies. Follow this blog for more of my thoughts on superhero movies and my other interests.

Harrigan and Hart: A harmonious partnership

In 1985, one of the most celebrated theatrical partnerships in history was commemorated with a musical that opened on Broadway. Although “Harrigan ‘n Hart” was reviewed as dull and aimless by critics and audiences, the collaboration of Ned Harrigan and Tony Hart was far from fruitless. 

Image source: remainstobeseen.com

The contribution of Harrigan to the arts is quite incomparable; he would not be considered as a founding father of modern American musical theatre otherwise. 

His career started as a comedian in minstrel shows and variety entertainment before he found his niche in the production of multi-act plays that were composed of not just singing and dancing, but also physical comedy. In the late 19th century, he wrote plays that evoked the sentiments of the thousands of immigrants in New York at that time. 

But it was not until Harrigan’s partnership with the actor Hart, along with a significant contribution from musical director David Braham, that Harrigan reached immense success. 

The musical comedies they made featured characters and scenarios of the everyday lives of the lower classes of New York during the 1870s. Harrigan found the majority of the elements of his plays by observing and eavesdropping on the streets and social clubs. 

Image source: twitter.com

Aside from the plays’ themes, their collaboration laid the groundwork for what would become the American musical comedy form. One particular technique they innovated was the use of songs to signify the progression of stage actions. 

Broadway would not be where it is now if it were not for Harrigan and Hart. 

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