I finished my exams yesterday, they’re probably not going to be great because I’m an idiot and spent the days leading up to them doing stuff like that picture right there. Look, if you leave me in a room alone with a pile of yellow paper and one of those pens with four different colours, you’re going to get a picture that’s mainly green and red.
Anyway, that’s supposed to be Ireland’s national hero in the Marvel Universe Shamrock (she beat Captain America once, no foolin’). Not as awe inspiringly racist as any time Banshee opened his mouth and said something Chris Claremont wrote, but what she does have is and IRA related origin and a ridiculous speech pattern which I “cannae” figure out.
Her basic deal is she’s from Dunshaughlin, her dad was in the IRA, went to a magic mountain and asked “the gods” to give his son super powers, presumable so he could write Brit’s out on walls at superhuman speeds. However, kick to the teeth of all kicks to the teeth; they gave the powers to his daughter Molly instead. Obviously because she’s Irish her power are that she’s super lucky, which is a dopey power to have in a visual medium and just leads to lost of explaining why something completely stupid just happened was because o’ your lucky charms. The thing is though that shes not actually lucky, shes just has an army of ghosts following her around moving stuff and tripping people up for her. Oh and the ghosts the innocent victims of war in Ireland, I’m guessing this was pretty topical in 1982.
She didn’t really catch on though, according to Comic Vine shes only really made about 6 or 7 real appearances, the last of which (until tomorrow at least) was in 1997 where she showed up as a world famous hairdresser (despite being a teacher in every other appearance) and cut Kitty Pryde’s hair having retired as a super hero because she fell over in the shower and assumed her luck ran out (because assuming her army of ghosts just thought it was rude to stand around watching her shower on the off chance she’ll fall over would be silly.)*
Shamrock is however making a comeback in one of the stories in issue two of Girl Comics (its an anthology series written and drawn by, get this, GIRLS!?). You can check out the preview here: Page 1 and page 2. Apparently when she was away she’s gotten ffffaaaaaaaaatttttttt.
Despite the stupid cannae bit I’m kind of excited. Kathryn Immonen has written some awful comics but her Hellcat mini series was fun and sort of the same theme so it might not be as soul crushing as the mess she left Runaways in, and even if it is fat superheroes are inherently funny so it all might just be ok.
We’ll see tomorrow.
*I forgot to mention that her father once drugged her and tried to sell her to a Nazi robot scientist with his face on his chest. (I never said comics weren’t stupid).
Every time I see someone joining the 52,015 people who are already members of the Facebook group “Im [sic] Not An Alcoholic, Im [sic]Irish..There’s A Difference”, I wonder would people be ok with a group called “I’m not mean with money, I’m Jewish there’s a difference” or “its not that I can’t swim, Its just because I’m black”.
The idea that claiming to be the most negative stereotype of your country is somehow a sign of national pride doesn’t really make a hell of a lot of sense. But then again what do I know? I’m just a potato eatin’ paddy who like fightin’.
Starro the Conqueror to goats.
So last night I had a dream about Starro the Conqueror, who as you may or may not know is a giant extraterrestrial starfish who fights the Justice League by raining down smaller star fish which take over your mind ala a facehugger from the Alien franchise.
Sure it was a dream where everyone I know turns on me and tries to force an evil alien parasite on my face, but despite currently taking a course on the meaning of dreams I’m not going to read into it. However I am going to bring it up during his next psychoanalysis class to confuse the people who take their dreams too seriously and air aspects of their personal life to a class full of strangers.
That doesn’t actually bother me though, its just not really my bag. What does bother me is astonishingly ignorant people offering there opinions to a class full of people as though they’ve had a massive break though.
For instance the girl who suggested at the fact people “like the Irish” balances out that whole unpleasant raping of children in state institutions business, or my own personal favourite the fake tan abusing “um I don’t know why we can’t like, just send boats full of goats to Africa you know?” girl. I swear to god she said that in front of 300 people in total seriousness.
*Sigh*
God bless her heart, at least she’s not saying that child abuse is a necessary evil to ensure people keep on making Kiss me I’m Irish t-shirts………. On second thought maybe having a giant alien starfish controlling everyone’s mind might avoid that sort of thing. Starro old buddy, you’re not all bad.
