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Author Archives: Rick D. Williams
Captain America: Alternate Visions and Versions
In the12-issue series, Avengers Forever (1998-99, Kurt Busiek), Captain America and several fellow Avengers past, present, and future are drawn through time by perenial foe Kang the Conqueror to help him fight his own future self, Immortus. Brought from just … Continue reading
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Other Super-Soldiers?
Before we move on to beginning of Steve Rogers’ career as Captain America, let’s take a brief aside to consider the consequences of Prof. Erskine’s demise. The presumption that the serum, if it could be recreated, would work on anyone … Continue reading
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Becoming Captain America (part 2)
This narrative attempts to bring together in a seamless account all the diverse elements depicted in the comics listed in Part 1. The base story line is that of CAC #1 (March 1941), with later additions and embellishments as documented. … Continue reading
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The Presidential Election of 2017 (?)
Donald Trump appears to be on his way to the Republican nomination, but fear not; this may wind up being, if nothing else, an excellent chance for a Civics lesson! Welcome to class. Most folks have forgotten (or never knew) … Continue reading
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Becoming Captain America (part 1)
Captain America’s initial origin story is told in his first published appearance in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941; hereafter CAC). Over the years numerous Timely/Marvel writers have enhanced, embellished (and sometimes confused!) his story. Two significant “modern” story arcs … Continue reading
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Glory and Stone
What follows is the text of the Commencement Address given to the class of 2014 at Judah Christian School, Champaign, Illinois. These graduating Seniors were all in my Worldviews class, and I sincerely thank them for the opportunity to spend … Continue reading
Posted in Worldviews
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Another Christmas . . .
“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent … Continue reading
Posted in Classics
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Lewis’s “Leap in the Dark”
C. S. Lewis was brought up in the Church of England but left any childhood faith behind as soon as his independent circumstances and the demands of compulsory church attendance allowed, and in response to what he felt his intellectual … Continue reading
Posted in Classics, Worldviews
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Pain & Sorrow: Human Suffering and “The Good God”
In The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis brings all of his philosophical and critical skill to bear in responding to this classic contra Deum claim: “If God were good, He would wish to make his creatures perfectly happy, and … Continue reading
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The Weight of Story: Marvels and “What Really Matters”
In his essay, “On Stories,” C. S. Lewis employs the marvelous word “Redskinnery” to describe “what really mattered to him” when he read stories set in the western American frontier. “Take away the feathers, the high cheek-bones, the whiskered trousers, … Continue reading
Posted in Classics, Comics, Worldviews
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