*I’m sitting here in the Tweed County Airport. As you can imagine, “big” is not a word used to describe this place. In fact, my arrival increased the airport’s population by 1/3.

But that’s not the interesting part. No. The interesting part is that when you look up at the roof, all you see are white, 3-inch, nails sticking through the ceiling. And we’re not talking one or two nails we’re talking hundreds. If I weren’t lazy I’d count them. Maybe I need to consider getting Craig to hire an intern for me. That sounds like a good job for an intern.

*Staring at the ceiling has made me think that the airport was constructed by the builders who brought you the Temple of Doom. (It’s also made the people around me look at me like I’m crazy)

*Just as long as I never encounter the “Seat cushion of Doom” I think I’ll be happy.

*While on the plane I read the Delta Skymiles magazine. Inside was an article on the new Batman Begins movie. Now I’ve been pretty excited about this movie. It’s about time a Batman movie was done in seriousness – and not that bizarre way Tim Burton likes to direct movies.

Unfortunately my enthusiasm has declined a bit after that article. It said that Batman trained under Ra’s Al-Guhl. Is that true? I’ve never heard that before. Now granted I don’t know a ton about the early years of Batman, but I would have figured I would have heard that before. But perhaps someone can enlighten me.

Secondly, it said that Bruce Wayne discovers his batsuit in the caves beneath his mansion. Why would someone leave an unused Batman suit there? That’s a question that seriously needs to be answered before I’m willing to really enjoy the movie. (update: before going to “press” I learned that Lucius Fox is the one who gave Batman his suit and all of his gadgets. That’s just awful. Part of what makes Batman cool is the fact that he tinkers/designs/invents a lot of his own gear. This, in my opinion, fundamentally changes the character of Batman. This doesn’t bode well for the movie…)

*A few weeks ago I talked about the “Batman Begins” race. At the time I didn’t know this, but there’s a Batman Begins truck for the Craftsman Truck Series race at Michigan International Speedway. Sad. Just sad.

*One last thing about Batman Begins (for this week that is!). I like the fact that they seem to use the shadows well. That’s what separates Batman comic books/cartoons from the movies. Being in the dark doesn’t make batman. Being in the shadows is what makes him. Anything that makes him look shadow-like only brings him closer to the true nature of his character.

*I saw the DVD version of Danger Mouse the other day. Now for those of you who may not have the pleasure of knowing who Danger Mouse was, let me just say this, he was the character James Bond would have been, if Bond was a mouse. With his trusty sidekick, Penfold, DM would fight the evil that was Baron Greenback.

The episodes actually hold up pretty well. I was concerned when the DVD was first popped into the DVD player. I feared that like many of my other favorite childhood shows I would watch Danger Mouse and realize it was awful. Fortunately it was actually very much like I remember it. Part action, part dry British wit, and part spy gadgets, all set in the animal kingdom, how can you go wrong with that concept?!

*One interesting trivia bit, the unaired pilot episode referred to Greenback as “Greenteeth”. I think they made the right decision to change is name from “teeth” to “back”! Every time they mentioned “Greenteeth” I had an almost uncontrollable urge to run into the bathroom and brush my teeth!

*I’ve never really been that big of a Superman fan. Sure I like the guy, and think he’s an interesting character. But I’ve never really been inclined to buy any of his titles. Until last month’s issue of Superman. I thought the story was fantastic. It perfectly encapsulated the agony that I think Superman feels: that desire to be normal, to not be super, yet always trapped with that power.

I’ve always thought of Superman as being the most burdened of all heroes. He feels such responsibility, even more than Batman feels, towards protecting the innocent. And when he fails he takes it personally. He’s not able to retreat into the shadows like Batman. Or remain “aloof” like the Lantern Corp. Or turn to alcohol and fighting like Green Arrow. No. When he fails, it’s a public spectacle and he has to wear a “happy face” so people don’t lose faith. Because after all Superman embodies hope to most of the DC Universe, and if Superman loses hope so do a lot of other people.

Of course we all know if there’s one thing people love more than an unselfish hero, it’s a fallen hero.

*I’m amazed at the fact that the Identity Crisis issues keep selling out. Have all the separate 4 story lines had to go back to reprinting?

*Once again we reach the end of the column. Things should be settling down into a more predictable pattern for the next few weeks. So we can all look forward to more Off the Cuff’s. One last thing, I have a new Beyond Fact & Fiction up this week. It’s about useful real-world superpowers. You will hopefully enjoy it. Until then!

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