This
blog entry will focus on the many weapons or special items that heroes carry
that either gives them their powers or is an actual part of the hero. For this
post, I won't be just focusing on Marvel or DC, I'm going to mix it up just
because there are interesting characters on both sides.
The
first weapon is the mystical hammer of Thor, which when I starting
brainstorming about characters, had popped up right away. I cannot think of any
character that symbolizes how important their weapon is to them. Ask any comic fan
about Thor and they will always mention the hammer of Mjolnir which first
appeared in "Journey Into Mystery" issue #83. Mjolnir translated
means "Crusher" or " The Grinder" and it lives up to its
name. There is also an engraving on the hammer that says that only those truly
worthy may wield the mighty hammer. Another interesting aspect of the hammer is
that Thor can summon lightning and when thrown at a opponent, it will always
return to Thor's hand. In fact, if Thor were to ever drop the hammer and a
villain attempts to use it against him, it won't allow the opponent to pick it
up due to the fact that they are not worthy. Many a foe has fallen to the
mighty hammer which was forged from the core of a star and I believe there will
be more to come.
The next weapon on the list is Captain America's shield. I feel like there is
no other hero that is defined by his weapon than Captain America. If you take a
good look at Cap's shield, it even holds the same colour code as his uniform.
An interesting fact about the shield is that Cap has used different versions of
the shield over the years. His first shield wasn't even circular - in fact it had
a badge shape to it and it was made of a bullet proof alloy. Later on in 2001,
we find out that one of the elements in Cap's shield is vibranium: which is an
alien alloy that is very strong and powerful and this adds to the uniqueness of
the weapon. I personally love Captain America's shield because not only is it
visual appealing, but it's a symbol to his enemies that like his shield,
Captain America is strong and will protect innocence from harm. 
Next on the list is Batman's utility belt. I want to make an important point before
I get into the belt and its importance to The Caped Crusader. I believe in my
years of reading Batman books that it is Bruce's mind that is his ultimate
weapon and not any gadgets that he carries. He is the Sherlock Holmes of the
comic universe but more badass! It's important to realize that being mortal in a
world that has power houses like Superman and Wonder Woman, it's Batman's
intellect and perseverance that helps him stand among the heavy weights.
However, I'm not going to focus on Batman's mind but rather his belt that in its
own right, is just as incredible. At first glance, it doesn't look like much
but if you look at the buckle it's actually a camera and sometimes a recorder.
Then you have a back compartment which holds his batarangs. Batman also has
little capsules that help him when dealing with a gas attack from his enemies
or if he's been poisoned. In his pouches which are located near the front of the
belt, he usually keeps things like gas pellets or he might have a piece of
kryptonite just in case. By the way, if you're thinking that it's probably easy
for a villain to steal Batman's belt...think again!! His belt is created where if
you're not Bruce Wayne, you're getting the shock of your life!!! So for these
reasons I listed and much more is why Batman's utility belt is not only iconic
but also reflects its owner's personality.
Last on my list is Green Lantern's power ring. This ring is among the most
synonymous weapons that a reader identifies with a character. When asked, "what's
the first thing you think of when talking about Green Lantern," it's
always the ring. I'm not a huge fan of Green Lantern but I find the power ring
a really cool weapon. Imagine you can create weapons or cars or even a whole
city with one thought. Well this can all happen if you're wearing the ring
because it gives the wearer the ability to create any object with a single thought.
This comes in use when fighting an enemy under water where you might have to
create a submarine. Let's also say you have to fight an underground opponent
and you might need a drill to dig deep into the earth? With your power ring,
you just envision it and it comes to life!! Another aspect of the ring that I
love is that it's powered by will. Therefore in a battle with an opponent that
is stronger than you, it's ultimately your will and the power of the ring that
will power you through. If there are any limits or flaws to this weapon is that
it's weakness is to the colour yellow. This weakness makes it difficult for
Green Lantern to battle opponents such as Sinistro and his yellow Lanterns.
However this weapon should be admired for simplicity and it's great power!
Well that's it for this blog post and I hope you have enjoyed reading my blogs
because I have really enjoyed writing them. I will do an anime themed blog post
soon so keep an eye out;)
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In keeping with the theme of heroes and weapons, this week's
On My Shelf item is the first appearance of the X-O Manowar armour which
premiered in issue # 1, February 1992. This Valiant comic had a low print run
of 40,000 copies which makes it a really rare book!
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