The Sentinel of Liberty. Comic art by John Cassady.

November 1979. It's hard to know where to start listing the many flaws of the 2018 SOLO movie, but one of the big ones was the casting of the perennially lifeless Emilia Clarke as Han Solo's dull childhood girlfriend Qi'ra, who, aside from being bland as porridge, is also an awful lot whiter than many of Han's past girlfriends in the STAR WARS books and comics.

The earliest example of Han's exes of color, at least in terms of publication history, is Fiolla of Lorrd (shown above and below), the costar of HAN SOLO'S REVENGE, the second Brian Daley Han Solo novel, first released in late 1979. Fiolla (whose full name is Hart-and-Parn Gorra-Fiolla of Lorrd) is a Corporate Sector Authority auditor who crosses paths with Han. Deplorably, fan art of Fiolla, and some more recent book jacket cover art, has tried to make her look white, or at least much lighter-skinned than the text describes her. These illustrations by Mike Vilardi from the 1993 HAN SOLO AND THE CORPORATE SECTOR SOURCEBOOK attempt to follow Daley's description, but only the one below is as dark as Daley says Fiolla is:

Appearing on newsstands just weeks after HAN SOLO'S REVENGE was the first Marvel STAR WARS ANNUAL, written by Chris Claremont, which introduces another of Han's old flames: his former smuggling shipmate Katya M'Buele:

Katya unfortunately meets a bad end at the hands of the old enemy to whom their conversation in the panels above alludes. (Chris Claremont's tendency to introduce Black women into his stories and then use them as punching bags is a whole other conversation.)

While Fiolla would probably regard Han as a dubious flirtation that would never have worked out anyway, and the Claremont story leaves some ambiguity about whether Han and Katya were lovers or just good friends, Salla Zend, introduced by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy in the 1992 DARK EMPIRE miniseries, is unequivocally Han's former girlfriend:

More recently, the 2015 STAR WARS series introduced Sana Starros, who actually introduces herself to Leia (in a story set between STAR WARS and EMPIRE) as Han's wife:

Their marriage is subsequently revealed to have been part of a scam, and Sana's later appearances indicate that she prefers women (meaning that Han has the dubious honor of sharing an ex with everyone's favorite unscrupulous disaster lesbian, Chelli Lona Aphra).

However, all this means that Han's checkered relationship history includes at least four Black women. I'm well aware that the likelihood of this being reflected in a big-budget STAR WARS movie was very low, and the racism of the studio and of fandom would have almost certainly made life hellish for any Black woman cast in the role of Han Solo's first girlfriend. Given how dismissively SOLO kills off the Val character (played by Thandiwe Newton) — a death Newton says originally wasn't supposed to be final — the misogynoir was already pronounced. However, the above prose and comics stories were all approved by Lucasfilm and are, or at least were, as close to canonical as any STAR WARS tie-in ever is.

Captain America #750 by J.M. DeMatteis, Gail Simone, Stephanie Williams, Carmen Carnero, Daniel Acuña, Rachael Stott, Sara Pichelli and many more. Cover by Gary Frank. Variant covers by (2) Ernanda Souza, (3,4,5) John Cassady (in red, white and blue) and (6) John Romita Sr. Out in July.

"SPECIAL ISSUE #750! THE CAPTAINS AMERICA MOURN THEIR FALLEN! After the harrowing events of CAPTAIN AMERICA: COLD WAR, the Captains America return home to mourn their fallen – and strive to honor the power of legacy. Plus: The secret origin of Sam Wilson’s new shield revealed, and a bold new direction for Sharon Carter! In honor of 750 issues of CAPTAIN AMERICA, a team of fan-favorite guest writers join forces with superstar artists to spin timeless tales celebrating the epic history of the star-spangled hero! Don’t miss this jam-packed oversized issue!"

Astonishing X-Men #3: Gifted

by Joss Whedon; John Cassady; Laura Martin and Chris Eliopoulos

Marvel

John Cassady - Buck Rogers

WWE: Battleground 2016

I have decided to watch one of the PPVs that got me back into wrestling fully and still my favorite wrestling PPV ever: Battleground 2016. Here's some thoughts, I won't spoil any real results in case someone wants to follow along. Just because I kept some of my reactions doesn't mean a match was good or bad, I just have more thoughts about certain matches than others.

Pre-Show: Breezango vs The Usos Fun match. Hilarity, great tag team action and some fun spots.

Charlotte and Dana vs Sasha Banks and her Mystery Partner Put Emma and Dana back together and have them go after the Women's tag team titles. Do it you cowards! This was all just a big set up for Sasha vs. Charlotte at Summerslam and the mystery partner made it for me. But damn, Charlotte got booed. Dana Brooke and Charlotte were a fun team for a bit but they never really capitalized on it.

One of my favorite debuts ever. And Sasha was so proud of the reaction.

The New Days vs. The Wyatt Family God, I miss the New Day. And I hope Bray's ok, cause his absence is really starting to worry me. And I hope Big E and Kofi are recovering and come back. And I hope Erick Rowan is still doing well and adding to his collection of excellent music t-shirts. This match was kind of weird but Woods being frozen kind of was dumb. This was the final match before Braun actually became truly a monster amongst men, James Ellsworth came and went and Bray and Erick went to Smackdown. The overall RAW versus Smackdown commentary on this entire event including the main event kind of distracted from some of the matches, honestly. Still though, this match is free on Youtube: https://youtu.be/R6CrMJs90qI

Rusev vs. Zack Ryder (US Championship) Rusev smash and Zack Ryder babyface.

Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens The match that fully got me invested and back into wrestling. Sami vs. Nakamura actually lured me back into wrestling, but this is what actually sold me on the storylines, the work, the fun. It's probably my all time favorite match because it got me back into a lost hobby. The Underdog from the Underground versus the Prize Fighter. I had been lapsed so I didn't know about their previous history in ROH. Owens mocked the crowd and he does need to turn back heel so he can do more mocking of the crowd. Zayn did a brainbuster on Owens on the ring apron, which proved how much WWE already trusted both of these guys in their decision making. The finish. "Why won't you stay down? Don't make me do this."

Becky Lynch vs. Natalya This match should have gotten more time. Becky had such a good babyface performance here. This was still solid, especially Pre-The Man. Still though, the full match is free: https://youtu.be/lMNC86wjl9w

The Miz vs. Darren Young (IC Match) Weird match, it had Marsye, Bob Backlund, Darren Young going into a hulk like rage. Very odd and prolly the dud of the night.

The Club vs. John Cena, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady It's kind of ironic I want Big Bill to join the Bullet Club Gold in AEW now because my favorite performance by him is still in this match. Enzo and Cass were so, so over and the inclusion of John Cena just made it all the better. I can't really stand Gallows or Anderson but AJ Styles is insane talent and just makes them worth it.

Chris Jericho, Randy Orton in the Highlight reel that just should have been on RAW This was also pre-Brock Lesnar beats the absolute tar out of Orton, which is still outside of chairshots to the head and stuff like that one of the times I've ever felt truly uncomfortable watching wrestling in. Just the biggest of OOFS now with hindsight. Still, Orton and Jericho had some back and forth lines. I hope Randy comes back soon.

Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns (WWE Championship) If the Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens match hadn't happened on this PPV, this match would have still gotten me back into wrestling. The Lunatic Fringe vs. the Architect versus Roman Reigns still in his Shield gear. Moxley and Seth are on the top of my list of favorite wrestlers and Roman has great to amazing level matches with just about anyone and any style. I'm not gonna get into the Tribal Chief thoughts here, but he's still a top level wrestling talent and also probably one of the safest workers in the business. Seth and Ambrose had to team up to overcome Vince McMahons booking at one point in a temporary alliance. They all traded shots amongst each other until they were all rocked. Seth Rollins tried to get them to do the Shield pose and Roman Reigns destroyed him. And I had missed all the Shield stuff during my lapse in wrestling fandom and this match still sold me on it with the promos WWE did for. The intro video to this PPV is also one of my absolute favorites. The trope RAW Is 3 hours long and needs Recaps is absolutely true with WWE sometimes, but they did this perfect.

Oh, I will say to close: Thank god JBL is no longer on commentary.

“Captain America” to Hit Milestone 750th Issue

Captain America is about to hit its 750th issue. The issue will address the aftermath of Captain America: Cold War as well as revealing the origin of Sam Wilson’s new shield and why he picked up the mantle again, showing a reunion between Steve and Bucky, and sending Sharon Carter into a new direction. The issue will also feature new backup stories.  

Writers for Captain America #750 are Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Tochi Onyebuchi, J.M. DeMatteis, Bail Simone, Dan Jurgens, Stephanie Williams, and Cody Ziglar. Artists for the over-sized issue are Carmen Carnero, R.B. Silva, Dan Jurgens, Daniel Acuña, Rachel Scott, Marcus Williams, and Sara Pichelli. The issue features a main cover by Gary Frank, a variant cover by George Perez, a virgin variant cover by Perez, a hidden gen variant cover by John Romita Sr., a variant cover by Adi Granov, a design variant cover by Carmen Carnero, a Marvel icon variant cover by Javier Garron, a Hellfire Gala variant cover by C.F. Villa, a variant cover by Ernanda Souza, a red variant cover by John Cassady, a white variant cover by Cassady, and a blue variant cover by Cassady.

Captain America #750 goes on sale on July 5, 2023.

(Image via Marvel Comics - Gary Frank’s Cover of Captain America #750)

Star Wars #1 (2015) variant cover by John Cassady

Honors and Awards

1st Place Winner of the Annual 18th USC Libraries Wonderland Awards, cosponsored by the Lewis Caroll Society of North America. Scored a unanimous 10/10 from each of the four judges, an award first. Used Generative AI, Photoshop, and referenced the John James Audubon Exhibit and the Cassady Archives. 2023.

Served as President of the USC QuestBridge chapter for the 2021-2022 school year.

2nd Place Winner of the USC Marshall X Blackstone Sustainability Pitch Competition. 2021

Generations: Phoenix and Jean Grey #1 by John Cassady

Birthdays 2.8

Beer Birthdays

Lüder Rutenberg; Beck's co-founder (1816)

A.J. Houghton (1830)

Andrew MacElhone; owner of Harry's New York Bar, Paris (1923)

Pat Mace (1960)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Samuel Butler; English poet (1612)

Charles Ruggles; actor (1886)

Joseph A. Schumpeter; economist (1883)

Bruce Timm; cartoonist, animator (1961)

Jules Verne; science fiction writer (1828)

Famous Birthdays

Brooke Adams; actor (1949)

Elizabeth Bishop; poet (1911)

Martin Buber; German writer, theologian (1878)

Richard Burton; English writer (1577)

Jim Capaldi; rock musician (1944)

Neal Cassady; writer (1926)

Kate Chopin; writer (1851)

Susan Clark; actor (1940)

Gary Coleman; actor (1968)

James Dean; actor (1931)

Edith Evans; actor (1888)

Seth Green; actor, comedian (1974)

John Grisham; writer (1955)

Bridgette Kerkove; porn actress (1977)

Robert Klein; comedian (1942)

Ted Koppel; television journalist (1940)

Alice Kramden; "Honeymooners'" tv character

Jack Larson; actor (1933)

Jack Lemmon; actor (1925)

Mathilda May; actor (1965)

Mary McCormack; actor (1969)

Audrey Meadows; actor (1926)

Dmitri Mendeleev; chemist (1834)

Buddy Morrow; bandleader (1919)

Vince Neil; rock musician (1961)

Nick Nolte; actor (1941)

Henry Roth; writer (1909)

John Rushkin; English writer, critic (1819)

Dan Seals; pop singer (1948)

William Tecumseh Sherman; Union general (1820)

Kimbo Slice; mixed martial artist (1974)

Mary Steenburgen; actor (1953)

Abi Titmuss; English model (1976)

Lana Turner; actor (1921)

Elbert King" Vidor; film director (1888)

John Williams; composer (1932)

I put on the first couple of episodes of MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS, Chris Black and Matt Fraction's cumbersomely titled Godzilla spinoff show (which I guess is a follow-on to the 2014 American GODZILLA movie, which I haven't seen). I thought it would be fun, but so far it mostly feels pretty hackish: It appears heavily inspired by the Warren Ellis/John Cassady Wildstorm comic PLANETARY, but everything about the narrative structure is unnecessarily convoluted and cryptic, presumably in an effort to seem interesting; none of the present-day characters' motivations make any sense; the flashback sequences are tiresome; and three episodes in, the main story has yet to develop any actual direction or urgency, so it's mostly just flailing about. Also, for a Toho-licensed spinoff of a quintessential Japanese monster franchise, it's awfully dismissive of and condescending towards its Japanese characters, especially the ones who aren't Japanese-American.

I dunno — I've liked the (brief) parts where Godzilla shows up, but the gaijin-to-Gojira ratio is disproportionately high, and the script and acting are only slightly above the SHARKNADO level.

"and now i've lost you too. maybe...maybe there was a reason you had to be on the other side of every argument. how you could be my rudder, steering me when others couldn't...i don't know if i can do it without you...i certainly won't do it as well...i miss your battle cry"

Loeb, Jeph, Cassady, John. "Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #5" Iron Man, Marvel Comics, Accessed 1 Jan 2007

A Spotify playlist by yours truly that give me the vibes of Steve and Tony from Marvel :)

“Four”

John Cassady

An Overview of the Heisman Trophy

 Created in 1935 as a Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for collegiate football players competing “east of the Mississippi,” the Heisman Trophy is now the most prestigious national honor in modern college football. The Downtown Athletic Club of New York City developed the award and named it after John Heisman, a successful coach during the turn of the century. The trophy is an award for all-around performance, giving equal weight to skill, effort, and integrity. John J. Berwanger, a running back out of the University of Chicago, became the first Heisman Trophy winner in 1935. Looking back, Berwanger’s win may seem underwhelming: his team finished the 1935 season with a 4-4 record, including a 2-3 record in the Big Ten conference. That said, the running back still demonstrated his versatile skill set, connecting on a 33-yard touchdown pass in a 31-0 victory over Carroll and a 78-yard kick return in a game against Wisconsin. Berwanger became the first-ever National Football League (NFL) draft player. However, he would ultimately never join the NFL due to salary disagreements. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Marcus Allen’s 1981 season is often regarded as one of the most impressive individual campaigns in the history of collegiate football. A highly recruited running back who ultimately joined the University of Southern California as a safety in 1978, Allen surpassed the 200-yard rushing eight times throughout the 11-game season. He finished the season with 2,342 yards and 23 touchdowns, plus almost 30 receptions, despite playing as a running back. The USC Trojans ended the season with a 9-2 record. Allen received player of the year honors from various sources beyond the Heisman Trophy committee. The Oakland Raiders selected him as the 10th overall pick in the 1982 NFL draft. He had one of the finest professional careers for a Heisman Trophy winner, winning 1984 Super Bowl MVP honors and being named MVP of the league the following season. He retired in 1997. Other highly touted Heisman seasons include Sam Bradford’s campaign with USC in 2008, Early Campbell’s 1977 season at Texas, and Howard Cassady’s 1955 season with Ohio State. The Ohio State Buckeyes program is tied with the Oklahoma Sooners for most overall Heisman winners at seven awards each. While there have been several impressive Heisman seasons dating back to 1935, Ohio State University running back Archie Griffin is the only two-time winner in the award history. Griffing played a key role in leading Ohio to a 10-1 record and a No. 3 national ranking during the 1974 season, his junior year, rushing for 1,6695 yards and 12 touchdowns. His rushing decreased to 1,450 yards in his senior year, but his receiving yards more than doubled. Archie nearly won the trophy three years running, finishing fifth in the Heisman Trophy following his sophomore season. The most recent Heisman Trophy winners include quarterback Bryce Young in 2021 and wide receiver Devonta Smith in 2020. Smith was the first receiver to win the award since Desmond Howard in 1991. via Blogger http://farooqshahzadwi.blogspot.com/2022/11/an-overview-of-heisman-trophy.html

Jean-Louis played American football. He was good enough to be offered scholarships to Boston College, Notre Dame and Columbia University. He decided on Columbia University where he promptly broke a leg in his freshman year. The next year, he argued a lot with the coach who kept Jean-Louis benched most of the time.

Well, naturally, Jean-Louis didn't like sitting on the bench, so, he quit school and started hanging out with the likes of Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, John Clellon Holmes, Herbert Huncke and William S. Burroghs.

Jean-Louis wrote first novel, The Sea Is My Brother, in 1942. He thought it was a "crock of shit" and didn't pursue publishing it. The book was eventually published in 2011 some 42 years after Jean-Louis' death and 70 years after he had written it.