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New Fiction: Cain’s Knife

The Detective sat down heavily opposite the suspect.

“We know you did it, we have a witness who saw you throw the knife into the reservoir,” said the Detective. “Why did you do it?”

“Toss the knife into the reservoir? Because it’s dangerous and I thought it was a good idea.”

The Detective frowned. “No, kill Joe Markham.”

The suspect scratched an eyebrow.

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“You killed Joe Markham in the alley next to the Western Auto store last night.”

Why We Would Be Able to Control Superpowers Relatively Quickly

Superpowers are a staple of comic books, science fiction and, occasionally, horror. The person may come into their abilities slowly before it becomes too hard to control and suppress. Or it shows up suddenly after an accident, a trigger event or hormones really kicking in. Whether you’re a fan of Marvel, DCU or series like Babylon 5, the solutions tend to be the same:

  • run and hide while being a danger to others
  • have your powers and work for the government
  • get locked in prison/reform school because people are afraid of your powers
  • external control

External control would be anything done to a person to limit or outright suppress their abilities. The telepathy suppression drug of Babylon 5 falls into this category. The hoods in “The Hoodmaker” short story could be worn by everyone else, but the Amazon version of the show reveals that wearing a hood provides silence for the telepath, too. More than one horror show has featured lobotomy of the psychic to silence the ability. A current young adult book took it one step farther, implanting devices into the brains of super-powered teens to suppress the ability.

Which Is Better? “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” Vs “Charmed”

I’m aware of the “Charmed” reboot due out October 14. They had the option of jumping forward in time to have the three sisters raising two teen boys paralleling the precedent set by “Fuller House” and decided, nope, reboot with “more diverse” demographics instead. That’s Hollywood’s definition of new and improved today.

‘Scott Pilgrim Vs The World’ Vs Terrance Denby and Sidequest

Deconstructing Canadian Culture, Part 1: Heroes

For a decade, I and my fellow travelers worked within my country’s political system, trying to effect change. Then, one fateful day- October 19th, 2015- the 42nd Canadian federal election came to an end, and everything we’d worked for was wiped away.

Rather than go through the process of rebuilding a broken party again, I decided to work with Liberty Island senior editor Dave Swindle to create my own culture-influencing fantasy trilogy. But as I delved deeper into Canadian culture, I began to realize that I was starting from a very different cultural reference point. I couldn’t just blindly copy American tropes of soldiers of fortune, accidental prophets, badass bikers and even SJWs who end up entangled in the American political system.

When I read Liberty Island novels featuring these protagonists, I keep noticing differences that take me out of the story. It’s not hard to imagine other Canadians getting hung up on these differences, too.

The Greatest Conservative Films: Wonder Woman (2017)

Editor’s Note: In April of 2017 writer Eric M. Blake began a series at Western Free Press naming the “Greatest Conservative Films.” The introduction explaining the rules and indexing all films included in the series can be found here. Liberty Island will feature cross-posts of select essays from the series with the aim of encouraging discussion at this cross-roads of cinematic art with political ideology. (Click here to see the original essay. Check out the previously cross-posted entries on Jackie Brown, Captain America: The First AvengerCaptain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil WarUnforgivenHail, Caesar!, Apocalypse Now, Fight Club, Man of Steel, and Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice ULTIMATE EDITION.) If you would like join this dialogue please contact us at submissions [@] libertyislandmag.com.

The Greatest Conservative Films: Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice ULTIMATE EDITION (2016)

Editor’s Note: In April of 2017 writer Eric M. Blake began a series at Western Free Press naming the “Greatest Conservative Films.” The introduction explaining the rules and indexing all films included in the series can be found here. Liberty Island will feature cross-posts of select essays from the series with the aim of encouraging discussion at this cross-roads of cinematic art with political ideology. (Click here to see the original essay. Check out the previously cross-posted entries on Jackie Brown, Captain America: The First AvengerCaptain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil WarUnforgivenHail, Caesar!, Apocalypse Now, Fight Club, and Man of Steel.) If you would like join this dialogue please contact us at submissions [@] libertyislandmag.com.

The Incredibles 2: How To Waste A Good Premise

The Importance of Theme Revealed by Comparing the Original to the New Sequel…

I recently saw The Incredibles and The Incredibles 2 back to back. The Incredibles is a brilliant film: a master-class in storytelling and a lot of fun. The Incredibles 2 is a good film: enjoyable with exciting action sequences and several hilarious bits about parenting. However, in my judgment it does not approach the brilliance of its predecessor. And a big part of the difference, I think, is in the two films’ treatment of theme. [Spoilers ahead!]

Political Writing 101: Creating Compelling Epic Heroes

Part 4 In a New Weekly Column With Advice for Conservative Creative Writers

Welcome to this series on how to write fiction from a conservative point of view. These posts can simply be read, or you are invited to join a guided writer’s workshop to practice and critique with other writers. To join the workshop, please email me, Jamie, at kywrite at gmail.com and request an invitation.

The Greatest Conservative Films: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) 

BONUS: Why not The Avengers (2012)

Editor’s Note: In April of 2017 writer Eric M. Blake began a series at Western Free Press naming the “Greatest Conservative Films.” The introduction explaining the rules and indexing all films included in the series can be found here. Liberty Island will feature cross-posts of select essays from the series with the aim of encouraging discussion at this cross-roads of cinematic art with political ideology. (Click here to see the original essay. Click here to see the previously cross-posted entries on Jackie Brown and Captain America: The First Avenger.) If you would like join this dialogue please contact us at submissions [@] libertyislandmag.com.

The Conservatism of Nexus

Many superheroes have conservative beginnings. If men were benign there would be no need for superheroes. Life was simpler in 1939 when Bob Kane and Bill Finger created Batman. Batman’s motivation, like that of so many comic book good guys, was to right a wrong, in this case the murder of his parents. Batman’s mission expanded to serving the cause of justice, which has always been a conservative idea. We are a nation of laws. Creators may not have consciously realized their characters had a conservative agenda, and in many cases, subsequent writers have expanded that agenda to embrace more liberal concerns such as intolerance and inequality. That is not to say conservatives are not concerned about such things. As always, it’s a matter of degree.

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