Quill
The
One Last Bit of History With Dr.Chris BY
Khem Somsak
Febuary 2014
The Quill
Letter from the Editor Dear readers, Who feels exhausted from SALT trip? I certainly do. Despite the bonding and serving times I enjoyed spending with my friends during SALT trip, it is one of the worst feelings to come back to school after both the winter break and the school trip. We all have put on an almost festive and vacation mood, and it’s difficult getting back into the pace of the school. To help bring back the old scent, the Quill’s first issue of the year offers a string of articles featuring both events in the school and in the global world. In the past 6 weeks of 2014, many breaking news have perhaps pulled out various emotions from us. Khem’s article features his own experience with Dr. Chris, one of the most friendly and capable teachers at ICS. Yet, in spite of the sadness and shock we have experienced, Dr. Chris did leave us bits of world history knowledge and memories that will always be in our hearts. Though Dr. Chris leaving may make the beginning of 2014 seemingly open up to a depressing year, the start of 2014 does feature the revolutionized Disney movie, Frozen and the comeback series, Sherlock. Do check out Fayfay’s list of reasons for why the film Frozen is different from the past Disney movies and Gid’s opinion on what over 8 million people (myself included) have been waiting anxiously for: Sherlock Season 3. The excitement would only build from here! Make sure you are keeping up to date with the help of The Quill! Quill-fully yours,
Will Leelamanthep
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LIFESTYLE
Febuary 2014
AROUNDICS
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The Quill
Contents
Volume 1 Issue 5 Febuary 2014
4 One Last Bit of History 13 How Disney’s Frozen
With Dr. Chris 6 Eagle Eye
Ning & Nan Chulavalaivong
Froze All of Us In Amazement (No Spoilers)
7 Senior Session
14 Google Sells
ATHLETICS
15 The Grammy Fashion
Tina Mahitiwanichai
8 Varsity Girls Basketball
The 3-peat BISAC Champions
9 Game Set Match
ICS tennis team. First time ever in ICS history.
AROUND WORLD the
11 Prominent Protest
Pattern Pulverized?
Motorola Mobility
7
OUROPINION
16 Sherlock Lives 17 Waikay's Corner
The Spider and the Bat: Why The Web-Slinger is a Better Superhero than the Dark Knight
12 Caped Crusader - The Superior Combatant
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Will Leelamanthep
ADVISOR
Ms. Lissa Scott
LAYOUT DESIGNER Pann Sermchaiwong Surawut Withayarukson
PHOTOGRAPHERS Pann Sermchaiwong Surawut Withayarukson Time Chaiteerath
EDITORS
Young Kwang Shin Poom Sethabutr Prim Thientanakij Khem Somsak
WRITERS
Khem Somsak Poon Vorapanyasakul Win Leelamanthep Praise Kittipol Keshav Garg Fayfay Prasutchai John Kim Alisha Phichitsingh Gid Jiranuntarat Young Kwang Shin Poom Sethabutr
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The Quill Febuary 2014
AROUNDICS
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By
AROUNDICS
ONE LAST BIT OF HISTORY WITH Dr.Chris Khem Somsak
contribution touched the school in indescribable ways. The first impression many a first-timer had of Dr. Chris is a mix of intimidation (from the height) and nervous fear (from the many horror stories stemming from his AP course). Both of them would be quickly proven unfounded. Though many whimper at Dr. Chris’s
characteristic booming voice, any prolonged exposure to him would reveal a deeply caring personality that has charmed every student he has taught. Just peek into his room during his last afternoon at school thronged as it is with aficionados trying to snap a farewell pic. Though much of the love Dr. Chris garnered was emotional, a substantial slice was also due to his academic prowess and teaching skills. Many veterans of the infamous AP World History course would willingly testify that their good performance on
the test heck, their survival of it is in large thanks to Dr. Chris’s efforts. His abundant reading materials, unforgiving essays, and surprisingly entertaining history music videos set the stage for it all. Also, if memory holds true, Dr. Chris was also the one who introduced the big spider-webdiscussion fad to the ICS teaching community. The sensation, needless to say, spread like wild fire. Like everything else he does, it was daunting but also fun, helpful, and thought provoking on the whole.
Febuary 2014
Partings are always difficult much more so if it all happens in the space of a week. Especially harrowing is when the person in question happens to be the guiding hand of your first AP experience, or a fellow teacher, or simply a good friend. Though Dr. Chris Wolski and his family has left for America, ICS will never forget him and how his invaluable
If you’re reading this humble publication, Dr. Chris, please never forget that we, your students and teachers and friends, all appreciate the many differences you’ve made in our lives. It breaks our hearts to let you go. But go you will, if that is what God has planned for you. Just remember to keep in touch, and (this is important) write our college recommendations if possible. 0 5
Febuary 2014
AROUNDICS
EAGLESEYE Ning & Nan Chulavalaivong
with
BY
Poon Vorapanyasakul
A Twins’ Take on Love: As
Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, Ning and Nan took a break from their busy lives to shed us some light on what they call “Single Awareness Day” (S.A.D), or what most people know as Valentine’s Day.
Q: What is your perspective on Valentine’s Day? Ning: It’s a day where people can express their love towards others. Nan: It’s another day for single people. Q: Whats your favorite thing about Valentine’s Day? Ning: Watching fat kids eat chocolate. Nan: Happy people.
Q: Do you guys have any plans for Valentine’s Day? Ning: Dinner with friends or the family. Nan: Lunch date with my single friends.
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Q: What would be your ideal date? Ning: An amusement park. Nan: A day at Tokyo Disneyland and after that we go have some ramen. Q: What would you consider as a nightmare date? Ning: Candle-lit dinner. Nan: Anything romantic.
Q: Would you guys go on a double date together? Ning & Nan: Of course! Q: What do you consider to be an ideal guy? Ning: Funny, tall, humble, downto-earth, hygienic, simple, does not wear “gladiator shoes” Nan: Fun, tall, not cheesy, charming, good taste in clothes, and does not wear “gladiator shoes” Q: What would you do if you both liked the same guy? Ning: Rock-paper-scissors for him.
Q: What do you expect from this Valentine’s Day? Ning: Chocolate and lots of love from my friends. Nan: Going out with friends and “jeeb”-ing (flirting with) guys. Q: Lastly, do you have any advice for single girls? Ning: You’re single, so mingle. Nan: Chase them boys down.
SENIOR SESSION with
Tina Mahitiwanichai
In this month’s issue of Senior Session, we bring to you ICS’s sweetest couple, Tina and Peter. Despite Peter’s absence (to Kao Chon Gai), Tina answered some personal questions on her relationship with Peter and their plans for this year’s Valentine’s.
Q: How long have you and Peter known each other? Tina: Seven years (starting since sixth grade when I moved from the Prongjai campus to the Bangna campus but we never really talked until tenth grade) Q: What was your first impression of him? Tina: When we first got to talk, I thought he was boring since he wouldn’t say anything unless I ask him something and he’d only reply me with a few words.
BY
Poon Vorapanyasakul
Q: What would you say is your favorite thing about Peter? Tina: I simply can’t pick one so here’s three: 1. He’s a good listener. I can complain to him about anything for hours and he’d still be listening, making comments, and agreeing on everything I say. 2. He’s very patient with me. 3. He considers my feelings before he does anything. Q: What are your plans for Valentine’s? Tina: We’ll be going to Asok (where we went on our first date) and just spend some time together, have dinner, etc.
Q: Do you have any expectations for this Valentine’s? Tina: Nothing special from the previous years – go out for dinner and a little sweet note. Q: How long have you guys been dating? Tina: 2 years and 2 months (Since November 18, 2011) Q: Lastly, since you guys have been dating for quite some time now, do you have any tips for other high schoolers who are dating and seeking a serious relationship? Tina: 1. Talk openly and honestly. 2. Forgive each other and give chances. 3. Encourage and support each other no matter what.
AROUNDICS Febuary 2014
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Febuary 2014
The Quill
ATHLETICS The Varsity Basketball Girls have once again won BISAC, and are officially 3-peat champions. Expecting a close game with ISB in the finals, the girls surprisingly played a blowout game with the final score being 41-22. Over the past three years, the team has had a staggering record of 75 wins and 12
losses. Although a lot of credit goes to the hard work and dedication of the current team, the players and seniors of previous years must also be honored. It was through their commitment to improve the basketball program that has inspired and led to many of the victories today.
for basketball season. It's what all our games and earlier tournaments lead up to, it's why we lift weights and run miles, it's when we join together as a team and give it all we've got and it's where we've left
that there would only be one tough game for us. Having won and lost against ISB, all of us were quite nervous. Even though the championship game started off a little rough, we pulled through in the second quarter and shut them down. It was ultimately our lock-down defense and full team effort that
our legacy as Three-peat champions.
led us to our 3rd straight BISAC title!
"BISAC has always been the "big one"
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"We knew coming into the tournament
Bethany Groot (Team Captain)
"
Sierra Sanchez (Team Captain)
"
with both teams neck and neck, but the game was decided by a free kick just outside the penalty box for a 1-0 defeat to ICS who walked off the pitch after an intense and highly physical match.
ATHELEICS Febuary 2014
This past month, the Varsity Guys Basketball and Soccer combined to compete in the Regent’s Tournament in Pattaya, earning them 2nd place in basketball and 4th in soccer. In the finals, the boys played against BISP (British International School, Phuket). In the semis, guy’s soccer also played against BISP. It was a close game,
In this picture are Win, Por, Non, Paul, Big, Art (from left to right)
thus putting him in a 3-1 lead. As any tennis spectators would suspect, the shift of momentum was big enough to boost the opponent's composure, By Win Leelamanthep putting him in a 5-3 lead. However, least two No. 1's from either NIST, out of the blue, Nanond held the For the first time in ICS next two service games and broke history, we finally established a tennis ISB, or Harrow. It certainly was once, leveling and then overturning team. On the saturday before school not an easy task; even though he his opponent's momentum to lead reopened, the our first tennis team, did not succeed in qualifying into at 6-5. The experienced NIST left which included: Nanond, Win, Por, the quarterfinals, he did certainly hander, however, was nowhere near make some of the favorites in the Big, Art, Paul, competed at the quitting, holding his service game. tournament feel threatened. His 2014 Tennis BISAC Tournament. first trial was against one of the best The tie-breaker was was a tight 10 Although no singles rubber won minutes matchup between the two any medals, the tournament and its Harrow had to offer. However, he did grab one crucial break of serve titans. However, the NIST captain results shows the potential of each team member and the bright future at 4-4, allowing him to serve out the was able to get the mini-break in time, converting his match point; Nanond match. His second match against that lies ahead for the team. showed great composure and courage, the NIST No. 1 ranked player The first ever captain for saving 4 of the 5 match points he was was a much tighter affair. The first an ICS tennis team, Nanond, tasked with. The match against the was undoubtedly drawn into the three games were breaks of serve. toughest group in the tournament. However, the NIST player was able ISB captain, just like any other, was a tough match. As a result of one early 0 In Draw 1, Group 1, he is to beat at to hold his second service game, 9
GAME Set Match
Continues on the next page
Febuary 2014
ATHELEICS 1 0
break of serve, the ISB lefthander was able to serve out the match at 5-4, winning four straight points, thus advancing through into the semifinals. ICS No. 2, Win, was drawn in another tough group. In Draw 2, Group one, he faced the No. 4 player from Harrow and BPS, and No. 3 from NIST. He first played the Harrow No. 4, and from the beginning, the match was a onesided affair. Grabbing three out of three break points, he was able to break his opponent serve to win 6-0. The second match was no similar story. Due to back pain, he was broken in the first two sets as a result of countless consecutive double faults. However, as a result of good returns and luck, he was able to break his opponent more than he was broken. The match ended in a tie-breaker, by which he did not have to play the match point. The opponent double faulted on the set's last point, which was also Win's match point, tying him with Nist No. 3 in the group at Number 1. The injury was worsened as the third match progressed. He was broken twice and never got out of the hole he fell into. NIST No. 4 won the match at 6-3 and later went on to win the tournament. Unfortunately, should Win have
had won his last match, he would have qualified and have a chance to clutch the medal. Por, ICS No. 3 player, just like the other two, was drawn into a very tough matchup. Facing NIST No. 4, Harrow No. 3, and BPS No. 5, he lost two close matches, which were just a few points shy of qualifying. His first opponent was BPS No. 5, a big server. Standing at 6"2, his opponent never gave a break point. However, neither did Por, and as the match progressed, the tie-breaker came. Por was able to grab two mini-breaks, which proved significant with one lost. He won the tie-breaker 7-5, thus
winning the match at 7-6. His second opponent was nowhere near as simple as his first. Having previously won the U-15 BISAC tennis tournament earlier this school year, he was filled with confidence and certainly had the right state of mind. He broke Por once and held all service games, winning the match 6-4. Por’s third match, unlike his second, was quite a stomp. Although he broke once to win 6-3, a very close score, the numbers are very deceiving. He was in control of most of the points, showing the audience the level by which he can play at. At the end of the day, it was certainly unfortunate that no ICS players had a chance to fight for the championship. However, the first year of of our participation promises a bright future ahead. With four players graduating next year, the next captain and the rest of the team will have to fight even harder to win any singles rubber. In addition to that, we may have an addition to the crew. Pete, a freshman, was undergoing treatment of a right shoulder injury during the months before the tournament. Certainly, his skills as a Youth National player can surely make bold statements about our school's athletics.
AROUND WORLD the
The Quill Febuary 2014
PROMINENT PROTEST PATTERN PULVERIZED? By
Keshav Garg
The February edition of The Quill seems to have landed at an opportune time for political news; it would be remiss to not mention the turmoil that has swept the Kingdom. The writer recognizes the risks associated with possible criticisms of either side of the conflict, Therefore with much thought, in this article the writer has chosen to support neither, but to compare the situation with that
of another country struggling to attain its voice as well. As the careful observer may have already noticed, the city of Bangkok is being devoured by the protesters, police force, and the government. Prominent places including black markets are being blocked. Of course for their businesses they are having no problem, simply because they shifted their businesses from
electronics to selling shirts. I do realize that Thailand is not the only country going through this phase: countries like India, Ukraine, and even Spain are sll under a similar nightmare. Out of these, Ukraine’s situation most closely mirrors that of the Land of Smiles, mainly because Thailand is neither as overpopulated as India nor as 1 bankrupt as Spain. 1 Continues on the next page
Febuary 2014
AROUNDtheWORLD A brief description of the causes of the uproar in both nations seems to be in order. Ukraine’s President wanted the nation to withdraw from the EU and join the Union; the people however had a different idea and wanted the nation to stay with the EU which led to heavy conflict. In Thailand, the reason was quite simple; the people wanted the Shinawatra family to stop hogging the spotlight! Also, the method of protesting in Ukraine is well... let’s just say far more violent than that of Thailand. The people of Ukraine have employed strong physical force,
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including various armaments to combat the government. The people of Thailand have partaken in relatively peaceful protests to further their goals, though people within its borders may care to dissent. The conditions in Ukraine are far worse than those in Thailand. There are far more violent protests in Ukraine and strong military force and weaponry is being used in the never ending effort of limiting Russian control over eastern Europe. However, conditions in Thailand do not shirk in competition the noise probably has made half the people deaf
and the traffic has already made the other half crazy (including my father). On a personal note, the riots in Thailand do not have much of a zest like those in Ukraine, though that may soon change for a certain writer if he continues his criticisms. This was just a brief article explaining some main points on the political situation without being biased. To read biased articles, or as a certain writer likes to call “prepaid papers,” you can goto CNN, BBC, Bangkok Post, or any other internationalised paper. As always, have a great day and God Bless.
The Quill
LIFESTYLE
Febuary 2014
HOW
Froze A BY
ll of Us
FayFay
In Ama
Prasutc
Disney's latest movie musical Frozen has been wellaccepted ever since its release on Thanksgiving. Considering the budget invested in the movie, Even in 2014, songs such as‘Let It Go’, resist extinction and soothe the occupants of many a location, not excluding ICS. However, that doesn’t discourage the thoughtful from questioning why Frozen has garnered the adoration of so many people of all ages. One possible reason is skillful integration of modern lifestyle into the classic fairy tale formula. Instead of animating how the people within castle thought and did, the movie mirrors how people of today think and we do things today in a fantastical setting. By doing so, the movie allows the audience to connect with
hai
zement
(No Sp
familiar characters in an unfamiliar environment. There are some aspects of Frozen that Disney used to experiment with new ways of crafting movies based out of fairy-tales. The audience has always expected traditional style of making movies from the studio since the ‘50s, such as that in the famous Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. The characteristically plain, straightforward, and traditional style of making a movie from a fairy-tale has been what all of us expect from Disney since our childhoods. However, Frozen, in contrast, is a progressive product of Disney that has not quite had a precedent. We can see that the main character, Princess Ana, is not the stereotypical graceful princess. In addition, we can see that she
oilers) and her fellow cast are aware (to great comic effect) that the Shakespearean notion of “love at the first sight” is preposterous. And of course, the principal love interest in this movie is not a prince, but a countryman that works in the “ice industry”. One may deem the movie as overly unorthodox or trying too hard when its credits roll for the first time. But the more one thinks about it, the more he or she is convinced of Frozen’s appeal. Of course, there is no consensus on the matter, but its award nominations justify that the viewers love things that are grounded our lives rather than things that seem to reside only in our wildest dreams.
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LIFESTYLE Febuary 2014
GOOGLE Sells Motorola Mobillity
By John Kim On January 29th, Google sold Motorola to Lenovo, for 2.91 billion US dollars although Google had purchased Motorola for 12 billion dollars just two years ago. Here’s why Google and Lenovo are both walking away from this deal happy.
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Why Lenovo bought Motorola Believe it or not, Lenovo is one of the world's top five smartphone makers. However, its market share in the U.S., one of the world's largest smartphone markets, is zero. The company's biggest business is still PCs, and it's the world's No. 1 PC maker. But PC sales aren't
growing. If Lenovo is to be a technology leader in the late 2010s, it needs to be a mobile tech leader. Thus, the purchase of Motorola is a huge kick start on entering the US smartphone business, instead of starting from scratch. Lenovo acquired the product designers and the development team of Motorola,
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Why Google sold Motorola Now, Google’s perspective is lot more interesting, only because it is actually about more than just Motorola. When Google
first bought Motorola in 2012, it acquired over 15 thousand patents to protect Android. Then, it became pretty explicit that Motorola became Google’s favorite when Motorola phones got the first Android OS updates. This favoritism was not welcomed by other Android using manufacturers like Samsung and LG, and those companies made moves away from Android. For instance, Samsung started developing its
own operating system with Tizen, and LG with WebOS. Google, uncomfortable with all these semihostility, easily accepted Lenovo’s purchase offer, but still deciding to keep Motorola’s huge patent portfolio. Simply put, Google sold Motorola to stop competing with Samsung, and to implicitly request manufacturers to stop altering Android and developing individual Operating Systems.
Dapper Men The men of the Grammy’s brought their fashion A-game by experimenting with colors, prints, and fabrics, creating looks that stand out even more than the ladies.
Classic Beauty Taylor Swift always knows how to work the red carpet with her elegance. She wore a beautiful t-shirt neck dress by Gucci, looking as stunning as ever.
LIFESTYLE Febuary 2014
as well as Motorola’s reputation and its relationship with US mobile carriers. Now, if Lenovo plays smart and it leave the Motorola name up front, it should do fine with the current Moto X and Moto G smartphones.
THE Grammy Fashion By
Alisha Phichitsingh
The Grammy Awards may be music’s biggest night, but it is also fashion’s biggest night. Artists from all genres came upon the 56th Annual Grammy Awards red carpet wearing daring looks that sparkled and shined.
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Febuary 2014
The Quill
OUROPINION
LIVES With the New Year comes the long awaited Season 3 of the BBC Sherlock series, of which I am a huge fan of. When I say huge, I mean a big, gigantic, spinning fan. Also the fact that I love Benedict Cumberbatch in whatever he does doesn’t help. I should also note here that although I will try to keep this section spoiler free, I do assume that you (Reader, dear) have finished watching season 2 because I will talk about the outcome a bit. Sherlock is perhaps the best series one could go watch right now. The characters, the plot, the script, the actors, simply everything is top-notch. With just the pilot I knew that this rendition of the classic Doyle character and company would trump any other. Yes, even RDJ. Sorry RDJ fans, 1 but Cumberbatch simply owns the 6
By
Gid Jiranantarat
screen whenever he’s on, and he absolutely kills it when he plays narcissistic intellectuals. Speaking of actors, Martin Freeman also plays an absolutely amazing Watson. Able to show Watson’s loyalty to Holmes with astounding clarity, he avoids making Watson look the bumbling fool, but rather a worthy companion to Holmes’ cold demeanor. The new season of Sherlock comes with both new faces and old ones. And to my great joy, we also avoided the dreaded “Second Episode Curse” of the series, in which the second episode in the season is always the weakest and worst one out of the bunch. Despite that fact, even a weak Sherlock episode can beat out the best of any other prime time series. Fair warning to those who want
to get themselves into Sherlock, because the series itself looks like it is a brief affair, keep in mind that each episode is an hour or more. Three seasons for three episodes may not look like much, but I guarantee that it will suck you in and never let you out of Sherlock’s cold analytical grip. I can rave all about Sherlock for as much as I want, but the better option for you (Reader, dear) is that you go watch it yourself. Thank me later. Or don’t. Because I don’t actually care, but the sentiment is nice. This section is for the people who have watched to season three though, so if you haven’t, please avoid reading below because I will go all fan-girl up in this biz. Watson finally got a chick, and Continues on the next page
scene where Sherlock’s brain copes with getting shot and the inner thoughts he went through were a fantastic look into Sherlock’s psyche. And the other Holmes was also an excellent character. In season 3, I felt that Mycroft was developed a lot more than in the first two seasons, in which he served as basically the other smart one. The third season you can see Mycroft’s concern for Sherlock, but also the fact that he was able to send his brother off to certain death. Plus an allusion to perhaps a third Holmes brother? The finale to the third season was an even bigger
OUROPIINION Febuary 2014
stayed with it. That is amazing. After the multitude of failed romances, most ruined by Sherlock himself, it’s refreshing to see John stick to one woman. This also may be because the actress who does play Mary is Martin Freeman’s partner in real life, so the chemistry on screen works. Speaking of Mary, I feel like she is a wonderful character. Witty, loving, and smart, she serves as an able partner to Watson and Holmes. This definitely made the “turn” in Episode 3 that much more compelling. I know I wasn’t the only one who sat at the edge of my seat when Mary showed up to kill Magnussen, and then only to shoot Sherlock. The
cliffhanger than the second one, with the possibility of Moriarty returning, I have high hopes for the next season. So here I go, back to waiting
WAIKAY'SCORNER The Spider and the Bat Why The Web-Slinger is a Better Superhero than the Dark Knight
The 21st century has been good to the Caped Crusader of Gotham City. Within the span of a decade, Batman has gripped the popular imagination, starring in comic books, movies, and video games of the highest caliber. It is quite fascinating to see how far he has come since his Nananananananana Days. Don’t be mistaken when you read the title: I believe Batman ranks among the pantheon of the great fictional protagonists and don’t feel the praise rendered to him is undue or excessive. It’s just that when it comes down to Character Writing 101, SpiderMan knows no equal in Western comics. The catchphrase “I’m Batman”, meant to be read with a voice symptomatic of lung cancer, embodies Batman, all of his strengths and faults, to a tee. The beauty of Batman is in its elegant simplicity. Young Bruce Wayne has this perfect life that is robbed from him when his parents are murdered abruptly one night. As far as I am concerned, the Dark Knight was born then and there. Strip away
without superpowers. The franchise is a mature take on a childish ideal of a hero, the man of an indomitable spirit who through effort, triumphs the evil that has wronged him. Flourished with antagonists like the Joker who play off this simple concept, the Batman lore is a sophisticated and profitable (a rare combination indeed) narrative like no other. He is indeed, ‘Batman’.
his Halloween costume and his gadgets that can feed a village, and one can see that Batman is the embodiment of a child’s fantasy - the vow to purge Gotham of crime. How? The way a child would. By imitating the fear the crook had inspired in him that night. And oh, how Bruce does it. Batman instantly strikes terror into the hearts of his enemies, and over the years fashions himself as the ultimate weapon against evil, despite being an everyman
But Spider-Man is different. If Batman is a child’s fantasy, Spider-Man is deeply rooted in adolescence. Peter Parker has nothing set up for him. He has no inherited wealth to exploit, no powers of social position he can invoke. Angst follows him wherever he goes, and the shallow layer of horror never leaves his character. The first issue of Spider-Man doesn’t conclude with his bombastic vow to become a hero. It ends with a cruel ironic twist: Peter loses his uncle at the full height of his powers, when he was capable of preventing the murder 1 from happening. The final panel 7 Continues on the next page
showcases Peter in mourning, not his determined donning of the Spider suit. And he never gets over it. Heroism for Spider-Man is not a duty. It is an obsession, and obsession to protect the things he cherishes. But mild-mannered Peter Parker can’t handle such a burden upon his shoulders. So what does he do?
the abyss into which any person can fall when faced with guilt and shame with a “I’m Spider-Man” type of gung-ho stoicism. It is the story of how the Self is formulated throughout all the trials of tribulations life throws at it. The reader sees how Spider-Man doesn’t surrender and understands why at a level deeper than the Batcave can ever reach. And in turn, the things SpiderMan value become valuable to us the readers. No longer is the superhero 1 an object of detached reverence, but
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He creates a better version of himself. Spider-Man in stark contrast, is brash, loud, shallow, arrogant, and sometimes downright villainous. Herein lies the adolescent aspect of SpiderMan: the creation of another identity. And here lies the fundamental genius of Spider-Man: it doesn’t stop there. Batman’s development concludes with the fulfillment of his childlike ideal through adult means and adult circumstances. Every great story written about Batman is a remix of that familiar tune. Spider-Man never ceases to develop in the narrative, leading to an ASTOUNDING consecutive run of 200 Triple-A issues of the original comic series showcasing his maturation as a person. Batman the character is ultimately a vessel, a mouthpiece of a story. As Christopher Nolan’s Batman affirms in The Dark Knight Rises, it could’ve been anyone. But SpiderMan is a persona with which Peter
of deeply empathetic familiarity. The friendly neighbor Wall-Crawler was who brought this revolutionary concept to the table and perfected the archetype for the ages. It ought to be clear why Spider-Man easily takes the cake as the greatest superhero of the West. With all this said, Hollywood better not screw up Amazing SpiderMan 2.
Parker dynamically interacts to grow and through which the final result of that growth is articulated (usually through his trusty web). Since his advent, Spider-Man has had imitators, but never equals. The degree to which Spider-Man reflects grounded humanity in his fictional adventures never ceases to shock and please. Of course, there is nothing inherently superior about a coming-ofage story to that of a wish-fulfillment. But consider the messages these titans deliver. Batman is ultimately a Greek hero story, an epic that teaches you that with sufficient determination, you can change the world. Again, it’s a message that has been repeated throughout the ages for a good reason. Spider-Man’s message is less sugar-coated, more human, and contrary to popular opinion, more mature. Spider-Man never sugarcoats
CAPED CRUSADER The Superior Combatant By
Poom Sethabutr
As brought up in a heated discussion with one of my colleagues here, apparently Batman is inferior in terms of “superheroness” to your friendly neighborhood weirdo with an affinity for brightly colored spandex. “But wait,” interjects the average reader, dropping their imaginary cup of tea with hypothetical wrath, “everyone knows that Batman is, like, the bestest ever superhero!” While I commend your utter devotion to the Bat and obvious knowledge of how the world functions, the reason that this statement is qualified as true might not be what you expect. Especially for those of you who've only watched the Nolan films, whose primary argument would be that it's “because I'm Batman!”(for intended effect, eat a bowl of rusty nails beforehand). Perhaps I can shed some light on the matter of the Dark Knight himself. First of all, my unnamed associate who is so absorbed in his ridiculous delusion points out that the strength of the hero is not how much butt he can kick, but of his character and development. To that, I must agree, as we can all agree that realistically, Superman trumps all yet still retains the depth of a new M. Night film. So we must look further than just the amount of power the hero possesses, which I believe might point to Batman's key factor of victory. Spiderman builds the character of Peter Parker exceptionally well, intentionally pitting him through harsh emotional trials and actually changing his personality in a deep way. He is relatable, as Peter is just a teen who has been thrust this whole “responsibility” nonsense and must cope with the consequences. That makes a very strong character, as the readers are aware of all the little flaws and insecurities that the protagonist has. However, a good backstory and development does not make a good superhero. Batman, on the other hand is given a tragic origin story that drives him and haunts him throughout. Despite this fact, Bruce Wayne is almost never shown to have to go through emotional battles and develop his character in a meaningful way. Wayne is always shown as the filler; always in luxury at social gatherings or otherwise. To some, this may seem like shoddy writing, placing emphasis on the action and Batmanning, but to me this is the epitome of the Bat. If you hadn't figured it out before, Batman is not the alter-ego, Bruce Wayne is. The mask he puts on to protect his secret
identity when venturing out into the world is not some full-faced red and blue sheet (the logistics of which boggles my mind on the account of questions like: How does he see? How does he breathe? How does it stay on?), but looks more like a chiseled, sophisticated white man. As said multiple times in the comics, Wayne takes no enjoyment from living a life of luxury; Wayne is the most satisfied when he dons his cowl and goes out to clean the streets of Gotham. Multiple times, he's been broken, but never has he allowed himself to stay as simply Bruce. He is devoted to his true self, his true passion, and won't let such flimsy things as relationships or friends get in the way of his calling. That shows his excellence as a hero more than any zany one-liner Spiderman can spit out while endangering humanity to save one girl. Another key point is the personalities of their respective heroes. Spiderman crafts his image as the fun-loving web-slinger that will help get your cat out of a tree if you ask him to. He's the kind of hero no villain actually takes seriously until he actually demonstrates his strength. Batman feels like he could do around 325 things to your pinky finger to make you rat out your boss, his boss, and his greatgrandmother of all their crimes. Spiderman crashes into a building, facing each enemy head-on, quipping zings along the way. Slow, predictable, and highly dangerous for, say, hostages. Batman creeps in unnoticed, introduces a few to the realm of shadows, then by the time he's actually discovered, the thugs have all wet themselves. Anyone who has played the Arkham series of games know what effect the Bat has on criminals. They mutter to themselves and to others in fear that he might swoop in. He's the boogeymen that haunt them, anytime, anyplace, because he has become an irrational fear by himself. That is the image of an effective hero, one that stops crime simply by being brought up in conversation. One who is able to make a grown mobster cry without so much as breaking a sweat. He has put on himself the airs of an authority figure, and he is superior to almost every other hero in this respect. I know I tried to avoid arguments derived from the movies, but this next point is so easily illustrated by the second film of the trilogy, “The Dark Knight”. Batman has one thing on his mind, and that is the benefit of the society around him. Towards the end, he takes the blame for the death of multiple cops
in order to cover up a truth that would create a panic and end public unity. He doesn't care that the people he intends to protect might hate him more than his enemies; all he cares for is the greater good. Now, compared to a very notorious Marvel series called “Civil War”, where Spiderman pursues the exact opposite goal, we start to see a contrast that identifies the better hero. In the comic book series, the government declares that all superheroes must register themselves by their true identities or be regarded as terrorists. Spiderman, unable to be ostracized by the people of America, decides to take his mask off on public television. Well, that went as well as anyone would have expected, and he ended up endangering Aunt May and Mary Jane. It's pretty obvious that someone who could overlook that important safety factor just because he wanted to keep the good graces of the people (along with an awesome looking Iron-Spider suit made by Stark himself) does not have the makings of an exceptionally great hero in particular. Well, I've made a fool of myself for long enough. Spending a large chunk of my day to come up with and write an unnecessarily wordy article on which fictional character has the most subjective qualifications to be a “hero” wouldn't seem to take me far in life. I will say that, however, the more important task has been accomplished and I have proved that I am right. After all, isn't that what any healthy person needs in life? So we can say with a definitive full stop that, despite lacking in development and emotional depth, the crazy guy in a black bat suit is superior to the crazy guy in a spider(?) suit in any adaptation of the characters in any media. Except Batman & Robin. We don't talk about Batman & Robin. Ever.
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