As the Avengers Academy winds down, the writers decided to do something fun and interesting. A good old fashion, fun chill book. Not and AvX, more of a chillax book. Using sport to do some fun goofiness.

Now, this could be a book about rivals beating each other up or continuing a tale of violence and revenge, but it is not. It is just some kids playing a game. But what about those real historical rivalries? What about the people that really hated each other?

The English and the French hated each other on an epic scale. From 1100 to 1800 they were almost constantly at war with each other. I know that there was real reasons for the animosity, but I truly believe that it came down to cooking styles. I have heard that chefs hold grudges.

If you are into hard rock, you might know this one. Kerry King vs. Robb Flynn. Machine Head got a career boost in the mid-'90s when they landed the opening slot on a few of Slayer's tours. But by 2001, Slayer frontman Kerry King had soured on Machine Head, calling them "sell-outs" who were "responsible for rap-metal.

Being a Pink Floyd Fan, I am well aware of this one. Artistic differences drove a wedge between Roger Waters and David Gilmour during the recording of their classic album “The Wall" in 1979. Waters, who viewed himself as the creative force behind the band's success, became increasingly disdainful of his fellow band members, whom he deemed musically inferior.

There may be no American feud more famous than that of the Hatfields and McCoys. The feud is said to have begun during the Civil War. The Hatfields from West Virginia sided with the Confederacy while Kentucky’s McCoy family remained pro-Union. Though a Hatfield may have killed a McCoy during the war, the feud really heated up in 1878. when an argument over the ownership of a pig ended with yet another death.

Power is a fiery fuse when it comes to inciting a feud, especially the fascinating historical feud between the Medici and Pazzi families. In 15th-century Florence, no family was as powerful as the Medici family. While the Pazzis probably weren’t the only other family to feel threatened by Medici power, they were the only ones to do anything about it.

You think the Game of Thrones was something, what about the Yorks versus the Lancasters. Today, a monarch’s line of inheritance is understood and accepted enough that a feud would be extremely unlikely. However, that wasn’t the case in 15th century England. When King Henry VI, a Lancastrian, proved to be an unstable monarch, his York cousins launched a plot to overtake the throne.

Feuds will occur, and we will see them in books. Just not in this one.

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OK, we have finished up this arc of the Avengers Academy. A good capper for this series and the main story lines that have been running for the past 20 issues. Now it is on to the final two issues.

The theme for this week is horror movies. I am going to see if I can think of a horror movie that each picture reminds me of.

Ok. I am going with Night of the Demons. Something about the magic being wielded and a weird scene....I remember watching it in high school with a mess a friends during a Halloween party. And this one scene has stuck with me for years.

Ok, maybe not horror as we know it today, but the first Terminator movie has some downright creepy scenes that stay with you. The Terminator in the hotel room dealing with is dying skin. Yucky.

For some reason I am thinking about Scream and the first scene. Drew Barrymore wishes that she could have teleported out of that house. That would have saved the coroner a mess of work.

Have you seen Godzilla Minus One? If you have not, you should. I guess it is more of a monster movie, or action even, but it is one heck of a show. It really puts you in the mindset of Japan after the war, and the terror of the unknown.

What to say about The Ring or Ringu. It is a frightening horror movie that scared the pants off of us back in the late 90's. And the sight of the kid crawling through the TV just might be the creepiest thing ever.

The most infamous stomach horror scene of all time is, of course, from Alien. I mean, what can you say. The situation has ended, the victim looks fine, let's have some laughs...OH MY GOD WHAT IS COMING OUT OF HIS STOMACH! Yeah, good times.

In my opinion, one of the classic horror movies is Halloween. There is just a lot of perfect fear in that film, and there is a simplicity to it as well. The monster that just kills and has not feeling, and the ominous score. Chefs kiss.

And check out the bloody images on our website: https://jeffandrickpresent.wordpress.com/2024/06/09/avengers-academy-37-final-exam-part-4

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Sometimes you look at a story, and you think of things that pair perfectly with it. We do it all the time with beer, but what else can we pair with a story. How about music? Movies and TV shows have soundtracks, why not comic books? What about this comic book? I have an idea, let me know what you think. 

People People who need people Are the luckiest people in the world

We're children, needing other children And yet letting a grown-up pride Hide all the need inside Acting more like children than children

Lovers, are very special people They're the luckiest people in the world With one person One very special person

A feeling deep in your soul Says you were half now you're whole No more hunger and thirst

But first be a person who needs people People who need people Are the luckiest people in the world

With one person, one very special person A feeling deep in your soul Says you were half, now you're whole

No more hunger and thirst But first be a person who needs people People who need people Are the luckiest people in the world

I hope you enjoyed my interpretation of the classics. Join me again in another couple of weeks when we do this all over again.

This makes a lot more sense if you look at the webpage (OK, it does not make any sense, still): https://jeffandrickpresent.wordpress.com/2024/06/09/avengers-academy-36-final-exam-part-3/

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Ok, so things are not looking good for the home team. Powers stripped away, bad guy gloating, racist bad guys with questionable fashion sense...what are we to do? I have an idea, let's talk about something fun like the Portland Rose Festival! 

Looking at the pictures we chose for this book, you may think that I am crazy. Or you may have met me and know that I am. But that is beside the point. I can do anything I put my mind to, including but not limited to kneeing a giant in the head with my knee.

I always forget Rose Festival until it kicks in my door like an aggressive repo man just before summer. It is an annual civic festival held during the month of June in Portland, Oregon. It is organized by the volunteer non-profit Portland Rose Festival Foundation with the purpose of promoting the Portland region. It includes three separate parades, along with a number of other activities, including plant-based crimes.

You may be tempted after seeing the beautiful floats covered in flowers and seeds to take a trip up to the Portland International Test Rose Gardens. I highly recommend that you do, as it is a very lovely area and one of my favorite spots in the city. What you should not do is take any cutting implement up to take the roses. It is frowned upon.

One of the highlights of the Rose Festival is the choosing of the Royal Court. Each local high school has a contest to determine their princess for the Rose Court, and then a queen is chosen from those young women. It is a pretty neat tradition...but I just remember who was chosen from my school my senior year, and it was a horrible choice.....but I digress.

Waterfront Park becomes a giant fun center with carnival games, rides, and stages. It is loud, full of an interesting cross section of the city, and full of the smells of food that will clog your arteries. I do not make it down there enough, but when I do go, I still find it very fun. The prices are insane, but that is what you get.

My favorite part of the entire festival is the fireworks. This is usually what kicks everything off. They are held in the Willamette River, which runs through the center of the city. Crowds gather on both sides of the river to watch the show in the air above them. And they rarely, if ever, cause people to become radioactive.

Well, I hope you learned something about our wonderful city and it's namesake festival. Come to town to check it out sometime.

You can see the art we discussed at our website: https://jeffandrickpresent.wordpress.com/2024/06/01/avengers-academy-35-final-exam-part-2/

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OK boys and girls, it is time to get ready for those final exams. In the case of the Avengers Academy, those tests are practical's. Before we sharpen those number 2 pencils, let's take a short pause and talk about some beaches. Why....well, if you read the book or listened to this podcast, you would have an idea of what we are talking about.

Besides the comic book, I recently had the opportunity to travel through some states that I have skipped over for years. While I did get to enjoy the bitter cold shoreline of the St. Croix River in Hudson Wisconsin, I eventually made it down to the white sands and backing sun of Pensacola beach. And let me tell you, that place was full of people that were not wearing hazmat suits.

Most of the people on the beach were wearing bikinis. Not me. I was in shorts and t-shirt. And that shirt stayed on thank you very much. But my shoes and socks came off. I just did not want to put the socks back on. They magically disappeared.

Now Oregon beaches are not like that. They are rocky affairs that mostly have a grey sky over them. I mean, they are charming as a trailer full of poodles, but they are an acquired taste. You go for the scenery, not the sun.

When it comes down to it, all beaches are great, except when you have to deal with people. People are the absolute worst. You come for a nice day on a sunny beach and there are all these people with the same idea as you. What a bunch of jerks.

And they can be rude. If all the golden age comics are correct, the beaches are full of muscle bound jerks who just want to kick sand in your face. Or get their dog to do it.

By the way, apparently most beaches have some ordinances about throwing knives or shuriken on the beach. Rule....the heck man.

But, they cannot take away kissing on the beach. No they cannot.

At the end of the day, you just need to get your kite or a book to read and enjoy the sand and the surf. Oh...and hello to Clinton. Thanks for chatting with me while I got this page together. Now get back to work.

You should check out the pictures at our website: https://jeffandrickpresent.wordpress.com/2024/05/05/avengers-academy-34-final-exam-part-1/

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Here we are at Part 1 of a two-parter focused on Juston and his Sentinel. A boy and his bot. A man and his machine. A guy and his Gundon. A kid and his kit. Well, you get the idea, right? This is a love story, or an indictment against capitalism. Either one of those things.

So let's talk big robots. We know them and we love them, and we want to destroy monsters with them. What is your favorite? I don't care, I am going to tell you about my favorites.

I love Voltron. C'mon, five lions that make a big robot. Love it!

From days of long ago, from uncharted regions of the universe, comes a legend, the legend of Voltron, Defender of the Universe. A mighty robot, loved by good, feared by evil. As Voltron’s legend grew, peace settled across the galaxy. On planet Earth, a galaxy alliance was formed. Together with the good planets of the solar system, they maintained peace throughout the universe. Until a new horrible menace threatened the galaxy. Voltron was needed once more. This is the story of the super force of space explorers, specially trained, and sent by the alliance, to bring back Voltron: Defender of the Universe.

I love Robotech. Big mech robots, transforming vehicles, focus on the individual characters. Fantastic. But we could do without Minmei. But besides that, awesome-sauce. Give me a veritech and cyclone any day of the week.

We all see this is a real call to the Iron Giant. You know this movie....during the Cold War a big iron robot falls from space and crashes into a forest, then it becomes best friends with a boy. This movie will break you, guaranteed.

The Terminator franchise started with a simple story about an assassin sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Conners. From there, it became a real cultural icon. Can we just imagine if we combined Laura with a terminator. That would be awesome.

Then of course there is the Transformers. They are more than meets the eye. They are the team of robots that we ran home to watch when we were kids. They are the toys that we begged our parents for. They are the statutes that we now spend big bucks for. They are cool.

Check out the artwork of this comic at: https://jeffandrickpresent.wordpress.com/2024/03/29/avengers-academy-32-what-the-heart-wants-part-1/

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Final part of the Protective Services arc. This is the issue where we are finally brought the big old fight that we have been promised. That's right, the biggest slobber knocker, big show, extravaganza that will shake the trees and roll the stones. Yee Haw Cowboy.

Speaking of which, do you remember back on June 23, 1996, there was a King of the Ring tournament. Before the match, Jake "The Snake" Roberts was proselytizing in the locker room. But, at the end of the match, Stone Cold Steve Austin beat the veteran to win the match. That was the moment that Austin cut a promo where he talked about Jake reading from the bible and John 3:16...and how Austin 3:16 just said that he whipped your.......I do not know why I thought about that.

Did you know that there once was an exploding barbed wire deathmatch on AEW? Yeah. Apparently, the danger level was high enough that the referee had to wear a hazmat suit. I mean, that is a whole new level of gimmick, but whatever.

Going back to Jake "The Snake", he really did routines with live snakes, much to the annoyance of his fellow wrestlers. One of them even bit Macho Man Randy Savage in 1991. I once bit Jeff on a dare. I still have hair stuck in my teeth.

According to the internet, the greatest Royal Rumble ever was the 1992 Royal Rumble. Ric Flair won the match by lasting in the ring for over an hour, outlasting all other competitors. This included many of the big names at the time including Hulk Hogan, the British Bulldog and Randy Savage. My money is on Mettle.

Without getting into his definite problematic issues, the greatest villain in the wrestling world could be Vince McMahon. The fact that the owner of this corporation painted himself as the consistent villain in story lines, helping to sell story lines and mocking himself is admirable. Maybe he played the villain to easily.

The WCW Bash at the Beach 1996 was very memorable because it was when Hulk Hogan came out as a bad guy and the New World Order was formed. it was unexpected that the most stable good guy would turn on his friends and fans was shocking.

At the moment, my cohost has informed me that we are a comic book podcast and not a wrestling podcast. He feels that I should just move on. I have informed him that ...."It doesn't matter what you think!!!"

Go see the website where we show some images: https://jeffandrickpresent.wordpress.com/2024/03/21/avengers-academy-31-protective-services-part-3/

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