The No-Prize
Stan Lee is The Man who helped create the greatest number of superheroes in the modern-day pantheon. I use the word Pantheon with specific intent. The story of Spider-Man is an essential element of modern-day mythology, and I believe the future will regard the collection of heroes Stan helped create as one on par with the Greek Pantheon. Many comic book fans also recognize this and admire his great work.
If one man could create all those marvelous masks, could we ever see the real face of The Man himself?
In the Letters section of Stan's comics, fans were able to speak directly to Stan "The Man" Lee, and those writing in could tell Stan anything. In one form or another, Stan has penned dialogue for almost every major character. Stan knows the inner monologue of the doctor, sees the hidden intentions of the villain, and feels the elevated heartbeat of the innocent bystander. Stan has the ability to understand all the perspectives in a diverse group of individuals. An ordinary guy with that superhuman ability might be able to relate to about anybody, and he did.
A beloved feature of Stan's Soapbox was the coveted No-Prize, something which was literally nothing. In the world of my youth, a Prize About Nothing existed long before the Show About Nothing.
Stan made the honor of earning no No-Prize easy. Maybe being withholding in granting valueless awards is evidence Stan is secretly a mean person. Maybe everyone's admiration of this old guy is misplaced. I always doubt this could happen, but maybe I could be wrong about him.
I could be wrong, but as I say, I doubt it.
The true spirit of the No-Prize gravitated around the self-assured belief that we try not to make mistakes around here.
Stan had a soft spot for readers who were paying close attention, and the best way to earn a No-Prize was to point out an error the editor missed, forcing Stan to admit he made a mistake. However, as the only person in the conversation with awareness of future continuity, Stan was able to stretch some fantastic explanations in his favor.
Like Stan, I can admit when I am wrong, I just hate to make mistakes. Instead, I prefer to systematically eliminate them in a desire to reach that supposedly unattainable state of perfection. To be a man functioning at the ultimate capacity: Flawlessness.
No human can ever be perfect. Like a house with an unlimited number of repairs to fix, my natural human state gives me infinite things to improve in myself. The amount of work I have in this respect would outlast the amount of life anyone has available to them.
For some things, circumstances come together perfectly, and no work is required. These sorts of things are considered finished. Emeralds are these kind of elemental wonders, created without any need of human assistance…other than a little polish and oil to help Mother Nature look her best. They have been finished forming for millions of years, but they have not been available or in a state ready for our consumption until now.
Just as no mere mortal can be flawless, no natural gemstone is truly flawless. The unique traumas of our lives shape us, just as traces of the harsh conditions that formed Emeralds are included in them. This unavoidable fact is the way things must necessarily be. The reality of nature. The will of the universe. Part of the divine plan.
Each stone is not perfect, but rather perfectly imperfect. An Emerald exemplifies the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, which recognizes the standard beauty in imperfection as one which surpasses any found in flawlessness. If all lightning bolts ever seen were perfectly straight, only the appearance of one in the natural state would finally impress as nature intended! Emeralds are not judged predominantly by clarity, but by the eye which beholds their visual symphonies.
Red Beryl stones which are faceted or cabochon shaped in any clarity, so long as they are composed of gem material, remain in an elite category of the purest form which exists in this mineral. As the doctor explained to the villain in The Adventures of Kid Combat, "Red Beryl is one of the rarest minerals in the world -- Even in an impure state. In a pure state, it would be like finding the Holy Grail or the lost city of Atlantis."
Ladies and Gentlemen, the true allure of the Red Emerald.
History will excite her gaze upon the Red Emerald with the same fascination countless generations of youngsters search for recognizable shapes in clouds, look for moving figures in flame and admire the vegetation in an Emerald's jardin, because one may do all these things when they hold this red stone. The same natural features long appreciated in the green are ever present in the red.
There is scientific relevance to examining the full range in any material. My personal study of the Red Emerald lies at the very heart of science; to cast light into the unseen, infrared edge where none have been so blessed to have been granted access before.
At first it appeared the Fates may condemn the world's rarest gemstone to be the same one humanity would also witness the least. In a desire to save this jewel from such a 'Fate', I am attempting to catalogue and record as many notable aspects of the Red Emerald as humanly possible, making these gemstone findings digitally accessible to all. I will share with everyone what I am also seeing for the first time, and we are experiencing what none in history have had the opportunity to witness before!
The only misfortune is using the name of an alter-ego over that of the hero!
None ever say, "Look, in the sky! It's a bird...it's a plane...it's Clark Kent!"
Fans in the modern day and those in the future will be able to uniquely and jointly remember the eternal discovery of a new precious gem variety. The Red Emerald is destined to be well-documented and collectively treasured like no other gemstone throughout time!
I want to tell the fans everything, but I feel my pressing concern is to address immediately what they want to know most. Keep sending emails! I will respond to everyone to the best of my ability, and you will know by my words you are speaking with Me!
This narrative uses my voice, but I assume to know everything the Red Emerald would know about itself. Feel free to quiz me! Requesting technical details like refractive index and specific gravity are like asking for my bank number and current weight…that kind of information is not on the tip of my tongue, but I will refer to the documentation and examine the evidence in every case!
When reporting to you and as always, I speak in the historic tradition of The Man. Do not be afraid to tell me anything. Express your opinion as a fan of this gemstone, ask questions or try to prove me wrong!
Who knows, some of our conversations may even lead to a special investigation here!
Комментарии