One of the most intriguing aspects of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is his choice of the ring bearer. Tolkien had many characters to choose from, especially among the Fellowship. There was Aragorn, the rightful heir to the throne of Gondor, Legolas, an elf prince and skilled warrior, and even Gandalf a wizard […]
Hobbits, and how God uses the “small” and “insignificant” for his plans Read More »
J.R.R. Tolkien began The Lord of the Rings as a sequel to his smash-hit fantasy novel The Hobbit. The new book soon took on a life of its own, becoming one of the few sequels to surpass its predecessor, showcasing Tolkien’s remarkable talent for inventing languages and fictional histories (what fantasy writers today would call
Tolkien’s abandoned sequel to ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Read More »
“To love is to will the good of the another.” –St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I.ii.26 This principle is seen clearly in the redemption arc of Loki, both the original MCU version (hereafter referred to as Prime Loki) and the Variant, who is the eponymous hero of the Loki series. Loki’s love of his father In the beginning of
Loki’s complex journey to find true love Read More »
Bam! Smack! Pow! You see the words jump up on the screen, and your favorite crime-fighting team clobbers some crazy criminals trying to disrupt the society of Gotham. Though an inarguably corny take on DC’s “Dark Knight” persona, the Batman series (1966-68) maintains a fixed place as a cult classic among all of American science
How Batman (1966) recognized human dignity Read More »
In a previous article for this blog, I mentioned that I’ve been making my way through The Dragonriders of Pern, Anne McCaffrey’s expansive series of science-fantasy novels. The planet of Pern is a meticulously crafted setting with a detailed geography, flora, and fauna; a true sub-creation in the vein of Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Pern was colonized
A time to seek: The Word of God comes to Pern Read More »
St. Maximilian Kolbe is most well-known for his example of self-sacrifice in Auschwitz, where he convinced the Nazi soldiers to kill him, instead of another prisoner who had a family. Yet, in addition to his remarkable humility and dedication to God and the Virgin Mary, he also had a fascination with technology and space travel.
St. Maximilian Kolbe designed his own spaceship to fly to the moon Read More »
In the opening pages of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Silmarillion, we meet the character of Eru, also called Ilúvatar, (representing God in Tolkien’s universe) who creates a great theme of music in which he allows the Ainur, (representing the angels in Tolkien’s universe) his first creations to partake in. In this great theme there is a beautiful
Tolkien’s ‘Silmarillion’ and the problem of evil Read More »
Hello there! I wanted to give a brief update on our recent pre-ordering campaign for Finnian Issue #5. Our campaign was a success! We are sincerely grateful to the 186 backers of our campaign and to everyone who has supported us on our journey thus far! As of right now the artists are putting the
Success!! Update on Finnian Issue 5 Read More »
Roverandom is the endearing tale of a little dog’s adventures after being turned into a toy by a wizard. Tolkien originally told this story to his children after one of them had lost a toy dog on vacation. After searching for the lost toy unsuccessfully, Tolkien devised Roverandom to help explain what happened to the
‘Roverandom:’ Tolkien’s little-known children’s story Read More »
Natasha Romanoff (aka “Black Widow”), is a curious character in the MCU. She has a complicated past, with a “ledger” dripping with blood. It’s a past she wants to forget, but it relentlessly haunts her until she confronts it head-on in the standalone movie, Black Widow. Interestingly, she has also proven to be one of
Is Black Widow Catholic in the MCU? Read More »
