Captain John K. Kirk

Captain John K. Kirk
John Kirk is an English and History teacher and librarian in Toronto, Canada. In addition to the traditional curriculum, John tries to teach his students to make sense of geek culture. And with the name "J. Kirk," it's hard for him to not inject "Star Trek" into his lessons. Comics, RPGs and the usual fanboy gear make up his classroom resources.

Captain Kirk’s Weekly Comic Review – 12/19/2018

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You know, this is the not just the season for giving, but it’s the season for planning. I mean, at this time of the year, you put together lists, make appointments, arrange to see friends and family – it’s all one huge sequence of elaborate planning. So, of course, that’s …

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Captain Kirk’s Weekly Comic Review – 12/12/2018

“We … do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; …” That’s a truncation of President John F. Kennedy’s famous Rice Stadium speech exhorting the American public to support the Apollo space program. It’s one of my favourite speeches, not just because it talks …

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Captain Kirk’s Weekly Comic Review – 12/05/2018

Let’s face it: it’s not like we lead second lives, have secret identities or are the heroes in some grand adventure. But in comics, we can. Reading comics allows us the vicarious, albeit brief thrill of borrowing those features and losing ourselves in a fantasy with values that speak to …

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Captain Kirk’s Weekly Comic Review – 11/21/2018

The absence of a strong central authority in a given situation makes for chaos. Now, I’m not an advocate for absolute despotism, but I do recognize that there has to be structure in all things for them to run smoothly, and comic stories are no exception to this rule. The …

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At 95, Stan Lee was “waiting” to do more writing. Maybe now he can.

My first introduction to Stan Lee was in 1977 in a small bungalow in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where I first read copies of John Byrne’s Iron Fist and X-Men. These were my first comics in Canada, emigrating from Scotland. I had no idea who this “Stan Lee” was, presenting the comics …

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Captain Kirk’s Weekly Comic Review – 11/07/2018

Opposition in all things is not only an axiomatic fact of life but it’s a necessity. It’s necessary for our learning, it’s necessary for personal growth but it’s also necessary for a good story. We are living in a time of great opposition these days. By the time this article …

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Captain Kirk’s Weekly Comic Review – 10/31/2018

Well, Halloween is once more upon us. It only makes sense that the theme for this week would have to be one that’s inspired by scary stuff and things that “go bump in the night”. Maybe that’s too much of a simplistic theme but the one thing that I’ve discovered …

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Captain Kirk’s Weekly Comic Review – 10/17/2018

Revenge is like deep dish pizza. It tastes great in the beginning, but eventually, your stomach burns with regret. Still, it’s a powerful emotional motivator and so many stories are built around it. I’m okay with that though, because in the end, and I think a lot of people share …

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