OFFICIAL SITE OF AUTHOR MICHAEL RICKARD

Copyright 2018 by Michael W. Rickard II Editor's Note: My apologies for the delay in getting part two here. I know it's been two months since I've written about Superman. Would you believe I was exposed to Kryptonite? Last time around, we began our look at one of Superman’s most formidable Golden Age opponents, the Atom Man. As discussed in our previous segment, people seem to have mixed feelings about Superman’s Golden Age era rogue’s gallery, with the thought being that a g

In June of 1985, Randy “Macho Man” Savage entered the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) after working in the Memphis territory, a promotion that showcased many wrestlers who eventually made their way to the WWF. A second-generation wrestler (the son of Angelo Poffo), Savage was brought into the WWF at the recommendation of manager Jimmy Hart (another Memphis mainstay who had recently joined the WWF) and ring announcer Howard Finkel. Savage's star would soar in the WWF, leading

Copyright (C) 2018 by Michael Rickard II I Fish and chips, an English tradition My trip to England saw me enjoying some great food, but no trip to the U.K. would be complete without partaking of some fish and chips. For whatever reason, I hadn’t gone to any fish and chips shops while in London, but that changed when I got to Lincoln. As fortune would have it, I stumbled upon one of the best fish and chips shops in England—at least that’s what I was told. What would my experie

Copyright (c) 2018 by Michael Rickard II Editor's Note:The border is a hot topic right now thus my class in borderland literature provided some insight into authors' thoughts on living between two worlds. Here is an essay I wrote on Emma Pérez' Loving Pedro Infante. Spoilers abound: Helena Maria Viramontes’ Their Dogs Came with Them: A Novel (“Dogs”) deals with the effect of ever-changing boundaries on individuals and culture, showing a microcosm of the borderland theme of di

"The Enforcer" Arn Anderson is a well-respected wrestler who rose to fame in the mid-80's becoming a founding member of the Four Horsemen and going on to have a successful career until injuries forced him to retire early. Fans may be surprised to learn "The Enforcer" wrote his memoir nearly two decades ago, a book that's still available. How does it stand up to other wrestler biographies? Check out my review here Originally presented at Canadian Bulldog's World

Copyright 2018 by Michael W. Rickard II Richard Trench’s speech On Some Deficiencies in our English Dictionaries and the OED Proposal for the Publication of a New Dictionary demonstrates how lexicographers have kept certain principles while trying to improve dictionaries. It also exemplifies how methodologies can be improved upon with new technology. These articles show the continuing debate over what words (if any) should be excluded from dictionaries. Trench comments, “A Di

Ivan Koloff and manager Captain Louis Albano Nowadays the thought of a champion holding the belt for over seven and a half years is inconceivable. A title reign over a year is a big deal in today’s era of professional wrestling. The business is different now with a multitude of TV and pay-per- view shows where the title is defended compared to the time before cable television and PPV where titles were usually only defended at house shows. What was it like for fans when a cham

Copyright (C) 2018 by Michael Rickard II I Lincoln, a beautiful cathedral city. I'd arrived in Lincoln a day early to get ready for Bishop Grosseteste University’s Monster Conference, and while I wasn’t scheduled to present until Sunday, I wanted to appear for the opening ceremony and check things out. Foreshadowing Sunday, I’d find there are many ways to Bishop Grosseteste University, not all of them short. The bottom of a long, long hill. Lincoln is a cathedral city located

Fans may be wondering what Brutus Beefcake has to say about his time in the squared circle and let me tell you brother, he has a lot to day, including some funny road stories and interesting insight into his early days training with Hulk Hogan and subsequent success. Check out my review of Struttin' and Cuttin' here. Originally presented at Canadian Bulldog's World