OFFICIAL SITE OF AUTHOR MICHAEL RICKARD

Today marks the 80th anniversary of the Batman's first appearance (Detective Comics #27 to be exact) and he's been pretty busy ever since his first adventure, appearing in film, radio, television, and just about every medium out there. Over the next year I plan on celebrating his 80th year with some special articles, but in the meantime, check out some previous articles I wrote about Batman and Batmania. Forever Batman: Remembering Adam West. Book Review: Batman: War of Jokes

Henry Mayhew’s London Labour and the London Poor (London Labour) provides a look at Victorian London’s working poor, but also provides a look at mainstream attitudes concerning class hierarchy and colonialist attitudes. While the book’s subject matter makes for exploration through a number of critical theories, new historicism provides an ideal examination at not only at contemporary history, but contemporary attitudes in Victorian-era London. London Labour’s tapestry of the

Copyright 2019 by Michael W. Rickard II Say "The King of Rock and Roll" and Elvis Presley comes to mind. However Memphis, Tennessee boasts another king, Jerry "The King" Lawler, just one of many larger-than-life figures who wrestled in Memphis. Join me now as I look back at Memphis Madness. Originally presented at Canadian Bulldog's World

Copyright 2019 by Michael W. Rickard II Editor's Note: Here's an essay I wrote on Charlotte Bronte's industrial novel Shirley. Shirley character Mr. Yorke provides a rich amount of material to analyze through Marxist criticism as Yorke raises many of the questions posed by Marxists during the Industrial Revolution including criticism of the upper class, the military, and clergy. While Marxism was in its infancy during the time Shirley was published, I shall show how Yorke sha

Editor's Note: Around 2009 I started a recurring column at World Wrestling Insanity titled, "Epic Fail" detailing some of wrestling's biggest flops. When TNA wrestling's Chris Harris came to the WWE, fans were eager to see how he would perform. Working as "Braden Walker" led to one of wrestling's most disastrous debuts. The column is presented in its original format save for some formatting fixes. Copyright 2009 Mike Rickard Originally published at World Wrestling Insanity

Copyright 2019 by Michael W. Rickard II Elizabeth Gaskell's industrial novel Mary Barton provides a look at the debilitating effects not only of economic inequality but of Victorian England’s patriarchal society. Manchester’s factory laborers find themselves striving for adequate pay in order to feed and maintain their families. While there is suffering amongst various characters, female characters seem to suffer more, largely through the failings of England’s patriarchal soc

Editor's Note: Around 2009 I started a recurring column at World Wrestling Insanity titled, "Epic Fail" detailing some of wrestling's biggest flops. While the story of Terry Taylor being the original candidate for the Mr. Perfect gimmick has been disputed, it's an interesting tale nonetheless. The column is presented in its original format save for some formatting fixes. Copyright 2009 Mike Rickard Originally published at World Wrestling Insanity on August 24, 2009 Recen

Copyright 2019 by Michael W. Rickard II Harriet Martineau’s Illustrations of Political Economy (Illustrations) has been credited with helping to illustrate the principles of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations. However, like many of Martineau’s works, the book can be evaluated and appreciated on many levels, including eco-criticism. An eco-critical examination reveals Martineau’s progressive attitudes towards population control and conservation of resources as seen in the tale