In Mega-City One, there is one constant: Judge Joseph Dredd.

Cloned from the first chief judge, Eustace Fargo, Dredd’s growth was artificially accelerated. After his brain was electronically implanted with all the appropriate information he would need, he was “born” at age five, just in time to enter the Academy of Law.

Called the toughest school on Earth, it takes fifteen years to make it through the Academy. Judge Dredd was fast-tracked.

He made it through in thirteen.

He is by far the most famous street judge in Mega-City One, known for his unshakable devotion to the law and the swift and brutal punishment he brings to anyone who violates it.

What can he teach us about being a good parent?

I can think of five things.

Photo Credit:  Boyce Duprey

You know you want one:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hat Tip: Super Hero Hype

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See more from Duane on superheroes at PJ Lifestyle:

‘Who Is Thanos?’ And 10 More Post-Avengers Comic Book Movie Rumors

Which of the 5 Avengers Prequels Is the Best?

The 10 Worst Comic Book Movie Casting Blunders (And 5 That Nailed It)

Spinoff Online writes:

The clip expands on the sequence in which the Hulk plummets from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier into an old factory, and Banner awakens amid a pile of rubble to be greeted by an unfazed security guard (played by veteran character actor Harry Dean Stanton). The expanded scene finds Ruffalo’s character struggling with whether to return to the fight to save the planet, and with his nature: Is he, as Stanton asks, “a big guy that gets all little, or a little guy that sometimes blows up large”?

Here’s the clip:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Avengers comes out on Blu-Ray September 25. I’m sure it will have more deleted scenes like this.

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More from Duane on superheroes at PJ Lifestyle:

‘Who Is Thanos?’ And 10 More Post-Avengers Comic Book Movie Rumors

Which of the 5 Avengers Prequels Is the Best?

The 10 Worst Comic Book Movie Casting Blunders (And 5 That Nailed It)

Here I am around 295 pounds.

299

I looked at the number again.

I was one pound away from 300.

Something had to change.

I had tried to use the gym at work, but with a 12-hour day and a 4 a.m. alarm, rising an hour early to work out wasn’t happening. Warm beds are difficult to leave at three in the morning.

So I brought workout clothes with me in order to hit the gym after work. Instead, I convinced myself my time was better used behind the keyboard at home than in the gym. At the end of the day, I just went home without a second thought.

But when I looked at the scale, standing on the edge of 300 pounds, I knew I was in real danger. Heart attacks are common in my family history. So is diabetes.

It wasn’t long after that I heard this episode of  EconTalk. Russ Roberts was talking with Gary Taubes, author of Good Calories, Bad Calories.

Taubes is also the author of Why We Get Fat, a book Glenn Reynolds promotes on Instapundit. I expected a good interview, but this was an eye-opener.

It would change my life.

What’s a dad to do? All that time at home with the little ones can get tedious if a guy isn’t prepared. But if you put a little effort into finding activities you and your kids can both enjoy, then your day will be much easier.

And if you can get them outside, away from the television, it’s even better.

Here are ten activities which I think you’ll enjoy.

10. Go Fishing

The one thing I could count on my dad wanting to do every weekend was grab some fishing poles and head for the nearest body of water. He loves fishing, and because of him, so do I.

His hobby is now my children’s hobby.

I loved watching each one catch a fish for the first time. It was exactly this cute:

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you don’t know anything about fishing, don’t worry about it. You can learn with your child. There are plenty of books on the basics of fresh-water fishing.

And the bonus is that even if you don’t catch a fish you still spent some time outside having fun with your kids. It’s a win-win.

The San Diego Comic Con is scheduled for the middle of July. Today, Marvel Studios announced its panel for the event:

Marvel Studios: Saturday, July 14th 6:00pm – 7:00pm (Hall H) – Marvel Studios presents Iron Man 3. Join Producer Kevin Feige and special guests as they provide an inside look at the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures: Thursday, July 12th 2:05pm – 3:05pm (Hall H) – A Q&A panel featuring the imaginative director of Frankenweenie, Tim Burton; A special look at the world of Oz The Great and Powerful with director Sam Raimi; the illustrious voice cast of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Wreck-It Ralph, including John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman and director Rich Moore.

I’m guessing Robert Downey, Jr. will be present for the panel. I’d also expect some details on the upcoming Thor and Captain America sequels.

But overall, doesn’t it seem a bit, well, underwhelming? After all, they have some other movies in the works besides Iron Man 3.

But it looks like they’re on the right track with this new adaptation:

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Momma’s not the law. I am the law.”

I got goosebumps. Yeah, I’m that big a geek.

Word is he never takes off his helmet. That’s awesome. So true to the comic.

This one looks good.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This looks fantastic. I can’t wait.

Hat Tip: Spinoff Online

Controversy?

No surprise, it seems Alan Moore disapproves of the idea of a prequel:

“I don’t think it’s going to work. From what I hear, there’s a certain degree of comic creators’ hostility and negative feedback posting on entertainment sites. Some people are writing petitions. I would have never have asked any of the readers to do that, but I’m genuinely grateful. It’s not a kind of reaction I can ever remember from a readership before. I would have thought, from a DC perspective, that’s it’s a lose-lose perspective, unless they did something better or as good as ‘Watchmen.’ But realistically, that’s not going to happen, otherwise it would have happened before.”

Some have looked at the first book with mixed reactions. At the A.V. Club, Oliver Sava thinks the book’s quality might be enough to make people who were once against it, go ahead and read it:

That sense of dread permeates the story, highlighted by the contrast between the bold superhero action depicted on-panel and the ill omens of Hollis’ narration. The final shot of Nelson “Captain Metropolis” Gardner smoking a stogie in a bubble bath is accompanied by the caption, “Some would say we’ve been paying for those benefits ever since.” Everything is about to fall apart for these characters, and I can’t wait to see how it all comes tumbling down. Minutemen #1 feels like DC’s first major effort to create a piece of art in its post-New 52 climate, and it’s unfortunate that the behind-the-scenes politics will prevent a lot of people from checking out this stunning new work from one of the industry’s best.

However, The Huffington Post’s Scott Thill doesn’t seem to be a fan:

As Before Watchmen‘s opener, the first issue of Minutemen seems instructive. After its initial head-fake, it problematically stays uneven, and already boasts sloppy continuity. Cooke’s throwback style and racial epithets well evoke the period, but his breakneck race through the The Minutemen’s back story and costumed roster leaves him little room for more than truncated introduction. Its scattered pace and sensibility is the diametric opposite of Moore and Gibbon’s patient original, although it continues to wax poetic about The Minutemen’s individual characters.

I have no skin in this game, nor have I seen the book yet. And I don’t know of a project that Alan Moore has even remotely been associated with where he’s said, “Oh yes.  I’m very happy with this.  It’s a slice of fried gold.”

As long as a comic has a solid story and some good visuals and I’ll be content.

The character DC intends to bring out of the closet is the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott:

The original Green Lantern – a DC Comics’ mainstay for the past 70 years – will be revealed to be a gay man in next week’s issue of “Earth 2.”

Alan Scott – formerly a married father of two who first appeared in 1940 – tips readers off to his sexuality early on in the comic when he gives his boyfriend a welcome home kiss.

“He’s very much the character he was. He’s still the pinnacle of bravery and idealism. He’s also gay,” “Earth 2″ writer James Robinson told The Post.

The Emerald Guardian’s sexuality was rebooted along with the rest of his fictional universe as part of DC’s “New 52″ initiative aimed at rejuvenating their characters.

Robinson said he decided to make the change because making the character young again meant erasing Scott’s gay superhero son out of existence.

Yep. I’m sure that was why.

No political agenda, just the obvious choice.

While a gay wedding in Archie Comics earlier this year and impending same-sex nuptials in a Marvel X-Men comic have recieved a small amount of backlash from angry parents, Robinson said he’s not worried about that because “that kind of negativity is stupid and outmoded.”

“We should be preaching love and tolerance,” he said.

That’s odd. I thought, as comic book writers and artists, you would be focused on making awesome story arcs with killer visuals.

Nope. Comics are for preaching love and tolerance.

I think I need to go re-read my Punisher comics. Clearly I missed something.