Green Lantern: A Celebration of 75 Years: Book Review

(Book Reviews--DC Comics)

Started: August 14, 2025

(This is my first time reading this book, so according to my new rules, I'm doing this as a video only review.)

Green Lantern: A Celebration of 75 Years: Book Review

Part 2: Green Lantern: A Celebration of 75 Years: Book Review

Links to stuff mentioned:

* My review of Inheritance by Devin Grayson: https://youtu.be/vjmZxkvfsaQ

* My review of Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman: https://youtu.be/dgWj1unFVlM

* Teen Titans Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x4_-BaiPwS0J-LsMStZZlJq&si=EwPsg0qwXoP9MqVi

On the question of whether Green Lantern's politics were right-wing or left-wing, Whisky Prajer (who grew up in the 70s) once wrote a blogpost saying Green Lantern: was rendered in the 70s by Denny O'Neill and Neal Adams: socially conscious to the point of camp. 

I chimed in in the comments: The 70s were before my time, but according to the Wikipedia article you linked to, wouldn't Green Arrow be the socially conscious one, and Green Lantern the conservative of the pair? I also recently read the DC Universe book "Inheritance", which also tended to support this interpretation.

And Whisky set me straight:  technically, you (and Wikipedia) are correct: Green Arrow served as Green Lantern's tender, way-left-of-centre conscience (something Frank Miller capitalized on in The Dark Knight Returns). As with any comic book writing, particularly in the 70s, it was made quite clear that for all their head-butting, Green Lantern duly appreciated Green Arrow's point of view.

Related Playlists:

Graphic Novel Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6NMoYW6CBw6Qj_cqK8DIeb

DC Comics Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6kPikhXNalrSh9BnvzZi2f&si=4rAijTT4v9u_06q2

Book Review Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7&si=EJ7CG8iO9IouNaYY

Books I read in 2025: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7Fev7Uv6_tzuSf84LtYwQu&si=Im1rdozRXrgGnr99

Green Lantern: A Celebration of 75 Years Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6iL4_Ghbv0powe2-sYh_Jl&si=2ahUcFsPwvL9mQ0K

Support this Blog:

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4mesnID         (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

I'm sure I'm just wasting my time with this, (not to mention this whole issue is pointless), but the way misinformation spreads so quickly on right-wing social media really bugs me.  So I jumped in.

@grok did cracker Barrel CEO say "Maga doesn't have to eat here" ?

— Joel Swagman (@JoelswagmanJoel) August 23, 2025

and for the record...

No, there's no evidence that Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino said "MAGA doesn't have to eat here." This appears to be a fabricated quote from social media amid backlash over their logo change. The company stated their values remain unchanged.

— Grok (@grok) August 23, 2025

Starting: Avengers Epic Collection Volume 23: Fear the Reaper 

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/477LxeL          (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution by Mike Duncan: Book Review

(Book Review--History) 

Started: July 31, 2025

(This is my first time reading this book, so according to my new rules, I'm doing this as a video only review.)

Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution by Mike Duncan: Book Review

Links to stuff mentioned:

* The History of Rome Podcast by Mike Duncan: Review: https://youtu.be/67kZ5DIfXyk

* Revolutions Podcast by Mike Duncan: Review: https://youtu.be/0GxCdVJWBEY

* The Storm Before the Storm by Mike Duncan: Book Review: https://youtu.be/6AfNvXDgUS8

* For Liberty and Glory: Washington, Lafayette and Their Revolutions by James R. Gaines: Book Review: https://youtu.be/9YeASwuLEdQ

Related playlists: 

* Books I read in 2025: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7Fev7Uv6_tzuSf84LtYwQu&si=Im1rdozRXrgGnr99

* Book Reviews Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7&si=EJ7CG8iO9IouNaYY

* History Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x52uI39vSXVrJvUFjdN9QkL&si=dICJTZngZlwi8WIT

* Revolutions Podcast Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6-ke3vHTACPyGfxj1XT9Ib&si=l1YAItNi2SVLdGBk

Support This Blog: 

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4mngEr1       (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Starting: Green Lantern: A Celebration of 75 Years

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4mesnID          (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Started: The History of Rome, Volume I: The Republic by Mike Duncan

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4loh9jL          (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

Using Youtube Videos to Study Spanish Conversation

Youtube Playlist--Quizlet Folder

* Clothes in Spanish | Easy Spanish Conversations | La ropa--Quizlet

It looks like I'm going to be teaching primarily Spanish speakers this year, so I've decided to step up my Spanish studying.  And, as I learned from my study of Vietnamese, it's best to integrate studying contextual conversation as soon as possible.  So, I'm going to start studying Youtube videos that contain Spanish conversation, in the same way that I am doing for Vietnamese.  
The project is still in the beginning stages, but I'll be indexing my materials in this post.

Well, yes and no. At the time The Iliad was composed, the legend of Aeneas founding Rome hadn't yet been formed. In the Iliad itself, Aeneas is destined only to be the leader of the survivors of Troy.

— Joel Swagman (@JoelswagmanJoel) August 6, 2025

For my review of The Iliad, see HERE.

The Complete Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy Volume 18: 1957-1959: Book Review

(Book Review--Dick Tracy)

Started: July 25, 2025

(This is my first time reading this book, so according to my new rules, I'm doing this as a video only review.)

The Complete Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy Volume 18: 1957-1959: Book Review

I got cut off right at the end because my camera automatically shuts down after 30 minutes.  But I had said most of what I wanted to say.

* My review of the first Dick Tracy volume here: https://youtu.be/SNIiK2H_ggs

* My review of volume 13 here: https://youtu.be/TFSI6SRDA_E

* My review of Volume 15: https://youtu.be/ib5tKpYTeT8

* My review of Volume 16: https://youtu.be/5D_lW0psQdM

* My review of volume 17: https://youtu.be/ga1P1J0YaMs

Related Playlists:

Dick Tracy Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7MsTIqdx2oSof-kvNCbeVj&si=f151y-QuLV7qPeB9

Graphic Novel Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x6NMoYW6CBw6Qj_cqK8DIeb

Book Review Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7&si=EJ7CG8iO9IouNaYY

Books I read in 2025: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7Fev7Uv6_tzuSf84LtYwQu&si=Im1rdozRXrgGnr99

The Complete Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy Volume 17: 1956-1957: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7XNgtBO5FsfRltwOHRbSCW&si=W0SAQc4dV25ODEhB

I was able to read this book thanks to the Michigan statewide state-wide interlibrary loan service called MeLCat, which may be in danger thanks to a Presidential executive order.  If you, like me, enjoy using MeLCat, contact your local representatives and let them know. 

Support this Blog:

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/44Nz669       (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)

A Change Is Gonna Come--Sharing Music I Like

When I first started this Sharing Music I Like project, my intent was to share songs that I've either newly discovered, or songs that were generally obscure.

Now that I'm a few years into this project, however, I'd like to pivot to sharing songs that I've loved for a long time, including songs that are not so obscure.

Which I guess raises the question: how obscure is A Change Is Gonna Come?  I mean, on the one hand, it's one of the most beloved soul songs from the 1960s.  On the other hand, it never gets any radio play.

I grew up on oldies stations in the 1980s and 1990s, and I never heard this played on the radio.  So my take is that unless you are particularly into old soul music, you might never discover this song.  And if so, hopefully this blog post will help you discover this wonderful song. 

But what's your take on it, dear reader?  Have you heard this song before?  How did you discover it?  Did you ever hear it on the radio?  Leave a comment and let me know.

And does anyone know why this song is never on the radio?

The first time I remember hearing this song, or at least noticing it, was in 2001 when I was re-watching Malcolm X in Japan.

For whatever reason, Malcolm X is a movie that took me a few times to really appreciate.  The first couple times I watched it, I felt a bit exhausted by the long run time of the movie.  It's a movie you really have to be in the right mood to appreciate, because the pacing of the movie is slow.  But the third time I watched it, I was settling into the slow pacing of the movie, and I began to appreciate just how powerful the movie was.

Now, if you've seen the movie, you know that at the end of the film, the movie essentially just stops so that A Change Is Gonna Come can play.  It's the kind of pacing decision that exasperated me the first couple times I saw the movie, but when I re-watched it the 3rd time, I was able to appreciate it.  And I noticed what a beautiful song it was.  

This was back in 2001, when the Internet was still in its infancy, so it took me some time to actually track down what the name and singer were for this song.  There was no Wikipedia to go to, no Youtube to search, and no reddit to ask.

I bought the soundtrack to Malcolm X (which I was actually able to find in a CD store in Japan) solely to get a copy of that song, and then was disappointed when that song wasn't on the soundtrack.

[Note: The Wikipedia article for Malcolm X (soundtrack) lists A Change Is Gonna Come as track 14 on the soundtrack, but it was definitely not on the Malcolm X soundtrack I bought in 2001.  Perhaps there were different versions of the soundtrack released? I also don't know why A Change Is Gonna Come wouldn't be included, but perhaps it was a rights issue?]

Anyway, after several Internet searches, I did figure out that name and artist of the song from the end of Malcolm X, and then was able to buy a copy of Sam Cooke's greatest hits in Japan.  Then, once I had finally tracked this song down, for several years afterwards, I became a big evangelist for this song.

I shared it with my old Calvin friend Brett, and my JET friend Ryan (neither of them had ever heard this song before, both of them loved it immediately.)

I used this song in my English classes in Japan, and have gone on to use it in my classes in Cambodia and Vietnam.  See:

* A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke (TESOL Songsheet)

* Present Tense Verbs using "A Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke

I've also linked to this song and programs about Sam Cooke a few times before on this blog (e.g. here and here).

My Summer Job

Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin: Book Review

(Book Review--Reread)

Started: July 20, 2025

This is a reread.  I originally read it in high school.  But as this is my first time reviewing it on this blog, according to my new rules, I'm doing this as a video only review.

Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin: Book Review

[Note: This is another video where I got cut off by the 30 minute time limit on my camera.  There's a lot more that I could have said about this book, but I ran out of time.]

Links to stuff mentioned:

* My review of Mice and Men: https://youtu.be/w5oh8a5j5vM

* Wikipedia article for John Howard Griffin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Howard_Griffin

* Wikipedia article for Lynching of Mack Charles Parker: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynching_of_Mack_Charles_Parker

See also:

* Lynching of Mack Charles Parker--Interesting Random Facts

* p.77-78--Commonplace Book

Related playlists: 

* Books I read in 2025: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7Fev7Uv6_tzuSf84LtYwQu&si=Im1rdozRXrgGnr99

* Book Reviews Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x7dao6py7ODX_PkUvrAEch7&si=EJ7CG8iO9IouNaYY

* Rereads Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOY-0V_l_9x5dMXnK5v4Yc7a8MF5p32Bx&si=HJZkQ7gk8J-EXB9f

Support this Blog:

Did you enjoy this review? Consider supporting me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joelswagman

Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/JoelSwagman

Check out this book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4lXQJpw            (This is an Amazon Associate's Link.  If you buy anything through that link, I get a commission.)