Rich here.

I only consistently read comic books for a relatively short period of my life. I always enjoyed them as a kid but didn’t really collect them until sometime around high school. Before that I didn’t have the money to buy them month to month. I kept up a little in college, but I probably had less free capital as a freshman than in elementary school. Gas money and cheap dates add up crazy fast.

Much to my surprise, at the ripe old age of forty-something, I find myself back in the world of comics. It all started thanks to my kids and Netflix. Netflix has quite the back catalog of animated shows, including my all-time favorite, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. You know: Iceman and Firestar. I really loved that show as a kid, and from age three to four it was my middle daughter’s absolute favorite.

Better yet, my kids also found Super Hero Squad; a weird and wonderful stylized comedy take on Marvel comics that ran for two seasons. It was one of those rare shows loaded with jokes targeting adults while also appealing to kids. It hooked both my girls, who then moved on to the more serious Avengers Assemble, which covered a bunch of the major comics events – including Secret Invasion, which ran as a season-long story arc.

My girls love all the comics characters and stories. Mostly Marvel, which is what I know, but you can’t really avoid DC. Especially Wonder Woman. Their favorite race is the Super Hero Run where we all dress in costumes and run a 5K (I run, they ride in the Helicarrier, which civilians call a “jog stroller”). When it comes to ComiCon, my oldest will gut me with a Barbie if I don’t take her.

The there are the movies. The kids are too young to see them all (mostly just Avengers), but I am stunned that the biggest movies today are all expressions of my childhood dreams. Good comic book movies? With plot lines that extend a decade or more? And make a metric ton of cash? Yes, decades. In case you hadn’t heard, Disney/Marvel announced their lineup through 2019. 2-3 films per year, with interlocking television shows on ABC and Netflix, all leading to a 2-film version of the Infinity Wars. My daughter wasn’t born when Iron Man came out, and she will be 10 when the final Avengers (announced so far) is released.

Which is why I am back on the comics. Because I am **Dad*, and while I may screw up everything else, I will sure as hell make sure I can explain who the Skrull are, and why Thanos wants the Infinity Gems. I am even learning more about the Flash, and please forgive me, Aquaman.

There are few things as awesome as sharing what you love with your kids, and them sharing it right back. I didn’t force this on my kids – they discovered comics on their own, and I merely encouraged their exploration. The exact same thing is happening with Star Wars, and in a year I will get to take my kids to see the first new film with Luke, Leia, and Han since I was a kid.

My oldest will even be the same age I was when my father took me to Star Wars for the first time. No, those aren’t tears. I have allergies.

On to the Summary:

Webcasts, Podcasts, Outside Writing, and Conferences

Favorite Securosis Posts

  • Mike Rothman: Friday Summary: Halloween. Adrian and Emily get (yet) another dog. 😉
  • Rich: We are still low on posts, so I will leave it at that and tell you to read all of them this week 🙂

Other Securosis Posts

Favorite Outside Posts

  • Mike Rothman: Don’t Get Old. I like a lot of the stuff Daniel Miessler writes. I don’t like the term ‘old’ in this case because that implies age. I think he is talking more about being ‘stuck’, which isn’t really a matter of age.
  • Rich: How an Agile Development Process Fits into the Security User Story. This is something I continue to struggle with as I dig deeper into Agile and DevOps. There is definitely room for more research into how to integrate security into user stories, and tying that to threat modeling. Maybe a project I should take up over the holidays.
  • Adrian Lane: Facebook, Google, and the Rise of Open Source Security Software. It’s interesting that Facebook is building this in-house. And contributing to the open source community. But remember they bought PrivateCore last year too. So the focus on examining in-memory processes and protecting memory indicates their feelings on security. Oh, and Rich is quoted in this too!

Research Reports and Presentations

Top News and Posts

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