Superman’s Dark Side ------Review • Pad Thai------Superman: The Unau- thorized Biography by The ’05’s Welcome Addition Glen Weldon, Wiley, 2013 On Books Jon and I live in an historic neighborhood near There has been a trend EVAN GILLESPIE Lakeside Park, just east of downtown Fort Wayne. in comic books over the Some call it the North Anthony neighborhood or the Dining Out past couple of decades, and Northside neighborhood, others simply Lakeside. Jon more recently in movies based on teousness, even if there wasn’t a and I have dubbed it the ’05 (pronounced oh-five) and AMBER RECKER comic books, to remake classic clear and present evil for him to love it like a dear friend. We can’t imagine living any- superheroes into troubled, vio- fight. where else, and because we care about our neighbor- of dish I crave on chilly autumn nights. lent, morally ambivalent charac- In the Silver Age of comic hood and the quality of life of those who live there, we Jon’s dish measured up to classic Pad Thai dishes ters who are in sharp contrast to books in the 1960s, Superman get excited when a new restaurant opens. we’ve had at other Thai places in town. He especially the self-righteous and optimistic became a caricature, clear evi- In early 2011, we were thrilled when Los Portales enjoyed the extras available at the table – , superheroes of the past. Writ- dence of how DC Comics was opened on East State, occupying a space that had been pickled jalapeños and red chili – which let him make ers have argued that these new trying ever so hard to pander to vacant for a few years. It was a family- his dish as spicy characters are somehow closer in the elusive youth market. The owned Mexican restaurant that made its as he likes. spirit to the original Golden Age Man of Steel was surrounded by own tortillas and served superb horcha- Since our characters and are therefore more super children and super dogs, tas. We thought it had real staying pow- first trip to Pad true and pure. all-powerful monkeys and all er, but, sadly, it closed not even a year Thai earlier this However, while Batman may manner of wacky new superhe- after opening. Luckily, the space didn’t year, we’ve added have had a bit of an edge in the roes. He dressed up like a cow- stay empty for long. Pad Thai, coined as it to our regular 1930s, the idea of Superman as a boy if he needed to, and he was fine Thai and Burmese , opened carry-out rotation brooding, conflicted figure – as he willing to say “groovy” and “dig in the space in late 2012. and have fallen was presented in this year’s Man it!” Not until Christopher Reeve Pad Thai’s atmosphere is quaint and in love with Thai of Steel – doesn’t have much of a took on the role of Super- comfortable enough for a strip mall es- Grilled with historical basis. As Glen Wel- man in the 1978 film did tablishment. The new owners have done don illustrates in Su- the Man of Steel begin to a nice job transforming it. ($7.99). It’s a perman: The regain a bit of his dig- The menu isn’t extensive, Unauthorized nity. but it does offer a variety Pad Thai; Thai Noodle Biography, the Superman’s story of traditional Thai dishes, Man of Steel is not a particularly including the ever-popular simple dish containing pork has always been coherent one, and Pad Thai. Want to know and , but the sauce makes it a mutable charac- unfortunately Wel- the best part? The menu exquisite. Tamarind is a sticky ter, a reflection of don isn’t able to contains pictures of most brown pulp from the pod of a his historical con- unify the charac- of the dishes, so those tree in the pea family and is text, and he still is. ter’s entire tra- who aren’t familiar with used often in Asian . In It just happens that jectory into one Thai and this case, it’s mixed with fish we’re in the mood easily digest- can get a preview of what sauce and scallions for a savory for violent, troubled, ible narrative. to expect before ordering. and tangy finish. The pork is ambivalent superhe- He moves On my first visit, I chose served over sticky white rice roes right now, and Su- through endless the dish that looked the best: Thai Beef that complements it well. perman has always been comic book titles, movie se- ($6.95). Jon opted for Pad Thai with ($7.95). Pad Thai is a welcome addition to the ’05 neigh- about giving us what we rials, radio shows, TV series and The Thai Beef Noodle Soup was fabulous – full borhood. Though seating is limited, it’s a great place want. big-budget films, hitting all the of thinly sliced beef, , cilantro, scallions for a family or dinner and even better for date Weldon’s book is a step-by- important storylines and players. and bok choy. The broth was extremely flavorful with night. Add it to your list of must-try restaurants. We’ve step trip through Superman’s There’s a lot of ground to cover, a hint of cinnamon giving it a heated, sweet taste. The yet to have a dish we don’t like. history, from the character’s in- and Weldon covers all of it thor- dish also contained balls of fish, which I did not care Hours are 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.- troduction in Action Comics to oughly, but the endless parade for, but they were easy to eat around. This is the type 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. the Bryan Singer-directed 2006 of episodes and issues, charac- reboot movie, Superman Returns. ters and actors is numbing, and There was nothing ambiguous it doesn’t help that no one had From Page 22 about the earliest incarnation of a clear idea of where Superman THE GREEN ROOM - Superman; he was wish fulfill- was headed through the of together after the show has been cast. Production dates computer helping to find the criminals Spader’s char- ment on the part of his two nerdy it all. are set for December 9-11, 2013. Those cast will re- acter leads them to. creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe After the turn of the 21st ceive monetary compensation provided they meet cer- Shuster. He was a strongman who century, superheroes were a dark tain criteria. For more information, call director Paul The Man Who Came to Dinner could do anything he wanted, and bunch. Batman was sulking and Allen at 579-6277. Newlyweds Chris and Emilie Murphy star togeth- Siegel and Shuster obviously murderous, Spider-man was ang- er in the play The Man Who Came to Dinner at the didn’t think too much about his sty and clumsy, Iron Man was ir- Brouwer stars in The Black List University of St. Francis beginning November 8 and motivation or backstory. His ori- reverent and unstable. Superman Former Fort Wayne actor Mike Brouwer has con- running two weekends. Mr. Murphy plays Sheridan gin story was vague and sketchy, was the last hero to come to the tinued his busy TV and film background career in Whiteside, and Mrs. Murphy plays his assistant, Miss something about space and sci- ambiguous anti-hero party, and New York City and can currently be seen on episodes Maggie Cutler. ence and superior racial evolu- when he finally got there in this of The Black List starring James Spader as an FBI tion (a curious concept coming year’s Zack Snyder-directed Man agent. He will generally be sitting at a dual-monitored [email protected] from two Jews during the rise of of Steel (a milestone that Weldon Hitler). During World War II, Su- doesn’t reach in his book) the perman was simply a hero, made transformation ruffled the feath- SCREENTME - From Page 22 to conquer the forces of evil. ers of some fans. starring newcomer Barkhad Abdi in a star-making is Robert Rodriguez’s Machete sequel, Machete Kills, After the war, when America The fact is, though, that Su- performance, Catherine Keener as the perpetual Cool starring the guy who plays Machete (Danny Trejo) didn’t need heroes as much as perman has always been exactly Old-ish Gal, and some guy called Tom Hanks who at and a whole lot of women whom I suspect Rodriguez it needed symbols, Superman what we want him to be in the one time in his career was a a man-boy with a tram- has crushes on. Along for the stylish ride are Michelle became a shorthand emblem of moment, and now he’s proving poline in his apartment. Captain tells the true story of Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard, Jessica Alba, patriotism and social stability, a that if we want him to be dark and Richard Phillips (Hanks) and the hijacking of his car- Vanessa Hudgens, Lady Gaga, Alexa Vega, Cuba protector of “truth, justice and brooding, he can do that, too. go ship by a group of Somali pirates. It’s a very good Gooding Jr., Antonio Banderas, Mel Gibson and Car- the American way.” He was still a story brought to life by very talented people. Should los Estevez. one-dimensional fighter for righ- [email protected] be good. Maybe even very good. Also out everywhere [email protected] 26------www.whatzup.com------October 10, 2013