Brrr!

For those of us who grew up and continue to live in the frozen tundra of the upper midwest, we take pride in our hearty tradition of facing bitterly cold temperatures with viking-like stoicism.

But this is ridiculous.

As you can see from the TV weather map to the left, we've plunged far below the zero mark here in Minnesota (and elsewhere), making even the most minor outdoor task a major chore involving five to ten minutes of "suiting up" as if we were preparing to walk on the moon.

How do I describe 10º to 30º below zero to someone living in Florida or California? Well...I can't. Instead, I'll let some classic comic book covers do the talking, which (after multiplying the effect by a hundred) will hopefully give you warm-weather sissies at least a snowflake's worth of understanding of what it might be like to walk a mile (or to the mailbox) in my triple-lined snow boots.

Global Warming?

Yeah.....right. (shiver)

Comments

[Bill S.]

I love that Wonder Woman cover, especially. "Minister Blizzard"?

I live in Florida now, but I grew up in Michigan, and my parents live in Rochester, NY, where they routinely get pummeled by lake-effect snow and very low temperatures. It's hard not to laugh when my coworkers complain about 40 degree temperatures, weather that, for me, just means I can turn off my air conditioning and crack the windows open. You have my sympathy.

[Mark Engblom]

Yeah, "Minister Blizzard" certainly doesn't occupy the "Top Five Cold-Themed Villains" list, that's for sure.

It *IS* funny to hear what warm-climate people consider "cold". Even more fun is to see the reactions of warm-climate people who visit here in the spring, since they're usually all bundled up in 60º weather, while winter-hardened Minnesotans are all running around in shorts and T-shirts. 'Heat wave!"

[Dan Lietha]

Classic comic covers Mark! Of course you realize these comic villains that used COLD as their weapon were all from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan! :-)

[Mark Engblom]

Hi Dan! Oh, come now...we all know that northern Minnesota is the Cold Capital of America!

(a sure sign of cold-induced dementia: bragging who has the coldest home state)

[Greg Walter]

Is it too cold yet? I say thee nay! Well, it did break today with the snow that much of MN got (I live just south of the Cities).

Your covers got me thinking and going back to my first run Who's Who and Marvel Handbooks to count as many cold heroes as I could. Most of them are bad! Does this mean cold = evil?

Thanks for the great site and affection for the golden- and silver-age!

[Mark Engblom]

Thanks for the kind words, Greg! It's good to hear my love for Gold and Silver is coming through.

And yes....cold DOES equal evil. Pure, unadulterated evil.