"Son of Strelka, Son of God" by Dan Warren and Barack Obama

"Son of Strelka, Son of God"
by Dan Warren and Barack Obama
read by Barack Obama
32 minutes

I think I have just listened to one of the coolest conglomerations ever.  It seems Dan Warren has a lot of time on his hands.  What he has done is chop up President Barack Obama's self read autobiography audiobook and turned it into something completely different.  The story Dan Warren has creatively edited, complete with music, is the story of an ugly dog-faced demigod who recreates the world after it is destroyed. 

When I first heard of this last summer, I was curious, but now that I've listened, I just can't help but think, wow!   I mean, seriously this is just too cool of a concept and the way he did it. In a way some could call it sampling, much like rappers do with music, Dan Warren has done to create a story.  The interesting part is that it turns out to be a full and complete story.  The voice and words are those of our President, but the story is completely new and fresh.  I'm not sure of all the legalities of this but after listening to this, I'm impressed. 

The hero Stanley, doesn't show up until chapter three but we are at first introduced to his father, a proto-man that fell to the earth as a fruit from a tree.  Seeing the world as an empty and desolate place Stanly's father begins to create the earth calling into being animals, mountains, trees, and even light.  The story then goes on to tell of the rise of civilization and becomes a violent place and Stanly with the help of the Turtle on whose back the world rests goes to find Buddha to set things right.  After finding Buddha to be a fake Stanley takes it upon himself to set the world right.

If you want to check out this awesome story on your own check out Dan's blog at http://danwarren.blogspot.com/ .   It looks like he's also converting the story into a series of animated videos, below is a link to chapter one.

Justice League of America: Wonder Woman: Mythos

Justice League of America: Wonder Woman: Mythos
by Carol Lay
Published by GraphicAudio (2009)
Multi-cast production
Approximate Running Time: 5 hours

Once again GraphicAudio delivers on it's promise of "A Movie in your Mind," this time focusing on the DC Comics Heroine, Wonder Woman. With realistic sound effects and excellent voice casting GraphicAudio puts together great production that keeps me not on the edge of my seat but also not wanting to stop listening. The mood music is placed into the production and fits so perfectly, it seems as though it were written by the author of the book.

In Wonder Woman: Mythos the story relies heavily on the origin of Wonder Woman and the legends of Greek Gods. Themyscira, the home and origin of Wonder Woman (Paradise Island for the old school comic fans), is an island of women, the Amazons to be exact. Diana, Wonder Woman, was created from the soil of Themyscira because the women of the island could not reproduce and Queen Hippolyta wanted a daughter. Hippolyta was instructed to mold some clay from the shores of Paradise Island into the form of a baby girl. Six members of the Greek Pantheon then bonded the soul to the clay, giving it life. Each of the six also granted Diana a gift: Demeter, great strength; Athena, wisdom and courage; Artemis, a hunter's heart and a communion with animals; Aprhodite, beauty and a loving heart; Hesita, sisterhood with fire; Hermes, speed and the power of flight. Wonder Woman was raised on the island and later became the liaison for Themyscira to "Man's World." This is when she became a superhero and joined the Justice League.

The Justice League of America consists of all the Superheroes of DC comics, the main heroes are; Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern and The Martian Manhunter. They have their base of operations in an orbiting satellite called the Watchtower. At the beginning of this book Martian Manhunter and The Atom are bringing down the Watchtower's systems for upgrades and repairs, leaving the JLA out of communication with each other. Each hero heads back to his hometown during this downtime.

Wonder Woman is going to Themyscira after hearing that a man has dissappeared in the Bermuda Triangle, which is in the vicinity of the island. A man on Themiscyra would be dangerous to him and to the Amazons on the island. After arriving on the island Diana is taken to the Oracle who warns Diana of the island of opposites and that Themiscyra will be attacked. Knowing that this may be linked to the missing man Wonder Woman searches for the man, only to find the man's new bride searching where the man was last scene.

The man and his wife were spending their honeymoon in the Bermuda Triangle where he was mysteriously drawn. The man finds an glowing orb and then leaves his wife to head for an island. His wife heads back to her boat only to discover that the island is no where to be seen. When Wonder Woman arrives she assists the woman in the search. After some mysterious water spouts appear threatening the dive boat Wonder Woman is transported to another dimension where this island of men are governed by some paintings in "God Cave." The paintings show the men rising up and taking arms upon the arrival of the man and Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman learns the God Aries is behind the power and must use all her powers to keep the men from attacking Themiscyra and then the rest of the world.

Wonder Woman: Mythos is an exciting adventure featuring Wonder Woman, with appearances from Batman, Superman, The Flash and Green Lantern that will keep you listening to the last sound.