Depicted above is the cover of Captain America #615, published not so long ago in 2011.  As you might surmise, this issue is a part of – and indeed the finale to – “The Trial of Captain America” storyline, which we previously mentioned here back in July of that year.  At that time, we noted:

The secret identity of the Captain America we all knew growing up was Steve Rogers.  Apparently, somewhere along the way, that Captain America’s sidekick, Bucky, replaced the original Captain America, but not before moonlighting as a Russian hitman during the Cold War when the original Captain America thought he was dead.  It’s his actions as a Soviet agent that caused him to be on trial.  That’s confusing (although we wonder if there was a motion in limine on whether he could wear his costume at trial).

We’re still a bit confused, but we suppose it makes sense that Captain America is on trial if it is not the real Captain America. Oh, and if you need some background and persuasive authority on him, here you go: “Captain America, a.k.a. Steve Rogers, was an army-reject turned superhero who was charged with protecting America from all enemies, especially Nazi spies.” Marvel Characters, Inc. v. Simon, 310 F.3d 280, 282 (2d Cir. 2002) (previously mentioned by Abnormal Use way back in July of 2010 here).

Adam Liptak of The New York Times has this interesting piece on cameras in the U.S. Supreme Court.  It seems that nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court are much more excited about the possibility than actual members of the U.S. Supreme Court, and those initially curious nominees become far more skeptical of the issues following their confirmation.  Hmmm.

Behold: The Courtroom Video Supercut.  Described by the maker of this video as “Hollywood’s most hackneyed genre,” the courtroom film does, typically, rely on annoying cliches. But if you’ve got four minutes today to watch an amusing YouTube video, this is the one.

And last but not least, this article is not about the law, but it is the most interesting thing we read all week. We promise.

So, apparently, Hollywood made yet another Die Hard film. Really? That prompts us to direct your attention to the cover of Die Hard: Year One #1, published by BOOM Studios! back in 2009. That series shows us the origins of John McClane, the street smart New York Cop played by Bruce Willis in the films.  We wonder how much Supreme Court criminal procedure jurisprudence McClane’s time on the force would have generated were he a real police officer. The narrative, apparently, takes place during the Bicentennial in 1976.  We’d rather see that as a movie than another tired sequel starring Bruce Willis in the role, but hey, that’s just us.  Alas.

Maybe this dispute between Justin Bieber and the drummer for The Black Keys will lead to litigation.  Maybe.

Remember in the days before the Internet when you could safely avoid spoilers of your favorite films and television shows? Well, you’ll be pleased to learn that we were never, ever safe from pop culture spoilers.  Behold: the first Star Wars spoiler, back in 1978!

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Above, you’ll find the cover to the trade paperback The Trial of Yellowjacket, a storyline in featured The Avengers comic series in the early 1980′s published by Marvel Comics. Here’s hwo Comicvine describes the narrative: “The end of an era! They say pride comes before the fall, and this tumultuous tome is proof of that! When longstanding and founding Avenger Hank Pym – in his guise as Yellowjacket – demonstrates reckless behavior in battle, his fellow members schedule a formal court-martial hearing to determine the fate of their emotionally conflicted comrade. Will Yellowjacket triumph over his inner demons – or crumble under the pressure of being an Avenger?” But can the Avengers court martial one of their members? Are they members of the military? Aren’t they private citizens with superhuman talents and powers who have simply banded together to fight the bad guys? Where does a court martial come in? Why wouldn’t Yellowjacket be tried in the traditional civil – or criminal – courts for any reckless behavior in battle?

Well, Yellowjacket, whose real name was Hank Pym, is not the nicest guy.  Here’s how his Wikipedia describes these incidents:

. . . Pym participates in several missions until, after demonstrating hostile behavior towards Janet, he attacks a foe from behind once the opponent had ceased fighting. Captain America suspends Yellowjacket from Avengers duty pending the verdict of a court-martial. Pym suffers a complete mental breakdown and concocts a plan to salvage his credibility by building a robot (named Salvation-1) and programming it to launch an attack on the Avengers at his court-martial. Planning to exploit the robot’s weakness at the critical moment, Pym hopes to regain his good standing with the Avengers. The Wasp discovers the plan and begs Pym to stop, at which point he strikes her. Although the robot does attack the Avengers as planned, Pym is unable to stop it and the Wasp uses the design flaw to defeat it. Pym is subsequently expelled from the Avengers, and Janet divorces him.

Uh, that’s not good.

By the way, last week, in our weekly installment of Friday Links, we apparently misidentified a Marvel Comics alien symbiote.  We thought the symbiote Carnage was, in fact, Venom.  They are both foes of Spider-Man, and they are both really, really bad dudes. Shame on us. (Thanks to eagle-eyed commenter MattS for pointing out the error in our comments).

In a postscript to his recent blog entry “Donald Trump v. Bill Maher,” Walter Olson of Overlawyered includes a link to our McDonald’s hot coffee case coverage.  We’d love to see the depositions in that case, if it ever gets off the ground.

This can’t be good.

Behold, the cover of The Amazing Spider-Man #403, published not so long ago in the summer of 1995.  However, as you may know, the 1990′s was not the best time for comics, as the odd nature of the cover art suggests.  Here’s our question:  If it is the trial of Peter Parker that is depicted, why is the defendant clad in his Spider-Man costume? Why would the court system – even the faux court apparently convened by the super villains shown on the cover – permit him to remain hidden beneath his mask? And by the way, why isn’t Venom being more understanding?  Wasn’t he on trial recently himself? What gives?

This tweet might contain the best advice a criminal defendant ever receives.  (Hat Tip:  Kevin Underhill at Lowering The Bar).

We’ve written about driverless cars more than a few times.  Quite frankly, we’re kind of obsessed with the topic. So, check out this recent article in Slate, entitled “Even If Driverless Cars Are Banned In America, They’ll Be Allowed Somewhere.”

How long has it been since you’ve read the official Abnormal Use mission statement, published way, way back on January 4, 2010? Well, that’s too long!

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We’re a bit perplexed by the cover of Venom: On Trial #3, published not so long ago in the halcyon days of 1997. First, there are the bizarre depictions of Spider-Man and Daredevil, both of whom are looking on awkwardly at the execution of Venom, whose trial apparently resulted in a conviction and a death sentence. But here’s the question: Why was Venom on trial in the American courts? Venom, as we all know, is an extraterrestrial life form! Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about him: “the creature is a Symbiote, a sentient alien, with a gooey, almost liquid-like form that requires a host, usually human, to bond with for its survival, as with real world symbiotes, and to whom it endows enhanced powers.” So why is he being tried in our criminal justice system?

Jay Hornack of Pittsburgh a/k/a The Panic Street Lawyer describes a recent trip to Philadelphia, where he toured the new “American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition” exhibit at the National Constitution Center. (Jay was also able to see Morrissey in concert this past week, although that’s another story.).

Friend of the blog James Daily – of the famed and fabled Law and the Multiverse blog – has a guest post over at Wired magazine.  In it, he offers – in great detail – an analysis of the contract Bilbo Baggins – the title character in The Hobbit – enters into with a dwarf adventure party.

Once again, The Black Keys, the fine musical group, are in litigation.

Okay, it’s come to this. We are now featuring not our first – but our second – cover of Simpsons Comics here at Abnormal Use.  So, depicted above is Simpsons Comics #107, published not so long ago in 2005. It prominently features Homer Simpsons, not as himself, but as Lady Justice. Yikes.  (Note this is quite a different take on Lady Justice than Marvel used in a recent Daredevil series.). Comicvine summarizes the plot of this issue as follows: “Homer wins Gil’s law license in a bar bet, and soon becomes Springfield’s newest and hottest lawyer, winning cases with showstopping pyrotechnics. But when Bart is accused of setting Springfield Elementary on fire, Homer’s career may crash and burn.” You know, we might have to check that one out.

Behold: the origin of the phrase “caught red handed.”

You know, of course, that we here at Abnormal Use are huge nerds.  But did you know that, 30 years ago, this was our favorite arcade game?

If did not see this sad, sad cartoon strip from The Oatmeal last week, maybe you should investigate.  It is a tear jerker. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. We have no liability if you get all misty eyed.

Here is a Torts Exam question from Sasha Volokh. Try it, if you will.  (Hat tip: Overlawyered).

And finally: Yikes!

Now, we’ve mentioned comic book legal titan Tiger Lawyer before. The series was created and written by Ryan Ferrier, and we’ve mentioned it previously here, here, and here.  We’re really thinking about getting a print of this neat poster, depicted above. Do you think it would fit well in our office next to our diplomas?

Oh, no.  “ABC Considering 50 Scripts for Live-Action ‘Star Wars’ TV Series.” You know how we feel about that.

The Strange Brewing Company of Denver, Colorado is in a trademark dispute with a Massachusetts home brew shoppe called Strange Brew.  Oh, to be able to serve requests for production in that case! For more, see here. (Hat tip: Beer Pulse).

One again, @TweetsOfOld showcases the curious laws of yesteryear, this time the phone etiquette statute in Nebraska in 1910.

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As we noted yesterday, today is our third birthday. Depicted above is Steppenwolf’s At Your Birthday Party LP,  released way, way back in 1969.  (Hey, we can’t do a comic book cover every week!) Anyway, this record featured a number of great Steppenwolf tunes, including “Rock Me,” “Jupiter’s Child, and of course, “It’s Never Too Late,” our personal favorite. Indeed!

Best. Warning. Label Ever. (Thanks to Walter Olson of Overlawyered for pointing this one out.).

Friend of the blog Jonathan Sink has published his very first post over at the North Carolina Law Blog.  The title: “Oppositional Defiant Disorder: Waving Goodbye to Student Discipline in America’s Public Schools.”  That sounds heavy duty.

Our pal Jay Hornack a/k/a The Panic Street Lawyer, writing in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, shares his 10 favorite live concerts of 2012.

Here’s a good one for the new year: “11 Signs, Announcements, and Disclaimers That Are No Longer Necessary.”

We  hope you made it through the first week of 2013. We admit that it took some effort to get back into the swing of things. But here we are, back in blogging action, ready to bring you new content for the new year. Watch out!

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas week. Above, you’ll find the cover of Marvel Holiday Special #1994, published way back in December of 1994. Those were the days, weren’t they? Ah, 1994. Let us pause to reflect upon the simpler times of that era. Maybe we’re just nostalgic for that era because we weren’t quite lawyers yet then. Oh, well.

Tweet of the week, from @TweetsOfOld, which takes old newspaper blurbs and republishes them as tweets: “The Seattle courts have ruled that a dog has a right to bite a man that steps on the dog’s tail. IL1911″ We would love to track down that opinion. Surely there’s a way to track that down, no?

Check out this recent interview with Shauna Barnes, the general counsel of Delaware’s wonderful Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, conducted by Don Tartaglione of The Natonal Law Journal. Our reaction: How awesome must it be to serve as general counsel for a craft beer company? (Hat Tip: Beer Pulse). A somewhat relevant aside: Remember back in May of 2011, when we interviewed Adam Avery of the Avery Brewery, about his company’s Collaboration Not Litigation Ale? If not, see here.

Whoa! Our writer Rob Green was cited on The Volokh Conspiracy! See here! Whoa again!

Our friends at The Law and the Multiverse blog ask: “Can you get a restraining order against Santa Claus?” One of these days, we need to square off with those guys in a pop culture mock trial.

Don’t forget! You can follow Abnormal Use on Twitter here and on Facebook here! Drop us a line!

Well, if you’re reading this, we may have actually survived the 2012 apocalypse.  That, or the end of the world is just a bit tardy.  To observe this unusual occasion, we direct your attention to the cover of Doomsday +1 #1, published way, way back in July of 1975. The noted website Comicvine describes the plot as follows: “After a nuclear holocaust wipes out humanity three astronauts return to Earth, team-up with a newly thawed-out caveman and have loads of exciting adventures.” (To learn more about the series, click here.).

As we previously mentioned, the ABA Journal named us to the Blawg 100, the list of their favorite legal blogs in the nation. As you read these words, the ABA Journal is asking its readers to vote for their favorites, as well. We’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to vote for us! Today is the last day you can do so. To vote, please go here.

Since it’s the holiday season, we direct you to “12 Toys From the 1980s That Didn’t Take Off.” How many of them do you remember?