Above, you’ll find the cover of Tiger Lawyer #1, published by Challenger Comics not too long ago.  Although the concept is pretty self explanatory, we’ll go ahead and ask: What is Tiger Lawyer? Well, according to this site, the series centers around “a Bengal Tiger that happens to be a high-profile criminal defense lawyer.” The series was created and written by Ryan Ferrier (whose work we previously mentioned here back in May of this year).  One thing is for certain: the title character appears to be a fierce litigator. (If you want to see some excerpts of Tiger Lawyer in action in the courtroom, click here for some previews from the Challenger Comics website).

Well, you may have heard that the USA Network this week canceled “Fairly Legal,” the series starring Sarah Shahi as a quirky lawyer turned mediator. Alas.  We weren’t big fans of the show, but we have written about it on occasion.  Back when the show premiered in January of 2011, we reviewed the pilot and premise and also interviewed the show’s creator and show runner, Michael Sardo. (We thought we were pretty cool at the time for scoring the Hollywood interview.). When the show returned for a second season earlier this year, we were on the case again with a new review. Now the show belongs to the ages.

Is this truly the end of Buckyballs, about which we wrote here and here? (Hat tip: Overlawyered).

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

Above, you’ll find the cover of Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special #2, published many moons ago in the halcyon days of 1994. For some reason, Halloween is an overrepresented holiday in comic books, although what would you expect from a medium replete with costumed protagonists?

Ah, 1994. Those were the days. Did you know that on October 31, 1994, the band Phish covered the super majority of The Beatles’ White Album at a gig in Glens Falls, New York? We remember hearing about it that year, but the show was not released – officially, at least – on CD until nearly a decade later. That has little, if anything, to do with Batman, but it has everything to do with 1994.

Whatever the case, whether you’re celebrating Halloween early this weekend, or if you’re waiting until the official day next week, we here at Abnormal Use and Gallivan, White, & Boyd, P.A. wish you a safe and happy holiday. If you’re in the Halloween spirit already, though, you can check out some of our past Halloween posts.  Here is our very first, if brief, Halloween post from October 31, 2010 to be compared to our equally short Halloween post from October 31, 2011.  But there’s far more substantive Halloween content in our archives! Do you remember Steve Buckingham’s fabled “I Want My Halloween” pop culture post from just last year? Or, how about last year’s “The Top 6 Paranormal Products on eBay Right Now“?  Earlier this week, we ran “Halloween Fear Fest Leads To Litigation.” Oh, and back in 2010, in a scary edition of “Friday Links” redubbed “Scary Links,” we brought you a list of our favorite scary movies. How’s that?

In some other non-Halloween related news, our own Chris Kelly, the partner in charge of our Charlotte office, had an article published this week in The Transportation Lawyer: A Comprehensive  Journal of Developments in Transportation Law (October 2012 – Volume 14, Number 2).  The title: “Judicial Note and Google: Ancient Doctrine and Internet Search Engine.” Believe it or not, there’s a whole subset of jurisprudence out there on Google Maps, which is a helpful utility to any transportation lawyer. Check it out!

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

Here’s the cover to 2005’s Daredevil: Redemption #5 which, we must say, appears gritty, stark, and somewhat depressing. But that’s how comics are supposed to be now, right? What did Daredevil do, exactly, to merit the attention of Lady Justice, who doesn’t look particularly pleased? According to one Daredevil website, the story is based, in part, on the West Memphis Three, and the narrative sees far more of Matt Murdock (Daredevil’s lawyer alter ego) than the costumed superhero. Here’s a brief summary of the entire six issue limited series, courtesy of Amazon.com:

In the small, God-fearing town of Redemption Valley, a young boy’s body is found dead and mutilated. Is it a ritualistic killing? The local bad boy, Joel Flood, is arrested and put in jail. A black-garbed, “devil-worshipping” metalhead, he must be guilty… or is he? Enter attorney and super-hero Matt Murdock, brought in to save the troubled teen from what looks like a witch-hunt by an outraged community desperate for justice… and the death penalty. This may be the most important case of Matt’s career. A loss means justice denied and certain death for his client.

That’s some heavy duty material there.  No wonder it caught Lady Justice’s attention.

So we hear that Newsweek will go the way of so many other print magazines before it and go all digital.  Alas.  Back in the day, we were Newsweek subscribers, but then again, so were lots of folks.

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!

Did you know that you can follow our fearless leader, Mills Gallivan, on Twitter? To do so, simply click here.

Why are superheroes always on trial? Above, you’ll find the cover of The Trial of Thor, published not so long ago in 2009. Why, pray tell, was the God of Thunder put on trial?  Summarizes the website Comicvine: “Did Thor snap? After an epic battle against the Frost Giants, the Thunder God is accused of murdering innocent Asgardians. It sounds impossible . . . except that Balder the Brave is an eyewitness to the carnage. Did the mayhem and stress of war finally push even the greatest of heroes over the edge?” We hope that Thor’s defense attorney subjected Balder the Brave to a vigorous cross examination; we suspect that there is some good impeachment material there, after all. Although we’ve not yet read the volume, we suspect Thor escaped severe punishment. (To see our coverage of “The Trial of Superman,” see here, here, here, and of course, here).

As you know, we here at Abnormal Use are huge, huge nerds.  This is why we couldn’t resist sharing this article from Mental Floss entitled “Alternate Histories: 7 More Ways the World Could Be Completely Different.”

Friend of the blog Walter Olson, of the Cato Institute and the famed Overlawyered blog, visited and spoke to students at the University of South Carolina this past week.  See here for some Facebook coverage of that event.

What does the canceled 2002 science fiction television show “Firefly” teach us about contract law?  Josh Gililands answers that question. “Firefly,” as you may recall, was a television series created by Joss Whedon, the same auteur responsible for TV’s “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and this year’s The Avengers.  We’re not sure what he knows about contract law, but oh, well. (Hat tip: friend of the blog Dan Loyd).

Above, you’ll find the cover of Robocop #17, published way back in 1991.  “You have broken the law and betrayed us all!,” exclaims Robocop, who probably should never have received his own comic book series.  He  continues: “The sentence, Officer Lewis, is death.”  Something tells us this is not permitted by the sentencing guidelines in the future.  You would think Officer Lewis would at least have her union rep present for this “proceeding.”  But something isn’t right here. Robot cops get to charge, convict, and sentence their fellow officers?  If that is the “future of law enforcement,” that is not a good thing.

By the way, do you know how difficult it is becoming to find legal themed comic book covers after publishing one a week for nearly two years?  Wow. Although, in fairness, you probably had a sneaking suspicion that it was becoming a challenge when you saw that this week’s issue featured Robocop.  We’re really having trouble maintaining a straight face every time we type “Robocop.” Oh, well.

By the way, as we mentioned yesterday, this post – the one you are reading this very moment – is our 750th post.  We observed the anniversary yesterday (so as not to make this edition of Friday Links too self indulgent), but we must confess that this is quite an occasion for us.  Way back in January of 2010, when we started this blogging thing, 750 posts was an unimaginable goal.  And yet here we are.  Thank you for your support.

It’s been a while since we checked in on the North Carolina Law Blog.  Just this week, though, that site ran “Choosing a Practice Area: The Smaller, The Better” by Joyce Brafford. Check it out.

Apparently, hazing lawsuits, or at least the incidents they are based upon, are not new.

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

What is up with the mugshot procedures in the Gotham City Police Department? Apparently, it’s a free for all, and as depicted above, criminals can make a mockery of their mug shots with impunity. Surely the booking officers there have a bit more control over the process, eh? By the way, that’s the cover to Gotham Central #15, published not so long ago in 2004. (To see a different comic book mug shot profiled some time ago on Abnormal Use, click here.).

If you’ve ever asked yourself “where does [Plaintiff’s lawyer and blogger of note] Max Kennerly stand on frivolous lawsuits?”, then this series of tweets is for you.

Although we’ve knocked Bob Dylan in the past (here, a brief reference  here, and here), we must confess that we really dig his new album, Tempest.  Who knew he still had it in him? To learn more about it, see here.

Speaking of music, we note that the opening lyrics of Angel Olsen’s new song, “Miranda” are, in fact, the famed Miranda warnings. It’s a sad love song, though, not a ballad of criminal procedure. The song appears on the album Half Way Home, which was released earlier this month.

Congratulations to Abnormal Use blogger Nick Farr,  and his wife Jill, on the birth of their new son Hayden Andrew Farr, 9 lbs and 21.5 inches long born on 9/22 at 7:05 am. You can follow Nick on Twitter here!

Above, you’ll find the cover for Daredevil #16, published not so long ago in, well, 2012. (We’ve previously mentioned Daredevil, and his lawyer alter ego Matt Murdock, here and here, and we even interviewed Daredevil writer Mark Waid a year ago.). This is a pretty depressing cover. Although we’ve not yet read the issue (because it is so new), it appears that Murdock and his long time friend and law partner Foggy Nelson are parting ways. Murdock’s name is even crossed  out on the firm’s front door.  That’s not good. We knew that there were some tough times out there for the legal profession, but when Daredevil has to leave his law firm, it’s getting ridiculous!

Of course you know of Edward Herrmann, the character actor who played the evil head vampire in The Lost Boys. He’s played FDR on screen an few times, too. The Onion A.V. Club recently interviewed him as a part of its “Random Roles” series, and in so doing, they asked him about his role in The Paper Chase, the classic law school film.  Here’s what he had to say:

Oh, that was fun. I was in New York, I got there in ’70, and it was basically my first proper movie. Besides, of course, that immortal performance in Lady Liberty. [Laughs.] We shot it up in Kleinburg, in Ontario, and there were two big soundstages, and they built that lecture hall on one of the stages. Next to it was a film that was being directed by a director I eventually worked with, a wonderful director named Dan Petrie, who did the Roosevelt films [Eleanor And Franklin], and he was doing one with Ben Gazzara and Yvette Mimieux and Ernest Borgnine [The Neptune Factor]. It was about submarines, and they go down and there are creatures that eat them and all of this stuff. It was science fiction. And, oh, God, I’d go over there during lunchtime, and I saw all of these sets, all of these aquarium tanks where they had versions of the characters made out of fish food so that the fish would eat them. And I thought, “Boy, this is a real movie! All we’re doing is talking!” [Laughs.]

But Anderson was fun. It was a bunch of great actors. Graham Beckel and Tim Bottoms. But John Houseman came up, and it was touching, because he was nervous as hell, and he kept blowing his lines. It was a little scene in the office, one of his first scenes, and I felt the need to be cordial… me, the old veteran, who had never made a proper movie. [Laughs.]

But it was very useful, because down the street there was a Bette Davis festival going on. And they were proper 35mm prints, and I saw for the first time, classic, top-of-the-line Warner Bros. ’30s sob-sister movies, and… I began to see, “What’s all this fuss about Bette Davis? She overacts, she’s got splinters in her teeth from eating the scenery. But who’s this guy George Brent? He’s wonderful… because he doesn’t do anything!” And it helped me in The Paper Chase, because James Bridges was directing, and he was really wonderful with us youngsters. With the study table, the camera would go around and pick up all of our close-ups and stuff, and I was acting my socks off. And he said, “Great, cut, print. That was wonderful, but… they can see that in the balcony, so can you just pull it back just a little bit?” So I did. “Great, cut, print. Okay, that was in the mezzanine.” We did it again. “Now we’re in the orchestra.” I brought it back and brought it back until I thought I wasn’t doing anything. But then I went to see George Brent, and I realized, “He’s not doing anything except for being he’s the guy he says he is.” And that was a real lesson in film acting.

By the way, we’re pleased to announce that Todd R. Davidson has joined our firm’s Greenville office as a partner. With 23 years of experience as a transactional attorney, Todd will be a great addition to our firm’s Business and Commercial Practice Group. We have not yet convinced him to join the blog, though. But we’re working on it!

Above, you’ll see the cover of Batman – Bruce Wayne: Fugitive #1, published not so long ago in 2002. We direct your attention to the wanted poster hanging just above where Batman is standing. Now, let’s not consider the great coincidence of Batman happening to find himself right next to a wanted poster featuring a picture of Bruce Wayne. Let’s instead focus on the wanted poster itself. First off, it doesn’t suggest what the reader is to do if he or she happens to see Bruce Wayne. There’s no toll free number to call; there’s no reference to any police force or law enforcement authorities to contact. Plus, there’s not even a hint of a reward! No wonder Bruce Wayne is running around free somewhere!

Okay, so who pre-ordered an iPhone 5 today? Not us, we must confess. We here at Abnormal Use will wait for the iPhone 6. If you did, please let us know if you were successful. Further, to keep up with all the iPhone related madness, we suggest you read Jeff Richardson’s excellent iPhone J.D. blog, which is covering this story in full.

Our fearless leader, Mills Gallivan, has been elected to serve as the President of the National Foundation for Judicial Excellence (NFJE).  The NFJE, established in 2004, is a non-profit organization that supports an independent and well-versed judiciary in order to promote excellence and fairness in the civil justice system.  The NFJE accomplishes this task through providing education to the judiciary as well as hosting an annual national symposium for state appellate judges.

How long has it been since you read the Abnormal Use mission statement, published way, way back on January 4, 2010? If it’s been a while, or if you’ve never read it, you can check it out here.

Earlier this week, we ran a post on the Aurora, Colorado shooting litigation. That post has drawn a few comments, so if you missed that exchange, be sure to revisit it.

Just as we did last week, we turn this week to Superman: The Man of Steel, issue #51 to be exact, because of its connection to the fabled “Trial of Superman.” On the cover, Superman appears to be sword fighting with a pirate, which must be true, because the narrative title is “Sky Pirates.” Why Superman is using a sword is beyond us, but the real question is what any of this has to do with a trial. Whatever the case, we certainly object to Superman’s hairstyle.

Don’t forget! As we noted yesterday, TODAY is the deadline to nominate legal blogs to this year’s ABA Journal Blawg 100 list. If you’d like to nominate a blawg (perhaps even us), you can do so here.

We’re big fans of @TweetsOfOld, a Twitter account that posts “tweets” – really just short news items – from really old newspapers.  One such tweet this week, from a 1917 Missouri newspaper, shows that not much has changed in personal injury litigation in 95 years. (By the way, we’ve previously mentioned @TweetsOfOld here, here, and here.  If you’re feeling nostalgic, check it out.).

Abnormal Use Flashback: One year ago this week, on September 6, 2011, we ran”Vice Squad: On Assignment in the Gulf” by our own Steve Buckingham. Revisit a classic post.

You love social media. You love Facebook. You love Twitter. But are you communicating with us on those platforms? You can follow Abnormal Use on Twitter here and on Facebook here! Acknowledge our existence!

Above, you’ll find the cover of Superman: The Man of Steel #50, published not so long ago in the wonderful days of 1995. We’re bringing this issue to your attention because of its part in the “Trial of Superman” narrative, which we previously mentioned here. As for this cover, all we have to say is, that’s a lot of chains. Wouldn’t it be easier just to make one chain, but have that chain be stronger? We don’t know who is putting Superman on trial, or what the charged offense is, but that’s got to be cruel, right? It’s certainly unusual.

Did you know that you can follow our writer and contributor, Nick Farr, on Twitter? Nick, you may recall, is one of our prolific hot coffee litigation writers. To do so, simply click here.

We should go ahead and say that we are excited that college football has returned to the airwaves.  Please feel free to suggest to us any football related products liability issues, or even any non-legal football topics, you think we should be discussing here.