Michelangelo (TMNT)
The wisecracking wielder of the nunchaku is a member of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The immature reptile’s hobbies include video games and comic books, and he enjoys pizza more than anything else in the world. Even if he’s in trouble, he keeps his easy-going attitude intact, but that certainly doesn’t mean he can’t focus when needed. “Mikey” has the skills to back up his attitude, and his spirit and energy make him an invaluable member of the turtle team. Of all the turtles, Michelangelo has been the one with the most fluid status on the team. Initially, he was a mediator, then he became a punching bag. Sometimes he would be close to Donatello, while other times he wouldn’t be particularly close to any of his brothers. In fact, Mikey has never really been presented the same in any two series. In 1987, for instance, he was exceptionally close to Raphael, versus the comic, in which he was closest to Donatello. Like all the turtles, Michelangelo was given a brand new trait in TMNT: The Next Mutation, becoming host of a pirate radio show. But the 1997-98 live-action show didn’t last long, and a new animated series took him back to who he was: a fun-loving jokester who still had a fair amount of ninja skill. He was constantly learning what it meant to be part of a team, and was the focus of many episodes geared toward his development as a hero. The 2012 animated series cast Michelangelo in his familiar role of comic relief.
Microblog
As a noun, a blog done with severe space or size constraints. Such blogging is typically done by posting frequent brief messages about personal activities. As a verb, to post short entries with brief personal updates into a blog or social network site.
Middle-earth
The mythical land created by J.R.R. Tolkien for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Middle-earth includes several territories, including Eriador (where the Shire, home of the hobbits, lies). Tolkien wrote that there were hundreds of hobbits at Bilbo Baggins’ birthday party, implying that this was a sizable part of the local population. In a passage about Samwise Gamgee’s work to repair the Shire, Tolkien reported that there “… were thousands of willing hands of all ages…” (though it is unclear whether Tolkien was counting individual hobbits or their hands, which would cut the number of hobbits present in half). We also have the seeming description of the Shire as a place sparsely populated with hobbits and the seeming lack of any major towns or centers of population. All these point to a relatively low figure for the population of the Shire, perhaps 30,000 – 100,000.
East of Eriador, there are large areas of empty wilderness, but eventually the beautiful elf settlement of Rivendell comes into view. In the Second Age and early Third Age, it seems to take an active military role, something that doesn’t seem possible for a large house. Rivendell was founded by a force led by Elrond that rescued refugees from Eregion in the Second Age, and then came under siege from Sauron for more than a year. This group could not have numbered less than a few thousand, and this seems a reasonable guess for Rivendell’s population in the Second Age. Certainly by the time of the events in Lord of the Rings, it had diminished in a similar manner to Lindon, with probably no more than a few hundred residents, perhaps 400 at most.
From Rivendell, the dwarves pass through the Misty Mountains, with Moria to the south and Mt. Gundobad to the north. Goblin-town, which constituted of a series of tunnels and caverns running through to the far side of the mountains, seemed to be occupied by at least several hundred to a few thousand goblins. Estimates for the wider hordes of goblins, wargs and great spiders are impossible to number with any accuracy. There were around 2,000 elves, men and dwarves at the Battle of Five Armies, and these were severely outnumbered by the goblins and wargs, which probably numbered between 5,000 and 15,000 but probably around 10,000. These would have been a substantial portion of the northern goblins whose total population could have been around 30,000. Further south, Moria alone seemed to be home to thousands. After Bilbo and the dwarves escape from the Misty Mountains, they end up staying in the Anduin valley. There were a race of hardy woodmen living in homesteads scattered around the west Anduin valley and the fringes of Mirkwood. Bilbo and the dwarves passed through Mirkwood and were captured by elves from Thranduil’s kingdom, which was made up of Silvan elves with a small nobility of Sindar descent from Beleriand. It was founded by Thranduil’s father at the start of the Second Age. Originally, it covered the entire north half of the forest, but later, as Sauron’s power grew, the forest became evil and the Elves retreated north. The main, and possibly only, town or city was Thranduil’s underground capital, cut into the rocks beneath the hills in northeast Mirkwood.
In the Second Age, Silvan Elves are described as populous and contributing a sizeable army to the Last Alliance of men and elves, but by the end of the Third Age, they had diminished. Thranduil brought a force of 1000 spearmen and a few hundred archers to the Battle of Five Armies, a total of around 1,200 elves. There is good reason to think this wasn’t all the troops his kingdom had, but more of an expeditionary force sent to investigate the mountain and the death of the dragon. Thranduil had at least a few thousand troops. The total population can be calculated as 3,000 troops, so a total adult male population of around 12,000 and a total population of about 30,000 elves. After Thranduil, Bilbo and the dwarves reached Lake-Town, the remnant of the once larger city of Esgaroth and then the ruins of Dale, which was surprisingly small, perhaps only 400 x 550 feet with a central pool, which would reduce that area even further. A reasonable population estimate would be only around 400 – 700 people.
After leaving Lake-town, Bilbo and his companions pass through the ruins of Dale and arrive at the Lonely Mountain. Rather than sending a muster of the total population to scout out the situation, but faced with a kinsman in danger, a significant portion (but not all) of its forces would have been sent. Considering a force of 500 warriors was sent, we can assume there would have been a few thousand dwarves potentially under arms in the Iron Hills, with a likely total population range of 10,000 – 15,000. Wilderland kingdoms could be very small. In a few generations, Dale would have expanded rapidly, considering immigrants, increased prosperity, an alliance with the re-founded King under the Mountain and fame from the death of Smaug. Still, it could not have numbered more than a few tens of thousands at most, just due to the lack of men in the surrounding lands to populate it so quickly. A total of 20,000-40,000 people would logically be possible here.
As for Erebor itself, it was the center of Durin’s folk, described as thriving in the time of Lord of the Rings. Due to the slow rate of dwarven population increase, the population cannot have come from natural increase. Almost all of it would have come from a massive immigration as the people of Durin, largely from the Blue Mountains in the far west, but also from various scattered homes to which the Dwarves had wandered after the initial loss of the Kingdom Under the Mountain, as described in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, as well as possibly a significant contingent from Dain’s original realm in the Iron Hills. The total population of Erebor cannot be stated with any accuracy, but given the figure for the population of the Iron Hills, and the expectation that a significantly larger population of dwarves would have gathered in the safer main dwellings of Durin’s folk in the far west, an estimate for the other main populations of Wilderland would be considerably higher than the estimate for the Iron Hills, perhaps in the range of 20,000-40,000.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
The franchise that has spawned 24 seasons (divided into 20 different themed series) and two theatrical movies centers around American teens who turn into superheroes. Debuting in 1993 and still being produced, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers consists of scenes focusing around the out-of-uniform teens, which were originally filmed in the U.S., and fight footage from the TV show Super Sentai, which has been continuously broadcasting in Japan since 1975. With a rotating roster of central plots, villains and heroes in differently colored suits, the Rangers were part of the Walt Disney corporation (and made appearances in their theme parks) from 2002-10, but were eventually sold back to the original owner, Haim Saban. Beginning in 2003, the show transferred to New Zealand, where it is still filmed today. In 2006, all principle actors were of Australian or New Zealand descent, though in 2014, Jason David Frank did return as Tommy the Green Ranger.The 2018 season, which celebrated the 25th anniversary of Power Rangers, featured popular Rangers from past seasons kicking their way back into the limelight.
Mighty Mouse
The animated hero was created by Isadore “Izzy” Klein and Paul Terry for Terrytoons (producers of Heckle and Jeckle) and debuted in the October 1942 cartoon “The Mouse of Tomorrow.” Originally living in fear of cats inside a supermarket, the rodent washed with Super Soap, ate Super Soup and Super Celery, then dove into a hunk of Super Cheese, to emerge as Mighty Mouse. The character was originally named “Super Mouse,” but a similar character from a rival comic line came out using that name, so Terrytoons changed their mouse hero’s name. The super-powered mouse originally wore a costume much like Superman’s, colored blue with a red cape, but over time, this was changed to a yellow costume with a red cape. In December 1955, The Mighty Mouse Playhouse debuted on television as the very first Saturday morning cartoon, lasting through 1966.
Protecting the citizens of Mouseville from villains such as the Claw Gang (a group of cats), Oil Can Harry (a brilliant cat inventor gone bad) and Atomic Mouse, Mighty Mouse displayed the powers of flight, super strength, invulnerability, X-ray vision, and even super hypnosis, with which the hero could move inanimate objects and turn back time. His alter ego remained nameless until Ralph Bakshi’s 1987 series Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, in which he was given the “real name” of Mike Mouse. Throughout the years, Mighty Mouse had two girlfriends: In the comics of the 1950s and ‘60s, his girlfriend was Mitzi, but she was replaced later with Pearl Pureheart.
Millennium Falcon
A central craft involved in some of the greatest Rebel Alliance and New Republic victories of the Star Wars universe, the YT-1300 light freighter is legendary, not only for having destroyed the second Death Star, but for making the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs. With a reputation for being fast as well as finicky, the ship’s history has been notated not only in the Star Wars films, but in novels such as James Luceno’s Millennium Falcon and Daniel José Older’s Last Shot. Built by Corell Industries Limited as part of 8,000 ship fleet, the ship has had a string of various owners over the years, from legitimate organizations and pilots to notorious pirates. Through the succession of owners, the ship has carried several names, including Corell’s Pride, Hardwired, Wayward Son, Stellar Envoy, Fickle Flyer, Meetyl’s Misery, Gone to Pieces, and eventually Millennium Falcon, a name given to it by Rebel operative Quip Fargil. The Falcon has been used to smuggle goods, but has also been used as a warship, a medical vessel, and even a transport for a traveling circus! Gambler, smuggler and suave con man Lando Calrissian lost the Falcon to Han Solo in a high-stakes game of sabacc, and under Solo’s captaincy, the ship became a notorious (or legendary, depending on the source) smuggling vessel. Involved in the Battle of Yavin, which led to the destruction of the first Death Star, Solo’s ship (though not Solo himself) was also part of the mission that would destroy the unfinished second Death Star. Eventually, Rey took possession of the Falcon and used it to find Luke Skywalker, then fly to Crait, where she assisted in evacuating the last few members of the Resistance.
Miller, Frank
The comic book writer, artist and creator of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Sin City was born January 27, 1957. He burst onto the comic book scene with his work on Marvel Comics’ Daredevil, starting out as an artist for the series, but progressing to both writer and artist within ten issues. It was during this run that he created the character of Elektra, who became one of the more popular characters of the Daredevil universe. It was Miller’s work on Daredevil that made him famous, but it would be his work on another property that would make him a legend.
Along with Alan Moore, Miller is credited with the birth of the graphic novel, a new term for darker, grittier, more adult material in the comic book field. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, which he wrote and drew, has been hailed as one of the greatest Batman tales of all time. First with The Dark Knight Returns and later with Batman: Year One, Frank Miller both rewrote continuity and changed how many comic book would be done in the future. His gritty, dark, and ultimately realistic portrayal of the Batman character paved the way for comic books that would be geared toward adults with a mature theme. These two works have been critically acclaimed have continued to sell well for the past twenty years.
Due to a battle over censorship with DC Comics, Miller went to the publisher Dark Horse for his future projects. It would be at Dark Horse that he published a Sin City short series and later graphic novels in a noir style that captured the dark, grimy, and evil town known as Basin City, or “Sin City” to its inhabitants. Having some experience working in Hollywood, the writer of Robocop 2 and 3 vowed to never have any of his graphic novel work made into films. That all changed when Robert Rodriguez convinced him that it could work with Sin City by showing him a short film version of “The Customer Is Always Right,” which Rodriguez had already filmed and edited. The Sin City graphic novels have since been adapted into two movies, with Miller assisting in directing.
Miller has since returned to DC with a sequel to The Dark Knight Returns entitled The Dark Knight Strikes Again (2004), a retelling and updating of the Batman story with the All-Star line, and The Dark Knight III: The Master Race (2015), a tale about the Dark Knight facing off against Al-Qaeda. Miller continues to show his creativity and love for comics in many ways and will not just be remembered for his work on Batman, but for his great body of work that has contributed a great deal to the comic book world.
Mimir
In one version of a Norse myth, Mímir was the wisest among the Aesir tribe of gods. He was sent as a hostage to the rival tribe, the Vanir, but the Vanir decapitated him and returned his head to the Aesir. Odin preserved the head in herbs and gained knowledge from it. In another myth, Mimir resided by Mímisbrunnr, a well beneath one of the roots of the world tree Yggdrasil. Mimisbrunnr contained one of Odin’s eyes, which Odin had sacrificed to be able to drink from the well and receive wisdom about Ragnarok, the Norse end-of-days event. In still another myth, Mimir was a smith who taught the hero Siegfried his craft.
Mind meld
See Vulcan mind meld.
Mini-Me
Featured in the Mike Meyers films Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Mini-Me was an attempt by the Evil Organization to clone Dr. Evil while he was floating in space. The procedure didn’t go well; instead of creating an exact duplicate of their leader, they created a smaller version of the character. Upon his return, Dr. Evil took the clone to his heart, and afterward, it was rare to see one without the other close by. Throughout the films, Mini-Me has almost no dialogue beyond an occasional frightened “Eeeeeeeeee!” or evil laugh with Dr. Evil. On most other occasions, Mini-Me prefers to express himself through written notes. Despite his diminutive size, Mini-Me is a powerful and effective fighter, once giving Austin a considerable beating. He loves Belgian chocolate and taunting Scott Evil, Dr. Evil’s natural son and rival for the doctor’s affections. He also has the tendency to dry-hump random things and people.
Mini-Me was portrayed by Verne Troyer.
Minions
Small yellow creatures featured in Illumination Entertainment’s Despicable Me (2010), Despicable Me 2 (2013) Minions (2015) and Despicable Me 3 (2017), minions are shaped rather like cold capsules, and each one has either one or two eyes. Unlike most evil masterminds, Gru loves his minions, and they have a great relationship because of this. He also knows each of them by name.
Minotaur
A creature in Greek mythology with the head of a bull and the body of a man, the minotaur was the offspring of Pasiphaë and a Cretan bull she loved. The minotaur was confined to live in Daedalus’ Labyrinth on Crete, and was fed human flesh until Theseus slew it.
Mint condition
A common phrase among collectors, sellers and buyers of vintage collectibles such as comic books and cars, meaning in excellent, unblemished, undamaged, near-perfect or perfect condition. It is the highest level of an item’s possible presentability. The expression, which came into use around 1900, alludes to the condition of a freshly minted coin.
Miramanee
As played by Sabrina Scharf in the original Star Trek TV series episode “The Paradise Syndrome,” Miramanee was Temple Priestess of The People, a race reminiscent of Native American tribes such as the Navajo, Delaware and Mohican. Her station as Temple Priestess is a hereditary one, as the eldest daughter of the Chief. By tradition, the Temple Priestess always marries the Medicine Chief, and their eldest son would become Medicine Chief in his turn.
When Captain Kirk and the Enterprise landing party arrive to save The People’s planet from colliding with an oncoming asteroid big enough to destroy it, the captain accidentally falls into an obelisk, which is a type of holy relic to The People. When an amnesiac Kirk emerges from it, in view of Miramanee and her maiden, he is taken for a god. Kirk soon saves a boy who had taken water into his lungs by using simple artificial respiration methods, but to the primitive people, he performs a miracle, and he is made Medicine Chief. Kirk and Miramanee, now betrothed by tradition, fall in love during the months it takes a crippled Enterprise to figure a way to destroy the asteroid.
Kirk (who cannot remember his name fully, and mispronounces it “Kirok,” which then becomes The People’s name for him) marries Miramanee – the only time in known Star Trek history that he marries anyone (even though he is not in Kirk’s right mind at the time) – and she becomes pregnant with their child. When the asteroid nears, causing violent storms, Kirk is expected to know how to enter the obelisk and deflect the asteroid, but he does not. In their anger and fear, The People stone “Kirok” and his devoted wife. Spock and McCoy arrive in time to deflect the asteroid and bring Kirk back to his senses via Vulcan mind meld, but Miramanee’s injuries are too severe, and McCoy can do nothing for her. After she and Kirk share a tender moment together, she dies in his arms.
Miranda
In the Firefly/Serenity universe (known colloquially as “The ‘Verse”), the sole planet orbiting the protostar (gas giant) Burnham, which is beyond Reaver territory in the Blue Star system. It was the first to be terraformed, a process making the planet habitable to Earthlings. Though the process was eventually successful on other planets in the system, the first attempt on Miranda failed dramatically, and the entire planet was subsequently hidden from public knowledge by the Alliance.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Winner of the 1972 Newberry Medal, the Robert C. O’Brien novel relates the adventures of a community of animals on a farm. When widowed mouse Mrs. Frisby must have the cinder block she lives in moved before plowing season starts, she enlists the help of the feared rats. At the mention of the name “Frisby,” the super-intelligent rats are eager to help her … but why? While assisting the Frisbys, the rats develop the Plan: a design for a civilization in which they will grow their own food, make their own tools, and be totally independent far away from humans.
The story was adapted into the 1982 Don Bluth film The Secret of NIMH.
Mitchell, Lt. Cmdr. Gary
One-time helm officer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, Gary Mitchell was directly affected by exposure to radiation while the starship broke the barrier at the edge of the galaxy, as shown on Star Trek’s second pilot episode, entitled “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” Being a close friend to Capt. James T. Kirk, it was hard for the captain to determine the best course of action, in order to protect others from Mitchell’s subsequent growing powers of extrasensory perception and the ego that accompanied such powers. With killing him out of the question, Kirk attempts to maroon Mitchell on the barren planet Delta Vega, but during a struggle involving Kirk, Mitchell and the likewise radiation-affected Dr. Elizabeth Dehner, Mitchell is killed. Avoiding all mention of his friend’s condition, Kirk officially reported that Mitchell gave his life in the performance of his duty.
Mitchell was portrayed by Gary Lockwood.
Mitosis
A process that takes place in the nucleus of a cell as it divides into two identical cells, each containing the same number of chromosomes and genetic content as the original cell. This process typically involves a series of steps consisting of prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase.
MMORPG
See Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG).
Mobile phone
See Cellular telephone.
Möbius strip
A one-sided non-orientable surface (also called a “twisted cylinder”) that can be constructed by affixing the ends of a rectangular strip after first giving one of the ends a half-twist. Not considered a true surface but rather a “surface with boundary,” this space exhibits interesting properties, such as having only one side and remaining in one piece when split down the middle. Though named for August Ferdinand Möbius, the properties of the strip were discovered independently and almost simultaneously by both Möbius and Johann Benedict Listing (who published his findings) in 1858. Practical applications of a Möbius strip include a longer-lasting conveyor belt since each “side” of the strip of material gets the same amount of wear, and as continuous-loop recording tapes (to double the playing time).
Mode, Edna
A featured character in the Pixar films The Incredibles (2004) and The Incredibles 2 (2018), whom writer/director Brad Bird describes as “a compact person with a very large personality and influence,” the pint-sized legendary superhero costume designer (and hater of capes) is recognizable for her style and her voice … as well as her mammoth attitude. Using legendary Hollywood wardrobe designer Edith Head as a visual inspiration for Edna’s distinctive bangs-and-circular-framed-glasses look, Bird would eventually provide the character’s voice himself, at the suggestion of Lily Tomlin. Edna was such a big hit with moviegoers, she even co-presented the 2005 Academy Award for Best Costume Design, alongside Pierce Brosnan!
Modem
Short for modulator/demodulator, a modem is a communications device for a computer which can be either internal or external, meaning it can either be located inside or outside of the computer’s central processing unit (CPU). It allows one computer to connect to and transfer data to other computers via telephone lines. A modem performs the digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion while providing error correction and data compression. Until the late 1990s, modems were analog (also known as dial-up), which allowed a computer or terminal to transmit data over a standard telephone line by converting digital data pulses from the computer to audio tones that analog telephones accept, but those models have basically become obsolete due to their slow processing speeds, and have been replaced by much faster cable, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and DSL modems.
Modern Age of Comics, The (mid-1980s–present)
In the Modern Age of Comics, characters were darker and more psychologically complex, while their creators were becoming more well-known and independent comics were becoming more popular. The DC comic book maxi-series Crisis on Infinite Earths became the book that brought the Bronze Age of Comics and the Modern Age of Comics together, and also brought an end to the Superman, Wonder Woman and The Flash series. Before the Modern Age, horror and science fiction comics were not in the mainstream, but the Comics Code Authority was changed, and horror and science fiction comics were able to stretch their limits as never before. Alan Moore’s legendary Swamp Thing run and Neil Gaiman’s masterpiece Sandman were some of the comics to feature elements of horror and science fiction. In the mid-1980s, artist Jack Kirby, co-creator of many of Marvel Comics’ most popular characters, came into dispute with Marvel over the disappearance of original pages of artwork from some of his most famous titles. Alan Moore, Frank Miller and many other contemporary stars became vocal advocates for Kirby.
The interest in the speculator market of a new Spider-Man costume led to other changes for Marvel characters in the 1980s. Iron Man’s armor would become silver and red. Captain America would be fired and then reborn as the Captain, wearing a black outfit. The Incredible Hulk would revert to his original gray skin color. Issue 300 of the first Avengers series resulted in a new lineup, including Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four. Also during this decade, Wolverine would switch to a brown and yellow costume, Thor would be replaced by Thunderstrike, Archangel would emerge as the X-Men’s Angel’s dark counterpart, and many other Marvel characters would have complete image overhauls. The changes to Spider-Man, Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Wolverine and most other Marvel characters would later be undone in the early 1990s.
The 1990s would also bring similar changes to the DC Comics universe, including the death of Superman in 1992 and the Knightfall storyline in Batman comics, during which Bruce Wayne’s back was broken and Azrael would become the new Batman. Wonder Woman lost a challenge, and Diana was replaced by Artemis as the new Wonder Woman, until her death in issue 100. Guy Gardner went from being a Green Lantern to becoming Warrior. The only change that would last for more than ten years was when Hal Jordan became Parallax and killed off all the Green Lanterns, resulting in Kyle Rayner becoming the new Green Lantern in issue 50 of the second series.
In addition to makeovers in individual characters and franchises, Crisis on Infinite Earths ushered in a popular trend of rebooting, remaking or seriously reimagining a publisher-wide universe every 5–10 years on varying scales. This often resulted in origins and histories being rewritten, and these reinventions could be on as large a scale as suddenly giving a retroactive continuity (or “retconning”) seminal story points and rewriting character histories, or simply introducing and/or killing off/writing out various important and minor elements of a universe. Crisis on Infinite Earths resulted in several miniseries which explicitly retconned character histories, such as Batman: Year One, Superman: Man of Steel, and Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals. An example of a less ambitious scale of changes is Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters, which did not explicitly retcon or retell Green Arrow’s history, but simply changed his setting and other elements of the present, leaving the past largely intact. This trend of publisher-wide reinventions, which often consist of a new miniseries and various spinoff storylines in established books, continues today, with DC’s recent Infinite Crisis and the spinoff storylines One Year Later, 52 and Countdown to Final Crisis. The results of Marvel’s House of M and Civil War storylines are still being felt in the Marvel Universe.
By the early 1990s, these events, as well as the influence of vocal proponents of independent publishing, helped to inspire a number of Marvel artists to form their own company. Image Comics would serve as a prominent example of creator-owned comics publishing. Marvel artists such as X-Men’s Jim Lee, The New Mutants/X-Force’s Rob Liefeld and Spider-Man’s Todd McFarlane were extremely popular and idolized by younger readers in ways more common to professional athletes and rock musicians than comic book artists. Propelled by star power and upset that they did not own the popular characters they created for Marvel, several illustrators, including Lee, Liefeld and McFarlane, formed Image Comics in 1992, an umbrella label under which several autonomous creator-owned companies existed. Image properties, such as Gen13, WildC.A.T.s, Witchblade and especially McFarlane’s Spawn provided brisk competition for long-standing superheroes. Image in particular is singled out by some critics for contributing to the conditions which led to the speculator comics crash, as Image titles favored alternative covers, foil covers, and other “collectible” comics.
Many popular creators followed Image’s lead, and attempted to use their star power to launch their own series, over which they would maintain licensing rights and editorial control. Chris Claremont, famous for his long run as the writer of Uncanny X-Men, created Sovereign Seven for DC; Joe Madureira, also made popular by Uncanny X-Men, launched Battle Chasers for WildStorm Productions; and Kurt Busiek, Alex Ross and Brent Anderson created Astro City for Image.
Molybdenum
A silver-white metallic element that resembles chromium and tungsten in many properties, molybdenum (Periodic Table of Elements symbol: Mo, atomic weight: 95.94, atomic number: 42) is used (as an alloy with iron) to strengthen or harden metals such as steel to make high-speed cutting tools, piston rings, and bicycle frames. It is also a trace element in plant and animal metabolism.
Monmouth, Geoffrey of
See Geoffrey of Monmouth.
Montoya, Inigo
A character from William Goldman’s The Princess Bride (novel), as well as director Rob Reiner’s popular 1987 The Princess Bride (film), Inigo Montoya spent his entire life learning to be a great swordsman, all in preparation for the day that he faces and kills his father’s murderer. In the motion picture, Montoya was portrayed by Mandy Patinkin.
Monty Python
Satirical and outlandish, the Monty Python comedy troupe formed in England in 1969. Comprised of two friends from Oxford (Michael Palin and Terry Jones), three Cambridge grads (John Cleese, Eric Idle and Graham Chapman), along with American animator Terry Gilliam, the group honed its singular blend of broad slapstick, edgy black comedy and social commentary in a string of successful television programs, films and albums. After meeting during a taping of the British children’s series Do Not Adjust Your Set, the Pythons officially took shape in May 1969, when the BBC contracted the group to produce its own 13-week program. The weekly sketch comedy series Monty Python’s Flying Circus premiered on the BBC on October 5, 1969. It was an unexpected hit in Britain during its four-season run (1969-74), and then gained fresh life when it was rebroadcast in the United States beginning in 1975. After becoming a major hit throughout Europe, the troupe recorded 1970’s Monty Python’s Flying Circus LP, a set of new performances of television material recorded in front of a live audience (including their now-legendary parrot sketch). Their film debut, … And Now For Something Completely Different — a collection of highlights from the series — followed in 1971.
Another Monty Python Record, released in the U.K. in 1971, made its American debut the following year; for most U.S. fans, the album was their first exposure to the troupe — the BBC series did not begin appearing on public television outlets for several more months. After 1972’s Monty Python’s Previous Record, a mixture of original routines and TV material, featuring “Eric the Half a Bee,” “The Argument Clinic,” and “Embarrassment/A Bed-Time Book,” the group issued 1973’s Matching Tie and Handkerchief, which featured a “trick track” gimmick, whereby the second side contained separate grooves both featuring entirely different material; playing randomly depending upon where the needle dropped, the gimmick effectively created a “Side Three”!
A 1973 British tour yielded Live at Drury Lane, released in 1974 to coincide with the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. In 1975, the movie’s companion record, The Album of the Soundtrack of the Trailer of the Film of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a reprise of screen material along with new skits, was released. After 1976’s Live! At City Center, a long hiatus followed before the group reunited for the 1979 feature and soundtrack Monty Python’s Life of Brian.
Monty Python’s Contractual Obligation Album appeared in 1980, followed by the 1982 American concert film Live at the Hollywood Bowl. The 1983 feature Monty Python’s the Meaning of Life was the last official group project, although the troupe members subsequently reunited on occasion. Most famously, Cleese and Palin teamed in the hit comedy A Fish Called Wanda, while Gilliam’s directorial efforts like Time Bandits, Brazil and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen all prominently featured Python alumni. Sadly, Graham Chapman passed away on October 4, 1989. The surviving Pythons have put on occasional reunion shows (the last being Monty Python Live (Mostly): One Down, Five To Go) and a Broadway show based on their classic routines (the 2005 hit Spamalot, which later toured). Idle anchored a musical extravaganza based on The Life of Brian entitled Not The Messiah (He’s A Very Naughty Boy), which featured cameos by Palin and Jones, while Gilliam dressed in a tuxedo to deliver one line!
Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, The
Published in 1966 by author Robert A. Heinlein, this science fiction allegory of the American Revolutionary War features the moon as a penal colony that revolts against the Earth’s rule.
Mordred
While he appears to have been a historical figure and possibly Sir Gawain’s brother, Mordred is known mainly as a figure of medieval legend. Traditionally said to be King Arthur Pendragon’s nephew, according to some sources, he was also Arthur’s foster son and the son of Arthur’s sister Morgan(a) la Fey, who, in certain versions of the legend, seduced her brother in order to give birth to a son who would one day defeat him. In Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, and also possibly historically, Arthur had all children born on the day of Mordred’s birth set adrift. The ship carrying Mordred was wrecked, but he survived and was fostered by Lord Nabur the Unruly. Some claim Mordred was the youngest son of Queen Morgause of Orkney, and was raised as a son of her husband King Lot. As an adult, Mordred became one of Arthur’s knights, and was a companion of Lancelot for a time. When Arthur went off to battle Lancelot, Mordred was left to rule as regent in his absence. He proclaimed Arthur dead and then pursued Guinevere, making Arthur’s return necessary. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth (1100–1155), Mordred seized the throne while Arthur was on his Roman campaign. Ly Myreur des Historires by Jean d’Outremeuse claims Mordred survived the Battle of Camlann, the traditional final conflict between he and King Arthur, and was later defeated by Lancelot. Lancelot later executed Guinevere (possibly because he thought she had willingly complied with Mordred) and incarcerated Mordred with her dead body, which Mordred was forced to eat before eventually dying of starvation. According to Wace’s Alliterative Morte Arthure, however, Mordred was not Arthur’s son, but Guinevere’s brother, and it was their incest that produced a child. In Welsh tradition, Mordred married Cywyllog, daughter of Caw, and they had two sons. In the earliest Welsh sources, Mordred seems to have been regarded as a hero rather than a villain.
Morlocks
One of the two main species of humanoids from H.G. Wells’ classic 1895 novel The Time Machine, the unattractive Morlocks live below ground as the working-class species. This is in contrast to the beautiful Eloi, who live above the ground in an idyllic setting. The race has been depicted in big-screen versions of Wells’ novel in 1960 and again in 2002.
Morpheus
1. The Greek god of dreams, who delivered messages to the gods in their sleep, was the son of Hypnos, the god of sleep, and Pasithea, the goddess of rest. Morpheus, whose name stems from “morphe,” the Greek word for “form,” could appear in dreams in any image.
2. The leader of the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar who revived Neo – whom he believes is “The One” and destined to be the savior of all mankind – from his imposed sleep in the dystopian future depicted in The Matrix. He then trains Neo on the elements of the surreal Matrix and why they must fight to bring it to an end.
Motherboard
The main circuit board of a microcomputer, containing connectors to attach the central processing unit (CPU) and main system memory, as well as circuitry to control disk drives, keyboard, monitor and peripheral devices.
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