Sometimes something that doesn't yet exist cries out to be made.

A block of marble might just insist that you carve away all the parts that don't look like a horse. Or if you're like me and don't have that kind of talent, perhaps a block of marble already shaped like a horse might call to you to locate a cardboard birthday hat and say "Hey check it out, a unicorn!" Point is, sometimes the world just isn't complete without some wonderful thing, and you realize it's your job to create it.

What happened was this. Over the summer of '03, Carol's mom was staying with her while here for carpal tunnel surgery. She came back from the procedure with this huge block of gray foam, meant to keep her arm supported in the right position for a bit. It was this great monstrosity and I don't know if she actually even used it.

I saw it lying around, though, and knew right away that I'd use it, somehow. Let's see, not the arm...or what about through here? Well no I guess not, so can you...? Hey hang on, if you pull the front open here, you can slip it on...your head! Well hey now, check this out!

The mirror confirmed that this was no mere funky-chunky block of foam. It was a mighty helmet, towering high. In fact I realized it was meant to become the great helmet of Galactus, Devourer of Worlds! (Obvious, I thought.)


             
I stomped into the next room where Carol and Madlyn were. "I AM GALACTUS, DEVOURER OF WORLDS!" Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! (Carol's got hardwood floors that stomp well.) "ALL MUST PAY HOMAGE TO GALACTUS!" Stomp, stomp! "...DEVOURER OF WORLDS!"

This went on for entirely too long. Well I was amused. Long enough, as it turns out, that later Carol even began to address me properly. "Want some juice, Galactus?" I'd just stare and she'd sigh and roll her eyes, "Sorry -- 'Galactus, devourer of worlds' " :D

Over the following weeks I set about making the helmet properly. (None of this was anything to do with Halloween, by the way. It just needed to be done. But it'll certainly serve just fine as a Halloween costume, which at least provides some excuse of what I'll do with the thing. I suppose I'd wear it to the Fantastic Four Costume Ball, except of course there's no such thing. It'd be just me stomping around by myself in a big helmet.)

Carol initially thought I was devoting entirely too much energy to the construction, and I don't see how I can argue the point. But she was not-so-secretly enjoying it, too, and entirely encouraged me despite the obligatory scorn. Actually she kind of liked the whole idea of Galactus once I explained who the heck he was. She even went online and bought me a Silver Surfer action figure to go with it as herald. Carol is great! This is not why I love her, but it doesn't hurt!

So here's how the transformation went...


next

epilogue
pages (and helmet--let's face it, I'm responsible for the whole thing) by Mark Jackman (mark@pigorfig.com)