Okay, I know it's a tad bit late for Halloween, but I blame it on Nedokuro's boss who for some reason decided to skip her usual days off before Halloween, so this one got a bit delayed.

Anyway, here's my Andreas dressed up in the combat gear of one of my biggest childhood icons, Egg Shen from Big Trouble in Little China, including the famous Six Demon Bag, Reflecting Mirror Fan and his gourd with Potion of Heroism.

Now, to see why I went with this particular getup, you have to understand just how much I *love* Big Trouble in Little China. It was, is and will always be one of the cornerstones in my video libraries, and it was way ahead of its time when it came out, a true masterpiece of the genre by the legendary John Carpenter. Sadly I was 6 years old at the time, so no seeing it in theaters for me. Darn that lack of time machines. XD

I'm not too proud to admit that it was a lot of the special effects that drew me in as a kid. Especially the character Lightning, with his control of lightning bolts, having little arcs of electricity constantly arching over his body.

Now this guy was a high quality villain by my standards. He never speaks (I don't count that one "Hai!" he gave Lo Pan after the testing of the girls), he never shows emotion, he never hesitates, he never gets wounded, he has some weird-ass weapons (those hand propellers that you *never* see again DX ), and he freaking CONTROLS LIGHTNING!!! As far as villains go, I think I can count on one hand the ones that have come along since that *might* come close.

And then we have Egg Shen.

Holy crap was this guy awesome! I mean, he is *THE* Sage character, the very essence of it!! He always seem to have either the right answer or tool for the job. Like Lightning, he is *never* scared or phased.

Come to think of it, I don't think Egg does *anything* wrong throughout the whole movie. I mean, look at what he does.

- He summons a tiny arc of lightning between his hands and calls it "nothing".

- He brews potions that makes those who drink it nearly invincible.

- He guides the group through a swamp in the sewers that I don't even want to consider, much less visit, with only one casualty (and that guy really shouldn't have looked down that hole in hostile territory).

- He sends the storm Thunder, a guy who shattered a frikkin submachine gun with his bare hands flying out of the room (on the second floor no less) with a gem bomb.

- He keeps a 44 Magnum as a backup weapon that he never even bothers to use!

- He battles Lo Pan, the main villain of the movie to a draw in a magic duel!

And above and beyond all that, he kicks Lightning's ass.

When Lightning came down those stairs, looking typically nonchalant as the music ramps up, I immediately thought "Oh crap, Egg's gonna die now".

Sure enough, Lightning charges up, sends a storm of electricity Egg's way... and he just whips out a mirrored sunfan, as if to say "Bitch, please." (the little maniac is even grinning as he does it!!!), and sends the darn thing flying right back at Lightning, knocking him down on his back with a yelp of pain. The invincible Lightning, brought low by a tiny old man with a freaking FAN!

My jaw dropped to the table when I saw that the first time. And even now, almost three *decades* later, I can't help but twitch with glee when I see it.

Not too mention he *kills* Lightning later in the movie with a freaking stone buddha later! This guy is like a menace to supervillains everywhere. XD

So here I am, in the guise of Andreas, wearing the battle gear of one of my dearest childhood heroes, Egg Shen.

And I want to extend a heartfelt bow of gratitude to the man who made him a reality.

Im Memoriam.

Victor Wong, July 30, 1927 – September 12, 2001.

More than a decade gone, and still he impresses me.

Rest in peace, knowing that your role in that movie has awed so many young men and women in the long years since.


Artwork by the talented  Neodokuro