For everyone who wasn’t around for the glorious birth of Verge, here’s a short glimpse into James‘ past life. That’s right, just as any great superhero would, James Anthony Laws has his very own origin story. Join me now as we go back in time…all the way back to my very first post on Verge.

Back in the misty recesses of 1975…a child was born. As he grew, his parents knew that his awesomeness needed to be harnessed, so they enrolled him in the martial arts. Fame as a world renowned action star would have been sure to follow, had tragedy not reached out its cruel hand. As fate would have it, his brother was killed in a mixed martial-arts tournament somewhere in Asia. James was on the first flight there, ready to avenge his brother’s untimely demise. After defeating every contestant thrown at him, it was time to face the man upon whom his ultimate vengeance was to fall. The tide of the battle began to shift towards James as he landed roundhouse after roundhouse. Unfortunately, his partner in this deadly dance refused to fight with any scruples. As James knocked him to the ground, the sinister fiend threw dirt into James’ eyes, blinding him for a split second, but long enough for the attacker to land a bone breaking blow to his leg. Hurt, hobbled, and hungry, James refused to surrender. Only one man was leaving this ring alive. Amazingly, James fought through the pain and defeated his opponent. Instead of killing him, however, he allowed him to live. The only penance the poor, broken killer was to perform was to sing the Sonny Curtis of The Cricket’s I fought the law, and the law won. (Cleverly replacing the word law with the word Laws, of course.)

Back in America, and with a bum leg, James knew that life as an action star had fluttered away, like a beautiful butterfly on a warm summer’s evening. Perhaps in future posts I will share more about the man, the myth, the legend that is James Laws.

A lot has changed since then. We’re almost a year into our launch, I’m a year older, heck, my title even changed. But, this story is as good as ever. Thanks for enjoying it with me.