#From Zero to Substack Hero

[mehmetyildizmelbourne-blog]

Section 23: Build Your Author Platform for Lasting Success

This Is the Summary of my Udemy Course “From Zero to Substack Hero.” Image from the source of the video Dear Freelance Writers, Book Authors, and Bloggers, I couldn’t post this stories for while so I decided this Sunday to re-initiate it as some writers found it helpful. Today we are starting advanced topics from the Advanced Substack Mastery book of Dr Yildiz. I haven’t published Level 4 on…

[popculturebuffet]

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves Review: Come for the Beautiful Animation, Stay for the Murder Forest

I grew up on Disney. I remember having those chonky vhs tapes, just a huge piles of those book style ones that let you know who made it. I watched Aladdin, Lion King, Toy Story, The Aristocats. I fondly remeber those films and saw many more at home and at my grandma's farm where she had a large stack of VHS'. Granted 9/10 i'd just watch the 90's little rascals movie, but still I saw the bulk of disney's renissance output.

That can't really be said for the golden age of the studio. Apart from Cinderella and the Aristocats, I didn't have many older disney films and even when I started getting more into disney and animation as a whole, it was just never something I thought to do. I love disney's films and tv shows. The company itself?

But I just.. never thought to watch snow white. It didn't really intrest me. It didn't seem bad, I just didn't think why and often forgot THE reason to watch it: that it was disney's FIRST film, the first feature length animated film, the reason a bulk of the stuff i've talked about, from disney itself to other companies, even exists.

Thankfully the opportunity to get around to it presented itself: My good friend Emma asked for it for her free birthday reviews. patrons who stick around for at least one year , and that goes for substack subscribers, get a free review on their birthday to show my appreciation. So because the remake I have zero intrest in like all Disney live action remakes was coming up, she asked for this.

I'm glad I did: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is a classic for a reason and is monsterously influental in ways I never realized; Ideas embedded in the popular culture like a princess singing to and befriending forest animals, a prince waking a princess up with a kiss, magic mirrors, even wicked stepmothers were all codified here. They existed in fairy tales before and after of course, but this is what people think of when they think of Snow White.

It was shocking and fun to realize that Enchanted, one of disney's best films, is a direct parody of their first film. It makes the joke even funnier as pretty much everything is taken from this: the queen being giselle's stepmother, giselle living in the woods, the hero happening to find her, giselle controlling all the forest animals. There's a bit or two from other movies: the bumbling sidekick whose secretly in love with the villian is based more on LeFou from Beauty and the BEast and the talking chipmunk has a personality more akin to mushu in mulan as the mouthy sidekick to the hero, but it's very clear Disney based their self-pisstake on their very FIRST movie.. and that's brilliant. If your going to deconstruct your own cliches, start with the girl that brought you.

Snow White is where a LOT of the tropes for Disney's fairy tale adaptations were built in: making it a musical, lavish animation, some nightmare fuel to stay with kids the rest of their lives, animal sidekicks, wacky sidekicks in general with the dwarves, gorgeous animation, and a villian who usually dies horribly but not directly due to the heroes actoins to keep their hands clean. It was sobering to realize how many things Disney used and even still uses at times, how important this film I disregarded is to Disney.. and to animation.

Snow White was the FIRST theatrical animated feature. It's something I emphaize because it's easy to forget: I grew up in a deluge of animated films to feast on some good, some bad, some weird, some good and weird. It's hard to imagine not only that wasn't the case once, but that this flim was a massive gamble. WC Fields mocked it because "you'll run out of jokes after 90 minutes", proving that the bullshit "animation is just for children" argument is somehow almost 90 years old. Somewhere WC Fields ghost is smiling.

It wasn't just fellow buisness ghouls who discouraged walt: his brother roy and wife Lillian both tried to talk him out of it. But Walt recognized that his buiness couldn't evolve unless they got into features: Disney was an animation company.. and if it could only do shorts it could never grow. It wasnt' just the money either: there were stories they could tell BEYOND what a short could do and should be able to. Walt disney has a legacy of anti semitism, strike breaking and being a paternalistic weirdo. But I have to give it to him that he was right here: he knew the risks needed and it's thanks to him we have animated movies. It's thanks to him I laughed myself to tears watching The Day the Earth Blew Up last sunday ad. It took an Walt and Co taking a risk.. and it worked. Despite his own nerves a bank manager he showed the film to to get the money to finish it told him it'd make a hat full of money. I love everything about that ancedote, to how said bank president apparently sat stonefaced for 87 uncomfortable minutes to his odd "hat full of money" analogy.

It's easy to see WHY this film made a hat full of money: It's nearly 90 years old.. but damn if it still dosen't sparkle> The animation is crisp, wonderful and feels like a storybook on screen. It's shockingly smooth for it's time, with snow white flowing like a painting and the queen looking stone faced and truly ghastly, while the dwarves move with the comedic energy walt and co had perfected for the Mickey Donald and Goofy Shorts.

The film has a plot that's simple as a piece of paper: Evil Queen is jealous of her mirror saying her stepdaughter is hotter than her, so rather than put the mirror on a watchlist has her woodsman try to kill her. He can't do a child murder and urges her to flee, she goes thorugh a dope murder forest with a bunch of eyes, wood alligators and murder trees that no one talks about enough, and decides to break into a bunch of miners who happen to be fantasy dwarves house and take a nap after having the woodland creatures fix their house and assuming children live there. They go home, think there's a break in, realize it's a teeanger, she realizes it's not children but dwarves but treats them like chlidren. The Queen realizes the Huntsman, who fled to florida back when that was a solid option and not a last resort to avoid some serious drug charges, didn't actually give her a teenagers heart and plans to poison her. She succeeds but some dude what lives next door snow white met earlier kisses her back to life and she departs. The queen also falls off a ledge or something.

There's no real character depth: the dwarves names are their personaliteis, with one named "awful" shopped around that sadly didn't make it to screen", snow white is just a naive but nice girl, the queen evil, the prince a prince and the mirror is supsciously close to drake. There's not much here and the bulk of the film is either animal antics or the dwarves dicking around. Mostly dwarves dicking around. It largely works as the jokes are goofy enough and the woodland animals have a turtle among them who dosen't get enough love. Everyone spotliths the birds and the deer but who dosne't love this turtle trailing behind and being adorable.

The lack of depth is why I avoided this film and shame on me... sometimes you don't need a fantastic story. Disney is VERY good at those, see most of the reinssance era, wreck it ralph, encanto. They can tell a good story.. but a film can also just be fun, light yet still breathtaking. The story here is not complicated at all, but it's told gorgeously with wonderful songs. Classics like whistle while you work, high ho, and someday my prince will come all come from here. It's remarkable how much of pop culture was born here. Disney has always ran our lives apparently.

Snow White is a fun film. It's mostly dicking around with some questionable moments and some stuff.. has not aged well. The mirror wanting to bang a teenager, the dwarves infantilization, but it's not so over the top it ruins the film: the mirror is just an impoartial weird creepy magic thing and snow white has been locked in a castle doing chores for an abusive parent for most of her life. Neither of these are the most functional sources.

Snow White is a fun film. Me and my friend Jess had a blast watching this one and rather than spend your money to see the remake watch this on disney plus instead.. then spend your money on the day the earth blew up. I'm pulling for ya, we're all in this together.

[jon-mcbrine-author]

Originally posted on Substack on 12/4/23

Unsecret Identity: Eric Icarus - Book One is about Eric Boxworth’s journey from zero to zero-G hero, but the story is told through three POVs: Eric Icarus, of course, his father, David, and his best friend, Jaycee. Despite being classmates, at the start of the book, Eric knows very little about her - just who the heck is Jaycee Maddox anyway?

Daughter of gazillionaire tech mogul Baron Maddox, Jaycee is a student at the same upper-mid-level high school as our gravitationally-challenged main character, Eric. Instead of using her dad’s infinitesimal stacks of cash to attend any institution in the world, Jaycee sits next to Eric—when she actually shows up to class, that is. Jaycee’s imperfect attendance does her no favors with her science teacher, who also happens to be her mother, Valerie Cooper.

Baron and Valerie haven’t exactly nailed the whole co-parenting thing, but Jaycee sees both of them regularly. When Jaycee is with her mom, she lives under her strict rulings, but they still manage to resemble a normal household. When Jaycee spends time with her father, however, she’s typically wearing the mask of her superhero alter-ego, Powerhouse. As CEO of his bleeding edge technology company, Baron carves out time to also be the public benefactor of the city’s team of teen champions of justice. Powerhouse is proud to battle bad guys alongside her fellow student/crime fighters.

Armed with strength-enhancing armor, Powerhouse takes pleasure in her opponents underestimating her due to her skinny stature. With her arms encased in shiny chrome plating, Powerhouse stands out in a group of other heroes who possess advanced gear of their own. At the beginning of the novel, Jaycee isn’t sure if she can truly trust Eric—or what to make of him whatsoever. As the only witness to Eric’s preternatural flying ability, Jaycee is on a mission to prove whether or not Eric is the real deal, or just another tech-clad phony posing as more powerful than they really are.

Living a double life takes its toll on Jaycee, who constantly has to keep her secret identity hidden from her nosy mother. Jaycee also strives to impress her father at every opportunity, but when a miraculously flying boy named Eric enters their inner circle, things take a turn. As Baron grows more enthralled with Eric’s phenomenal anti-grav talent, getting Baron’s attention becomes a feat even Powerhouse may not be strong enough for.

Stay in the loop for more details by following Jonfcition Blog on Substack and be sure to check out jonmcbrine.com for more info about this and all my books.

Unsecret Identity: Eric Icarus - Book One is available now from the Amazon Kindle store.

https://a.co/2XAtxvH

[rabbittstewcomics]

Episode 351

Comic Reviews:

DC

Blood Syndicate Season One 1 by Geoffrey Thorne, ChrisCross, Juan Castro, Wil Quintana

Jurassic League 1 by Juan Gedeon, Daniel Warren Johnson, Mike Spicer

Marvel

Captain America: Symbol of Truth 1 by Tochi  Onyebuchi, R.B. Silva, Jesus Aburtov

Hulk vs. Thor: Banner of War Alpha by Donny Cates, Martin Coccolo, Matt Wilson

Moon Knight: Black, White, and Blood 1 by Jonathan Hickman, Marc Guggenheim, Mureqa Ayodele, Jorge Fornes, Adedotun Akanda, Chris Bachalo

Patsy Walker Infinity Comic 1 by Trina Robbins, Derek Charm, Rico Renzi, Clayton Cowles

Image

Eight Billion Genies 1 by Charles Soule, Ryan Browne, Kevin Knipstein

Dark Horse

Avatar: Adapt or Die 1 by Corinna Bechko, Beni Lobel, Wes Dzioba

Tales From Harrow County: Lost Ones 1 by Cullen Bunn, Emily Schnall, Tyler Crook

Jenny Zero II 1 by Dave Dwonch, Brockton McKinney, Magenta King, Arnaldo Robles

Boom

Grim 1 by Stephanie Phillips, Flaviano, Rico Renzi

ComiXology

Cold Iron by Andy Diggle, Nick Brokenshire, Tom Muller

IDW

Transformers: Last Bot Standing 1 by Nick Roche, E.J. Su, Rebecca Nalty

Dynamite

Vampirella Strikes 1 by Thomas Sniegoski, Jonathan Lau, Omi Remalante Jr.

AfterShock

Bunny Mask: The Hollow Inside 1 by Paul Tobin, Andrea Mutti

Archie

Archie Meets Riverdale 1 by Daniel Kibblesmith, Tim Kennedy, Pat Kennedy, Bob Smith, Matt Herms

AWA

Devil's Highway Volume 2 1 by Benjamin Percy, Brent Schoonover, Nick Filardi

Behemoth

Blind Alley 1 by IRRA

Ablaze

Belit and Valeria: Swords vs. Sorcery by Max Bemis, Rodney Buchemi, Dinei Ribeiro

Substack

True Weird by James Tynion, Klaus Janson 

Colonel Weird and Little Andromeda by Tate Brombal, Ray Fawkes

FCBD

Dark Crisis 0

Spider-Man/Venom

Mythos: Bone Orchard

AXE: Judgment Day

Doctor Who

Additional Reviews: Amphibia full series, Candyman 2021, The Hunt, Owl House, Russian Doll s2, Everything Everywhere All At Once

News: Omninews, 14th Doctor Announced, Round Robin results, Tales from the Human Target, new Spider-Verse comic, new Marvel trans hero, Survival Street, Marvel loses rights to Conan, Disney adapts Trevor, Naomi canceled, Amazing Fantasy 1000, Scream 6, Gotham Knights, CW, She-Hulk release date, new Pixar movie "Elemental" announced, Perry White one-shot, Black Mirror returning

Trailers: Paper Girls teaser, Players, Resident Evil Netflix

Comics Countdown:

King Conan 4 by Jason Aaron, Mahmud Asrar, Matt Wilson

Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country 2 by James Tynion IV, Lisandro Estherren, Andrea Sorrentino, Jordie Bellaire, Patricio Delpeche

Eight Billion Genies 1 by Charles Soule, Ryan Browne, Kevin Knipstein

Crossover 13 by Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, Dee Cunniffe

Nocterra 10 by Scott Snyder, Tony Daniel, Marcelo Maiolo

Superman: Son of Kal-El 11 by Tom Taylor, Cian Tormey, Matt Herms, Federico Blee

Tales From Harrow County: Lost Ones 1 by Cullen Bunn, Emily Schnall, Tyler Crook

Grim 1 by Stephanie Phillips, Flaviano, Rico Renzi

Seven Secrets 17 by Tom Taylor, Daniele Di Nicuolo

Batgirls 6 by Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad, Jorge Corona, Sarah Stern

Check out this episode!

[mehmetyildizmelbourne-blog]

Introduction to Level 4 of Udemy Course From Zero to Substack Hero

Section 21: Mastery and Beyond on Substack Source link to the image For those who missed, I shared the scripts of 20 sections covering levels 1, 2, and 3 of this exciting course. Today, I will provide a quick intro to Level 4 of From Zero to Substack Hero, which will be available on Udemy soon, but I have already uploaded the videos to my publication on Substack for members. Level 4 of our…

[mehmetyildizmelbourne-blog]

Section 13: Essential Principles for Freelance Writers Beyond Substack

Summary of my Udemy Course “From Zero to Substack Hero.” Image source from the video location Purpose of this Series for New Readers This is a new series upon request from my readers. I recently developed a course titled “From Zero to Substack Hero” and published it on Udemy and shared it on Content Marketing Strategy Insights owned by Dr Mehmet Yildiz who kindly allowed me to use his Substack…

[mehmetyildizmelbourne-blog]

Section 10: How Marketing & Sales Strategies on Substack

Substack Education from Udemy Summary of my Udemy Course “From Zero to Substack Hero.” Image source from the video location Purpose of this Series for New Readers This is a new series upon request from my readers. I recently developed a course titled “From Zero to Substack Hero” and published it on Udemy and shared it on Content Marketing Strategy Insights owned by Dr Mehmet Yildiz who kindly…

[mehmetyildizmelbourne-blog]

Section 5: Why Editorial Excellence and Self-Editing Matter on Substack

Summary of my Udemy Course “From Zero to Substack Hero.” Dear freelance writers, this is a new series upon request from my readers. I recently developed a course titled “From Zero to Substack Hero” and published it on Udemy and shared it on Content Marketing Strategy Insights owned by Dr Mehmet Yildiz who kindly allowed me to use his Substack Mastery book to design the curriculum. Some writers…

[mehmetyildizmelbourne-blog]

Section 4: How to Create a Growth Strategy on Substack

Summary of my Udemy Course “From Zero to Substack Hero.” Dear freelance writers, this is a new series upon request from my readers. I recently developed a course titled “From Zero to Substack Hero” and published it on Udemy and shared it on Content Marketing Strategy Insights owned by Dr Mehmet Yildiz who kindly allowed me to use his Substack Mastery book to design the curriculum. Some writers…

[mehmetyildizmelbourne-blog]

How to GrowYour Substack with Peer Recommendations

Summary of my Udemy Course “From Zero to Substack Hero.” Dear freelance writers, this is a new series upon request from my readers. I recently developed a course titled “From Zero to Substack Hero” and published it on Udemy and shared it on Content Marketing Strategy Insights owned by Dr Mehmet Yildiz who kindly allowed me to use his Substack Mastery book to design the curriculum. Some writers…

[mehmetyildizmelbourne-blog]

Substack Crash Course - Section 2

Using Substack Notes for Audience Growth Summary of my Udemy Course “From Zero to Substack Hero.” Dear freelance writers, this is a new series upon request from my readers. I recently developed a course titled “From Zero to Substack Hero” and published it on Udemy and shared it on Content Marketing Strategy Insights owned by Dr Mehmet Yildiz who kindly allowed me to use his Substack Mastery…

[mehmetyildizmelbourne-blog]

Summary of my Udemy Course “From Zero to Substack Hero.”

Section 1: What is Substack and Why It Matters — Course Scripts Dear freelance writers, this is a new series upon request from my readers. I recently developed a course titled “From Zero to Substack Hero” and published it on Udemy and shared it on Content Marketing Strategy Insights owned by Dr Mehmet Yildiz who kindly allowed me to use his Substack Mastery book to design the curriculum. Some…

[mehmetyildizmelbourne-blog]

How YouTubers, TikToker's & Podcasters Succeed on Substack

A TikToker Aaron Parnas, recently joined Substack has gained over 300K subscribers and 10K paid members to his publication If You Are a YouTuber, TikToker, or Podcaster, You Might Do Well on Substack Recently, I found many of my friends who contribute to YouTube, TikTok or Podcasting platforms like Spotify or Apple have started coming to Substack. Interestingly, in a few days, their subscribers…

[mehmetyildizmelbourne-blog]

My 5-Star Review of From Zero to Substack Hero Level 3

I’m the First Student Completing It I’m not a hero yet but this course helped me make all my key stats green again boosting my dopamine to work harder. Born with a curious mind I am a lifelong learner and enjoy it even in my mid-70s. Recently I had a great interest in Substack as it helps me achieve my writing dreams. Initially I struggled but a timely course changed everything for me and made…

[mehmetyildizmelbourne-blog]

Udemy Courses: Level 3 Substack Mastery Training Program Is Now On

Education for Freelance Writers 8 Modules of From Zero to Substack Hero education videos with an engaging curriculum were uploaded to Udemy. 33 modules are also available on my Content Marketing Strategy Insights.  What If There Is a Dormant Platform Which Can Take Your Writing to Another Level As the most creator-friendly platform, Substack has made a remarkable impact on freelance writers,…

[mehmetyildizmelbourne-blog]

Celebrating My First 50 Students on Udemy and First 500 Subscribers on Substack

As an appreciation, I offer a 33% discount (max I can do) to my Medium and Substack Friends, and I also donated my course to the Substack Mastery Boost program to help freelance writers I failed Vocal Media in 2023 and the Medium boost program in 2024 but now, in 2025, I am winning on Substack and Udemy and determined to succeed thanks to the support Dr Yildiz, his team, and his community. 18…