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onwardintolight · 4 years

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Canon Catchup

With TROS coming out soon, I’ve been doing a lot of catchup on canon material that I’ve missed, particularly that which I think will be most relevant either for the movie or for Resistance Reborn (which I finished yesterday and will talk more about below). I will avoid major spoilers, as excited as I may be about some of them, haha, but I wanted to write out a few of my thoughts here while they’re fairly fresh.

A Crash of Fate by Zoraida Córdova and Galaxy’s Edge by Delilah Dawson—these don’t seem quite as relevant to TROS, but I read these two Galaxy’s Edge tie-in novels a few months ago and I thought I’d say a few words. I REALLY enjoyed the A Crash of Fate; it was such a lovely, heartwrenchingly beautiful story that reminded me a little of Lost Stars in the way that it focused in on a friendship/romance between two people who wouldn’t ever be main characters in the movies. The story was told primarily over the span of a single day, and wow did I not expect my heart to be pulled in so many different directions. Definitely one I will read again and again.

I’m not sure I’ll do the same with Galaxy’s Edge. It was a super fun read, with some great, Indiana Jones-like action sequences, and I’d recommend giving it a go especially if you’re planning on ever going to Galaxy’s Edge—but it also had a few seriously problematic elements that I just couldn’t overlook. For one, NO WAY is Leia going to force Vi to work closely with someone who tortured her, and speaking of torture, many black people have already commented on the problematic nature of the excessive violence Vi undergoes in this book.

TFA and TLJ Junior Novelizations by Michael Kogge—I wanted to get a refresher on these stories, and since I’d never read the junior versions, I decided to give them a try. Overall I enjoyed these quite a bit. The TFA one was way better imho than the adult novelization by Alan Dean Foster, and both had some really meaningful character moments. There was one Leia scene at the end of the TFA one that brought me to tears.

Aftermath: Life Debt and Aftermath: Empire’s End by Chuck Wendig—I’d originally read the Aftermath trilogy as each book was released, but with everything I was hearing about Resistance Reborn, AND with the return of Palpatine in TROS and the promise of finally figuring out what’s been going on in the Unknown Regions, I thought it was a perfect time to revisit it. I skipped the first one (my least favorite of the three, and also my copy is in a box somewhere from when we moved last and the library’s audiobook copies were checked out) and read a synopsis instead to refresh my memory, then dived straight into Life Debt. Both of these books were as good or better than I remember them. I enjoyed them the first time, but I enjoyed them even better this time around. I feel like they’ve gained even more significance now. My HanLeia shippy heart is happy with some of their scenes, and also I rediscovered that I absolutely adore and would probably die for Norra, Wedge, Jas, Sinjir, Temmin, and crew.

Spark of the Resistance by Justina Ireland—this was a super cute but ultimately rather forgettable junior novel. The best part about it was seeing Rey, Poe, and Rose interacting. I may revisit it sometime after TROS and see if my unexpectedly skyrocketing feels for these characters (see below) makes it better.

The Poe Dameron comic run—I’d previously read the first trade (Black Squadron), the third (Legend Lost), and maybe a tiny bit of the second (The Gathering Storm), and aside from a really poignant bit in Legend Lost I just didn’t find myself very invested. This time around, however, flipped that on its head. Trades 4 and 5 (Legend Found and The Spark and the Fire) completely did me in, and without warning, I found myself 100% invested in Black Squadron. Poe, Jess, Snap, Karé, Suralinda, and L’ulo have officially joined the Aftermath crew in my list of characters I would die for. I just want all my babies to be okay! There were numerous moments in those last two trades (including the AMAZING Annual #2, a must-read for HanLeia new canon fans) which made me cry. I’m not even joking. So good. Well done, Charles Soule.

Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse—Buckle up because I have a lot to say! I HIGHLY recommend reading the Aftermath trilogy, Bloodline, the Poe Dameron comics, and watching the Battlefront II campaign (which I talked about in another post) before reading this because HOLY MOLY. You won’t be lost if you don’t, but it will mean so much more to you if you do. Speaking of crying, I literally lost count of the moments that brought me to tears, and so many were significant because of how all the stories I mentioned and more have been so beautifully interconnected in this one. Wedge and Norra, Zay and Shriv, and so many others—each was given their due and it was amazing. One character’s surprise appearance had me practically on my knees with joy and heartbreak all at once, and I would say more but I’m really trying to keep that promise not spoil you, haha.

If the Poe Dameron comic weren’t enough to win me over, this book has officially cemented Poe as one of my favorite sequel trilogy characters. Tbh, I’ve had trouble feeling much of a deep connection with any of the sequel trilogy leads—I love them, sure, but not like Leia, Han and Luke, the trio I grew up with. I’ve wanted to love them more, I’ve wanted to be more invested in them, but it just hasn’t happened. I’m really glad I read this book before TROS, because I think this has changed that. I was definitely getting a few OT golden trio vibes with Rey, Finn, and of course, my Boi™ Poe—except they’re completely their own characters, and I’m really starting to love them for who they are.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book, it felt really meaningful, and I can’t wait to read it again.

That being said, when I finished it yesterday I felt a little bit disappointed, like it tasted a little bit bittersweet. I’m still trying to figure out why that is, but I think it may be down to three things:

1) Though there were a number of fantastic character reveals, there were some obvious people absent and I can’t help but wonder where they are. I hope they’re not dead. I hope TROS includes some of these characters, too. I hope we get the rest of their stories either way.

2) The book is way too short. Especially on the heels of the Aftermath trilogy, this feels like only the first act of at least three. The ending comes way too soon, just after it really seems to get going. This I don’t blame the author or the publishers for at all; they are very limited, after all, in what they can portray leading up to TROS. But it really left me longing for more. This book had such a wonderful focus on character, but in the end, I wanted to see the character arcs get even more resolved than they do here... but I guess they really couldn’t be, and that’s what TROS is for. I just hope the movie does it well! I need all these people to be okay <3

3) It doesn’t shy away from grief, struggle, and the mental cost of war. Honestly, that’s part of why I love it so much, but I think that’s also part of why it left me feeling a little melancholy. The Resistance is in such a seemingly hopeless place, and while things do get better over the course of the book, there’s still such a terribly long way to go.The First Order rains merciless terror on anyone or any planet who gives even the slightest hint of opposing them or of aiding the Resistance. The whole galaxy is afraid. Poe struggles deeply with guilt and with how to make up for the horrible mistakes he made in TLJ (this is not brushed off in the slightest, not by the book or by the characters in it, and I appreciate that). Rey is confused and still unsure of her place in things. Characters are faced with the fact that they will almost certainly die because of their choice to join the Resistance, and it’s heavy. And Leia. Oh, Leia. I am deeply grateful to Roanhorse for her very realistic portrayal of Leia as someone who has lost so incredibly much (most recently her husband and brother), most definitely has PTSD, and probably is dealing with a bit of depression. Leia is weary. Leia struggles to keep stepping forward, struggles to figure out the next step for those she leads. Leia struggles to keep hoping. The battle between hope and despair in the face of terrible loss and terrible odds is very much felt in this book. But as ever with Leia, hope always wins in the end. By the end of the book, you can still feel the struggle, but hope wins.

I think that because I personally relate so much to Leia, reading some of that was hard. Not because I feel like it’s contrary to who Leia is, but because I resonate with it so much and because it reminds me in a particularly strong way of some of the struggles I’ve dealt with that I’d like to forget. It’s no wonder that my heart felt heavy after I closed the book. But along with that, I also see how Leia perseveres, how she’s finally gotten to a place where she lets herself rely on and be comforted by others, and how she accomplishes the seemingly impossible just because she damned well refuses to give in to despair, no matter how tempting it may be. It reminds me that I, too, can accomplish incredible things despite all my struggles, despite the odds stacked against me.

Anyway, I highly recommend this book. Resistance Reborn hasn’t quite come up to the level of Bloodline or LPOA in my personal ranking, but with future rereads, it very well might someday.

This book—along with all of this reading—has put me even more on the edge of my seat for TROS than I was before, if that’s possible. I desperately want it to be the best ending possible for the Skywalker Saga and for all these characters who’ve become so beloved to me. I’m trying to temper my expectation—TFA still isn’t especially my jam, after all, and while overall I’m a fan of the ST (the TROS trailers made me cry, for goodness sakes), I have a somewhat complicated relationship with it in general—but goddammit, I’m hoping anyway. There’s so much beautiful setup in the new canon EU, such a deliberate focus on character, and so many hints that this might reach through the whole saga and bring together something bigger than we can imagine.

I’m hoping anyway.

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certifiedskywalker · 4 years

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Overrated - Poe Dameron

You had been feeling like another cog in the war machine, despite working for the Resistance. You didn’t have a problem with it until you heard about one pilot in particular that did his job with a disgusting amount of grace: Poe Dameron. Part of you wished he would just disappear until, one day, you find yourself closer to the enemy than ever before.

AN: This takes place before The Force Awakens!!!

Ever since you had joined the Resistance, when officers weren’t worrying about logistics or troubled by battle plans, all talk was about Poe Dameron. You knew that he was a pilot, a notable one to say the least, but had never seen him fly before. The station at which you worked had you busy analyzing encrypted data sent from agents scattered about the New Republic.

You worked odd hours and if you did get a break, you spent it recuperating. Whether that meant a nap in your quarters or a trip to the mess hall, you gave yourself your own time. However, that didn’t stop you from hearing the latest gossip. Life forms of varying shapes, sizes, and genders gushed about the talented captain. If you closed your eyes, it felt like you were back in the Academy, listening to awe-struck teens blubbering about the newest heartthrob.

It was always “Poe this and Poe that” and if you were honest to yourself, you had grown tired of hearing about the man’s latest escapades. You had never seen the pilot, let alone seen him in action. So all they said were just mere words to you.

Words that went in one ear and out the other as you sat in the mess hall, quietly eating. Letting out a sigh, the breath all too familiar as it passed over your lips, you pushed your plate away. You had better things to do than sit around listening to idle gossip. Just as you were turning to stand, a man in an orange jumpsuit plopped down in the seat beside you.

“Hi there,” he greeted, his warm brown eyes just as welcoming as his words. You had never seen this man before. If you had, you were sure you would have remembered. You stared at him a moment longer, taking in each feature. To the inky black curls, long nose, and soft dimples; each inch of his face imprinted in your memory. “Sarlacc got your tongue?”

“W-What?” You were so much as caught off guard by his teasing question, but by the charm of his voice. Not too gruff like the mechanics on the tarmac, but not as soft as the assistants you watched bustle behind monitors.

“Ya know, the creature in the pits on-”

“I know what a Sarlacc is,” you interrupted, trying to distract him so he wouldn’t notice the red blush on your cheeks. The man huffed, his eyes meeting yours.

“I’ve never seen you around,” you said, extending a hand to him before he began to eat. He smiled at the gesture, shaking your hand. His palm was soft, surprisingly. It was hard to find people in the Resistance who’s hands weren’t battered. “I’m Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N,” he said, offering you a wider smile before taking a bit of his rations. You watched him curiously, waiting for him to tell you his name. Seconds passed in silence and you decided to ask yourself.

“So what’s-”

“What’s your station?” He asked, wiping at his mouth with a napkin.

“Communications,” you said, “I’m trapped in the control room for most of the day.” He nodded, cocking his head to the side slightly as he did.

“You do good work in that department. Missions wouldn’t go as smoothly without people of your position.” You couldn’t help the scoff that escaped your throat. The man beside you furrowed his brows at the sound and blood flooded to your face once more. In an attempt to hide the heated skin once more, you spoke up.

“Sorry, I just feel like position and rank are all anyone talks about.” You met his gaze and saw, in his glimmering brown eyes, that all his attention was on you. “Like those people over there, they’ve been going on and on about Poe Dameron. That popular pilot.”

The man’s full lips quirked upwards into a smile, a sort of smugness that you weren’t entirely sure was necessary. The grin was charming nonetheless, as it sent the butterflies in your stomach into a rage. He shifted in his seat, turning his whole body towards you. It was as if he were suddenly so invested in the conversation that, maybe, you had caught his eye in some way others hadn’t.

“Really? Poe Dameron? Why?”

“Because he’s overrated,” you started, but the man’s eyes widened.

“Overrated? How so?” That grin still lingered on his lips, despite the evidence shock written all across his expression.

“Everyone chats about his skills, how he can shoot TIEs out of the sky like no other. They say he makes killing look like an art form, blasts of fire and splashes of smoke across the canvas of stars.” You lifted your hands in the air, painting the picture for the handsome man in a dramatic manner. He seemed to like it though because that smile remained.

“But isn’t he helping the cause? He’s risking his life for the Resistance.” You nodded at the mystery man’s statement, as it wasn’t wrong.

“He is, but with propaganda like that and the numbers that the Resistance gains….it feels as if he is glamorizing the effort. It’s not all hyperspace travels and close-calls. War is losing people, hard work, and even harder choices.” The man’s smile faded then, but you went on, “and even those TIEs he shoots down, there are people in them. Stormtroopers yes, but I don’t think that all of them really want to be with the First Order. Who would?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he said, but you sensed that there was more. Normally, you would have hated something like this. Talking with a coworker on a causal level, but something about this man intrigued you and it wasn’t simply his good looks. There was a brain under that head of perfectly tousled curls. “However,” he continued, “the First Order is evil. We are trying to maintain what the old Rebellion accomplished. Casualties in war is….well...war. And our numbers grow because of him, that’s a good thing no matter what.”

“But his actions also push people to make a choice. The Resistance, who wish to keep the peace, don’t have the influence to gather people themselves. I hear through spy lines all the time about how the First Order shows footage of our X-Wings in action to scare locals. They are impressing people into their army because Poe Dameron can’t not dive into action!”

Your words seemed to strike a chord with the man, as his expression shifted. The confidence you had felt the man hold melted from a split second. Leaning forward, he seemed to be in deep thought. You were suddenly concerned you pushed your distaste too far.

“Sorry if I offen-”

“No, no, there’s no offense taken. It’s just interesting, hearing you talk.” You smiled at the man’s words, feeling a blush crawl beneath your skin.

“I’m glad I could entertain you,” you teased. A chuckle passed over his lips and you could’ve sworn that some divine being started to sing at the exact same time. You had never thought that a laugh could be so attractive, let alone that it could be attractive in the first place.

“I am too,” he said through the chuckle, a different type of grin on his lips now. Now, all too endearingly shy eyes gaze at you through his long lashes. “Maybe, if you’re not trapped in the communications room later, you could keep talking over dinner?”

You opened your mouth, but words seemed to fail you. Never before did you ever think that you’d be flirting with someone from the Resistance. Let alone someone this handsome who worked in the Resistance. By the Force, you didn’t even know his name! Oh, but you would. You needed to know now, and if not now, then when you went on the date.

“I would love-”

“Poe! Poe Dameron! General Organa has an urgent mission for you!” The shrill sound of an anxious male assistant cut you off. You frowned at the door that you could just see over the man’s shoulders. That frown turned sideways when you saw the assistant rushing over towards the area you were both sat in.

“Yeah, yeah, okay, give me a sec, will ya?” The man, the one you had been talking to, lamenting your dislike of a certain pilot to, said to the assistant.

“This is quite important, Captain Dameron. An information gathering flight to-”

“You can brief me on the way,” the man, Captain Dameron, said sharply. He turned his gaze back to you, an almost comically big grin on his face as he took in your expression. “If my eyes don’t deceive me, I do believe that, now, a Sarlacc has your tongue.”

“You’re….” you started, but you didn’t need to finish.

“Indeed I am,” he said, “Poe Dameron. Ya know, that ‘overrated’ pilot.”

“I didn’t mean-”

Poe smiled, raising his hands. “No, you have a point, and that’s why I want to hear the rest of what you have to say over dinner. Although,” he glanced over his shoulder at the weary assistant, “that date might have to wait for a bit. That okay with you?” The smile on his face oozed sincerity and you couldn’t help but smile too.

“More than okay,” you replied. Poe’s eyes almost seemed to glitter like stars as you spoke. He let out a nervous, breathy laugh and nodded.

“Good, good,” he stepped backward, “I’ll find you when I get back.”

“I’ll be right here,” you said, waving at the pilot as he started to follow the assistant as he walked away from you. You watched him all the way to the door where, much to your heart’s contentment, Poe sent you a wink over his shoulder. In that moment you knew you would see him again. After all, he was the amazing Poe Dameron.

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malicedragoness · 5 years

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Came up with an h/c prompt! H/Cs for post-burn Kabal feeling down and lonely but is asked out on a date for the first time since the accident? What's going through his head and how does he handle the date? Post-burn Kabal needs so much love and care! Thank you! :) :) :)

I love post burns Kabal to death. He needs all the love. Every last drop. So here’s a cute little scenario. :D

Holy shit this whole post got away from me!

Word count: 2,297!

-You work at a comic book store and notice Kabal come in every week to pick up his subscriptions. When you first saw him, you were curious about him. The mask, hoodie, and gloves made him look like he was going to rob the place. And then guilt hit you when you noticed his burned neck while he was browsing. It explained his mask and wearing his hoodie zipped all the way up on a hot day.

-Every time he came to the register you tried small talk with him. “How are you today?” “Man, it’s hot/cold outside!” “Did you find everything ok?” “Need help with something?” “God I’m tired of hearing this damn song play.”

-He would just grunt or not say anything at all. It made you think he hated you, so you just carried on with your normal routine of ‘greeting the customer, telling them their total, and thank you/have a great day’ spiel.

-Until one day, you were on a ladder hanging up displays on the wall. You were being stubborn and instead of taking the old Star Wars toys off a detachable hook to move it up higher, you decided to just grab it with all the toys on it and lift it up to the next spot up. You learned quickly that was not a good idea! But you were already committed to this dumbass course of action and stubbornly stuck to your guns of “I can fucking do this” and tried to lift it over your head.

-Your dumbass could not fucking do it.

-You foot slipped, tweaking your ankle, and you fell backwards. Star Wars toys going everywhere while you braced for impact. Only for Kabal to catch you bridal style and shield you from the toys flying everywhere.

-He asked if you were ok and you were stunned. That was first time he ever said anything to you! And his voice was didn’t sound like the one you made up in your head at all. You expected something more gravelly or raspy. Not the pleasant audible chocolate you heard.

-When you came to your senses and told him that you were ok, just a little shook from falling to your doom, he nods and is still holding you. Both of you just staring at each other. You looking at his mask, him looking at you through the mask. Until one of your coworkers comes to see what the commotion is about.

-That’s when you both snap out of the trance you were in and Kabal tried to set you down, only for you to cry out from trying to put weight on your ankle. Kabal picks you back up, surprised that you’re not protesting him touching you, and brings you to the chair behind the register and sits you down. Your coworker getting you an ice pack and stool for your ankle.

-Kabal sits with you for a minute, making sure you’re ok and you thank him over and over again. When you call him your knight in shining armor, he goes rigid and doesn’t say anything. He stutters out a few unintelligible words and says “I uh.. I gotta go.” And he leaves immediately.

-You feel sad as he speeds away and your coworker chimes in “Man. Has he got the hots for you!” You ask what would make them say that and they answer with “He mostly comes in when you’re here. And when you’re not he doesn’t browse, he just gets his stuff and goes. He also stutters when you talk to him. Seems like a shy guy.”

-”Shy guy, huh?” It made you think of the Mario character ‘Shy Guy’. Which really fits Kabal as he wears a mask and hoodie just like the character. That was your secret name for him now.

-The next time Kabal comes in, you greet him with a big smile and wave at him from behind the register. He stands completely still for a second before he nervously walks up to you and asks how your your ankle is. That’s when you take the opportunity to really get to know him. You noticed he always picks up certain comic books and you decide to ask him questions. “So what do you like most about the Flash?” “Who do you like more: Barry Allen or Wally West?”

-That’s what started the friendship between you two. Everytime Kabal came in you two would talk about the latest issues, as well as good story lines, who would win a death battle, and all kinds of nerdy things. Even your coworkers will join in the conversation and give their opinions. It got to the point where Kabal was so comfortable with everyone there, he would just pull up a chair and sit there for an hour or two and talk.

-You really liked Kabal and desperately wished that he would ask you out at some point. You didn’t care about the burns you were able to see. You enjoyed his humor, his wittiness, and his personality. All of your coworkers knew you had a crush on him now. Whenever Kabal left for the day, they encouraged you to be the one to ask him out first. They inferred that maybe he was a ‘Shy Guy’ and you would reject him because of his burns.

-You didn’t know the whole staff planned to force you to ask him out the next time he came in. Kabal sat down at his usual spot, you behind the register unable to go anywhere else, all your coworkers seemingly elsewhere. Until one of them walks by “Hey Kabal, Y/N has something to ask you!” and then proceeded to walk the fuck away! That son of a bitch!

-You blushed profusely as Kabal looked at you. “What did you want to ask me, Y/N?” Your whole face was red and you looked down as you stuttered for a bit. “Well, I uh.. I… I really like talking with you. And I was hoping that, maybe, if you’re interested, and if not that’s fine. But if you are, would you like to maybe have coffee or tea sometime with me?”

-You looked up at Kabal and he stared hard at you! Not being able to see his facial expressions made you even more nervous so you went into a blabbering mess. “I mean it doesn’t have to be tea or coffee or anything like that. It was just the only thing I could think of. And don’t feel pressured to say yes if you don’t want to. I just really like talking to you and I would like to see you outside of this store. But if not, no pressure! Please don’t feel obligated to say yes if you don’t want to. Or even if you want to think about it first and then get back to me. Take you time. I’m babbling aren’t I? I always babble when I’m nervous. I’ll just shut up and-”

-”Y-yes. I would.” Your eyes widened and a big smile spread across your face. “Really?” You asked. Kabal nodded his head and you two agreed to get some coffee down the street on your lunch break the next day.

- - - -

(Since this got away from me, and the original ask was from Kabal’s POV. We are now switching over to him. Enjoy! :D )

-Kabal had been coming to this comic book store regularly ever since you tried to small talk and flash him those bright smiles. It was an instant attraction from the start, and he was too nervous to ever say anything back. And yet you kept trying anyway. He knew it was an unhealthy crush as he would never get anywhere with a sweet person like you. But it lit up his day to walk in and hear you greet him and talk about something as mundane as the weather.

-But the dynamics shifted when you fell from that ladder and he caught you in his strong arms. When you came to your senses and said that you were ok, he realized that you didn’t protest him holding you in his arms and he just stood there like dumbass staring at you.

-It just felt so nice to be able to hold you. And not once did you cower away from him. You didn’t even ask him to put you down! But he set you on a chair behind the register, and when you called him your knight in shining armor, he froze. He was glad his mask hid the furious blush on his face and he high tailed it out of there.

-Whenever he came back, that’s when you became friends and he talked to you and your coworkers about all the nerdy things he enjoys. It was wonderful to have that human interaction again! He’s been so lonely and depressed he felt like he was drowning from it. And not one person asked about his burns or treated him differently because of it.

-His crush for you grew also. He never thought he would find someone that loved nerdy things, was smoking hot, and talked to him like another human being. But he still wouldn’t ask you out. You gotta have a boyfriend/girlfriend at home. You had to. No way were you single. And if you were, he didn’t think you would find him attractive. So being friends had to be ok.

-And when you asked him out for either coffee or tea, his whole body froze. Did he just hear right? Were you asking him out? Was this a joke? But when you started babbling and he heard “I really like talking to you” he realized you weren’t joking. And you, this perfect and incredibly hot nerd, wanted to go on a coffee date with him, his entire nervous system shut down!

-”Y-yes I would.” Shit! Did he really just say that? His mouth was moving before his brain caught up. He was going to take it back until you flashed that radiant smile at him, and suddenly you were making plans to go to the coffee shop a few stores down from here. He felt like a thousand butterflies were swarming around in his stomach.

-Kabal was so nervous that night, he didn’t get much sleep. He looked through his closet and wondered what to wear that looked nice, but didn’t show much skin. He called Erron, who thankfully happened to be in Earthrealm at the moment. Once Kabal said he has a date and he needs some help, Erron came over to help him out.

-Kabal blubbered on and paced around the room, nervously explaining to Erron that he has a coffee date with you. What should he wear? Does he wear a button down with a turtle neck underneath to hide his skin? Does he go buy a new hoodie? Should he show up in a tux? WHAT THE FUCK DOES HE DO?!

-Erron finally smackes him on the back of the head and makes Kabal realize it’s ‘just a cup of coffee.’ “They like the clown shit you’re into? Wear one of those damn hoodies with the funny lookin’ characters on it, some jeans, and your boots. And your least scary mask, boy.” Kabal does just that and leaves to go meet you.

-You and Kabal sit in a quiet corner away from everyone else. You offer for him to sit down and order your drinks for him so he doesn’t have to face to the barista. And he’s very thankful for that. He orders a frappe so he can drink something through a straw. Thus not having to take his mask off. He just needs to lift it up a bit and get the straw in his mouth.

-He’s too nervous to start a conversation and he’s thankful that you’re pulling most of the weight. Asking him random things “Did you grow up here?” “What’s your family like?” “Do you have pets?”

-He’s answers them, still a nervous wreck. But all of that changes when you make a bold statement. “Superman is faster than the Flash.”

-WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY? “Flash ran so fast he went back in time to save his mother and changed HISTORY! How the hell is Superman faster?”

-You both went back to talking about nerdy things and it helped Kabal relax and be more himself. The topics shifted to different topics so naturally after that. You talked about family, friends, pets, work, embarrassing moments, funny moments. It’s been a long time since he’s had a wholesome conversation with another person and feel like he himself was good enough.

-The date seemed to end far too quickly as you had to go back to work. Kabal walked you back to the store and you both paused in front of the door, looking at eachother.

-”I had a great Kabal.” You smiled brightly at him.

“I did too.” He felt the butterflies in his stomach again. And he decided to take the plunge and ask you out. “Y/N, would uh… like to have dinner sometime?”

Somehow, your smile got bigger and your eyes lit up. “I would love that.”

His breath caught in his throat and he shook his head. Say something you moron! “I’ll call you to plan something.”

“I look forward to it. I had a great time Kabal.” You opened the door to the store, still smiling at him.

“I did too. I’ll call you later!”

“You better Shy Guy.” You walked in and waved goodbye at him.

He waved back feeling like an idiot in love. “Shy Guy huh?”

#kabal #mortal kombat x reader #mortal kombat imagines

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goliath-de-senfina-sango · 4 years

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Things get darker right before they get brighter in the end, something three plucky teens are about to learn. Sometimes you just want that darkness to have never had a reason to come for you in the first place. One has to be careful what they wish for, of course.

Welcome to the end, friends

Danny was on the ground, unmoving.

The ghost left with a cheerful wave, saying, “Tata!” Like he hadn’t just ruined their lives worse than the first time Tucker had heard Danny’s screams at their loudest. Like it was simply a wonderful day and they had engaged in the most wonderful of conversations, not a fight that ended with one of them-

Danny was in Tucker’s arms, unmoving and pale.

Tucker was trying everything he could think of, removing most of Tucker’s tops and trying to perform every life-saving action he knew off, pressing against his chest, trying to breathe more breath into his lungs, keeping pressure on the bleeding and burnt wound when he saw it.

Danny was in Tucker’s arms, unmoving, pale, and bleeding.

Tucker knew everything was blurry because tears were clouding his vision. He knew he was crying. He knew he was shaking with the force of his sobs and for once in his life, he couldn’t bring himself to give half a damn about that because Danny-

Danny was in Tucker’s arms, unmoving, pale, bleeding, and his heart wasn’t beating no matter how long Tucker listened for it.

Sam was doing something, pulling out Danny’s weapons, and Tucker wanted to scream at her that she’d done enough with Fenton weapons already. He wanted to scream and rage at her for what she had done so far with Fenton Tech. He wanted to go to the Fentons and rip them all a new one for making what they made.

Because Danny was dead in Tucker’s arms, and screaming and crying were the only things he could do about it.

But he didn’t scream at Sam, he just watched as she pulled out one of Danny’s paintbrushes and dipped it in the ectoplasm of the cartridge in one of his guns. She started drawing on Danny’s face, his arms, his chest, and then pulled out another cartridge of charged ectoplasm in another gun and poured it in Danny’s mouth, tilted his head so that he would swallow. “Chant with me. Chant with me Tucker, we have to fix this!”

Tucker didn’t know any Hebrew, decided he’d learn both because Sam was his friend and because apparently, she could do things that could save their lives with it. Tucker didn’t need to know what he was saying to say it, and he did say it, over and over again for the next 10 minutes, until the drawings on Danny’s body lit up like fire and every ray of light rushed toward him and everything went dark. Tucker could hear the song of the universe dimming in his ears and knew nearly for a fact that Danny was sucking the ectoplasmic energy into him along with every other flavor of power within blocks of him. Tucker would let the sun itself go black just to hear Danny’s laugh again.

The darkness faded, Danny’s body was outlined in light, the markings were gone, and Danny groaned. His chest rose and dropped, his heart was beating, color was coming back to his skin, he was as warm as he’d been since the accident. Danny was alive in Tucker’s arms, and Tucker wanted to cry even harder than he already had. Instead, the put Danny’s binder back on him, Sam grabbed his shirt and jacket, and Tucker carried Danny out to their hoverboards. They flew to Sam’s house, Tucker staying as high and close to the sun as he could to let Danny soak in all the light he needed. When they got to Sam’s house, Tucker didn’t let Danny go until he was being set on a love seat on Sam’s balcony.

There were, of course, jokes to be made about the way Danny curled up in the fleeting October sunlight and how his fluffball curls and height combined with this to make him much like a kitten. Jokes about him being a cross between Superman and the Martian Manhunter could’ve also been made. Danny was a white-haired anime boy, that could be remarked upon with laughs aplenty. Tucker made no such jokes.

Tucker put to use the information he’d gathered at his last LARPing session at furrycon after a shank attempt by a guy who’d wandered into the park where he’d been LARPing at that took their cosplay a bit too seriously. That being that leather was wonderful armor, silk blocked stabs fantastically when a blade slid through said leather, and that one should always wear cotton under silk anything because sweating to death after a fight near to death wasn’t fun. He’d smacked a crazy guy upside the head and gotten a useful lesson out of that. Tucker’s older cousin could supply the leather, Sam could order fine silk jackets and pants for all of them, Danny had cotton shirts already, and Sidney offered to use intangibility to fuse the two together. Tucker commented that the leather would look fitting on Sam since she was more of a punk anyway. She called him a furry, he called her a weeb, and they both explained the concepts to Sydney.

That was all fine and dandy against most blunt force, stabbing and slashing that even a ghost could probably do, but against ghosts and their intangibility, there were few places to go. Sam had her magick book but Tucker didn’t want to touch on anything supernatural for a while and unless she could prove that her wards were working, he wouldn’t exactly trust Danny’s life with them. Convincing Jack Fenton that he needed some easily worn and hidden accessory to prevent possession was almost sadly easy, the only condition being that Tucker had to wear one of those horrible looking hazmat suits. Tucker let it hang in his closet, as he had no intention of matching Jack Fenton’s fashion sense.

One might feel that Tucerk and his friends were being a bit excessive in their measures to keep Danny padded up against the world, but such an individual hadn’t seen their best friend since age 1 die in front of them by the same person’s hand twice so that particular person could kindly go shove their opinion where the sun don’t shine in Tucker’s very polite opinion.

Danny himself was groggy for most of his recovery time and had clearly caught on that they were being extra protective of him. While Sam was introducing Sidney to anime and videogames and Tucker was showing him the best comics and music, Danny always had whoever wasn’t with the others within arm’s reach. He was jumpy when it came to his ghost sense telling him that Sidney was there, had his hood up whenever they were outside, and even though they’d been near forcing Agatha’s cooking down his throat at every meal they could, Danny had yet to Go Ghost. Sam brought up the idea of taking down the shapeshifter and Danny balked at the topic, bringing up the frogs, the latest anime that she had shown Sidney or really anything else when she did this. Tucker was more than fine with this since no ghost mode meant no seeking out danger which meant that the only fights they were dealing with included Dash, Kwan and Dale making fun of them for being a furry, a weeb and a Fenton. Seeing Sam put her martial arts to use when Dash tried to stuff Danny in a locker was worth the detention he got for tripping Dale as he rushed in to help. He spent it with Sam anyway so that was fine. If wanting Danny safer than Amity was selfish then Tucker was as far from selfless as possible.

“Hey, Danny,” Tucker said while he worked on finishing up the Spector Deflector that Dr. Fenton had started for him in Danny’s workshop. “There’s a swap meet coming up in Harrison Park this Saturday. Wanna come with? I’m gonna get a set of dice if I can and see if I can show Sidney DnD. Maybe we all can play even.” He grinned. “We can get you a new bowling ball so you can destroy Sam in bowling.”

“Bro, you’ll be wrecked with her,’ Danny challenged from where he drew in his art book instead of doing his homework. Tucker was procrastinating by making ghost hunting tech, he couldn’t blame Danny. “That sounds cool.”

“Awesome.” Tucker set down his tools and pulled up his safety goggles. “Can you come over and poke this? Very lightly and just a little in case I’m as done as I think I am.” Danny obliged and there was a loud SNAP accompanied by a yelp and Tucker patted Danny’s shoulder. “Looks like I’m done with the internals. Now all I gotta do is adjust it so that it can ignore your ectosignature, and Sidney’s and Agatha’s, and it’ll really be done.”

“Done for your armor idea, right?” Danny scoffed, slugging Tucker in the shoulder while he looked for the blueprint he’d downloaded of the part that’d track ectosignatures in the Fenton Finder. “Sidney told me about it while we were watching Star Wars. Or should I call it his guard duty shift? Cause I know what you guys are doing and while I appreciate your concern over my safety, I’m the one with powers here.”

“20 hours straight of unconsciousness and tears say that superpowers don’t mean you don’t need protection against people with the same superpowers.” Tucker huffed. “If we’d been wearing some armor like we’re making then that fish thing probably wouldn’t have been able to bite through me like it did. Silk and piercing ya know.” He bumped shoulders with Danny when he went quiet and forced his lips up into a smile. “And besides, your parents have literally no fashion sense. A leather jacket lined with silk? Leather pants, probably with studs in it since Sam is involved? Dude, that’s cool as fuck looking. You’ll be the best-dressed ghost out there.” Danny laughed and shook his head. Tucker got to work setting up the design for the Fenton Fabricator™ to make for the Spector Deflector. He also considered asking for a cut of the royalties when the belt inevitably became a Fenton Brand item, since he’d finished it. “You think putting on clothes in ghost form will invert their colors like your suit?”

“Fuck you, Tuck, now I have to find out.” Danny huffed and Tucker snickered. For a moment everything was quiet, and then arms were wrapping around his middle. “Thanks, Tuck. For everything.” Tucker looped an arm around Danny and smushed him against his side.

“That’s what bros are for, man.” The room was a comfortable quiet after that. The Fabricator and the generator were humming softly at the edge of Tucker’s once again human limited hearing, the only other sound was their breathing and - Tucker could swear - their heartbeats. The air was charged with something more than ectoplasm and electricity and Tucker wasn’t sure if Danny knew that as well, but he knew that he could hardly know anything else right then. So naturally, Tucker lowered his hand at Danny’s side and started tickling him. Danny squeaked, squealed out some giggles, and phased out of his grip when wriggling didn’t work.

“You dick! Get over here!”

Danny appreciated the effort Sam, Tucker and Sidney were putting in for him, he really honestly did. Sidney still went to his therapy session with Jazz which Danny could tell were helping him by how bright his aura had gotten, and between him and Jazz at school there were at least a few bright auras to go around, but with how things were going, Danny felt at least a bit suffocated.

Half the auras at school - both student and teacher - were dim enough that Danny almost couldn’t see them. Dash and company had been especially vicious as of late, calling them every name under the sun and getting into actual fights with him, Tucker and Sam. Between the three of them they managed well enough - being dragged to martial arts lessons with Sam and fighting eldritch abominations from the afterlife did things for your confidence in facing up to bullies - but it hadn’t ever been this bad before. And while Tucker and Sam both were clearly brighter than everyone else emotionally, they were skirting around things in the most unsubtle way imaginable and Danny wondered how they kept anything hidden. Sam tried to get him into ghost form to see how fast he could fly, Tucker changed the topic from anything ghostly to something nerdy and Sidney seemed to stare at him as much as he did the movies they were watching. Sure, Sidney was keeping his eyes on the screen but Danny knew ghosts could see more than just with their eyes and the feeling of being constantly watched was getting more than unnerving.

Saturday was a breath of fresh air. Sam was maybe coming down with something and Sidney was off exploring the city on his own, so it was just Danny and Tucker buying the stuff they’d come for and laughing their heads off at their dumb jokes. It was sunny, the crowd was bright with positivity abound, and he was having fun with his best friend in the world. It was nice.

Of course, a ghost attack ruined it.

Cotton candy erupted and flooded the place, and Danny slid under a table while the crowds stampeded away, yanking Tucker under as well. He reached inside, past the void of darkness into the soft and splintered light at his center. It exploded out to the surface and in a flash of silver glass, shimmering shadows wove his hazmat suit around him and unraveled gravity’s hold on his body. He shuddered, glitching out of reality - or what he was so very hopeful and sure was reality anyway - and gave Tucker a smile. “Wish me luck.” He slid down into the ground and forward, rising out of a mound of cotton candy as big as himself. There was a woman with long black hair, dark green skin, and blue scarce clothing floating over the sweets and stretching her arms. “I understand a sweet tooth and all that, but this is a bit dangerously Much.” Danny held out a hand with a smile when a sneer was turned his way. “I’m Danny Phantom, hopefully nice to meet you.”

“ I am Desiree,” she said in some accented blend of every language that Danny knew. It was headache-inducing and he definitely didn’t like it. “ This confection explosion was hardly my intention boy, I am cursed to use my power to grant the wishes of all those who make them. ”

“What, like a jinni? If I find and rub your lamp and say ‘I wish I had a dick’ do you complete my tra-”

“ So you have wished it, so shall it be. ” Her hands went up, green smoke curled around him, through him, within him, caressed that inner light and warmth that was his human body, and Danny shuddered in the wake of power well beyond his ability to fully process. Before the smoke even cleared, Danny could hear Desiree speaking through gritted teeth. “ Yes, boy I am a Jinni. One of your kind cursed me, both to be trapped in that infernal bottle, but also to use my power for all who catch my ear. ”

Danny was reeling when the smoke cleared, giving himself a mental review of what he could feel on himself and gawked when he realized what had happened. “Um. Wow.” Desiree was clearly unimpressed. “Uh, well, I know a way I can he-” a ball of ectoplasma, charged up with energy, raced into Desiree’s gut and knocked her back and Danny really wished that people would stop interrupting him.

“Stay away from him, damn it! Can’t we have one nice day?” Tucker readied another shot and Danny waved his arms to tell him not to. “I wish I had stopped you from going into that stupid fucking portal! Then we wouldn’t be in this mess!” crud.

“ So you have wished it, so shall it be. ” FUCK . Green mist filled Danny’s vision, and everything went dark.

#Danny Phantom #Danny Fenton #Bertrand #Tucker Foley #Sam Manson #Sidney Poindexter #Desiree #fanfiction #fanPhiction #Phanfiction #fanfic #Phanfic #fanPhic #Phanphic #PhanPhiction #Monstrous Chosen Spellslingers #Mundane to Monstrous Ghosts #Monstrous Mundane Magick #Rexy Writes

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kisuminight · 4 years

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There is a ship that jumped to an unknown place, so it could keep going. So the adventures could continue. And that ship and her passengers jumped so far, to another place entirely. Another when. Another world.

They find familiar things. Familiar places, just a half-step off from normal. Aching echoes of a time unsullied, but still stained by memories and the creeping rot of war. Their species does not exist; perhaps no longer or mayhaps it never did.

It might be for the best, that no one and nothing knows them now, not even the oldest beings in this brave new universe that they tread. Their path is long, longer still to those with frailer mortality than they, and soon there are tales of the always adventuring ship and her always changing crew that doesn’t really change at all, no matter what species they seem to be at the moment. The myths spread.

Then they stumble across a truly familiar planet. A place that was home, and hated, and loved. Torn up by their war, and then tore up their hearts. Everyone remembers the brave girl in her armor. It’s enough to make them want to see if they can find her again. If maybe things aren’t so different after all.

There’s shore leave. Reasonable shore leave for them which is months for the little planet whirling around on it’s axis. They hide their ship in the shadow of the moon, cloak themselves in ways that none of them really forgot, no matter how distant the pain eventually grew in their memories.

And then the (co-)captain comes back from a trip down-planet with--”What the scrap did you do to your spark!”

This is not how new Cybertronians form. They do not get what is the equivalent of Earth-pregnancy. Ratchet is ranting.

“Sari had to come from somewhere, who knows how Scorponok started her originally,” because the Scavengers are visiting, and Spinister is more interested in poking at the scans of Misfire’s latest damage from a hair-brained stunt to worry about antagonizing the former CMO.

Not something we had on Caminus, Lotty confirms, and the fact that she had wanted extra scans from Nautica’s more specialized equipment means they now have Brainstorm and Perceptor in there too, on top of the fretting Drift.

It shouldn’t have been possible, not through a holoform. Except it did happen. Because Ego was too damn smug, though that a couple days of fun was enough, and left a bit of his light behind. Light which is a little too close to a spark. Oops?

Peter Quill grows up having space adventures. Not that his name is actually Peter Quill. That’s his Earth-name, when they sometimes come stopover to have shore leave. Earth is a comfort, even an unfamiliar Earth--for all that they’re having to get craftier about avoiding detection when they jump into the solar system. Look that those humans advancing! They’ve gone and made it all the way to the moon. They’re sending out greeting messages!

Magnus is sternly disapproving over anything involving messing with probes and/or other space tech. No, Whirl, sending it back with cybertronian expelatives is not a good idea for a prank. Brainstorm, no tampering.

Peter Quill grows up as Star Lord (Rodimus is so proud of the name that his bby chose. So proud).

He’s an infant as far as the LL is concerned. He’s doing the thing Sari spent the first 100+ vorns of her life doing, which is looking like he’s human when he’s really not. He gets kidnapped off of shore leave by a gang of space pirates.

Yondu+crew are trying to apply a space translator when the tiny human starts cursing them out in multiple space languages. Okay? Is this a new thing that Ego’s children can do? Because Earth is supposed to be a no-go zone.

(It’s a no-go zone and yet there’s a giant #%@ space ship parked behind the moon. None of their sensors detect it. Apparently none of anybody else’s sensors detect it either. That thing dwarfs their ship. No fools, they get right the hell out of there. The ravagers aren’t stupid enough to stick around when they’re that massively outgunned.)

Threatening to eat the kid does not calm him down. Nothing does, until someone starts a round of drinking game/stories about that stupid ghost ship, Ellie, and it’s stupid not-changing (ridiculously changing) ghost crew. The kid is not screeching anymore, which is an improvement. He is correcting the stories that he is not supposed to know anything about, which is not.

After about the third interjection along the lines of “no, those two are the same person. Yes the Hatchet is the medic, he’s just grouchy. No, that’s Mims, he’s not a space-cop anymore” and a whole lot of booze, it’s an even toss up of whether the kid is just plain irritating or actually kind of amusing. Even if he clearly doesn’t know what the heck he’s talking about because that red-and-white one with the attitude (no, the other red-and-white one with an attitude) is clearly a serial murderer of some kind.

They keep the new kid alive until the next planet, which is half miracle, until they get stuck docking at a planet next to a ship with a name that just doesn’t translate in any of their systems or in any of the (very sketchy; this is a place where Yondu’s crew are “welcome”) port authority’s databases. It vaguely says something about W.A.P--such a weird name for a ship--and it’s kind of stupidly huge.

“Baby brother!” shrieks the tiny kid standing by the loading ramp, which gets them side-eyed by the two other crew members sticking by her.

“Why,” asks a huge bruiser with metal skin that looks a lot like scales, “do you have the brat with you?” Brat sounds half endearment, half iritation, and entirely too protective.

The only reason that Yondu+crew get out of that one alive is because they haven’t actually landed yet, and Grimlock is a bit more concerned about losing Sari next to the kidnappers than going after them. Yet.

I can’t really decide how it goes from there. Scavengers and LL crew chasing the Yondu+crew around the galaxy because they took the bby! Obviously they’d get caught. Realistically it’d probably be soon, but I kind of like the idea of them managing to run for, like a couple of space years and then eventually getting pounced on and having Roddy go “You’ve been missing for the [cybertronian equivalent] of a week! Are you okay?!!!”

Realistically Yondu+crew would probably end up very dead (esp. given Drift, the fact that Roddy’s baby getting kidnapped would probably make him cry, and very, very horrible memories of all involved about what functionalists and their ilk would do to a Bby!cybertronian that had an odd conception turning everyone’s reaction up to wartime levels of must-kill). But also the LL crew sometimes makes friends. So, probably most of the crew would end up dead (excepting Yondu because plot armor and also probably Cybertronian hacking getting to the messages from Ego about fetching his poor, orphaned kids) but some would survive.

Roddy does not die in this. Roddy carried the matrix. You think that Ego’s light is gonna do him any harm? Boy, you are seriously overestimating yourself. Also, the whole LL crew’s clear narrative surrounding shouting in the face/defeating false gods will def. come into play. What, like it’s the first time they’ve picked a fight with an evil planet? (Technically yes, given that not!primus was a puppet under someone else’s control, and not actually evil).

Yes, I am using the MCU version of GOTG, because that’s the one I’m most familiar with, unfortunately.

Also, the idea of having our favorite shipfull of LLighter’s running around just mucking up plotlines.

Lost light -> LL -> Ellie. It’s a joke that really only makes sense in English, but I was a little sad that it never got made in the comic itself. So, in this ‘verse, the Lost Lighters all just call their ship “Ellie” to the point where the mythos around her basically thinks that is there name.

Cybertronian does not have an entry in any translators, not matter how universal they are. It’s so frustrating to everyone else.

Since it’s my AU, Rung is also alive. Everyone cool with that?

#transformers LL #lost light #au after the end of tf LL #they jumped into a whole new universe of possibilities to keep having adventures lets play with that #surprise MCU and GOTG crossover #in which Peter Quill really is named Star Lord #what would you expect given that Roddy named him in this 'verse

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rebelsofshield · 5 years

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Panels Far, Far Away: A Week in Star Wars Comics 6/19/19

The rebels may be warriors for justice and galactic revolution, but that can’t always be the case, right? Three different Star Wars comics from Marvel explore the gray areas of galactic war this week.

Star Wars #67 written by Kieron Gillen and art by Angel Unzueta

After nearly thirty issues and four years of story, Kieron Gillen’s wild run on Star Wars comes to a close with the climactic finale to “The Scourging of Sho-Torun.”

With Queen Trios dead and the partisans having turned Leia’s tactical strike into a potential worldwide cataclysm, our band of heroes desperately attempts to escape with their lives and prevent disaster.

Gillen and artist Angel Unzueta aim for fun and excitement here and the results undeniably deliver. After a run that at times tread rather close to being somber and tragic, it is a bit jarring to see Star Wars make a marked turn towards the lighter and playful here at the end of its latest incarnation, but the creative team here operates at such a fast story telling clip that it’s hard not to get caught up in it all. Whether its TIE fighter chases through the depths of Sho-Torun or surprising acts of heroism by unexpected characters, Gillen keeps the creative twists and turns flying.

The result does end up feeling a tad anticlimactic and thematically confused though. While Gillen does write some great interactions between him and Han, Benthic Two Tubes and his partisans end up being the largest problem here. When their involvement in Leia’s strike on Sho-Torun predictably turned into a mission of vengeance, Benthic became an entertaining wild card to an already complex story. Unfortunately though, Gillen pivots maybe too hard to making Benthic’s revenge responsible for the mission’s hiccups and takes away from the intriguing character study of Leia that this arc originally seemed set upon. Leia does get to put the pieces back together of her mission, but any message that was trying to be said about her flirtations with darkness feels lost in the midst of all the chasing and escaping.

Angel Unzueta’s potential final issue of Star Wars proves to be one of his strongest. Although his detailed and expressive faces at times still feels a little uncanny or separate from their bodies, this action heavy issue feels dynamic and energetic. The explosive collapse of Sho-Torun feels suitably apocalyptic and scenes of the Falcon diving through molten magma and collapsing super structures are a visual treat.

At the end of it all, it will be sad to see this creative team go even if “The Scourging of Sho-Torun” proved to not be the strongest story they would produce. Gillen in particular proved to be one of the most influential and inventive voices in the new canon and its hard to undersell how important some of the creative choices he made on Darth Vader and Doctor Aphra have shaped not only the Marvel line but the franchise as a whole. I would be happy to see him back someday.

Score: B

Star Wars Doctor Aphra #33 written by Simon Spurrier and art by Wilton Santos, Caspar Wijngaard, and Andrea Broccardo

Conceptually, “Unspeakable Rebel Superweapon” is shaping up to be one of the strongest story arcs that Simon Spurrier has envisioned for this series to date. It’s premise blends elements of Rogue One, Indiana Jones, and Killing Eve style spy thrillers into a strange and colorful character piece that feels up the series’ alley and fits Spurriers particular sense for the weird side of the galaxy.

Turns out that magic Jedi gun that Aphra snatched last issue is more than just a valuable artifact. It may contain the design blue prints to an off the books rebel superweapon that may be useful in assassinating Emperor Palpatine. Also turns out that stealing this artifact combined with her recent actions on Milvayne landed her on the Empire’s most wanted list. Also turns out that Aphra’s ex-Imperial lover, whom she brain washed with a telepathic squid, is now a member of one of the rebellion’s most ruthless espionage units. Combine that all with some thematic throughlines about morality and motherhood, we are on track for another rich arc of Doctor Aphra.

Throwing Aphra into a sect of the rebellion that not only makes use of the archaeological plot points of her career but also stretches traditional ethics is a great move by Spurrier. While the flashback sequences with Aphra and her mother may lay it on a bit thick, making Aphra (and the reader) enter into a morally sticky faction of normally heroic characters is fruitful playing ground for writer and character. If past arcs of Spurrier’s run were about reinforcing Aphra’s chaotic and dangerous character, maybe the future of her story is finding out how that character may still be used to do some good.

Making Tolvan a prickly rebel spy is also a great twist and it’s nice to see her evolve as a character outside of being the object of love and misfortune for Aphra’s latest schemes.

Unfortunately, “Unspeakable Rebel Supreweapon” is still struggling visually. Wilton Santos, Caspar Wijngaard, and Andrea Broccardo all take on pencil duties here with Chris O’Halloran and Stephane Paitreau doing colors. That’s a lot of hands in the visual pot and the result is rather underwhelming. Of the three main pencilers, Wijngaard is again the most successful. While there is little apparent editorial logic to who draws what, Wijngaard handles most of the flashbacks and expository panels and these are often the most striking and fun images of the book. Whether it’s Jedi Apostate Oo’ob striding a starfighter and shouldering his experimental weapon or Tolvan and her team of spies letting loose on a group of hapless Imperials, Wijngaard’s moments in the spotlight are stellar. Santos struggles however. In particular, his decidedly sparse and underdetailed environments, which are done no favors by the coloring, lack the diverse and lived in aesthetic that one would expect from Star Wars or even past arcs of this title. It’s disappointing as the script for this story is so strong that its underwhelming visuals become all the more of a letdown.

Score: B

Star Wars TIE Fighter #3 written by Jody Houser and art by Roge Antonio and Geraldo Borges

Last week saw the release of Del Rey’s latest Star Wars novel, Alexander Freed’s Alphabet Squadron, which harkens back to the military procedurals of the 90’s X-Wing series. I’m only about 100 pages into the book, but so far Freed has managed to bring to life rebel aces in a way that hasn’t been felt in sometime with characters that are exciting but also heartbreakingly human. Jody Houser has a much shorter and very different mandate with TIE Fighter, but so far the book and comic are managing to be fitting pairs.

Perhaps Houser’s biggest success so far is making us naturally root for “the bad guys.” It may help that that the forces Shadow Wing are fighting are mostly other Imperials, but this makes one of the few pieces of current canon with Imperial leads that doesn’t actively feature defectors among its protagonists. Shadow Wing are loyal to the Empire, but Houser so far has done a decent job of setting up these five pilots as relatable “everymen.” They aren’t necessarily blameless individuals, but they are understandable as people and it makes them engaging protagonists all the same.

This third issue of TIE Fighter explodes the central conflict and as a result Houser and artist Roge Antonio really get to let loose with well-crafted dogfight set pieces. Antonio captures the chaos of starfighters chasing each other through space with the appropriate intensity, but also thankfully, never loses sight of the central cast. Action scenes are clear, intense, and exciting.

That being said, there are some emotional beats here that TIE Fighter fails to fully sell. Whether it is the suddenness that they happen or that Houser hasn’t yet earned the emotion for these moments, there are beats that should sting or surprise but instead slip by quickly and passively. Maybe TIE Fighter would have benefited with just a bit more downtime for its cast before throwing them into this chaos? Who knows, but it’s hard not to leave this issue without feeling kind of hollow.

Score: B-

#Star Wars #Star Wars comics #review #reviews #Marvel #TIE Fighter #Doctor Aphra #Kieron Gillen #Angel Unzueta #Simon Spurrier #Wilton Santos #Caspar Wijngaard #Andrea Broccardo #Jody Houser #Roge Antonio #Geraldo Borges

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duckapus · 6 years

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So a longish time ago I posted a series of drawings on Deviantart depicting the main Fairly Oddparents kids as superheros post-series. These are those drawings, along with some explanations for each.

Guardian(note: needs a better name): Every three generations, a child of the Tang family line is chosen as a mystical guardian of light. Each guardian is approached by a spirit animal on the fourth day of the fourth month after their twelfth birthday, who will grant them their spirit vessel (a magical body designed specifically for fighting evil spirits) and act as a guide and partner through their many battles. Beatrix “Trixie” Tang was destined to be the latest iteration of the guardian. This is Veronica Star, who is very much regretting putting on her wig today. At least her new mentor Derek has the decency to look sheepish about the mix-up.

For those wondering, I only noticed how similar Veronica’s magical girl form is to Galacta Knight after drawing her.

Deep Toot: After Cleft became Dimmsdale’s first full-time superhero, Tootie was inspired to redesign and re-purpose her Deep Toot persona, taking inspiration from The Question in particular. As Deep Toot she is incredibly subdued and grounded in reality, acting as a foil to Cleft’s quick wit and comic book-style methods.

Ringo: Since Veronica ended up with the powers Trixie was supposed to have, I decided to have the April Fool take her under his wing. Her powers are a kid friendly version of the ones from The Mask, and she’s rarely seen without her smiley-face mallet.

Professor Fist: Basically, a bunch of robots were rampaging across the city and AJ strapped on part of a Mech Suit he was building so he could deal with them. No-one in Dimmsdale realized it was him because it’s Dimmsdale, the media gave him a stupid name that stuck, and he decided to keep going with the whole hero thing. He doesn’t really care about his secret identity, since he doesn’t have one outside of Dimmsdale.

Matter Muncher Lad: “KND Research File Project Codename: B.R.A.C.E.R. (Biological Restructuring Advances Combat Effectiveness Radically) Project Purpose: Replicate effect of "Supersoldier Syrum" compound on Captain Steven Rogers during World War 2 for use on Kids Next Door Operatives. Project Status: Success, exceeds expectations, currently unrepeatable due to time travel. Notes: Project Bracer originated in an alternate timeline where a person known only as Marianne took over the world during World War 1 via a combination of Fairy Magic and information provided by a magic-based clone of herself from the modern day. The Nazi splinter group Hydra still managed to form under these conditions, and began Project Bracer in an attempt to dethrone Marianne and take her place. This was noticed by both Marianne's followers and the Resistance Next Door, our counterparts in that timeline. Both sides tore Hydra apart and seized what resources they could. This is when Project Bracer as we know it truly began. Closer to modern day, two boys with knowledge of the original timeline appeared; Chester McBadbat and Albert "AJ" Johnson Jr.(Codename Professor Fist) The duo quickly encountered and joined the RND, regaining their memories of aiding their friend Timmy Turner on his adventures in the process. Now armed with the knowledge of how Marianne's rule came to be, Chester and AJ were sent along with a strike team to take Marianne's primary fortress and utilize the same Time Machine her clone used. The strike team consisted of Sector V itself, Phineas Flynn (Codename The Beak) and Bubbles Utonium (Codename Agent Bullet, and the last surviving Utonium in that timeline). Chester's lack of combat experience and unique equipment compared to the rest of the strike team was remedied by becoming the first successful subject of Project Bracer. In addition to the overall enhancement intended, Chester gained a near-bottomless stomach, teeth and jaws that could chew through any material at incredible speeds, and an unusual effect on his braces, permanently fusing them to his teeth and turning them into biomechanical excavation equipment, augmenting his already unprecedented chewing ability. He took the Codename Matter Muncher Lad after discovering these new abilities as a reference to one of his previous adventures. The plan was to free Cosmo and Wanda, Marianne's Fairy Godparents -Particularly Cosmo, as he was the Fortress's power source- and have them lead the way to the Time Machine. The plan worked, albeit with a few complications, and the team even got two new members in the form of invader Zim and GIR, who had been captured soon after landing on Earth two years earlier and researched by Marianne's scientists. The group managed to get to World War 1, where things get fuzzy. What is known is that Bullet died at some point (despite being a Powerpuff Girl in a time where most weapons shouldn't have been able to bruise her), Chester managed to become a war hero in the eyes of that time period's Kids Next Door, Marianne gained the same powers as Chester as a result of a wish, and both Chester and Marianne were lost at sea, only to be frozen until, in Chester's case, his team found him again in the modern day. Chester has agreed to let us study his abilities and DNA in hopes of restoring Project Bracer, though he insists on his work as Matter Muncher Lad be strictly as an independent vigilante. Still, he has been, and likely will continue to be, a great ally in the fight against adult tyranny. This is Number 17, signing off. Kids Next Door Rules.”

Cleft and Catgirl: This one’s pretty simple. Timmy decided to become a full-time superhero after realizing his battles with the enemies he’s made over the years, Chloe wanted to help, they redesigned the costumes they had on hand and started fighting the good fight.

The Masked Magician: So, Elmer is one of my favorite characters. Because of this, I've made him the most potentially powerful of the superheroes. His powers are a book-themed actalike of Doctor Strange, his hero identity is my second favorite of Timmy's transformations, and he has direct access to Maginary World/ the mindscape/ the dream realm/ whatever you happen to call the collective subconscious of every being in a particular universe. And his partner is NiGHTS, one of the best underused video game characters of all time. I'm not sure how this happened, but I'm going to assume it involves some greater destiny-type stuff. He doesn’t have his Boil because Bob gained a body of his own, which I’ll explain some other time.

Polterpunk: Due to an incident where he got caught in the middle of a big fight, Sanjay ended up becoming roughly twelve percent ghost. As a result, he can turn intangible, almost invisible, create energy weapons out of ectoplasm, and has glowing purple eyes. unfortunately, he can't fly, there's no strength boost, and he has no transformation. He also can't get his eyes back to normal and shows up on ghost tracking equipment. Currently he's being trained by Dani Phantom and Cleft, since his condition was partially their fault.

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strangerstuffandthingsimagines · 6 years

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Even Though It Hurts Pt.1 (Steve Harrington x Reader)

Song Inspiration: “Hoodie” - Hey Violet

Request: how are you i’m good lol okay so can you make some about steve the kids and them fighting demodogs and stuff and can you make it more than one chapter but still long you don’t have to omg i am asking for to much sorry to bother you hope your day is great also if you do tag me - @im-a-stranger-thing

Part 2

Warning: Curse words

A/N: I hope you like it so far! I plan on making this a two part series (depending on the next part, we could get three). This first part might not be as good as this is my first time writing for Steve, but I want to make the second part more deep so please be patient! haha hope you like it!

P.S. I finished the show “Star” and Brittany O’Grady has been my latest obsession, she’s really great in broadway productions and acting in drama, so I had to make a gif of her and use it for this story.

GIF Info: I’ve recently discovered the beauty of GIPHY so I’ve been making my own so yeah lol

“I’m coming!” you called, jogging down the hall toward the kitchen, nearly tripping over a heap of hockey gear. You rolled your eyes and shoved the pile to the side with your foot, muttering under your breath about how messy 12 year old boys were.

You entered the kitchen were your aunt stood stirring a pot of something, probably a new experimental dish.

“Did you need something?” You asked as she had called to you only moments ago.

“Oh yes dear!” She said twirling around, her cheeks rosy from the warmth of the stove. “Dusty went out to look for mewsy but it’s getting dark and I’m a little worried.”

Ever since the youngest Byers boy had gone missing the year before all parents seemed a little on edge.

Your family was having some financial issues so to help take off some stress your aunt had offered to take you in. You weren’t new to Hawkins, in fact you visited every summer since you were three.

“You want me to go look for him?” You asked, already pulling on your coat that had been sitting over the kitchen chair. “I think I know where he is.”

Whenever Dustin dragged you along with him you’d go to this junkyard and help him look through the scraps. You’d look for cool things to make Star Wars replicas with and things like that.

“Can I borrow the car?” You asked your aunt, who was probably the sweetest woman on the face of the earth.

“Sure thing sweetie, the keys are by the front door.” She said as she continued to stir the...soup? The woman wasn’t the best cook but you’d never tell her that.

You squinted as you tried to navigate through the fog, the headlights barely making a difference.

The car struggled to get up the hill, the tires had hardly any grip on the dirt backroads. You recognized the old school bus, from what you could tell and pulled over.

You hugged yourself as the air was cool and the fog thick.

“Dustin?” You called out, your eyes squinting through the fog. “Dustin are you out here?”

A hand wrapped around your mouth, you trashed around in their grip.

“Stop it’s me.” A voice said, you were too scared to process whose it was.

You jerked backward as more hands grabbed and pulled you into the school bus. You fell to the floor of the bus from the force of who ever was tugging at you.

“Y/N what the hell are you doing here.” Dustin said crouching next to you.

You gave him a bewildered look, as if you were in the wrong. You looked around to see the three others who accompanied your younger cousin. You recognized Lucas, he’d gotten a little taller but looked otherwise the same. He gave you a little wave, you returned with a nod.

“What am I doing here?” You said a little angry now. “What am I doing? What are you doing Dustin? Your moms worried sick, it’s dark out. The least you could say is ‘thanks Y/N for making sure I wasn’t dead in a ditch.”

Dustin shoved a hand in your face, using his other to motion up and down.

“Keep your voice down, they are going to hear you.” Dustin warned, Lucas nodding in agreement.

You rolled your eyes and swatted his hand away.

“Listen if this is some dungeon and dragons shit I’m going to-“

“It’s not.” The same voice from earlier said, now realizing you never noticed who it was. Steve Harrington stood with a serious look on his face, a baseball bat with nails hammered through it resting on his shoulder.

“Steve?” You asked, now completely confused with a horrified expression plastered on your face.

The summer before he and Nancy Wheeler got together you had shared your first kiss with him. Not only that but you had become good friends that summer, and to find out from Dustin that Steve was now with Nancy hurt quite a bit.

“Okay that’s it,” You said throwing your hands up in defeat. “I’m going home, have fun playing your little games. Get a ride from Babe Ruth over here.”

“Babe?” Steve repeated with eyebrows raised.

“The baseball player dumbass!” You explained, trying to get around steve.

“Y/N, no! I’m being serious, you can’t go out there. If you leave I’ll never- Uh- never talk to you again.” Dustin threatened, frantically trying to block the door to the bus. “I’ll eat all your mint ice cream!”

You rolled your eyes giving him irritated sigh.

“Are you being serious right now?” You said, finally surrendering to his silly attempts to make you stay.

“They are being serious, I didn’t believe them at first but they are.” The red head girl piped up, dustin rolled his eyes.

“No one asked you, why are you even here” he snapped, completely out of character and out of line.

You smacked the back of his head, obviously not aggressively or too hard but just to snap him out of his attitude.

“Why are you being such a dick?” You scolded, becoming motherly.

“Ow, jeez Y/N!” Dustin said, adjusting the hat you had nearly taken off.

You sat at the back of the bus, one knee bent as the other leg extended off the seat. You fiddled with the fraying thread on the knee of your jeans, waiting for whatever the fuck was going on to be over. You weren’t sure why you decided to say, it wasn’t like you really believed the bullshit story they were feeding you. You convinced yourself it was just something to do, considering you read every single one of Dustin’s comics and there was no way you were actually going to do homework,

“Hey.” Steve said, taking a seat across from you. Your chest tightened, feeling nervous around him for whatever reason.

“Hi.” You said without looking up, now picking at the nail polish on your thumb.

Steve shifted uncomfortably, turning his bat around in his hands.

“So, how’ve you been?” He asked, glancing up from his hands to see if you were going to look at him.

“Shitty.” You said with a shrug. “I didn’t have much of a choice moving here, my grades are pretty crappy and I’m pretty sure you are all lying to me about whats really going on.”

Steve ran his tongue along his bottom lip before letting out a dry laugh.

“If you knew, you’d lose your shit.” He said a playful grin on his face.

You moved to the edge of your seat, your knees now nearly touching his.

“Would I?” You asked, returning the look. “I don’t know Harrington, living in New York makes you see some pretty bizarre things.”

As he was about to say something in return, he took a double take at your outfit.

“Nice sweater.” He said, his grin now twisting into a smirk .

Your eyebrows furrowed as looked down at the sweater you wore underneath your denim jacket.

“Thanks?” You replied, wondering what Steve was on about.

Steve turned toward you, elbows on his knees his chin resting on top of his hands in a prayer like position.

“You don’t remember do you?” He asked, the corners of his mouth still pulled upward.

You shook your head laughing still not understanding what was going on.

“That’s my sweater, remember? I gave it to you when you were cold, like two, summers ago.” He explained, a proud look on his face.

You reached behind your head and pulled at the nape of your hoodie, pulling it as far as you could to the side to get a better look at the tag.

“shit” you thought to yourself. You had kept his sweater, never really making an effort to give it back. You had worn it to bed a few times, because it was warm, not because you missed Steve or anything like that...that would be weird.

You saw the “S.H” written in a faded sharpie on the tag, now having no way to get around this mess.

“Oh shit, you’re right” You said scratching the back of your neck. “Do you want it back?”

His chin held high and clearly smug about the idea you still had and wore his hoodie. You looked away from him, tapping your knees as you tried to find somewhere else to give your attention to.

“How’s Nancy?” You asked, finally returning his gaze. “Dustin mentioned you guys are going steady.”

“Going steady?” Steve said giving you an amused look. “I didn’t know we were living it up in the 50’s”

You gave his shoulder a shove, now laughing with him.

“Says Elvis Presley himself” You quipped, playfully reaching up to mess up his hair, in which he caught your wrist still laughing himself.

“Not the hair!” He dramatically exclaimed, falling backwards on the seat. Pulling you down with him, you rolled off his chest and onto the floor with a thud.

“Would you two stop making out for five minutes and keep your voices down.” Dustin whisper yelled, giving Steve an annoyed look.

“Yeah Steve keep it down.” You mocked between laughs, placing a finger over your lips to jokingly scold Steve.

The two of you regained some composure and just sat in silence for awhile.

“Listen, I’m sorry I stopped writing to you. Things just sort of got busy here, a lot was going on.” Steve tried to explain, a mixture of guilt and regret on his face.

You looked up from under your eyelashes, your mouth in a hard line.

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Steve, it’s fine. It’s not like we were together.” You sadly admitted. You arms crossed tightly as you glared out the window, although there wasn’t much to look at.

Steve let out a whistle, tapping his foot as the atmosphere was getting more and more awkward.

“I guess karma got me,” he announced, this grabbing your attention. “Nancy dumped me...pretty sure for Jonathan Byers.”

Your eyebrows tilted upward sympathetically, the hurt evident on Steve’s face. From what you knew of Nancy, she seemed pretty nice, and you only knew the surface of the situation so you weren’t going to pass judgements on her too quickly.

“That’s...rough man.” You said, patting his knee in a poor attempt to show your sympathy. “If it’s meant to be, it’ll be...right?”

“Thanks?” Steve responded giving you a funny look.

Lucas climbed up onto the roof of the bus acting as the lookout, You and Steve joined Max and Dustin closer to the front. Steve flicked the lighter on and off, the clicking slowly driving you up the wall.

“So you really fought one of these things before?” Max asked as she watched Steve mess around with the lighter. “And you're, like, totally 100% sure it wasn’t a bear?

Before Steve could answer your younger cousin piped in, almost aggressively.

“Shit. Don’t be an idiot. Okay? It wasn’t a bear. Why are you even here if you don’t believe us? Just go home.” He snapped at Max who had done nothing to provoke this behaviour. This obviously pushed her away as she now joined Lucas on the roof.

You sat across from Steve watching in horror at Dustin’s behaviour, your lips pursed and your eyelids fluttering quickly in disbelief.

“That’s good.” Steve complimented, clearly impressed. “Just show her you don’t care.”

“I don’t,” Dustin said shortly, Steve shooting back a wink.

You were pissed off, to say the least, not only by Dustin’s behaviour but Steve’s encouragement of it.

“Um excuse me?” You questioned, eyebrow raised at the boys. “But what the fuck was that? What the hell has gotten into you?”. Dustin rolled his eyes, slumping in the seat where Max had sat before.

“You wouldn’t get it.” He explained, his hands balled into small fists.

You stood up from your seat and walked over to him, hands placed firmly on your hips.

“Yeah? Why is that? Last time I checked I’m a girl, and I know for a fact that girls don’t like being treated like shit.” You snapped, clearly upset by how he was treating Max.

“I don’t know what Mr Casanova has been telling you, but from a girls perspective, you’re acting like a tool.”

Before either of them could respond to you, the eerie sound of some sort of wailing animal cut the conversation short.

Steve and Dustin scrambled to the window, peaking through the blinders, watching the fog for movement. Your arms rested on their shoulders, now joining their gaze.

“What the hell is that?” You whispered, your stomach buzzing with nerves.

“What’s it doing,” Dustin said, his eyes not moving away from the fog.

Your fingers moved toward the window, clutching the grate that covered it. You analyzed the creature that moved around in the distance.

“It looks like a big lizard, like a Komodo dragon. You know those things with the poisonous spit? From Indonesia, I think.” You rambled on, trying to wrap your head around what was happening.

“He’s not taking the bait, why isn’t he taking the bait?” Steve asked.

“Maybe he’s not hungry,” Dustin replied, both breathing rather heavily.

“Maybe it’s sick of cow.” Steve said backing up, eyes fixed on the creature.

Steve grabbed his bat, Dustin following after him with concern. You came to your senses and realized what Steve was doing.

“Steve, you can’t go out there.” You said, now closely behind him.

“Be ready.” He said dismissing your concerns, tossing Dustin the lighter.

Steve hesitantly stepped out, making his way carefully toward the pile of raw beef that laid a few feet away from the bus.

As he taunted the creature you could hear Lucas muttering about something on the roof, you climbed the later to see what was going on.

“Holy shit there’s more of them.” He said frantically. “Steve, Steve there’s more!”

You quickly climbed down the latter, jumping from the third step. You got on the floor and crawled, looking for a weapon to help Steve.

“What are you doing?” Dustin asked, peeling his eyes away from the scene unfolding before them.

“Buses.” You said with a gasp. “Buses they-they have emergency axes in case the bus flips on its side.”

Your hands reached around under the spot where the bus driver seat was, although it was lopsided and a falling apart. Your hands now coated in dust and grime as you wildly rummaged around.

“Got it.” You said getting up as you pulled the axe out and up with you.

Without hesitation you ran off the bus, quietly closing the door behind you, careful not to alert any of the creatures that had begun to lurk around Steve.

You got into a low crouched position, keeping the chances of detection low. Crawling on top of the nearest cars hood, you slowly inching yourself further onto the windshield. You cringed every time the glass cracked under your weight, already weak from the cracks created over time.

You caught a glimpse of one of the lizard demo-thingy’s, its tail waving around as it focused on its prey.

It was getting the upper hand on Steve, but you had the upper hand on it. You got to your feet, careful not to lose balance. You let out a slow breath, trying to calm down before swinging the axe and slicing into the demodog.

This now taking the attention off of Steve and onto you.

“Shit.” You said as the dogs began closing in on you, gooey blood dripping down the handle of your axe. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”

Steve regained his composure and began swinging at the demodogs that had begun toward you, allowing a window of time for you to sprint to his side and help mow down the creatures.

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington #SSATSteve #stranger things imagine #stranger things 2 imagine #stranger things #stranger things 2

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phantom-le6 · 3 years

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Episode Reviews - Batman: The Animated Series Season 1 (1 of 10)

Having finished with film reviews for the time being, I’m now back to TV series, and as planned some time back, the series I’m now taking a look at is one of the iconic animated classics of the 1990’s, namely Batman: The Animated Series.

Episode 1: On Leather Wings

Plot (as given by me):

A series of break-ins occur at pharmaceutical companies across Gotham, and witness reports from the most recent theft indicate the perpetrator was some kind of bat-like creature. While Commissioner Gordon of the Gotham City Police Department refutes speculation that Gotham’s vigilante protector the Batman is the culprit, Mayor Hill approves the request of GCPD Detective Harvey Bullock to assemble an anti-Batman task force, with Gotham District Attorney Harvey Dent promising an airtight court case against Batman if Bullock can catch him.

The following night, Batman investigates the latest crime scene, discovering an inadvertent audio recording of the incident and some strange hairs. However, the dark knight is spotted entering the facility, and Bullock’s anti-Batman task force soon arrives. While a SWAT team enters to try and subdue Batman, Gordon arrives and informs Bullock that another pharmaceutical company has just been robbed on the other side of town. The detonation of a tear gas grenade amid some cans of gas foils the SWAT team’s efforts to apprehend Batman, and after saving the life of an officer while escaping the blast, Batman flees with the evidence.

Batman, in his other identity as Bruce Wayne, takes the evidence to a team of scientists working with bats at Gotham Zoo, comprised of Dr Kirk Langstrom, his wife Francine and her father Dr March. March is highly defensive of bats almost to the point of obsession, while the Langstroms appear more reasonable. Wayne passes them off as possible signs of a bat problem at Wayne Manor. When March calls Wayne later with an explanation, the computer in the Bat-Cave swiftly disproves it, suggesting the scientists are somehow involved.

Returning to the zoo at night, Batman discovers that it is Langstrom, and not March, who is the thief; Langstrom has acted on theories March created and developed a formula that transforms him into a bat-like creature. He has become addicted to the transformation and claims the creature is somehow an independent being within him. Transforming into his Man-Bat form, Langstrom attacks Batman, but tries to flee when his wife barges in on the confrontation. However, Batman manages to hold onto Man-Bat by way of his grapnel device, resulting in a mid-air fight across the rooftops of Gotham. Eventually, Batman subdues his foe, and along the way Gordon and Bullock see Batman and Man-Bat together, proving the two are separate individuals.

Taking Langstrom back to the Batcave, Batman is able to deduce a cure for the transformation formula. As dawn breaks, he returns a restored and unconscious Langstrom to the laboratory at the zoo.

Review:

There are two ways of viewing the Batman Animated Series episodes; production order or broadcast order. Apparently, the episodes were screened out of their intended order when the show first hit TV screens, which was actually in September 1992, which adds a certain resonance to me starting my review of the series in September of this year. As the boxed set of the series which I own puts them in production order, that’s the order I’m taking them in, so in effect this episode is the proper pilot episode from an audience point of view.

The show as a whole is visually darker than most, which is not surprising for two reasons. First, this is Batman we’re dealing with, so darkness comes with the territory, as comics and TV makers forgot when 1950’s McCarthyism forced Batman to be pointlessly light and cliched instead of the dark, gritty urban vigilante around which all other facets of the character revolve. Second, the show-makers opted to establish a darker look by painting the backgrounds for the animation on black paper instead of white, while also expanding the animation colour palette available to Warner Brothers at the time into darker shades, going against the normally over-bright colour palette typically used for animation back then.

Looking at this episode, that darker colour scheme really helps establish the now-iconic look of the show, and it works brilliantly with the subject matter. The episode also establishes the overall style of the show in other areas as well; it’s action-packed, and dialogue is relatively scarce, with most of the story being told visually instead of verbally, so this isn’t a show you can just watch as ‘something in the background’ unless you know it extremely well. It’s well-acted by all those involved, and for the most part it’s not a bad first episode.

The one thing that spoils the episode is a common conceit of DC animated productions, which is to assume you know the origins of the character you’re following from the comics or previous productions like the Tim Burton Batman films. There’s no consideration for the possibility of the totally new fan getting into this as a first-time viewer. Granted, Marvel acted similarly with the X-Men and Spider-Man in this era, not to mention Iron Man, but the X-Men animated series has suitable exposition in its two-part pilot, and both the Spider-Man and Iron Man shows went back to do the origins of the characters in later episodes.

Having watched the first seven episodes of this series so far, Batman’s origins haven’t yet been explicitly shown, and while I hope I’ll find a later episode where they are shown, I’m somehow doubtful on that score. So, while this is an ok first episode, it could have been better. I’d give it about 7 out of 10.

Episode 2: Christmas with the Joker

Plot (as given by me):

The Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum on Christmas Eve, and Batman is determined to stop him. Robin naively suggests that even the Joker would respect the festive season, and makes a deal with Batman that if after a standard patrol of the city no crime is found, they’ll go home and watch It’s a Wonderful Life. While the patrol reveals nothing, turning on the TV back at Wayne Manor yields a surprise that confirms Batman’s suspicions; the Joker has kidnapped Commissioner Gordon, Detective Bullock and news reporter Summer Gleeson, and is challenging Batman to save them by midnight in the form of a TV Christmas Special.

To complicate the affair in his customary style, Joker has a railway bridge blown up so Batman and Robin must divert to save its passengers, then when the dynamic duo trace the Joker’s broadcast to the Mount Gotham Observatory, they must also battle a giant cannon and other automated firearm devices. It soon turns out the observatory is also a decoy, but the Joker gives away his position by bringing an old and unique toy doll onto his “show”.

Reaching the Joker’s hideout, Batman and Robin manage to battle their way through Joker’s henchmen. They then find Joker, who threatens to dunk his hostages in a vat of molten plastic if Batman doesn’t open his Christmas gift from the Joker. The gift turns out to be a harmless pie-in-the-face prank on Batman, who manages to save the hostages, then leaves them in Robin’s hands while he apprehends Joker. With the villain caught and returned to Arkham, Batman and Robin enjoy a recording of It’s a Wonderful Life back at Wayne Manor.

Review:

Second episode in and the show’s opted to bring along Batman’s iconic arch nemesis already. Mark Hamill of Star Wars fame provides the Joker’s voice animation, after Tim Curry (the original choice for this role) found his own Joker voice was too much of a strain on his vocal cords. Having heard some of Curry’s later voice-acting in the Disney animated series Gargoyles, I have to say switching to Hamill was a good choice. Not that Curry is a bad voice actor, or indeed a bad actor, because honestly, he is neither. Hamill is just the better voice actor for this specific role, although it’s hard to judge where this version of the character is meant to land. Is he just a comedic criminal, a truly psychotic villain, what? Honestly, it’s a hard one to judge, in part because the Joker looks a bit more comedic than he does in the later Justice League animated series.

We also get Robin in this episode, and that adds to the show’s problem with not introducing characters properly. It’s quite a way down the line before Robin’s origins get full exploration, and while he gets a full two-part episode for the job, it’s still very back-to-front. Almost all of Batman’s villains are given proper introductions of one sort or another throughout this show, and yet the core character and his first protégé are more or less just dumped on audiences without showing how they became these people. It’s a bit arrogant on the part of DC and Warner Brothers to assume everyone will know this stuff going in or have the patience to wait as long as we end up waiting just to reach that information. Add in the most cliché Christmas film reference possible, and I’m only inclined to give this episode 5 out of 10.

Episode 3: Nothing to Fear

Plot (as given by me):

As a series of thefts and acts of vandalism plague Gotham University, Bruce Wayne runs into university professor Dr Long and reporter Summer Gleeson. Long, who attended university with Bruce’s father Dr Thomas Wayne, scolds Wayne for bringing shame on his late parents by acting as a playboy. While Summer tries to reassure Wayne that Dr Long is just lashing out because the troubles at the university, the millionaire businessman is clearly shaken by the encounter.

The university is then subject to another crime, as a man dressed as a scarecrow and two hired thugs break into the university’s vault. The Scarecrow, as he later identifies himself, subdues the guard with a gas that makes people see their worst fear. He instructs one of the men to take whatever money he can grab and set fire to the rest, stating that his goal is revenge rather than profit. Batman arrives, a gas mask initially saving him from the Scarecrow’s gas. However, the criminal manages to shoot Batman with a drugged dart that has the same basic effect as the gas, and as the three crooks escape the burning vault, Batman sees a vision of his father echoing Dr Long’s words about him being a disgrace.

Batman manages to leave the scene despite the appearance of Detective Bullock, who notices Batman holding a piece of Scarecrow’s mask and accuses him of stealing evidence; only the timely arrival of Commissioner Gordon gives Batman the moment he needs to escape. Elsewhere, Scarecrow reveals to his henchmen the reasons for his actions; since boyhood, he was fascinated by fear and became a professor of psychology specialising in fear. However, he was fired for experiments on students that were deemed unsafe, compelling him to strike back at his former employers.

At the Batcave, Wayne examines Scarecrow’s mask and continues to be plagued by fear-visions. He confides what he is seeing to Alfred, who states that as he is proud of Bruce, his father would also be proud, and insists on Wayne going to bed with a bowl of chicken soup. Later, the Scarecrow and his men attack the university again, hitting a room full of donors with fear gas and taking Dr Long hostage. Batman arrives and gives chase; his fear visions persist, but he banishes them through sheer force of will and affirming his identity as the Batman.

Scarecrow and his men attempt to flee in an airship, and when Batman pursues them, the ensuing fight causes the craft to crash. All on board escape in different directions, Batman returning to the Batmobile and checks his computer’s analysis of Scarecrow’s mask. With only five companies producing the chemicals found, Batman asks the computer to cross-check with the names of former Gotham University employees; the lone commonality is Dr Johnathan Crane of Crane Chemicals, the Scarecrow’s true identity. Batman arrives at Crane Chemicals ahead of the Scarecrow and turns on canisters of his fear gas. The gas causes Crane to develop his own fear hallucinations of bats and the Batman as a kind of demonic bat creature, and he is easily subdued for Batman to place in police custody.

Review:

This episode is the first in the series to touch on Batman’s past, but it’s still not a proper dive into his origins, so at this point we’re still not compensating for the lack of a proper introduction to the main character in the pilot. By comparison, we do get a very effective villain introduction for the Scarecrow, and it’s our first look in this series at a villain whose motives we can potentially understand if not necessarily empathise with. For Man-Bat that was a stretch because it wasn’t entirely clear if he was basically an addict, a split personality in subservience to a separate persona or both, and the Joker is always supposed to be unfathomable insanity and evil when done properly.

With Scarecrow, on the other hand, you’ve got someone who gets fired for something they feel wasn’t wrong, and while objectively what Crane was doing was wrong, his desire for revenge is probably felt just as powerfully by those who are fired for actions that are objectively right. What drives Crane to his revenge is his over-riding fascination with inflicting fear on others, which is ultimately what keeps him from being a character to be empathised with.

Scarecrow is also a great antagonist for getting into Batman’s mind and making him doubt himself, which in turn adds to the character’s depth. We don’t get much in this regard just because the show’s format doesn’t allow enough time, whereas a live-action series or a feature-length production could allow more airtime on the matter. That said, it’s still a good thing to see, and the way Batman essentially banishes his fear affirms what many people believe about this character, namely that Batman is his true persona and his civilian identity is the façade, as opposed to most other heroes for whom the opposite is true. I’d give this episode 8 out of 10.

Episode 4: The Last Laugh

Plot (as given by me):

During April Fool’s Day in Gotham City, the Joker drives a garbage barge with a submersible craft underneath along the Gotham River. The barge is treated with a chemical that emits laughing gas, causing uncontrollable hysterics in any who inhale the gas. Batman, hearing of this, manages to obtain a sample of the gas for analysis, and learns that prolonged exposure to the substance will result in permanent insanity. Things go from bad to worse when it turns out some of the gas has entered Wayne Manor and affected Alfred, who had opened the windows upstairs for some spring cleaning.

Using the Bat-Boat, Batman races to stop the Joker’s crime spree; the clown prince of crime has been using the gas as cover to commit thefts, with the police in the river-front area unable to intercede due to the gas. Batman subdues two of the Joker’s henchmen with ease, but he is over-whelmed by the strong and silent “Captain Clown” and left to drown in a metal canister by the Joker. Freeing himself through use of the Bat-Boat via a remote control of his utility belt, Batman pursues the Joker and his crew again. During the second confrontation, Batman unmasks Joker’s human henchmen while dousing the barge with the gas-producing chemical, rendering them unable to fight.

The dark knight, having deduced Captain Clown to be a robot, lures the machine to a nearby trash compactor and has his robotic adversary crushed. Batman then pursues the Joker through the myriad obstacles of the nearby garbage processing facility, eventually managing to capture and subdue his foe. With the Joker stopped, his victims soon recover, and Batman pays Alfred back for an April Fool’s prank the butler tried to pull earlier in the day.

Review:

This is a fairly basic and simple Batman-versus-Joker story that pays a bit more homage to the events of the Tim Burton film via the use of the laughing gas concept. It’s a better episode than the initial Joker episode this series produced, and it’s the first where Efram Zimbalist Jr. takes over the voice-acting for Alfred, an actor by the name of Clive Revill having played the role for the first three episodes. It’s perhaps not a massively noticeable change at first, but I think it is a slight improvement in the long-run. My only criticism is the use of my least favourite day of any year, namely April Fool’s, as the setting. Yes, it’s appropriate for the Joker, but in general I hate the tradition and hate even more that Batman or Alfred would even consider it. As such, I only give this episode 8 out of 10.

Episode 5: Pretty Poison

Plot (as given by me):

While Mayor Hill holds a ground-breaking ceremony for Stonegate Penitentiary with District Attorney Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne, who is funding the project via the Wayne Foundation, an unknown individual carefully uproots and pots a wild rose before bulldozers start work levelling the land. Five years later, the penitentiary is complete, and an inmate escapes by air. Batman pursues and apprehends the escapee, delaying him in join Harvey Dent and his new girlfriend Pamela Isley for dinner.

Batman later joins the couple as Bruce Wayne, and sometime later Pamela leaves after giving Harvey a rather passionate kiss. Harvey tells Bruce he intends to marry Pamela despite having only just met her, shortly after which he passes out into some chocolate mousse. Bruce quickly deduces Harvey is ill and accompanies him in an ambulance to hospital. Commissioner Gordon and Detective Bullock also race to the hospital, and it turns out Harvey has been poisoned. Gordon orders Bullock to launch an investigation, starting with the restaurant, but Bruce manages to confirm with the doctor that it’s a deliberate poisoning rather than food poisoning, and the poison is unknown to any of the hospital’s staff.

Analysis of the poison at the Batcave reveals the poison is derived from a species of rose now believed extinct, suggesting that there is no cure to be found. Later, Pamela tries to visit Harvey in hospital but is denied access, and Bruce walks her to her car. Narrowly avoiding a kiss from Pamela as he remembers the kiss she gave Harvey at the restaurant, Bruce becomes suspicious. Alfred researches her background and learns that Miss Isley has a PhD in botany, that she works for a cosmetics company as a perfume chemist, and she also offers a weekly lecture series at Gotham University on rare and extinct plant species. The information suggests Pamela to be behind Harvey’s poisoning.

Confronting Pamela at her greenhouse laboratory where a giant Venus Fly-Trap restrains him, Batman learns Pamela is an eco-terrorist operating by the alias Poison Ivy. She poisoned Harvey to make him pay for “murdering” the plants that were bulldozed when the penitentiary was built, using a toxic lipstick derived from the petals of the lone rose she was able to rescue. She also poisons Batman and teases him with the antidote. Batman uses a concealed blade to cut the fly-trap vines holding him. As Ivy tried to shoot Batman with a wrist-mounted crossbow, an overhead lamp falls and breaks, setting the greenhouse on fire.

Saving Ivy from another falling lamp, Batman ends up hanging on to the edge of a trapdoor pit, and Ivy prepares to make him fall. However, Batman reveals he has grabbed the near-extinct rose in the confusion, and his death will also result in the rose’s death. With this leverage, Batman is able to secure the antidote from Ivy in exchange for the rose’s survival. Batman soon recovers, and as Harvey does the same, Bruce advises him not to proceed with his relationship with Isley. In a cell at Stonegate, Ivy vows to return.

Review:

We’re getting back into villain introduction territory on this episode, and with Poison Ivy that’s always fun just because Batman’s gallery of rogues has never been especially heavy on female characters. As such, it’s always fun to see a femme fatale as his adversary instead of it being just another male villain. We also get a bit more of Harvey Dent in his pre-Two-Face days, which is also great to see. Dent’s transformation into Two-Face is something best built up to and not just skipped over, which is why I will always rate something like this series or the middle instalment of the Dark Knight trilogy over the infamous Batman Forever film.

The other fun part about bringing in Poison Ivy is that, methods aside, she is motivated by an otherwise noble goal, namely the preservation of the Earth and its native plant-life. It’s not a unique motivation for a DC villain, mind, given that Ra’s Al Ghul has the same motivation but with a wider focus than just plant-life, but at the same time Ra’s isn’t a walking toxin factory. However, this episode seems to suggest Ivy is just a human with a talent for plant-based toxicology, but even then, the overall character remains unique and fun to watch. Overall, I think this is the first episode of the series that doesn’t put a single step wrong, so for that I think it deserves 10 out of 10.

Episode 6: The Underdwellers

Plot (as given by me):

After rescuing two teenagers who are almost killed playing chicken on the roofs of Gotham’s overground trains, Batman tries to apprehend a thief described by witnesses as a “leprechaun”, but the thief eludes him. The thief is actually a child, part of a large group of runaways who live beneath Gotham, where they are ruled over by a man later revealed to be known as the Sewer King. Sewer King maintains a strict and abusive reign over the children, forbidding them from making any noise and punishing one boy for doing so by putting him in an over-bright room for several hours while the other children are sent to commit more thefts.

Batman eventually catches up with the thief from earlier, and after identifying that he is a child, he takes him back to the Batcave. Alfred does his best to care for the boy, but much of what he has been taught by Sewer King remains engrained. Back in the sewers, the boy is identified as “Frog” when Sewer King asks the boy to hand him food and learns he is missing. Outraged, Sewer King hurls the meal onto the floor and yells at the other children to find Frog, bellowing that they will not eat until the boy is found.

Batman enlists Frog’s help in finding the Sewer King, and is enraged when he discovers the abusive regime the children are living under. He takes photos as evidence against the villain and breaks the bell that is used to summon the children to their despotic abuser. The Sewer King then arrives with his pet alligators in tow, and a fighting chase evolves through the sewer system, Batman overcoming or bypassing the alligators and capture Sewer King, though Batman is sorely tempted to pass judgement on the villain himself. The children then return to the surface world where police, paramedics and social workers await to help them.

Review:

This is the first episode to feature a villain original to the Batman animated series, and it’s very much a one-shot character as except for one small cameo in the comics, this is the only time to date that Sewer King is ever seen. Some, myself included, might hear the character’s voice and assume the voice acting for this role was done by Mark Hamill, but it’s actually an actor named Michael Pataki that provides the Sewer King’s voice. There’s not much to the character, which is probably why he’s not broken out into other Batman media as other characters have, but then there’s not meant to be.

The basic point of this episode is to further develop this incarnation of the Batman by revealing another aspect of his character, namely his affection for children, especially those who are suffering in some capacity. It’s another manifestation of the psychological impact left on Bruce Wayne by the death of his parents, in that when Bruce sees children suffering, it reminds him of his own trauma and the sense of rage he felt towards his parents’ murderer adds to his anger in the present. Granted, with parents like his, Bruce would be compassionate towards those in need and help them out even if his parents had lived, but the trauma of their deaths magnifies and focuses this aspect of who he is.

Overall, it’s a good episode, but given the minor villain and how quickly the mute children thing gets old, it’s not exactly among the best. On balance, I’d give it 7 out of 10.

Episode 7: P.O.V.

Plot (as given by me):

Following a botched sting operation by the GCPD, Lt. Hackle of Internal Affairs interrogates Detective Bullock and Officers Wilkes and Renee Montoya, Commissioner Gordon being present as a witness to the interrogations. Each officer tells their story in turn.

Bullock’s account claims Montoya and Wilkes were late, and that Bullock saw Batman entering the warehouse where the sting was to take place. Inside, a random noise accidentally alerted the crooks to Bullock’s presence, and when they attacked him, a fire was started in the melee. Bullock then claims Batman was overcome by the fire and he’d had to rescue the vigilante. In reality, Bullock went in without waiting for the other officers, and inside he tripped on an empty soda can, which tipped off the criminals. Batman then saved a knocked-Bullock from the fire, and Bullock only saw Batman when he briefly came to, giving him a convenient scapegoat to cover for himself.

Wilkes and Montoya’s accounts both state they were not late, and found Bullock already down when they arrived. Learning that some crooks were still inside while others were escaping, Wilkes pursued the escaping criminals while Montoya entered the burning house. Wilkes witnessed Batman downing the escaping criminals and overhead the word “Doc” from one of them, while Montoya overheard a crook inside say the word “Hathcock”, shortly before being spotted. Batman then saved her before being buried under a section of warehouse roof that collapsed on him.

As the accounts of the incident don’t all match up, Hackle concludes at least one officer is lying, and orders all three officers suspended until he makes his decision; Bullock, Wilkes and Montoya all turn in their guns and badges at Hackle’s insistence. Heading home on an overground train, Montoya realises that the word Wilkes overheard was dock, not doc, and suspects Hathcock might be a place. She investigates the area and finds a warehouse bearing the name Hathcock, inside which she finds the criminal gang from the botched sting are holding Batman prisoner.

When the gang’s boss arrives, Batman fights his way free, and together with Montoya, he manages to subdue the whole gang in a protracting fight, Montoya using a claw crane to capture the gang’s boss. When Hackle tries to reprimand Montoya for taking action while suspended, Gordon snaps and over-rules him, closing the I.A. investigation and reinstating Montoya, Wilkes and Bullock.

Review:

Montoya is another character created for the animated series, but the comics actually managed to pick her character up and introduce her to the Batman readership prior to the animated series starting. She actually first appeared in this show back in episode 5, but this episode is very much her showcase episode, even though it doesn’t initially appear to be based on the title and the initial format of the story. As many will be able to guess, the episode title is an acronym of the term “point of view”, and initially that’s what the episode boils down to; showing what happens either side of the opening scene from the perspectives of three different characters.

Bullock, of course, lies through his teeth, which is reflected by his words not matching the events on screen. Wilkes, in turn, tells a distorted version of the truth based on witnessing events on a dark night and being an impressionable, inexperienced officer, which leaves Montoya’s account as the only one that’s relatively true. This part of the episode reflects a core lesson of criminal investigation preached by the CSI franchise, which is that witnesses are fundamentally unreliable because people lie, and only evidence tells the truth. Bullock’s lying is also a sad reflection on how “dirty” cops can often behave, and while this show plays that for comedic effect, the new in the past couple of years has showcased the more serious side of this issue.

Once past the initial POV concept, however, the episode becomes about Montoya going off on her own to finish the job, and while Batman does help her, she is also key in helping him at the very end. This gives us a quite effective female POV character for the show, albeit not one that would be easily recognised as such by some viewers. Given that this show is meant to be centred on Batman, the introduction of Batgirl would have been a more recognisable, albeit over-obvious, option. All in all, it’s a good episode, the only real issue being the lack of any notable adversaries. I’d give this one about 8 out of 10.

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sonofdu · 6 years

Text

Fall Movie Preview

The fall movie season is a bit of an oddity these days. Ever since the movie studios found out they could make billions off of superheroes and Star Wars, first the spring movie season started filling up with movies that would feel more at home during the summer, then the winter season as well. But the fall season has been relatively untouched with these kinds of movies as that was always the time of year that films were released with higher expectations than making wheelbarrows full of money, these were Oscar hopeful movies. While there are still a lot of movies due out that have Academy Awards on their minds this fall, there’s quite a few as well that feel more like summer blockbusters than award winners.

The Predator – September, 14

The Predator

What was originally due out this summer before being pushed to the fall, the third film in the Predator franchise, unless you count those awful Aliens vs Predator movies of a few years ago and who wants to do that!? The Predator marks the return of Shane Black (Iron Man 3, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) to the sci-fi genera. Black co-starred as Hawkins and did some on-set rewriting on the first film. The Predator looks to move the action from the jungles of Central America in Predator and Los Angeles in Predator 2 to a rain-soaked little town where the only thing standing between the population and total destruction are a rag-tag team of special forces soldiers being carted off to prison.

Venom – October, 5

Venom

There’s some confusion with this one. Starring Tom Hardy, technically Venom takes place in the same film universe as the fan-favorite Spider-Man: Homecoming movie, except if reports are to be believed out of the San Diego Comic-Con your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man won’t be making an appearance in this one. And it almost seems as if Sony is positioning Venom, who’s been the nemesis of Spider-Man in the comics for 30 years now and even appeared in Spider-Man 3, to be more an anti-hero than a villain. Think Punisher rather than Ultron and that sounds more in-line with this new movie version of the character.

Halloween – October, 19

Halloween (2018)

This latest version of Halloween will be the TENTH sequel to the original film and will bring back Jamie Lee Curtis in the Laurie Strode role she originated in the first film and has reprised on and off the last 40 years. This new Halloween reportedly ignores everything after Halloween II (1981) — though how can anyone ignore that ear-worm of a song “ten more days ’til Halloween” from Halloween III: Season of the Witch?

The Girl in the Spider’s Web – November, 9

The 2011 film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was supposed to be the first of a series of movies taken from the novels of Stieg Larsson directed by David Fincher and starring Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig. But for whatever reason it was decided to cast aside that creative team and start anew this time with director Fede Alvarez (Don’t Breathe) and co-stars Claire Foy and Sverrir Gudnason in the Mara/Daniel roles respectively.

Maybe Fincher’s vision for the Dragon Tattoo sequels was too intense since the movie did decently enough at the box office for something not starring super-heroes?

Alita: Battle Angel trailer

Freaks and Geeks

Recently, I caught a documentary about the TV series Freaks and Geeks and had some memories of my own to share of this gem of a show.

I remember when Freaks and Geeks premiered it was difficult to see new episodes. NBC seemed to either air a lot of repeats or they moved the show around a lot to different timeslots.

I remember that the episode “Kim Kelly is My Friend” was controversial for its time and didn’t run in my area during the series original run.

In fact, I didn’t see all of the episodes of Freaks and Geeks until Fox Family reran the series in 2000 as there were a few episodes including “Kim Kelly is My Friend” that never aired on NBC.

When Fox Family began rerunning Freaks and Geeks and premiering unaired episodes I started recording the show on my EyeTV which was a device that allowed you to record a cable signal to your computer and save shows as MPGs. While I’m pretty sure I recorded the entire run this way, I’m also pretty sure I never watched them other than maybe the one time since the files it produced them were small and SD cable grainy too.

In 2003 or 2004 Shout! Factory promoted a DVD set of the entire series, urging people to preorder the set since this might be their only chance to own this, then, forgotten series on home media. Of course I ponied up something like $120 for the set.

The Reading & Watch List

Atomic Bomb Effects on an Aircraft in Flight

Big tech warns of ‘Japan’s millennium bug’ ahead of Akihito’s abdication

Cool Movie & TV Posters of the Week

Mission Impossible: Fallout

Nightflyers

Direct Beam Comms #138 Fall Movie Preview The fall movie season is a bit of an oddity these days. Ever since the movie studios found out they could make billions off of superheroes and…

#alita battle angel #freaks and geeks #halloween #the girl with the dragon tattoo #the predator #venom

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houseofvans · 6 years

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ART SCHOOL | Q&A with Martin Ontiveros (PDX)

The art wizardry of Portland based Martin Ontiveros has appeared in various galleries, albums, posters and has even been transformed into diabolical toys and figurines. Ontiveros’s graphic ink and brush style is meticulous and bold, transforming his horned and demonic creations into fun and bad-ass pop occultism. We’re excited to chat with this ink sorcerer in our latest Art School where we talk about technique, studio days, and what is coming up for him the rest of this year.

Photographs courtesy of the artist.

Introduce yourself? Hello, I’m Martin Ontiveros, also known as Martinheadrocks, illustrator and wizard. “Marty” to my closest friends and family. I live in Portland Oregon, I’m left-handed/ambidexterous and I have a large ginger cat/familiar named Zeus. Nice to meet you.

How do you describe your art to folks who have never seen it before? Pop-occultism? Creature Chic? What you might find inside an ancient tomb or temple from a previously unknown civilization.

Who were some of your early artistic influences that really inspired you to draw? It started with Star Wars in 1977, and Mad Magazine, especially the work of Jack Davis. Childrens book art by Jim Flora. Books and movies about UFOs, cryptids, phenomena, ghosts and black magic when I was a kid. Later it was Heavy Metal Magazine and the underground artists of the 60s and 70s, S. Clay Wilson, Greg Irons, Spain, etc. 80’s punk and metal pioneer artists like Mad Mark Rude and Pushead. Derek Riggs and his Iron Maiden covers.

Lots of rock album art. Fantasy/conceptual artists like Mike Ploog, Boris Vallejo, Frazetta, Richard Corben. That was all the stuff that built up the desire, but what really got me drawing were the indie comics of the 80s with people like Marc Hansen, Matt Wagner, the Pander Bros, David Boswell, Dori Seda, Mary Fleener. I really really wanted to make comics by the time I was 17-18. I’ve since discovered it’s not for me. Art of the Ancient World, Mesopotamian and Mesoamerican in particular. There’s more to this list, I’m an old man now and have seen a lot, but we don’t have all day.

What’s a day like in the studio for you? And take us through your artist process –from start to finish on a piece. I used to start work when it was already well into the evening and would go until after the dawn, but in the last couple years I’ve reversed that schedule. Now I usually get up around 4am. I still get the benefits of nocturnal studio time that way, at least until the sun is up—no one bothers me and it’s quiet. I’ve become a Daywalker—I have all of the vamipre’s strengths and none of the weaknesses.

A typical day is trying to stay focused while fending off my own distractions (I’m ADD) and steering around having to leave the house for anything, ha. I always start with a bit of doodling to warm up a little, then jot down a thumbnail sketch of whatever’s on the agenda that day—usually very small and rough, just to set the composition and borders.

Sometimes I’ll spend extra time fleshing out details on certain aspects of the drawing, say a helmet or insignia. Then I’ll figure out my dimensions and either draw to size or use my trusty proportion wheel to do it smaller if need be. Next is the hard pencil stage. I like using 2H or 3H lead which is rough on the paper but much less messy than a soft lead. I don’t work with a loose outline, I need a solid and tight map to work from and when I have it on lock, I’ll transfer it to my final surface.

That method goes for both a black and white ink piece or a painting. I’ll warm the brush up by laying our some strokes on scrap paper and when I feel like I got a grip on it, off I go. If it’s a painting, I lay all the color and shading out first, then put down the linework. And even if my pencils were tight, there’s always room for improvisation, a tweak or two, especially when I’m inking—some happy accidents come up now and then. I should mention that I sometimes have to chuck a drawing and start the process all over again, even if it’s close to completion because if it isn’t working, screw it. It seems wasteful and time consuming and I could probably avoid it by going digital, but I choose to do it old school.

What’s your tool of the trade medium-wise? And is there a new medium you’re looking to try in 2018? I swear by my brush and ink. Nothing gives me more satisfaction. The artists I’ve always admired most are handy with a brush line. Not to say I don’t like pens, it’s just that I’m not as steady using one and leave them for doodling. I love papier mache, it’s not a new medium to me, but I’ve yet to know how to make the time to do it more so let’s say that that is my goal for 2018. If there was any other medium that I’d choose to do over drawing, it would be that.

You’ve worked on many collaborations with bands and created some awesome cover art and posters. What has been your favorite collaboration and what would be a dream collaboration be? Oooh. That’s a toughy. I did a tour shirt for Mastodon this past year and I have to say that was likely the pinnacle so far. When I caught their show later, it was thrilling to see people buying it at the merch table and to know there’s maybe hundreds more out there wearing it. Dream collaboration…probably the Melvins. Or Alice Cooper? But with the Melvins I know I could just probably do me and not worry about whether or not I’m a good fit. I’m not what you would call “conventional”.

What are you listening to when you’re painting your various creatures and demons? Give us five bands you’re checking out at the moment. I listen to music when I sketch/conceptualize and switch to podcasts or play a favorite movie or show when I’m really into the process, it’s comforting to hear people talk during the heavy work for some reason. It’s another long list but some of my go-to bands are High On Fire, Sleep, Windhand, Black Cobra and Slayer. That’s if I want it crushing. If I’m doing something trippier, it’ll be Om, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Dead Meadow, that kind of thing. Podcasts are generally true crime or comedy.

What’s been the hardest challenge being an artist? What do you tell folks who want to travel down a similar path? I don’t recall the artist’s name who said it, but to paraphrase, the quote was that art can often be a dark and lonely pursuit for us. I believe he was referring more to the fact that we spend a lot of our time working in solitude which is inherent, yet it can also weigh you down emotionally. That really speaks to me, even more so because I’ve also wrestled with depression for most of my life.

Your work can be so entwined with your sense of self-worth, so I suppose the hardest challenge for me is to not let my heart sink when something I make doesn’t receive the attention I hope to get for it. People can be fickle though. I try to remember that, and move on to the next thing. With that in mind I guess I tell folks to make sure they get out of their lairs when possible and share their frustrations with other artist friends, foster a support group of sorts because it helps to know you aren’t alone out there with all these feelings. That and maintain a regular paying job when they start out, because man…it can be tough making a living at it.

In another dimension, what would you be if you weren’t an artist? I’d be that weird old sorcerer living somewhere in the woods that the villagers speak of in whispers. Benevolent, but not to be trifled with. So, not too much different from what I am in this dimension, just with blue skin, maybe.

What are your favorite Vans? Chukka Low? Old Skool? Era? (I had to look up the actual names). Basically low padded ankle with laces, and always dark colors with a black toe because I don’t like my vision being drawn down to my feet moving under me. I honestly don’t wear any other brand of kicks. I keep a pair of Slip-Ons for doing things around the house. Vans makes good jeans too.

What’s the art scene like in your part of the woods? What do you like the most about where you’re living these days? The scene that I know here is primarily illustration, at least that’s what I keep my eyes out for. Lots of sweet, supportive people without attitude and many that are good friends. There aren’t as many galleries as there used to be but there are other venues to get your work out there. I’m now in a part of SE that I’ve never lived in before, at the edge of being outside of Portland proper but only just so. It’s mellow and quiet here and most things I need are within walking distance. I got a couple stores, a good Mexican food place, a bar, you get my drift. I do wish some of my besties lived closer by though. And a decent art supply store.

Since this feature is called Art School, can you give us your most helpful art tip? This probably won’t make me popular by saying it, but learn the difference between homage and theft. Yes, it’s fun to pay tribute to an artist’s style or someone else’s pop culture/intellectual property now and then, I’ve done it, we’ve all done it, not shaming that…but the difference is, if ALL you’re doing is copying, it comes off as creatively lazy. I don’t care how many followers you may gain from it. Come on. If you’re skilled enough to copy someone else’s shit, you’re skilled enough to make up your own content. Raise the bar, people. Don’t lower it.

What’s on the horizon for 2018? New merch in my shop, a group show in Mexico City, more band stuff, my first trip to NY ever, toy releases, designs and customs, a collaboration or two, hopefully a couple of conventions later in the warm months. I’d like get back into painting on a larger scale and figure out how to take it slower in general, make my work really level up, you know? There’s always room for improvement!

Follow Martin | Website | Instagram |

#Art #Vans #Vans Art #Art School #Martin Ontiveros #Drawing #PDX #PDX ARTIST

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davidmann95 · 7 years

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I don't want to sound too, ah, plebian, but can you explain the meta-plot of Multiversity? The Just, SoS, etc, were all very fun, but the Ultraa Comics stuff went over my head.

Not at all! Multiversity was weird as hell,and in terms of getting what the point of it all was, it doesn’t help that mostof the one-shots only tie in thematically (aside from the basic idea that TheGentry are corrupting these worlds) rather than how in Seven Soldiers everythingcomes back plotwise for the finale. There’s breadcrumbs - a piece of Monitormythology here, a suggestion that comics reflect other events in the multiversethere - but by and large, the one-shots serve to lend context and emotionalweight rather than directly inform the larger plot with Uotan, Superman and therest of the heroes.

Iwrote about Multiversity before, always with the intent ofdoing a follow-up piece going more into the individual issues, so here’s mefinally getting around to that now that it’s been, oh my god, two years sincethe series wrapped; you’ll probably want to read that article first, since mywhole “Multiversity is about time” thesis from that is the centerof pretty much everything I’m going to talk about here, especially at the end.I’d also recommend David Uzumeri’sannotations for Comics Alliance of all the chapters up through Mastermen,and @charlotteofoz‘s excellent piece on UltraComics, as well as the piles upon piles of other great writing aboutthis book out there.

Continued below; this is a long one, obviously with plentyof spoilers.

Since Multiversity #1 is one half of alarger story that’s bookended later (it’s not even the first chronologically,since a couple characters from The Just are already at theHouse of Heroes), let’s start with SOS. More than each issue as anartifact unto itself - this thing would be even longer if I went into that, andthe annotations I linked to I think already do a more than satisfactory job inthat regard - I want to talk about these in terms of how they inform the whole,and Society of Super-Heroes sets down the template in twomajor ways in that regard:

1. Each of these stories correspond to a given decade of thehistory of the superhero - in this case, in spite of the 1920′s trappings, thatthey’re going through the parallel universe equivalent of World War II and thepresence of a number of Golden Age figures suggests this is meant to be read asrepresenting the pulpy heroes of the 1940s.

2. Each of the chapters of Multiversity correspondto a classic story published by DC Comics, but grotesquely inverted (similarly to how each arc of his Batman and Robin mirrored a classic Batman story, ending with Batman and Robin Must Die! inverting his own Batman R.I.P.); here, thefirst standalone installment of this latest multiversal threat is naturallymodeled after the original “Crisis on Earth-One!/Crisis on Earth-Two!”JLA/JSA crossover, except this time when the two parallel Earths make firstcontact (through the same crystal ball as in that original story no less), itleads to war.

And much more than a simple categorization like theabove, SOS introduces the major shared conceit of theone-shots: the degeneration of the superhero as a concept through theintroduction of time to the proceedings. In this case through wartime, as thepromise of the birth of the superhero at the beginning of the story is undoneby 5 years of hell, grinding our leads’ ethics down to the level ofkill-or-be-killed, with Doc Fate remorselessly torturing a man for information(in what I have to read as a reference to Doc Savage’s “Crime College”),Immortal Man reverting to his most primal roots, and Atom literally beating anopponent to death. It’s the most straightforward “well, in the real worldsuperheroes couldn’t be that moral” deconstruction possible, but framed as theconsequence of conditions the superhero wasn’t built to deal with rather thanan inherent failing. In that regard, while I don’t think Multiversity wastypically much influenced by the then-present goings-on at DC in the comics orelsewhere - Morrison’s said more than once that most of the issues werescripted years before the art was done, minus some tweaks here and there - it’shard not to read this issue as at least something of a reaction to the New 52and particularly Man of Steel, especially with lines like “Doc.I just killed a man. I–I brought you some time, but myprinciples–I–I killed a man.” And that fall is the direct, literalvictory of the villains of the story.

For The Just, while it owes a debt to All-StarSuperman since itwas originally planned as a spinoff of that book - an acknowledgeddebt given the appearance of Klyzyzk Klzntplkz’s Hyperpoon, even though thecircumstances of Superman’s death in here preclude this being set in that world- in spirit it’s a broken mirror to Kingdom Come and theglitzy, too-cool, airbrushed ‘90s milieu it inhabited, hence the legacy heroesand Ben Oliver’s photoreal style being notably similar to Alex Ross’s here.It’s Kingdom Come’s party scene, except for 40 pages, andSuperman never comes in to whip them all into shape. They just keep drinkingand dancing as the world burns.

In truth though, this isn’t really a comic about legacycharacters; they’re a shorthand for time having passed and the superheroicidentities having degraded over time, but it’s no coincidence that this is theonly issue to actually have characters going by Superman and Batman as theunambiguous leads (or that Superman’s a useless dope, while Batman’s the onlycompetent one but also infinitely more ridiculous and transparent than hethinks), because it’s about the DCU specifically as a decades-long construct atthis moment in history. If most of the other issues are about time damaging thesuperhero through inevitable contact with real-world morality, this shows thepainful endgame of spinning their wheels without end: they become heartlesscopies of copies of themselves, all their battles knowing pantomime, muggingfor the cameras even as there’s nothing left for them to do that anyone caresabout, least of all themselves as they question why anyone even buys comicsanymore. The Just is the CW’s DC Universe twenty years fromnow, where most of the audience has left and the budget has been slashed tonothing but just enough viewers are sticking around that they have to continueit somehow, so it devolves into old-fashioned CW soap opera bullshit, becausehow that’d apply to these characters is all they have left in their arsenal:Superman’s angry that Batman’s fucking Lex Luthor, but will they ever admitthey just want to fuck each other instead, readers? Tune innext month to find how out we’ll delay giving the answer!

Then we hop over to 1980s political horror and theinevitable shadow of Watchmen, in…maybe the best, or at leastmost remarkably-constructed single issue of a superhero comic of thedecade? Pax Americana certainly felt like it when it came out.In any case, our main concern here is another consequence of time as applied tosuperheroes: the desire, as embodied by President Harley, to force them to makesense in the real world in tune with an ‘adult’ perspective. In an attempt torectify his guilt for accidentally killing his father, the first superhero andthe only morally pure one - his entry to the murky world of adulthood, assignified by the second-to-last line “Remember? That was when it allmade sense, right?” - he wants to reconfigure superheroes into virtuous,regimented tools of the government, with himself as the greatest hero of all asa resurrected American Christ to lead the world into a new golden age.

It fails horrifically of course, because his worldview - theworldview shared by Captain Adam, and Doctor Manhattan, and Watchmen itself- is by Morrison’s perspective inherently flawed, incapable as it is ofperceiving the repercussions and chaos of truly ‘real’ humans. Take notewhen Harley’s consciousness expands that at first it fragments into personal,evocative, visceral imagery, but when that expanding holistic view of theuniverse is inevitably too much to hold all at once, it simplifies back downinto simpler symbols, shapes and geometric solids, much in line with howMorrison spoke of Watchmen’s structure in Supergods asconfining and inflexible. Where Ozymandias’s plan to save the world went offwithout a hitch - at least until it lead to him putting on a robe andkidnapping Tim Drake, as continued this November at a comic book store near youin Doomsday Clock* - Harley’s fails catastrophically, because inthe ‘real’ world superheroes wouldn’t obey genre and narrative conventionsto the extent the likes of Nite Owl and Rorschach still do, living as they doin a world that still has flying Owl-cars and villainous master plans; anyonewho put on a mask to fight crime would be violent, callous assholes of thedistinctly uncharismatic variety whose grand schemes fall apart, whoseinvestigations never reach resolution, and who end up inevitably co-opted andrendered obsolete. In the end, as we saw with Peacemaker defending Bush toHarley’s barely-restrained glee, and the V.P. lecturing about selling childhooddreams back to adults, underneath all his mature aspirations Harley just wantedto find a way to force the world to let him love something the way he did whenhe was a boy…but as Adam reminds us, when you take it all apart to thatextent, there’s not really much left, and even if you put it all back togetherit can never be the same.

* I maintain it’s a very real possibility that PaxAmericana, meant to close the book on Watchmen once andfor all, was a part of what led to its revival; that someone in DC caught windof it during production and figured “oh man, Watchmen’s aboutto get some play again, now’s the time to do something with it.”

That brings us to Thunderworld Adventures’ 1950scolor TV world of retro adventure, the logical retort to the rest of Multiversity andthe one it needed to be complete: if time destroys superheroes, why not justturn back the clock and make it like it was when you were a kid? But unlike itscounterpart comic All-Star Superman (Morrison mentionedrepeatedly in interviews that this was him giving Captain Marvel the All-Star approach,and the structure - of Marvel facing off against counterparts of himself in theface of his inevitable doom, with his scientist arch-enemy finding a way togive himself his powers - is more than a little familiar), this isn’t anattempt to recapture the best of those elements in a modern context, but a purenostalgia exercise.

Yes, that means a happy ending, and clever fun, and a nicemoral about the self-destructive nature of evil. But from a modern perspective, thatalso means the mad scientist experimenting on his own children, pointing outthat Billy Batson is an exploited youth not subject to child labor laws,Captain Marvel Jr. winning a fight by preying on a bullied girls’ insecuritiesabout her appearance with a smile on his face, and a monstrous Sivana coming ahair’s breadth away from graphically murdering Billy. Morrison mentioned ininterviews that deep down Thunderworld had signs of the sameugliness as the other issues, and it’s true; even if we go back to the good olddays, we’ve still been informed by our adult experiences, and it’s just notgoing to look quite the same. No matter how much we might want to go retreatinto a neverending Binder/Beck fairyland, we’ve seen the leering, muzzled faceof the serial-killing, likely pedophilic Hannibal Sivana. Not that it’ssecretly as cynical of its subject matter in the same way as the others - thewizard Shazam reminds us that there is something beautiful at the heart of themagic, and that we lose it the more we try and replace it with something coolerand colder - but it’s pretty on-the-nose that Sivana’s ultimate plan is to getpeople to buy years on the clock to waste, essentially selling their old livesback to them piecemeal. In the end, when Captain Marvel’s faced with theprophecy of a darker, more morally challenging threat, he doesn’t confront it,but tosses it in the trash to fly away with a picture-perfect smile. But weknow the truth: he has to. There is no such thing as timelessness, andattempting to capture it will ultimately show cracks in the foundation nomatter what.

Moving into the Guidebook’s extended homageto “The Flash of Two Worlds!” - one with a distinctly 60s feel, between all theKirby getting thrown around and the build-up of DC mythology - we get to seewhat comic book time actually looks like from the outside (via the perspectiveKamandi, from a world where time has truly passed to the tune of anapocalypse), with Fox and Infantino’s simple tale of a costumed crimefightermeeting his own childhood storybook hero metastasizing into a time-shatteringhistory of reboots and retcons and parallel worlds, and two wildly differentproducts of that process coming face-to-face. After Thunderworld andthe finale it’s the most openly optimistic of the bunch, with the irrepressiblejoy Morrison clearly takes in all the nerd arcana and Lightray’s assertion thatlight will conquer darkness in the end, but it also ends with a Justice League,reduced conceptually to animatronic cartoons of themselves, dying andresurrecting in one manufactured Crisis after another for all eternity.

Hitting Mastermen, this is probably the mostdiscounted of the bunch, especially given it reads the most like it’sunfinished. However, I’d say it’s a pretty complete tragedy (especially thanksto @globegander‘s essayon it as a spiritual adaptation of Der Ring des Nibelungen),and much like with The Just - the other least-loved of theseries - the trappings on display are largely a way of facilitating what it’s talkingabout. It’s the story of a nation in power of men with pipes looking overnuclear families with dogs, where rich white boys complain that they shouldn’tbe held responsible for the actions of their ancestors, newscasters refer togenocides perpetrated by their nation within the last century as “theethnic and ideological purges of the Hitler era”, and theretaliation against them by terrorist insurgents is from a nation they broughttheir war to. It’s very much a story of America (2000s America specifically, inline with the decade parallels in play), and while Overman still wants to makeeverything right because he’s Superman, unlike its counterpart in Superman:Red Son which shows him managing to redeem himself from similarcircumstances to some extent, Mastermen makes no bones aboutthe fact that he is damned, utterly and irrevocably, just as aconsequence of being born into this society. Time here has destroyed thesuperhero by way of conformity, with well-meaning champions of truth, justice,and the Nazi way as barely-witting defenders of a corrupted status quo,unquestionably incapable of transcending what they’ve become. Hence whySuperman already exists as a comic when Hitler learns of Kal-L, the symbolismof two Jewish kids in the depression co-opted by the powers-that-be as thefascistic representative of amoral nationalistic interests, corrupting whatSuperman is supposed to stand for until even his attempts at rectifying thingscan only compound the problem. In essence, it’s the darkest possiblecontinuation of The Curse of Superman from Morrison and GeneHa’s Action Comics #9 - and it comes to the same conclusion ofwhat it takes to fight back in the finale later on.

Ultra Comics - both the comic and the character,insomuch as there’s any meaningful division between the two - is the anti-FlexMentallo, down to the point of mimicking its four-act structure of thehistory of the superhero via montage, only replacing a ‘Renaissance’ asMorrison put it following comics ‘Dark Age’ with further brutality andadolescent defensiveness. It’s the horrors of every other chapter rolled intoone: Ultra’s an innocent superhero from circumstances that become moreunsettling the more you think about them, pre-packaged with his own ridiculousbackstory and history, who goes on an adventure forcing him to realize themorality his world is built on is impossible and defined by society rather thanan objective moral code, and he’s trapped forever in the violent structure ofhis story, consigned to repeat his life forever until it loses all meaning. Itis, as Charlotte Finn put it in her analysis, a killer bullet to the idea ofthe superheroes, hence why it’s a horrific cursed contaminant across themultiverse: in our world it’s just a depressing comic, but to a superhero it’sirrefutable evidence that their entire existence is meaningless, time almostliterally corroding him throughout the issue as he moves from optimisticsuperhero to cynical super-agent to old and realizing it was all for nothing todead. Even our own world is threatened after all, with the suggestion that allthe uplifting Flex Mentallo meta-stories and 70s Starlin-stylecosmic headtrip consciousness expansion comics that Morrison’s made so much ofhis own bread and butter on are as compromised as the rest of the genre.Incapable of saving us in the face of a larger culture preaching the embrace ofnihilism and a doomed tomorrow when the only thing a terrifying number ofreaders have gained from the message is a desire to complain about writers “rapingmy wallet” - and that without that ability to inspire, all comics, all fictionitself can do, is steal our time and rush us all the faster into thegrave courtesy of the Oblivion Machine.

With the bookends, there’s fairly little to say I didn’t inthe original article I linked to above - i.e. that it flips the premise of timeinto a positive, showing that rather than using it to spin the wheels of thesuperhero genre in perpetuity until it devours itself through exhaustion orcontact with elements it can’t bear, or framing it as something to bedisregarded in spite of the consequences, it can be used to push things forwardinto more diverse and fruitful territory (hence not only the premise of theseries, but Multiversity sounding similar to Diversity), coming up with new andbetter stories. Much as Morrison is historically onboard with pulp heroes andlegacy heroes indicative of expansive superhero universes and structurallycomplex comics and retro comics and American superheroes and meta superheroes,there’s a difference between coming up with new stories in those contexts, andrerunning the old ones over and over again, which is probably why each of thosecomics, like I said matches up with a previous decade and comic, including someof his own, finally spinning here into the 2010s and DC’s own Crisis cycle.

While the first half of the bookend is in Morrison’s ownwords him doing himself to the point of parody - the self-insert character, theMonitor mythology, the weird villains yelling about conformity, thecomics-talking-about-comics, running into alternate company equivalents as apossible commentary on the state of the industry, etc. - the second isexplicitly the analogue to Morrison using his ‘corruption’ of contact with thedarkness and perpetuation of the neverending story for a paycheck to introducethe forces of the absurd, impossible and unexpected, i.e. the New, to defeat ahomogenizing, corruptive force designed to make everything the same and bleakto the point of literally forcing the Multiverse to relive the same Crisis overand over again, i.e. More Of The Same. It’s a slight twist on his typical Youngvs. Old/Children vs. Parents concerns (as best exemplified in his DC work in Seven Soldiers of Victory), but in theend, all of this is Morrison talking about something very, very simple: thatsuperheroes can absolutely be broken, but there’s a chance to save them andmake them something good and true again that might be able to reach us,literally by the end of the book, and it’s not by rerunning the same oldstories into the ground and unthinking conformity, but through doing new anddiverse and exciting things with them to inspire us in new ways. It’s Action Comics #9 as a 400-page epic.

I’m pretty sure that’s what Multiversity is about.

#Multiversity #Grant Morrison #DC Comics #Analysis #Opinion

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themeatlife · 5 years

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Avengers: Endgame (Spoiler-Free Remix Review), the Legacy of the Avengers, and the Future of Disney and the Marvel Cinematic Universe

For those who haven’t seen it, I’ll discuss Avengers: Endgame - the movie itself without discussing or spoiling plot lines, and the larger impact it has on the legacy of the Avengers and the MCU.

Avengers: Endgame - A Review (Spoiler-Free Remix)

To begin, it’s kind of hard to judge the film on its own. Even more so than its predecessor Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame is largely dependent on the previous films. So the impact of it is less so on someone that’s only seen a handful of the Marvel movies than for someone who has invested time seeing the now 22-film catalog. With that being said, for those who have seen most or all of the other movies, wow. It is both extremely entertaining and extremely gratifying. If you are an MCU fan, Endgame was made especially for you.

While I won’t dive into what happens, what the movie effectively does is show just how far back the arc of the original six (Stark, Rogers, Thor, Banner, Barton, and Romanoff) goes and how far they have come.

Other than a couple of issues, the storyline works very well. I dug the balance it struck between the emotional weight, action, and humor. It was smart to have a lot of small moments early in the film where it focuses the interaction between characters. And it was a lot funnier than I expected it to be. The film as a whole is emotionally gratifying and clearly wraps up this chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is at max effectiveness if you’ve already invested the time in the characters’ previous stories, in particular the original six. If you know the original six’s stories in particular, you will thoroughly enjoy this movie.

Rather than a credits scene, the opening of the credits showcases each of the major Marvel heroes and villains over the years of the MCU, with the actor who played them and ends the sequence with the original six Avengers with the actors’ signatures displayed on screen. Cool way to salute the actors in some of the major roles over the years.

I’ll save my ranking the Infinity Saga movies for after Spider-Man: Far From Home (Marvel President Kevin Feige calls the latest Spider-Man the final installment in the Infinity Saga). You can expect that Endgame would rank very highly in my ranking.

The Legacy of the Avengers

What is the biggest impact the Avengers and Marvel’s Infinity Saga have had on pop culture?

It is crazy to think that when Iron Man came out back in May of 2008 when Marvel Studios was using Paramount to distribute, it was considered a risk. Robert Downey Jr had yet to make his comeback complete (Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes a year later marked his return full return to stardom). Iron Man was a few months before The Dark Knight came out and garnered critical acclaim and helped legitimize the comic book-based genre. And the MCU was in its infancy, no one thought it would become the bohemeth it is now.

Marvel Studios, whether intentional or accidental, helped mold and was molded by the changing methods of which people were consuming their visual entertainment. The early 2000’s saw the advent of binge-watching television, where serial series like Alias, 24, and Lost saw people prefer to consume episodes in bulk. Once Netflix got their streaming service going, the idea of binge-watching caught on everywhere. Television ratings waned as people watched things more on their time on devices other than an actual TV. People only tuned in to things when they are originally broadcast if they were billed as an event, like a series finale (or in Game of Thrones’ case a final season) or a live event like the Super Bowl. Similarly, film started becoming more event-based. Blockbusters had to be built up as an event to go to in order for films to be successful, more so now than any other film era. And in making an event out of their films, Marvel serialized their MCU movies like a season of Lost - individual episodes focused on a character or set of characters with the overarching story in the background until culminating in the season finale, or in Marvel’s case an Avengers movie.

So the biggest impact the MCU has had is shaping other movie studios approach to movie releases. After 2012’s The Avengers, many tried the serialized team-up event concept to varying degrees of failure. Universal flopped trying to launch a shared monsters universe with Tom Cruise’s The Mummy reboot in 2017. Warner Brothers has a semi-successful MonsterVerse going with Godzilla and King Kong. We’ll see how that progresses with the new Godzilla movie this summer. Warner Brothers also has the mostly failed DC Extended Universe. Starting strong with 2013’s Man of Steel but limping thereafter with lackluster installments in 2016’s Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad and 2017’s Justice League, DC/Warner Bros has seen more success with the mostly standalone attempts Wonder Woman in 2017, Aquaman in 2018, and Shazam in 2019. DC’s current strategy is kind of confusing though, with some plans to continue the DCEU, and other plans to do more standalone work.

So the fact that Marvel’s shared universe set of movies has worked and has been the only one to work so successfully is an anamoly and an achievement. Marvel was allowed to build its world over time, a luxury that was afforded to them by Paramount from 2008-2011 and by Disney when they were acquired in 2012. The first two phases of the MCU spanned ten films from 2008-2015, building a foundation for what the franchise is today. That type of patience has not been lended to DC in particular, something that ended up looking and feeling rushed and resulted in a less successful and less satisfying result in the DCEU.

The Marvel approach has changed not just the method of outside studios release strategies but also in releases within their Disney family. For studios to make money on these films, they have to culminate in an event to get people to the theater. Fewer and fewer indie films turn into financial successes, at least at the theater. So event movies galore are on the horizon at Disney. Disney proper has “live-action” remakes of classics animated classics Aladdin and Lion King coming out this summer and Frozen 2 in the winter. Pixar has Toy Story 4 set for a summer release as well, even though the third installment was originally thought to be the conclusion of the story. Lucasfilm has what has been announced to be the finale of the Skywalker saga in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker coming out this winter. Each of those marketed as an event, whether it be a nostalgic event, an unexpected continuation, or a conclusion of a story.

Up Next for the Disney and the Marvel Cinematic Universe

While Marvel Studios has changed the movie industry and pop culture, it is hard to say what the next step for the MCU is. We know of a few things coming though.

With the announcement of Disney’s streaming service, Disney+, coming in November, there were MCU projects also announced to debut on the service. Loki, Falcon/Winter Soldier, and Wanda/Vision will all get series on Disney+. There will also be an interesting What If series where they were explore what if scenarios of some of your favorite Marvel characters.

The MCU’s film future is less set. We know that Spider-Man: Far From Home (co-release with Sony Pictures) comes out in July and is set in the immediate events after Endgame. After that, we know a few projects are in production but no definitive release dates have been set. Projects include a Black Widow flashback, origin stories for The Eternals and Shang-Chi, and sequels for Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, and Black Panther as well as talks of sequels for Ant-Man and Wasp, Captain Marvel, and Thor (although I think the route for the Thor character should be to join the Guardians).

And then there is 21st Century Fox. Disney acquired the entertainment wing of Fox proper earlier this year (I was scared of Apple taking over the world, but Disney is closer to doing so). Fox owned the movie rights to all the Marvel properties included in the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Fox’s run of X-Men movies presumably concludes this summer with Dark Phoenix. Since Marvel Studios now owns the movie rights to what has been traditionally two of the more popular Marvel brands, one would think some sort of reboot and integration into the MCU would be coming in this next chapter.

I’ll end on this. The Avengers Infinity Saga, the Star Wars Skywalker Saga, and Game of Thrones are all pop culture epics that will be ending their current chapters this year. It is hard to imagine the changing entertainment world will ever have subjects as impactful as these given the number of formats available and the vast number of entertainment options now available. Those three epics, especially the oldest being Star Wars, caught pop culture at a time when people would watch and experience the same thing. Soon, the event-centered entertainment world will grow smaller with less people gathering to experience and watch the same thing. Or maybe I’m wrong and every generation finds a way to galvanize to have that shared experience (Gone With The Wind, the original Star Wars, Titanic in the film world all being previous examples). I hope for the latter, but I can’t help but feel that the record-breaking Avengers: Endgame will be one of the last of its kind: an event that everyone wants to share and experience together.

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wbwest · 7 years

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New Post has been published on WilliamBruceWest.com

New Post has been published on http://www.williambrucewest.com/2017/07/21/west-week-ever-pop-culture-review-72117/

West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 7/21/17

I haven’t been doing such a great job with my movie tally for 2017. We’re more than halfway through the year, and I’ve barely watched anything. Well, I kinda made up for that last weekend, as I caught Keeping Up With The Joneses on HBO. This is one of those movies that came and went, and might find a fan base on TV, but will probably just be forgotten. If it should be remembered for anything, it’s that it features both Gal Gadot and Isla Fisher in lingerie. That’s about all it’s got going for it. What’s it about? Well, Isla Fisher and Zack Galifianakis star as a milquetoast suburbanite couple who become suspicious of their new neighbors, Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot. So, they’re pushed out of their comfort zone when they find out Hamm and Gadot are spies, and they get wrapped up in their latest mission. This is the kind of movie I would’ve killed a chunk of a Saturday afternoon on had it aired on Fox 5, but I can understand why nobody went to see it in theaters. Folks loved Don Draper, but for whatever reason, they have no desire to help along Jon Hamm’s movie career. And this was pre-Wonder Woman Gadot, so there was no heat on her yet. It doesn’t suck, but it’s got no Wow Factor either. Once it hits FX, it might be a good way to waste away a rainy Sunday afternoon.

I finally got around to watching The Nice Guys, too. I’d tried a few months ago, but I only got as far as the Ryan Gosling fully clothed in the bathtub scene, where I went, “What the eff am I watching?” I wasn’t ready for the absurd that night, but I was ready now. Like everyone had told me, it was really good. I still have trouble with heist/mystery films because my brain doesn’t work as fast as the film, so sometimes I have to reflect back on the thing when it’s over just to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Ryan Gosling is a private investigator who teams up with local tough guy Russell Crowe to track down a missing girl. Sure, there’s some stuff about porn, and the Detroit auto lobby, but that’s the gist of the movie. It’s got a precocious kid, a cool 70s aesthetic, and titties. Can’t really hate on any of that. Anyway, I could see this as one of those movies I drop everything to watch whenever I see that it’s on. If you haven’t seen it, definitely check it out.

My new favorite reality show debuted this week on Bravo, called A Night With My Ex. It’s just what the title says: a former couple spends the night together to see if the spark is still there and/or to reopen old wounds. In the premiere, 28 year old virgin Rachel is reunited to smarmy douchebag ex-boyfriend Fabian. They dated for four years, but he cheated on her with a sexy Tinkerbell at a Halloween party because he had a major case of blue balls. When the show starts, you don’t think Fabian is really that bad of a guy. He knows he made a mistake, and he even plans to propose to Rachel because he wants her in his life forever. But things go south quickly. He chastises her for scraping her plate with her fork as she eats, and he tries to make her give him a handjob once they’re in bed. All the while, she’s trying to actually apologize for basically pushing him to cheat by withholding sex, but he never lets her get a word out before saying/doing something stupid. Finally she declares that she deserves better than him, and basically laughs in his face when he proposes. That was some damn good television! If anything, I’d say the show is too short at 30 minutes, but they only spend one night together, and not the whole weekend, so I guess that’s all they could edit together. It’s a lot like MTV’s old show, The X Effect, only the couple’s current partners aren’t spying on the date like they were in that show. Anyway, it’s only been one episode, but I count me in for the next nine!

In TV news, it was announced that Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have lined up their post-GoT project, Confederate, which is an alternate history series set prior to the United States’ 3rd Civil War. Well, this rang some alarm bells for some folks, as you can’t really get into the Confederacy and Civil War without dealing with slavery. And folks weren’t really happy about these White showrunners making what some considered to be “slavery fanfic”. What hasn’t been covered extensively, though, is that the project is really just coasting on the fact that the GoT showrunners are attached, but they’re not the only ones involved. Husband-wife team of Malcolm Spellman and Nichelle Tramble Spellman , who are Black, will be partners on the show along with Benioff and Weiss. Plus, the show it’s so deep in its infancy that there aren’t even character names or an outline yet. It was originally developed as a two-hour movie, but they decided it could be fleshed out and taken to television. There’s basically nothing on paper for it yet, though, so there’s not much for folks to be upset about at this stage other than mere speculation. The Spellmans acknowledge the criticism, but say that they’d rather it had followed the premiere of the show instead of starting now, as it’s being announced. At this point, I think it’s safe to say that this criticism will go into shaping the show going forward, so we may never get what they originally intended to put out.

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We got a new trailer for Marvel’s Inhumans. Still looks like garbage. I’ve loved Iwan Rheon since Misfits, but I can’t follow him here. This just looks so bad. Look, I’m gonna watch it, but I really don’t see how there’s any damn way I’m paying for an IMAX ticket to see it in theaters.

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We also got a new teaser for The Defenders, which teases the Punisher series at the end. People are going nuts online about this thing because it’s narrated by Stan Lee, but I actually think he’s tonally wrong for this clip. When I think of Stan, I think of his marquee, larger than life characters – NOT the street-level vigilantes. I almost feel like it would’ve been better narrated by Bendis or Brubaker, but they don’t have the recognition factor that Stan has. I get that. Still, it just feels like a hollow waste of a cameo.

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

The good Lord answered my prayers, as Chris Hardwick and Comedy Central have “mutually decided” to end @midnight. I won’t miss his smarmy face or those stupid hashtag games.

I guess the third time’s the charm, as Paige Davis will start her 3rd hosting stint on Trading Spaces when it returns to TLC later this year

Ed Sheeran was on Game of Thrones this week, and I guess some folks didn’t like that. I dunno. I kinda couldn’t care less about Sheeran or GoT, but folks were hatin’!

Meanwhile, it was reported that Lena Dunham will join American Horror Story for season 7, and folks lost their shit about that, too. Apparently she’ll only be in one episode, but that was enough for some folks to claim they weren’t gonna watch anymore.

Transformers: Titans Return will debut in November as an animated micro series on the Go90 app, featuring the voices of Green Ranger Jason David Frank and the original Rodimus Prime himself, Judd Nelson.

MTV is in talks to reboot Teen Wolf before this iteration’s final season has even concluded. Slow it down!

Sega broke up with Archie Comics over Twitter, thereby ending the Sonic The Hedgehog comic after 24 years of publication

Seacrest IN! Ryan Seacrest has officially signed on to host ABC’s revival of American Idol. I feel like I’ve written this sentence 3 times in the past already, but now it’s for real for real.

Coming as no real surprise since The Vampire Diaries ended, The CW announced that its spinoff, The Originals, will end after its upcoming season.

In an odd choice, the directors of the original Catfish documentary (the movie, not the show) are in talks talks to helm a Mega Man film that will be produced by Masi Oka of Heroes fame.

Words with Friends is being developed into a television game show. Ya know, so it’s basically the Scrabble game show being rebooted.

Meanwhile on Black Twitter, R. Kelly is allegedly running a sex cult, Usher paid a woman $1.1 million for her to keep quiet about the fact that he gave her herpes, and Kevin Hart allegedly got caught cheating on his pregnant wife. I’m just waiting for some crazy Steve Harvey news to round out the week.

At San Diego Comic Con, MGM announced Stargate Origins, which appears to be a prequel webseries that will run on the Stargate Command website this fall.

Shazam! will be the next DC film to go into production, following Justice League and Aquaman, but it’s unclear if Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will co-star as Black Adam.

There might soon be a new Cutco salesman on the block, as OJ Simpson has been granted parole from the armed robbery that landed him in prison nine years ago. The Juice is almost loose!

I love those weeks when the West Week Ever recipient presents itself early in the week, ’cause it’s pretty much smooth sailing after that. This was one of those weeks, as history was made across the pond. The Doctor Who franchise is over 50 years old, but every time the Doctor regenerates (a clever in-story mechanism for recasting the actor), he just turns into another White dude. That’s pretty much been the unending pattern since 1966, when the first regeneration occurred. Folks have been saying it’s time for a change, and they were hoping we’d either end up with a Doctor of color (with The IT Crowd‘s Richard Ayoade coming up in a lot of the discussions) or a woman Doctor. Well, half of them got their wish, as Attack the Block‘s Jodie Whittaker was announced as the 13th Doctor. And, as you’re probably not surprised, folks lost their shit.

We’re always taught the the Brits are so proper and upstanding, but the comments sections of several sites proved that they can troll with the best of them. At the end of the day, it’s a bunch of folks who are afraid of change. A friend of mine, however, did point out that the victors in these circumstances also tend to trigger the backlash against themselves. For example, it would be one thing if this was seen as a bold move forward for a progressive franchise. The problem, however, is that some people take it too far, and get on the “I’m savoring these fanboy tears” soapbox, making it about something that it really didn’t need to devolve into. Sometimes the winners can suck just as much as the losers in these scenarios. This can be seen as a “win” for some without it being a “loss” for someone else. How about framing it as a win for everyone? Nah, the internet doesn’t really work like that.

I have never gotten into the Doctor Who franchise because it just seems so daunting. Sure, folks claim you really only have to start with the Eccleston season, but when I get into something, I go ALL IN. To me, that’s like telling someone they can start Star Trek with The Next Generation (which I’d probably do, since I hate The Original Series, even though I’d still feel like I was cheating them out of an experience). I feel like I’d have to watch all 54 years of the show, which is impossible because those seasons ain’t streaming anywhere, and a good chunk of them have been lost to time. It’s a franchise that cannot be wholly consumed! I hate mysteries that can’t be solved. Still, I can respect a longstanding institution, and I understand when change is a big deal. It’ll be interesting to see how fans take to the new Doctor, but the one thing to remember is that she’ll probably do it for 2 years, and then regenerate into another old White guy (the Doctor role has the retention rate of a community college). So, everyone gets their wish! I am kinda curious about the next season, though, as rumor has it Kris Marshall (Colin: God of Sex from Love Actually) is going to be the Doctor’s next companion. I loved that dude!

Anyway, I know which side of history I want to be on, and it’ll be interesting to see this all play out. The way the franchise works, we won’t see her until the Christmas special, and then won’t see her again until late 2018 at the earliest. So, folks have got some time to get used to the idea. Still, I think it goes without saying that Jodie Whittaker had the West Week Ever.

#Christmas #DC #Marvel #Movies #Music #Politics #Power Rangers #Race #Religion #Social Media #Star Trek #Syndication #Television #Video Games #West Week Ever

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daleisgreat · 3 years

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Mallrats

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Last year I was alerted that Arrow Video was releasing a special 25th Anniversary BluRay of the 1995 Kevin Smith cult classic, Mallrats (trailer). I was not familiar with Arrow Video before, but after browsing their catalog, it appears they specialize in Criterion-esque special editions and restorations for films that may not receive the prestige critical acclaim the average Criterion release does. I remember seeing the “spot the sailboat” comic book ads for the film around its release but missed it during its brief theatrical run. It was not until catching the TV cut of Mallrats off ABC around 1997/98 that I was first introduced to Kevin Smith’s works. I already elaborated on my history with Smith’s films in my review for Jay and Silent Bob Reboot last year, so I will not drone on about that again except to say that both Clerks and Mallrats are my two favorite Kevin Smith films. I believe this will be my third time buying it on video. The original collector’s edition DVD received a lot of early buzz from DVD review outlets on how to nail a suite of special features and for having one of the best early DVD commentary tracks. I then upgraded to the 10th Anniversary edition DVD with a bonus extended cut and new anniversary interviews and other bonus content. This BluRay keeps most of the early bonus feature content and adds in a bunch more I will be detailing soon, but for now, I imagine you want to hear about the actual Mallrats movie.

The succinct way to explain it is how Kevin Smith does it in his four-word elevator pitch, “Clerks in a mall.” Essentially it boils down to the film’s two leads, TS (Jeremy London) and Brodie (Jason Lee), getting dumped by their girlfriends Rene (Shannen Doherty) and Brandi (Claire Forlani) in the opening scenes. The duo decides to recover from their sorrows by hitting up their favorite spots in the local mall, where they run into their exes and attempt to win them over with some help from fellow mallrats Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith). Naturally, TS and Brodie have some opposition to overcome to win back their loves in the form of Brandi’s father and local bigshot, Svenning (Michael Rooker), and head mall security guard La Fours (Sven Thorsen). When I first saw this film on TV around 1997/98, it hit at the perfect time when I was in ninth grade, and I was likely within a few years of the last wave of kids where going to the mall was THE thing to do with friends when you asked: “Hey, want to go and hang out somewhere!?” Mallrats captures the spirit of killing time in the mall with nice little asides debating which food stands are really part of the food court, whining over the latest exhibit clogging up the showcase area of the mall, standing in line for celebrity autographs and gleefully beating up eagerly anticipating the Easter bunny.

When I first experienced the film around age 14, I had no idea what Jay and Silent Bob were talking about with their gratuitous weed jokes. Still, they had a hilarious demeanor about them as they delivered their lines, and they instantly won over 14-year-old Dale. Brodie seemed like the coolest cat with his countless wisecracks throughout the film. Jason Lee and Kevin Smith both went on to say in the bonus interviews that despite the film’s initial theatrical failure, Jason Lee’s performance caught a lot of eyes and opened the door for him to bigger and better roles. It would behoove me to acknowledge Mallrats has the best of the dozens of Stan Lee movie cameos. It is more of an extended cameo where Lee says more than his usual five-to-ten words of dialog and instead has a full scene with Brodie when he bestows his wisdom of true love to Brodie to motivate him to win over Rene. Lee is legitimately good in the scene, so much so that Marvel Studios had his Mallrats cameo referenced during Lee’s cameo in Captain Marvel.

Arrow Video did a bang-up job packing in a ton of extras in this two-disc BluRay set. There are now three cuts of the film included. The first disc has the original theatrical cut, while the second disc has the extended cut that released with the 10th-anniversary edition and now also includes the TV cut, which is full of a ton of awesomely bad overdubs of expletives. Smith recorded a new introduction to the TV cut highlighted with a fun story of why Mewes’s dubs are so godawful. I would recommend passing on watching the Extended Cut, as it mostly restores the film's original opening, which features a series of longer opening scenes where it takes a while for Brodie and TS to get dumped, and for the movie to eventually find its way into the mall. Instead, I would recommend watching the hour-long archival bonus of the deleted scenes that has Smith and Vincent Pereira explaining why the scenes did not work and have a good time on why they remained on the cutting room floor. I did make sure to re-watch the original DVD commentary track again with Kevin Smith, Jason Lee, Ben Affleck, Jason Mewes, and Scott Mosier. They are all nonstop entertaining throughout, remembering their time with the film while Fargo was also filming down the street and how Team La Fours fought to get credited in the movie. It is probably up there with UHF being my favorite commentary track, so make sure not to skip over it! New extras for this BluRay are highlighted by a new 12-minute intro from Kevin Smith retelling his highs and lows of the production. My Mallrats Memories is a new 30-minute interview with Smith recollecting his time on the film and how he assembled the cast and crew, and what lead to landing Stan Lee in the movie.

Mr. Mallrats: Tribute to Jim Jacks is Smith’s eulogy to his recently deceased producer on this film, and he gives a loving history of how Jacks went from movie fan to having a successful career in the business. Blunt Talk is a new ten-minute interview with Mewes recounting his early acting career and how he did not consider himself an actor until people started recognizing him from Mallrats. Hollywood of the North is a new ten-minute animated doc with periphery crew members who have many production stories about shooting in the Eden Prairie Center Mall and dealing with complaints from the mall owner. There is a physical blueprint insert which is a perfect recreation of Jay’s blueprints shown in the film of how he plans to take out La Fours. Also new are two hours of raw dailies compiled together. I did not watch it in its entirety because the quality is very raw, like worse than VHS SLP raw, but it was still fun to jump around in bits throughout it and see the cast and crew chatter before and after filming. I didn’t mean to deep dive this much into the bonus materials, but I believe I have covered almost all of the new content, but trust me, there is a lot more bonus archival content from previous DVD releases, so rest assured View Askew fans that there are several hours of extras to sink your teeth into. Every time I watch Mallrats every several years, I cannot help but get clued in better to some of the jokes and dialog that went right over my initial viewing as a teenager. Thankfully, the film has aged well, and I enjoyed it as much as I initially did in the 90s. I have a good feeling if you’re a View Askew fan or mostly a fan of Smith’s earlier works, then you probably already have this Arrow Video BluRay in your collection. However, for others on the fence wondering if this edition is worth upgrading to, I can safely vouch that Smith and Arrow Video spared no expense to ensure this BluRay is packed to the gills with new (and archival) content to make sure you get your money’s worth!

Other Random Backlog Movie Blogs 3 12 Angry Men (1957) 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown 21 Jump Street The Accountant Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie Atari: Game Over The Avengers: Age of Ultron The Avengers: Endgame The Avengers: Infinity War Batman: The Dark Knight Rises Batman: The Killing Joke Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Bounty Hunters Cabin in the Woods Captain America: Civil War Captain America: The First Avenger Captain America: The Winter Soldier Christmas Eve The Clapper Clash of the Titans (1981) Clint Eastwood 11-pack Special The Condemned 2 Countdown Creed I & II Deck the Halls Detroit Rock City Die Hard Dredd The Eliminators The Equalizer Dirty Work Faster Fast and Furious I-VIII Field of Dreams Fight Club The Fighter For Love of the Game Good Will Hunting Gravity Grunt: The Wrestling Movie Guardians of the Galaxy Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Hell Comes to Frogtown Hercules: Reborn Hitman I Like to Hurt People Indiana Jones 1-4 Inglourious Basterds Ink The Interrogation Interstellar Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Jobs Joy Ride 1-3 Justice League (2017 Whedon Cut) Last Action Hero Major League Man of Steel Man on the Moon Man vs Snake Marine 3-6 Merry Friggin Christmas Metallica: Some Kind of Monster Mortal Kombat Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpions Revenge National Treasure National Treasure: Book of Secrets Nintendo Quest Not for Resale Payback (Director’s Cut) Pulp Fiction The Punisher (1989) The Ref The Replacements Reservoir Dogs Rocky I-VIII Running Films Part 1 Running Films Part 2 San Andreas ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery Scott Pilgrim vs the World The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Shoot em Up Slacker Skyscraper Small Town Santa Steve Jobs Source Code Star Trek I-XIII Sully Take Me Home Tonight TMNT Trauma Center The Tooth Fairy 1 & 2 UHF Veronica Mars Vision Quest The War Wild The Wizard Wonder Woman The Wrestler (2008) X-Men: Apocalypse X-Men: Days of Future Past

#Mallrats #Kevin Smith #ben affleck #jason lee #jason mewes #jay and silent bob #silent bob #random movie #shannen doherty #claire forlani #michael rooker #sven thorsen #jeremy london

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