Thank you for reading!
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Sabbatical
Baby Leffler is due sometime in the next 4 weeks, so I will be spending my time preparing for his arrival. I appreciate everyone that has read what I have to say and I assure I will return!
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
New Comics 04/16 & other news.....
Hello and Welcome to the 04/16/14 edition of The Comic Shop Blog!
First....
Due to budget concerns connected to the impending birth of Little Leffler I was only able to pick up two titles this week. I had to choose wisely so I went with Scott Snyder's "Batman" and the final issue of Dan Slott's "Superior Spider-man".
I have made my concerns with the current Zero Year storyline very clear in one of my recent posts. Overall, I have been quite fatigued with the pace of this story and it's overall length. That said the first chapter of the Zero Year finale reengaged me in the series. Finally getting to the "boss level" per se gives this issue a downhill running start, and makes it more engaging to me as a reader. I would definitely recommend picking up this issue.
I have been a real fan of the "Superior Spider-man" storyline from the very beginning. I am very disappointed to see it go, but I think it was brought to it's natural conclusion. I will say I was a lot more emotionally invested in the events of issue #30, and issue #31 honestly fell a little flat at the end. Obviously I'm being very vague, but I certainly do not want to spoil the Superior happenings for anyone.
Second...
Couple of news items from Marc Webb's "Amazing Spider-man 2" today.
First, one of the initial reviews of the movie was not favorable likening the second entry to the "Batman and Robin" of the Spider-man franchise. One of the main sticking points for the reviewer was the corny humor which I have expressed my own concerns about with the "dumb Aunt May routine" that we have seen in the tv spots. While reviews are a subjective prose it does send up a red alert when the early ones are not favorable from a nerd friendly source like IGN.com. I will still see this movie, but thankfully there are such a thing as matinee prices.
Secondly, several news outlets are reporting that there will be an "X-men: Days of Future Past" stinger at the end of "Amazing Spider-man 2". This isn't due to any intellectual property sharing between the studios, but because Fox allowed Marc Webb to do this follow-up instead of "500 Days of Summer 2".
Third.....
It's been a couple of weeks now, but as the Indy fan that I am I would be remiss to not address the rumors surrounding the future of that character. Several media outlets reported a few weeks ago that Disney would be interested in casting hollywood favorite Bradley Cooper in the title role for future installments. The more I think about this possibility the more I am honestly open to it. I think that despite "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" being a huge disappointment it did bring Indy's story to a close.
Future film installments could borrow from the "Young Indiana Jones" television show and have an elder Indy (played by Ford in this version) recounting stories from his younger days to his grandchildren to set up the new adventure with Bradley Cooper. I think doing it this way would placate the Ford fans, and introduce Indy to a new generation. One thing I continually bitch about; however, is that I would hope that they use more practical effects in future Indy installments because they are what made the original trilogy so very special.
Fourth....
One news item and one rumor from Disney/Marvel's "Daredevil" Netflix series. The news item is that the studio confirmed that they do in fact own the rights to the Kingpin himself Wilson Fisk. I think it would be smart to start incorporating mentions of Fisk right away in the Marvel Cinematic and Television universe. He is a big baddie that the Marvel Universe is sorely lacking as we have seen heavyweights like the Mandarin and Red Skull be underutilized. Rumor-wise Michael C. Hall (my personal favorite for Matt Mordock/Daredevil and formerly the star of "Dexter") said that he would be open to starring in the first installment of the Netflix Defender's series. Hall has the physique and the acting chops to pull off Hornhead, and I would hope he would join the Avengers for future adventures.
Fifth..... "FOREVER EVIL SPOILERS"...................................................................................................................................................
So, post-Forever Evil the "Nightwing" title will be cancelled and replaced by a new ongoing called "Grayson". A news item this week confirmed that much like Bucky post "Fear Itself" the world will be left to believe that Dick Grayson is dead as he adjusts to his new life as a super spy. I am a long-time fan of Dick Grayson, and I have followed him from Robin to Nightwing to his time as Batman with much fanfare. I have a bit of trepidation about this move, but I am more than willing to give it a chance.
That's all for today! For you rasslin' fans check out my Wrestlemania XXX breakdown over at my new blog site Turnbuckleblog.blogspot.com! It will in all likelihood be a monthly publication because I invest a lot more of my time and energy into comics, but if that is something you are in to please be sure to check it out!
First....
Due to budget concerns connected to the impending birth of Little Leffler I was only able to pick up two titles this week. I had to choose wisely so I went with Scott Snyder's "Batman" and the final issue of Dan Slott's "Superior Spider-man".
I have made my concerns with the current Zero Year storyline very clear in one of my recent posts. Overall, I have been quite fatigued with the pace of this story and it's overall length. That said the first chapter of the Zero Year finale reengaged me in the series. Finally getting to the "boss level" per se gives this issue a downhill running start, and makes it more engaging to me as a reader. I would definitely recommend picking up this issue.
I have been a real fan of the "Superior Spider-man" storyline from the very beginning. I am very disappointed to see it go, but I think it was brought to it's natural conclusion. I will say I was a lot more emotionally invested in the events of issue #30, and issue #31 honestly fell a little flat at the end. Obviously I'm being very vague, but I certainly do not want to spoil the Superior happenings for anyone.
Second...
Couple of news items from Marc Webb's "Amazing Spider-man 2" today.
First, one of the initial reviews of the movie was not favorable likening the second entry to the "Batman and Robin" of the Spider-man franchise. One of the main sticking points for the reviewer was the corny humor which I have expressed my own concerns about with the "dumb Aunt May routine" that we have seen in the tv spots. While reviews are a subjective prose it does send up a red alert when the early ones are not favorable from a nerd friendly source like IGN.com. I will still see this movie, but thankfully there are such a thing as matinee prices.
Secondly, several news outlets are reporting that there will be an "X-men: Days of Future Past" stinger at the end of "Amazing Spider-man 2". This isn't due to any intellectual property sharing between the studios, but because Fox allowed Marc Webb to do this follow-up instead of "500 Days of Summer 2".
Third.....
It's been a couple of weeks now, but as the Indy fan that I am I would be remiss to not address the rumors surrounding the future of that character. Several media outlets reported a few weeks ago that Disney would be interested in casting hollywood favorite Bradley Cooper in the title role for future installments. The more I think about this possibility the more I am honestly open to it. I think that despite "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" being a huge disappointment it did bring Indy's story to a close.
Future film installments could borrow from the "Young Indiana Jones" television show and have an elder Indy (played by Ford in this version) recounting stories from his younger days to his grandchildren to set up the new adventure with Bradley Cooper. I think doing it this way would placate the Ford fans, and introduce Indy to a new generation. One thing I continually bitch about; however, is that I would hope that they use more practical effects in future Indy installments because they are what made the original trilogy so very special.
Fourth....
One news item and one rumor from Disney/Marvel's "Daredevil" Netflix series. The news item is that the studio confirmed that they do in fact own the rights to the Kingpin himself Wilson Fisk. I think it would be smart to start incorporating mentions of Fisk right away in the Marvel Cinematic and Television universe. He is a big baddie that the Marvel Universe is sorely lacking as we have seen heavyweights like the Mandarin and Red Skull be underutilized. Rumor-wise Michael C. Hall (my personal favorite for Matt Mordock/Daredevil and formerly the star of "Dexter") said that he would be open to starring in the first installment of the Netflix Defender's series. Hall has the physique and the acting chops to pull off Hornhead, and I would hope he would join the Avengers for future adventures.
Fifth..... "FOREVER EVIL SPOILERS"...................................................................................................................................................
So, post-Forever Evil the "Nightwing" title will be cancelled and replaced by a new ongoing called "Grayson". A news item this week confirmed that much like Bucky post "Fear Itself" the world will be left to believe that Dick Grayson is dead as he adjusts to his new life as a super spy. I am a long-time fan of Dick Grayson, and I have followed him from Robin to Nightwing to his time as Batman with much fanfare. I have a bit of trepidation about this move, but I am more than willing to give it a chance.
That's all for today! For you rasslin' fans check out my Wrestlemania XXX breakdown over at my new blog site Turnbuckleblog.blogspot.com! It will in all likelihood be a monthly publication because I invest a lot more of my time and energy into comics, but if that is something you are in to please be sure to check it out!
Friday, April 11, 2014
Ultimate Warrior R.I.P. & Comic News...
Hello and welcome to this week's third edition of The Comic Shop....
First....I was saddened to hear about the untimely passing of Jim "Warrior" Hellwig better know by his WWF/E moniker The Ultimate Warrior. My Dad took me to Wrestlemania VIII when I was a young fella. The thing that saved an abysmal main event that night was the return of the Ultimate Warrior (mainly because there was a lot of speculation that he had died).
Now you may be asking yourself "why talk about a wrestler on a comics blog?" I think for a couple of reasons it is important to talk about. First, Warrior was a very broad & bright character much like what we find in comics, and second there is an important life lesson that we can learn from his passing.
Speaking of comics the "Warrior" comic has skyrocketed in value since his passing. So what lesson can we learn from Warrior? The main thing I took away is that no matter what we do on this earth we will have to one day pay a price. Steroids, stimulants, obesity, and many other things can overwork and overtax the heart. Unfortunately, I had a great uncle who passed in his early 50's from a massive heart attack, and my very own Paternal Grandmother passed at 59 years of age due to complications from smoking for several years.
We live in an era where modern medicine will protect us to a point from the consequences of our poor health choices, but we have to work in tandem with them. To meet them halfway so to speak. Warrior may have not done steroids for years, but his increased body mass and years of drug abuse likely contributed to his death. I often worry about the adverse effects of my own choices. How has basically abusing stimulants like caffeine, weight loss drugs, energy drinks, my time smoking, and other poor choices adversely impacted my ability to see my unborn son grow and mature into a man?
I don't say these things to scare anyone, but it's important to take inventory of our daily decisions to make sure that they don't negatively impact our future.
It's tragic that Warrior died, and it's not because he was a big wrestler or a known personality. It's because that although he leaves behind a legacy he has two daughters left without their father.
THE COMIC STRIPS.....
First....Word is that Fox is interested in having Jennifer Lawrence star in a Mystique solo film. As much as I enjoy J. Law I hope this does not happen. The X-men have a deep and diverse roster; however, time and time again Fox has chosen to make their movies the "Wolverine, Prof. X, Magneto, Mystique, Storm" show. If we are going to do solo films let's focus on characters that either have not been introduced into the Fox universe (Cable for example) or characters that have had one moment in the sun and not been brought back (Deadpool, Nightcrawler for example).
Second...Staying with Fox Bryan Singer has stated that 2016's "X-men: Apocalypse" will incorporate elements from the "Age of Apocalypse" storyline. It's hard to say what those elements will be; however, this blogger is hoping that the film focus will remain on the young X-men established in "X:Men: First Class".
Third...."Arrow" is well known for their abundance of clever easter eggs, whether, it's art in the Queen gallery by Curtis Swan, or the voice of Harley Quinn (Arleen Sorkin), Marc Guggenheim and company have packed each episode with a lot of little clever tidbits. Evidently an upcoming episode will be no exception as the Green Lantern is supposed to be referenced for the very first time in the Arrow-verse. Here's hoping Hal and Ollie set off on a cross country learning experience akin to Denny O'neal & Neal Adams 70's run with the Emerald Bros.
Fourth...I have been no fan of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", but I have to admit that post Jaime Alexander's experience in the Sif episode the show has become remarkably more entertaining. This past one tied into the exploits from the hit movie "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and was excellently cut to fit into the narrative from the film.
Finally...One thing I neglected to mention in either of my "Winter Soldier" reviews was how much I enjoyed that they actually gave Cobie Smulders' Agent Maria Hill something to do. She has largely been used as an exposition piece in her previous outings, but in this film she has some good action. Very happy to see that happen for Nick Fury's long-time number two.
That's all for today...working on topics for a new column so please submit suggestions to the Facebook page...thank you all again for reading and see you next time at The Comic Shop!
First....I was saddened to hear about the untimely passing of Jim "Warrior" Hellwig better know by his WWF/E moniker The Ultimate Warrior. My Dad took me to Wrestlemania VIII when I was a young fella. The thing that saved an abysmal main event that night was the return of the Ultimate Warrior (mainly because there was a lot of speculation that he had died).
Now you may be asking yourself "why talk about a wrestler on a comics blog?" I think for a couple of reasons it is important to talk about. First, Warrior was a very broad & bright character much like what we find in comics, and second there is an important life lesson that we can learn from his passing.
Speaking of comics the "Warrior" comic has skyrocketed in value since his passing. So what lesson can we learn from Warrior? The main thing I took away is that no matter what we do on this earth we will have to one day pay a price. Steroids, stimulants, obesity, and many other things can overwork and overtax the heart. Unfortunately, I had a great uncle who passed in his early 50's from a massive heart attack, and my very own Paternal Grandmother passed at 59 years of age due to complications from smoking for several years.
We live in an era where modern medicine will protect us to a point from the consequences of our poor health choices, but we have to work in tandem with them. To meet them halfway so to speak. Warrior may have not done steroids for years, but his increased body mass and years of drug abuse likely contributed to his death. I often worry about the adverse effects of my own choices. How has basically abusing stimulants like caffeine, weight loss drugs, energy drinks, my time smoking, and other poor choices adversely impacted my ability to see my unborn son grow and mature into a man?
I don't say these things to scare anyone, but it's important to take inventory of our daily decisions to make sure that they don't negatively impact our future.
It's tragic that Warrior died, and it's not because he was a big wrestler or a known personality. It's because that although he leaves behind a legacy he has two daughters left without their father.
THE COMIC STRIPS.....
First....Word is that Fox is interested in having Jennifer Lawrence star in a Mystique solo film. As much as I enjoy J. Law I hope this does not happen. The X-men have a deep and diverse roster; however, time and time again Fox has chosen to make their movies the "Wolverine, Prof. X, Magneto, Mystique, Storm" show. If we are going to do solo films let's focus on characters that either have not been introduced into the Fox universe (Cable for example) or characters that have had one moment in the sun and not been brought back (Deadpool, Nightcrawler for example).
Second...Staying with Fox Bryan Singer has stated that 2016's "X-men: Apocalypse" will incorporate elements from the "Age of Apocalypse" storyline. It's hard to say what those elements will be; however, this blogger is hoping that the film focus will remain on the young X-men established in "X:Men: First Class".
Third...."Arrow" is well known for their abundance of clever easter eggs, whether, it's art in the Queen gallery by Curtis Swan, or the voice of Harley Quinn (Arleen Sorkin), Marc Guggenheim and company have packed each episode with a lot of little clever tidbits. Evidently an upcoming episode will be no exception as the Green Lantern is supposed to be referenced for the very first time in the Arrow-verse. Here's hoping Hal and Ollie set off on a cross country learning experience akin to Denny O'neal & Neal Adams 70's run with the Emerald Bros.
Fourth...I have been no fan of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", but I have to admit that post Jaime Alexander's experience in the Sif episode the show has become remarkably more entertaining. This past one tied into the exploits from the hit movie "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and was excellently cut to fit into the narrative from the film.
Finally...One thing I neglected to mention in either of my "Winter Soldier" reviews was how much I enjoyed that they actually gave Cobie Smulders' Agent Maria Hill something to do. She has largely been used as an exposition piece in her previous outings, but in this film she has some good action. Very happy to see that happen for Nick Fury's long-time number two.
That's all for today...working on topics for a new column so please submit suggestions to the Facebook page...thank you all again for reading and see you next time at The Comic Shop!
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Spoiler-filled "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" review
Hello all and welcome to the Spoiler-laden "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" review here at The Comic Shop!
For the purposes of this review I will be speaking mainly about the character development that I have seen out of this movie and "Iron Man 3" that will lead to where the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going in and after "Avengers: Age of Ultron".
As we know from the events of the Cap sequel SHIELD as we know it is no more. This makes it much more incumbent upon Earth's Mightiest Heroes to defend and avenge the earth. Shell-head and Cap are the two central figures in this film universe & in Avengers history in general. While Thor is important as well I would argue that his last film entry is a self-contained story that had a beginning, middle, and end.
Cap & Iron Man have a lot in common when you really consider their history. Cap wanted to make the world a better place he was scientifically altered to become a living weapon and an unstoppable force. Tony Stark wanted to make the world a better place so he engineered a suit that helped him to become a living weapon and an unstoppable force.
Furthermore in the film franchises both of these characters have come back from the dead in a manner of speaking. Cap was frozen for decades and then thawed to become a man out of time and a hero for a new generation. Tony made a sacrifice play to end the Chitauri invasion.
The two heroes reacted to these events very differently. In "Iron Man 3" we saw Tony Stark inch further and further away from his Iron Man persona over the course of the film. We even saw him develop an intelligence source that allowed him to not be in the suit at all for it to run. This says to me that he no longer has the desire to be put in a position to make a sacrifice. If the reports are accurate Tony will take over as Ultron's creator in the "Avengers" sequel, and if that is true this would make absolute sense.
In "The Winter Soldier" we saw Steve Rogers throw himself further and further into his mission. It was quite noticeable that the status quo love angle was not shoehorned into the plot of the movie, and I found that refreshing. It also shows where Cap's mental state is in the cinematic universe. While Black Widow tried repeatedly to get Cap to open up and go out socially he denied the opportunity again and again. To me, this shows that while he is open to understanding this world he finds himself in he's not entirely ready to assimilate and become a part of it. I think a big part of this is because he has shown time and time again that he is more than willing to make the sacrifice, as he attempted to yet again in "The Winter Soldier". This give's Rogers a lot of places to go in future Captain America films, because we have yet to see him assimilate.
This stark contrast between the characters should also serve to further the underlying animus that is almost standard for these two legacy Avengers.
I will definitely say that I appreciated that there was not a ton of melodrama in "The Winter Soldier". As I noted there was no real romantic interest to speak of which again I found really refreshing. The main source of overt drama was the final climactic scene with Cap trying to save his life-long friend through allowing Bucky to beat him to a pulp, but it was an effective way to end the film.
As a fan of the Winter Soldier character I am looking forward to the journey that Sebastian Stan is going to take from brain-washed assasin to a hero in his own right.
That's all for now...I'm sure I will add more after my second viewing but these are my main thoughts right now.
For the purposes of this review I will be speaking mainly about the character development that I have seen out of this movie and "Iron Man 3" that will lead to where the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going in and after "Avengers: Age of Ultron".
As we know from the events of the Cap sequel SHIELD as we know it is no more. This makes it much more incumbent upon Earth's Mightiest Heroes to defend and avenge the earth. Shell-head and Cap are the two central figures in this film universe & in Avengers history in general. While Thor is important as well I would argue that his last film entry is a self-contained story that had a beginning, middle, and end.
Cap & Iron Man have a lot in common when you really consider their history. Cap wanted to make the world a better place he was scientifically altered to become a living weapon and an unstoppable force. Tony Stark wanted to make the world a better place so he engineered a suit that helped him to become a living weapon and an unstoppable force.
Furthermore in the film franchises both of these characters have come back from the dead in a manner of speaking. Cap was frozen for decades and then thawed to become a man out of time and a hero for a new generation. Tony made a sacrifice play to end the Chitauri invasion.
The two heroes reacted to these events very differently. In "Iron Man 3" we saw Tony Stark inch further and further away from his Iron Man persona over the course of the film. We even saw him develop an intelligence source that allowed him to not be in the suit at all for it to run. This says to me that he no longer has the desire to be put in a position to make a sacrifice. If the reports are accurate Tony will take over as Ultron's creator in the "Avengers" sequel, and if that is true this would make absolute sense.
In "The Winter Soldier" we saw Steve Rogers throw himself further and further into his mission. It was quite noticeable that the status quo love angle was not shoehorned into the plot of the movie, and I found that refreshing. It also shows where Cap's mental state is in the cinematic universe. While Black Widow tried repeatedly to get Cap to open up and go out socially he denied the opportunity again and again. To me, this shows that while he is open to understanding this world he finds himself in he's not entirely ready to assimilate and become a part of it. I think a big part of this is because he has shown time and time again that he is more than willing to make the sacrifice, as he attempted to yet again in "The Winter Soldier". This give's Rogers a lot of places to go in future Captain America films, because we have yet to see him assimilate.
This stark contrast between the characters should also serve to further the underlying animus that is almost standard for these two legacy Avengers.
I will definitely say that I appreciated that there was not a ton of melodrama in "The Winter Soldier". As I noted there was no real romantic interest to speak of which again I found really refreshing. The main source of overt drama was the final climactic scene with Cap trying to save his life-long friend through allowing Bucky to beat him to a pulp, but it was an effective way to end the film.
As a fan of the Winter Soldier character I am looking forward to the journey that Sebastian Stan is going to take from brain-washed assasin to a hero in his own right.
That's all for now...I'm sure I will add more after my second viewing but these are my main thoughts right now.
Spoiler-Free "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" review
Hello all and welcome to the 04/08/14 edition of The Comic Shop!
To avoid spoilers for the hottest April movie release of all-time I will mainly talk about the performances, and direction of the film in this review.
To start it is hard to believe that the Russo brothers have never directed an action film before. The majority of their previous directorial work was on comedy tv shows ("Arrested Development" & "Community") and comedy movies like "You, Me, and Dupree". While they do have a fair amount of humor in "The Winter Soldier", which at this point is the norm for Marvel films their action direction is absolutely stellar. The movie is filled with tightly-cut, waist-up, fast moving action and it rarely takes a break for anything other than bare minimum exposition.
Chris Evans really has a stranglehold on the Steve Rogers character. He is equal parts heroic, comedic, and is the type of go-for-it-all leader that will inspire.
Anthony Mackie brings a lot of youthful exuberance, loyalty, and humor to his role as The Falcon. This was a star making performance for Mackie, and I could totally see him in the lead in his own future Marvel film.
Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow gets the ultimate respect from the Russo's in this appearance for the character. Instead of being reduced to eye candy or a scared helpless woman as we have seen at moments in her previous appearances ("Iron Man 2" & "The Avengers"). This Black Widow is a fully functioning ass kicker who can hold her own with the other heroes. In this portrayal I feel that the Russo's have set the template for the most effective use of super heroines. I, for one, would much rather see a Ronda Rousey-style ass kicker than another damsel in distress. For that reason I applaud what the Russo's accomplished in this movie.
My only complaint on a base level is that there was not enough Winter Soldier in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier". For sharing the title he is not in it much and says even less. Part of that is by design, but I still could've done with a few more minutes of Winter Soldier screen time.
While the first entry "Captain America: The First Avenger" was a WWII movie that had a superhero in it this entry is a spy-thriller that also happens to be a superhero movie. As with the original it successfully captures the essence of the chosen genre and serves to further the development of the title character.
Overall I have to say this is one of my favorite superhero movies to date. I hesitantly place it in the company of "The Dark Knight" and "Spider-man 2" at the top of my list.
For more discussion check out my next entry where I will get into spoiler territory and I will tie it together with "Iron Man 3" to talk about how the stage is now set for "Avengers: Age of Ultron".
To avoid spoilers for the hottest April movie release of all-time I will mainly talk about the performances, and direction of the film in this review.
To start it is hard to believe that the Russo brothers have never directed an action film before. The majority of their previous directorial work was on comedy tv shows ("Arrested Development" & "Community") and comedy movies like "You, Me, and Dupree". While they do have a fair amount of humor in "The Winter Soldier", which at this point is the norm for Marvel films their action direction is absolutely stellar. The movie is filled with tightly-cut, waist-up, fast moving action and it rarely takes a break for anything other than bare minimum exposition.
Chris Evans really has a stranglehold on the Steve Rogers character. He is equal parts heroic, comedic, and is the type of go-for-it-all leader that will inspire.
Anthony Mackie brings a lot of youthful exuberance, loyalty, and humor to his role as The Falcon. This was a star making performance for Mackie, and I could totally see him in the lead in his own future Marvel film.
Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow gets the ultimate respect from the Russo's in this appearance for the character. Instead of being reduced to eye candy or a scared helpless woman as we have seen at moments in her previous appearances ("Iron Man 2" & "The Avengers"). This Black Widow is a fully functioning ass kicker who can hold her own with the other heroes. In this portrayal I feel that the Russo's have set the template for the most effective use of super heroines. I, for one, would much rather see a Ronda Rousey-style ass kicker than another damsel in distress. For that reason I applaud what the Russo's accomplished in this movie.
My only complaint on a base level is that there was not enough Winter Soldier in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier". For sharing the title he is not in it much and says even less. Part of that is by design, but I still could've done with a few more minutes of Winter Soldier screen time.
While the first entry "Captain America: The First Avenger" was a WWII movie that had a superhero in it this entry is a spy-thriller that also happens to be a superhero movie. As with the original it successfully captures the essence of the chosen genre and serves to further the development of the title character.
Overall I have to say this is one of my favorite superhero movies to date. I hesitantly place it in the company of "The Dark Knight" and "Spider-man 2" at the top of my list.
For more discussion check out my next entry where I will get into spoiler territory and I will tie it together with "Iron Man 3" to talk about how the stage is now set for "Avengers: Age of Ultron".
Monday, March 24, 2014
The Comic Shop Deux: The Electric Boogaloo......movie talkin' edition
Hello friends and welcome to the March 25th edition of The Comic Shop!
Lot of topics to cover today predominantly film, but I might branch out into a couple of on the page thoughts...
First I'll say this....I have not been a fan of 70-80% of what I have seen come out about "X-men: Days of Future Past". The release of today's trailer gave me a little bit more positivity about the project. I can't say precisely what it is that I like about it, but I have a more favorable opinion of it nonetheless. To give Bryan Singer & crew credit there are some things I feel that they have gotten right in the series as a whole.
Off the top of my head I like what they have done with the Magneto, Mystique, and even Ellen Page's Kitty Pride. I really like the star power in this ensemble cast with Michael Fassbender & Sir Ian McKellan as Magneto, Patrick Stewart & James Mcavoy as Xavier, Hugh Jackman, Ellen Page, Jennifer Lawrence, and many others. I will give credit where credit is due, but I do expect them to address the glaring continuity errors and reestablish Scott Summers if not Jean Grey as well.
I like Evan Peters in his roles on the anthology horror series "American Horror Story", but I feel that in costume and look his Quicksilver does not pass the eyeball test. Time will tell with this project, but I'm more willing to give it a chance now.
Second.... Really cool set photos hit the net today for "Avengers: Age of Ultron" I love the costume choices that they have made for Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver in this iteration. I can see the twins being a fantastic addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I give Aaron Taylor Johnson a lot of credit for getting himself into a heroic shape for this film and his other vehicle "Kick-ass". In other news with this project the "Building a universe" special teased an appearance of the Hulk-buster armor, which makes this blogger tingly all over.
Third... Exciting times as we sit a little over a week away from the release of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier". I feel somewhat alone as a huge fan of the first entry, because I have heard some negativity about the project. Overall though I think that was the only way to introduce Cap, and it had the right formula of sci-fi, intrigue, and military service to capture the essence of what makes Steve Rogers the greatest hero of multiple generations (in the Marvel Canon). I'm really looking forward to this movie because I love the Winter Soldier character, and it will be nice to see Agent 13 & Crossbones introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In other news with Cap talks about the heavy in the third installment of the franchise have started up with it being suggested that a deranged Cap clone from the 50's MIGHT be the next villain. I enjoyed what Ed Brubaker did with the Cap Clone in his run with the character, but I'm not sure how a clone story would play with a large audience.
Fourth...FROM THE PAGES OF DC: I have to admit that even with the Batfan that I am I'm going through a little fatigue with Scott Snyder's "Year Zero" as in my opinion it has lived past it's sell by date. I will continue to buy the book because it's by no means terrible, but I am ready for the time to shift back to "current" day. I'm also not a fan of the "Batman: Eternal" weekly series that is coming up, and as much as I love Batman and like Snyder I hope it fails.
Fifth...FROM THE PAGES OF MARVEL: Mark Waid ushered hornhead into Marvel NOW! officially with the release of "Daredevil #1". Essentially this was a new volume of Waid's DD run, but he has drastically changed the status quo for the character. I was not initially a fan of the move out West and away from Hell's Kitchen, but it is fun to see Murdock adjust to life in a new city.
Lots of big news for Spidey as creator Dan Slott announced his November event "Spiderverse" that will feature every Spider-man EVER. Not to be outdone Brian Michael Bendis has promised a sequel to his universe crossing tale "Spider-men". I'm not sure what to think about either at this point, but it looks like Spidey is in for a big year.
FINALLY..... As promised on my Facebook Fan Page I want to delve a little into the choices made by the crew attached to the "Fast 7" movie. Specifically the choice to hire four body doubles and use CGI to complete Paul Walker's role in the film. Allegedly, there is still over half of his role to film. I have conflicted thoughts about this proposal, because on it's face value I think it's a shameful grave robbery. I realize that it has been done before like Brandon Lee's role in "The Crow" in example; however, I think that was intended to be a one shot project (and I'd like to pretend that it is) and not the latest installment in a annual franchise release. I think if the family is okay with it and it gets money to his foundation and his daughter that would be okay as well. To hedge though I have a sneaking suspicion that the CGI won't look real. That could make for a very awkward & uncomfortable viewing experience. It's a different thing to digitize a fantasy character like the Hulk or Smaug than to digitally manipulate stock footage of a person's face.
That's all for today I apologize for my long winded rants, but I haven't had a lot of time to sit down and write so I had a lot to get out.
The good news is I will be back on my regular schedule next week. Which means more time to plan, prepare, & write.
Thank you for reading and see you next time at The Comic Shop!
Lot of topics to cover today predominantly film, but I might branch out into a couple of on the page thoughts...
First I'll say this....I have not been a fan of 70-80% of what I have seen come out about "X-men: Days of Future Past". The release of today's trailer gave me a little bit more positivity about the project. I can't say precisely what it is that I like about it, but I have a more favorable opinion of it nonetheless. To give Bryan Singer & crew credit there are some things I feel that they have gotten right in the series as a whole.
Off the top of my head I like what they have done with the Magneto, Mystique, and even Ellen Page's Kitty Pride. I really like the star power in this ensemble cast with Michael Fassbender & Sir Ian McKellan as Magneto, Patrick Stewart & James Mcavoy as Xavier, Hugh Jackman, Ellen Page, Jennifer Lawrence, and many others. I will give credit where credit is due, but I do expect them to address the glaring continuity errors and reestablish Scott Summers if not Jean Grey as well.
I like Evan Peters in his roles on the anthology horror series "American Horror Story", but I feel that in costume and look his Quicksilver does not pass the eyeball test. Time will tell with this project, but I'm more willing to give it a chance now.
Second.... Really cool set photos hit the net today for "Avengers: Age of Ultron" I love the costume choices that they have made for Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver in this iteration. I can see the twins being a fantastic addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I give Aaron Taylor Johnson a lot of credit for getting himself into a heroic shape for this film and his other vehicle "Kick-ass". In other news with this project the "Building a universe" special teased an appearance of the Hulk-buster armor, which makes this blogger tingly all over.
Third... Exciting times as we sit a little over a week away from the release of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier". I feel somewhat alone as a huge fan of the first entry, because I have heard some negativity about the project. Overall though I think that was the only way to introduce Cap, and it had the right formula of sci-fi, intrigue, and military service to capture the essence of what makes Steve Rogers the greatest hero of multiple generations (in the Marvel Canon). I'm really looking forward to this movie because I love the Winter Soldier character, and it will be nice to see Agent 13 & Crossbones introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In other news with Cap talks about the heavy in the third installment of the franchise have started up with it being suggested that a deranged Cap clone from the 50's MIGHT be the next villain. I enjoyed what Ed Brubaker did with the Cap Clone in his run with the character, but I'm not sure how a clone story would play with a large audience.
Fourth...FROM THE PAGES OF DC: I have to admit that even with the Batfan that I am I'm going through a little fatigue with Scott Snyder's "Year Zero" as in my opinion it has lived past it's sell by date. I will continue to buy the book because it's by no means terrible, but I am ready for the time to shift back to "current" day. I'm also not a fan of the "Batman: Eternal" weekly series that is coming up, and as much as I love Batman and like Snyder I hope it fails.
Fifth...FROM THE PAGES OF MARVEL: Mark Waid ushered hornhead into Marvel NOW! officially with the release of "Daredevil #1". Essentially this was a new volume of Waid's DD run, but he has drastically changed the status quo for the character. I was not initially a fan of the move out West and away from Hell's Kitchen, but it is fun to see Murdock adjust to life in a new city.
Lots of big news for Spidey as creator Dan Slott announced his November event "Spiderverse" that will feature every Spider-man EVER. Not to be outdone Brian Michael Bendis has promised a sequel to his universe crossing tale "Spider-men". I'm not sure what to think about either at this point, but it looks like Spidey is in for a big year.
FINALLY..... As promised on my Facebook Fan Page I want to delve a little into the choices made by the crew attached to the "Fast 7" movie. Specifically the choice to hire four body doubles and use CGI to complete Paul Walker's role in the film. Allegedly, there is still over half of his role to film. I have conflicted thoughts about this proposal, because on it's face value I think it's a shameful grave robbery. I realize that it has been done before like Brandon Lee's role in "The Crow" in example; however, I think that was intended to be a one shot project (and I'd like to pretend that it is) and not the latest installment in a annual franchise release. I think if the family is okay with it and it gets money to his foundation and his daughter that would be okay as well. To hedge though I have a sneaking suspicion that the CGI won't look real. That could make for a very awkward & uncomfortable viewing experience. It's a different thing to digitize a fantasy character like the Hulk or Smaug than to digitally manipulate stock footage of a person's face.
That's all for today I apologize for my long winded rants, but I haven't had a lot of time to sit down and write so I had a lot to get out.
The good news is I will be back on my regular schedule next week. Which means more time to plan, prepare, & write.
Thank you for reading and see you next time at The Comic Shop!
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Magneto: Mutant Messiah, Movie release dates, Indy Comic con, and other topics
Happy Sunday everyone!
Thanks for taking the time to stop by The Comic Shop!
Lot of topics I want to get into today so I'm gonna jump right in................
First.....
Cullen Bunn's "Magneto" is nothing short of phenomenal. Bunn has a unique aptitude for stripping down this character to his most integral traits. This Magneto is in stark contrast to other iterations of the master of magnetism. In years past we've seen him cast as the leader of a nation, the leader of an anti-human faction, the leader of the X-men, a zealot, and a terrorist. While in days gone by we might have seen Magneto travel through the skies in a magnetic field this one tools around in a beat up old suburban. We've seen Magneto be usurped in both status and influence by Cyclops and others. This is Magneto in the post-AvX Marvel Universe and it is rather enjoyable. I don't want to spoil too many plot points, but I will say that it was a fantastic read and a worthwhile addition to any buy pile.
Second....
Many a wave were made earlier this week when Disney/Marvel announced that they will release "Captain America 3" up against WB/DC's "Batman vs. Superman still unofficially titled project" on May 6, 2016. New-comic-movie-fan-dude-bros and even prestigious publications like "Forbes" are already claiming victory for Disney/Marvel. What they fail to realize is that there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY both of those movies will be on the same day. The rising comic film tide has raised all ships, but this would be potentially damaging for both studios. I will tell you now that someone will either experience "production problems" or have to do "reshoots" that will alter the release schedule. As a movie fan it would be cool to go to one at midnight and the other the next morning, but I don't think the head to head competition is necessary or beneficial to anyone.
Third...
I am a very proud Hoosier after this weekend. Indy Comic Con on many fronts was an amazing success. While I do have to say that there is a lot of room for improvement I think it was a great first effort. Event planners anticipated about 10,000 visitors for the entire weekend and received over 15,000 on Saturday alone. The event planners have already committed to having more room and a vastly improved Indy Comic Con for 2015. I would suggest that they have it at a different time of year where they don't have the intersection of St. Patty's day, the Big Ten Tournament, and what I believe was a library convention. This weekend was also the time that Las Vegas was having their Con so that probably kept some celebrities/artists/etc. from coming. Things are definitely looking up for the future of the Indy Comic Con. Very exciting! I'm happy for the businesses downtown as well that have toiled through a brutal winter. They surely experienced an outstanding sales day on Saturday.
Fourth....
This week in the "Superior Spider-man" turns - The "Goblin Nation" storyline carries on. I don't want to spoil anything but it brought a smile to my face when Otto had to stop to ask himself "What would Parker do?"
I know there were other things that I wanted to cover, but I'm blanking on them at the moment so let's call it a day.
Thank you for reading!
See you next time at The Comic Shop...
Thanks for taking the time to stop by The Comic Shop!
Lot of topics I want to get into today so I'm gonna jump right in................
First.....
Cullen Bunn's "Magneto" is nothing short of phenomenal. Bunn has a unique aptitude for stripping down this character to his most integral traits. This Magneto is in stark contrast to other iterations of the master of magnetism. In years past we've seen him cast as the leader of a nation, the leader of an anti-human faction, the leader of the X-men, a zealot, and a terrorist. While in days gone by we might have seen Magneto travel through the skies in a magnetic field this one tools around in a beat up old suburban. We've seen Magneto be usurped in both status and influence by Cyclops and others. This is Magneto in the post-AvX Marvel Universe and it is rather enjoyable. I don't want to spoil too many plot points, but I will say that it was a fantastic read and a worthwhile addition to any buy pile.
Second....
Many a wave were made earlier this week when Disney/Marvel announced that they will release "Captain America 3" up against WB/DC's "Batman vs. Superman still unofficially titled project" on May 6, 2016. New-comic-movie-fan-dude-bros and even prestigious publications like "Forbes" are already claiming victory for Disney/Marvel. What they fail to realize is that there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY both of those movies will be on the same day. The rising comic film tide has raised all ships, but this would be potentially damaging for both studios. I will tell you now that someone will either experience "production problems" or have to do "reshoots" that will alter the release schedule. As a movie fan it would be cool to go to one at midnight and the other the next morning, but I don't think the head to head competition is necessary or beneficial to anyone.
Third...
I am a very proud Hoosier after this weekend. Indy Comic Con on many fronts was an amazing success. While I do have to say that there is a lot of room for improvement I think it was a great first effort. Event planners anticipated about 10,000 visitors for the entire weekend and received over 15,000 on Saturday alone. The event planners have already committed to having more room and a vastly improved Indy Comic Con for 2015. I would suggest that they have it at a different time of year where they don't have the intersection of St. Patty's day, the Big Ten Tournament, and what I believe was a library convention. This weekend was also the time that Las Vegas was having their Con so that probably kept some celebrities/artists/etc. from coming. Things are definitely looking up for the future of the Indy Comic Con. Very exciting! I'm happy for the businesses downtown as well that have toiled through a brutal winter. They surely experienced an outstanding sales day on Saturday.
Fourth....
This week in the "Superior Spider-man" turns - The "Goblin Nation" storyline carries on. I don't want to spoil anything but it brought a smile to my face when Otto had to stop to ask himself "What would Parker do?"
I know there were other things that I wanted to cover, but I'm blanking on them at the moment so let's call it a day.
Thank you for reading!
See you next time at The Comic Shop...
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